Wasteland Developer InXile Appears to Be Making an FPS RPG

Wasteland 3 developer InXile Entertainment appears to be working on an FPS RPG, according to new job listings. Spotted by Twisted Voxel, the studio's open positions such as Lead Gameplay Engineer mention that applicants will be working on InXile's "next-generation action role-playing game", implementing "new first-person shooter gameplay features". The Senior Gameplay Designer position talks about the creation of "powerful, tactile first-person weapons and unique combat abilities that draw the player right into the middle of the action", all but confirming that Inxile's project will be an first-person shooter RPG similar to the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 or Deus Ex. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/27/wasteland-3-review"] You can read through all of the job openings for yourself here, which offer more tidbits about the Xbox-owned studio's next big game. The Senior Lighting Artist position mentions experience in raytracing as a requirement, and the Lead Environment Artist listing talks about "evocative and immersive worlds" with a range of art assets "from realistic to slightly stylized" which gives us a vague idea of how this unannounced game will look. InXile is also looking for a Facial Animator to "deliver life-life face performances on original timeless characters". Back in May of 2020, Inxile CEO Brian Fargo mentioned that the studio's next-gen RPG will harness the power of Unreal Engine 5 during development. Later that year in September, Fargo added that the studio is working on two RPGs right now, with the second "in the infancy of pre-production". It's not clear whether Inxile is hiring for one in particular, or both, but the news is exciting regardless. Fargo is known for creating the Fallout franchise, and now that Inxile, Bethesda and Obsidian are all under one roof at Microsoft, a collaboration could be possible. Fallout: New Vegas 2, anyone? [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Marvel’s Moon Knight Cinematographer Seemingly Confirms Oscar Isaac Casting

Moon Knight cinematographer Gregory Middleton has seemingly confirmed that Oscar Isaac will be portraying the titular hero in Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series. In a recent post on his Instagram account, Middleton announced that he would be presiding over the camera and light crews on Marvel's Moon Knight series. In the caption of the post, he also tagged Oscar Isaac and credited him as an "amazing performer," purportedly reaffirming previous reports that Isaac had been tapped to play the lead role of Marc Spector. "Well the secret is out," Middleton wrote in the post, geo-tagged from Budapest, Hungary. "It's an honor to be a part of introducing a new character to the MCU #MoonKnight. Who says cinematographers worry about white costumes! ... not if they are complex characters played by an amazing performer like @officialoscarrisaac. Thank you director Mohamed Diab and the #mcu for inviting me aboard." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/26/oscar-isaac-in-talks-for-disney-pluss-moon-knight"] At the time of writing, Disney or Marvel haven't given any official announcement about Isaac's involvement in the MCU series. If his role is finalized, Isaac will be one of several actors who have appeared in both the MCU and Fox's X-Men cinematic universe, having previously portrayed the main antagonist in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, directed by Bryan Singer. As for Moon Knight, Isaac would be making his MCU debut under the direction of Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab, who is said to be helming the series, which revolves around Spector, a former soldier of fortune, whose encounter with an Egyptian god of vengeance and moon deity, Khonshu, inspires his transformation into a costumed vigilante. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Marvel first announced the Moon Knight series at D23 in August 2019. At one time, Kevin Feige indicated that Moon Knight and some of Marvel's other Disney+ series' such as She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel would all wrap production by the end of 2020. Ultimately, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic delayed that timetable and many of the original production dates were pushed back. WandaVision, however, is on target for its release on Disney+ on January 15, as the first entry in an ambitious new lineup of TV series' designed to be more closely integrated with Marvel's movies. For more about the studio's future slate of projects and releases, read our breakdown of the biggest and most noteworthy developments in the MCU, on Disney+ and in Marvel's comics this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter. 

