Monthly Archives: May 2017
Why We’re Hyped to See Battlefront 2 at E3 2017
It's that time of year again: E3 2017 is just on the horizon. From June 10-15, we'll be covering the biggest games and hardware announcements of 2017 and beyond. While you can check out our continually-updated Games of E3 List, we're now going to start diving deeper. Every day leading up to the show, we'll be highlight the stuff we want to see and play at E3 2017.
Today's game: Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Tucked between a new teaser for The Last Jedi and footage from the new season of Star Wars Rebels, EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 made its official debut at this year’s Star Wars Celebration in Orlando. Although the new trailer was light on actual gameplay, it did give us a great idea of where in the massive Star Wars galaxy Battlefront 2 would visit (and return to) next.
New Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry Coming Within the Next Year
Ubisoft has revealed that it plans to release four major titles in the next fiscal year, which will include the return of Assassin's Creed, as well as Far Cry 5 and The Crew 2.
As part of its 2017 fiscal year earnings report, Ubisoft confirmed that both Assassin's Creed and Far Cry will return in the 2017-2018 fiscal year release window, which runs from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. South Park: The Fractured But Whole and The Crew are also set to return in that timeframe, with a sequel for the latter confirmed.
Rock Band Creator Reveals Band He Always Wanted in Game
Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos has revealed that Led Zeppelin is the biggest artist he's always wanted featured in Rock Band but hasn't been able to get yet.
"I love Zeppelin. I played in a Zeppelin cover band in high school," Rigopulos said on that latest episode of our monthly interview show IGN Unfiltered. He acknowledged Led Zeppelin is the obvious choice, noting that "lots of people would love to see their music in the game" and "it would be wicked fun to play."
Rigopulos went on to address why Led Zeppelin has yet to be featured in Rock Band. "Obviously we've asked repeatedly," he said. "We've had dialogue with the band, absolutely. I think they've given it serious consideration, but for various reasons it hasn't been right for them."
New Harvest Moon Announced for Switch, PC and PS4
Natsume and Rising Star Games have announced a new entry in the Harvest Moon franchise that will release for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Titled Harvest Moon: Light of Hope, the new game will have a style that harkens back to the series' Super Nintendo roots and feature a "robust story and clear-cut goals."
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope logo, via Natsume
Light of Hope puts you in the shoes of a character whose ship is struck by a monsoon during a voyage. After drifting to a small harbor town that was hit by the storm, it will be up to you to help rebuild the town and revive its lighthouse by tending livestock, gathering materials, growing crops, and more. Those attending E3 2017 will be able to play the game on Nintendo Switch and PC at Natsume's booth.
Sonic Forces Character Creation Feature Announced
Sonic Forces will feature a third playable character, in addition to Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic. And players will be able to create that third major character in the upcoming game.
Sega announced today that Sonic Forces, which will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC this holiday, will include a Hero Character creation feature. The create-a-character option will allow players to build off of one of seven archetypes to design a character integral to the upcoming Sonic game's narrative.
Arms-Focused Nintendo Direct Coming Tomorrow
A Nintendo Direct will air tomorrow, May 17, focusing on upcoming Switch fighter, Arms.
Airing globally at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm UK (or 10am AEST on May 18), it's not clear what Nintendo plans to show in the next Direct, but it's been trickling out information on new characters and the game's interchangeable weaponry since the last broadcast, so it will likely be a little more substantial than that.
The Direct will also include a new trailer for the next Nintendo-developed Switch game arriving after Arms, Splatoon 2.
Which Logan Blu-ray Should You Buy?
Logan is coming home on May 23 on Blu-ray in the US (June 7th in Australia), and as is the case with every modern home release, there are a ton of options for you to choose from. We went ahead and looked up and broke down every release, from vanilla to steelbook, so you can pick up the version that's right for you.
Also, if you can't wait for the Blu-Ray, check out the bottom of this article to find out how you can download the film digitally on May 16th.
Logan Blu-ray Combo Pack
Ace Combat 7 Delayed to 2018
Bandai Namco's upcoming flight sim Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown has been delayed to 2018.
Ace Combat franchise director Kazutoki Kono announced the delay in a personal letter addressed to fans, saying he and his development team Project ACES need more time to realize the vision they have for the title.
"We would have loved to launch Ace Combat 7 at the end of 2017 as we originally intended, but doing so would compromise our goal for the game," Kono explained. "We take our art very seriously and that means we have instead chosen to devote additional time and effort to perfect and optimize this newest chapter of the Ace Combat saga."
Thanks to the power current generation hardware and Unreal Engine 4, the "skies of opportunity" have been opened to the Project ACES team, Kono said. He also noted how today's technology has allowed them to "deliver the minute details of flight combat - such as cloud cover and air currents – or give players a new way to experience dogfights and attack sorties through hardware such as the new PlayStation VR."
Voice of Solidus Snake, John Cygan Dies at 63
Voice actor John Cygan, known for his role as Solidus Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, has died. He was 63.
Cygan passed away on Saturday, May 13, after battling cancer, Jonn Wasser of the Atlas Talent Agency confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to voicing Solidus Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2, Cygan starred as Lt. Paulie Pentangeli in ABC series The Commish. Michael Chiklis, who played police commissioner Tony Scali in the aforementioned crime drama shared a few words about Cygan on Twitter:
Can Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Convince Non-Believers?
When it comes to Final Fantasy XII, longtime series fans typically fall into one of two camps: You either love it and place it high on a pedestal in the pantheon of great RPGs, or you hate it and think it’s an affront to the hallowed Final Fantasy name. I’ve always placed myself firmly in the first category, celebrating FFXII’s deep and innovative combat system, and praising its mature and cohesive narrative.
Ultimately, a remaster provides any developer with a unique opportunity. Yes, a fresh coat of HD paint can easily be slapped on a ten-year-old game, but implementing new systems to make an older game better is an especially impressive feat. When Final Fantasy XII first hit store shelves in 2006, some fans had qualms with character progression and a steep learning curve. Fortunately, The Zodiac Age addresses these issues head on, making an already excellent game more accessible.