It turns out Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One!
The last generation consoles continue to gain amazing content so many years later.
The news was confirmed when EA's CEO Andrew Wilson announced it during the company’s quarter 1 earnings call. This is shocking to some who still have issues with the next-gen versions performance but overall this is great news for gamers who still haven't made the leap to next-generation hardware and still want to play Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The original game ran well on last-gen hardware at 30 fps, so all we can do is hope for the same here.
Red Dead Redemption gets ports on both PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch!
Another classic PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 generation game is making its way to more platforms.
In a shocking twist, the Red Dead Redemption rumors turned out to be just simple ports of the game with no upgrades for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. This is a bummer for many fans of the series who wanted a remake or heck even a remaster with improved resolutions and framerate! PlayStation 4 is a generational leap from the PlayStation 3 so it makes little sense to have no upgrades, and with a $50 price tag, it looks clearly like another cash grab like the lazy definitive edition of GTA that bombed.
In regards to the Nintendo Switch receiving a port, I don't have a problem with it. The Nintendo Switch is not a generational leap over the Xbox 360 generation. So if the game were to ever get remade, the Switch wouldn't be powerful enough to manage it. This port of Red Dead Redemption would be the first Rockstar game on Nintendo hardware in a long time and for those reasons I've mentioned makes it a welcome addition to the platform.
Microsoft has reduced the $1 Game Pass trial from 1 month to 2 weeks
The days of one-dollar-a-month trials have now ended on Xbox.
After the great news of its return, it seems Microsoft has nerfed the duration, as it will now only last 14 days instead of a month. This sucks for anyone saving their $1 deal for Starfield as you'll have less time to finish it. It's still better than nothing and allows you to convert Game Pass Core to Ultimate.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Revealed
It's not surprising a new Call of Duty is coming out this year but it was unexpected.
After rumors of no new Call of Duty this year or even an expansion in its place, for the first time ever, the following year's CoD has been revealed to be the sequel to the previous entry. Instead of Infinity Ward, it looks like Sledgehammer Games is behind this year's MW3 (which is ironic because they worked on the original MW3).
While I hated the rebooted Modern Warfare 2, Maybe Sledgehammer can produce a superior game with Modern Warfare 3. They're off to a decent start as all the guns and skins will transfer over to the new game. The biggest worry I have is MW3 just being a glorified DLC released as a full-priced game.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle The Last Ronin game Announced
A new darker-themed TMNT game has been revealed to be in production.
This new Ninja Turtles game is based on a rather dark TMNT comic called The Last Ronin. To summarize the story without too many spoilers: Three out of the four turtles die and only Mikey remains. This will be the first game in the series (that I know of) to only feature one playable turtle.
As I said it is a darker take on the Ninja Turtles, so It'll be interesting to see how the Nickelodeon-branded game adapts the comic. The game is being developed by THQ Nordic which is also responsible for many remakes and other Nickelodeon games like SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake.
PlayStation 5 Slim Leak Rumor
A supposed video of the PlayStation 5 Slim with a detachable disc drive leaked online.
With all the discounts the PlayStation 5 has been getting recently, it points to a new model being in the works and based on the leaked images it's difficult to tell if it's fake or not.
If it is legit I must say it looks hardly slimmer than the original PlayStation 5 models, and dare I say ugly. The original PlayStation 5 was too big for my tastes so I sold mine in hopes for a slim later down the line, but it looks like a true slim console may never come.
Starfield’s 17 Question Q&A Recap
Starfield had a Q&A the other day and here's a recap on all the questions and answers.
Bethesda Games recently held a Q&A on their official Discord server on August 16th. It had the Lead Quest Designer Will Shen and the Lead Game Designer Emil Pagliarulo come together to answer 17 handpicked Starfield questions. Check out the full Q&A below.
Question 1: Can we buy houses or property in main cities?
Yep! There’s housing in different cities that the player can get. Some you have to purchase and some are rewards for specific quests.
