“This is the premier boychoir school in the nation.” While Whiplash dived into the world of competitive jazz band with a terrifying drill instructor of a leader, Boychoir looks to take a softer route in exploring adolescence and the inspiration of music. Dustin Hoffman plays a tough but stupendous conductor who has been brought in to maintain a premiere boychoir at a very elite school. But there’s one student who doesn’t seem too keen on using his talent, complacent with squandering his gift. Hoffman doesn’t get quite as crazy as J.K. Simmons did in Whiplash, but this still looks like it could be a nice, inspiring story. Watch? ›››
Following the addition of Nymphomaniacstar Charlotte Gainsbourg last week, the blockbuster sequel Independence Day 2 has just landed another actress, but this one should be more familiar to fans of the original 1996 alien invasion hit. Vivica A. Fox will be back as Jasmine Dubrow, the stripper who was also the girlfriend of Will Smith and one of the few survivors who made it out of New York City. You may remember that she also had a son, played by Dylan Bagley in the original film, and that’s the role Jessie Usher is playing with the kid all grown up. But don’t hope that Smith is back, because it’s not happening. ›››
Last year, Luc Besson brought us the action thriller Lucy, and director Steven Quale delivered the silly Into the Storm. Now the two are teaming up, for better or worse, for a new action thriller called The Lake. Besson will produce through his Europa Corp. production banner, and the project is said to be one of the most expensive projects they’ve taken on to date. Now Deadline reports J.K. Simmons, fresh off his Oscar win for Whiplash, has joined the supporting cast of the film which follows a group of Navy SEALs who attempt to solve an age-old mystery involving a treasure underneath a lake in war-torn Serbia. Sounds cool. ›››
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, it’s time for another shark thriller in the vast ocean. After bringing genre flicks like the first two installments of The Transporter franchise and the remake of Clash of the Titans to the big screen, as well as the magician heist crowd-pleaser Now You See Me, Deadline reports director Louis Leterrier has boarded In The Deep. The script by Anthony Jaswinski made the Black List with a story about a lone female surfer attacked by a shark at sea and ends up stranded on a reef, trying to get back to shore before her injuries become fatal. It’s Gravity meets Jaws. ›››
Back when news of Captain America: Civil Warfirst surfaced, there were rumblings that the sequel’s directing duo, Anthony & Joe Russo, were already in talks with Marvel Studios to be at the helm of the next installment of The Avengers, which we’ve since learned will be a two-part event called Infinity War. And now, if a rumor at Badass Digest is to be believed, the Russo brothers, who also directed the stellar Captain America: The Winter Soldier, have closed their deal to direct both parts of The Avengers’ next adventure coming in 2018 and 2019, with production shooting back-to-back in both 2016 and 2017. ›››
In this game, main character Geralt’s beard will grow over time. The action hero’s beard has several “states,” according to CD Projekt Red’s communications boss Michał Platkow-Gilewski.
“The beard grows as time passes and when Geralt moves between locations,” he told Eurogamer. “The beard has several ‘states’ and these states determine its length–the longest is really long but it’s not Gandalf-long.”
Witcher 3 images released so far show Geralt with only a small amount of facial hair. It’s unclear if there will be a button prompt to make Geralt stroke his beard.
In other facial hair news, CD Projekt Red has also revealed that the moment you apply The Witcher 3’s free “Beard and Hairstyle” add-on (one of 16 free DLC packs for the game), Geralt’s beard growth will come to an end.
“When you download the free Beard and Hairstyle DLC the growth of the beard will stop because we decided that when players want a predefined look, it would be weird to require from them to reapply it time after time,” Platkow-Gilewski said.
CD Projekt Red previously described Geralt as a “relatively handsome man,” citing his beard as one of his standout features.
In a new interview with Japanese business publication Nikkei, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata spoke–albeit briefly and in vague terms–about the company’s mysterious new platform, codenamed “NX.”
Although he did not offer specifics, Iwata suggested that the NX aims to catch gamers by surprise and offer meaningful innovation.
“If you only expand upon existing hardware, it’s dull,” Iwata said in the report, as translated by Kotaku. “In some shape or form, we’re always thinking about how we want to surprise players as well as our desire to change each person’s video gaming life.”
