Month: September 2020

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the most acclaimed games in Bethesda’s library, but it is definitely showing its age more than 14 years since it released. A group of developers is looking to fix that with the Skyblivion project, which reimagines Oblivion as if it were made in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s engine. As you can see in the video below, the results are very impressive so far.

In development in one form or another since 2012, Skyblivion is the complete Oblivion experience remade in the Skyrim engine. That includes all DLC packs, all weapons, all quests, and all locations. The mod is free, but you must own Oblivion and Skyrim already, along with their DLC expansions, in order to run it. Though Bethesda does support mods on consoles, it’s only available on PC.

It isn’t just transferring game data into a new engine, though. The team also used existing lore and some creative license to improve on areas it found underwhelming in the original Oblivion. Interior areas are getting a particularly large overhaul to more accurately portray the world, with shops showing what items are on sale, and caves will house mines and goblins. With the first pass of the overworld nearly done, the team is moving forward on places like inns and shops.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Resident Evil fans have been getting absolutely spoiled as of late, with the Resident Evil 3 remake releasing earlier this year and Resident Evil Village following in 2021. However, they’re also going to get an all-new CG Netflix series next year called Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness, and it stars two of the most iconic characters in the franchise.

Announced during the Tokyo Game Show, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness stars Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, who were both previously in Resident Evil 2. The series seems to live up to its title based on the visuals we’ve seen thus far, and it looks like it could be taking a more horror-focused and less action-heavy route than some of the previous Resident Evil CG projects. This would seem fitting, as Chris and Claire starred in a game that relied much more heavily on tension and suspense than all-out chaos.

Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness isn’t the only project Netflix has in the works for the franchise. It’s also going to air a live-action show that stars Albert Wesker’s twin daughters. Set in two different time periods, it seems like it will add more context to the Wesker family, and it’s being produced by Cosntantin Film — the same production company that handled the live-action films. Those were far removed from the games’ canon, so we’ll have to wait and see if the same thing happens with the series.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

A mobile version of Dynasty Warriors designed for iOS and Android was announced during a special 20th anniversary livestream event at Tokyo Game Show 2020. Koei Tecmo also announced a Japan-only closed beta, with applications opening immediately after the presentation.

Titled Shin Sangoku Musou in Japan, producer Akihiro Suzuki described the game as “the definitive smartphone action game” and one allows players to “easily enjoy exhilarating Dynasty Warriors action and the grand story of the Three Kingdoms”. In addition to the main story mode, Suzuki said mobile Dynasty Warriors will also include new game modes including “cooperative play with other users” and “asynchronous versus matches”.

The game was played live during the presentation, showcasing the single-player story mode. After choosing a map location and locking in a team of three fighters, Suzuki demonstrated the game can be played in both landscape and portrait, switching instantly from one to the other by rotating the phone. Movement is controlled via a virtual touchpad, while attacks and special abilities are performed using the on-screen buttons. Players can swap between their three fighters at any time by tapping their on-screen portraits, plus they’re joined by an AI partner for combination attacks, one of which included a cinematic where a woman grappled a soldier with a chain. The main menu also revealed two other modes, Free and Conquest

Suzuki also demonstrated the “gacha” function, seen in many other Japanese mobile games, where players spend virtual currency to unlock random new fighters as well as concept art of the characters.

Details on how to register for the closed beta were revealed via the game’s official website and Twitter account. Applications will be accepted until Monday 5 October, with the beta running from 8-12 October. Although beta and full game is currently limited to players in Japan, a Koei Tecmo representative told IGN a Western release may be considered at a later date.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has been announced for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. Unlike previous cross-generation Dynasty Warriors games, the PC port will be at the same level as the next-gen editions of the game. It will arrive in early 2021.

The Empires sub-series takes Dynasty Warriors’ ‘1 vs. 1,000’ action game set-up, and places it within a strategy game structure, seeing players take on the role of a hero, and either aiding existing factions to conquer medieval China – or establish their own.

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Dynasty Warriors 9 was the first open-world installment in the series and, while 9 Empires will stick with its traditional strategic structure, producer Akihiro Suzuki tells IGN that the freedom of approach offered in the mainline game will be replicated in this spin-off, saying, “we are incorporating a variety of strategies in the siege battles.”

The game will also support 2-player online co-op. The Nintendo Switch version – which will be the first Dynasty Warriors game specifically built for Switch – will exclusively support local wireless co-op play.

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9 Empires will also include an “enriched” edit function to let you create your own officer. Suzuki explains that, “The facial editing will allow for more customisation compared to previous Empires games,” and compares it to Nioh 2’s character creation features.

No features will be unique to the next-gen editions of the game, but players should expect, “improvements on the next-gen versions in the visual quality, framerate stability and crowded chaotic gameplay.”

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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.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is just a few months away, but Koei Tecmo is keeping busy. Today, the company officially announced Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires at its first next-generation release, just in time for the 20^th anniversary of the series.

Releasing for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC, Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires features the series classic massive battles along with Siege Battles that let you act as commander and deploy units in strategic locations.

A new edit function allows you to customize your officers, and there is an expanded domestic system that lets you govern as you see fit: even if that means being pure evil. As characters’ relationships with each other change, it will affect gameplay.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Borat’s upcoming sequel will officially be titled Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan, according to a now-removed listing that appeared on the Writer’s Guild of America West’s website.

While the title may be a mouthful, it seems to be par for the course as a follow up to 2006’s Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

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The official listing also details the team behind the sequel. Sacha Baron Cohen will reprise his role as the outlandish reporter Borat, with story credits also going to Anthony Hines (writer for the original Borat, Bruno, and Da Ali G Show), Dan Swimmer (writer for Cohen’s Who Is America series on Showtime), and Nina Pedrad (writer for 30 Rock and New Girl).

After footage of Sacha Baron Cohen’s titular character surfaced on YouTube, it was discovered that a sequel was in the works. The filming in Los Angeles has allegedly wrapped, and it is said to be being screened by industry insiders with a possible launch “prior to the election in an effort to reach younger voters,” according to an earlier report by Collider.

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No plot details are known at this time, but judging by its title, it’s possible current Vice President Mike Pence makes an appearance. Here’s to hoping there’s some new lines to quote so people can finally stop yelling “my wife” in 2020. It’s already hard enough as it is.

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Matthew Adler is a Features, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.