Monthly Archives: November 2020
Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity Review
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity occasionally lets you take control of a Divine Beast. It's a moment that should carry some weight for Zelda fans. The Beasts are colossal machines crucial to the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and while they're cumbersome to control, the levels in which you play as them effectively communicate their destructive power. If you've played Breath of the Wild, these moments take on a portentous air; the power fantasy of using lasers, bursts of lightning, and volleys of magma to level mountains and rack up thousands of Bokoblin, Moblin, and Lizalfos kills is undercut when you remember how the people who're using them can't fully control them, and that these tools of destruction will turn on their masters when they're needed most and destroy them.
That sense of impending doom is what I came to Age of Calamity for, but that's where it blunders hardest. It constantly encourages you to set aside that feeling of dread, avoid coming to terms with the consequences of its apocalyptic premise, and instead just kill a bunch of baddies and think the Divine Beasts are cool. Doing that is fun for a while, but it couldn't stop me from being enormously let down by that choice.
Age of Calamity's narrative failure is especially frustrating because the disappointing turns it takes to get there seem so clear, and because it does so much right until then. The campaign begins with a small, white Guardian-like robot seeing the Calamity caused by Ganon in Breath of the Wild and traveling back in time to before it ever happened, when Link is still a royal knight and Zelda is working to unlock her potential and stop the Calamity from happening.
Continue Reading at GameSpotPS5 Is Already Getting Some Beautiful Custom Paint Jobs
A week after release in some parts of the world, new PS5 owners are doing some beautiful things with their new consoles and controllers, with custom paint jobs appearing online.
The PS5's removable white plates lend themselves nicely to customisation, with one of the most popular recent posts on r/PS5 coming from Hawkijustin, who used Plastidip (a rubberized coating often used for car paint jobs) to turn the PS5's bright white sails into a stately matte black:
On the more flamboyant end of things, Craayons custom painted an orange and white design, topped with a skull-and-PlayStation-logo motif (and you can see a video of the full design on Reddit):
Inspired by YouTuber Dave2D, Reddit user akarshbansal11 went for something more on-brand, creating the kind of striking Spider-Man shell theme that I'm sure many are hoping will become an official design one day soon:
Perhaps more impressive are the custom DualSense designs we're seeing emerge. While we know that parts of the controller are removable, it's a fairly strudy single unit, meaning full body customisation for the PS5's controller is potentially a tricky business.
That's why Yakuza83's all-black DualSense is remarkable, not only turning the entire controller into a classic PlayStation hue, but replacing its face buttons with DualShock 4 designs, while apparently remaining fully functional:
KrysSpace went in another direction, spraypainting three separate sections of the DualSense to turn it into a galaxy purple design:
And if you're wondering whether the Xbox Series consoles are getting the same treatment, we're seeing fewer custom designs so far (presumably because of how the console itself is less modular than PS5) – but it's absolutely worth pointing out TheBardAbaddon, who appears to have turned their Series X into Kingpin from Into the Spider-Verse. I want this sticker immediately:
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
On the more flamboyant end of things, Craayons custom painted an orange and white design, topped with a skull-and-PlayStation-logo motif (and you can see a video of the full design on Reddit):
Inspired by YouTuber Dave2D, Reddit user akarshbansal11 went for something more on-brand, creating the kind of striking Spider-Man shell theme that I'm sure many are hoping will become an official design one day soon:
Perhaps more impressive are the custom DualSense designs we're seeing emerge. While we know that parts of the controller are removable, it's a fairly strudy single unit, meaning full body customisation for the PS5's controller is potentially a tricky business.
That's why Yakuza83's all-black DualSense is remarkable, not only turning the entire controller into a classic PlayStation hue, but replacing its face buttons with DualShock 4 designs, while apparently remaining fully functional:
KrysSpace went in another direction, spraypainting three separate sections of the DualSense to turn it into a galaxy purple design:
And if you're wondering whether the Xbox Series consoles are getting the same treatment, we're seeing fewer custom designs so far (presumably because of how the console itself is less modular than PS5) – but it's absolutely worth pointing out TheBardAbaddon, who appears to have turned their Series X into Kingpin from Into the Spider-Verse. I want this sticker immediately:
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.PS5 Is Already Getting Some Beautiful Custom Paint Jobs
A week after release in some parts of the world, new PS5 owners are doing some beautiful things with their new consoles and controllers, with custom paint jobs appearing online.