Iwata officially announced the NX during a presentation in Japan last week, where the company also revealed plans to finally enter the smartphone market. Revealing the NX project was a means to demonstrate that Nintendo remains committed to gaming hardware.
“As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename ‘NX,’” Iwata said at the time.
More details about NX are set to be revealed in 2016. GameSpot’s full report about the NX is available here.
As a new indication of gaming’s broadening cultural relevance, two people who work in the industry have made TIME’s list of the 30 most influential people on the internet.
Joining a power-list populated by the likes of Barack Obama and Ta-Nehisi Coates is PewDiePie, the idiosyncratic twentysomething gamer who posts Let’s Play videos on YouTube, and Anita Sarkeesian, the award winning feminist games critic.
In the preface to its list, TIME wrote that “the rise of social networks has levelled the playing field, allowing unknowns to command audiences rivalling those of real-world leaders, even if by accident.”
PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, hosts the most subscribed YouTube channel in the world, with a mass of more than 35 million fans. Kjellberg tends to make videos independently, but sometimes does promotional work for games companies. In November 2013, developer Techland revealed gameplay footage of its Dying Light project via a PewDiePie Let’s Play that reached close to five million views.
Anita Sarkeesian’s relationship with her audience, however, is more complex. While the essayist is widely praised for her work, with supporters including the likes of Tim Schafer and Neil Druckmann, she is routinely attacked by internet commentators, who typically do so anonymously.
In an ironic twist, the volume of hate against Satkeesian and her message–that games should strive for universal appeal and positive messages–has propelled her popularity. In October, she appeared on national television, on The Colbert Report, to discuss her views on gender equality in games.
H1Z1, the open-world zombie survival game from the studio formerly known as Sony Online Entertainment, has surpassed one million sales on Steam.
Daybreak Studios, the game’s developer that became independent from Sony in February, announced the sales landmark on Twitter. John Smedley, the president of the company, exclaimed: “We have sold 1M copies of H1Z1 on Steam!”
Currently the MMO is only available as a Steam Early Access title, meaning players are experiencing the project in alpha and beta state. When H1Z1 first launched, in January, strong demand for the game led to numerous server issues.
In March, Smedley said the company would soon be adding a monthly pass allowing unlimited access to a game mode called Battle Royale, a last-man-standing multiplayer event.
Currently, the game provides free access to Battle Royal, but eventually it will become a premium mode that requires either a monetary fee or a ticket that could be earned in-game.
However, this monetisation was postponed after fans suggested the code was too unfinished to reasonably charge players for it.
Smedley acquiesced to this, explaining: “What’s clear is that you expect more from us in terms of quality level so that’s what we’re going to do. We’ll focus on bugs, awesome new stuff and adding a ton of features to Battle Royale and our main game to make you feel like you’re more than happy to pay for it. Only then will we charge for it.”
As a follow up to From Software’s Souls franchise, Bloodborne will be very familiar to those who have followed the series. The good news is that you absolutely do not need to have prior knowledge of the Souls games to understand, appreciate, and most importantly, play Bloodborne. For the seasoned Souls player, it would be a mistake to assume you can skip through the tutorials. Even if you manage to pull off the new visceral attack, you may not know how you did it, let alone how you can do it 100 percent of the time. You can also say that the regain system fundamentally makes this wholly different from Dark Souls.
We’ve detailed these new features as well as other tips and tactics to the guide below. These will greatly make your first couple hours in Bloodborne considerably easier in what is already a challenging game.
1) Your first encounter, a Lycanthrope
You’ve just awakened with no weapons, and between you and the rest of the world is a large, fierce lycanthrope. This is a good opportunity as any to get used to the combat controls, which is mostly driven by the shoulder buttons. Do not stress if you die. No reasonable person would expect you to defeat a lycanthrope with your bare hands. Upon your death, you will wake up in the seemingly heavenly hub area known as Hunter’s Dream.
Yes, you can beat the lycanthrope, though having prior experience with Dark Souls will only help so much. Along with our tips below, you should also know that holding down R2 lets you charge a stronger attack and complements the quicker attacks you can execute using R1. If you do manage to kill it, you still won’t be able to reach the safety of the hub area until you die. But maybe you don’t need it and the weapons you can get at Hunter’s Dream. Maybe you’re just that good.
