Following teasing comments from Tom Cruise last week, Paramount Pictures has now basically confirmed a sixth Mission Impossible movie. Vice chairman Rob Moore toldVarietythat Ethan Hunt’s story won’t end with the events of this past weekend’s fifth movie, Rogue Nation.
“We’re very happy to be developing this movie with Tom,” Moore said about the sixth movie. “There’s no question that Ethan Hunt deserves another film.”
Rogue Nation enjoyed a strong box office performance this past weekend, banking $56 million in the United States and another $65 million worldwide, for a total global debut of $121 million. “The international brand is as strong as ever,” Moore said.
In an appearance on The Daily Show last week to promote Rogue Nation, Cruise revealed that a sixth Mission Impossible was already the works.
“Yeah, we’re starting to work on it now,” he said when host Jon Stewart inquired about plans for a sixth movie. “We’ll probably start shooting it next summer.”
Seemingly the only thing that might stand in the way is Cruise’s age–he’s 53–though that didn’t stop Liam Neeson from turning into an action star with Taken at the age of 55.
Ahead of the start of Gamescom later this week in Germany, Lionhead Studios has released a new teaser image for its upcoming Xbox One and PC role-playing game Fable Legends.
The image, posted on Lionhead’s Twitter account, shows a character who appears to be wielding some kind of guitar and totally rocking out. Or maybe I’ve got it all wrong.
On Lionhead’s website, the developer teased about this image, “For those not going to Gamescom, we’ve got something pretty cool coming your way next week as well…”
Fable Legends, a free-to-play game, will be playable at the Xbox booth on the Gamescom show floor. It’s also likely the game will be featured in Microsoft’s Gamescom briefing on Tuesday, August 4, starting at 7 AM PDT / 10 AM EDT.
Fable Legends is currently in development for Xbox One and PC, featuring cross-platform play between the two platforms. The Xbox One edition arrives later this year, but it is unclear if both versions of the game will launch on the same date.
Publisher Konami has come under fire again after Japanese newspaper Nikkei (Japanese, login required) has published a report which revealed that the publisher has stopped development on Suikoden and Tokimeki memorial, as well detailing how employees are treated. According to Nikkei, the studio formerly known as Kojima Productions were re-branded as the “8th Production Unit” in March this year, the same month reports of a fallout between the studio and Konami first surfaced.
Konami employees allegedly do not have their own email address; departments where communication with external parties is mandatory, such as sales, are allocated an email address consisting of random numbers and letters. This email address is supposedly changed every few months.
Lunch breaks are managed with time cards, and employees who do not adhere to prescribed break times are named and shamed. According to the report, the working status of employees is monitored through the use of cameras. Employees who did not perform to expectations could be transferred to other tasks such as assembly work, security guard duty, or cleaning the gym.
Development of the Tokimeki Memorial and Suikoden series was also reportedly halted by Konami. Popular Japanese board-game inspired series Momotaru Dentetsu will also be licensed out to Nintendo.
Also of note, the report claims that Konami has spent $80 million, as of April 2015, on the development of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
This year has been an eventful one for Konami. After reports surfaced that developer Hideo Kojima would be exiting the company after the launch of The Phantom Pain, the publisher announced it was looking for new hires to work on the next Metal Gear Solid game. Konami announced the removal of its shares from the New York Stock Exchange in April.
For a timeline of major events that have transpired for the company recently, check out our recap.
The week-long Summer Games Done Quick speedrunning event has come to a close with more than $1 million raised for charity. The final speedrun was Chrono Trigger.
In all, Summer Games Done Quick raised $1,230,852 for Doctors Without Borders. This number may fluctuate over the next few days, but whatever the case, organizers called it “awe-inspiring.”
If you missed the event, archived speedruns are available through the Games Done Quick YouTube Channel. Definitely check out the channel if you’re at all interested; there are some amazing runs, including one for Super Mario 64.
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 donation total sits at $1,230,852. That will change a bit over the next few days, but it’s still awe-inspiring. #SGDQ2015
Angry Birds 2 is a free-to-play game, so big download numbers are to be expected. Rovio did not share any information regarding how many of those 10 million players have spent real-world money on it.
