Football Manager 26 Review – Back To The Drawing Board
It's exceedingly rare for an annual sports game to skip an entire year, but that's exactly what developer Sports Interactive did when it canceled Football Manager 25. With so many changes--including switching game engines to Unity--and numerous delays, the game simply wasn't up to standard in time. Couple this unforeseen gap year with the promise of a brand-new foundation built on an improved match engine and a completely overhauled interface, and Football Manager 26 quickly became the most highly anticipated game in the long-running series. Unfortunately, the end result is a cliched game of two halves. While the match engine is as impressive as advertised, the UI debuts with significant teething problems. Throw in some missing features and a multitude of frustrating bugs, and FM 26 would be disappointing even if expectations weren't so high.
It's not all bad news, though. As I mentioned, one of the game's two halves plays some excellent football, starting with a tactical revamp that significantly alters how you set up your team on match day. It's a long-overdue shake-up, as even back in 2016, when I reviewed Football Manager 2017, I bemoaned how rigid the series' tactics had become. "The tactical side of Football Manager would benefit from giving you more control over how your team functions, especially during specific phases of play--perhaps letting you fluidly shift from one formation to another depending on whether your team has the ball or not," I said. It might've taken nine years, but this exact scenario is the basis for FM 26's tactical overhaul.
There's now a clear delineation between when your team has possession and when it doesn't. If you're so inclined, you can set up to attack in a particular formation and then fluidly switch to another when defending, giving you more granular control over your team's structure. As manager of Arsenal Women--FM 26 adds 14 women's leagues for the first time--I mainly used a 4-2-3-1 formation in possession, then transitioned to a 4-4-2 shape when I didn't have the ball. As the defending team, this allowed my two forward players to lead the press while the rest of the team sat in two banks of four, providing a solid base that could also spring a counterattack whenever I won the ball back. When this happened, the three midfielders gave me more control in the middle of the pitch, and this also allowed players like Olivia Smith and Frida Maanum to play in their more natural positions behind the striker.
Continue Reading at GameSpotFootball Manager 26 Review – Back To The Drawing Board
It's exceedingly rare for an annual sports game to skip an entire year, but that's exactly what developer Sports Interactive did when it canceled Football Manager 25. With so many changes--including switching game engines to Unity--and numerous delays, the game simply wasn't up to standard in time. Couple this unforeseen gap year with the promise of a brand-new foundation built on an improved match engine and a completely overhauled interface, and Football Manager 26 quickly became the most highly anticipated game in the long-running series. Unfortunately, the end result is a cliched game of two halves. While the match engine is as impressive as advertised, the UI debuts with significant teething problems. Throw in some missing features and a multitude of frustrating bugs, and FM 26 would be disappointing even if expectations weren't so high.
It's not all bad news, though. As I mentioned, one of the game's two halves plays some excellent football, starting with a tactical revamp that significantly alters how you set up your team on match day. It's a long-overdue shake-up, as even back in 2016, when I reviewed Football Manager 2017, I bemoaned how rigid the series' tactics had become. "The tactical side of Football Manager would benefit from giving you more control over how your team functions, especially during specific phases of play--perhaps letting you fluidly shift from one formation to another depending on whether your team has the ball or not," I said. It might've taken nine years, but this exact scenario is the basis for FM 26's tactical overhaul.
There's now a clear delineation between when your team has possession and when it doesn't. If you're so inclined, you can set up to attack in a particular formation and then fluidly switch to another when defending, giving you more granular control over your team's structure. As manager of Arsenal Women--FM 26 adds 14 women's leagues for the first time--I mainly used a 4-2-3-1 formation in possession, then transitioned to a 4-4-2 shape when I didn't have the ball. As the defending team, this allowed my two forward players to lead the press while the rest of the team sat in two banks of four, providing a solid base that could also spring a counterattack whenever I won the ball back. When this happened, the three midfielders gave me more control in the middle of the pitch, and this also allowed players like Olivia Smith and Frida Maanum to play in their more natural positions behind the striker.