2) Hunter’s Dream, a new kind of hub
After you die, you awaken in Hunter’s Dream, your headquarters in Bloodborne. Not all its features will be available at the start but you can begin exploring the place and read some of the game’s basic tips and strategies. If you’re a Dark Souls veteran, you might be eager to know where you should level up. This can be accomplished by interacting with the doll in the middle of the map. Note that you won’t be able to talk to her until you encounter the first boss, the cleric beast.
3) Choosing your starter gear
When you arrive at Hunter’s Dream, you’ll get to arm yourself with Bloodborne’s starter weapons, with a melee weapon in one hand and a firearm in another. Here are some additional details about them to help you make an informed decision.
Saw Cleaver: This is the most balanced of the three weapons. Its extended version has effective reach while the compact version makes it light for a quick series of attacks. This makes for a solid pick if you’re unsure what to go with.
Hunter Axe: Direct and brutal, this axe has great damage, provided you can manage its slow speed. Its longer, alternate version has one drawback in that it needs to be held with two hands.
Threaded Cane: With its long range, this cane is great against crowds even if its damage isn’t as high as the other weapons. Its speed is also impressive.
Hunter Blunderbuss: This functions like a shotgun, meaning that its range is poor but can hit multiple targets at close range. It’s also more potent against a single target when you’re even closer. Note that a single shot only requires one bullet.
Hunter Pistol: Better range than the Blunderbuss but you can only hit one target at a time. It’s also effective in attracting attention from afar like the pebbles in the game.
4) The three most challenging non-bosses early on
Now that you’re armed, you can exact vengeance on the lycanthrope for killing you in that unfair fight. This is a good time to equip your weapons (by pressing option and then selecting the second row of blank boxes). Along with the lycanthrope, we’ve noted two other large sized enemies you’ll encounter in Bloodborne’s initial hour. Learning how to beat these three will train you in the fundamentals of combat, often applicable to bosses.
Lycanthrope: This fast-moving beast can be dealt with using quick melee attacks. Its animation before it lunges is easy to read so be ready to dodge and attack to its side (or better yet, its rear). You should be cautious about its lunges since there’s the possibility it can grab you by its teeth, which often results in death.
Gargantuan Pig: Your first encounter with this pig will most likely be in the sewer. He poses a unique challenge in that his size does not make combat easy in the confining and narrow passages of the sewer. Do not face him head on if his front half is up in the air; it means he’s about to slam down. You should also be mindful of his head swipes, where he swings his front half back and forth. Like many other enemies, his weak spots are at his sides and rear.
Ax-Wielder: If you want to cut your teeth in learning the fundamentals of close range defense, particularly dodging, you’ll want a duel with this guy. When you head down the stairs leading to the passing mob, make a U-turn and you’ll find this round, hulking foe surrounded by coffins and a carriage. He’s slow but deadly and makes for a great training partner in rolling moves. Practice with him to learn how to get behind an enemy.
5) Lanterns, the new bonfires
Lanterns are the checkpoints of Bloodborne, the equivalent to bonfires in Dark Souls. These are also your portals to Hunter’s Dream. You’ll be using the second Lantern a lot in the initial hour since the next one won’t be accessible until you defeat the first boss. The stretches between lanterns vary greatly throughout the game so plan your trips back to Hunter’s Dream accordingly. You can reduce the distance between Lanterns by unlocking shortcuts, which brings us to….
6) Navigating the world and creating shortcuts
The initial area of Yharnam is a dense, labyrinthine district of a much larger city. It takes a while to fully explore, but once you’ve visited each section repeatedly, you’ll realize that these areas are actually smaller than they initially feel. Its world is fundamentally more akin to Dark Souls than Dark Souls II, which means that shortcuts abound. If you come across a locked gate, there’s a very good chance that there’s an path to the other side of that gate. With the gate open, two lanterns that were once far apart are suddenly close to each other.
7) Study every enemy
Every enemy in Bloodborne has their own unique attacks and moves. You’re encouraged to experiment, but also know that some enemies are easy enough that a series of quick attacks might be all you need. Some enemies in Yharnam are very easy to kill in a 1-on-1 fight, but you might want to plan a different strategy when they’re in crowds. That applies to the ground-hugging carrion crow, an easy creature to kill, but can also overwhelm you if it has friends.
