Category: Gamespot

Ark: Survival Evolved is off to a hot start on Xbox One.

An unfinished version of the game launched on Micosoft’s console last month through the Game Preview Program and reached more than 1 million downloads in under a week. Studio Wildcard’s Jesse Rapczak shared the number in a post on Xbox Wire. This is likely a mix of free trials and paid downloads.

Whatever the case, Rapczak said Ark’s fast uptake on Xbox One is a sign that people are looking for big-scale multiplayer survival games on console. He also revealed that the Xbox One version of Ark currently sees more daily players than the PC edition.

“There’s no question that survival games have taken the PC world by storm lately,” he said. “And as the only true large-scale multiplayer survival game available on console, perhaps it comes as no surprise that Ark’s daily Xbox One player count is already bigger than on PC.”

The full, finished version of Ark will be available in June across Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4.

Until then, Rapczak said Xbox One players can look forward to new updates to Ark about every two weeks.

“This will eventually include highly demanded features like split-screen support, gamepad customization, UI improvements, tweaks to current game modes, balancing improvements, and all the new content that is going into the PC version,” he explained. “That’s awesome considering there is already three times as much content in the game today compared to the PC launch 7 months ago.”

Finally, Rapczak confirmed that the giant, prehistoric kangaroo creature released for the PC edition of Ark last week will make its way to the Xbox One version in the coming weeks.

A free trial for Ark is available now, while the full game costs $35. This price will go up when the final version launches in June.

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is one of 2016’s most anticipated blockbusters, and will be hitting cinemas in just over two months. The full trailer released in December hinted at the action we can expect, and revealed that the monstrous Doomsday would be the film’s main villain. Now a more detailed plot synopsis has been put online.

The synopsis was published on the website for cinema chain Cinevue, and was reported by CBR. It reads:

Following his titanic struggle against General Zod, Metropolis has been razed to the ground and Superman is the most controversial figure in the world. While for many he is still an emblem of hope, a growing number of people consider him a threat to humanity, seeking justice for the chaos he has brought to Earth.

As far as Bruce Wayne is concerned, Superman is clearly a danger to society. He fears for the future of the world with such a reckless power left ungoverned, and so he dons his mask and cape to right Superman’s wrongs. The rivalry between them is furious, fueled by bitterness and vengeance, and nothing can dissuade them from waging this war. However, a dark new threat arises in the form of a third man: one who has a power greater than either of them to endanger the world and cause total destruction.

The superhero stand-off that the world has been waiting for is finally arriving in cinemas, with an all-star cast bringing to life the characters we all love. Zack Snyder (300) returns as director following the huge success of 2013’s Man of Steel, along with Henry Cavill (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) in the role of Superman. Also starring Ben Affleck (Gone Girl) as Batman, Amy Adams (American Hustle) as Lois Lane, and Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 7) as Wonder Woman, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an explosive, action-packed blockbuster that is sure to thrill DC fans everywhere.

In an interview with French magazine Studio Ciné Live last month, star Ben Affleck explained what would set the Batman of this movie apart from those other films. “[The film] plays a bit more with the billionaire playboy side of the character,” he said. “He lives that life at full tilt. He courts many women, owns many cars, and parties a lot. He does that as a way to fill the void in his soul.

“Past incarnations dealt with a straightforward search for justice. This time, Batman’s reasoning is clouded by frustration, bitterness and anger.”

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will open on March 25, 2016. It is directed by Zack Snyder and also stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Gal Gadot, and Laurence Fishburne.

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Microsoft will release yet another new Xbox One bundle later this year, this one themed around Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six franchise. That’s according to recently discovered retailer listings. The bundle in question reportedly comes with a 1 TB Xbox One and a copy of Rainbow Six Siege. It also apparently packs in Rainbow Six Vegas and Rainbow Six Vegas 2, playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility.

@lifelower spotted a product page for the unannounced bundle on Amazon Italy. @Warior64 also found a listing for the console from Target. According to that finding, the system will launch January 10 for $400.

Though the evidence for its existence is certainly mounting, this Xbox One bundle remains unconfirmed at this stage. We’ll have more details on the system as they become available.

If it’s real, it’ll add to Microsoft’s already-extensive lineup of Xbox One bundles. Others already available come with Fallout 4 + Fallout 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider + Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, Gears of War Ultimate Edition, and FIFA 16, among others. You can see all the bundles here on the Xbox website.

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Operation Black Ice, the first major expansion for Rainbow Six Siege, has been delayed–but only slightly.

Previously expected to debut in January 2016, Ubisoft has now confirmed that it’s coming February 2. Season pass ($30) owners can immediately gain access to its two DLC characters when they are released without having to spend currency–be it real-world money or in-game cash–to unlock them.

Everyone else will be able to unlock or purchase the two new operators seven days later. These characters come from Canada’s Joint Task Force 2 counter-terrorism unit and are outfitted by new weapons and “unique gadgets.”