The PS5's removable white plates lend themselves nicely to customisation, with one of the most popular recent posts on r/PS5 coming from Hawkijustin, who used Plastidip (a rubberized coating often used for car paint jobs) to turn the PS5's bright white sails into a stately matte black:
On the more flamboyant end of things, Craayons custom painted an orange and white design, topped with a skull-and-PlayStation-logo motif (and you can see a video of the full design on Reddit):
Inspired by YouTuber Dave2D, Reddit user akarshbansal11 went for something more on-brand, creating the kind of striking Spider-Man shell theme that I'm sure many are hoping will become an official design one day soon:
Perhaps more impressive are the custom DualSense designs we're seeing emerge. While we know that parts of the controller are removable, it's a fairly strudy single unit, meaning full body customisation for the PS5's controller is potentially a tricky business.
That's why Yakuza83's all-black DualSense is remarkable, not only turning the entire controller into a classic PlayStation hue, but replacing its face buttons with DualShock 4 designs, while apparently remaining fully functional:
KrysSpace went in another direction, spraypainting three separate sections of the DualSense to turn it into a galaxy purple design:
And if you're wondering whether the Xbox Series consoles are getting the same treatment, we're seeing fewer custom designs so far (presumably because of how the console itself is less modular than PS5) – but it's absolutely worth pointing out TheBardAbaddon, who appears to have turned their Series X into Kingpin from Into the Spider-Verse. I want this sticker immediately:
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
On the more flamboyant end of things, Craayons custom painted an orange and white design, topped with a skull-and-PlayStation-logo motif (and you can see a video of the full design on Reddit):
Inspired by YouTuber Dave2D, Reddit user akarshbansal11 went for something more on-brand, creating the kind of striking Spider-Man shell theme that I'm sure many are hoping will become an official design one day soon:
Perhaps more impressive are the custom DualSense designs we're seeing emerge. While we know that parts of the controller are removable, it's a fairly strudy single unit, meaning full body customisation for the PS5's controller is potentially a tricky business.
That's why Yakuza83's all-black DualSense is remarkable, not only turning the entire controller into a classic PlayStation hue, but replacing its face buttons with DualShock 4 designs, while apparently remaining fully functional:
KrysSpace went in another direction, spraypainting three separate sections of the DualSense to turn it into a galaxy purple design:
And if you're wondering whether the Xbox Series consoles are getting the same treatment, we're seeing fewer custom designs so far (presumably because of how the console itself is less modular than PS5) – but it's absolutely worth pointing out TheBardAbaddon, who appears to have turned their Series X into Kingpin from Into the Spider-Verse. I want this sticker immediately:
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.Kingdom Hearts Director Wants to Tell a New Story, But Tie Up Loose Ends
Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura has said that he wants to tell a new story within the universe and 'drastically' change the Kingdom Hearts world, but also tie up the loose ends left by previous games.
As part of a Dengeki Online interview to promote the launch of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, Nomura answered questions about the future of the franchise.
As translated by Gematsu, Nomura's response when asked about the unsolved mysteries following the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 in 2019 is interesting: "I intend to tie up remaining loose story ends but also want to change the format a bit. I want to drastically change the world and tell a new story, but also tie up loose ends"
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/24/kingdom-hearts-3-review"]
This suggests that while a new Kingdom Hearts game may address these loose threads, a wholly new game may also be in the works, perhaps drifting away from the narrative focus on series protagonist Sora and his friends. This was already teased in Kingdom Hearts 3 with the introduction of certain new characters and worlds, especially in the ReMind DLC which launched in early 2020.
