EA CEO Andrew Wilson has admitted that Anthem’s ambition to bring together story-focused gaming and looter-shooter mechanics is “not working very well”, but he vows that the publisher will stand by both the game and developer BioWare in hope of improving Anthem’s fortunes.
Talking to GameDaily.biz, Wilson said of the two player demographics Anthem attempted to bring together: “One was traditional BioWare story driven content, and the other was this action-adventure type content. About the 30 or 40 hour mark they really had to come together and start working in on the elder game. At that point everyone kind of went, ‘Oh, hang a minute.’ Now the calculation is off.”
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is the next big Star Wars game from Electronic Arts, and now we’ve learned a little more about it. Specifically, developer Respawn says you will only be able to dismember enemies with your lightsaber in “select cases.”
Senior designer Justin Perez explained to IGN that probably only droids and spiders can have their limbs cut off from your lightsaber attacks. Humanoid characters, however, generally cannot be dismembered–and that’s apparently because Disney is a family friendly company.
Separately, story artist for The Clone Wars, Tatyana Drewry Carvin, explained to IGN that one of Disney’s rules is that they should never show blood and they should “hide the cut in case of decapitation.” According to the rules, “the burn of a lightsaber is supposed to cauterize it instantly,” Carvin explained. Apparently this also applies to Jedi Fallen Order.
Lightsabers are capable of dismembering enemies, but this is rarely depicted in Star Wars media. Everyone remembers the scene where Darth Vader lops off Luke Skywalker’s hand and when Obi-Wan cuts Darth Maul in half. The fact that instances of dismemberment by lightsaber are so few and far between make them more impactful and emotionally resonant, it seems.
The first beta test for Halo: Reach on PC will begin next week, Halo developer 343 Industries has confirmed. It’s not locked down, however, as plans could change. Still, next week is when the studio is looking to release the first beta test on PC.
“We’re starting more modestly because we’ve got quite a few levers to pull and we want to ensure our delivery pipeline runs smoothly, our communications are clear, and that participants can properly provide their feedback on the build,” 343 said in a blog post. “Since there are so many pieces and levers that need testing, verification, and appropriate approvals, we need to take our time to ensure we’re sending out a quality flight to our Halo Insiders.”
The development team is close to finalizing a version of Halo: Reach for PC for the beta, but it is still “going through the test process.”
“We’re still targeting to release next week and will be sharing the details with the public, so even if you aren’t selected for the flight, you’ll know what’s happening. Stay tuned for more details throughout!” 343 says.
Halo: Reach was playable at E3 2019 in Los Angeles this week, but this first beta will mark the first time the wider public will have a chance to check it out.
Reach is coming to PC as part of Microsoft’s plans to launch The Master Chief Collection on PC. The rest of the releases will follow in chronological order, spanning Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 4. Each game will be sold for $10 USD each, except for ODST which is $5 USD. The beta releases for each title are free.
Reach is also coming to Xbox One and it’ll release on consoles through a beta test as well, though a release date has not been announced.
The monetization of nostalgia is nothing new, but the process seems to have accelerated in this current generation of consoles. HD remasters and “built-from-the-ground-up” remakes litter store shelves, and we’re invariably delighted to lap up these colorful reminders of our gaming past. Occasionally, these are cynical ways to mine our memories for cash, but other times they give old gems the polish they need to shine once again. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is, happily, the latter, and thanks to modern updates in the right places it feels as good today as the original did 20 years ago.
There was a danger Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled would show its 1999 progenitor up to be a dated game best left in the past. Instead, developer Beenox has proved how impressive and durable Naughty Dog’s original work was while also tweaking it in the right ways. The original game’s list of 18 tracks has been expanded upon with 13 more from its sequel, Crash Nitro Kart, and these provide an extended list of topographically and visually distinct circuits, from underwater tunnels to ice caves to desert pyramids. Those visuals have of course also been given a facelift, and while no track looks bad, some look especially stunning. Coco Park has gorgeous pink flowers strewn across the road, for example, while Tiger Temple looks like it was taken directly from Uncharted 4 and Electron Avenue feels like racing through Blade Runner’s vision of Los Angeles.
The handling takes a bit of getting used to, mind you. For anyone who’s played any amount of Mario Kart, for example, over the past few years, Crash Team Racing’s power slides will feel decidedly alien, at times too sensitive and at others not sensitive enough–and this leads to quite a few missed crates or headlong collisions with stationary objects. However, once you reacquaint yourself with the mechanic–which requires you to hold one bumper down to drift and press the other bumper with the correct timing to gain a boost–it reveals itself to be of greater depth than comparable turning methods in other kart racers. You can chain these boosts for even faster acceleration (but at the risk of spinning out), so while it’s harder to get to grips with, Crash Team Racing’s power sliding nets bigger rewards for those willing to dance with the drifting devil.
