Monthly Archives: April 2016

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Closed Beta Details Announced

The closed beta for Mirror's Edge Catalyst starts on April 22, and will include both solo and multiplayer content.

Including several main missions, side missions, optional content and the game's asynchonous multiplayer options, called Social Play, the beta will run for five days on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Registration for the beta has already closed, but those who signed up, are successfully chosen and signed up to EA's newsletter will receive codes via email on April 22. Those who are successful but did not sign up for the newsletter will receive them on April 23.

We were lucky enough to play several hours of the full version of the game - you can read our preview now.

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Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Isn’t an Open World – Nor Should It Be

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is a game of thumps and scuffs and clanks, of the sound of a guard’s mask cracking beneath an upswept knee, or the pliant *foof* of one of the springy crates scattered generously across the rooftops of its futuristic city for no real reason. But it’s also a game of silence. In those brief, breath-held moments as you make a speculative leap across seemingly impossible gaps, or the half-second between having run up a wall and you spinning back onto an enforcer’s softened skull.

Each sound (or the lack of one) is a marker of your actions in a game where every inch of the world is interactive in some way – something to run on, clamber up, bound over, or kick disablingly in the solar plexus. It’s a bewildering, and nearly transparent, achievement.

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Fallout 4’s Chryslus Rocket ’69 Added to Forza 6 Today

The second Fallout 4 themed car has been added for Forza Motorsport 6 today.

The stylish Chryslus Rocket '69 follows the 1956 Ford F100 themed truck which was added to Forza 6 back in November. Check out the trailer below to see it in action.

From today, if you've played either Forza 6 or Fallout 4 on your Xbox One while connected to Live, you should be getting a code for the Rocket. Developer Turn10 notes that with millions of codes being sent out, it could take up to seven days for yours to arrive.

If you haven't played either of the games yet, but do so between now and the end of April, you will be getting a code in early May.

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The Next Splatoon Splatfest is Spongebob Squarepants Themed

Nintendo has announced that the next Splatoon Splatfest will ask players to decide which of two Spongebob Squarepants characters they like best. It's not entirely clear why.

Players will pick between Spongebob himself or his starfish sidekick, Patrick, after which the assigned sides will spend a weekend battling to determine which character is better. Or more well-loved? I'm not sure. Either way, one will win.

If you want to take part, the Splatfest takes place from April 23 at 6 am PT and runs until April 24 at 12 pm PT.

Choosing a side will net you an in-game Spongebob or Patrick T-shirt, which you can see below:

Splatoon's Spongebob Squarepants-themed T-shirts. Splatoon's Spongebob Squarepants-themed T-shirts.

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39 Awesome Dark Souls 3 Builds from IGN Readers

Dark Souls 3 is upon us and it is a glorious sight to behold. With tons of awesome armor sets and fancy weapons to wield, there's absolutely no shortage of striking gear to mix and match.

Last week, we asked you to take a break from slaying Lords of Cinder and grab us a screenshot of your best Dark Souls 3 outfit – and you delivered.

In the gallery below, you'll find 39 of our favorite Dark Souls 3 builds sent in by IGN readers. Some images may contain spoilers for various Dark Souls 3 levels, weapons, and armor sets, so proceed with caution.

We love seeing the way Dark Souls gear allows players to merge self-expression and playstyle. Here we have characters with little to no armor, to some of the heaviest sets in the game, rolling into battle with standard sword-and-board setups, or giant two-handed greatswords. There are dual-wielders, spellcasters, dex-focused melee builds, and everything in-between.

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LEGO Announces Huge Minecraft Set

LEGO is expanding its Minecraft universe with LEGO Minecraft: The Village.

The 1,600 piece set includes a "variety of biomes," plus a watchtower, library, blacksmith, butcher, and marketplace. Many of the buildings fold open to revealed detailed interiors.

Based on the expansive sandbox, LEGO's The Village set can rebuilt to create unique, customized creations. Rainforest, snow, and desert biomes offer plenty of options for the four included minifigures—Steve, Alex, zombie, and zombie villager—to enjoy.

There's also a Creeper, enderman, pig, baby pig, iron golem, and two villagers.

Accessories include the Minecraft essentials, like an iron sword, pickaxe, crafting table, water bucket, emerald-ore-style elements, two pumpkin heads, and a chest. LEGO Minecraft: The Village will cost $200 USD when the set hits shelves on June 1.

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Unlocked: Gears of War 4 Director Interview

DOWNLOAD UNLOCKED 241 (Audio version)

On this week's Xbox show, Gears of War 4 boss Rod Fergusson joins us for a 30-minute interview about the new game as well as taking over the franchise. Plus: our thoughts on Quantum Break so far, the ex-GTA developer's lawsuit against Rockstar, Titanfall 2, the rumored effort to save Fable Legends, and more!

Oh, and Unlocked now has its own snazzy new homepage! Bookmark this: go.ign.com/unlocked

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Gears of War 4 Includes Microtransactions for Cosmetic Items

Xbox One exclusive Gears of War 4 will include in-game purchases for cosmetic items. Players will collect cards that offer character customization, and have no affect on gameplay.

In an interview with GameSpot, The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson explained the process. "I feel like that paradigm of cards is really clear to understand for collectibles, like the ability to collect things. We had weapon skins and character skins, so that idea of collecting cards is just easily understood," Fergusson said.

The cards come in crates—and have different rarity levels—which Fergusson said adds some "engagement" to collecting. He likened the process to buying Magic: The Gathering booster packs. "If I could just buy the one card I want then I'm out, then you lose it, right?"

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Street Fighter 5 Update to Address Rage Quitting Problem

Capcom will be addressing an issue in multiplayer matches of Street Fighter V where players leave early and deny victory to their opponents.

The Street Fighter Twitter account had the following message for fans: "We’re planning to roll out a system this month that will address the rage quitting issue in #SFV. More details coming soon!"

So far, Capcom has tried getting victims of rage quitting to send videos of the incident along with the report. The company has also targeted people with high disconnect rates and stripped them of League Points.

Now it looks like there's a more robust system coming that should hopefully root out the problem once and for all. We'll update you when Capcom releases more details.

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Peter Pan: Disney Developing Live-Action Remake of its Animated Classic

A live action adaptation of Peter Pan is in the works over at Disney.

According to Deadline, David Lowery will be directing, Jim Whitaker will produce, and Toby Halbrooks is writing the script. Lowery and Halbrooks also worked together on another Disney remake, Pete's Dragon, which is set for release later this year.

Multiple films have tried to build on the success of the 1953 animated original, however neither Hook nor last year's Pan achieved expectations.

Peter Pan will mark another notch in Disney's live action belt, with The Jungle Book coming to theaters tomorrow.

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