Month: January 2018

Unless Demon’s Souls gets that remaster everyone wants, the upcoming Dark Souls Remastered could be the last thing we ever get from the Souls series proper. It doesn’t mean we’ll never see another dreary action RPG in trademark FromSoftware style — they are working on something new, after all.

But if you’ve accepted the “end” of the series and are looking for something to fill the void, there are a ton of great games out now (and some exciting ones on the horizon) that every Dark Souls fan should check out. Some feature satisfying, precision-based combat systems while others prioritize RPG skilltrees and upgrades — most have some intricate, mystery-laden tale to tell and, sometimes, huge, mysterious worlds ripe for exploration. But each one brings something new to the format too. There’s something here for everyone.

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Just a week removed from the Dudley Boyz appearing on RAW 25, where they put Heath Slater through a table, it’s been announced that Bubba Ray and D-Von (real names Mark LoMonaco and Devon Hughes) will join the already-announced Goldberg in the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.

Yes, the inseparable duo of two decades – with tag title reigns in ECW, WWE, TNA, All Japan, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling – will be inducted during the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, April 6th, in New Orleans.

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The first images from the set of the Detective Pikachu movie have arrived and, at first glance, this might not be the live-action Pokemon movie you were expecting. Instead of a colorful universe filled with massive battles against strange-looking creatures, this film looks to be set in a world similar to our own.

The photos come from a Twitter user who stumbled upon the Ryme City police department set in London. According to the images, Ryme City is a place in which humans and Pokemon coexist. While the plot of the movie is unclear at this point, what’s known is that Ryan Reynolds will voice the titular Pikachu, who is a police detective.

There is no information on who the movie’s villain will be. However, several missing posters are seen at the Ryme City Police Plaza set, including those looking for Pokemon such as Machoke, Graveler, and Pancham. Outside of the creatures adorning the posters, though, the world looks very realistic.

Granted, this is a very small look at what Detective Pikachu is building. Still, it’s a far cry from what previous Pokemon games and animated movies have looked like. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. After all, there might be nothing more entertaining and absurd than seeing Pikachu solve crimes in a realistic world.

Detective Pikachu is based on a Japanese video game of the same name, in which the popular Pokemon is a master detective in the vein of Sherlock Holmes. Joining Reynolds in the film are Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, and Ken Watanabe, with Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) directing. The movie will arrive on May 10, 2019. Meanwhile, the video game will arrive in the United States on March 23 when it releases on Nintendo 3DS.

Following some server issues that cropped up last week, Epic Games has once again brought something new for players to do in Fortnite. The Battle Royale portion of the game has announced a new limited-time mode for all players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it’s available now.

Sniper Shootout is now live, and as you can probably guess, it’s a sniper rifle-centric experience. All weapons on the map have been replaced by sniper rifles, though you’ll also find some revolvers to make short-range encounters less of the nightmare they’d be with snipers only. Consumables can also be found like normal, but grenades have been removed to ensure it’s the aforementioned weapons (or melee attacks) that are involved in any kills.

This is the first instance of Sniper Shootout, so it remains to be seen if it’ll become a regular part of the rotation. It should make the new city area introduced in the recent Fortnite map revamp an especially popular drop zone, what with all the tall buildings.

You’ll have only a few days to check out the mode, as it will rotate out on Friday, February 2. There’s no word on what will be next, but other limited-time modes we’ve seen include those that focus on suppressed weapons or explosives. Another turned the game into a 50v50 affair, which I was particularly fond of.

A new Fortnite update was released last week, but it was accompanied by extended downtime due to an issue with the game’s servers. Subsequently, players again found they were unable to play or join up with friends, though Epic has since released a fix for the social/party issues. An additional, smaller Fortnite patch was also deployed over the weekend to fix some other lingering bugs.

Spider-Man director Sam Raimi is in talks to helm The Kingkiller Chronicles movie.

Variety reports Raimi is currently in negotiations with Lionsgate to take on the film adaptation of Patrick Rothfuss’ best-selling fantasy novels. The movie will be based on the first book in the series, The Name of the Wind, with Lindsey Beer (Transformers: The Last Knight) penning the script. A release date has not been set yet.

Alongside the theatrical film, Lionsgate is producing a TV adaptation. Last year, Showtime announced it will air the TV series, which will be set generations before the events of The Name of the Wind. Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will executive produce and compose the music for the show and movie.

