“This isn’t just a few pissed off spirits.” As far as horror remakes are concerned, Poltergeist doesn’t look half-bad if the first trailer is any indicator. And now we get to see even more from the film that arrives next month with a second full trailer showing off even more of the haunted house terrorizing Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt and their kids. In addition, we also get a little bit more of Jared Harris as a paranormal investigator. There’s hints of the classic scenes from the original, but with modern technology, it seems many of the elements have been amped up when it comes to the world that exists beyond ours. ›››
“You can’t imagine what would have happened.” Back in 2012, Joshua Oppenheimer delivered the disturbing, unnerving documentary The Act of Killing, which exposed the horrifying mass executions of accused communists in Indonesia and those who are celebrated in their country for perpetrating the crime. Now Oppenheimer is back with a companion documentary called The Look of Silence, which finds a family of survivors learning how their song was murdered, and also who is responsible. This prompts one of them to take action, confront the killers and having them take responsibility for their despicable actions. ›››
This might be some big news that they’re keeping quiet on for the moment, but we’re making noise anyway. Thanks to a tip from our friends at SlashFilm, they’ve noticed that the first official public use of an IMAX laser projector happens this week at the world premiere of James Wan’s Furious 7 at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Los Angeles tonight (Wednesday, April 1st!). This is not an April Fool’s Joke! At least far as I know. IMAX has an official press release about the Furious 7 event on their site, and hidden in the details is this little nugget: “IMAX will be launching its revolutionary new laser projection system.” Finally! We’ve been waiting years and years for this, writing about it ever since IMAX has hyped it up back in 2011. And now it suddenly gets a debut in Los Angeles at their new landmark theater. How I wish I could be there. ›››
We’ve gone back and forth a couple times as to whether Rings, the third film in the horror franchise that began with The Ring in 2002, is actually a prequel. Well, director F. Javier Gutierrezconfirmed on Twitter recently that even though the film will give more insight into the origin of Samara, it isn’t actually a prequel. In fact, Gutierrez says the film takes place 13 years after the events of The Ring, which just so happens to be the amount of time that has passed since the original film. Since this isn’t a prequel, I’m wondering how terrifying a video tape is going to be in the year 2015, but maybe Samara has now gone viral. ›››
Gaming giant Sega owns multiple arcades across the world, and this one in Tokyo’s Akihabara district is the largest. It has six floors of nonstop games, including classics like Tekken and Virtua Fighter.
Guinness World Records named Funspot the largest arcade in the world in 2008. It has literally hundreds of games, from Pac Man to skee-ball, and is dedicated to preserving classic games for arcade fans.
Opened in 2009, the Pinball Hall of Fame takes its title very seriously. The Vegas attraction has acquired vintage pinball machines from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and beyond, and currently boasts a collection of about 150. You can go on a virtual tour of the gaming haven here.
Barcade prides itself on two things: providing delicious craft beer and classic video games. The first venue opened in 2004 in the notoriously hipster neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There are now three other locations in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Available games include Donkey Kong, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more, a full list of which you can find here.
More than just an arcade, Joypolis is essentially a theme park. Once you’re done with the bumper cars and the indoor roller coaster, make your way over to its coterie of arcade games.
Not all arcades have to be behemoths. The tiny but beloved A Button in Tokyo’s Akihabara district is a testament to that. Its walls are jam-packed with games and vintage decor, including old school gaming consoles.
Sporting two locations in Colorado, The 1up has more than 45 games in its nostalgia-ridden basement location, including pinball and skee-ball lanes. On top of that, it serves beer, food and tunes from a jukebox. You can find a full list of available arcade games, from Mortal Kombat to Mario Bros., here.
Most self-respecting arcade lovers have probably seen the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It told the tale of gamers Billy Mitchell and Steven Wiebe as they battled against one another to get the highest score in Guinness World Records for Donkey Kong. In the doc, Mitchell, top-ranked arcade player, came off looking…well, kind of like a villain. “No matter what I say, it draws controversy. It’s sort of like the abortion issue,” he says at one point.
Well, that same Mitchell opened up an arcade called King of Kong in the Orlando International Airport. Within its Donkey Kong-themed walls are a neat array of fun games. One curious fact is that its namesake, a Donkey Kong machine, is nowhere to be found. Maybe Mitchell doesn’t like the idea of having someone beat his high score in his own house?