Marvel’s Moon Knight Cinematographer Seemingly Confirms Oscar Isaac Casting

Moon Knight cinematographer Gregory Middleton has seemingly confirmed that Oscar Isaac will be portraying the titular hero in Marvel's upcoming Disney+ series. In a recent post on his Instagram account, Middleton announced that he would be presiding over the camera and light crews on Marvel's Moon Knight series. In the caption of the post, he also tagged Oscar Isaac and credited him as an "amazing performer," purportedly reaffirming previous reports that Isaac had been tapped to play the lead role of Marc Spector. "Well the secret is out," Middleton wrote in the post, geo-tagged from Budapest, Hungary. "It's an honor to be a part of introducing a new character to the MCU #MoonKnight. Who says cinematographers worry about white costumes! ... not if they are complex characters played by an amazing performer like @officialoscarrisaac. Thank you director Mohamed Diab and the #mcu for inviting me aboard." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/26/oscar-isaac-in-talks-for-disney-pluss-moon-knight"] At the time of writing, Disney or Marvel haven't given any official announcement about Isaac's involvement in the MCU series. If his role is finalized, Isaac will be one of several actors who have appeared in both the MCU and Fox's X-Men cinematic universe, having previously portrayed the main antagonist in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, directed by Bryan Singer. As for Moon Knight, Isaac would be making his MCU debut under the direction of Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab, who is said to be helming the series, which revolves around Spector, a former soldier of fortune, whose encounter with an Egyptian god of vengeance and moon deity, Khonshu, inspires his transformation into a costumed vigilante. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-cinematic-universe-every-upcoming-movie-and-tv-show&captions=true"] Marvel first announced the Moon Knight series at D23 in August 2019. At one time, Kevin Feige indicated that Moon Knight and some of Marvel's other Disney+ series' such as She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel would all wrap production by the end of 2020. Ultimately, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic delayed that timetable and many of the original production dates were pushed back. WandaVision, however, is on target for its release on Disney+ on January 15, as the first entry in an ambitious new lineup of TV series' designed to be more closely integrated with Marvel's movies. For more about the studio's future slate of projects and releases, read our breakdown of the biggest and most noteworthy developments in the MCU, on Disney+ and in Marvel's comics this year. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter. 

Popular ‘PogChamp’ Emote Will Be Removed From Twitch

Twitch has announced that it will remove the popular "PogChamp" emote from its service following a tweet made by Ryan 'Gootecks' Gutierrez, whom the emote is based on, which "encouraged further violence" following today's insurgency on Capitol Hill. Today, during the legislative confirmation of the electoral votes for Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election, President Trump's supporters rushed, and briefly occupied the Capitol building, forcing Senators and House legislatures to barricade themselves or leave the premises for safety. During these events, Gutierrez tweeted a statement about the events on Capitol Hill that appeared to call for further violence during the takeover. [caption id="attachment_2458841" align="alignnone" width="1280"]The 'PogChamp' Emote The 'PogChamp' Emote[/caption] 'Will there be civil unrest for the woman who was executed inside the Capitol today or will the #MAGAMartyr die in vain?" Gutierrez tweeted. In a statement to IGN from a Twitch spokesperson, the company announced, "We've made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today." The company added, "We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on — its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself — and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can't in good conscience continue to enable use of the image. We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch." Gutierrez is a Street Fighter player whose surprised face reaction became the basis of the 'PogChamp' Twitch emote. It is a popular emote often used by commenters when surprising moments happen on stream, particularly in fighting games. Responses to Gutierrez's tweet from commenters condemned his statement as insensitive and commenters wondered if Twitch would take down the 'PogChamp' emote in light of the tweet and now Twitch has agreed to do so. Streamer ZombaeKillz initially called for the emote to be removed following Gutierrez's tweet, and others following her lead moved before Twitch to ban the emote from their own private stream channels. Twitch is yet another digital company moving in response to the events of yesterday's Capitol Hill insurgency. Facebook has also made moves to "indefinitely" ban Donald Trump from its services, and Twitter has issued a temporary ban on Donald Trump's Twitter account. Twitch says it will work with the community to create a new emote, but has not revealed what that process will entail. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Popular ‘PogChamp’ Emote Will Be Removed From Twitch