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Coming from fighting game developer Arc Systems Works, Dragon Ball FighterZ rides the fine line between being an accessible yet complex enough fighter for hardcore players to sink their teeth into. While it may seem daunting to dive into the game as a newcomer, and certainly watching an average battle can be overwhelming, you’ll come to find that the game does well to make sure fresh players can pick up the systems in no time. Still, there’s plenty to learn about the game’s more nuanced mechanics.

In this video above, we’ll break down what you’ll need to know when trying to test your mettle against Dragon Ball’s strongest fighters. Much like other fighting games, Dragon Ball FighterZ’s roster of characters–spanning the history of Akira Toriyama’s anime and manga series–have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, along with their own unique styles of play. While you can certainly dive into the game and button-mash your way to victory on occasions, you’ll need to learn the inner workings of FighterZ to survive on the harder difficulty settings and during online play.

For more of our thoughts on the game, which is set for its January 26 release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, be sure to check out our Dragon Ball FighterZ review. And if you’re curious about what sort of Easter eggs and gags found their way into the game–including how Yamcha finally redeems himself–check out our full write-ups and videos about all the things that await you in DBFZ.

After the series’ six-year hibernation since Soul Calibur V‘s 2012 release, the developers at Bandai Namco have been eager to show off the next entry in the weapon-based fighting game franchise since its late-2017 reveal. Recently, Bandai Namco put out a trailer showcasing the new arrivals to Soul Calibur VI‘s roster, which includes returning characters Kilik, Xianghua, Nightmare, and the newcomer Groh. As the developers stated, Soul Calibur VI plans to take things back to the beginning of the Calibur saga, while also adding a sense of renewed style and refinement to the core gameplay.

We got to go hands-on with the upcoming fighter at a recent Bandai Namco event, where we took in a number of matches and saw just how much the series has grown during its six-year hiatus. In the video above, you can check out some matches from our session featuring the returning cast, along with the enigmatic Groh.

From the debut trailer at The Game Awards, many fans noticed that the two returning fighters, Mitsurugi and Sophitia, were looking younger than their appearances in previous Soul Calibur titles. And there’s a good reason for that as it turns out. Serving as a bit of a hybrid between prequel and simultaneous reimagining of the original Soul Calibur, the sixth game covers much of the grey area in the story after the events of Soul Edge, while also laying the groundwork for something brand new. In doing so, some rather interesting choices have been made to revitalize its core mechanics and returning characters.

In addition to the returning cast of characters, which includes the samurai Mitsurugi, the greek warrior Sophitia, the young warrior Xianghua, the Soul Edge construct Nightmare, and the cursed monk Kilik, we also have the reveal of a new fighter named Groh. Wielding a double-sided sword–which detaches during his more complex combos attacks–the mysterious Groh channels dark energy in ways that deal massive damage to his opponent. During his special powered-up state, activated after achieving energy from his soul meter, he’s able to swing his blade across the stage and attack his opponents from afar during special attacks. After playing a few matches with Groh, we were able to get accustomed to his playstyle and moveset fairly quickly, and he’ll likely be a solid pick for newcomers to the series.

In addition to sharper and more detailed visuals–powered by Unreal Engine 4–the core combat focusing on well-timed weapon strikes and parries also has some new tricks up its sleeve. Soul Calibur VI’s new mechanic called the Reversal Edge adds more cinematic and tense moments to fights. When activated, players will face off in a rock-paper-scissors style game of wits, where you’ll have to strike at an opening in your opponent’s defenses. While these can end in a stalemate, with either both players matching strikes or one dodging them outright, landing a hit can deal significant damage to your opponent–which can result in an armor break on your foe. Along with this new mechanic, many of the core system from the series–such as Guard Impacts, counters, and the return of the over the top Critical Edge–have also seen some upgrades.

Although it was only just announced late last year, Soul Calibur VI is in very solid shape. One of the strengths of the the series is balancing accessible gameplay with the mechanics that fighting game vets love, and Soul Calibur VI continues that tradition in some fun ways. It’ll be interesting to see how the core story will be presented in-game, given its focus on reimagining the events of the original Soul Calibur. While the story throughout the series has mostly been background dressing, it does as a solid context for what players can expect from the roster.

Still on track for a 2018 release, and with it being playable at EVO Japan 2018, we’ll likely be hearing more from Soul Calibur VI throughout the year. And while it’s great to see some familiar faces return, the one thing we’re all wondering is what sort of guest characters will find their way into this game? It’s hard to top Star Wars’ Yoda and Darth Vadar, but we’re sure that Bandai Namco will try its best to.