Operation Black Ice also comes with one new map, which will be free for everyone, as well as a “handful of new weapon skins” across all tiers. Players can also look forward to unspecified “gameplay upgrades.”

In a blog post, Ubisoft said every new operator coming to Siege in the coming year (a total of eight are planned) can be unlocked through normal gameplay by playing about 25 hours.

“The data we have suggests that the average FPS player spends 8-10 hours a week playing their favorite FPS (also in-line with our observation during the closed beta), so it should only take between two to three weeks maximum to unlock an operator,” the developer said.

Given that there will be about three months of space between each of Siege’s four planned add-ons for 2016, Ubisoft said it thinks players “won’t have trouble” saving up enough in-game currency (Renown) to unlock all eight operators when they release. Of course, players can also buy each operator right away form 600 R6 Credits, which comes out to $5.

You can read more about Ubisoft’s approach to Siege’s post-launch DLC here in this blog post.

Siege launched on December 1 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more, check out GameSpot’s review.

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The notorious hacking group Fail0verflow has demonstrated what appears to be the world’s first low-level hack of the PlayStation 4.

As well as bypassing the console’s security measures, Fail0verflow has also managed to write a custom version of Linux for the console, and has made the PS4 Linux port publicly available on its website.

A video demonstration of the hack also shows the PS4 playing what appears to be a modded version of Pokemon Emerald, renamed as “Pokemon PlayStation Version.”

Fail0verflow has been responsible for hacks of numerous consoles. Digital Foundry claims the group had previously hacked the Wii, Wii U, and PlayStation 3.

The PlayStation 4 had proven to be free from such hacks for more than two years since its release.

But late in December, at the Chaos Communication Congress event in Hamburg, representatives for Fai0verflow published a five-minute video demonstrating the PS4 running a custom version of Linux.

The group appeared to be impressed by the PlayStation 4’s architecture, claiming: “The Marvell engineers who designed the southbridge were smoking some really good stuff.”

While some hackers advocate the bypassing of console security as more a hobbyist pursuit, corporations tend to claim that such hacks pave the way for pirated games.

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The first trailer for this summer’s forthcoming sci-fi action sequel Independence Day: Resurgence landed just before Christmas. While many of the cast from the 1996 original are returning, the one big absence is star Will Smith. The star has now commented on how he feels about the upcoming movie–and the fact that his character has been killed off in the intervening years.

In an interview with Yahoo Movies, Smith said: “I was working on Suicide Squad during that time. [Director] Roland [Emmerich] and I had talked about it. The trailer looks really cool. I’m going to be sitting around with tears in my eyes when that one comes out. It was terrible when I found out my character died.”

The film’s promotional website includes a timeline of events to bridge the gap between the two movies. For 2007, it states: “an unknown malfunction during the test flight of the first Alien Hybrid Fighter results in Col. Hiller’s death,” referring to Smith’s character.

According to Emmerich, Smith initially planned to return for the second Independence Day, which at an earlier stage would have revolved around the Hiller’s relationship with his son. However, after making the similarly-themed sci-fi flop After Earth, Smith withdrew for the project “In the very beginning, I wanted to work with him and he was excited to be in it. But then after a while he was tired of sequels, and he did another science fiction film, which was his father-son story, so he opted out,” Emmerich explained at a press conference last summer.

Independence Day: Resurgence is set for a June 24, 2016 release. It stars Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, Bill Pulman, Maika Monroe, Liam Hemsworth, and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

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Charity speedrunning event Awesome Games Done Quick returns today for its first event of 2016.

Awesome Games Done Quick 2016, physically taking place in Virginia, will see expert gamers speedrunning though classic and new games to raise money for charity.

The event begins today at 11:30 AM EST with a pre-show. Tones Balones will perform the first speedrun, for Wii U‘s Splatoon, starting at 12 PM EST. Other games on today’s schedule include Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, Rayman Legends, Super Mario 64, and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, among others.

AGDQ 2016 runs through January 10. You can see the full schedule here. All events will be streamed though the Games Done Quick website and via this Twitch channel.

Speedrunning is the process of playing through a game as quickly as possible. They are particularly fun and sometimes bewildering to watch because they require expert skill, lots of planning, and often the use of tricks.

The most recent event, Summer Games Done Quick in summer 2015, raised $1.2 million for Doctors Without Borders. Other events have benefited the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens has broken yet another box office record.

The numbers are in–and Disney’s sci-fi blockbuster made $34.5 million domestically on Friday. That’s an all-time domestic box office record for New Year’s Day. Holiday performance was worse overseas, as The Force Awakens made $25 million at the international box office on Friday.

Globally to date, The Force Awakens has now made $1.39 billion. It’s now passed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 to hit the No. 7 spot at the all-time worldwide box office.

Head to Deadline to see more box office numbers and analysis. The full report for this weekend will come tomorrow, January 3; check back then to learn more.

In other Star Wars news, original Boba Fett voice actor Jason Wingreen has died at the age of 95.

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