The Resident Evil movie reboot will be an origin story adaptation and while it has been confirmed for awhile now, we're just now getting our first look at the star-studded cast. 

Writer Director Johannes Roberts is working alongside Constantin Film to create this origin story adaptation, set in Racoon City back in 1998. The upcoming movie will be a "faithful" adaptation of the horror games Capcom fans have come to know and love, and our first look at the cast looks pretty impressive so far. 

Deadline reveals that Mazer Runner's Kaya Scodelario is one of the actors confirmed, and she will be taking on the role of Claire Redfield. Other names attached include: 

• Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man) as Jill Valentine
• Robbie Amell (Upload) as Chris Redfield 
• Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) as Wesker 
• Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) as Leon Kennedy
• Neal McDonough (Yellowstone) as William Birkin

“With this movie, I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences," said the director to the publication.

The Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative started taking nominations earlier this year, and has narrowed down those submissions to 1,000 small businesses to support through Pokemon Go. ...

It’s time to go back to Racoon City. Again. This time in a new movie rebooting the Resident Evil series’ on-screen universe.

Read more...

Ubisoft’s free-to-play battle royale title Hyper Scape launches its second season of content today with a new weapon, new hacks, and other changes.

The newest weapon is the Atrax, a full-auto rifle that shoots sticky explosive projectiles. The sticky grenades will automatically detonate when stuck to an enemy, but have a short fuse when stuck to anything else. Enemies affected by the explosion will be damaged and suffer from slowdown.

The Magnet Hack returns after audio issues associated with it have been fixed, and a new Platform Hack will be introduced later in the season. It allows players to create fragile platforms, and will be available with limited-time modes later this season.

The update adds a new in-game event, Infinite Slide, which allows players to almost infinitely slide for 50 seconds when triggered within matches.

The update also adds a new Player Ranking system, daily gifts in the shop, and other balances and changes noted in the official patch notes.

Hyper Scape Season 2 offers another battle pass with new cosmetic skins, weapon skins, deployment pods, and Assassin’s Creed-themed items. Season 2 launches today and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

UPDATE Activision Blizzard is shutting down its office in Versailles, France, and laying off a number of staff. ...

The story they want you to play

Continue reading…

Today Ubisoft released multiple new videos of the upcoming open-world game Watch Dogs Legion.

First of all, we get to take a look at a brand new story trailer setting the stage for the upcoming narrative.

Secondly, the game’s developers presented plenty of live gameplay for you to enjoy.

Thirdly, we get a look at the post-launch content that will be released for Watch Dogs Legion.

You can enjoy all the videos below.

The live-action project centers on Claire and Chris Redfield

Continue reading…

As part of the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct back in September, Nintendo announced the Mario 35th Anniversary Collection - a range of merch, goodies and more that would be released to celebrate the occasion. Well, all of that assorted gubbins is now available to order from the Nintendo Official UK Store.

First impressions: it's an, um, eclectic mix of merch - to say the least.

Let's start somewhere simple: the t-shirts and hoodies. A total of five designs are available, including one of Mario flinging fireballs, another with Mario being dragged away by some unseen chaos by Luigi and one of the plumber receiving a peck on the cheek from Peach.

Read more

On the occasion of the new Dune movie being delayed by almost a year, RPS asks: who would you want to make a Dune video game? Frank Herbert’s sci-fantasy novel about spacelords, spacedrugs, spaceprophecy, and giant murderworms has been the subject of several games, the best-known being the RTS precursor to Command & Conquer from Westwood Studios. But as the films (and attempted films, lookin’ at you Jodorowsky’s Dune) have shown, Dune can become all sorts of things in different hands. So what would you like to see, reader dear?

(more…)

Monster Hunter Rise voice chat won’t be available in the Nintendo Switch online app. But, you can skip its cutscenes.

The post No Monster Hunter Rise Voice Chat Will Be Available appeared first on Siliconera.

It’s been said that the true measure of the next generation of games will be defined not by the quality of its graphics*, but by the complexity of its simulations. Creators at Naughty Dog, CD Projekt Red, and more have all proposed that “the future of gaming” will come from a developer’s ability to create more intricate systems that, in turn, allow for more immersive worlds. However, by that measure, the best example of the “next-gen” experience I’ve seen yet wasn’t in a Sony keynote or on an early-access Xbox Series X – it’s in a game coming out weeks before those consoles even launch.