Sure can! You can purchase a dwelling in all the major cities in the game. And there’s at least one that you get specifically for completing... something.
Question 2: If we get the “Kid stuff” traits. Will our parents be generated based on our characters look or are there standard parents put in place? And what benefits might there be? Gifts from mom and dad? Quests? Exc...
Our programmers on our new face tech were excited to make a function that could try to match your custom face and then create the two parents. So, they are based on what your character looks like, although the specific math involved is a bit beyond me. We had similar tech in our previous games.
Yes, totally. Just as we did in Fallout 3 with your dad, and in Fallout 4 with your son, in Starfield, if you take the Kid Stuff Trait. your parents are based off of you. No spoilers, but I think fans will really appreciate the actors we got to play those roles. And they just get SO into it, it’s awesome.
Question 3: For those of us who have never played a BGS game and will be starting with Starfield, what information should we know that will make the experience more impactful right from the start? And to add to that, how deep should we go into creating our character’s backstory before we start the game? Should we have our character’s backstory fleshed out like in a D&D campaign or will that come as we play?
We always make our games for fans both old AND new. So you can jump in without ever having played a Bethesda title before. But we like to look at it less as playing a game, and more about living in the universe we created. So settle in, go at your own pace, and pretty soon you’ll learn all the systems and be adventuring through the Settled Systems the way you choose.
As for going into a character's backstory, that's entirely up to you. I'm all about that head canon. For example, my latest character is a working shlub named Mitch Dombrowski. He’s a husky, good-natured space trucker, and while he’ll do whatever he needs to defend himself, he’ll never shoot first. He's like Han Solo’s sweeter older brother. And yes, there are Traits and Backgrounds that support that kind of thing.
While we do start you off in the same spot, what happened to you before the game starts is totally up to you and your head canon. There is a Trait and Background system that will let you specify more about yourself, but you can also select an anonymous background and no traits if you want.
In terms of if you've never played a BGS game before: Try anything! We’re a simulation as well as a roleplaying game, so we try to support the player doing what they want as much as we can.
Question 4: How will the smuggling cargo system work? Can we hide it somewhere on the ship and sell it for more currency later?
Certain items are considered “Contraband” and you’ll need to smuggle them past security ships that are in orbit of major settlements. You’ll need specific modules on your ship to hide them from security scans. Certain items are considered “Contraband” and you’ll need to smuggle them past security ships that are in orbit of major settlements.
There are specific items that are considered Contraband, meaning they’re pretty much illegal everywhere. And yes, you can hide them using special ship modules you can purchase. So, you know, don’t get caught with those harvested organs. The economy is fixed, but prices of bought and sold good can change based on the Skills you choose.
Question 5: Will there be a jail system like in Skyrim? If we’ve committed a crime?
Yes, you can elect to go to jail or pay a fine when you’re arrested (or even resist arrest and try to escape).
Yup. The Settled Systems is more like Skyrim than Fallout 4’s Commonwealth in that regard. Ya bancha criminals! There’s civilization, there’s government, and there are laws. And in a couple cases, we actually explore the themes of crime and punishment in our futuristic universe.
Question 6: Will time pass when not in the game? For example, will my trade routes, outposts, and mining operations continue to produce or does that only occur while actively playing?
Only when actively playing.
The simulation only runs when you’re actively playing. No sleeping on the job!
Question 7: Can you be a double agent in the game? Like for example you join the United colonies, can you also join the crimson fleet and give the United colonies information or something like that? And what factions have that feature if they do?
All of the playable factions can be completed independently. The Crimson Fleet storyline does feature you being an undercover agent inside the Fleet on behalf of UC SysDef (a specific military branch of the United Colonies), but whether you betray the Fleet or UC SysDef is a choice you will get to make.
