Monthly Archives: October 2017
Horizon: Zero Dawn – The Frozen Wilds Preview
I have a sneaking suspicion Guerrilla Games knows that a lot of people didn’t finish Horizon. After watching a hands-off demo of its Frozen Wilds expansion, the onus seems very much on adding more for those who might have been distracted while progressing through the game, offering new rewards, quality of life improvements and, most importantly, the ability to make snow angels in Photo Mode.
The Frozen Wilds is an estimated 15-hour chunk of extra material, set in a bowling ball of new territory in the far north of the main game’s map. Its story runs concurrently with the main game, centering around the mystery of the so-called Daemon, a hidden force which is frenzying machines, setting up tentacular control towers that can repair and buff enemies, and making gorgeous blue smoke billow from the Death Mountain-like volcano at the center of this new area. It’ll also offer a more focused look at the nomadic Banuk tribe, who we bumped into only briefly during the core game.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Mary-Jane Is a Playable Character
After the latest trailer for Insomniac's Spider-Man game, many (including us) thought they'd spotted a moment that indicated longtime Spidey cast member Mary Jane Watson would be playable - and Insomniac has now addressed that idea:
"Yeah!," said Insomniac creative director Bryan Intihar, speaking to IGN. "I can confirm, yes you actually play, at various stages of the game, Mary-Jane."
While he wouldn't be drawn on specifics, Intihar did hint that there would be more to playing Mary-Jane than simply guiding her around story sections:
"It's a very different experience to playing as Spider-Man," he explained, "and it stays true to her character, in terms of her background that she's a reporter for the Daily Bugle. It captures that feeling. Also, the other thing for us is that, even though we are creating a superhero world in the fantasy, we thought it'd be interesting to show what it's like to be a character who doesn't have superpowers, what it's like to be that person in a superhero world, and actually control that character."
Marvel’s Spider-Man Gives You All the Powers You Want From the Start
It’s always nice to see more of Insomniac’s PS4-exclusive Spider-Man game, but you could almost feel the internet deflating when the Paris Games Week trailer took a focus on story. We’ve known this would be an open world action game since E3 - so why have we still not seen any open world gameplay, more than a year after being announced?
“I think just in terms of our rollout we want to focus on different things”, explains creative director Bryan Intihar when I put that question to him. “Trust me, we'll be talking about open world. There's no weird conspiracy or anything like that.”
The thing is, I’ve met more than a few people who simply didn’t know this was an open world game at all - so if he can’t show us, can he at least tell us how it will work?
Shadow of the Colossus Remake Is Gorgeous, Kind of Janky
12 years after falling in love with the original Shadow of the Colossus, playing the PS4 remake brought that same rush of beauty, fear, and heartbreak I felt back on the PS2. Fumito Ueda and Team ICO’s classic adventure game has, for the most part, aged gracefully. Descending the steps of the temple, riding across the central field, stumbling upon the first Colossi, and ultimately striking it down was one of the most unforgettable moments in gaming history at the time, and remains just as poignant now.
Just to get this out of the way, the PS4 remake is visually rebuilt from the ground up, and absolutely gorgeous. Visually, it’s hard to imagine someone being able to tell that it’s based on a 2005 game unless they already knew that fact. The textures on the characters, environment, and Colossi are all incredibly-realized. Seriously, even the way Wander’s tunic danced in the wind held a mesmerizing quality to it.
First Strike Creates Huge Fallout for G.I. Joe and Transformers
IDW's crossover comic First Strike wrapped up last week by introducing the biggest threat yet to their shared Hasbro universe.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for First Strike #6!
First Strike chronicled a massive team-up between the heroes of G.I. Joe, Transformers, Rom, MASK, Action Man and Micronauts as they joined forces to stop the villain Baron Ironblood (secretly the original G.I. Joe himself, Joe Colton) from launching a devastating attack on Cybertron.
Stephen King’s Pet Sematary Remake Digs Up Directors
Paramount has reportedly found its directors for a remake of Pet Sematary.
Variety reports Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, directors of the indie horror film Starry Eyes, have been tapped by Paramount to helm the horror remake, which is based on the 1983 Stephen King novel of the same name.
The film is set to be a remake of the 1989 original, which was directed by Mary Lambert and written by King and Steven Schneider. Jeff Buhler and David Kajganich wrote the script for the remake, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian producing the project. Alexandra Loewy will serve as executive producer for Paramount.
UK Daily Deals: SCDKey Halloween Sale Ends Today
Want IGN UK Deals in your social feeds? Like us on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for the most up-to-date bargains.
The Best Deals From SCDKey's Halloween Sale
There are some great deals going on right now at SCDKey's Halloween sale. The deal that has specifically caught my eyes is Assassin's Creed: Origins (PC), which is £36.67 at SCDKey, but £39.99 at CDKeys - CDKeys are usually the cheapest when it comes to game keys.
The Gifted: “boXed in” Review
Last week’s episode was a big one, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that this follow-up was a bit underwhelming in comparison. On the plus side, there’s a new energy now that Reed and Polaris are back among friends and they’re all working together to figure out how Sentinel Services were able to turn Pulse against them. However, the weakest element of the show -- Dreamer meddling with people’s memories -- not only continued but became an even bigger part of the main story.
Emma Dumont and Sean Teale are bursting with so much chemistry as Polaris and Eclipse that it’s enough to make you blush. Whether they’re taking out a drone together and debating about interrogating Agent Turner or wistfully talking about their future together as parents and holding hands to make their lovey-aura appear, they’re just so darn watchable. There’s a tenderness to their relationship that balances out the whole tough-as-nails, mutant freedom-fighter part of their lives. And while they are enjoying being reunited in this episode, it surely won’t be long until Eclipse has to explain what it cost him to pull off that rescue mission.
The Gifted: “boXed in” Review
Last week’s episode was a big one, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that this follow-up was a bit underwhelming in comparison. On the plus side, there’s a new energy now that Reed and Polaris are back among friends and they’re all working together to figure out how Sentinel Services were able to turn Pulse against them. However, the weakest element of the show -- Dreamer meddling with people’s memories -- not only continued but became an even bigger part of the main story.
Emma Dumont and Sean Teale are bursting with so much chemistry as Polaris and Eclipse that it’s enough to make you blush. Whether they’re taking out a drone together and debating about interrogating Agent Turner or wistfully talking about their future together as parents and holding hands to make their lovey-aura appear, they’re just so darn watchable. There’s a tenderness to their relationship that balances out the whole tough-as-nails, mutant freedom-fighter part of their lives. And while they are enjoying being reunited in this episode, it surely won’t be long until Eclipse has to explain what it cost him to pull off that rescue mission.
All the Secrets in the Spider-Man PS4 Trailer
Greetings true, believers! Sony revealed a brand new trailer of Insomniac’s Spider-Man game at PSX today and it’s full of awesome story details.
The trailer opens with Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker talking about how Wilson Fisk, AKA The Kingpin, is behind bars, and how maybe the city’s safe enough for Peter to take a break from being Spidey.
Meanwhile, Aunt May volunteers for FEAST, a homeless outreach program run by Martin Li, pictured on the cover of The Daily Bugle. Li is otherwise known as Mister Negative, who seems to be the game’s central villain. Also mentioned on the Bugle’s cover are Fisk, the Kingpin, the mayor (who we know is Norman Osborn AKA The Green Goblin), and The Shocker.