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Category: Gamespot

  • Mega Man Movie in Development at X-Men Studio, Report Says

    A Hollywood adaptation of Capcom’s Mega Man series is in development with 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment attached to the project, according to a report from The Tracking Board.

    The website states development has started, with David Ready (Red, Jack Ryan) and Michael Finfer (Tooth Fairy) overseeing the project on behalf of Chernin Entertainment, a production company that specialises in developing properties for movies and TV.

    20th Century Fox, meanwhile, is reportedly being represented by Mike Ireland and Ryan Horrigan (Noah, 12 Years a Slave). There is no mention of the extent of Capcom’s involvement, if any.

    Capcom has not yet officially addressed the rumours of the Mega Man movie. GameSpot has contacted the company for a statement. Additionally, the project has not been revealed in an official capacity by 20th Century Fox or Chernin Entertainment.

    Mega Man–known as Rock Man in Japan–debuted in 1987’s Mega Man, an action-platformer for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then he has gone on to star in numerous new entries in the main series, as well as spin-offs.

    The core series focuses on Mega Man–an android boy created by Dr. Light–defending the world from the evil Dr. Wily and his Robot Master creations. Players journey through distinctly themed levels and battle the end boss to acquire a new ability, eventually moving on to a new stage where this skill can be of benefit.

    Capcom has enjoyed success with movie adaptations of its Resident Evil series, the latest of which started shooting in August 2015. Titled Resident Evil – The Final Chapter, could be the final entry in the long-running movie series

    Although the many Resident Evil movies released throughout the years have not been critically acclaimed, they perform well commercially. Resident Evil: Retribution and Resident Evil: Afterlife, for examaple, grossed $240 million and $300 million worldwide, respectively.

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  • No Destiny Daily or Weekly Events This Week

    Destiny will not host its regular Daily and Weekly events this coming week, Bungie has announced. This is apparently the result of the game’s upcoming 2.0.0 update, which arrives on September 8.

    “When Destiny 2.0.0 update releases, there will be no Weekly or Daily events (Nightfall, Daily Heroic Story, Heroic Strike) available for the week of September 8 – September 14, 2015,” Bungie wrote on its website.

    Destiny 2.0.0 is a major patch that makes a long list of changes and tweaks for all players. Check out this roundup for everything you need to know.

    Following 2.0.0 will be The Taken King, which launches on September 15. It is Destiny’s third expansion, following The Dark Below (December 2014) and House of Wolves (May 2015). The Taken King costs $40, a price point that Bungie recently defended. Bungie will also release a Destiny: Taken King Legendary Edition, which comes with the base game and all three expansions.

    In other recent Destiny news, Bungie has announced that the game’s multiplayer mode will add a new “Mercy Rule” in an effort to reduce the number of blowouts.

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  • Check Out Heroes of the Storm's First Ranged Warrior, Rexxar, in Action

    Blizzard has released a spotlight video showcasing one of Heroes of the Storm‘s upcoming characters, Rexxar.

    Aside from the novelty of having a bear companion, Rexxar is significant in that he’s the first ranged Warrior-class character to be added to HotS. Previous Warriors are all melee characters who essentially serve as tanks, absorbing damage and setting up enemies so that they can be taken down by teammates. That still appears to be the case with Rexxar, but it’s his bear, Misha, who serves as his frontline defense.

    The video shows off each of Rexxar’s abilities, most of which center around Misha. Here’s what he has at his disposal:

    • Spirit Swoop: Your hawk flies forward, dealing damage and slowing enemies.
    • Misha, Charge!: Misha runs forward, dealing damage and stunning enemies she hits.
    • Mend Pet: Heal Misha over time.
    • Bestial Wrath (Heroic): Misha is buffed, letting her deal more damage than usual.
    • Unleash the Boars (Heroic): For each enemy within a certain range, Rexxar sends out a boar that seeks out its target, dealing damage, slowing them, and revealing them.
    • Misha, Attack/Follow (Passive): Toggle this to order Misha to attack or avoid combat by staying near you.

    That leaves Rexxar himself without a lot he can personally do in terms of damaging abilities. He’s able to keep some distance between himself and enemies by throwing axes, and Blizzard says this makes him effective at taking mercenary camps without any help from teammates.

    There’s not yet a date for when Rexxar will be added to the game. He’s just one of several characters that we know are on the way, including Starcraft’s Medic and Artanis. The game recently added Diablo III’s Monk and another Diablo-themed map, while also offering the Diablo character free for a limited time to anyone who has played Diablo III.

