Overwatch Won’t Have Progression Like Diablo or World of Warcraft
Blizzard won't be rewarding Overwatch players with fancy weapons or power-ups through its progression system.
Speaking with Eurogamer, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan said the developer plans on trying different things during the break from the recent beta to figure out the game’s progression design.
“Unlike World of Warcraft or Diablo, where the progression is one of the main motivating factors in those games, whether it be what your level is or your gear, Overwatch is different in that sense,” Kaplan said. “We don’t want the progression system to be burdensome in the fact that it’s telling you what to do or how to play.”
IGN UK Podcast #309: The Best and Worst TV of 2015
As 2015 draws to a close, Gav, Chris and Dale review the year's television, talking Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Mr Robot and Better Call Saul. It was a year when second seasons were either very good, or very bad, with Fargo falling into the former camp, and True Detective and Broadchurch very much the latter.
As far as comedy was concerned, Broad City was unexpectedly hilarious, and Peep Show went out with a bang. Mad Men also had a impressive finale, while documentary The Jinx blew our minds.
So prick up your ears for our 2015 television special, and as ever, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Counter-Strike: GO’s R8 Revolver Nerfed
Following community backlash, Valve has rebalanced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's overpowered R8 Revolver.
"On Tuesday we shipped some major gameplay changes in CS:GO including the R8 Revolver, and players have been voicing legitimate concerns over the balance of the weapon as shipped," Valve acknowledged in a blog post, adding: "it’s clear that we got the damage wrong and can respond immediately."
As such, the team is "updating the R8 Revolver to bring its values to be more in line with other weapons" by reducing its damage and decreasing its rate of fire. The latest update also features a few other gameplay tweaks, including pistol and rifle rebalancing.
TowerFall Ascension Coming to PS Vita Soon
TowerFall Ascension and its Dark World DLC have a release date for PlayStation Vita and PS TV.
A year after it was revealed at PSX 2014 that TowerFall Ascension would be released on PS Vita, the archery combat platforming game will launch on December 15, according to the PlayStation Blog.
The game will be cross buy, so anyone who purchased the PS4 version will automatically gain access to the game and the DLC on PS Vita. Developer Matt Thorson also stated a patch to implement cross save is incoming as well.
VanCamp on Sharon Carter’s Role in Civil War
Captain America: Civil War will further explore the relationship between Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter, according to Carter actress Emily VanCamp.
"I can say that she’s openly going to be Sharon Carter in the next movie," VanCamp told ET. "In the comic books, Cap and her have a love affair we get to sort of explore. I can’t say if we go to that extent of it, but they’re certainly getting to know each other and they know who each other are. There are die-hard fans that want to see him with different people, all the different camps. So hopefully people are happy."
Final Fantasy Explorers Summon Beasts Shown Off
Square Enix has released a new infographic showing off the 12 summons that will be part of its new game, Final Fantasy Explorers.
The action RPG is scheduled for release January 26, 2016 for 3DS and includes summons, or eidolons, from previous Final Fantasy games, as well as two wholly new additions, the "flower-like Dryad and the mysterious Amaterasu."
In addition to the two new summons, Final Fantasy Explorers features the likes of Bahamut, Ifrit, and Alexander, and others. For a full list, with art and descriptions, check out these huge infographics. The first is below and shows off the art, while the second appears at the bottom of this story. Click on them for the full-sized images in all their high-res glory.
Peek at Potter Prequel Fantastic Beasts Trailer
The first trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be revealed on December 15. Warner Bros. Pictures has released a peek at it. See below:
The trailer, Warner Bros. says, will show us "never-before-seen" parts of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world. The teaser itself doesn't reveal much, but we do know that the film is set in 1926 New York and follows Newt Scamander, as played by Eddie Redmayne, and his collection of fantastic beasts.
We've recently learned that the film will not only focus on Redmayne, but feature Katherine Waterston (Tina), Alison Sudol (Queenie), and Dan Fogler (Jacob) as well. These four have something to fear in the United States. The No-Maj—that's non-magical folk—are trying to persecute wizards and witches, reviving the days of the Salem witch trials.
Nintendo Says 3DS Is ‘Here to Stay’
Nintendo won't be abandoning its current line of handhelds anytime soon. According to executive VP of sales and marketing Scott Moffitt, "Nintendo 3DS is here to stay."
Moffitt discussed the company's commitment to the handheld in an interview with The Washington Post, citing the device's continued success, noting that "so far in 2015, sales of the family of Nintendo 3DS hardware in America are actually ahead of last year’s pace."
Nintendo's handheld has also proven to be a dominant force worldwide, selling more units than PlayStation 4 and Xbox One combined.
Gearbox Software Opening New Quebec Studio
Gearbox Software is expanding to Canada.
The studio announced the formation of Gearbox Studio Quebec today, with "the goal of enhancing Gearbox Software's mission to entertain the world" within its current portfolio. It's currently on the hunt for game dev talent for its unannounced inaugural AAA title.
“We are fortunate that there is a lot of demand on us to deliver our brand of interactive entertainment within the powerful franchises we have at Gearbox Software and the challenge for us is growing to meet this demand,” said President of Gearbox Software Randy Pitchford in a statement. “As part of our strategy we have already successfully built an expanded all new headquarters in Frisco, Texas . We now look ahead to another key and exciting step which is our commitment towards our all-new Gearbox Studio Quebec where we strive to team up with some incredible talent in the world of video game development outside of Texas to help us build fun and exciting video games within our tent-pole brands.”
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 4 Release Date Revealed
Telltale has revealed Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 4 will be available digitally worldwide from Tuesday, December 22. The episode will also be available the same day for season pass disc owners via an online update
Telltale explains the fourth episode, 'A Block and a Hard Place,' will end the story of the Wither Storm, but a "mysterious fifth episode" of Minecraft: Story Mode remains slated for 2016.
Missed the first few episodes? Catch yourself up by checking out IGN’s reviews for Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 1: The Order of the Stone and Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 2: Assembly Required.