Ha! That is exactly what you can do – infiltrate the Crimson Fleet for UC SysDef. It’s specific to that questline. In the studio, I have been (half-jokingly) accused of referencing movies that some folks have never seen, because I’m old. So with this particular plotline, the inspiration was very much the movie Donnie Brasco, which is the true story of an FBI agent who infiltrates the mafia. HOW FAR WILL YOU GO?!
Now, I don't really want to spoil anything, so all I'll say is, you have specific roles/jobs/missions in the faction questlines. The Freestar Collective and United Colonies are giant organizations, and the work you do for them is important. But it's not like you gain complete control of those factions at the end of those questlines. As for whether or not the UC will be violently angry with you if you ultimately take the Crimson Fleet's side? Yeah, they ain't happy. lol
Question 8: Depending on traits selected during character creation, will it at all be possible to play through the game in a 'pacifist mode', i.e. without killing anyone, or even potentially, anything?
I can’t guarantee every mission can be completed in pacifist mode, but we do have a couple of systems that will help. One is our Speech Challenge game, where you can persuade someone to do something like not fight you. Those are specific scripted moments, and we try to add one into most quests where important characters confront you. The other is a weapon type that can knock enemies unconscious.
So, we talked about this very early on during pre-production, whether or not we would fully support a “non-lethal” playthrough. We realized that, for various reasons, that wasn’t totally feasible. Now, that being said, there are some good non-lethal options, whether through dialogue or by using a non-lethal weapon. Those can be used in certain situations, honestly a lot of situations, though I couldn’t comfortably say you can complete the entire game without any killing whatsoever. The Settled Systems is mostly civilized, but it can be a dangerous place if you’re going off the beaten path. And you’re certainly going off the beaten path!
Question 9: What are the beliefs and basic history of the religions we can join? (Sanctum Universum, Enlightened, Great Serpent)
Okay, so this one... Existing, IRL religions are part of the Starfield universe, (with folks of all religions and denominations out there) but we don't really focus on them. Instead, we highlight three new ones specific to the game. Sanctum Universum – The members, called “Universals,” believe that God very much exists somewhere in the universe. That a higher power is guiding us all. Specifically, they believe that humanity’s ability to travel the universe and grav jump is God’s way of saying, “I’m out here. Come find me.” The Enlightened – These folks are essentially organized atheists. They don’t believe in any kind of higher power. Rather, they teach that human beings have to take care of each other, and they practice what they preach through various community outreach programs. And then there is House Va’ruun - Ho boy. So, in the game, you’re not really sure what the complete truth is, but...
The gossip among the guards is this: a colony ship sets off for a new world, making grav jumps along the way. After one of the grav jumps, one of the passengers claims he spent that time communing with a celestial entity known as the Great Serpent. What was a few seconds for everyone else was... much longer for him. And he brought back a mandate, which is basically, “get onboard, or be devoured when the Great Serpent encircles the universe.” Is it true? I ain't sayin'. In the game, you sometimes face off against House Va’ruun Zealots (as an enemy group), and that’s their motivation. I recently got the House Va’runn logo tattooed on my wrist. So yeah, I dig them.
The Sanctum Universum is only a couple decades old in our timeline but has gained a lot of prominence. They believe that God is out there, somewhere in the universe, and that humanity’s ability to travel the stars brings us closer to God. The Enlightened are an atheist group that focus on humanitarian and community work. They believe that life is something every person has to take responsibility for, so that if we want the world to be a better place, we have to do it.
Question 10: How many companions total will we be able to recruit?
There are over 20 named characters who can join your crew. Four of them are from Constellation and have the most story and interaction with the player, but all of the named characters have their own backgrounds and can follow you around (They'll stay at your side like our previous games and carry your stuff).
Over 20 total, and we really focused on the members of Constellation. When we first began Starfield pre-production, we looked back at our previous games, and realized how popular and effective the companions were. So, they were a big priority for us, and we really wanted to tie them directly to the main quest. There are some really big moments with them specifically. I should also mention that our companion voice cast is amazing. We haven’t released the list yet, but you can be sure there are a lot of talented actors bringing those characters to life. Oh, in addition to the companions, you can also hire generic crewmembers to work at your outpost or on your ship.