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  • Divinity: Original Sin 2 Adds Playable Undead Race After Surpassing $1.2M

    Another stretch goal has been met in the Divinity: Original Sin 2 Kickstarter campaign, and this time it’ll see the addition of the undead as a playable race.

    The crowdfunding effort recently surpassed the $1.2 million mark, and as previously outlined, that means players will be able to choose to play as the undead. Exactly how they will function remains to be seen, but developer Larian Studios is asking fans for their feedback. It’s also offered some possible traits for the race, such as regenerating health while frozen, but being unable to heal while burning; immunity to fear and bleeding; and starting out at 120% health but slowly losing health as a result of decomposition. More possibilities are outlined in the latest Kickstarter update.

    Larian says Original Sin 2 is attracting backing more quickly than it anticipated (which explains why stretch goals were met before they were announced). As a result, it’s adding new tiers–and accompanying rewards–for those who may have missed out on some of the early offerings. It’s also now including a digital soundtrack for anyone who pledges $40 or more. If you’ve already pledged that amount, you’re all set to get the reward.

    As of this writing, Original Sin 2’s Kickstarter sits at $1.241 million from more than 27,000 backers. The campaign still has several weeks to go, so it’s difficult to image that the other two stretch goals that have been announced so far won’t be met. Those include the addition of another skill tree ($1.35 million) and a new location called the Hall of Echoes ($1.5 million).

    Among the new features Original Sin 2 introduces are origin stories, four-player co-op, and improved crafting.

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  • Destiny, Halo Composer Wins Legal Battle Against Bungie

    Destiny, Halo Composer Wins Legal Battle Against Bungie

    The legal battle between Halo and Destiny composer Marty O’Donnell and Bungie has come to a close. A court-appointed arbitrator ruled this week that Bungie violated its contract with O’Donnell when it fired him “without cause” and made him give up his company stock and drop out of Bungie’s profit-sharing plan.

    O’Donnell told GamesBeat, “I’m happy this is over, and I’m ready to move on.”

    O’Donnell will be awarded at least $142,500 through the first payment of the profit participation program. A previous settlement from Bungie and president Harold Ryan awarded O’Donnell $95,000 for unpaid work, vacation time, and legal fees. O’Donnell is also entitled to recover 192,187.5 Bungie shares, the value of which is unknown (Bungie is not a publicly traded company), but is presumed to be high.

    The veteran composer first filed suit in early May 2014 claiming Ryan had denied him pay for things like unused vacation time, paid time off, and other benefits–all of which Bungie’s policies dictate he would get. Ryan and Bungie responded later in the month, denying the allegations and stating O’Donnell was not “entitled to the relief requested, or any relief whatsoever.”

    What might be more interesting about this week’s news, however, is that court papers shine a light on the events surrounding O’Donnell’s eventual termination, which came in April 2014. GamesBeat, which first broke the news, has a great summary of the events, but the quick story goes something like this.

    The music O’Donnell created for Destiny alongside Beatle Paul McCartney was replaced with Activision-made music for a Destiny trailer to be shown at E3 2013, according to the lawsuit. O’Donnell wasn’t happy. Bungie initially fought alongside O’Donnell on this case, but Activision had its way. It was also during this time, according to the court papers, that a fallout between O’Donnell and Bungie began to bubble up.

    O’Donnell is accused of general insubordination in wake of the E3 2013 trailer music swap. For his part, the composer claimed in the court papers that he was fighting back against the effect Activision was having on Bungie’s culture. In the court papers, O’Donnell says he was trying to preserve Bungie’s spirit in the face of “Activision’s encroachment into artistic decisions.” But O’Donnell was eventually let go.

    You can read the full ruling here.

    Earlier this summer, O’Donnell founded a new video game studio, Highwire Games, with a team of former Bungie developers. The next Destiny release, meanwhile, is The Taken King, which arrives on September 15.

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  • League of Legends Named a Champion After Former Professional Gamer

    League of Legends Named a Champion After Former Professional Gamer

    A recent interview with Duncan “Thorin” Shields revealed that League of Legends developer Riot Games actually decided to name a champion after former professional gamer Dennis “Thresh” Fong.

    Who is Thresh? According to the Guinness World Record, he’s the world’s first professional gamer. He’s known for his feats in games like Quake, one of the earliest FPS games. He’s innovated different play styles, and he’s crushed his opponents with an iron fist.

    Source: Uriel Espinoza

    He’s known as an incredibly intuitive player, his game knowledge allowing him to figure out his opponents’ strategy without breaking a sweat. He wouldn’t just defeat them–his goal was to destroy them. Fong initially wanted his gaming pseudonym to be “Threshold of Pain.” But because of character restrictions, he decided to go with “Thresh” instead.

