Month: August 2020

The Nintendo Switch eShop has some fantastic sales running this week, but the latest crop of deals discounts some of the Switch’s best indie games. The Annapurna Interactive publisher sale kicked off alongside Gamescom 2020 and brings markdowns on eight great games, including Florence, Sayonara Wild Hearts, and Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition. The sale runs from now until September 10 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET.

Annapurna has quietly been publishing some of the most thought-provoking indie games in recent years, and the new sale is a great opportunity to snag some of these gems for cheap. What Remains of Edith Finch, a first-person exploration game about a family repeatedly struck by tragedy, is down to just $8 in the sale. Last year’s Telling Lies, a mystery game featuring live-action footage, is down to just $14, while Kentucky Route Zero’s TV Edition, which packages the point-and-click episodic adventure in one complete bundle, is just $17.49. The gorgeous rhythm game Sayonara Wild Hearts ($7.79) is another must-play, along with Florence ($3), an interactive novel that’ll resonate with anyone who’s experienced a painful breakup.

Annapurna Interactive Switch sale:

• Ashen — $20 ($40)
• Donut County — $3.89 ($13)
• Florence — $3 ($6)
• Gorogoa — $6 ($15)
• Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition — $17.49 ($25)
• Sayonara Wild Hearts — $7.79 ($13)
• Telling Lies — $14 ($20)
• What Remains of Edith Finch — $8 ($20)

While you’re looking for a new Switch game to play this weekend, check out the “Share the Fun” sale, which includes Luigi’s Mansion 3 for just $42 until August 30. You’ll also find markdowns on Ubisoft games, including Rayman Legends and Assassin’s Creed: The Rebel Collection, along with Mega Man 11 and the Mega Man Legacy Collections.

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Alan Wake had a problem. He’d been teased as being a big part of the final DLC expansion of Control, dubbed AWE, and with that came expectations. Fans of Remedy Entertainment’s 2010 psychological horror/thriller shooter had been waiting about a decade for the next phase of his tale. Wake worked furiously to make himself part of the AWE story, appearing in twisted cutscenes that captured his fractured mental state. But in the end, it wasn’t enough. Though his writing had the power to alter the very nature of reality, not even Wake could make AWE more than an unsatisfying addition to both his story and that of the game he’d invaded.

Control’s AWE expansion ultimately is an underwhelming addition and a thin follow-up to the Remedy cult hit it’s invoking. Especially following The Foundation, a DLC drop that added a lot of variety to Control with new powers and a new location that felt very different from everything else in the game, AWE comes off as more of a slightly tweaked rehash of the vanilla Control. AWE tries to tap into some of Alan Wake’s spooky suspense underpinnings, and while it sometimes succeeds, it can’t quite maintain them for very long.

It’s a bit of a whimper for a great game to go out on, as AWE feels more like a teaser for another game you’ll have to buy at a later date, rather than a satisfying expansion of (or conclusion to) what we’ve seen in Control so far.

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There aren’t many movies in recent memory with as much release date baggage as The New Mutants. The delays sparked all kinds of speculation, everything from total genre shifts to major reshoots, though director Josh Boone has since set the record straight that neither happened. Now, with major studio tentpoles like Mulan being shifted to a digital release, New Mutants only feels like more of an anomaly–for whatever reason, the film did not get the video-on-demand treatment and instead opted for a semi-normal launch in what few theaters are actually open around the world. In the case of Los Angeles, California, that means an ad hoc drive-in, crafted in one of the Rose Bowl’s parking lots.

It’s not the most traditional moviegoing experience, but for a movie with such a non-traditional path, it feels appropriate. Bizarre release and delivery method aside, New Mutants is hardly a novelty–it’s not the worst entry into the X-Men franchise you’ve ever seen, but it’s not likely to be a very memorable one, either.

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A clever modder has taken one of Nintendo’s most successful systems of all time and shrunk it down to the size of another of Nintendo’s most successful systems of all time. The WiiBoy Color is a modded Wii that fits into a case that’s roughly the size and shape of a Game Boy Color.

A video from modder GingerOfMods showed the process. They say that removing the disc drive actually leaves circuitry that doesn’t take up too much physical space, allowing for almost the entire hardware to fit into the much smaller space. They made custom circuit boards and a 3D-printed case, but also borrowed pieces like the screen from a car backup camera, and pieces of a GameCube controller.

The result is about the same max dimensions as a GBC, not counting the triggers on the back for full controller functionality. It also has custom settings to replicate some of the Wii motion functions that are missing from the hacked GameCube controller functionality, like shaking the Wii remote. Altogether it’s a very impressive build.

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Hitman 3’s January 20 release date has been revealed alongside a free next-gen upgrade.

A blog post from IO Interactive notes that Hitman 3 will launch early next year on January 20, 2021 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Stadia and PC via the Epic Games Store.

Players who purchase a digital edition of Hitman 3 on current generation platforms will be eligible for a next-gen upgrade free of charge if they decide to jump to the PS5 or the Xbox Series X in the future. This means if you buy the PS4 version of Hitman 3 on the PlayStation Store, you’ll also be able to download the PS5 version at no extra cost.

