Category: Gamespot

  • Alien 5 Still Happening, Prometheus 2 Shooting First

    Alien 5 Still Happening, Prometheus 2 Shooting First

    With the news that Ridley Scott’s Prometheus 2 will finally shoot early next year, the status of the fifth official Alien movie has become somewhat uncertain. However, it seems that the film continues to be developed, with District 9 director Neill Blomkamp still at the helm.

    Last summer, Variety reported that Fox had signed a deal with Blomkamp to make Alien 5, and stars Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn have both spoken of their potential involvement in the project. However, the disappointing box office for Blomkamp’s robot adventure Chappie, combined with Scott’s plans to move ahead with a sequel to Prometheus–set in the same universe as Alien–have led to rumors that the project might be dead.

    However, Bloody Disgusting have reported that Blomkamp’s film will still happen, but only after Scott has completed Prometheus 2. “Alien 5 is still very much in the works, as Fox remains hot on the idea,” their source said. “Blomkamp continues to work on the script and refine the tale he is telling. Ridley Scott is still producing, but has insisted on Prometheus 2 being made first.”

    AVPGalaxy spoke recently to Biehn at the Sheffield Film and Comic Con, where the actor explained that Blomkamp’s film would ignore both Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, and work as a direct sequel to James Cameron’s Aliens. Although Biehn was yet to be offered a role, he was “certain” that he would be involved. At the start of the year Blomkamp released various pieces of concept art, one of which featured Biehn’s character of Hicks, his face badly burnt, an injury he sustains at the end of Cameron’s 1986 classic.

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  • Skylanders Getting Card Battle Game

    Skylanders Getting Card Battle Game

    Activision is bringing its toys-to-life franchise to mobile in the form of a card battle game. Titled Skylanders Battlecast, the game will offer “everything from collectibility to strategic card combat and online PvP” to a single-player campaign to appeal to both existing Skylanders fans and classic card battle enthusiasts.

    Skylanders Battlecast combines physical cards and brings them into the game by allowing players to scan them in. Packs can be purchased at retail or in-game as digital packs. Two cards can be scanned at a time to create an animated duel that allows players to physically interact with characters.

    Skylanders Battlecast will be released as a free-to-play game in 2016 on the App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore in 2016. The latest entry in the main series, Skylanders Superchargers, will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and iOS this September.

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  • Steam Machines Won't Have Suspend/Resume Feature

    Suspend and resume, a popular feature in modern game consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, will not be included in the upcoming range of Steam Machines, which are powered by Valve’s SteamOS.

    The functionality places hardware in a low-power mode and allows time-consuming boot sequences to be bypassed by resuming directly into the suspended application.

    According to a Github user that has identified himself as a Valve employee, the suspend and resume feature “is no longer supported” by SteamOS, and the problem stems from Linux, which the software is based on.

    “Given the state of hardware and software support throughout the graphics stack on Linux we didn’t think we could make this reliable,” he explained.

    The limitations preventing its implementation are further explored in a post on Slashdot, in which a developer explains that SteamOS is unable to reattach connected devices such as controllers when it resumes.

    “It doesn’t probe and reattach the controllers to the same point in the device tree that they were in when the system was suspended,” the post says.

    “Since those are the device nodes that SteamOS has open at the time of the suspend, and they route to The Noplace(tm), the controllers become unresponsive. This is a general problem in the Linux device model.”

    GameSpot has contacted Valve for a statement and will provide clarification when it is issued.

    Steam Machines were first revealed in 2013 and, at GDC 2015, a line-up of 15 systems were showcased. Hardware is designed to be scalable, modifiable, low-profile units that are closer to consoles than the typical PC desktop setup.

    Vendors such as Alienware, Asus, Digital Storm, Falcon Northwest, and more have detailed their lines of devices. See all the Steam Machines from those companies, and more, here.

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  • Amazon's Gaming Division Loses Two Key Figures

    Amazon's Gaming Division Loses Two Key Figures

    Amazon Game Studios, the retailer’s internal division dedicated to video games, has lost a pair of its highest-profile employees. Industry veterans Clint Hocking and Eric Nylund have left the company.

    Hocking joined Amazon in early 2014 alongside Portal designer Kim Swift. He came to the company after more than a decade at Ubisoft, where he worked on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Far Cry 2. Following his run at Ubisoft, Hocking worked at Valve and LucasArts on unannounced projects.

