Monthly Archives: February 2020

PlatinumGames’ New Studio Will Develop Very Different Games for the Company

PlatinumGames has announced a new Tokyo studio that will develop live service games, unlike its usual single-player experiences. This news arrives as the third of four planned announcements from the developer. The studio launch was teased in Wednesday's Project G.G. announcement without much information until today. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/26/project-gg-teaser-trailer"] Executive Vice President and Studio Head of PlatinumGames, Atsushi Inaba, explained the developer's goal is to develop games that continue to evolve past a released version: "So far, the name PlatinumGames has been nearly synonymous with single-player action games. But going forward, we’re looking to expand into new genres and styles of play. One of these new challenges for us is console live ops game development. These aren’t games we’d work on until they were done, and that’s all – rather, we’d continue working on them to provide new content long after release. We want to explore this ongoing development pattern in the home console space. "Our new Tokyo office will play a major role as we expand into live ops game development. The starting core members of our future live ops team who’ll be working there are already a part of PlatinumGames." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=project-gg-new-platinum-game-first-images&captions=true"] Platinum's first announced game out of the Tokyo studio will be Hideki Kamiya's Project G.G, which was announced yesterday. While that game has no genre formally announced, it feels unlikely that it would be a live service game, given it's a spiritual follow-up to Viewtiful Joe and The Wonderful 101 – both of which are self-contained single player action games. The website revealing the studio also dives into four interviews with PlatinumGames Tokyo developers. Game designer, Takahisa Sugiyama, spoke about the immediate feedback you get from live service games: "Right after you release a content update, you can immediately jump over to social media and start reviewing user reactions. When the reactions are negative, that’s obviously not so much fun, but when they’re positive, it can really motivate your work." It's unknown what the fourth and final announcement will be for Platinum's slate of reveals. The first was a release date for The Wonderful 101: Remastered and the second was Project G.G. At this time, The Wonderful 101: Remastered Kickstarter is up to $1,782,457 with eight days remaining. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-wonderful-101-remastered-kickstarter&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Storage Deals: Get a 5TB External Drive for $100

Having insufficient storage can be a maddening issue, especially if all you want is to download a new game without having to delete your old favorites. Luckily, truly expansive storage options are getting cheaper all the time, so right now you can alleviate your storage space woes with deals on external hard drives and MicroSDXC cards to ensure that your Xbox, Switch, or PC always has enough room for something new.

Best Deal: WD 5TB External Hard Drive for $99

[poilib element="commerceCta" json="%7B%22image%22%3A%7B%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F02%2F27%2Fwd1582817695500.jpg%22%2C%22styleUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F02%2F27%2Fwd1582817695500_%7Bsize%7D.jpg%22%2C%22id%22%3A%225e57e1a4e4b0e6d43845ed5c%22%7D%2C%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fr.zdbb.net%2Fu%2Fbp15%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22WD%205TB%20My%20Passport%20Portable%20External%20HDD%22%2C%22store%22%3A%22Amazon%22%2C%22additionalInfo%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ourPick%22%3Afalse%7D"] This Western Digital 5TB external hard drive will make it incredibly easy to keep all the games, images, videos, and files accessible whether on your PC, your Xbox, or something else. The 5TB version normally costs $149, but you can get it now for just $99 on Amazon (its second lowest price ever), and you can get free one-day delivery with Prime. You can also save some cash on other versions, if the 5TB version isn't for you.

MicroSDHC and Flash Drive Deals

If you are looking for extra storage for cameras, your Nintendo Switch, or something else, you can pick up some serious storage via MicroSDHC memory cards or flash drives and save up to $15 on Amazon or Walmart.

[widget path="ign/modules/recirc" parameters="title=&type=articles&tags=us-shopping&count=3&columnCount=3&theme=article"]

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Brian Barnett writes news, features, wiki guides, deals posts, and much more for IGN. You can get your fix of Brian's antics on Twitter and Instagram (@Ribnax).