Twitch has announced that it will remove the popular "PogChamp" emote from its service following a tweet made by Ryan 'Gootecks' Gutierrez, whom the emote is based on, which "encouraged further violence" following today's insurgency on Capitol Hill. Today, during the legislative confirmation of the electoral votes for Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election, President Trump's supporters rushed, and briefly occupied the Capitol building, forcing Senators and House legislatures to barricade themselves or leave the premises for safety. During these events, Gutierrez tweeted a statement about the events on Capitol Hill that appeared to call for further violence during the takeover. [caption id="attachment_2458841" align="alignnone" width="1280"]The 'PogChamp' Emote The 'PogChamp' Emote[/caption] 'Will there be civil unrest for the woman who was executed inside the Capitol today or will the #MAGAMartyr die in vain?" Gutierrez tweeted. In a statement to IGN from a Twitch spokesperson, the company announced, "We've made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today." The company added, "We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on — its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself — and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can't in good conscience continue to enable use of the image. We will work with the community to design a new emote for the most hype moments on Twitch." Gutierrez is a Street Fighter player whose surprised face reaction became the basis of the 'PogChamp' Twitch emote. It is a popular emote often used by commenters when surprising moments happen on stream, particularly in fighting games. Responses to Gutierrez's tweet from commenters condemned his statement as insensitive and commenters wondered if Twitch would take down the 'PogChamp' emote in light of the tweet and now Twitch has agreed to do so. Streamer ZombaeKillz initially called for the emote to be removed following Gutierrez's tweet, and others following her lead moved before Twitch to ban the emote from their own private stream channels. Twitch is yet another digital company moving in response to the events of yesterday's Capitol Hill insurgency. Facebook has also made moves to "indefinitely" ban Donald Trump from its services, and Twitter has issued a temporary ban on Donald Trump's Twitter account. Twitch says it will work with the community to create a new emote, but has not revealed what that process will entail. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Super Meat Boy Forever Review — Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

Every aspect of Super Meat Boy Forever is frustrating in some way or another. It's a runner, so you have to time your jumps and don't have the liberty of setting yourself up perfectly before taking on a puzzle. And despite putting you on a treadmill, its levels demand incredible nuance and precision, which you'll hone through failure after failure after failure. Super Meat Boy Forever will kick you in the teeth and expect you to stand back up, flash a bloody grin, and go after it again. And that's exactly what happens. Though the jumps may be challenging, Forever's incredibly precise controls give you all the tools you need to stick the landing. The runner format is different, but it opens the door for new and interesting types of complex puzzles that spawn new, captivating varieties of spectacular yell-and-throw-your-controller platforming.

Like in the real world, time has passed in the Meat Boy universe. Meat Boy and Bandage Girl, whom he saved in the original, have settled down and had a baby, Nugget. In Forever, Nugget is kidnapped, so Meat Boy and Bandage Girl go after her. (You can play as either one from the very beginning.) The story has no material effect on your gameplay, but the short cartoon cutscenes find ways to grab your attention all the same with a webtoony out-of-left-field story chock-full of references to video game canon, adorable woodland creatures, cuddly animals, and the adorable little Nugget, who often proves too adorable for even her captor to ignore.

Super Meat Boy Forever captured on PC
Super Meat Boy Forever captured on PC

The cutscenes are thus an entertaining reward for hard-earned progress. Following in the original Super Meat Boy's footsteps, Forever lays out levels sprinkled with bottomless pits and buzzsaws that require quick thinking and quicker reflexes to escape. At the same time, it's a very different game. Meat Boy or Bandage Girl constantly runs forward, and you simply control when they jump, slide, or punch. By necessity, the levels take on longer, more horizontally oriented shapes to accommodate the new system. Despite those changes, Forever still retains the essence of Super Meat Boy. Though automated movement theoretically seems like it would make the platforming less satisfying, since you aren't in complete control, Forever's challenge is just as captivating.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Super Meat Boy Forever Review — Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

Every aspect of Super Meat Boy Forever is frustrating in some way or another. It's a runner, so you have to time your jumps and don't have the liberty of setting yourself up perfectly before taking on a puzzle. And despite putting you on a treadmill, its levels demand incredible nuance and precision, which you'll hone through failure after failure after failure. Super Meat Boy Forever will kick you in the teeth and expect you to stand back up, flash a bloody grin, and go after it again. And that's exactly what happens. Though the jumps may be challenging, Forever's incredibly precise controls give you all the tools you need to stick the landing. The runner format is different, but it opens the door for new and interesting types of complex puzzles that spawn new, captivating varieties of spectacular yell-and-throw-your-controller platforming.