Watch Dogs Legion

, aka Watch Dogs London, is nearly upon us. See its release, there, squatting at the end of October 2020 like a big cockernee pumpkin smoking a cigar. I am broadly looking forward to Ubisoft’s hacktion adventure where you can play as anyone by recruiting any NPC you see into your gang of hacktivists with undercuts, because from the hands on previews I’ve done, Ubisoft seem to have made a pretty good London.

But, at the most recent preview I played a couple of weeks ago, something happened which could not pass without comment, and that is that I, honest to God, did a mission to make Big Ben bong again.

(more…)

Exploring Watch Dogs: Legion’s near-future London is the closest I’ve come to experiencing an episode of Black Mirror in videogame form. Well, aside perhaps from the Black Mirror episode that sort of was in videogame form. Drones whirr in the air above Camden Markets, holographic displays loom large around iconic installations such as the British Museum, the neon-trimmed double-decker buses look like they’ve been redesigned by Jony Ive, and citizens are being violently oppressed by Albion soldiers on every street corner. Seemingly the only thing more miserable than the English population of tomorrow, is the English weather of tomorrow. Which, somewhat comfortingly, is every bit as miserable as the English weather of today.

3D audio isn't at the top of my mind for PlayStation 5, but a PlayStation Blog post today reminded me about Sony's push for more immersive audio, and there's an important note worth touching on.

As Sony Interactive Entertainment's Isabelle Tomatis explains it, "you'll be able to experience [PS5's Tempest 3D AudioTech] with the headphones that many of you already own, either through USB connection to the [PlayStation 5], or by plugging your headphones into the DualSense wireless controller's 3.5mm headset jack." Put another way, you won't need to buy the new Pulse 3D headset.

Beyond supporting headphones, Sony is "in the process of working on virtual surround sound through speakers that are built into TVs." This feature won't be ready in time for the November 12 launch, but "engineers are hard at work on bringing it to PS5 in the future" and they're "extremely excited."

What does it sound like, though? Back in September, several game developers spoke about 3D AudioTech, and across the board, they cited better "situational awareness" as one of the leading perks.

"It's almost as if 3D AudioTech was made specifically with horror games in mind," said Resident Evil's Jun Takeuchi. "It used to be that in order to get that spatial audio, players would have to invest a lot of their own time and money. Now, just putting on a headset, they can get a full 3D audio experience."

"Audio is a key feature to really push the next-gen experience."

Time to invent the game’s smartest system

Continue reading…

When London calls, you answer. Or, more specifically, when I'm given the opportunity to go hands on with Watch Dogs: Legion, I'm not about to pass it up. I recently got to play Ubisoft's upcoming open-world game again for about four hours. While I did complete the mission at hand, helping the citizens reclaim their civic pride by liberating Big Ben from Albion goons, I spent the bulk of the time doing what I like best about sandbox games: goofing off. In this video, you can see the fruits of that time. Sorry in advance.

I'm joined by Alex Stadnik and Liana Ruppert. While they weren't present as I explored the city, participating in underground boxing matches, smashing buses through traffic, and hypnotizing the populace (with lethal consequences), they ask all the important questions. "What is this?" and "Why" immediately come to mind.

Watch Dogs: Legion is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC on October 29. It's arriving on PlayStation 5 on November 12 and Xbox Series X/S on November 10.

I cannot forgive Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout for making me write that headline. With Season 2 of Mediatonic’s bean-stumbling battle royale just around the corner, the devs have announced another randomly-appearing obstacle designed to pop out of nowhere and ruin your day, following up on last season’s giant hammer with a massive new spike-covered roller. There’s just, well, something about the name.

(more…)

The Versaille, France Blizzard office is reportedly closing its doors following a notice given to the employees by Activision this Tuesday morning. The office currently boasts a staff of approximately 400 employees. 

In a report by Bloomberg, the France employees were notified of the shuttering this morning. The Versailles office's focus is marketing and customer support, with localization efforts targeted towards its European audience. It was also largely left as a primarily Blizzard studio with a focus on World of Warcraft and Diablo, up until a few years ago when Activision began to get more involved. 

According to the publication, Activision Blizzard originally sought to reolcate half of the Versaille office to Longdon, but employees anonymously told journalist Jason Schreier that Brexit and the continuation of COVID-19 made that change virtually impossible. 