Star Wars: Another Iconic Character Gets Frozen in Carbonite

A generation of Star Wars fans were traumatized by seeing Han Solo frozen in carbonite and carted away by that bounty hunting jerkwad Boba Fett. But now we know Han wasn't the only Original Trilogy favorite to suffer that ignominious fate. Read on to find out what other iconic Star Wars hero met the wrong end of a carbonite freezing chamber, but beware of spoilers for Marvel's Star Wars #3 ahead! [poilib element="accentDivider"] [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-star-wars-movie-moments&captions=true"] The latest issue of Marvel's flagship Star Wars series (which was recently relaunched with a new post-Empire Strikes Back setting) shows what happens when Luke, Leia and Lando make the very questionable decision to return to Cloud City in the wake of the Empire's takeover. The previous issue showed Luke having a vision of a mysterious, hooded figure catching his lightsaber. Luke wants to reclaim his lost weapon and make sense of that strange vision. Lando has his own reasons for returning home. After sweet-talking his way through Cloud City's security, Lando journeys to the depths of the city in search of his old friend Lobot. Lobot was captured during the Empire's invasion of Cloud City and is now plugged directly into the city's computer systems. Fortunately, that gives Lando just the opening he needs to turn the tables on the city's Imperial occupiers. He unleashes a cloud of toxic Tibanna gas waste, hoping to distract the Empire long enough for him to free Lobot, rally his other friends, and escape. The plan works, for a few minutes anyway. [caption id="attachment_2309922" align="aligncenter" width="1859"]Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics) Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption] Luke's return to Cloud City is less successful. Still haunted by memories of battling Darth Vader, Luke makes his way to the bottom of the shaft where his lightsaber fell, only to discover a massive pile of debris and a group of pesky Ugnaughts. Tracking down his lightsaber is clearly going to be the Star Wars equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. However, Leia definitely fares the worst on this particular mission. She makes her way to the chamber where Han was frozen, hoping to figure out how to activate the decarbonization process that can revive him. Before she can finish her reconnaissance, Leia is spotted and stun-blasted by patrolling Stormtroopers. Following Darth Vader's strict orders, they freeze their new captive in carbonite in preparation to deliver her to an Imperial prison. [caption id="attachment_2309921" align="aligncenter" width="925"]Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics) Art by Jesus Saiz. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)[/caption] In a cruel twist of fate, Leia now finds herself in the exact same predicament as Han. We're assuming Leia won't stay frozen nearly as long. But then again, with how little we actually know about this lost period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, we can't take anything for granted. In other big Star Wars news, Lucasfilm recently revealed The High Republic, a new publishing initiative aimed at exploring an era 200 years before the events of The Phantom Menace. Here's a full breakdown of The High Republic's story and a look at why some fans think it's introducing the next Baby Yoda. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/25/star-wars-the-high-republic-reveal-trailer"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope Gets First Details and Release Window

Details of Supermassive Games' next game in the Dark Pictures Anthology, Little Hope, have been revealed alongside a release window. The first Dark Pictures Anthology game, Man of Medan, came out in August last year, and players that made it to the end were treated to a small teaser of Little Hope. That teaser ended with the release year of 2020 and that was the last we heard of this next game in the anthology series. Supermassive Games has now released more info about the upcoming title, and it seems players can expect to traverse an abandoned town this summer. "Trapped and isolated in the abandoned town of Little Hope, four college students and their professor must escape the nightmarish visions that relentlessly pursue them through an impenetrable fog," Supermassive Games CEO Pete Samuels said in an update. "As they journey through the town looking for a means of escape, they must understand the meaning of these events, the root of evil, and how it is directly connected to them." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/the-dark-pictures-anthology-from-man-of-medan-to-little-hope-trailer"] As you can see in the trailer, Little Hope appears to lean more toward Until Dawn than it does Man of Medan. Little Hope will launch Summer 2020 as the second entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology, which Supermassive Games describes as a series of "intense, standalone, branching cinematic horror games" that combine "atmospheric environments with powerful storytelling to create a terrifying new gaming experience." Little Hope will feature the same two multiplayer modes that Man of Medan did: Shared Story and Movie Night. In Shared Story, players can share their story with friends online while in Movie Night, a group of five players can pass the controller in an offline mode. As we've come to expect with Supermassive Games, characters in Little Hope can live or die and your choices will depend on the story that plays out for each. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=little-hope&captions=true"] "We've been delighted by the reaction from players and the success of Man of Medan as the first installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology," Samuels said. "We really appreciate the feedback from the community and the team remains committed to the goal of making each new installment deliver further thrilling horror experiences, with the next chapter, Little Hope, bringing an all new and disturbing horror story to the anthology." We thought Man of Medan was a good start for the anthology series, giving it a 7 out of 10. When Until Dawn released back in 2015, we gave it a 7.5 out of 10. If you're looking for what you might have missed in Man of Medan before jumping into Little Hope this summer, we've got a video with every character death in the game you should check out. Little Hope will come out on PS4, Xbox One and PC this summer. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news and guide maker for IGN who gets far too scared playing horror games. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Plague Inc. Removed from Sale In China

