Forza 6 Might Erase Forza 5 From Existence
You can criticize Forza Motorsport 5 for taking a step backwards in the content department, but you’d only be half-justified. Sure, it originally cost the same $60 that both the meatier Forza 4 did and that Forza Motorsport 6 will, but in its moment – i.e. as a day-one launch title for a brand-new console – Forza 5 delivered a hell of a game, even if it was a bit light on cars and tracks.
I spent two hours playing the final build of Forza 6, and I’m already reasonably confident that I’ll never want or need to play Forza 5 again. The new entry from Turn 10 Studios, which takes the baton back from last year’s stellar open-world, more arcadey Forza Horizon 2 by Playground Games, includes everything Forza 5 did, up to and including DLC tracks like Long Beach and Nürburgring. Six opens much the same way Five did, with the game walking you through the early stages of the career mode. You’ll get a turn in the new cover car, the 2017 Ford GT reboot, before picking out the first ride for your own garage. I chose a Nissan 350Z and went to work.
All Four Mad Max Films Now Available on Steam
Valve has confirmed that high definition versions of all four Mad Max films are now available to purchase on Steam. The announcement coincides with the release of Avalanche Studios’ Mad Max, which we reviewed earlier today.
The game and films are available now in a variety of packages and price points to Steam gamers in the US, Canada, Russia, Brazil, South Korea and “much of Europe”. Valve notes that fans in Spain, Germany, Norway, France, and the UK (September 21) who grab any of the packages now can access the original trio of films immediately and Mad Fax: Fury Road later in September when the film is scheduled to be released in their territory. In a mildly ironic twist, none of the films appear to be available on Steam’s Australian storefront, the series’ country of origin. Trying to reach the purchase page from Australia simply results in a warning that “This item is currently unavailable in your region”.
Grand Theft Auto 5 PC Mods Adds Imperial Star Destroyer, Landspeeder
Modders have added iconic Star Wars vehicles, such as the Imperial Star Destroyer and landspeeder, into the world of Grand Theft Auto 5.
The playable Star Destroyer by modder JJxORACLE, modeled by jarjarthomas, replaces the game’s blimp. The modder plans on scaling the Star Destroyer to its full size of 1,600 meters if the game engine can support it. The modder notes that the Star Destroyer mod may be taxing on some hardware configurations and players need to be offline to use it.
TwoDynamic’s video below, via Reddit and VG247, showcases the Star Destroyer and a X-34 Landspeeder by modder KAFAROS in action.
Vin Diesel Hints at Sequel to The Iron Giant
Vin Diesel thinks there will be a sequel The Iron Giant.
The actor used his Facebook page to promote The Iron Giant: Signature Edition, which is a Blu-ray release of the 1999 movie (you can watch the trailer below).
The Signature Edition trailer was captioned with the revelation that the titular Iron Giant is one of Diesel's favourite characters.
"I have been very lucky to have played so many interesting characters... one of the first and one of my favourites is... the Iron Giant."
Diesel teased The Iron Giant sequel in a postscript for the caption.
"Don't be surprised when you hear
Zod Won’t Have Flipper Hands in Batman v Superman
It turns out that Zod won't have flipper hands in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Contrary to what General Zod actor Michael Shannon had previously said about his character having flippers instead of hands in Dawn of Justice, he's now admitted it was just a joke.
The Daily Beast spoke to Shannon while he was promoting 99 Homes and he spilled the beans on the origin of the flipper-hands story.
Assassin’s Creed Comic Issue #1 Covers Revealed
Publisher Titan Comics has revealed all of the covers for the first issue of its upcoming Assassin's Creed comic series.
Written by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery and illustrated by Neil Edwards, this adaptation of the Ubisoft game franchise centers on Charlotte de la Cruz, a conspiracy theorist who joins the Assassins and learns about an ancestor of hers who witnessed the Salem witch trials. As she learns more, she will have to defend herself from the Assassins' sworn enemy: the Templars.
Assassin's Creed #1 releases in stores on October 14.
Sales of Atari Games Exhumed from New Mexico Landfill Exceed $100k
Around 18 months on from the discovery of Atari 2600 copies of the infamous E.T. The Extra Terrestrial in the Alamogordo, New Mexico landfill it’s been revealed how much money has been made via sales of items unearthed during the dig. The Alamogordo Daily News (via Gamasutra) reports that proceeds from the Atari dig sale on eBay came to USD $107,930.15.
“There’s 297 we’re still holding in an archive that we’ll sell at a later date when we decide what to do with them,” Joe Lewandowski of the Tularosa Basin Historical Society told the paper. “I might sell those if a second movie comes out but for now we’re just holding them. The film company got 100 games, 23 went to museums and we had 881 that we actually sold. They were sold in 45 states and 14 countries.”
Under the Dome Cancelled, Will Conclude in September
CBS has announced that Under the Dome will end after three seasons, with the series finale scheduled to air in the US on Thursday, September 10. The network notes that the finale will see the Dome at Chester’s Mill come down and its mysteries revealed.
“Two years ago, Under the Dome broke new ground in the summer and became an instant hit on CBS, as well as with viewers around the world,” said CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler in a statement. “Dome’s event storytelling and multi-platform business model paved the way for more original summer programming with the successful rollouts of Extant and Zoo. We’re excited to present the final chapter in Chester’s Mill as the story comes full circle, with the Dome coming down as dramatically as it went up.”
Hannibal’s Finale, Amazon’s Galaxy Quest Series and WWE’s Divas
Hello, Channel Surfers! Welcome to Episode 250! To celebrate the occasion, we decide to... Have a bunch of technical difficulties! Most of which were only audible to us while recording and not when playing the podcast back. So thrill to Matt saying her can't hear Eric when you can. And be delighted by Eric repeatedly referencing a crackle on Matt's side that isn't there!
Oh, and we discuss TV! For this episode, we look at...
-Amazon developing a Galaxy Quest series-FX working on a Sons of Anarchy spinoff
-American Dad renewed through Season 13
-The Flash adds Jesse Quick to Season 2
-Should Arrow drop the flashbacks?
-Fear the Walking Dead premieres big
7 Things We Love About Hard West
Hard West is a simple sell: It’s cowboy XCOM. Most people I pitched it to at PAX were on board with just that reductive summary, but there’s a lot more to the turn-based Wild West tactics game that’s really worthwhile.
This is why Hard West is smart, deep, rewarding, tough as nails, and absolutely worth paying attention to.
As you begin each stage, Hard West doesn’t immediately enter a combat phase. XCOM doesn’t either, really — you’re allowed to set up and position yourself to initiate — but most of the time you’re on alert immediately or preparing to unleash hell. In Hard West, yes, you have time to scout out enemies, prepare your kill order, and get into cover, but the preparation phase is so much more than this. Levels have secrets to discover, alternate objectives, some of which have a sense of urgency that leads to careful, thoughtful exploration toward a given place. Violence is inevitable and explosive, but the lead-in to drawing your weapon has meaning, whether it has to do with the dark story or the deep gameplay systems.