This barcade in Portland’s Chinatown neighborhood has a lite-brite setup that feels like you’ve stepped into Tron. Under speakers blaring metal, users can play a laundry list of vintage games with original cabinets, a list of which can be found here. There’s also a huge list of pop culture-themed pinball machines, like The Addams Family and The Lord of the Rings. Plus, its bathrooms are just killer.
10. Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in St. Petersburg, Russia
History buffs in search of rare, likely unheard-of games should book a flight to St. Petersburg. The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines tracks down rare games produced in the mid-1970s. Not all the games are propaganda-pushing vehicles, according to Venture Beat, and you can play them during the museum’s open hours.
Did you ever dream of having your own arcade? Well, Chris Kooluris of New York City took your dream one step further and built an enviable arcade comprised of rare games and pinball machines — all in his Manhattan apartment.
The diehard gamer, a PR firm vice president by day, originally built the arcade when he moved out of his Manhattan apartment and into his fiancee’s Brooklyn apartment. His old place wasn’t selling fast enough, so he converted the bedroom into an arcade. Fast forward a bit, and he’s no longer engaged, but he does have a full-fledged apartment devoted to gaming, according to a Wired profile. He told the magazine he’d love for gamers to just come check out his place, so hit him up to see if the offer really stands. See more images of his home arcade here.
Affectionately known as the HOG, gamers flock to this London spot for late-night gaming (you can pay for literal overnight sessions). Hundreds of people can sit comfortably and play games like Street Fighter II. What it lacks in trendy decor it makes up for in culture, as it’s home to numerous events like a monthly, 36-hour gaming marathon called Ultimate Clash. There’s also 3rd Impact, where players duke it out for the high score in Street Fighter III.
Where do you begin when you’re at an arcade that has more than 400 games? It’s currently the largest video game arcade in the U.S., and players can easily get their paws on Galaga and Frogger.
Dubai is no stranger to excess, and its Sega Republic arcade is no exception. The indoor theme park is spacious and flashy, with 76,000 square feet, rides and more than 170 games. Go for the grandeur, stay for the gaming.
Built on pure nostalgia, the kitschy, kiddish YESTERcades looks like your average, run-of-the-mill game center. People really love this place and its plentiful offerings of consoles, from Atari to Xbox.
This place must go on your bucket list. While Tokyo is a mecca for all gamers, the Anata no Warehouse is unlike any other arcade in the world. Intentionally built to look run-down and abandoned, Anata is grim and creepy, inspired by the design of China’s back streets. It has eight stories, each modeled after the arcade of your nightmares. Enter at your own risk.
17. Feng Yun Zai Qi Game Center in Shanghai, China
If you’d prefer to actually play games in China, head to the Feng Yun Zai Qi Game Center. Set in a 1930s underground mall (a fun fact itself), it has rows upon rows of colorful gaming options and DDR.
Back in the arcade capital of Tokyo, Taito is one of the area’s best stops for gaming fans. It has all the games you would expect, and boasts a particularly dense collection of shooter games, according to CNN.
19. Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills, Michigan
A surreal wonderland of mechanical goods, Marvin’s is packed with weird artifacts. Items picked by founder (and mechanical and electric gaming expert) Mark Yagoda surround you as you play pinball andDonkey Kong. It’s also been named one of the most unusual museums in the world.
Let’s end this list in Tokyo, at the incredibly named Super Potato. Known first and foremost as a top retro gaming store, fans of video games, anime and manga can get their hands on Sega consoles, Famicom games and collectible items. You’ll find a vintage arcade on the fifth floor, where shoppers can drop their bags and get straight to gaming.
“So for those that only read headlines, Binding of Isaac Rebirth is FOR SURE coming to Wii U, new 3DS, & Xbox One soonish!” he wrote on Twitter. Attached was a Vine of the New 3DS version (see below).
Meanwhile, Binding of Isaac producer Tyrone Rodriguez said in his own tweet that the game will not be censored at all when it launches on the new platforms.
“The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth for new 3DS, Wii U, or Xbox One is not censored in any way,” he said.
The Binding of Isaac sees players controlling a child who must escape the clutches of his mother, who is out to kill him after the voice of God commands a sacrifice.
It appears Nintendo has been able to get past whatever objections about The Binding of Isaac it originally had.
Now that all Titanfall DLC maps are free forever, developer Respawn Entertainment has merged them into almost every playlist in an effort to improve the overall matchmaking experience.
GameSpot checked the Xbox One edition of Titanfall today and found that DLC maps are now in rotation for the playlists printed below. The same should be true for the PC and Xbox 360 editions of the game.