Continue Reading at GameSpotBall X Pit Review – Off The Wall
Nearly 50 years ago, Atari published Breakout, a spin on the ball-bouncing gameplay of Pong where your opponent wasn't another player but rather an increasingly dense wall of bricks slowly dropping down towards you. Arkanoid, released not long after, expanded on its foundations, giving players more ways to play through the introduction of upgrades to your paddle, spawning additional balls, and more.
These are two games that Ball x Pit designer Kenny Sun was clearly inspired by, but not the two that this modern interpretation solely borrows from. Instead, Ball x Pit is an intoxicating mash-up that includes elements of Vampire Survivors, numerous roguelites, and town-management wrapped up in an engaging adventure down a bottomless pit that is chaotic and engaging, but also slightly messy in its execution.
Like its inspirations, Ball x Pit is easy to understand. You play as one of a variety of characters, each with their own abilities, flinging balls at waves of enemies slowly descending towards you. Your balls bounce off of walls and enemies to damage and eventually eliminate them, preventing them from reaching the bottom and damaging you.
Continue Reading at GameSpotBall X Pit Review – Off The Wall
Nearly 50 years ago, Atari published Breakout, a spin on the ball-bouncing gameplay of Pong where your opponent wasn't another player but rather an increasingly dense wall of bricks slowly dropping down towards you. Arkanoid, released not long after, expanded on its foundations, giving players more ways to play through the introduction of upgrades to your paddle, spawning additional balls, and more.
These are two games that Ball x Pit designer Kenny Sun was clearly inspired by, but not the two that this modern interpretation solely borrows from. Instead, Ball x Pit is an intoxicating mash-up that includes elements of Vampire Survivors, numerous roguelites, and town-management wrapped up in an engaging adventure down a bottomless pit that is chaotic and engaging, but also slightly messy in its execution.
Like its inspirations, Ball x Pit is easy to understand. You play as one of a variety of characters, each with their own abilities, flinging balls at waves of enemies slowly descending towards you. Your balls bounce off of walls and enemies to damage and eventually eliminate them, preventing them from reaching the bottom and damaging you.
Continue Reading at GameSpotSifu Live-Action Adaptation Announced With John Wick Creator Derek Kolstad
John Wick creator Derek Kolstad and Story Kitchen are set to adapt the Kung-Fu third-person action game Sifu into a live-action feature film.
As reported by Deadline, Story Kitchen has partnered with Sifu developer Sloclap after a "competitive pursuit" to bring this game to the big screen.
Kolstad will be adapting the script, and he will produce alongside Story Kitchen's Dmitri M. Johnson, Mike Goldberg, Dan Jevons, Timothy I. Stevenson, and Jeff Ludwig.
For those unfamiliar, Sifu puts you in the shoes of a young Kung-Fu student who is on a brutal journey of revenge. One of the unique parts of Sifu is that players will age every time they die and go from student to master and see their skills improve.
In our Sifu review, we said its "brutal learning curve and unique structure that requires you to beat it in just one lifetime are significant barriers to overcome, but on the other side is truly one of the best modern action games around."
Before Sifu fights its way to theaters, Kolstad will finish his work on John Wick 4, which is set to be released in theaters on March 24, 2023.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf In-Game Cinematic Focuses on Solas and Sets the Stage for the Upcoming RPG
In celebration of Dragon Age Day 2022, BioWare has released an in-game cinematic from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf that sets the stage for the adventures to come.
The cinematic is all about Solas, a playable character in Dragon Age: Inquisition who is clearly one of the main driving forces in the upcoming RPG.
Varric, another playable character who first appeared in Dragon Age 2, narrates the video and tells the story of Solas, who was once known as Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf.
"I knew him as Solas, a thoughtful mage obsessed with dreams, but long ago, he had a different name - Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf," Varric narrates. "Ancient Elven God of Lies or heroic rebel against tyranny, depending on which story you believe. In his final fight with the Elven Gods, Solas imprisoned them and created a veil that split our world from the raw magic of the fade. But now, he wants to tear down that veil and destroy the world, and we're the only ones who can stop him."