    It was never clear what Hocking was working on at Amazon. He only confirmed that he had joined the company as a senior game designer for an unspecified project. IGN first reported Hocking’s departure.

    The other Amazon key hire who has now left the company is Eric Nylund, whose LinkedIn profile states that he quit in July 2015. Nylund, who spent more than 13 years at Microsoft working on the Halo franchise and others, originally joined Amazon as its director of narrative design in July 2013.

    Nylund worked at Amazon as its narrative director for first- and second-party games. His job was to lead the “effort to create and manage the story of multiple game titles, create new intellectual properties, and develop connected media strategies for proprietary platfroms.”

    Amazon Game Studios has published a number of mobile games, including the latest game from Prey developer Human Head. But the company might now being eyeing another platform. Earlier this summer, a job listing suggested the company was working on an “ambitious” PC game. The company also acquired Killer Instinct developer Double Helix, though it’s not clear what the team is now doing.

    This past weekend, The New York Times published an in-depth feature about the working conditions inside of Amazon, but it’s unclear if the departure of Hocking and Nylund is in any way related. They have not announced any future plans, but we’ll have those details for you as they become available.

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  • Hearthstone's Grand Tournament Expansion Cards Available to Sample in Latest Tavern Brawl

    Blizzard will be offering Hearthstone players an opportunity to sample the upcoming Grand Tournament expansion by theming the latest Tavern Brawl around some of the new cards.

    The Grand Tournament Match will pit Medivh, who wields a deck “packed with minions eager to heed your call to battle and power up with Inspire” against Alleria, who is backed by “a full cadre of master jousters who are poised to grow mighty with each contest won.”

    Blizzard has not yet announced a release date for the full expansion, but the Grand Tournament Tavern Brawl will end on August 24. Those interested in the upcoming expansion have a limited time to trial some of the content.

    Each hero class in the full Grand Tournament expansion will receive nine new cards, with one Legendary added to each. The Hunter, however, will be given ten new cards, with a second Legendary.

    New mechanics will also be added. The first is Inspire, which activates a special ability whenever the player uses their hero power. The second is a new minion battlecry called Joust, which, when activated, picks two random cards from both the player’s and their opponent’s deck. If the player that invoked the Joust reveals a card with a higher value than the other player, their minion will receive a benefit.

    The new mechanics and cards are designed to discourage the use of low-value aggro cards. Players can unlock these new cards by purchasing packs of five, either with real money or through in-game currency.

    Take a look at Hearthstone’s new Hero cards here.

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  • Sony's Paris Games Week PlayStation Conference Dated

    Sony's Paris Games Week PlayStation Conference Dated

    Sony has detailed its PlayStation Media Preview, which it is scheduled to hold at the upcoming Paris Games Week event.

    Sony’s press conference will take place on October 27 and, according to French gaming side Jeux Video, starts at 5 PM UK time (9 AM PST).

    Pictured: Invite received by Jeux Video

    On May 9, 2015, Sony announced it will not host a press conference at Gamescom, instead opting to save its announcements for the media briefing at Paris Games week.

    “With the changes this year of E3 taking place a week later and Gamescom taking place earlier, we feel that both PlayStation and the wider industry would benefit from a major news milestone later in the year, during the most important period for gaming,” it explained at the time.

    “We are excited about our plans and look forward to sharing some exciting announcements,” the statement continued. “We will share more information closer to the time.”

    Although Sony has not confirmed exactly what it will show at Paris Games Week, LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule is expected to show off more its latest project, Dreams, which originally made its debut at E3 2015.

    Fans have speculated that Quantic Dream, the studio behind Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, may also show off its new game at the event, as little has been heard of what the studio has been doing recently.

    Other potential points of discussion at the event include Project Morpheus, the company’s VR headset. On March 9, 2015, PlayStation’s president of worldwide studios Shuhei Yoshida said pricing for the Project Morpheus headset would be announced at E3. Announcements were not, however, made, so it may be that Sony is planning to talk about Morpheus at Paris Games Week.

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  • Volume's Vita Release Delayed "a Couple of Weeks"

    The PlayStation Vita version of Volume, the latest game from Thomas Was Alone creator Mike Bithell, has been delayed by “a couple of weeks.”

