Nintendo Confirms It Has New Hardware Planned, But Offers Very Few Details

Nintendo has confirmed it has plans for a console beyond the Switch, which will follow the 'integrated hardware-software' approach utilised in its previous consoles and - shocking no one - added that it will arrive within this century. The details were found in the company's Corporate Management Policy Briefing for the current fiscal year. In it, you'll find a slide explaining Nintendo's Future Outlook. The slide alludes to the "next gaming system" Nintendo plans to produce, which is said to arrive in "20XX." This means fans can rest easy knowing that they'll get another Nintendo console this century. Phew! In terms of concrete details, there's little to go on, other than the fact that Nintendo will continue to use the current Nintendo Account system on the next console, and plans to add more services linked to Nintendo Accounts over time to offer better value for users. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/nintendo-switch-online-september-2020-game-updates"] We can speculate on a few other areas of the briefing. As you might expect, the next Nintendo console will follow the same 'integrated hardware-software' model used for DS, Wii and Nintendo Switch, with Nintendo creating exclusive games specifically designed for its new hardware: "We are dedicated to finding ways to pleasantly surprise consumers and deliver unique experiences by considering where people will play, when they play, and how they might feel", reads the briefing. "That's how we're able to keep developing and offering entertainment that's unlike anything that came before it, such as the Nintendo Switch hardware itself, the Nintendo Labo series, Ring Fit Adventure and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, which we recently announced. The symbiotic relationship between hardware and software in these experiences creates strong connections between Nintendo and our consumers." As for the next console's innovations, it seems that Nintendo wants to keep people guessing, in much the same way as it has done with the past few generations. A slide covering the company's investment in new technology begins, "We allocate internal resources very carefully so that technologies we adopt can turn into a source of fun. We strive to create products that consumers didn't realize they wanted until the moment they're announced. To do this we can't simply follow what other companies are doing or chase the latest technology trends." One conclusion we may be able to draw that Nintendo's going to keep creating relatively straightforward consoles that won't come in at a high price: "We pay close attention to any potential negatives," the technology slide continues, "such as when adding more features to hardware or services results in a more complicated configuration, gets in the way of a positive user experience, or puts it at an undesirable price point." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-25-nintendo-switch-games&captions=true"] The company has seen a consistent upward trend in downloadable game purchases, as the industry has moved to integrate storefronts onto consoles over the past decade. However, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa did note that "converting our business to be 100% digital" is not Nintendo's ultimate goal, due to its emphasis on "unique combinations of software and accessories such as the Nintendo Labo series and Ring Fit Adventure." In other Nintendo news, the company recently announced another Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase, which is set for Thursday September 17th at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3 PM UK (that's midnight AEST on September 18). [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

Ray Fisher Calls Ben Affleck’s Batman Return a Publicity Stunt in Justice League Investigation

Ray Fisher has suggested that news of Ben Affleck’s return as Batman was a PR stunt by Warner Bros. to distract from the seriousness of the investigation into the toxic working environment experienced on the set of Justice League. Posting on Twitter, Fisher said “Ben returning as Batman was clearly meant to be revealed at DC Fandome. I’ll give you one guess as to why [Warner Bros.] likely jumped the gun.” This was followed by two images, one of a tweet from Fisher himself explaining that an independent investigation had been launched into the Justice League toxic environment, and another of Vanity Fair’s news of Affleck returning as Batman. He circled in red the timestamps of the two posts; his own at 1:38pm on August 20, and the Vanity Fair one at 3:02pm on the same day. Fisher appears to be stating that, following his announcement of the investigation, Warner Bros. quickly gave permission to Vanity Fair to publish its exclusive interview with The Flash director Andy Muschietti about Affleck’s return, which presumably was originally embargoed until the DC FanDome event that took place two days later. Fisher implies that the discussion generated around Affleck’s return would then act as a smokescreen for the more serious topic of discussion. This is Fisher’s latest point of contention against an investigation that he considers to not be taking the situation as seriously as required. A few days earlier, he posted to Twitter to state that the firm conducting the investigation has “avoided contacting key witnesses”. The case against WarnerMedia and Fisher’s allegations against Joss Whedon’s set on Justice League has been going for several weeks now, with the company denying the allegations. Fisher has also accused the investigation of not being independent. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=justice-league-snyder-cut-all-the-known-differences-from-the-theatrical-version&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Star Trek Movie From Fargo Showrunner Would Introduce a New Crew of Characters

Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley has confirmed that his Star Trek movie would feature an entirely new cast, won't feature captains Kirk or Picard, but would connect to the existing canon along the way. Hawley's Star Trek movie has been put on the backburner, but the director insisted to Variety that it's still a going concern, just in stasis for now. Hawley has finished the script, which will include a new crew (as hinted at previously), but will connect to the existing stories in a similar way to how he approached his first season of Fargo. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/07/23/star-trek-universe-official-panel-comic-con-2020"] Fargo Season 1 made clear that the Coen Brothers' original was connected to the universe of the show by featuring a case of money – buried in the movie – being dug up in the show, but otherwise didn't feature any crossover of characters. It sounds as though Hawley wants to use a similar trick for Trek: “We’re not doing Kirk and we’re not doing Picard,” he says. “It’s a start from scratch that then allows us to do what we did with Fargo, where for the first three hours you go, ‘Oh, it really has nothing to do with the movie,’ and then you find the money. So you reward the audience with a thing that they love.” Previously, we've heard that part of the reasoning behind the film's delay is based on its story, which reportedly centres on a virus wiping out swathes of the Star Trek universe's population – a story that may hit a little too close to home in 2020. Paramount's motion picture group president Emma Watts is allegedly still yet to decide whether the project will move forward. We're also still waiting to hear if Quentin Tarantino's R-rated Star Trek movie will go ahead - even if Tarantino probably won't direct it himself. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-space-opera-movies-that-arent-star-wars-or-star-trek&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase Coming Later This Week

A Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase is coming later this week, airing on Thursday September 17th at 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3 PM UK (that's midnight AEST on September 18). Information will be shared about Nintendo Switch titles on the way from Nintendo's publishing partners, so don't expect any news about first-party titles. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/26/nintendo-direct-mini-partner-showcase"] The last Mini Partner Showcase arrived in late August, a surprise drop from Nintendo that gave us more details about Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, Fuser, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 and more. For all of the announcements and to get an idea of what to expect from the upcoming showcase, check out our writeup here. In other Nintendo Switch news, check out the new games coming to Nintendo Switch Online in September 2020, which include Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest and Mario's Super Picross, among others. A recent report suggests that a new version of the Nintendo Switch will launch in early 2021, and will feature improved "interactivity" and a better display. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.  

Road To Guangdong Review – Journey To Nowhere

There are only two radio channels in the slice-of-life driving simulator, Road to Guangdong--one plays some blend of milquetoast "oriental" music, while the other broadcasts more upbeat and decidedly modern synthwave-inspired melodies. It's this gulf between the two genres that also seems to inspire one of the few highlights behind Road to Guangdong: the light-hearted ribbing between you and your Guu Ma--the Chinese honorific for aunts--as you embark on a road trip together. The elderly Guu Ma's disdain for the pulsating grooves of electronic music means she will always try to change the radio channel back to the vaguely Guangdong-esque music she's more familiar with, after much grumbling about the unrefined state of modern music. You can, of course, flip the channel back again, if only to annoy her--and cackle at her exasperation as she reaches out to change the music once again.

While this small interaction is mildly amusing, it doesn't sustain the game's novelty for long. Road to Guangdong is a long-winding, exhausting ride--and I don't mean in terms of hours. Not only is its pacing extremely sluggish, its characters' minimalist expressions are also overly mechanical and too limited in their range to convey any emotion--an unfortunate design choice that only brings more attention to the game's flat, lacklustre dialogues. This is made more apparent when Guu Ma occasionally sprinkles some canned advice over the course of your endless drives, one of which is a recurring suggestion to change your radio channel. But why would you suggest that, Guu Ma, if the only other option is these trance-like bangers you hate so much?