As for whether the next game will appear on next-gen consoles, Nomura said the following: "If we make a Kingdom Hearts game for next-gen consoles, it’s going to be released after many other companies have already released their titles, so I believe we’d have to make something that could compete. Of course, that’s only a hypothetical since we haven’t announced that there will be a new title for PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X."
Nomura also said that Xehanort may not feature as the "main story antagonist" in future encounters, though his influence on the narrative will still be seen. He also mentioned that the team behind Kingdom Hearts is "working to deliver good news" about the franchise for the series 20th anniversary in 2022.
You can check out our review of Melody of Memory here, which we scored a 7, calling it a "nostalgia-heavy love letter."
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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Kingdom Hearts Director Wants to Tell a New Story, But Tie Up Loose Ends
Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura has said that he wants to tell a new story within the universe and 'drastically' change the Kingdom Hearts world, but also tie up the loose ends left by previous games.
As part of a Dengeki Online interview to promote the launch of Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, Nomura answered questions about the future of the franchise.
As translated by Gematsu, Nomura's response when asked about the unsolved mysteries following the release of Kingdom Hearts 3 in 2019 is interesting: "I intend to tie up remaining loose story ends but also want to change the format a bit. I want to drastically change the world and tell a new story, but also tie up loose ends"
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/01/24/kingdom-hearts-3-review"]
This suggests that while a new Kingdom Hearts game may address these loose threads, a wholly new game may also be in the works, perhaps drifting away from the narrative focus on series protagonist Sora and his friends. This was already teased in Kingdom Hearts 3 with the introduction of certain new characters and worlds, especially in the ReMind DLC which launched in early 2020.
As for whether the next game will appear on next-gen consoles, Nomura said the following: "If we make a Kingdom Hearts game for next-gen consoles, it’s going to be released after many other companies have already released their titles, so I believe we’d have to make something that could compete. Of course, that’s only a hypothetical since we haven’t announced that there will be a new title for PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X."
Nomura also said that Xehanort may not feature as the "main story antagonist" in future encounters, though his influence on the narrative will still be seen. He also mentioned that the team behind Kingdom Hearts is "working to deliver good news" about the franchise for the series 20th anniversary in 2022.
You can check out our review of Melody of Memory here, which we scored a 7, calling it a "nostalgia-heavy love letter."
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Star Wars: C-3PO Actor Doesn’t Expect to Be in Another Star Wars Movie Anytime Soon
Star Wars veteran Anthony Daniels has stated that he will never retire his C-3PO character, even though he suspects that it will be "a very very long time" until he reprises the role again for a movie.
In an interview with CinemaBlend, Daniels, who has portrayed the galaxy's beloved protocol droid for more than 40 years, spoke about his long-spanning role in the Star Wars franchise. The actor was specifically asked whether he would ever consider retiring the character, to which he revealed that he intends to keep playing C-3PO, even if the golden suit stays in his wardrobe for a while.
"No, I'm never going to retire," Daniels confirmed. "They're going to have to throw me out the door... Life is not over, the films, may be taking a back seat for '3PO, for a very very long time, I would think. But there's all sorts of other media, particularly now with digital formats, that I'm so happy, and grateful and proud to be part of. And I do want to go on looking after '3PO because he needs looking after."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/02/c-3po-originally-had-a-bigger-role-in-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker"]
This isn't the first time that the C-3PO star has laid his parts on the line. He previously spoke about the possibility of the role moving forward without him, insisting that the droid is "too good of a character" and "too big of a character" to die with him. He echoed these thoughts in the poignant conclusion of his autobiography, in which he acknowledged that his signature role may potentially be recast one day.
"I surely recognize, I will someday leave the stage," Daniels wrote in a heartfelt note over the final pages of his book. "I hope I will do so in the knowledge that I have imbued See-Threepio with enough life that, with the love of the fans, he will go on without me."