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Alongside the release date and upgrade system, IO Interactive has detailed the game’s pre-order bonus content and special editions. Those who pre-order the game ahead of launch will be able to access the Trinity Pack, which includes 9 items homaging all three games in the World of Assassination trilogy, including coloured suits, weapons and equipment.

A Deluxe Edition of Hitman 3 is also available to purchase, which adds deluxe suits and items, deluxe escalations, a digital artbook, digital soundtracks and a special director’s commentary that will introduce players to the game’s missions. Pre-orders are now open, so fans can pick up Hitman 3 – Standard Edition for £54.99/$59.99 or the Hitman 3 – Deluxe Edition for £74.99/ $79.99.

In other Hitman 3 news, check out this trailer which reveals The Thornbridge Mystery, a new Hitman 3 mission set in Dartmoor, England.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.

HBO has released a thrilling new trailer for His Dark Materials Season 2, offering fans a closer look at the great war that is on the horizon.

The official His Dark Materials Twitter account shared the trailer for the second season, announcing that it is coming to HBO in November of this year. The footage provides an extended glimpse at the seven-episode series, which is adapting the events of The Subtle Knife, Philip Pullman’s second novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy.

Worlds are changing…#HisDarkMaterials Season 2 premieres this November on @HBO. pic.twitter.com/CnW2uOfKPS

— His Dark Materials (@daemonsanddust) August 28, 2020

The Subtle Knife follows the adventures of Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, who work together to investigate the mysterious Dust phenomenon in the eerie disquiet of an abandoned city called Cittàgazze. In this crossroads between worlds, Lyra and Will discover that their destinies are tied to reuniting Will with his father, but their quest is challenged when a war breaks out around them.

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His Dark Materials Season 2 is returning with all of its main cast members, including Dafne Keen as Lyra, Amir Wilson as Will, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter, Ariyon Bakare as Lord Boreal, and James McAvoy as Lord Asriel. Newcomers include Andrew Scott as Colonel John Parry, Terence Stamp as Giacomo Paradisi, Jade Anouka as Ruta Skadi, and Simone Kirby as Dr Mary Malone.

In our review of His Dark Materials Season 1, we praised the series for being an “exciting fantasy adventure, full of weighty threats to its lead characters and stakes that reverberate through its multiple worlds,” even though we noted that “there are times when the scope of the story slightly exceeds the bounds of what its budget is capable of.”

For more on the fantasy series, catch up on everything you need to know about His Dark Materials before Season 2 premieres this November on HBO.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

HBO has released a trailer for Season 2 of His Dark Materials, which is due to debut this November. The show is based on the Philip Pullman trilogy of fantasy novels comprising Northern Lights (known as The Golden Compass in the US), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.

The Season 2 trailer shows off stars Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Amir Wilson, Ariyon Bakare, Andrew Scott, Will Keen, Ruta Gedmintas, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Joining the cast this season are Terence Stamp, Jade Anouka, and Simone Kirby. According to a release, the second season “begins after Lord Asriel has opened a bridge to a new world, and, distraught over the death of her best friend, Lyra follows Asriel into the unknown.”

Like Season 1, this upcoming season was written by Jack Thorne, who wrote Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He also was attached to re-write Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker before being replaced.

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Comedian Ayo Edebiri will be replacing comedian Jenny Slate as the voice actor playing Missy on Netflix‘s Bigmouth, Variety reports. Slate had announced her departure in July over Instagram, explaining: “At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play Missy because her mom is Jewish and white–as am I. But Missy is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people.”

Slate’s departure came as the puberty comedy was mid-production on Season 4. Edebiri will take over the role in the second to last episode of that season, and will be joining the writers’ room for the fifth season (which, due to the show’s production schedule, she began on first).

“I was definitely a very uncomfortable child, so I think the show speaks to that and a lot of those feelings, which still resonate with me as an adult,” Edebiri said. “I’m back home in my childhood bedroom right now and on my bookshelf in between A Series of Unfortunate Events’ is Bill Clinton’s autobiography and Nelson Mandela’s autobiography and a translation of The Iliad in Latin. I was a true dork. So I don’t think I have to go too far to connect with Missy.”

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Ford unveiled a new flagship vehicle during Gamescom Opening Night Live, but it’s a hypercar that won’t be seen on a showroom floor. The Team Fordzilla P1 was designed especially for esports by Ford’s exterior stylist Arturo Arino, and had various elements of its virtual manufacturing selected by fans. The drivetrain, dashboard, and seating position all received fan input that Ford factored into the final design, according to CNET.

The Team Fordzilla P1 was also inspired by the GT90 concept car and features a shape-shifting design. A longtail configuration allows it to gain more speed when racing down a straight, while its alternate and more compact body configuration allows for tighter maneuvering around a corner. The roof also features a transparent design, and there are no exhaust tips to be seen at the rear.

Ford hasn’t revealed what’s under the hood of this car or even which video game it will appear in, but the company did confirm in a blog post that talks are currently in place to have it featured in a “well-loved game.” Ford also plans to build a full-size scale model of the vehicle before the end of the year. The car manufacturer does have a history with Microsoft’s Forza series, as the Ford GT was used as the cover car in Forza Motorsport 6.

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