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Road To Guangdong Review – Journey To Nowhere

There are only two radio channels in the slice-of-life driving simulator, Road to Guangdong--one plays some blend of milquetoast "oriental" music, while the other broadcasts more upbeat and decidedly modern synthwave-inspired melodies. It's this gulf between the two genres that also seems to inspire one of the few highlights behind Road to Guangdong: the light-hearted ribbing between you and your Guu Ma--the Chinese honorific for aunts--as you embark on a road trip together. The elderly Guu Ma's disdain for the pulsating grooves of electronic music means she will always try to change the radio channel back to the vaguely Guangdong-esque music she's more familiar with, after much grumbling about the unrefined state of modern music. You can, of course, flip the channel back again, if only to annoy her--and cackle at her exasperation as she reaches out to change the music once again.

While this small interaction is mildly amusing, it doesn't sustain the game's novelty for long. Road to Guangdong is a long-winding, exhausting ride--and I don't mean in terms of hours. Not only is its pacing extremely sluggish, its characters' minimalist expressions are also overly mechanical and too limited in their range to convey any emotion--an unfortunate design choice that only brings more attention to the game's flat, lacklustre dialogues. This is made more apparent when Guu Ma occasionally sprinkles some canned advice over the course of your endless drives, one of which is a recurring suggestion to change your radio channel. But why would you suggest that, Guu Ma, if the only other option is these trance-like bangers you hate so much?

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows Of New York Review

The set-up for Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York, the second V:TM visual novel following last year's Coteries of New York, is irresistible. The protagonist, Julia, is a newly turned vampire whose life as a struggling freelance investigative journalist is now thankfully behind her. But instead of living a glamorous, exciting vampire existence, she essentially becomes a glorified immigration officer, overseeing vampire movement in and out of New York. It's a rather drab existence until her background as a journalist gifts her an opportunity to head up an investigation concerning the locked-room murder of a high-profile vampire, and her future within New York's vampiric society will depend on whether she's able to solve the crime.

In practice, Shadows of New York is less exciting than this premise indicates. There's a murder, yes, and Julia has to solve it. But you, the player, are barely involved. This is a five-hour visual novel that's very low on meaningful choice and consequence, and while there will be some differences and unique elements to different playthroughs, your impact on the investigation is negligible. But even though it's light on player input, Shadows of New York is an entertaining visual novel for the most part, with an interesting central character, solid script, and strong presentation.

No Caption Provided

Shadows of New York is somewhere between a self-contained spin-off and a direct sequel to Coteries of New York. Julia and a few other characters are new, but most of the main cast carries over directly from that first game, including the murder victim. The main thrust of Shadows of New York's story involves meeting with the four characters who you could choose to serve in the first game's titular coterie, all of whom have some insight into the case and what happened… kind of. In truth, the investigation into the murder never really coheres into a satisfying whodunnit--you spend most of your time reading text that's projected over animated backgrounds and character portraits, and occasionally you get to make a choice about what Julie says or does next. However, these don't lead to meaningful consequences, with most of the major reveals happening right near the end. None of them are particularly surprising either.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows Of New York Review

The set-up for Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York, the second V:TM visual novel following last year's Coteries of New York, is irresistible. The protagonist, Julia, is a newly turned vampire whose life as a struggling freelance investigative journalist is now thankfully behind her. But instead of living a glamorous, exciting vampire existence, she essentially becomes a glorified immigration officer, overseeing vampire movement in and out of New York. It's a rather drab existence until her background as a journalist gifts her an opportunity to head up an investigation concerning the locked-room murder of a high-profile vampire, and her future within New York's vampiric society will depend on whether she's able to solve the crime.