    Thresh also happens to be a champion in League of Legends.

    For those who might not be familiar with the game, the champion Thresh’s abilities are all very support oriented. That means his job is to initiate fights and protect his carries.

    He’s been one of the most popular supports in League of Legends competitive play since his release in 2013 because of the nature of his kit, and his ability to fit into any team composition.

    “That was their homage,” explains Thresh, “and they were nice enough to give me the summoner name, Thresh.”

    He goes on to say that he wishes the champions’ kit was a little different. In fact, he admits he doesn’t even play the champion much.

    Thresh points out with a laugh, “An FPS guy isn’t going to be playing support.”

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  • "It Can't Be All White Males," EA Exec Says About Diversity in Gaming

    "It Can't Be All White Males," EA Exec Says About Diversity in Gaming

    Electronic Arts is actively looking to increase the diversity of its workforce because “it can’t all be white males.” Chief operating officer Peter Moore says in a new interview with Fortune that EA has specifically made this a focus over the past few years.

    “We all need to step back sometimes and think about the environments we create for our people, the opportunities we create for people internally, and equally importantly how you bring new blood into the company,” Moore said. “It can’t all be white males. As a result, I think that hiring managers at EA over the last couple of years have had a sharper focus on diversity. I know that my teams around the world have.”

    Moore’s career in the industry began in early 1999, and he says he’s seen “incredible growth” in the number of female game developers since then. At EA specifically, The Sims development team is made up of about 40 percent women. The developer’s mobile team also has a “large female development presence.”

    Women in high-profile positions at EA include Sara Jansson (Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst executive producer), Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir (senior producer for Star Wars Battlefront), Rachel Franklin (The Sims 4 executive producer), Samantha Ryan (EA mobile boss), Amy Hennig (untitled Star Wars project), and Jade Raymond (studio head of EA’s new Motive division).

    “We’ve gone from the personification of what we believe women should look like in a video game, to actually involving women in making video games, to today where at Electronic Arts we have some of our most powerful franchises overseen by women who manage hundreds of men,” Moore said.

    Also in the interview, Moore reveals that EA recently brought more than 30 high school girls to its campus in the Bay Area for a seven-week Girls Who Code program.

    Moore also cited FIFA 16’s inclusion of women’s teams for the first time. He said data suggests that only 15 percent of FIFA players are female, but he expects this to rise with FIFA 16 and eventually FIFA 17.

    “We’ve invested heavily to get them in the game and we’ll continue to build on this moving forward with future games,” Moore said. “We had the success with the U.S. team winning the FIFA World Cup this year, and I’d argue more Americans can name members of the women’s soccer team than the men’s.”

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  • Watch Out for Fake Star Wars Battlefront Beta Sites

    Registration for the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront beta has not yet opened. As such, any site claiming to offer access to it is fake and should be avoided, Electronic Arts community manager Matthew Everett says.

    “Do not be fooled by fake beta sign-up sites,” he wrote on Reddit. “Our beta registration will live on our official site here: starwars.ea.com.”

    The Battlefront beta begins in early October for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. You do not need to preorder the game to get access, but EA has yet to say exactly how you’ll be able to get in.

    Battlefront’s beta sounds fairly extensive. It lets you try out the 40-player Walker Assault mode and play a Survival Mission. You can also check out the new mode, Drop Zone, in the beta. EA has not provided a specific start-date for the beta or say how long it will last.

    Battlefront launches on November 17, about a month before Disney’s Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens hits theaters in December. EA is also releasing tie-in DLC for Battlefront based on the movie.

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  • "Mercy Rule" Coming to Destiny's Multiplayer Mode

    "Mercy Rule" Coming to Destiny's Multiplayer Mode

    Major changes are coming to Destiny very soon via Destiny 2.0 and the The Taken King. One of those is the addition of a “Mercy Rule” for Destiny’s multiplayer mode, Crucible. Senior designer Andrew Weldon explains on Bungie.net that the Mercy Rule will work as it does in traditional sports–when one team is so far behind that they have no chance to come back and the game is no longer fun, the match will be called off.

    “When the Mercy Rule hits, Shaxx will call out the end of the match,” Weldon said. “We immediately disable join in progress to prevent any additional players from joining the game (if anyone has dropped already) and reset the game clock to :10 seconds. After those 10 seconds, the match will end normally. All players will receive their end of match rewards and return to matchmaking.”