Whether or not this shuttering will result in layoffs remains to be seen, though it sounds like Activision Blizzard is looking at relocation options. The bright side is that there are labor laws in place by the French government that protect employees in the wake of layoffs with negotiable severance packages. 

Sony Interactive Entertainment announced a lineup of spooky and horror-themed games now available on PlayStation Now for October.

Sony’s own action-adventure survival game Days Gone is now part of the service, but the addition is temporary until Jan. 5, 2021. The game follows bounty hunter and former outlaw biker Deacon St. John scavenge for supplies in the Pacific Northwest against hoards of fast, zombified Freakers.

Another of Sony’s games, MediEvil, is also part of this month’s offerings. The 2019 remake of the original PlayStation game retains its hack and slash gameplay with updated visuals and music.

The third game is Friday the 13th, keeping with the horror theme of October. The asymmetrical multiplayer game pits one Jason Voorhees against seven Camp Crystal Lake counselors that are trying to escape his clutches.

The last two games for October are 2.5D puzzle platform game Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince and Double Fine’s post-post-apocalyptic rogue-like Rad.

PlayStation Now had already added Resident Evil 7: Biohazard last month, if looking for more horror games, but it will be available on the service for a limited time until Nov. 30.

The post PlayStation Now Adds Days Gone and Four More Games for October appeared first on Twinfinite.

The X-wing is the pride of the Republic fleet in Star Wars: Squadrons, and it’s also a dang fine ship. Great damage and great survivability combine to create a fantastic base for our best X-wing loadout, which adds a tonne of mobility to help destroy any Empire ship that dares challenge you. Check it out below!

(more…)

The ESRB, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, is no stranger to leaking game info before its officially announced and with the Wolfenstein and Prey/Dishonored collections available now for this gen, it looks like these all-in-one packages could be making its jump to Xbox Series X/S as well. 

Following the purchase of ZeniMax, and subsequently Bethesda, for 7.5 billion dollars, Microsoft now has a lot of freedom to do what they will with the the IPs included in this umbrella. It looks like that will include releasing a few collections for next gen Xbox systems, including the Arkane Collection featuring Dishonored and Prey, and the Wolfenstein collection. 

According to the collections that stealh-released today for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the Arkane Collection includes Dishonored: The Definitive Edition, Dishonored 2 and its expansion, and Prey. The Wolfenstein collection is called The Alternate History Bundle and includes The New Order, The Old Blood, The New Colossus, and Youngblood. 

Whenever I see a Y-wing in Star Wars: Squadrons without the right loadout, I let out an audible groan. This is one of the strongest ships in the game if you kit it out correctly, but it seems most players haven’t yet discovered this. If you’ve not yet given the Y-wing a proper go, follow our best Y-wing loadout guide below and see what you think. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

(more…)

Star Wars: Squadrons, we can all agree, has a pretty steep learning curve. Particularly once you jump into multiplayer matches and realise that your ship loadouts have an enormous impact on your success, and the outcome of a match. But if you’re finding yourself constantly at the bottom of the scoreboard, don’t despair. I was you once: and now I’m the top fragger in nearly every lobby I enter. After dozens of hours of playing and experimenting, I’ve put together some of the best Star Wars: Squadrons loadouts that exist right now – and today I want to share them with you.

(more…)

Media Molecule has gone to the official PlayStation Blog to reveal some new information on an upcoming music-focused update that’s coming to Dreams this week.

Patch 2.18 will mostly bring new music features to the game, but you can also look forward to some general improvements and new iterations, including some changes to the VR mode, such as reworking the labeling system.

The Media Molecule Instrument collection will be further expanded upon, adding hundreds of new orchestral instruments, new synths, new drum kits, pianos, guitars, church organ (perfect for Halloween) and many more.

Media Molecule also mentions that they’ve balanced and recorded new previews for every single instrument, drastically improving the search experience for finding the perfect sound for your creation, whatever it might be.

Effect Fields have also received some upgrades, adding in Tempo Sync and giving players the option to change the height in rows of the effect’s influence.

There are new music clips to choose from, which are just pre-composed loops and phrases, using instruments from Dreams. You can mix and match to create your own tunes as well.

And then there are new music tracks that are fully composed songs and now you can choose from a selection of Starting Points. These are new to the game and are shorter than Tracks and some of them come from music cues in games like Art’s Dream.