In practice, Shadows of New York is less exciting than this premise indicates. There's a murder, yes, and Julia has to solve it. But you, the player, are barely involved. This is a five-hour visual novel that's very low on meaningful choice and consequence, and while there will be some differences and unique elements to different playthroughs, your impact on the investigation is negligible. But even though it's light on player input, Shadows of New York is an entertaining visual novel for the most part, with an interesting central character, solid script, and strong presentation.

No Caption Provided

Shadows of New York is somewhere between a self-contained spin-off and a direct sequel to Coteries of New York. Julia and a few other characters are new, but most of the main cast carries over directly from that first game, including the murder victim. The main thrust of Shadows of New York's story involves meeting with the four characters who you could choose to serve in the first game's titular coterie, all of whom have some insight into the case and what happened… kind of. In truth, the investigation into the murder never really coheres into a satisfying whodunnit--you spend most of your time reading text that's projected over animated backgrounds and character portraits, and occasionally you get to make a choice about what Julie says or does next. However, these don't lead to meaningful consequences, with most of the major reveals happening right near the end. None of them are particularly surprising either.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Donkey Kong Country 2 Leads September’s Switch Online SNES and NES Games

September 2020's Nintendo Switch Online Games are SNES' Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Mario's Super Picross, and The Peace Keepers, and NES' S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team. Announced by Nintendo, all of these games will be available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers on September 23, 2020. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/nintendo-switch-online-september-2020-game-updates"] Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest joins Donkey Kong Country on Nintendo Switch Online, and soon fans will be able to play the SNES title from 1995. In our review of DKC2 on Wii's Virtual Console, we said "the sequel to Rare's spectacular hit Donkey Kong Country was an inevitability. DKC2: Diddy's Kong Quest more than delivers in its ambitious aim of equaling and sometimes exceeding the standard set by its predecessor." Mario's Super Picross was released in Japan on the SNES in 1995 and the original version never made its way outside the country. It eventually made its way to PAL regions with the Wii Virtual Console, but this release will be the first official one in North America. Mario's Super Picross on Nintendo Switch Online only has a Japanese language option, so Nintendo released a helpful video to ensure English-speakers can understand and have fun with this game! [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/09/16/marios-super-picross-how-to-play"] The Peace Keepers is a beat 'em up SNES game that was released first in Japan in 1993 and is the third and final game in the Rushing Beat trilogy. In North America, the three games, including Rival Turf! and Brawl Brothers, were released as unrelated titles. S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team is a NES game that was first released in Japan in 1990 and is a science fiction side-view shoot-'em-up that went up against such games as Gradius, Contra, and Life Force. In our review of S.C.A.T. on Wii's Virtual Console, we said "So S.C.A.T. won't be the longest action experience you've ever had, which is disappointing -- but at least the rest of this package does a solid job of checking off marks on the awesomeness list. Jetpacks? Yes. Ridiculous storyline? Absolutely. A preposterous amount of explosions, nonsensical enemies and two heroes shamelessly stolen from Hollywood's early '90s action film A-list? Yes, yes and another firm yes. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-25-nintendo-switch-games&captions=true"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com. Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Ex-Cyberpunk, Dying Light Devs Announce The Invincible for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC

A group of veteran AAA developers who’ve worked on The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Dead Island, and more have banded together to form Starward Industries. And today, the studio revealed its first project, a next-gen, first-person sci-fi thriller called The Invincible. Starward Industries is a new studio but packs some serious pedigree around the Polish AAA development community. Their first project, The Invincible, is a first-person Sci-fi adventure where a scientist traverses a hostile planet to find their missing crewmates. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-invincible-screenshots&captions=true"] The Invincible will include non-linear storytelling where the story is shaped by your relationships, “choices and persuasive skills.” As it turns out, a missing crew is only the start of your troubles on Regis III. Starward Industries describes their projects as AA built with AAA experience. “We want to pursue quality mastered in previous endeavors and to deliver it in smaller, yet even and groundbreaking projects,” the team says on its homepage. There’s no release date or trailer yet for The Invincible, but you can check out its visuals and retro-futurist aesthetics from a handful of screenshots on its official Steam page in the gallery above. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.