While we still have no release date for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, BioWare did confirm the much-anticipated RPG recently completed its Alpha milestone, meaning the game is now playable from start to finish. That being said, there is still a lot of work and polish to go.
BioWare had a few other surprises in store for Dragon Age Day 2022, including new character posters from Dragon Age: Absolution, the new series set to hit Netflix on December 9, 2022. You can check them out in the slideshow below and a trailer for the show and more details here.
BioWare is also raising money for the Trans Empowerment Project, a "a non-profit organization with a focus on supporting the most marginalized people in the queer community, such as disabled and trans people of color." BioWare is collecting donations through Tiltify for the non-profit and you can help by clicking here.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 Adds The Hulk, Geralt, Doom Slayer, and Next-Gen Unreal Engine 5 Features
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1 has officially arrived and promises to add The Hulk, The Witcher's Geralt of Rivia, Doom's Doom Slayer, and next-gen graphics and features powered by Unreal Engine 5.1.
Fortnite's latest chapter is taking players to a whole new realm and, alongside the previously mentioned additions, will also bring with it dirt bikes, the ability to roll in a snowball, a way to launch yourself into the sky and attack enemies with a Shockwave Hammer, a new hurdle mechanic, Reality Augments, and so much more.
Chapter 4 is here. Drop in now. #FortniteChapter4 pic.twitter.com/Ohdz7pnl3i
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) December 4, 2022
As for the new Outfits that will be available in the Item Shop and Battle Pass, players will have a lot to look forward to. While The Hulk will join the Item Shop at a later date, the other characters will be part of the Battle Pass to unlock as the season progresses.
While Doom Slayer and Geralt of Rivia may be the highlights of the Battle Pass, players will also be able to unlock "Star of the Show" Selene, Massai, Dusty, Nezumi, Helsie, and The Ageless. The launch trailer for Chapter 4 Season 1 also teases that My Hero Academia's Deku will be joining the fight soon as well.
The new next-gen Unreal Engine 5.1 features will usher in a "generational leap in visual fidelity, bringing an unprecedented level of detail to game worlds like the Battle Royale Island." This will be done be using Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps, and Temporal Super Resolution on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and cloud gaming.
Nanite provides "highly-detailed architectural geometry," Lumen provides "high-quality ray traced reflections on glossy materials and water," Virtual Shadow Maps allow for "highly detailed shadowing," and Temporal Super Resolution (TSR) allows for "high-quality visuals at a high framerate."
Reality Augments are another way gameplay is changing and, at certain intervals in every game, players will be given a randomized choice of two of these boons. The longer you stay alive, the more Reality Augments you'll earn and they will stick with you until the end.
Chapter 4 Season 1 will launch with 22 Reality Augments, and more will be added in the future. The already revealed augments are as follows;
- Light Fingers: Makes your weapons using Light Ammo reload faster.
- Mechanical Archer: Gives you a Mechanical Explosive Blow & Mechanical Shockwave Bow.
- Aerialist: Grants you Glider redeploy for the rest of the match.
- Supercharged: Your vehicles won't consume fuel and they’ll have increased Health.
- Soaring Sprints: While sprinting, you’ll be able to jump much higher — and jump with lower gravity.
There is so much more to learn about Chapter 4 Season 1, and players can check out the full Fortnite blog for all the changes, including some of the new weapons like the Ex-Caliber Rifle - a powerful, semi-automatic rifle that "fires a ballistic blade at your enemies... that detonates mere moments later."
For more on Fortnite, check out the full Chapter 3 finale event and our look at how Fortnite is the antidote to Metaverse skepticism.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
The Boys College-Based Spin-Off Series Gen V Gets a First Look Trailer
The Boys college-based spin-off series Gen V has received its first look trailer, and it's filled with all the blood and superpowers you'd expect from The Boys. Oh, and also what appears to be a gory version of Sesame Street.
