Monthly Archives: January 2017
Project Scorpio Info Leak Re-Confirms 6 Teraflop GPU
A look at official information from Microsoft about the upcoming Project Scorpio has been analyzed and gives more clues as to the power of the iterative update to the Xbox One.
Digital Foundry, who made a video sourcing information from a public-facing Microsoft report, says the whitepaper confirms Scorpio is getting a different RAM architecture than Xbox One, four times the L2 cache, and gives more evidence of a six teraflop GPU.
That means the GPU in Scorpio has around 4.5 times the compute power of the current Xbox One.
Digital Foundry's analysis also casts doubt the CPU will have AMD's new Zen architecture, and will instead use chips based on the Jaguar family, as is the current case with Xbox One, PS4, and PS4 Pro.
Battlefield 1 They Shall Not Pass DLC Revealed
Battlefield 1's first expansion pack, titled They Shall Not Pass, will include four new multiplayer maps, the French army as a new faction, a new game mode, new artillery, and more, EA has announced today.
Verdun Heights, the first of the four maps, will have players fighting through massive forest fires created by the Battle of Verdun. The map is "an uphill battle towards the massive fortresses of Verdun. A constant grinding struggle where the artillery never stops," according to a post on the game's website. Next up is Fort Vaux where players will fight "in the maze of dark galleries and wet stone corridors" inside a fort.
Overwatch ‘Year of the Rooster’ Event Now Live
Overwatch's latest seasonal event themed around the lunar New Year is now live on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Dubbed the 'Year of the Rooster' event, the update contains over 100 themed cosmetic items and will run until February 13.
During the three-week event, loot boxes will be replaced by Lunar Loot, which can be earned or purchased, guaranteed to contain at least one Year of the Rooster item including new skins like "Palanquin D.Va" and "Wukong Winston", which re-imagines the space gorilla as the Monkey King himself.
Other items include themed profile icons, sprays, victory poses, emotes, highlight intros, and of course, more skins for Roadhog, Reinhardt, Mei, Zenyatta, Junkrat, and more.
Nintendo Says Pikmin 3DS Is Still Coming in 2017
Nintendo has reiterated that the previously announced new Pikmin game for 3DS will still be released sometime in 2017.
The game was first revealed last year at a Nintendo Direct but there have been no further updates about the title until today. However, besides the 2017 release being reconfirmed, the 3DS game still does not have a specific title or release date.
This latest Pikmin entry will let players assume the role of Captain Olimar in a side-scrolling adventure with a focus on action. It won't contain open exploration like in the previous games in the series, but will instead have players tap the 3DS screen to aim where they want to throw Pikmin. The original three Pikmin types -- blue, yellow, and red -- will also all be a part of Olimar's new adventure.
February Free Xbox Games With Gold Announced
Microsoft has revealed the four games available for free for Xbox One and Xbox 360 Gold subscribers in February as part of its Games With Gold program.
The full list and periods of availability to download these games for free are:
- Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime — Available from February 1-28 on Xbox One
- Project Cars Digital Edition — Available from February 16-March 15 on Xbox One
- Monkey Island 2: Special Edition — Available from February 1-15 on Xbox 360 and Xbox One
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed — Available from February 16-28 on Xbox 360 and Xbox One
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a cooperative space-shooter that first released in 2015. IGN gave the game an 8.5, saying "its novel core emphasis on relying on coordination with another player or an AI partner to overcome such challenges is usually strong enough to overcome the occasional frustration."
Pikachu Edition New 3DS XL Announced
Nintendo has unveiled a special Pikachu version of the New 3DS XL.
Available on February 24, the Pikachu Yellow Edition New Nintendo 3DS XL features the adorable Pokemon mascot on the system's cover. The creature's design almost looks hand drawn.
Pikachu Yellow Edition New Nintendo 3DS XL
Now this isn't the first Pokemon-themed New 3DS XL. Late last year, Nintendo launched special Pokemon Sun and Moon versions of the handheld.
IGN Spoken Editions Now Available on Spotify
Now you can listen to news, features, reviews, and more, on the Spotify app with IGN Spoken Editions.
These are read-aloud versions of our written content, meaning if you're on the go and don't have the opportunity to read, pop in your earbuds, start up Spotify, and give IGN Spoken Edition a listen.
Find IGN on Spotify and fill your ears with all the news, reviews and features you normally fill your eyeballs with.
It's all possible thanks to our partnership with Spokenlayer, a company that turns the written word into spoken content. Think about all the times you listen to podcasts or news when you're on the road. Now think of all the times you read websites while driving. Hopefully the second number is "zero," but it illustrates just how cool it is to have the option of spoken word content from IGN.
The Banner Saga 3 Announced, Kickstarter Campaign Launched
Developer Stoic has announced a Kickstarter campaign for its final third entry in the Banner Saga series, The Banner Saga 3.
Stoic aims to raise at least $200,000 USD to successfully make what the studio deems a "worthy, climatic conclusion" to its turn-based strategy series which, for now, has only been announced for PC and Mac. The Banner Saga 3 will have players travel journey beyond the wall of Darkness to explore the world for the first time, including the city of Arberrang.
The game will also sport the same hand-drawn art style and challenging turn-based tactical battles the series is known for. A release date for the title has not been announced yet.
Being an independent developer, Stoic doesn't plan on taking any outside funding "to bring this series home, we’d love Kickstarter support to add additional features that are simply beyond our current budget," said John Watson, co-founder and Technical Director at Stoic.
Legion: New X-Men Series Gets Augmented Reality Experience
As FX Networks prepares to debut its new X-Men-related TV show Legion on February 8th, an immersive art experience is being launched in New York along with five augmented reality murals which will be seen in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The three-day New York art exhibit, called "Legion Where?House," features original art by renowned artists. Additionally, exclusive art will be made available to fans in 56 comics shops throughout the U.S. From the FX press release:
"Comic lovers around the country can access the headspace of one of the world’s most powerful mutants and embrace the fractured reality of this new original series through one-of-a-kind experiences presented by FX Networks."
Kevin Smith Joins Call of Duty’s New Co-Op Zombie Mode
If you like zombies and '90s nostalgia, the new Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare DLC is right up your alley.
Rave in the Redwoods is a new co-op survival mode included with the upcoming Call of Duty DLC map pack, Sabotage. The zombie mode takes place in an abandoned summer camp and features four "classic '90s characters" battling for survival.
Kevin Smith lends his likeness and voice to the game, helping players escape the hordes of raver zombies who've taken over.
In addition to Smith, the four characters from the original Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombie mode return, along with Willard Wyler, the villainous film director played by Paul Reubens, perhaps best known for his Pee-wee Herman character.