In Angry Birds 2, your arsenal of birds takes the form of cards. When you use them up, you lose a life. After this, you can either wait for those lives to refill after using them up, or spend in-game currency to buy a few more chances. Another change for Angry Birds 2 is the environments, which now have a multi-area layout.
“The playlist team continues to work on future updates, and it’s quite likely that we’ll be talking more about things like Infection in the coming weeks,” the developer said.
Infection was originally introduced in 2007’s Halo 3 and was also featured in Halo: Reach. In it, one player starts as an infected and tries to kill every living player, spreading the infection until there is just one player left. Halo 4 featured a version of Infection called Flood.
343 has continually added new playlists to The Master Chief Collection since launch in November 2014. The latest was the beloved Action Sack, which arrived earlier this month. People are loving it.
“Since its release, it’s been consistently ranked towards the top, and for a few days this past week, it even saw more players than any other playlist,” 343 said. “While featured playlists generally draw in a substantial crowds during their first few days, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it continue to do well, and hope that you’re enjoying the wacky and often nonsensical chaos it offers.”
343 also said that it is also currently working on the next content update for The Master Chief Collection, but didn’t share any details regarding what might be included.
“We’re continuing to keep a very close eye on your feedback on Waypoint, Twitter, r/Halo, and elsewhere, and prioritizing items within the next update based on said feedback,” the developer said. “Look for more details as we get closer to the release.”
Upcoming time-bending Xbox One exclusive action game Quantum Break will be one of the titles featured in Microsoft’s Gamescom briefing on Tuesday. And now the company has teased that it may announce the 2016 game’s official release date during the show.
Asked by a fan on Twitter if Microsoft will announce a “firm” release date for Quantum Break during the show, Spencer said, “You’ll see on Tuesday. I think you’ll be happy.”
Quantum Break, in development at Finnish studio Remedy Entertainment, was originally scheduled to launch in 2015. But in April, Microsoft announced that it was shifting the game to 2016.
“With so many games launching this year, moving Quantum Break to 2016 extends our incredible portfolio into next year with a monster new IP,” Loftis explained at the time.
On Friday, League of Legends‘ office in Brazil did something kind of awesome. They unveiled a statue in Villa Lobos Park in São Paulo, Brazil.
The statue takes on the shape of one of the many fortified turrets you’ll find in-game that players are tasked to destroy. Sure, it might not be one of the characters, or one of the monsters but this is pretty cool too. According to one reddit user, it even plays some iconic music from the game itself.
The tower stands at around 29 feet (almost 9 meters)–and in order to illustrate the sheer enormity of structure, the offices in Brazil decided to release a video:
In a statement released by the offices, Robert Iervoline, the general manager, explained the purpose of the tower:
We decided to create it so that League of Legends players can have even more interaction with the game and share this experience with your friends.
League of Legends and its publisher Riot Games are no strangers to bringing elements of the game to life. But what makes the tower so fascinating is the fact that it’s not just confined to an office or a studio this time. It’s out in the open fields, which transforms it into a gathering place for fans of the game–a way for fans to have real interactions with the world of League of Legends. (I mean, doesn’t it just look like it could be from a portion of the map of Summoner’s Rift?)
And if you’re interested in seeing the statue, fear not. According to the same statement, it’ll be visiting other cities in Brazil outside of São Paulo after this weekend.
Need for Speed fans eager to learn more about the next entry in the series don’t have much longer to wait. Developer Ghost Games has teased that Need for Speed will be shown off next week at Gamescom, where the racing game will also be playable publicly for the very first time.
You can play Need for Speed at the EA booth in Hall 6 during show hours August 6-9 (see this post for a specific list of times). Gamescom attendees will get to customize their car in a virtual garage, and then take it out onto the streets of Ventura Bay (a fictional version of Los Angeles) and cruise around in free mode, or try out some pre-set events.
The new Need for Speed will also be featured in EA’s press conference at Gamescom, which begins at 12:30 AM PDT / 3:30 AM EDT on August 5. Developers will take to the stage to show off new footage and reveal fresh details–maybe we’ll finally get to see about the highly touted story?
