MotoGP 17 Revealed, Arrives in July
Italian racing developer Milestone has announced the next instalment of its long-running MotoGP series, MotoGP 17. The game, naturally based on the 2017 season, will arrive July 11 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Milestone notes that the physical release will be available exclusively via GameStop in the US and “participating retailers in Canada and Latin America.” The circumstances around its release in Europe and Australia/NZ were not discussed, but MotoGP17 will also be available to download via normal digital storefronts.
MotoGP 17 will feature all 2017 riders, teams, and tracks, as well as the new rules and the Red Bull Rookies Cup championship. Milestone also confirmed the game will run at 60FPS for the first time in the series.
New Star Wars Animated Shorts and Toy Line Revealed
One of the biggest brands ever is expanding again, as Disney and Lucasfilm are launching Star Wars Forces of Destiny, a new initiative that includes a series of animated shorts and an accompanying toy line.
Focused on the female heroes of Star Wars, Forces of Destiny’s six core characters are Leia Organa, Padme Amidala, Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, Rey and Jyn Erso. In the 16 shorts, which will be released on YouTube, each of these six will take a turn starring in new stories that co-exist alongside the existing Star Wars lore. Which is to say, yes, these are canon! On top of that, several notable Star Wars actors from both live action and animation are reprising their roles here, including Daisy Ridley (“Rey”), Felicity Jones (“Jyn”), Ashley Eckstein (“Ashoka”), Tiya Sircar (“Sabine”), John Boyega (“Finn”), Matt Lanter ("Anakin Skywalker"), Vanessa Marshall ("Hera Syndulla") and Lupita Nyong'o (“Maz Kanata”).
Dolph Lundgren Joins Aquaman
Veteran Swedish action icon Dolph Lundgren has joined the cast of DC’s upcoming Aquaman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lundgren will star as King Nereus, the leader of a rival colony of Atlanteans called Xebel. The Hollywood Reporter claims Nereus wants to kill Aquaman and seize Mera, Aquaman’s Queen.
Lundgren will feature alongside a cast of Hollywood heavyweights, including Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, and Nicole Kidman and Temuera Morrison as Aquaman’s parents. The film will be helmed by director James Wan (Saw, Furious 7).
Thanos Returns for Epic Guardians of the Galaxy Finale
The series finale of Marvel's current Guardians of the Galaxy comic featured a massive showdown with Thanos.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #19!
This issue wrapped up the "Grounded" story arc, with the Guardians remaining trapped on Earth after having their spaceship destroyed during the events of Civil War II. Though initially scattered, the Guardians quickly reunited to deal with an invasion force led by Thanos and featuring the combined might of the Brood, the Badoon and Annihilus' Negative Zone bugs.
However, even with three of the biggest armies in the universe at his disposal, Thanos couldn't seem to defeat those pesky Guardians. And Thanos' daughter Gamora wasn't shy about rubbing his failure in his face.
More Bad News for Batman in DC Rebirth
Batman was in for another shocker this week as he discovered the truth about the League of Shadows.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Detective Comics #954!
Since the start of DC Rebirth, Detective Comics has dealt with the mystery that is the League of Shadows. Various characters have alluded to the existence of this secretive organization, basically an even darker offshoot of Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins. The current storyline has amade it clear that the league of Shadows is very much real, and is led by Lady Shiva, perhaps the best hand-to-hand fighter in the entire world.
HearthStone Patch Addresses Exploit That Let Players Skip Opponent’s Turn
Blizzard has released a patch for the Hearthstone exploit that allowed players to replicate cards and skip their opponent's turn.
The exploit used a combination of cards to lock the opposing player out of their turn. This was effectively done by creating so many animations that the player's turn would run out watching them before any moves could be made.
Recent patch notes reveal that one of the cards responsible, Shadow Visions, has been updated so it can no longer replicate itself or create spells in an empty deck. This should render the exploit unavailable.
Forza Horizon 3 Porsche Car Pack Announced
A Porsche Car Pack is now available for Forza Horizon 3, Microsoft has announced.
The news broke at the New York International Auto Show (via Xbox Wire), where Porsche and Turn 10 Studios announced a six-year collaboration to create co-branded content between Porsche and Forza.
The car pack launches today and includes seven Porsche vehicles that range from the vintage 1960 718 RS 60 to models as recent as the 2017 Panamera.
Additionally, the companies will hold several competitions, with the first taking place at New York's flagship Microsoft store on Fifth Avenue from April 15-16. The event will pit 18 of ForzaRC's Elite players against each other in a contest to win $25,000 in cash prizes.
Refunds May Be Coming Soon to Xbox One
If you've ever regretted a digital game purchase on the Xbox store, your only recourse has been to come to terms with the fact you've thrown money down the tubes. However, Microsoft wants to give you a chance to get your money back.
"We’re always looking for new ways to improve the customer experience and regularly release new features into the Insider Program to encourage and foster fan feedback, which helps us test and refine features before they reach general availability. Earlier today, we enabled self-serve refund pilot testing for digital content via the Xbox and Windows Insider Programs and this testing is presently limited to select Insider members. Insiders can learn more about the criteria for claiming digital refunds via the Insider Hub. Beyond that, we have nothing further to share."
Lady Layton Release Date Announced
Update: Level-5 has announced that Lady Layton: The Millionaire Ariadone's Conspiracy will launch worldwide for iOS and Android on July 20.
While yesterday's Japanese Nintendo Direct brought with it the news that Lady Layton will also release for 3DS on that date in Japan, Level-5 confirmed in a post on its official site (translation via Kotaku) that the localized version for 3DS in the west won't be available until after sometime after the July 20 launch.
It's worth noting that the 3DS version will be priced at 4,800 yen (approximately $44 USD) while the mobile version will cost 1,900 yen (just over $17 USD) and have in-app purchases. The mobile version will support eight different languages at launch, including English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch and Korean.
Splatoon 2 Release Date, Amiibo Set Announced
Nintendo confirmed today that Splatoon 2 will be released for Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2017.
Alongside the release, Nintendo will also release a new set of Splatoon amiibo on the same day, with a three-pack offering new versions of an Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy, and a Squid. Splatoon 2 will also be compatible with the previously-released Splatoon amiibo.
Nintendo also announced Salmon Run, a new wave-based PvE mode in which players will fight waves of enemies with teams of four. Splatoon 2 was announced during the Nintendo Switch reveal in January, and offered a Global Testfire last month with an early look at gameplay.