Plague Inc. has been removed from sale in China at the instructions of the Chinese government, just weeks after the game skyrocketed in popularity in the country following the outbreak of COVID-19 (a.k.a. Coronavirus). In a statement on developer Ndemic's website, a spokesperson wrote: "We have some very sad news to share with our China based players. We've just been informed that Plague Inc. “includes content that is illegal in China as determined by the Cyberspace Administration of China” and has been removed from the China App Store. This situation is completely out of our control." It's unclear whether this move has been taken in response to the game's success following the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in China. Ndemic has said it's working to reverse the decision by contacting the Cyberspace Administration of China to understand its reasoning. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/25/how-coronavirus-is-impacting-the-games-industry"] Previously, Ndemic had released a statement asking players not to rely on the game for information about the spread of coronavirus – although the developer does tout the game's educational value, with the US Centre for Disease Control publicly recognising it. Nothing will change for the game outside of China, but it's a puzzling situation. China is notably restrictive around video games - between 2000 and 2015 there was a ban on the production, import and sale of consoles and arcade machines and, as recently as last year, the country legally banned children from playing games after 10pm, among other provisions. [poilib element="accentDivider"]

Zarude, a New Mythical Pokemon for Sword and Shield, Revealed

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have revealed Zarude the rogue monkey, a new mythical Pokemon coming to Pokemon Sword and Shield. A short trailer has shown Zarude in action. This new mythical is a dark/grass type Pokemon, who can use the Leaf Guard ability. The video description on YouTube claims that “When fighting, it swings around using trees and their branches, attacking relentlessly with its sharp claws or any other means it has. Its quick wit helps it excel in battles.” [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=pokemon-home-price-and-features&captions=true"] Zarude lives up to its dark type by looking a little less like a monkey and more like a gremlin, with red markings around his eyes, fang-like teeth and pointed fur making him appear particularly aggressive. The trailer demonstrates him dealing a great amount of damage to a Rillaboom and a Drednaw. In other news, you can now get access to Pokemon Home and transfer monsters from Pokemon Bank to the new system. Also, why not watch this adorable little girl win a major Pokemon championship. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter

Bloodroots Review – Wilder West

Have you ever seen an old cartoon where a fight breaks out and the brawlers turn into a cloud of punches that flips tables and breaks everything it touches? Bloodroots, a breakneck action-puzzle game from Quebec developer Paper Cult, lives inside that cloud. A short, speedy tale of mayhem and revenge, Bloodroots dares you stab, bludgeon, squash, and otherwise murder dozens of thugs with the ruthless efficiency of the Wild West’s greatest outlaw and the zany gusto of Bugs Bunny trolling Yosemite Sam. Whether you do this for the sake of its well-written story and/or the thrill of a score chase, Bloodroots can be stylish, graceful (once you know what you’re doing), and surprisingly easy to pick up despite demanding a tremendous attention to detail. In its pre-release state, however, its most elating moments are easily and frequently disrupted by technical issues, keeping you from really hitting your stride as often as you should.

Bloodroots puts you on the warpath with the Wild West outlaw Mr. Wolf, who’s out for revenge against his gang, the Blood Beasts. The Beasts, who all wear animal skins and go by Reservoir Dogs-style code names like Mr. Boar and Mrs. Crow, betray and nearly kill him after murdering an entire town in the name of their new leader, Mr. Black Wolf. From the moment he recovers from his attempted assassination, Mr. Wolf has one goal: to kill his former gang and anyone who gets between them.

The story, though simple and predictable, is made compelling through strong dialogue that forges complex characters. Though Mr. Wolf rarely speaks, you learn a lot about him; his story and the history of the gang are told in carefully constructed interactive flashbacks and through his encounters with the Beasts. You don’t spend too much story time with any one character--this is an action game and the gameplay comes first--but in tracking down each former partner, you come to understand and savor your time with them. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in Bloodroots is a bad guy, but you come to see that every character has their own perspective on how the gang rose and fell. In hearing about Mr. Wolf’s past from the Beasts, in their own unique voices, you not only understand the situation better, but come to understand that there’s more in their lives than a single act of vengeance. That isn’t to say you won’t have reservations about your mission--they’re bad guys through and through--but you understand why they made their choices, which makes your hunt more satisfying.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Bloodroots Review – Wilder West

Have you ever seen an old cartoon where a fight breaks out and the brawlers turn into a cloud of punches that flips tables and breaks everything it touches? Bloodroots, a breakneck action-puzzle game from Quebec developer Paper Cult, lives inside that cloud. A short, speedy tale of mayhem and revenge, Bloodroots dares you stab, bludgeon, squash, and otherwise murder dozens of thugs with the ruthless efficiency of the Wild West’s greatest outlaw and the zany gusto of Bugs Bunny trolling Yosemite Sam. Whether you do this for the sake of its well-written story and/or the thrill of a score chase, Bloodroots can be stylish, graceful (once you know what you’re doing), and surprisingly easy to pick up despite demanding a tremendous attention to detail. In its pre-release state, however, its most elating moments are easily and frequently disrupted by technical issues, keeping you from really hitting your stride as often as you should.