Like in the real world, time has passed in the Meat Boy universe. Meat Boy and Bandage Girl, whom he saved in the original, have settled down and had a baby, Nugget. In Forever, Nugget is kidnapped, so Meat Boy and Bandage Girl go after her. (You can play as either one from the very beginning.) The story has no material effect on your gameplay, but the short cartoon cutscenes find ways to grab your attention all the same with a webtoony out-of-left-field story chock-full of references to video game canon, adorable woodland creatures, cuddly animals, and the adorable little Nugget, who often proves too adorable for even her captor to ignore.

Super Meat Boy Forever captured on PC
Super Meat Boy Forever captured on PC

The cutscenes are thus an entertaining reward for hard-earned progress. Following in the original Super Meat Boy's footsteps, Forever lays out levels sprinkled with bottomless pits and buzzsaws that require quick thinking and quicker reflexes to escape. At the same time, it's a very different game. Meat Boy or Bandage Girl constantly runs forward, and you simply control when they jump, slide, or punch. By necessity, the levels take on longer, more horizontally oriented shapes to accommodate the new system. Despite those changes, Forever still retains the essence of Super Meat Boy. Though automated movement theoretically seems like it would make the platforming less satisfying, since you aren't in complete control, Forever's challenge is just as captivating.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Before the Original Xbox, Microsoft Looked Into Buying EA, Square, Midway… and Nintendo

In an attempt to secure exclusives for the original Xbox, Microsoft uncuccessfully talked about acquiring EA, Square, Mortal Kombat publisher Midway, and even Nintendo – before it found the unexpected trump card of Bungie and Halo. In a fascinating Bloomberg oral history about the creation of the original Xbox (that contains a lot more of Bill Gates shouting at people than you might expect), multiple Microsoft executives discuss the company's attempts at acquisitions. The first company approached was EA - which, due to its dominance in the industry at the time, team members apparently called the Snow White to the rest of the industry's Seven Dwarves. Then-head of business development Bob McBreen says the answer was "No, thanks", before Microsoft turned to Nintendo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/07/02/podcast-unlocked-201-3-xbox-bosses-share-secrets-of-the-consoles-past"] "Steve made us go meet with Nintendo to see if they would consider being acquired," explains then director of third-party relationships, Kevin Bachus. "They just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you. That was kind of how that meeting went." It seems the teams met more than once, with McBreen adding, "We actually had Nintendo in our building in January 2000 to work through the details of a joint venture where we gave them all the technical specs of the Xbox. The pitch was their hardware stunk, and compared to Sony PlayStation, it did. So the idea was, 'Listen, you’re much better at the game portions of it with Mario and all that stuff. Why don’t you let us take care of the hardware?' But it didn’t work out." McBreen also discusses that a potential Square takeover went as far as Microsoft providing a letter of intent to buy the company. "The next day," he continues, "we’re sitting in their boardroom, and they said, 'Our banker would like to make a statement.' And basically, the banker said, 'Square cannot go through with this deal because the price is too low.' We packed up, we went home, and that was the end of Square." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/opinion-xboxs-exclusive-game-drought-is-finally-almost-over"] Finally, Bachus explains that the ill-fated Midway Games - most famous for publishing the Mortal Kombat series - was "very serious" about being acquired by Microsoft, but it became a deal with low value to the company. Fatefully, during this time Microsoft had also received a call from Bungie, enquiring about an acquisition – and from that call came Halo, almost inarguably Xbox's most iconic franchise, and helping cement what Xbox would become as a result. The acquisitions are just one part of a fascinating piece on Xbox's very early history - I highly recommend you give it a read if you've enjoyed the above. And if you enjoyed hearing about Xbox history in general, we also have IGN's own Podcast Unlocked with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, ex-Head of Xbox Peter Moore, and creator of Xbox Seamus Blackley. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Before the Original Xbox, Microsoft Looked Into Buying EA, Square, Midway… and Nintendo

