Monthly Archives: December 2017
Hugely Popular Arena of Valor Launching in US Tomorrow
I’m willing to bet you’ve never heard of the most popular game in the world. Odds are you probably don’t know much about its developer either, which owns League of Legends developer Riot Games, more than 80% of Clash of Clans developer Supercell, nearly half of PC legend Epic Games, and roughly a quarter of Activision Blizzard.
Arena of Valor, developed by Chinese tech giant Tencent, has a ludicrous amount of people playing it. Its player base mirrors the similarly ludicrous reach of the company that makes it, which recently became the 10th largest company in the world overall. While Arena of Valor has only just started stretching outside of China, the mobile MOBA has over 200 million registered players and regularly hits 80 million daily active users.
Dragon Quest Builders Switch Release Date Announced
A release date for the Nintendo Switch version of Dragon Quest Builders has been revealed. Square Enix has announced that the sandbox Dragon Quest spin-off will launch on February 9 and includes a handful of new items and features exclusive to Nintendo’s hybrid console.
Dragon Quest Builders for Nintendo Switch will mostly feature the same content as its original release, including the ability to upload your creations, as well as download other player built creations using the game's free-build Terra Incognita mode. The Switch version will also include rare materials and additional crafting options not found in the previous release - although details still remain limited as to what those options will be. Additionally, the Switch version will allow players to battle enemies while riding the Great Sabrecub.
New Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Theme Park Concept Art
Disney Parks' upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park will let you ride the Millennium Falcon.
In a recent post on the Disney Parks Blog, new details about some of the upcoming Star Wars attractions were revealed, one of which is Han Solo's trusty space ship. You'll walk through the Falcon's hallways, which are authentically recreated with painstaking detail, before flying her yourself.
A look inside the Millennium Falcon. Image via Disney Parks Blog.
2017’s 17 Biggest Genre Movie Box Office Flops
Even though Star Wars: The Last Jedi is expected to become the biggest hit of the year, its inevitable success is still not expected to alter Hollywood's perception that this year's box office has been a disappointment overall. This past summer alone was the worst summer movie season the film industry had endured in over a decade, and there have been plenty of other dry spells throughout the year as well.
While once solid franchises such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Cars, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers may have all cracked the domestic box office's Top 25 in 2017, they all still posted the worst returns in their respective series. Other movies -- such as Baywatch, Alien: Covenant, and The Mummy -- were flops at home, but grossed enough overseas to, while still not anything for Hollywood to be thrilled about, at least lessen the sting for their respective studios.
New Zealand Deems Loot Boxes Not Gambling
Video game loot boxes are not gambling, according to New Zealand’s gambling regulator.
Speaking to Gamasutra, the Gambling Compliance office of New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs said, "the Department is of the view that loot boxes do not meet the legal definition of gambling."
Trish Millward, a licensing compliance manager at the Department of Internal Affairs, said her office has been closely following the current loot box discussion that's happening around the world and doesn't believe loot boxes qualify as gambling as it's defined under New Zealand’s Gambling Act 2003.
18 Best Horror Games of 2017
2017 turned out to be a fantastic year for horror games. A beloved old franchise returned to its roots in Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. The 2015 hit SOMA finally launched on Xbox One and unveiled its all-new Safe Mode, making it a great time for new players to dive in. More than a handful of smaller indie gems shined through the big-name franchises, and a few even housed secrets darker than we could've imagined.
Here are the best horror games of 2017.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Open Beta Announced
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is getting an open beta next month in North America and Europe.
Square Enix announced on Twitter the beta will run from January 12 to January 21. More details about the beta will be revealed closer to its launch.
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT open beta announcement. Image via Twitter.
All the Modern Star Wars Movies’ CinemaScores
A "CinemaScore" is the letter grade domestic filmgoers assign to a movie in audience exit polling opening night. It's been a barometer by which Hollywood has gauged how their movies will perform at the box office for many years now, but it has become, in the digital age, an even more talked about facet in how studios and the media respond to a movie's performance.
Although CinemaScore has existed since 1978, they don't have scores recorded for the original Star Wars trilogy (Episodes IV-VI); they only have CinemaScores recorded from the prequels through to The Last Jedi.
X-Men: First Class Director Talking to DC Films About ‘a Few Things’
X-Men: First Class, Kingsman and Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn has been talking to DC Films about "a few things" - we assume those "things" are movies.
Speaking to the IGN UK Podcast, Vaughn said: "I do love the world of DC, and I've been talking to them at the moment about a few things."
Later in the interview, he perhaps reveals why he'd be more interested in working with DC than Marvel right now:
"It's more fun getting involved with franchises when they're on the down, because then it's easier to make a good film. So if I got involved with a few of the superhero films out there that have been disappointing, it's going to be... if I do OK, it'll probably be better.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus Announced for Switch
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus has been announced for Nintendo Switch.
Bandai Namco revealed it will bring the revamped classic to the console/handheld hybrid February 22.
The game includes Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, which contains a number of gameplay modes, including Score Attack and Adventure modes. It also includes an exclusive two-player co-op mode called Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 PLUS 2P.
In Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 PLUS 2P, players will team up to tackle mazes with a friend, take down hordes of ghosts or even giant ghosts, utilizing special co-op moves to add to the strategy.
For an idea of what to expect when the game launches on Switch next year, be sure to check out our review of Pac-Man Championship Edition 2.