Bloodroots puts you on the warpath with the Wild West outlaw Mr. Wolf, who’s out for revenge against his gang, the Blood Beasts. The Beasts, who all wear animal skins and go by Reservoir Dogs-style code names like Mr. Boar and Mrs. Crow, betray and nearly kill him after murdering an entire town in the name of their new leader, Mr. Black Wolf. From the moment he recovers from his attempted assassination, Mr. Wolf has one goal: to kill his former gang and anyone who gets between them.

The story, though simple and predictable, is made compelling through strong dialogue that forges complex characters. Though Mr. Wolf rarely speaks, you learn a lot about him; his story and the history of the gang are told in carefully constructed interactive flashbacks and through his encounters with the Beasts. You don’t spend too much story time with any one character--this is an action game and the gameplay comes first--but in tracking down each former partner, you come to understand and savor your time with them. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in Bloodroots is a bad guy, but you come to see that every character has their own perspective on how the gang rose and fell. In hearing about Mr. Wolf’s past from the Beasts, in their own unique voices, you not only understand the situation better, but come to understand that there’s more in their lives than a single act of vengeance. That isn’t to say you won’t have reservations about your mission--they’re bad guys through and through--but you understand why they made their choices, which makes your hunt more satisfying.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

The Simpsons Take On Avengers: Endgame in New MCU-Style Poster

The Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman has teased the show's upcoming MCU crossover episode by sharing a new poster that parodies Avengers: Endgame. Selman unveiled the poster on his Twitter account, as he promoted the special episode, titled Bart the Bad Guy, which is set to air on Sunday, March 1 at 8 pm (ET) on Fox. New Simpsons x Avengers Crossover Poster Bart takes the spotlight in the centre of the colourful image, where he appears alongside a Simpsonized version of big bad Thanos, who goes by the name of "Chinnos" and will be voiced by Marvel boss Kevin Feige. On the opposite side, there are two grinning movie executives, who will be voiced by Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo in the episode. Meanwhile, Homer, Marge and Lisa take their rightful place on the cinema seats at the forefront of the image, surrounded by an eclectic cast of new characters, though Maggie is notably absent from the poster. Fox has since clarified in a tweet that "she's a little too young to watch superhero movies." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/02/20/10-times-the-simpsons-predicted-the-future"] In the episode, Bart sees an unauthorized early preview of an unreleased sequel from an extremely popular Vindicator superhero movie franchise. After his advanced screening, he realises that he wields the power to spoil the movie for millions of people who have yet to watch it, while the studio execs desperately try to silence the Springfield youngster. Before the release of Avengers: Endgame, the Russo Brothers encouraged moviegoers to try and see a screening on the opening weekend for a better chance of a spoiler-free experience. They even shared a letter in which they asked people not to ruin the twists and surprises in the film, as they coined the hashtag #DontSpoilTheEndgame. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-top-30-simpsons-episodes&captions=true"] For more on The Simpsons, check out how the iconic cartoon referenced The Outer Wilds and Stranger Things in the recent Treehouse of Horror, find out how Danny Elfman conceived the iconic theme song for the show, and get the latest news on whether there will ever be a Simpsons movie sequel. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Xbox Series X Can Quick Resume a Game Even After a Full System Reboot

The Xbox Series X's quick resume feature was confirmed earlier this week but it's now been revealed that it even lets you resume games after rebooting the console.

Microsoft's Larry Hryb discussed the feature on the February 26 episode of his Major Nelson podcast with Jason Ronald, the director of program management at Xbox. Ronald explained that the Xbox One already lets you quick resume games you're playing, but says that the SSD of the Xbox Series X lets you do that with multiple titles, instantly jumping between them to pick up right where you left each one.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/24/xbox-series-x-has-12-teraflops-new-technical-specs-revealed-ign-news"]

Hryb then recounts a time that he admits he'll "probably get in trouble for talking about," during which he discovered how far the quick resume feature goes. "One of the things that I was noticing when I was in the lab when I was playing it, I was switching back and forth just real quickly and seamlessly between games, but then I had to reboot because I had a system update. And then I went back to the game and went right back to it. So it survives a reboot. That's amazing."

Ronald confirms that this is the case and remarks that it's hard to go back to older consoles after using the quick resume of the Xbox Series X. "If I just want to have a quick gaming experience, I can instantly jump in have a great time, and then know that the next time I come back I'll be right where I was," Ronald said.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=xbox-console-power-levels-compared&captions=true"]

That means you can turn the Xbox Series X on, even have it fully update the system, and get right back to a game without having to go through any of the typical loading procedures. This is just one of the features that was announced, if not fully detailed, by Microsoft after revealing the Xbox Series X power levels and the features that have been built around that.

If you want to know more, you can see how the Xbox Series X stacks up against modern PCs, or if you prefer to find out what you'll be able to play on the next-gen console, check out the confirmed Xbox Series X launch titles.

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.