Nitro-Fueled’s array of power-ups are the other obstacles in your path to the finish line. They are derivative of Mario Kart’s selection–Crash’s green beakers are Mario’s bananas, Crash’s Aku Aku and Uka Uka are Mario’s Super Star, and so on–but, again, Crash Team Racing provides an interesting twist. Collecting Wumpa Fruit both speeds you up and turbocharges your power-ups. Green beakers transform into the more deadly red beakers, TNTs–which can be shaken off–become the instantly detonating Nitros, and so on. When the power-ups, boost pads, and handling combine, Nitro-Fueled boasts an exhilarating sense of speed.
These power-ups do, however, occasionally become frustrating during CTR’s Adventure mode, which tasks you with coming first in every single race across the original game’s tracklist, in addition to some optional challenges like beating certain times or collecting a certain number of crystals. Winning on every track is certainly manageable, barring a couple of trickier races, until you reach the boss fights, which feel a little unfair as bosses are quicker than any playable character and boast unlimited power-ups. Over time, after yet another run ruined by yet another bomb, it’s enough to make you want to turn off Adventure–though perhaps just until you’re back to craving that triumphant adrenaline rush the boss battles admittedly conjure.
In a welcome attempt to modernize the mode, Beenox has added a Nitro-Fueled variant of Adventure. This allows you to switch characters between races and adjust the difficulty, which goes a long way to resolving the campaign’s more irritating moments. If you prefer the more punishing, “authentic” method of progressing, you can do that too. Mercifully, the game autosaves after every race, though those giant green screens are still around if you fancy saving there for old time’s sake. (Incidentally, this is an attitude Beenox has applied to the game’s soundtrack, which allows you to switch between the revamped version and the original PlayStation audio–a nice touch.) Nitro-Fueled mode solves many of Adventure’s problems and so allows the campaign’s challenges, relics, and crystals to supply lone players an incentive to keep coming back.
Outside of Adventure, there are of course the standard single races or cups, as well as an extensive Battle mode. Within this are varied game types such as Capture the Flag and a battle royale-style Last Kart Driving. These are fun, but the relative lack of players (a maximum of eight, including AI, in local play) limits the chaos somewhat, so matches can sometimes feel a little lifeless. [Editor’s note: At the time of writing, multiplayer servers were not populated enough to find a match. We will finalize our review once we’ve played the online multiplayer offering post-launch.]
As well as Adventure mode, character customization has also been modernized. As in the 1999 game, you can choose characters depending on your preference for higher top speed, quicker acceleration, or better handling. However, you can now also change your kart and character’s appearance, with a selection of skins, badges, paint jobs, outfits, and whole new karts and characters to choose from. These are unlocked through normal play, but can also be purchased with in-game currency via the store. While they are, mechanically speaking, meaningless, they add a nice bit of flavor–and some of the outfits are pretty cool. My favorites are Robo-Cortex and the adorable Fisherman Polar. Look at him! Look at him!
Simply put: This is a remaster done right. Nitro-Fueled maintains the spirit and rock-solid foundations of a childhood favorite while building on it and modernizing it where necessary–even if the handling might take a bit of getting used to. Adventure mode’s classic variant feels a little tough, but your first race on Roo’s Tubes or Sewer Speedway will bring a nostalgic grin to your face regardless. When the nostalgia fades, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled remains fun and engaging enough to keep you racing on with a smile on your face for much longer yet. It’s good to have Crash back.
The Americans star Keri Russell is one of the new cast members for this December’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and now she’s revealed more details about the sci-fi film. Specifically, she told The Associated Press that the script made her emotional.
“When I read his script that [write-director JJ Abrams] wrote I cried,” she said. “I mean who knows what it will turn out to be and I hope it remains true to what he originally wanted.”
According to Russell, Abrams is the right person to direct Episode 9 because he “really respects what it is” and “he’s not trying to change it to be something else.”
Russell plays a new character named Zorri Bliss who wears a helmet. Russell was excited about that. “I was like, ‘That is my dream job. I can see everyone. No one can see me. Hello. Amazing!'”
The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters on December 20. It stars Daisy Ridley as Rey, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, John Boyega as Finn, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, Lupita Nyong’o as Maz Kanata, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Mark Hamill as Luke, and Billy Dee Williams as Lando. For more, check out the movie’s first trailer and everything we know about Star Wars Episode IX.
The Rise of Skywalker is said to be the final entry in the Skywalker Saga that began all the way back in 1977 with the original movie, so it seems so momentous–and emotional–events might happen.
In addition to The Rise of Skywalker, a new live-action TV show The Mandalorian will be available on the streaming service Disney+ when it launches on November 12.
