Month: April 2019

The new Blackout map in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, titled Alcatraz, has launched on PS4. Alcatraz is expected to release on Xbox One and PC at a later date.

“Alcatraz is a small island, and that means super fast-paced, frenetically fun fighting,” Treyarch studio design director David Vonderhaar said in a video describing the new map–which can be watched in the tweet linked below. Treyarch producer Miles Leslie added, “And our Zombies players might recognize this, but we’ve handcrafted Alcatraz for the Blackout experience.”

“So as an island, we’ve got 40 players in a Quad configuration,” Leslie continued. “So that’s 10 teams battling it out, but the other big thing is respawns.” The video goes on to explain that, when you die, you can respawn 30 seconds later and redeploy back into the game–but only up to five times.

Unlike the traditional battle royale method of deploying from a drop ship that travels in a straight line at the start of the match, in Alcatraz, you and your team deploy from portals stationed at random points above the island. There’s no collapsing zone wall like on Blackout’s original map either. Zombies seem to be more plentiful as well, roaming throughout the map as opposed to being contained to certain buildings and landmarks.

Alcatraz also borrows the Zombies mode’s weapon wall feature–including predetermined locations where you can buy a firearm. “At these locations, you’re guaranteed to find a new weapon every 30 seconds,” Vonderhaar said.

As opposed to Blackout’s horizontal-focused original map, Alcatraz is more vertical. The center of the island contains a massive landmark called the Cell Block, which provides ample opportunities for attacking, looting, and defending. Surrounding the Cell Block are numerous other landmarks, each one descending in elevation until you get to the island’s coast. Alcatraz provides numerous opportunities for players to ascend or descend, from snaking paths to climbable cliffs. There’s even a tram that provides a direct path for you and your team to go from Alcatraz’s outskirts straight to the Cell Block.

Until April 30, Blackout is free on all platforms, allowing you to try out Black Ops 4’s battle royale mode on both maps.

Persona 5 developer Atlus has announced it will be revealing something on April 25. A website confirming the date of the reveal has appeared online, but there’s no indication as to what the studio will be talking about. Intriguingly, the website has “P5S” in its URL.

Atlus has already announced a new version of the RPG for PS4 called Persona 5 The Royal, but this has its own website with “P5R” in the URL. This suggests that P5S is something separate from the PS4’s Persona 5 The Royale. Much of the speculation for what it could be has been around a Nintendo Switch version of Persona 5, and the “S” in the URL no doubt fuels that fire.

Thus far, Persona 5 has only been released on PlayStation hardware. Alongside the PS4 version, however, there’s a PS3 version, which could be suitable for porting to the Switch. Additionally, Atlus and Nintendo are already working together to bring Joker, the protagonist of Persona 5, to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as DLC.

In February, Nintendo confirmed it is working on update 3.0 for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but didn’t say what it’ll include. Nintendo added that Joker would be available for the game before the end of April. With this in mind, the use of “1 More” on the website could also be significant. In Persona 5 the phrase is used when a player is given an opportunity to make an extra move as a bonus. Either way, we’ll find out later this month.

Persona 5 originally launched in March, 2017 and received a 9/10 from GameSpot. In her Persona 5 review, Lucy James said, “Within Persona 5 is a complex set of interconnected gameplay mechanics, and in almost every aspect Atlus has executed on its vision exceptionally, barring the pacing issues towards the end.”

She continued: “It’s stuffed to bursting point with gameplay ideas and presentation flourishes–there’s an overwhelming level of artistry in every part of Persona 5, making it a truly standout entry in the series. It’s a refined, effortlessly stylish RPG that will be talked about for years to come.”

Following the launch of Assassin’s Creed III Remastered last month, it appears publisher Ubisoft has delisted the original game from PC retailers such as Steam and Uplay. The game’s Steam page is still visible, but states, “At the request of the publisher, Assassin’s Creed III is no longer available for sale on Steam.”

Assassin’s Creed III Remastered is of course available for purchase for $40 / £34 / AU $60, but unlike the original version this does not include the game’s multiplayer portion. GameSpot has reached out to Ubisoft to confirm why the original version was removed.