Question 11: When we assign crew members to work at outposts, do we have to pay them salaries?
One-time payment which you can negotiate over and which can be affected by some of your player Traits. We did have a lot of discussions about implementing a recurring cost or percent cut of your loot, but in the end a simple up-front hire fee won out.
You just pay them once. We actually experimented with paying them regular salaries, but ultimately decided to just have the one cost up front. There’s a lot to do in Starfield, and we wanted to minimize what the player had to constantly keep track of.
Question 12: Will our companions be able to level up their perks?
All crew start with a set of perks at specific ranks. So you might meet a character that’s especially good at rifles, and you hire them to watch your back. Or you might meet an Astrodynamics expert that will increase your grav jump range when assigned to your ship.
They don’t level up, but they come at different ranks, depending on the companion.
Question 13: Will their perks stack with ours?
I don’t know if all overlapping skills stack (we do a lot of last-minute balance tweaking and sometimes even we’re surprised when two things collide and blow out our numbers). But I think crew make the most impact when they have skills you don’t have, especially on your ship.
Well, we call them Skills in Starfield. And they do stack with yours, when relevant. Some are there for flavor, to highlight the companions’ backgrounds and interests. But you’ll really feel the benefit of the ship- and combat-related ones. Getting a boost to your shields, or seeing your companion laying down fire with a weapon they’re proficient in, are pretty sweet moments.
Question 14: What are a few of your favorite moments of the game?
I love finding content that I haven’t seen yet or forgot about. Our games are so big that no one person is likely to have seen it all, even after all our passes and levels of review.
Our quests really evolve over development and it’s great to see how everyone adds to them (designers, animators, voice actors, lighting, everything).
Shipping it! But seriously, folks. Because of my position, my experience is a little different. I’ve seen every questline, every city, every major piece of content in the game at every stage of development. So for me, the real pleasure is seeing how they’ve all evolved into the versions they are today – the versions everyone here will play. I have a real soft spot for Neon. Getting that city nailed down took a lot of work by a lot of different people, and the result is, really, the cyberpunk settlement I always hoped it would be.
I also love all the questlines. I think they’re the best we’ve ever done. The designers on this project totally killed it. I do different playthroughs with different characters. I always make my spy/assassin dude. One of my characters now is a version of the barbarian character I play in all kinds of fantasy games. I have a scumbag space outlaw dude. All kinds of playstyles.
Question 15: What books or movies had a big influence on some of the quests?
I’m a history nerd, so I actually listen to a lot of podcasts like Hardcore History and The History of Rome. While our game is science fiction, I like how historians can tell you about how human beings react to extreme circumstances (like war, famine, and technological breakthroughs), and you can imagine how we’d react to similar circumstances in a fictional setting (just at a grander scale). We do love writing in-game books. And I was a fan of the Greek and Norse myths as a kid. The stories are very BIG and characters are flawed and have clear motivations.
I’m a child of the late 70s-early 80s, and I have very fond memories of the sci-fi of that time: Star Wars, OG Battlestar Galactica, Space: 1999, Buck Rogers, Battle Beyond the Stars, Ice Pirates... and let’s not forget the classic that is Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jaryd Syn. But also much “headier” sci-fi stuff, like the writings of Arthur C. Clarke and Robert Heinlein, or films like Contact, Interstellar, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even Event Horizon.
In all of those examples, you realize that outer space is two things: 1.) A source of mystery and wonder, sometimes terror AND 2.) A giant blank page on which you can write any story. And we have written a lot of VERY different stories in Starfield. I love space games. Love the original Elite and Elite Dangerous. Privateer was a huge influence. Was Cowboy Bebop inspiration? Oh, hell yes. And I also Love the Expanse! So yup!
Question 16: What are some of your favorite small details in Starfield that add to the immersion?