Welcome back to GameSpot Q&A, a weekly section where we ask our staff and readers an interesting discussion question about video games. Look at this as a forum where you and others can discuss and compare your opinions of this beloved hobby of ours. Let us know what your answer is to this week’s question in the comments below!
This week’s question is:
What is your favorite song from a video game?
When we spend our time playing video games, there are moments along the way that we find music from them that we absolutely love. From catchy 8-bit tunes that we can’t get out of our heads to sweeping orchestral themes that move us in the most profound ways, what’s your favorite song from a video game? Here’s our top picks.
“Exile Vilify” from Portal 2 | Chris Watters, Host
It didn’t feature very prominently, only a small sample of it looped on a broken radio in an out-of-the-way room, as I recall, but even that small snippet of “Exile Vilify” in Portal 2 was enough. I sought out the song online, downloaded it, and it now occupies a cherished place in my musical rotation. I don’t think I’ve even listened to other songs by The National; the haunting, soul-stretching strains of that song sustain me.
“Epona’s Song” from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Synthia Weires, Community Manager
“Epona’s Song” from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. When my daughter was born, I didn’t know any lullabies and for the life of me couldn’t figure out what to “sing” while I cuddled and swayed my child in an effort to convince her to go to sleep. One night I just started humming it. I could almost see the C-buttons in my mind as I starting harmonizing for my daughter. It’s now one of her favorites.
“Nothing Hurts” Now from Dreamfall: The Longest Journey | Jess McDonell, Host
“Nothing Hurts Now” by Magnet. Dreamfall: The Longest Journey was punctuated by Magnet tracks and this one landed just after the protagonist had given her all to a quest and discovered she had lost more than she found. It’s a devastating moment and being that I am known to cry at everything, this part always gets me. I’ve played Dreamfall several times but I always feel like I’m right there with Zoë when she’s crying on her bed and Magnet underpins the mood with lyrics like, “Nothing hurts now that didn’t hurt before, so I won’t pretend that it was the end of the world.”
“Sparking” from Tekken 5 | Zorine Te, Editor
This is an incredibly difficult question, mainly because I’m a music nerd. One song that always gets me pumped for the day is “Spar King” (sparking?) from the opening of Tekken 5. The boys and I used to sing this in class and make the dumbest jokes from it, mainly because the lyrics we found online did not make sense of any kind. One particular line which was suggested, “destiny or terebi” and “rice cooker” always had me in stitches. Regardless of its poor lyrical content, the song has always evoked fond memories of goofing off in class and hanging out in arcades with my friends.
“The Decisive Battle” from Final Fantasy VI | Edmond Tran, Video Director
Which Final Fantasy has the best soundtrack? The best Final Fantasy game, of course. Final Fantasy VI. No, you’re wrong. So many great tracks, but “The Decisive Battle” was the one I really latched onto. I spent tons of time trying to perfect the piano collection rendition of it and almost flunked out of my actual music exams. Also massive shout out to the whole Gitaroo Man soundtrack, which is still the greatest rhythm action game ever. Ever.
The title theme from Dragon’s Dogma | Tamoor Hussain, News Editor
Have you heard the Dragon’s Dogma title screen theme? It. Is. Incredible. I popped that game in for the first time and just sat on the screen listening to the title theme for the full four(ish) minutes it lasts. I couldn’t understand a single thing the main singer, who is a Japanese man singing in English, said, but the energy behind it was enrapturing. It’s the same kind of passion and commitment that made the Daytona USA theme an earworm. It’s a kick ass track.
“Fire-Field” from F-Zero X | Rob Crossley, Editor
F-Zero X has the best worst metal music ever I’ve ever heard; a slightly revolting monaural crescendo of lo-fi pig slaughter mixed with genuinely sufficient guitar riffs, all compressed onto a slither of cartridge space. The best track of them all is the one that plays on the Fire-Field level, but much like with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club and Dark Side of the Moon, F-Zero X’s appalling soundtrack can only be fully understood and appreciated in its entirety.