C-3PO is one of the only Star Wars characters to have appeared in all nine movies of the Skywalker saga, beginning with the original 1977 Star Wars film right the way through to 2019's Rise of Skywalker. He recently reprised the role for the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special on Disney+, which debuted on November 17, the same day that the original Star Wars holiday special aired on CBS in 1978.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"]
In our review of the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, we called the animated feature "a charming and calamitous cross-time caper that blends all three trilogies together like never before." We praised the special for being designed in such a way that it caters to "all levels of Stars Wars fandom, and all eras of Star Wars cinema" despite its "abundantly silly, cringingly corny, and marvellously meta" story.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Star Wars: C-3PO Actor Doesn’t Expect to Be in Another Star Wars Movie Anytime Soon
Star Wars veteran Anthony Daniels has stated that he will never retire his C-3PO character, even though he suspects that it will be "a very very long time" until he reprises the role again for a movie.
In an interview with CinemaBlend, Daniels, who has portrayed the galaxy's beloved protocol droid for more than 40 years, spoke about his long-spanning role in the Star Wars franchise. The actor was specifically asked whether he would ever consider retiring the character, to which he revealed that he intends to keep playing C-3PO, even if the golden suit stays in his wardrobe for a while.
"No, I'm never going to retire," Daniels confirmed. "They're going to have to throw me out the door... Life is not over, the films, may be taking a back seat for '3PO, for a very very long time, I would think. But there's all sorts of other media, particularly now with digital formats, that I'm so happy, and grateful and proud to be part of. And I do want to go on looking after '3PO because he needs looking after."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/02/c-3po-originally-had-a-bigger-role-in-star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker"]
This isn't the first time that the C-3PO star has laid his parts on the line. He previously spoke about the possibility of the role moving forward without him, insisting that the droid is "too good of a character" and "too big of a character" to die with him. He echoed these thoughts in the poignant conclusion of his autobiography, in which he acknowledged that his signature role may potentially be recast one day.
"I surely recognize, I will someday leave the stage," Daniels wrote in a heartfelt note over the final pages of his book. "I hope I will do so in the knowledge that I have imbued See-Threepio with enough life that, with the love of the fans, he will go on without me."
C-3PO is one of the only Star Wars characters to have appeared in all nine movies of the Skywalker saga, beginning with the original 1977 Star Wars film right the way through to 2019's Rise of Skywalker. He recently reprised the role for the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special on Disney+, which debuted on November 17, the same day that the original Star Wars holiday special aired on CBS in 1978.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=every-upcoming-star-wars-movie&captions=true"]
In our review of the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special, we called the animated feature "a charming and calamitous cross-time caper that blends all three trilogies together like never before." We praised the special for being designed in such a way that it caters to "all levels of Stars Wars fandom, and all eras of Star Wars cinema" despite its "abundantly silly, cringingly corny, and marvellously meta" story.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Embracer Group Acquires 13 More New Companies
Video game holdings company Embracer Group, which now oversees the development of the Saints Row, Darksiders, Metro and TimeSplitters series of games, has embarked upon another spending spree, acquiring 13 new companies.
Revealed on the Embracer Group blog, the parent company formerly known as THQ Nordic has acquired 11 new game studios, including Shadow Warrior developers Flying Wild Hog and the team behind Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, Purple Lamp Studios.
The full list of developer acquisitions can be seen below, and includes Goat Simulator collaborators Coffee Stain North, Pinball FX heralds Zen Studios and the Newcastle, UK based studio Silent Games, who are working on a series of games within a new co-op IP, due in 2023. The new acquisitions are spread among Embracer's publishing companies such as Koch Media and Saber Interactive.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-rehydrated-review"]
Embracer Group November 2020 Game Developer Acquisitions
- A Thinking Ape Entertainment - The developers of mobile free-to-play titles CasinoX and Kingdoms at War
- Zen Studios - The Budapest studio behind the Pinball FX games, with expansions based on properties like Star Wars and The Walking Dead
- Snapshot Games - The development team behind Phoenix Point will "expand the Phoenix Point universe" and "bring new IP to a global audience" following the acquisition
- Nimble Giant Entertainment - The Argentinian studio behind Champions of Regnum and Quantum League
- 34BigThings - The Italian studio responsible for the Redout racing game series
- Mad Head Games - A Serbian studio specializing in mystery and Hidden Object games.