Gen V, which has been described as "part college show, part Hunger Games," takes place at Vought Internationa's Godolkin University, the only college that is made exclusively for young adult superheroes.
Next semester looks fun. Introducing GEN V, The Boys college spinoff, enrolling 2023. pic.twitter.com/vi3bZDHfh7
— Gen V (@genv) December 3, 2022
Throughout its episodes, which will debut in 2023, the series will explore "the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the school’s top ranking."
Gen V will star Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi. The spin-off's cast will also be bolstered by Clancy Brown, Alexander Calvert, and Jason Ritter.
Furthermore, the trailer confirmed guest appearances from The Boys' Jessie T. Usher (A-Train), Colby Minifie (Ashley Barrett), and P.J. Byrne (Adam Bourke), who will be reprising their roles from the main series.
Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters are serving as showrunners and executive producers. Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Craig Rosenberg, Zak Schwartz, Erica Rosbe, and Michaela Starr will also step into executive producer roles.
This new series will hopefully help with the wait for The Boys Season 4, which currently has no premiere date. However, Prime Video has revealed the new cast members for the upcoming season and confirmed that Simon Pegg will be returning.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Gets an Amazing Image and a Trailer Release Date
Alongside an amazing new image of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy hanging upside-down in New York City, the team behind Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse has confirmed that a new trailer will be released on December 13, 2022.
The image was released as part of a Tweet that simply said, "A new view from across the #SpiderVerse coming 12.13."
A new view from across the #SpiderVerse coming 12.13 pic.twitter.com/fPK7WVuavK
— Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (@SpiderVerse) December 3, 2022
While this is hardly the first time Miles or Gwen have hung upside-down, it does bring to mind the iconic "leap of faith" scene from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse where Miles jumps off a tall building in the city and it looks as though he is rising towards it.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will swing its way into theaters on June 2, 2023, and it seeks to 'wow' audiences with six major art styles.
Three of these include one from Earth-50101 that is based on an Indian comic book look, another from Spider-Man 2099's Nueva York that is based on a Syd Mead-style idea of what the future could look like, and the third is a watercolor style on Gwen's Earth-65.
For more, check out our breakdown of the film's first trailer, how Spider-Verse 2's villain is "one of the deepest cuts in Spider-Man's Rogues gallery," and a merch leak that appears to confirm a major Spider-Variant.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
The Last of Us TV Series Gets a Thrilling Official Trailer That Features a Terrifying Bloater
HBO Max's The Last of Us has received its first official trailer and it has given us our best look yet at the adaptation of the PlayStation classic, including looks at many of the characters from the game, plot details, and a terrifying Bloater at the end.
The trailer is a treat for fans of the original PlayStation game, but it also does a good job of setting up exactly what this new series will be about for those who aren't familiar with the source material.
The official #TheLastOfUs trailer is here.
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) December 3, 2022
From the Emmy award-winning creator of Chernobyl and the creator of the acclaimed video game, the new HBO Original series premieres Jan 15 on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/kHR7Y0t1cO
There are people on the west coast and Bella Ramsey's Ellie somehow didn't turn into a monster when infected, and she may be the key to saving humanity. Pedro Pascal's Joel is tasked with taking her across the country to help find this cure, and this is where our story begins.
However, we very well may be getting flashbacks as well, because we get a glimpse of scenes pulled straight from The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC.
As for the Bloater, that terrifying enemy is one of the most powerful enemies in the games and is one of the most advanced stages of the Cordyceps brain infection. It appears at the end of the trailer and hints that the journey west won't be an easy one.
The trailer follows character posters that give us a great look at the cast of the series, and all of these are helping us prepare for the show to arrive on HBO Max on January 15, 2023.
Season 1 will consist of 10 episodes and looks to mainly cover the events of the first game. However, the creators have confirmed there will be certain parts that "deviate greatly" from what came before.
If the wait is too long, be sure to check out our review of The Last of Us Part I for PS5 to see if it may be worth picking up before the show drops on HBO.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.