Monthly Archives: July 2019
Opinions Are Split on Nintendo Switch Lite
Early this morning, Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch Lite: a smaller, cheaper, handheld-only version of their highly-popular Nintendo Switch hybrid handheld/console. Naturally, the Internet has opinions on the matter and, unsurprisingly, not everyone agrees on if the Switch Lite is what they want from Nintendo.
Some who almost exclusively play Nintendo Switch in handheld mode are largely excited by the announcement, parents and thrifty consumers are similarly intrigued, and a lot of fans are excited to get some colorful new hardware to play Nintendo Switch games on.
Star Trek: Picard Series Releases First Poster
CBS All-Access has released a new poster for the upcoming series Star Trek: Picard. This new image offers an early look at Patrick Stewart's aged Jean-Luc Picard as he embarks on his last and most important mission. More importantly, it turns out Picard has a pet dog.
Check out the first poster below:
This new poster follows the debut of the series' first poster and teaser trailer in May. As with the original, the new poster emphasizes Picard's family vineyard while teasing a return to space for the retired former captain of the USS Enterprise.
Report: Facebook Looks to Acquire a Game Studio, Splinter Cell VR in Development
Sam Fisher could be coming to VR. That’s according to a new report that says Facebook has already signed deals to bring some of Ubisoft’s biggest IP, like Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, to the Oculus VR headset. This is part of a bigger push by Facebook into gaming which could also see the social media company acquire video game studios for itself.
A new report from The Information says Facebook is looking seriously into beefing up its gaming business. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is apparently personally involved with Facebook’s strategy to get big video game franchises on the Oculus VR platform and make it more attractive to customers.
Nintendo Has ‘No Plans’ to Add D-Pad to Switch Joy-Cons
Nintendo announced the Nintendo Switch Lite this morning and it has a true D-pad, which is a change from the set of four separate directional buttons that are featured on the original Switch's Joy-Cons. According to Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser, Nintendo has no plans to of adding this new D-pad to the existing Joy-Cons.
As reported by CNET, Bowser quickly quieted any thoughts of a revised Joy-Con that would include this updated D-pad that many in the past have wished for.
"There are no plans, or nothing to announce, in terms of further variation of Joy-Con," Bowser said.
Watch: DC’s Jim Lee Teaches US Troops How to Draw Batman
DC has been pulling out all the stops this year to celebrate Batman’s 80th anniversary from publishing an oversized Detective Comics #1000 to honoring Batman with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but their latest effort was centered on a way to give back to the real heroes. Iconic comic artist and DC CCO/Co-Publisher Jim Lee was among a group of DC talent who joined forces with The United Service Organizations (USO) to bring the gift of Batman to the nearly 12,000 U.S. military members stationed in Kuwait. While on the trip, Lee recorded a personal vlog of his experiences with the troops, which you can watch in the video player above exclusively here on IGN.
Control Is Smart, Savage and Bats**t Crazy – IGN First
“Fair warning: This is gonna be weirder than usual.”
The first line spoken in Control isn’t a story introduction - it’s a mission statement. Remedy Entertainment has always trodden a shivering line between ordinary and outlandish, taking contemporary settings and distinctly human characters, then throwing them through an unnatural, often supernatural, wringer. Control is a little more bold.
Granted, it starts similarly - Jesse Faden visits the headquarters of the mysterious Federal Bureau of Control in search of answers about a childhood trauma. She meets a curious janitor, Ahti, who mistakes her for a job applicant and sends her into the bowels of the building. But then the director of the Bureau mysteriously dies, his magic gun binds itself to Jesse, we learn the building’s under lockdown because of the encroachment of a hostile resonance nicknamed The Hiss, and absolutely everything gets very strange indeed. Remember that short section of Max Payne when he was dosed with high-grade hallucinogens, got stuck in a world-warping nightmare and began realising he was in a video game? That’s the tone of Control, all the time.
The Division 2 Update Adds Raid Matchmaking
A new update for The Division 2 adds matchmaking for the Operation Dark Hours raid, alongside a range of other improvements and two new missions.
The D.C. Outskirts: Expeditions update adds a new ‘Discovery’ difficulty mode to the Operation Dark Hours raid, which allows matchmaking. Unfortunately Discovery mode does not allow players to pick up the Exotic loot available in the Normal mode version of the raid, but Ubisoft promises a “variety of great rewards” will be available in Discovery runs of the activity.
Ubisoft explains that the Discovery difficulty mode has been added to “allow more players to experience The Division 2 in its entirety”. Matchmaking will help players who don’t have a full raiding team quickly pull together enough players to enter the raid, rather than having to find people via chat or internet forums.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Square Enix Has “No Plans” For Xbox Release
Update 7/11: Square Enix has said that there are no plans for Final Fantasy VII Remake to release on any console aside from PS4. In a statement to IGN, Square Enix said "As previously announced, Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released for the PlayStation 4 on March 3rd 2020. We have no plans for other platforms." The statement seems to suggest, without going as far as to use the exact phrasing, that Final Fantasy VII Remake is a PS4 exclusive. Such a situation would mean that the Xbox One release date mistakenly shown by the Xbox Germany Facebook account is a complete mistake, rather than a mishandled date announcement.
Original story: A social media video which contained a release date for Final Fantasy 7 Remake on Xbox One is an "internal mistake", according to Microsoft. Earlier today, the Xbox Germany Facebook page posted a video that claimed Final Fantasy 7 Remake was coming to Xbox One on March 3, 2020; the same day as the PS4 version of the game. So far, Square Enix has only announced Final Fantasy 7 Remake for PS4, with no word on other consoles or PC, and so this video began to create a stir..
Lord of the Rings MMO in Development at Amazon
Amazon Game Studios has announced it will be leading the development on a new The Lord of the Rings MMORPG.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMORPG will be a free-to-play adventure set in Middle-earth as “portrayed in The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy.” Meaning the MMO will be based on author J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books, rather than Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.
Amazon Game Studios is developing The Lord of the Rings MMO with Leylou Technologies and Middle-earth Enterprises, and it will be released on both PC and consoles.
Amazon’s upcoming MMORPG is the same Lord of the Rings project that was announced last year by Athlon Games, a Leylou subsidiary. Amazon Game Studios will now lead the project with a team comprised of veterans from popular MMOs like Everquest, Destiny, World of Warcraft, Planetside, and more. This is also the same development team behind Amazon’s upcoming original game, New World.
Nintendo Planning Data Transfer System For Switch Lite
Nintendo has plans to introduce a data transfer system to allow you to move your games and saves from a Nintendo Switch to the new Nintendo Switch Lite.
Talking to CNET, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said "Yes, you will have the ability to transfer between devices, your gameplay experiences." Bowser offered no details on what kind of system Nintendo has planned or how it will work, but said that there is "More to come there, but that is the intention."
Nintendo's history of transfers is spotty to say the least, but this promise gives hope that the company has put thought into the idea of people changing from Switch to Switch Light, or even owning both consoles at the same time.