    The Mercy Rule comes to Destiny on September 8 through the Destiny 2.0 update and will be enabled for all team playlists except Elimination and Trials of Osiris. Weldon went on to promise that Bungie will listen to player feedback and adjust the Mercy Rule as needed in the future.

    “The 2.0 Mercy Rule check is a very simple query that is good at identifying games that get out of hand early, but not necessarily games that pull away late,” he explained. “You may in some cases still find yourself in games where you feel like it should have triggered. We will, as always, continue monitoring our UR data as well as player feedback to determine how we can continue to improve it and make it more accurate in the future.”

    Overall, the Mercy Rule is being implemented to “improve the quality of life for players caught on the receiving end of a massive blowout.” But the winning team isn’t being forgotten. “We don’t want to leave out the winners, who still have to accomplish an impressive feat to end a game early,” Weldon said. “For you, a new gold tier medal to chase: ‘No Mercy.’” Take a look at that medal below.

    What do you make of Destiny’s new Mercy Rule? Share your thoughts in the comments below. A deeper breakout of the rule, featuring player statistics and more insight from Weldon, is available here. For more on Destiny 2.0 and The Taken King, check out this roundup.

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  • Weekly Recap: YouTube's Nextwork's Xbox One "Deceptive Marketing," Gamers Hate Jimmy Kimmel

    Weekly Recap: YouTube's Nextwork's Xbox One "Deceptive Marketing," Gamers Hate Jimmy Kimmel

    THE BIG STUFF:

    YouTube Network “Deceived Customers” With Paid-For Xbox One Videos: The US Government’s Federal Trade Commission announced this week that popular YouTube network had settled charges related to a “deceptive marketing” campaign for Xbox One. Get the full story here.

    Watch Jimmy Kimmel’s Latest Response to Angry Gamers: Comedian/late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel’s spat with gamers continued this week, as Kimmel posted another video of himself reading the angry messages he’s received from fans about his YouTube Gaming monologue. But on Friday, Kimmel posted another video where he sat down with two popular YouTube streamers to “hug it out.”

    THE OTHER STUFF:

    Here’s what Atari’s RollerCoaster Tycoon World looks like in-game. Lookin’ good.

    Here’s a great video of a mariachi band doing video game covers. What a time to be alive.

    A “gym for nerds” has opened in Los Angeles. The gym is called NerdStrong, and it sounds like a fun, inviting place if you’re looking to get into shape. “It’s time to stop being the scruffy-looking nerf herder and time to get #nerdstrong.”

    The free-to-play business model is like feeding asparagus to a baby. That’s according to Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski, who dropped the quote in an interview with Game Informer when discussing his new game, the free-to-play PC shooter LawBreakers.

    A lawsuit involving Sony and a high-end Italian flooring company seeking money for their name being used in Gran Turismo 6 has come to an end, with Sony emerging the victor. Get the full story here.

    Abbey Games this week released their next game, Renowned Explorers, a game that takes its inspiration from the likes of FTL, XCOM, and The Sims. Yes, really. See what it’s all about in the video below.

    A Final Fantasy-themed wedding? This is what that would look like. Congrats to the couple!

    OK, it’s not gaming news, but it’s pretty exciting. Nickelodeon has announced that it’s considering the idea of bringing back some classic cartoons, such as Rugrats and Hey Arnold. There’s no guarantee these will come back, but a Nick exec says bringing them back in some form–TV special, movie, etc.–is on the table.

    Game Informer has a nice interview up with Mike Laidlaw, the creative director of Dragon Age: Inquisition. In it, he talks about the upcoming Trespasser DLC and more. Read it here.

    Minecraft: Story Mode, a new episodic game from the Telltale Games, will launch in November. That’s according to some retail product listings spotted by VideoGamer.

    BioWare has shown off some Mass Effect and Dragon Age clothing. Take a look at a gallery of the images from PAX Prime this past weekend.

    Check out this sweet new trailer for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate; the game arrives in October.

    Metal Gear fans, this one’s for you. To mark the launch of The Phantom Pain this week, Konami released a lovely new trailer for the game that speaks to its impact on the industry and the legacy that Hideo Kojima may leave behind if he does indeed quit Konami. Watch it here.

    The new Pokemon puzzle game, Pokemon Shuffle, is expanding to new platforms. The free game launched today across iOS and Android. Get it through these links: iTunes, Google Play.

    9to5Mac reports that the next version of Apple TV will have a major focus on….gaming? Yes, according to the site’s sources, the new device will offer “deep support for gaming, representing Apple’s largest-ever effort to lure players from traditional consoles.” Buckle up!

    Have a fantastic weekend!

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