And of course, like any video game patch, there are some smaller changes coming to the game, which you can see down below:

This 1/6 scale figure comes with a plethora of accessories and customizable parts.

The post Resident Evil 2 Remake Leon S Kennedy Natus x Damtoys Figurine Pre-Orders Are Now Open appeared first on Siliconera.

It's tough to imagine a pop culture adaption for VR that's better suited than The Blair Witch Project. A movie seen entirely through a shaky first-person perspective fits perfectly into VR's wheelhouse of immersive shaky first-person perspectives. It's a match made in heaven, but only if heaven has abandoned hell cabins full of ritualistic murder. It probably doesn't.

Bloober Team's Blair Witch is being brought to the new Oculus Quest later this month. Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition is an adaption that adds a bunch of VR functionality to last year's game. Bloober goes so far as to say it's "rebuilt."

Here's the list of bullet-pointed new features from the press release:

It’s a lot more than just sweat

Continue reading…

Eramis the presumed big boss of the next Destiny 2 expansion, Beyond Light, has a few things to say about the Light in this latest trailer.

While Eramis never actually appears in the trailer, it’s quite obviously her speaking. She calls on her Eliksni (aka Fallen) sisters and brothers to chart a new future for her species and to destroy anyone that threatens them.

She is, of course, talking about unifying the Fallen under a new house, a House of Darkness.

The Fallen were once blessed by the Light and then scorned by it in favor of humanity; hence their name. For the entirety of Destiny to-date, the Fallen have mostly been a jealous and angry group of hopeless aliens waiting for someone powerful to unify the scattered houses.

Skolas tried to steal Vex tech to gain dominion but failed. Aksis attempted to use Siva for his goals but also failed. Eramis is next up to bat, but she plans to use the power of Darkness to give her an edge. Like she says in the trailer, light only burns bright for so long, but darkness is forever.

Check out the full trailer yourself below. Destiny 2: Beyond Light will release on Nov. 10.

Today Bandai Namco revealed new information and the first gameplay of the upcoming rhythm and idol management game The Idolmaster: Starlit Season.

First of all, we learn that the game has been delayed to 2021 due to issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We also get new screenshots, which you can see at the bottom of the post, and the announcement of more idols that will join the cast.

Nana Abe and Kirari Moroboshi will come from The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls. Tsumugi Shiraishi and Kaori Sakuramori will appear from Million Live, while Rinze Morino and Amana Osaki will come from Shiny Colors.

Three training mini games have been revealed, focused on vocals, dancing, and expression.

As the Producer, the player will also have to accompany the idols during various jobs and depending on the interaction, sales can be boosted.

Last, but not least, it’s possible to spend free time with the idols to deepen the bonds with them.

Below you can check out the first gameplay, with the stream already set at the right timestamps.

The first video showcases some free time with Rinze Morino.

Ubisoft’s fast-paced battle royale Hyper Scape launches its second season today. It’s your standard sort of update for a game of this genre: they’re adding in a new weapon, new abilities, some limited-time game modes, and other fun bits and pieces. And yet, considering this is a fairly big deal for the game, it just doesn’t feel very… exciting, does it?

(more…)

Whether weaving inches away from asteroids or losing TIEs in the guts of a space station, Star Wars: Squadrons wants you to feel like you’re pulling off stunts ripped straight from the films. For one pilot, however, it wasn’t the trench run that needed recreating, but the moment a doomed rebel pilot smashes his hatchback-sized starship into the bridge of a Star Destroyer.

Turns out, that’s a perfectly valid way to win a round of Squadrons.

(more…)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Special Edition Nintendo Switch

• See it at Amazon - $299.99
• See it at Best Buy - $299.99
• See it at GameStop - $299.99
• See it at Target - $299.99

This Is the "V2" Nintendo Switch

Specifically, I asked if Rise and World were examples of a new normal naming convention, and if we were done with numbered Monster Hunters. Tsujimoto responded with: “Yeah… Each new game is based around a specific theme or concept, and we decided that it would be better for the players to understand what kind of, what the game is about, if we give the game a title that reflects what it's about rather than just a number. So yes, we will be doing this in the future as well."

Good Smile Company is bringing back the Silent Hill 2 Pyramid Head and Bubble Head Nurse figmas next year.

The post Silent Hill Nurse and Pyramid Head Figmas Are Coming Back appeared first on Siliconera.

What Is Knight Fever?