In an attempt to secure exclusives for the original Xbox, Microsoft uncuccessfully talked about acquiring EA, Square, Mortal Kombat publisher Midway, and even Nintendo – before it found the unexpected trump card of Bungie and Halo. In a fascinating Bloomberg oral history about the creation of the original Xbox (that contains a lot more of Bill Gates shouting at people than you might expect), multiple Microsoft executives discuss the company's attempts at acquisitions. The first company approached was EA - which, due to its dominance in the industry at the time, team members apparently called the Snow White to the rest of the industry's Seven Dwarves. Then-head of business development Bob McBreen says the answer was "No, thanks", before Microsoft turned to Nintendo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/07/02/podcast-unlocked-201-3-xbox-bosses-share-secrets-of-the-consoles-past"] "Steve made us go meet with Nintendo to see if they would consider being acquired," explains then director of third-party relationships, Kevin Bachus. "They just laughed their asses off. Like, imagine an hour of somebody just laughing at you. That was kind of how that meeting went." It seems the teams met more than once, with McBreen adding, "We actually had Nintendo in our building in January 2000 to work through the details of a joint venture where we gave them all the technical specs of the Xbox. The pitch was their hardware stunk, and compared to Sony PlayStation, it did. So the idea was, 'Listen, you’re much better at the game portions of it with Mario and all that stuff. Why don’t you let us take care of the hardware?' But it didn’t work out." McBreen also discusses that a potential Square takeover went as far as Microsoft providing a letter of intent to buy the company. "The next day," he continues, "we’re sitting in their boardroom, and they said, 'Our banker would like to make a statement.' And basically, the banker said, 'Square cannot go through with this deal because the price is too low.' We packed up, we went home, and that was the end of Square." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/opinion-xboxs-exclusive-game-drought-is-finally-almost-over"] Finally, Bachus explains that the ill-fated Midway Games - most famous for publishing the Mortal Kombat series - was "very serious" about being acquired by Microsoft, but it became a deal with low value to the company. Fatefully, furing this time Microsoft had also received a call from Bungie, enquiring about an acquisition – and from that call came Halo, almost inarguably Xbox's most iconic franchise, and helping cement what Xbox would become as a result. The acquisitions are just one part of a fascinating piece on Xbox's very early history - I highly recommend you give it a read if you've enjoyed the above. And if you enjoyed hearing about Xbox history in general, we also have IGN's own Podcast Unlocked with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, ex-Head of Xbox Peter Moore, and creator of Xbox Seamus Blackley. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Zack Snyder Reveals Unused, Gruesome Elseworlds Wonder Woman Photo

Zack Snyder has shared a historical photo of Wonder Woman that depicts a "war-weary Diana" holding three decapitated heads. The image was prominently placed in the backdrop of Snyder's office during a virtual interview that he participated in with ComicBook Debate, where he discussed his version of Justice League and the movement that led to the release of the Snyder Cut on HBO Max. However, the sepia snap quickly became the main topic of interest amongst fans who were eager to take a closer look at the photo. Snyder later posted a hi-res version of the Wonder Woman 1854 image along with details of his initial ideas for Diana Prince's origin story. In the Twitter caption, he wrote: "This amazing image shot by Stephen Berkman of an else-world, war weary Diana, who had chased [Ares] across the battlefields of the world and had yet to meet Steve, who would help her restore her faith in mankind and love itself." [caption id="attachment_2458656" align="alignnone" width="3008"]Image credit: Stephen Berkman via Zack Snyder. Image credit: Stephen Berkman via Zack Snyder.[/caption] The gruesome photo shows Gal Gadot's Diana standing stoically alongside several other warriors during the early years of the Crimean War, setting her backstory even further in the past than Patty Jenkins' World War I setting in 2017's Wonder Woman. The battle-worn hero is featured at the forefront of the photo, clenching the severed heads of her enemies in one hand and her weapon in the other. This is just one of a few alternative versions of the photo that Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne could have uncovered of Diana and her team in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. If this photo had of been used, it would have set up a very different path for Diana as it would have negated her decision to leave Themiscyra for Steve Trevor and the entire mission portrayed in the Wonder Woman movie. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=dc-extended-universe-every-upcoming-movie&captions=true"] The slightly less-brutal version of Diana recently returned to our screens for Wonder Woman 1984, the Cold War-set sequel that IGN praised for presenting "a nostalgic look back to a beloved time," which we felt ultimately provided "escapism from an exceptionally difficult year" and offered the "kind of bright and hopeful movie the character's legacy deserves." [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.