8) Transforming weapons
A crucial part of combat is distance management, and the state of your melee weapons can make a huge difference against a particular enemy. With a tap of the L1 button, you can toggle between two weapon lengths. The longer version will obviously give you better reach, something to consider when taking on enemies with longswords and spears. Conversely, the shorter version of your weapon allows for quicker attacks.
Note: It is imperative that you keep your weapons in good shape. Do not wait for the weapon durability warning to appear. It’s not a case of whether the weapon works or not. Its effectiveness gradually reduces with every dozen or so hits. Repairing weapons costs very little so you should have them repaired every time you visit the Hunter’s Dream.
9) Know the Visceral Attack
Bloodborne takes a page from counter moves in fast-paced action games by giving you an opportunity to stun an enemy and deal significant damage. With the right timing, a shooting an enemy in motion can stun him and bring him to his knees. You know you’ve accomplished this if you hear a high pitched metallic sound. Knowing when to fire depends on the enemy but the miniscule window of opportunity is usually when they’re about to strike you. One exception is the second boss, who can be stunned during his forward roll.
A stunned enemy will allow you to deal as many as six melee blows before they can fight back. If you’re right next your foe while he’s on his knees, you can deal a massive “visceral” stab attack. It’s deadly enough to finish off most non-bosses in a single strike and can take off significant health from the bosses.
10) What is the Regain System?
The Regain System is a new feature in From Software’s Souls-like games. It’s an integral part of combat where you have a very brief window of opportunity to regain lost health by dealing damage to the enemy that hit you. You’ll know you’ve regained some health if you glow red with a successful blow. Bloodborne encourages up-close, assertive combat as opposed to Dark Souls, which allowed you more opportunities to distance yourself and regroup. Expect heated exchanges where you’re not only trading blows with an enemy, but also trading health bars.
11) Blood Echoes and how to manage them
With every enemy you defeat, one of the numbers on the upper right corner of the screen increases. This is known as blood echoes, the equivalent to souls in Dark Souls. Note that you will not be able to redeem your blood echoes until you reach the first boss, the Cleric Beast.
The greatest risk in Bloodborne is in dying, because you end up losing whatever blood echoes you have. You do have an opportunity to gain them back, though. The catch is that you have to return to the scene of the crime and that includes the same enemies in the immediate area. Like Dark Souls, a bloodstain will indicate the spot where you died. Interacting with it will give back your blood echoes. Note that in Bloodborne, your blood echoes may not be found in a bloodstain. Instead, you will have to kill a creature close to where your bloodstain would normally be. It’s not hard to pick out this enemy as the one who holds your blood echoes is indicated by glowing eyes.
12) Blood Echoes in your inventory
Throughout your journey, you’ll come across a number of consumables that, when used, will give you more blood echoes. These should only be consumed in Hunter’s Dream and the resulting blood echoes should be banked into level upgrades as soon as possible. The last thing you want is to lose all these free blood echoes in battle.
13) When to engage, when to avoid
There’s no penalty for avoiding enemies, so don’t feel that you don’t have kill everyone. This is especially true if you’re the kind of strategist who just wants to rush to a boss to simply study its moves and experiment with different strategies. That way, dying and losing blood echoes won’t feel as disheartening. If you do beat him, all the better. Unlike Dark Souls II, enemies in Bloodborne respawn infinitely so there’s no shortage of blood echoes.
14) The benefits of farming
If a boss or a specific section is giving you trouble over and over, there’s no shame in taking a break from forward progress and working on increasing your levels. For example, we recommend dealing with the second boss, Father Gascoigne, at Level 20, though you can try to fight him at lower levels. Level farming in the sewer area is slightly better than gaining levels from townsfolk. The creatures in the sewer move slower and are easier to manage.
15) Increase your defense, look like a Hunter
If you progress far enough you will eventually come to a large sewer network. Thorough exploration will reward you with the first set of new clothing: hunter gear. Not only does this make you look like the Hunter in the trailers and box art, it more importantly increases your stats, double in some areas. This serves as a reminder that you should make every attempt to retrieve the glowing items from corpses.
If you miss this, you’ll have another opportunity to find another set of similar gear after defeating the second boss. Obviously, having this before encountering the second boss would be a huge help.