- Purple Lamp Studios - The Austrian team behind Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, who are set to put their "ambitious plans into action" following the acquisition
- IUGO Mobile Entertainment - A Vancouver based-studio working on mobile free-to-play games, previously responsible for The Walking Dead: Road to Survival
- Coffee Stain North - A smaller studio and partner of Coffee Stain Studios, who has worked on Goat Simulator and A Story About My Uncle
- Silent Games - A Newcastle-based studio working on its debut IP, a long-lasting co-op franchise where players will "unearth deep secrets of an ancient civilization." The first game is set for a 2023 launch.
- Flying Wild Hog - The Polish studio behind the Shadow Warrior series of games, Flying Wild Hog is now working on "four projects together with well reputable external publishers."
Embracer Group Acquires 13 More New Companies
Video game holdings company Embracer Group, which now oversees the development of the Saints Row, Darksiders, Metro and TimeSplitters series of games, has embarked upon another spending spree, acquiring 13 new companies.
Revealed on the Embracer Group blog, the parent company formerly known as THQ Nordic has acquired 11 new game studios, including Shadow Warrior developers Flying Wild Hog and the team behind Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated, Purple Lamp Studios.
The full list of developer acquisitions can be seen below, and includes Goat Simulator collaborators Coffee Stain North, Pinball FX heralds Zen Studios and the Newcastle, UK based studio Silent Games, who are working on a series of games within a new co-op IP, due in 2023. The new acquisitions are spread among Embracer's publishing companies such as Koch Media and Saber Interactive.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/06/22/spongebob-squarepants-battle-for-bikini-bottom-rehydrated-review"]
Embracer Group November 2020 Game Developer Acquisitions
- A Thinking Ape Entertainment - The developers of mobile free-to-play titles CasinoX and Kingdoms at War
- Zen Studios - The Budapest studio behind the Pinball FX games, with expansions based on properties like Star Wars and The Walking Dead
- Snapshot Games - The development team behind Phoenix Point will "expand the Phoenix Point universe" and "bring new IP to a global audience" following the acquisition
- Nimble Giant Entertainment - The Argentinian studio behind Champions of Regnum and Quantum League
- 34BigThings - The Italian studio responsible for the Redout racing game series
- Mad Head Games - A Serbian studio specializing in mystery and Hidden Object games.
- Purple Lamp Studios - The Austrian team behind Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, who are set to put their "ambitious plans into action" following the acquisition
- IUGO Mobile Entertainment - A Vancouver based-studio working on mobile free-to-play games, previously responsible for The Walking Dead: Road to Survival
- Coffee Stain North - A smaller studio and partner of Coffee Stain Studios, who has worked on Goat Simulator and A Story About My Uncle
- Silent Games - A Newcastle-based studio working on its debut IP, a long-lasting co-op franchise where players will "unearth deep secrets of an ancient civilization." The first game is set for a 2023 launch.
- Flying Wild Hog - The Polish studio behind the Shadow Warrior series of games, Flying Wild Hog is now working on "four projects together with well reputable external publishers."
Fortnite Introduces In-Game Video Chat Via Houseparty
Fortnite is introducing the ability to video chat with friends in-game via the Epic Games-owned social app Houseparty.
The feature will begin to roll out to Houseparty app users on iOS and android, and will be compatible at launch when playing Fortnite on PC, PS5, and PS4 (Epic and Houseparty have said should any more platforms be supported, they will announce so in the future). Houseparty, which already lets friends video chat within the app, just needs to be connected to your Epic Games account - and doing so will earn players the Rainbow Fog Wrap. Once linked, players can follow the following steps, to easily enable video chat to pop up alongside their Fortnite gameplay:
- Open Houseparty on iOS or Android and connect to Fortnite through Settings or the TV icon
- Join your friends like you normally would or invite them to join you
- Fire up Fortnite on a PC or PlayStation
- Continue talking to your friends while you play