I think what I really love is that, although humans are living in space, and our aesthetic is very much "NASApunk," this is a very lived-in universe. And you can see it everywhere. You know, everyone loves the sandwiches. But it's the books that are lying around, the notes on bulletin boards, the environmental storytelling that our level designers and world artists are so good at.
Totally love the work from our voice actors, too. And the music. And sound effects. And clothes. Buttons! We do love our buttons.
I look really closely at all our outfits. You can see seems, materials, especially on the spacesuits (Constellation members have patches on their spacesuits and they're tied to what skills they have). We love buttons. There's a lot of buttons.
Question 17: What is the history behind the Mechs?
Oooooo the mechs. Good one. So, we showed this a bit in one of the animated shorts. The mechs are leftovers from the Colony Wars. (Note it's Colony War and not Colony Wars. Singular) Both sides, United Colonies and Freestar Collective, had mechs. But the Freestar Collective really mastered them. The United Colonies had mechs, too, but they also relied on the controlled alien beasts from their Xenowarfare division.Both of those were outlawed with the Armistice that ended the Colony War. So Mechs are not usable, no. They're in ruins. But I'm not saying there's an old mech battleground in the game, I’m just typing it.
There was nothing really too crazy, to be honest with you, but tell me what you think in the comments. The highlights for me were definitely the question revolving around having over 20 companions for your crew, it could be amazing if companions have some depth in abilities and personality, and the other highlight was smuggling contraband, something that could be a fun mechanic if done right. This discord Q&A did what it was supposed to and built more hype as we get closer to release.
Mario's Voice Actor Retires
Longtime Mario voice actor Charles Martinet will no longer be voicing Mario.
Said to say but long-time voice actor Charles Martinet is stepping away from his long-time role as Mario and many other Nintendo characters. Nintendo announced the news on August 21st via Twitter.
Charles Martinet has been Mario’s voice actor since Super Mario 64 in 1996. He also voiced popular characters Luigi, Wario, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, and Waluigi. Luckily for fans, he isn’t completely removed from Nintendo as he’s now going to become the official Mario Ambassador, a new role created just for him! For the full announcement from Nintendo, check out the image below.
Alan Wake 2 Gamescom Trailer
A new semi-live-action trailer dropped and it’s taking us to a dark place.
The new trailer was pretty good and got me back on the hype train. After the last time, we saw Alan Wake 2, it showcased us playing as a random new character, which was disappointing for those who just want to play as, you know... Alan Wake.
This new trailer was all about Alan Wake and seemingly we are going to be chasing his evil double. The TV show feel that the original game had, is in full force and looked heavily inspired by the Joker film in that initial talk show host scene. Only time will tell if Alan Wake 2’s gameplay and story will live up to the hype, but I’m ready.
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Mortal Kombat 1 Gamescom Trailer
Mortal Kombat 1 received a new trailer that revealed new characters and story details.
In this new trailer, we get to see two more fighters which are Empress Sindel and General Shao. As well as two new Kameo fighters in Motaro and Shujinko. Mortal Kombat 1 is shaping up to be the next good fighting game, we shall see if NetherRealm Studios will finish it.
Watch TrailerStarfield Live Action Gamescom Trailer
Check out the new live-action trailer for Starfield!
Not much to say about this trailer since it’s live-action instead of a gameplay trailer but it is definitely getting me more hyped as we get closer and closer to release.
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PlayStation Portal Remote Player
The latest PlayStation handheld is here giving PlayStation 5 owners the ultimate streaming experience.
No doubt there exists a pocket of gamers who desire a return of Sony’s handheld division, well that’s not what this is. We now have all the details on what Sony’s latest handheld device features and its primary function which is a $200 remote player. Considering it’s packing an 8in 1080p 60Hz display and a DualSense controller, it sounds about right as far as price but would anyone want to pay that much?
