Out This Week: Resident Evil 7, Kingdom Hearts HD II.8, Yakuza 0
With so many new games and movies coming out, it can be hard to keep up. Lucky for you, IGN is here to help with a weekly round-up of the biggest releases each and every week. Check out the latest releases for this week, and be sure to come back next Monday for a new update.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Who Is the Last Jedi?
The next Star Wars movie, Episode VIII, now has a title: Star Wars: The Last Jedi. And while fans are wondering why the poster and title treatment released today feature a red font (Revenge of the Jedi!), another big question of course is who is the last Jedi the title refers to? Or could it be referencing more than one lightsaber-wielding character?
We all know that Luke Skywalker was the last living Jedi Knight at the end of Return of the Jedi once his dad, old Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, departed this mortal coil for Force Ghost heaven. But 30 years later The Force Awakens told us that Luke had attempted to revive the Order with a new generation of Jedi, all of whom were apparently killed by Kylo Ren. And yet Rey, the Force-sensitive with a mysterious past who was in hiding for many years prior to The Force Awakens, saw her powers emerge quickly and dramatically after confronting Kylo Ren during the search for the long-since missing Skywalker. By the end of that film, as Rey returned Luke's original lightsaber to him at his hiding place on Ahch-To, it was clear that we now had two Jedi -- the master and the apprentice.
Kevin Smith is Now a Supergirl/Mon-El Shipper
Supergirl is making its return to the airwaves this week in the form of the Kevin Smith-directed "Supergirl Lives." We recently had the chance to discuss the episode with Smith, and while we've already covered his thoughts on making the transition from The Flash to Supergirl and the connections to his infamous Superman Lives screenplay, Smith also had plenty to say on the character dynamics that drive this episode forward.
Directing "Supergirl Lives" changed Smith's mind about one of the major romances budding on the show: Kara Zor-El and Mon-El. Smith noted that initially he was fairly ambivalent about the idea of Kara ending her romance with James Olsen and growing closer to Mon-El instead. However, he said that seeing Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood together on screen sold him on the Kara/Mon-El romance.
Samurai Jack Return Date Set for March
After a fourteen-year hiatus, Samurai Jack will return to TV with its fifth and final season on March 11 at 11:30 p.m., Adult Swim announced.
The date was quietly revealed yesterday on Twitter in a short Q&A video. The animated series' long-awaited return was first announced in late 2015.
Season 5 will takes place years after the original series' conclusion, according to Samurai Jack creator and director Genndy Tartakovsky.
Final Dark Souls 3 DLC Announced for March
Bandai Namco has announced the last DLC for Dark Souls 3, The Ringed City, set to release on March 28, 2017.
The Ringed City will delve into the literal end of the world, fitting for the final expansion for last year's Dark Souls 3. The expansion is set at world's end, and will be the setting for players to die again and again, in search of new armor, weapons, magic and bosses. Set amidst the ruins of cities and castles, Bandai Namco teases that players will uncover secrets of the past in the city, alongside new horrors.
The Ringed City will be available for PS4, Xbox One and PC via Steam for $14.99 USD, or as part of the Dark Souls 3 season pass.
This is the second and final expansion for Dark Souls 3, including last year's Ashes of Ariandel. If you need a refresher on all things Dark Souls lore, you can check out IGN's wiki for tidbits on all the bosses, characters and locales of Dark Souls 3. You can also check out Prepare to Try season two, to see IGN producer and host Rory Powers venture into Dark Souls 3 for the first time.
I Am Setsuna Is a Nintendo Switch Launch Title
I Am Setsuna will be a launch title for Nintendo Switch.
After announcing earlier this month that Tokyo RPG Factory's turn-based role-playing game will release on Switch sometime in March, Square Enix has confirmed that I Am Setsuna will be available as a digital title on March 3.
The Nintendo Switch version of I Am Setsuna will feature exclusive content, including the "Temporal Battle Area," which allows players to take their team of heroes and battle against other players.
I Am Setsuna released last year for PlayStation 4 and Steam. The game centers around a powerful young woman named Setsuna who embarks on a journey of self-sacrifice to save the people of her homeland. For our thoughts on Tokyo RPG Factory's debut title, read IGN's I Am Setsuna review and find out why its balance issues during combat don't prevent the game "from delivering a highly emotional tale."
Star Wars: Episode VIII’s Official Title Is The Last Jedi
Lucasfilm has announced that the title of Star Wars: Episode VIII is The Last Jedi.
A blog post on the official Star Wars site revealed the title, calling it "the next chapter in the Skywalker saga" and confirming its release date, December 15, 2017.
The first teaser poster for the film was also revealed:
Torment Might Be 2017’s Most Promising RPG
RPGs are supposed to be about more than just managing a character sheet; in the best pen-and-paper campaigns, the bulk of your time is spent talking. You’re prodding the DM to see how much information they’re willing to give up, and making persuasion or perception rolls in an attempt to uncover some hidden clue or alternative path to success. This is a part of the RPG heritage that modern games have largely forgotten (or at very least simplified into practical irrelevance), but Torment: Tides of Numenara makes it feel both vital and approachable.
In this most recent demo, I had around two hours to explore The Bloom - a fascinating new environment - and in that time, I never once drew my sword, dagger, or my menacing-looking, Tesla-inspired arc-thrower. I certainly could have, many times, but Torment provides so many other avenues for success that brute force rarely even seems necessary in order to get what you want - even when what you want is to be unambiguously evil.
Tekken 7 Has Been Delayed… but We Have a Release Date
Bandai Namco today announced that the home version of Tekken 7 will be released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One on June 2, 2017.
It incorporates all the content from the most recent arcade version of Tekken 7, Fated Retribution, while also adding a number of game modes and characters. Indeed, the roster will be more than 30 strong.
The date is significantly later than the “early 2017” release window the development team had been targeting, but as the franchise’s director Katsuhiro Harada told the assembled media at a recent event in Tokyo: “We were trying to do everything we could to make that date happen… maybe to scale down on the content in order to make the master release, but in the end we came to the decision that
Ex-GTA Producer Forms New Studios
Former president of Rockstar North, Leslie Benzies, has incorporated five new companies, some of which are centered around video games.
According to The Scotsman, Benzies has formed Royal Circus Games Limited, Starship Group, and Everywhere Game Limited. Royal Circus has reportedly applied to the Intellectual Property Office to make its primary aim developing games, and it has also trademarked a title: Time for a New World.
Another new company is called VR-Chitech Limited, and will be producing virtual reality headsets, glasses, and software. All of the new companies are registered in Edinburgh, Scotland.