Attrition
Marked for Death Pro
Frontier Defense
Hardpoint
Marked for Death
Capture the Flag
Wingman LTS
Last Titan Standing
Pilot Skirmish (8v8)
Pilot Hunter
Deadly Ground — Variety Pack
Last month, Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella confirmed that the studio had started work on a “multiplatform” Titanfall sequel, suggesting it will come to both Xbox and PlayStation platforms. He also said at the time that Respawn had formed a second internal team to work on “small, exploratory” projects.
The first patch for Visceral’s recently released Battlefield Hardline will reduce the effectiveness of the multiplayer shooter’s deadly couch Easter egg. Apparently, the couch was actually proving to be reliably useful to some players, and not a throwaway joke vehicle as Visceral had intended.
“Couch health reduced and repair rate decreased to a miniscule amount, making the Couch the one-off it was intended.”
The couch, called “The American Dream,” can be found in Hotwire mode on the Dust Bowl map. It spawns in one of several different locations, but only a single time per round–once it’s been destroyed, it’s gone until the next game begins. However, it can be repaired.
Hardline’s upcoming patch also makes a variety of bug fixes and general gameplay changes. The full patch notes are printed below.
The patch will be deployed in the “near future,” though a specific launch date was not announced. Hardline is available now for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC.
BUG FIXES:
Fixed a server crash in Rescue
Increased the character limit in the MapList to support up to 150 maps in a rotation
You can now set the time limit to 0 and it disables the time limit instead of instantly ending the round in Blood Money
Various fixes for server crashes with rental servers (multiple issues addressed)
Fix for the timer in Conquest freezing when the user set the time limit higher than 800
Fix for MP squad join issue where after the squad leader gets disconnected, a new leader cannot kick members or disband
Fix for the patch awarded in released game for reaching Rank 10 in the Beta
Fix for Derailed Levolution where players were teleported to origin of Point B and killed in some circumstances
Fix for crash if the UI is disabled in the .cfg file
Fix for Bloodmoney exploit in HH where players could access the money pile through the floor/roof
Fix on XB1 for players using invite/join on friend after Quickmatching
Fix for the Uzi’s weapon license cost, setting it to the correct value of $50,000
Fix for X360 players being unable to invite friends while playing Rescue
Fix for a rare crash in the Customize screen
All platforms, miscellaneous low frequency crash fixes
GAMEPLAY CHANGES:
Conquest tickets increased (CQL 999, CQS 600)
Greatly decreased nearby bullet impact flinch; your aimpoint will not shift from rounds striking the environment near you
Fixed some issues with FLIR/IRNV
RPG reduced to 1 ammo from back of cars, with smaller explosion radius overall thus requiring more skill to use effectively
TDM friendzones have been adjusted for better spawning
Rescue / Crosshair exploit where players could skip the round start time by hitting START or ESC has been fixed
Couch health reduced and repair rate decreased to a miniscule amount, making the Couch the one-off it was intended
Player should no longer Quickmatch into servers with unsupported numbers of players
K10: Reduce max damage to 33 and min damage to 8
Saiga and PTR: reduce recoil to bring more in line with Cop faction DMRs
HCAR and HK51: reduce recoil to bring more in line with SCAR-H and SA-58
.410 Jury: Increase damage per pellet to become more effective
FMG-9: increase damage per round to 25 and push out falloff start range to make these weapons more effective
Battlerifle min damage increased to 25 across the board
Mario Maker, Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U game that lets players create their own Mario levels using the GamePad and share them if they want to, will launch in September, the publisher has announced.
In a statement, Nintendo also teased that “various activities” surrounding the 30th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. series are planned throughout the year.
Mario Maker was originally scheduled to launch in the first half of 2015, a release window that fell into question in January after its release date shifted to “2015.”
Are you looking forward to Mario Maker? Let us know in the comments! And for lots more on this week’s Nintendo Direct, check out GameSpot’s video feature below.
Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U shooter Splatoon finally has an official release date. The game will launch exclusively for Wii U on May 29, Nintendo has announced.
A family-friendly twist on the classic arena deathmatch formula, Splatoon challenges players not to shoot their opponents directly, but to cover as much of the level’s walls and floor in your team’s own paint color.
The game also boasts some unique and interesting movement abilities and of course contains some of Nintendo’s trademark charm. Check out the video above to see Splatoon in action.
You can also read GameSpot’s recent preview here and check out some screenshots in the gallery below.