It should be noted the delisting does not prevent existing owners of Assassin’s Creed III from downloading or playing the game–it merely prevents anyone else from purchasing it. Assassin’s Creed III Remastered, meanwhile, is included in the season pass for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

After launching on PS4, Xbox One, and PC at the end of March, Assassin’s Creed III Remastered is making its way to Nintendo Switch on May 21. The original game, meanwhile, was first released for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U in 2012. We awarded it an 8.5/10 in our Assassin’s Creed III review; critic Kevin VanOrd said it “expands the series’ gameplay in enjoyable and sensible ways.”

He added: “Assassin’s Creed III is a big game that gives you a lot to do, some of which is fleshed out relatively well, and some of which isn’t. It is not, however, content to rest on the series’ laurels. It takes chances with its opening, with its story, and with its characters.

In honor of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones, IGN is taking a look back at some of the iconic characters who’ve fallen along the way, and the lasting impact they had on the story. These heroes and villains may not have made it to the end of the road, but their lives weren’t in vain – they stand as a fitting reminder that when you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die.

Syrio Forel only appeared in three episodes of Game of Thrones: Season 1, but his pivotal role is still being talked about years later — in fact, theories about the fate of his character are alive and well, even as the show enters its final season. Arya Stark’s “dancing master” helped set the stage for what would become one of Game of Thrones’ most iconic arcs, seeing Arya follow in the footsteps of her Braavosi mentor to become not just a master swordswoman, but someone who frequently says “not today” to the God of Death.

Continue reading…

The live-action movie adaptation of the classic manga and anime Akira has been in development for over a decade, but it seems that it’s getting closer to actually happening. Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi is currently attached, and it has been reported that the movie has been selected to receive tax credits from the California Film Commission.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Akira is one of 18 projects that will benefit from California Film Commission’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program. The movie will be filmed entirely in California and as a result will receive $18.5 million in tax credits. THR states that it will shoot for an estimated 71 days.

Akira does not yet have a production start date and casting has not yet begun, but Warner is clearly continuing to move forward with it. The movie is set to be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, through his Appian Way production company.

It was first reported that Waititi was involved with Akira in September 2017, and in April last year he spoke about his intentions for it. “I haven’t really started to get my head around it yet,” he admitted. “What I want to do is an adaptation of the books, ’cause a lot of people are like, ‘Don’t touch that film!’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not remaking the film, I want to go back to the book.’

“A lot of the people freaking out haven’t even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It’s so rich. But Akira is one of my favourite films. My mum took me to see it when I was 13 and it changed my life.”

Waititi is the latest in a long line of filmmakers to be linked to the Akira remake. The likes of David Sandberg (Shazam), Daniel Espinosa (the upcoming Morbius), Justin Lin (Star Trek: Beyond), George Miller (Mad Max), and Jaume Collet-Serra (The Shallows) have all been attached at various stages over the years. In 2012, the film actually reached the pre-production stage before the Vancouver production offices were shut down by the studio.

The manga of Akira ran between 1982 and 1990 and is widely credited for popularising Japanese comic books internationally. Equally, the success of the 1989 movie version did much to introduce Western viewers to anime, and is now considered one of the finest sci-fi films ever made.

The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones finally starts this month, and HBO is keeping the promos coming. Following the two new teasers released earlier this week, we have another new video. It’s titled “Aftermath,” and it takes a more abstract and haunting approach than those more traditional trailers.

The video showcases the deserted snowswept streets of Winterfell. There are no characters or dialogue, but it does feature the possessions of key Game of Thrones characters, most buried in the show. These include Tyrion’s Hand of the King pin, Arya’s needle, Bran’s wheelchair, Jaime’s golden hand, Lyanna’s feather, Dany’s dragon chains, and Jon’s Longclaw. What can it all mean? Check the trailer above and let us know in the comments below.

Game of Thrones Season 8 premieres on April 14, with the remaining five episodes coming each week until mid-May. While there are only six episodes, they combine for a total of 432 minutes of runtime, or around 7.2 hours. Here’s a full breakdown of each episode’s premiere date and runtime.

The full trailer for Game of Thrones Season 8 was released in March. It focuses on setting up the the epic battle against the Night King and his army of the dead at Winterfell–for more insight, check out GameSpot’s trailer breakdown.

Game of Thrones is ending, but a prequel is on the way, with X-Men: First Class’ Jane Goldman serving as a showrunner for a story developed with series creator George RR Martin. The show is expected to start filming early this summer.