Monthly Archives: June 2016
Free Multiplayer Weekend on Xbox One and Xbox 360
Multiplayer will be free on Xbox One and Xbox 360 this weekend, from June 9 - 12.
This will mark the first time multiplayer has ever been free on both consoles simultaneously, and in addition, Rocket League will be free-to-play during the same period.
Microsoft has also announced if you're an existing Xbox Live Gold member, you'll be able to play every game on EA Access (more than 20 of them) for free from June 12 - 22.
If you want to participate in the free period, all you have to do is download the EA Access Hub app by clicking on the Gold Member area of the dashboard.
EA Access grants you early access to new EA titles, access to games in the EA Vault, and also gives you a discount on digital purchases on Xbox One. There's also a similar system for Origin on PC.
Supergirl: Season 2 Character Additions Revealed
On top of the recently announced addition of Superman, several other new characters will be appearing in the second season of Supergirl, including Lex Luthor's sister, Lena.
According to TVLine, thanks to the production boost the series is getting in its transition from CBS to The CW, Lena is but one of many new faces that will be popping up in Season 2. Lena, who's described as a "sexy and smart" woman who seeks to escape the shadow of her brother, will appear as a series regular.
Destiny: Rise of Iron Expansion Trailer Leaks
A trailer for Destiny's gently-leaking Rise of Iron expansion has been ripped from SnapChat and put online.
The trailer reaffirms many of yesterday's leaked details, including a September 20 release date, a new enemy faction being introduced, and an expanded look at the game's Old Russia setting. Here it is (for now - expect it to be taken down soon):
Showing a snapshot of the game's story, seemingly centred around the fall of the Iron Lords and that mysterious new (or indeed, very old) faction, the trailer goes onto list a glut of new content coming with the expansion:
How Fincher and Cameron Helped Get Deadpool Made
The guys behind Deadpool have been talking about how two Hollywood heavyweights helped get the superhero movie made.
Deadpool spent years stuck in development hell, but according to the film's writers and director, James Cameron and David Fincher were unwavering in their support for the project.
“They read the script each of them at two independent key moments during the script's development” explains co-screenwriter Rhett Reese. “And each one of them was kind enough to go to 20th Century Fox and essentially throw in their good word just saying 'Hey, what are you guys doing with Deadpool? You should be making this!' David was a help before Jim and he was just kind of nudging along the way. And then Jim ultimately weighed in in a key decision node moment and got Fox to free up some money to try a PG-13 draft at the time - that was not Jim's idea, that was Fox's idea.
Witcher Developer Sets Up Fund for ‘Innovative Games’
CD Projekt Red has partnered with the Polish government to set up an $20 million (approx. £14m, €18 m) investment fund to help "experimental development" in Poland.
The Polish developer has had huge success with The Witcher series, and is now moving onto Cyberpunk 2077 and, seemingly, a standalone Gwent card game. Now it seems to want to pay some of that success forward.
“Any Poland-based company is eligible if only it has an innovative project to pitch, which fits within designated program parameters", said CD Projekt Red R&D manage, Stan Just in an interview with GamesBeat, Those parameters include having a development timeline no longer than three years, and a project budget between $130,000 and $5.2m.
Xbox One TV DVR Feature ‘On Hold’
Microsoft’s planned TV DVR feature for Xbox One has been shelved, at least for now, reports The Verge.
“After careful consideration, we’ve decided to put development of DVR for Over-the-Air TV on hold to focus our attention on launching new, higher fan-requested gaming experiences across Xbox One and Windows 10,” confirmed a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. “We’re always listening to fan feedback and we look forward to bringing more requested experiences on Xbox One, Windows 10 and Xbox Live this year.”
Microsoft initially announced Xbox One DVR recording functionality at Gamescom last year. The feature would allow users to record shows in the background, and all shows recorded on Xbox One would be able to be streamed to any Windows 10 device, or downloaded to it directly.
Fruit Ninja Comes to Virtual Reality This Month
Brisbane, Australia-based Halfbrick Studios has confirmed its juggernaut Fruit Ninja series is coming to VR.
“After the latest VR technology was released, we felt that there was no better game suited to VR than Fruit Ninja,” said Halfbrick’s Adam Wood, product manager for Fruit Ninja VR. “The simplicity of Fruit Ninja with the total immersion of VR creates an experience like no other.”
Fruit Ninja VR will feature three familiar modes – Classic, Arcade and Zen – and a PvP mode is also planned. It will launch this month on Steam for the HTC Vive and should arrive on Oculus Rift, Google Daydream, and PlayStation VR at the end of the year.
Halfbrick’s Fruit Ninja was first released on iOS back in April, 2010. It’s appeared on a host of other platforms since and last year notched over 1 billion downloads worldwide. As of last month there’s also a live-action film adaptation on the way.
Star Wars: Episode 8 Nears End of Filming
Filming on Star Wars: Episode VIII is nearly complete and to celebrate, director Rian Johnson has revealed a new photo of Luke Skywalker's cloak.
Johnson shared the image in a post on Tumblr (via EW), along with a caption that reads: "In the home stretch." In it we see what appears to be Skywalker's cloak from The Force Awakens in a cave-like setting. See it below.
Luke Skywalker's cloak in Star Wars: Episode VIII. Image courtesy of Rian Johnson's Tumblr.
J.K. Simmons Will Be the Most Ripped Jim Gordon Yet
Actor J.K. Simmons has been spending a lot of time in the gym, and he looks to be getting super buff for his role as Commissioner Gordon in Warner Bros. Pictures' Justice League.
Trainer and retired United States marine Aaron Williamson posted the photos of Simmons to Instagram. Along with his massive muscles, Simmons is also sporting a full beard. Williamson didn't mention whether the 61-year-old actor was training for a particular role, though it's likely related to Justice League—given Simmons previously mentioned he'd be getting started as Commissioner Gordon in June.
Could Kit Harington’s New Project Be Call of Duty?
A new video suggests a member of the Night's Watch may be suiting up for a new kind of warfare.
A video obtained by Mashable shows Game of Thrones actor Kit Harington, sans beard, entering a large motion-capture set-up, which, as Mashable notes, is a nearly identical machine to the one used to capture Marshawn Lynch for a Call of Duty: Black Ops III cameo.
An Activision representative declined to comment to IGN. According to EW, news on whatever this new project is for Harington is expected to come later this week. That would certainly allow whatever Harington is working on to coincide with the reveal of a game shown at E3, but no other details are known at this time.