PlayStation for some time now has featured some form of remote play function since the PlayStation 3 era but without a handheld console this generation to go along with the PlayStation 5, it seems the need for a dedicated device came about. Of course, you could do the same thing with a smartphone but a device optimized for the task will no doubt provide the best experience.
It has also been stated that PlayStation VR2 games and PlayStation Plus Premium’s cloud streaming service will not be supported. That’s certainly not a deal breaker considering one needs a headset strapped to your head and the other already struggles at providing a low latency experience. But for the unfortunate who need a device to stream the PlayStation 5 because the living room TV is taken, I imagine this will be right up your alley and fortunately, it even comes equipped with a headphone jack.
MediEvil Animated Movie or TV Show to be Announced? Rumor
MediEvil just might be the next Sony IP to get a movie or TV show adaptation.
Spotted on the PlayStation Productions page on the official PlayStation Website, Sir Dan Fortesgue’s legs can be seen in their featured video, which features all other Sony characters that already have Movies or TV shows announced. Characters such as Kratos from God Of War, Jin Sakai from Ghosts of Tsushima, Tom Holland as Nathan Drake from Uncharted, and Aloy from Horizon.
As a fan of MediEvil, I can say the first game would be perfect as an animated movie. The story revolves around Sir Dan Fortesque’s quest to become a true hero. After accidentally getting revived by the evil sorcerer Zarok, he finds out he was falsely labeled the hero who had saved Gallowmere and had stopped Zarok, when in reality Sir Dan was the first one taken out by the arrows in battle and Zarok had just gone into hiding. Fate had given him a second chance, and this movie may give the series a second chance as it hasn’t received a new game since the PlayStation 4 remake of the original game from the PlayStation 1.
No Man's Sky Echoes Update
The latest No Man's Sky update is bringing challenging and improved space pirate battles.
It's truly amazing the length of support No Man's Sky has garnered from not only fans but the studio itself, Hello Games, after such a controversial launch back in 2016. Since the beginning, update after update continues to be released every few months leveraging new game mechanics and features that continue to evolve the experience. With that said No Man's Sky is getting its biggest update of the year today and it's called Echoes.
The major additions are a new robotic race along with improved space combat that includes for the first time freighter-on-freighter action. Of course, the inclusion of a new robotic race brings additional character customization. Another new feature is the ability to trade and scrap weapons which I'm sure many will take advantage of. If you're more interested in base decorations, well this update has you covered as a new holographic museum will allow you to display your discoveries in your base for everyone else to see. That's just skimming the surface of what this update has to offer, check the link below to read the full patch notes.
View UpdateAMD Unleashes FSR 3 Frame Generation
It's finally set in stone, FSR 3 is not only coming out this year but the technology will be just as pro-consumer as FSR 2.
AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution was revealed way back in November of last year but all news regarding its release has been kept uncomfortably quiet ever since, at least until now that is. During Gamescom AMD's next generation upscaling technology, also dubbed FSR 3 for short, has finally been given a new update along with the release window which fortunately is still targeting this year.
So we now know the release window of FSR 3 and even the first games with planned integration were disclosed which turns out to be Forspoken and Immortals of Aveum by early fall. We even had a glimpse into what performance improvements you should expect in Forspoken which is up to 3.3 times more FPS in FSR 3's Performance quality option. A new quality mode is also shipping with FSR 3 called Native AA which offers high-quality anti-aliasing along with sharpening at your native resolution that would normally cause a hit to performance but by taking advantage of frame generation it brings up to a 1.6 times FPS improvement.
My favorite announcement from the event is the broad support of hardware that includes AMD's RX 5700 series and even NVIDIA's graphics cards. The openness of the technology ensures no one's being forced to upgrade their very capable hardware early. That is not the only great news but FSR 3 will also be integrated into the graphics driver which will bring the new upscaling technology to all DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 games. You will have to wait until the very end of the year for that feature and it most likely won't be as good as native integration but the more games being supported the better.
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