Microsoft recently announced all games from Microsoft Studios will be added to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service at launch, including the upcoming Sea of Thieves, and while that sounds like great news for gamers, some retailers are unhappy with the announcement.

GamesIndustry.biz reports independent stores will go as far as refusing to stock Xbox games and hardware.

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As Avengers: Infinity War‘s May 4th release date ticks ever closer, conjecture and speculation about the movie’s plot have been gaining steam. Following the sharing of a handful of set photos–one of which showed an empty street designed to look like the 1940s, others featuring Chris Evans in the Captain America costume he wore in the 2012 Avengers movie–the idea that time travel is going to be an integral element of Infinity War‘s plot has taken hold.

It wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility with the Infinity Stones, one of which has the specific power to manipulate time (as seen in 2016’s Doctor Strange).

But recent comments made by director Joe Russo while on MTV’s Happy Sad Confused podcast made it seem like the explanation for Infinity War‘s time travel may be slightly less cosmic in nature.

Russo explained: “It’s interesting because photos always leak and there’s lots of conjecture about what those photos mean. Certainly, there is a five minute sequence in Civil War around a piece of technology that was laid in for a very specific reason. If you go back and look at that film, you may get a hint as to the direction.”

The five minute sequence in Civil War he’s referring to is likely the moment toward the beginning of the film where Tony Stark debuts what he calls his “Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing”–or, unfortunately, “B.A.R.F.”

The tech itself is demoed by Tony essentially “reliving” his own memory, featuring a just-this-side-of-uncanny-valley CGI Robert Downey Jr. rendered to age appropriate interacting with his long deceased parents the day before they were killed (or, as we learn later, assassinated by the Winter Soldier in what becomes the emotional climax of the film). Interestingly, however, the memories presented by the B.A.R.F. tech aren’t actually just verbatim replays of events that have already happened.

Present day Tony acts as an outside observer to his younger counterpart and his digitally projected mother and father, but he also, apparently, has the ability to edit the playback. In the presentation, Maria Stark pulls young Tony aside and tells him “You’re going to miss us, because this is the last time we’re all going to be together. You know what’s about to happen. Say something.” Obviously, that’s information that the real Maria Stark couldn’t possibly have had on the actual night in question.

Modern Tony elaborates as the presentation winds down, saying that his new tech is an “extremely costly method of hijacking the hippocampus to clear traumatic memories.” He’s quick to qualify that the B.A.R.F projections aren’t actually changing anything. Put plainly, Tony’s tech is an extremely specific method of self-therapy, but one that seems to rely on the user’s knowledge that what they’re participating in is, in fact, not actually real–just a fancy way to clear out old cobwebs from your past, in a totally artificial sense.

It’s important to note that Tony’s presentation in Civil War is showing a prototype for the tech, rather than the finished product. Eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that characters in the Infinity War set photos seem to be wearing devices on the backs of their hands, which could be the next step of B.A.R.F’s evolution.

But the question remains: If Infinity War‘s time-warping is actually just the slightly more developed version of a therapeutic StarkTech toy, and one that only allows the modification of memories rather than the literal manipulation of the past itself, how will any of this actually help the Avengers face off against Thanos?

The lowest hanging speculative fruit is that the B.A.R.F tech will be used in conjunction with one or more of the Infinity Stones, perhaps to supercharge the concept in a way that makes it possible to edit actual events as they unfold. Perhaps some time spent either studying or working with the Time Stone allowed Tony to crack some sort of scientific barrier and advance the tech that much more.

Alternatively, and a bit more esoterically, there’s certainly no discounting the idea that portions of Infinity War might actually center around the resolution of past trauma for many of the MCU’s superheroes. There’s no shortage of baggage to go around after a decade of superheroic close calls, and what better time to do some soul searching than when the actual, real life, cosmically infused end of the world comes knocking at your door?

That would at least explain why all indications of time travel so far have been going backward rather than to the future, an ability that something as powerful as the Time Stone would have no trouble manifesting.

There are a lot of variables in play here, and without knowing what the pieces look like on the rest of the proverbial board, it’s next to impossible to really narrow things down. Still, it must be said that whatever role the B.A.R.F tech winds up playing in the MCU going forward, the least we can hope for a less embarrassing acronym by the time Infinity War is all said and done.

Please stop making us say B.A.R.F.