    While the PC and PlayStation 4 versions of the Metal Gear Solid-inspired stealth game are still on track for an August 18 release, the portable version “needs a little more love.”

    “Unfortunately, we unexpectedly had to make the decision to hold off on the Vita version for a couple of weeks to get it where we want it,” Bithell explained on the game’s website. “It’s so very nearly ready, but it needs a little more love.

    “A few personal problems and issues have slowed down our submittal, so even though the game is “done” on Vita, we still have some QA process to go through (because that stuff matters).”

    The indie dev also clarified that Volume’s cross-buy promotion will remain in effect: “If you get the game on PS4, the Vita version will be waiting for you the second it’s out of the oven, at no extra cost.”

    In GameSpot’s Volume review the game was awarded an eight out of ten. Although the game “stumbles when trying to tell a story,” it also “flows from one level to the next with the aptitude of a great stealth game, and the inventiveness of a clever puzzle title.”

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  • Hip-Hop Biopic Straight Outta Compton Sets Box Office Records

    Hip-Hop Biopic Straight Outta Compton Sets Box Office Records

    Superheroes, dinosaurs, and space adventures may rule the summer box office, but the huge success of hip-hop biopic Straight Outta Compton this weekend proves that there is still demand for more traditional, adult-orientated fare at this time of year.

    The film tells the story of groundbreaking L.A. gangsta rap group N.W.A., and it is the latest summer smash for Universal Pictures. Despite a lack of big stars or extravagant special effects, the film pulled in a massive $56.1 million this weekend, topping the box office charts and making it the highest-opening biopic of all time.

    The film was particularly popular amongst minority audiences, with CNN reporting that nearly 46% of audiences were African-American, and only 23% white. “It’s an example of counterprogramming,” producer Bill Straus told Variety. “Summer movies have become so monolithic over the last decade that releasing the film at this time of year was brazen, and I think youth culture responds to brazen.”

    Straight Outta Compton was directed by F. Gary Gray on a budget of just $29 million, and stars O’Shea Jackson, Jr. (the son of N.W.A member Ice Cube, here playing his father), Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, and Paul Giamatti.

    It marks the latest hit for Universal, who have dominated the global box office this year. In July, the studio announced that the likes of Jurassic World, Furious 7, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Minions have helped generate a worldwide gross of $5.53 billion, making it the highest-grossing year ever for a studio.

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  • Cosplay Photo Gallery at D23 Expo 2015

    Cosplay Photo Gallery at D23 Expo 2015

    Icons of Disney’s past, present, and future came together once again last weekend during the D23 EXPO 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

    Couldn’t make it to the show? GameSpot has you covered with some photos of the amazing cosplay at the event. Check out our gallery below!

    Click the thumbnails below to view them in gallery mode.
    Click the thumbnails below to view them in gallery mode.
    Click the thumbnails below to view them in gallery mode.
    Click the thumbnails below to view them in gallery mode.

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  • Mass Effect: Andromeda Gets New Combat, Story Details

    BioWare has shared new details about Mass Effect: Andromeda, specifically in the areas of combat and story. The developer has also confirmed it’s not planning to show new gameplay anytime soon.

    First, on the subject of combat, senior development director Chris Wynn said to a fan on Twitter that Andromeda’s combat will feel similar to Mass Effect 3‘s. “There are some new elements that make it more dynamics, but overall similar feel [to Mass Effect 3],” he said.

    Wynn also teased that Andromeda will not feature an familiar faces from previous Mass Effect games. “Story-wise, it wouldn’t make much sense,” he said. It was previously confirmed that the hero of the first three games, Commander Shepard, would have no part to play in the new game.

    But what about minor characters from the original trilogy? Could they show up in Andromeda? It’s too early to say, Wynn stressed. The game remains in active development and, “given that we haven’t added every single character to the Andromeda build yet, can’t really answer this one yet,” he said.

    Though no major characters from the original Mass Effect trilogy will come forward to the new game, Wynn said the game should still feel familiar to fans of the series.

    “There are plenty of non-character connections,” he said about how Andromeda relates to the first three games. “Races, stuff like the Mako. Fans will feel at home.”

    Check out some other new Andromeda details from Wynn in the bullet points below.

    Andromeda launches in fall 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. What are you hoping to see from the game? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

    Via: VG247

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