Monthly Archives: November 2020
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
PS5 Rebrands the London Underground for UK Console Launch
Sony has rebranded a number of stations on the London Underground as part of a marketing campaign for the PS5, which launches in the UK this week.
This morning, the day before PlayStation 5 is available in the region, commuters spotted that the London Underground roundel signs at Oxford Circus had been replaced with iconography replicating the classic PlayStation face buttons. Amusingly, the four gates to the Underground at Oxford Circus are located in front of Microsoft’s flagship London store. Inside, the iconography on the station walls of the Bakerloo, Victoria, and Central Line platforms has been changed to include cross, square, and triangle motifs alongside the classic London Underground Circle. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ps5-london-underground-takeover&captions=true"] Oxford Circus isn’t the only station that’s had a makeover, though. Four other stations across the city have been temporarily rebranded with PlayStation names; Mile End has become Miles End, in reference to Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Lancaster Gate is now Ratchet and Clankaster Gate, Seven Sisters has been renamed Gran Turismo 7 Sisters, and West Ham is now Horizon Forbidden West Ham. The rebrand at Oxford Circus will last for 48 hours, covering just the day before and day of the PS5 launch in the UK. The other stations will retain their new names until December 16. It’s an unusual campaign considering that Underground traffic is very low right now (aside from standard COVID precautions, the UK is on a nationwide lockdown at the moment) and so won’t reach quite as many eyes as it would on a more normal London day. Sony acknowledges this, and asks that people only visit the stations as part of their essential travel. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/29/ps5-the-future-of-gaming-trailer"] Underground takeovers are not unheard of; back in January Piccadilly Circus was renamed Picardillly Circus and adorned with Starfleet iconography in order to market the launch of Star Trek: Picard on Amazon Prime. For more on PlayStation 5, be sure to take a look at our PS5 review and news of its performance improving system update, as well as how to use activity cards to somewhat replicate Xbox’s Quick Resume feature. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.From one iconic shape to four. We’ve given the Oxford Circus Tube signs a #PS5 upgrade. pic.twitter.com/iw9qlEXR7B
— PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) November 18, 2020
PS5 Rebrands the London Underground for UK Console Launch
Sony has rebranded a number of stations on the London Underground as part of a marketing campaign for the PS5, which launches in the UK this week.
This morning, the day before PlayStation 5 is available in the region, commuters spotted that the London Underground roundel signs at Oxford Circus had been replaced with iconography replicating the classic PlayStation face buttons. Amusingly, the four gates to the Underground at Oxford Circus are located in front of Microsoft’s flagship London store. Inside, the iconography on the station walls of the Bakerloo, Victoria, and Central Line platforms has been changed to include cross, square, and triangle motifs alongside the classic London Underground Circle. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=ps5-london-underground-takeover&captions=true"] Oxford Circus isn’t the only station that’s had a makeover, though. Four other stations across the city have been temporarily rebranded with PlayStation names; Mile End has become Miles End, in reference to Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Lancaster Gate is now Ratchet and Clankaster Gate, Seven Sisters has been renamed Gran Turismo 7 Sisters, and West Ham is now Horizon Forbidden West Ham. The rebrand at Oxford Circus will last for 48 hours, covering just the day before and day of the PS5 launch in the UK. The other stations will retain their new names until December 16. It’s an unusual campaign considering that Underground traffic is very low right now (aside from standard COVID precautions, the UK is on a nationwide lockdown at the moment) and so won’t reach quite as many eyes as it would on a more normal London day. Sony acknowledges this, and asks that people only visit the stations as part of their essential travel. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/29/ps5-the-future-of-gaming-trailer"] Underground takeovers are not unheard of; back in January Piccadilly Circus was renamed Picardillly Circus and adorned with Starfleet iconography in order to market the launch of Star Trek: Picard on Amazon Prime. For more on PlayStation 5, be sure to take a look at our PS5 review and news of its performance improving system update, as well as how to use activity cards to somewhat replicate Xbox’s Quick Resume feature. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.From one iconic shape to four. We’ve given the Oxford Circus Tube signs a #PS5 upgrade. pic.twitter.com/iw9qlEXR7B
— PlayStation UK (@PlayStationUK) November 18, 2020
Ori And The Will Of The Wisps Xbox Series X Review
Eight months after its initial release, Ori and the Will of the Wisps received some impressive technical upgrades on the Xbox Series X and Series S. The optimized version of the game hits an ultra-smooth 60-120 frames per second on both next-gen consoles at varying resolutions. It's a huge comeback for a game that was initially subject to wonky technical issues. In the next generation, Ori sheds its graphical hangups and becomes more impressive for it.
Both consoles have frame rate-prioritizing "performance" and visually minded "fidelity" modes, but neither one feels like a compromise. On the Series S, you get to choose between 1080p with HDR at 120fps, or an upscaled 4K at 60fps. On the Series X, you can choose to play the game in 4K with HDR at a performance-focused 120fps, or goose the graphics in a supersampled 6K resolution, running at 60fps with HDR. Regardless of your settings, Will of the Wisps also benefits from enhanced load times and improved audio fidelity.
Supersampling, for anyone perplexed by the idea of playing an Xbox One-era game in 6K, processes an image at a higher resolution, then compresses it down to your TV or monitor's resolution. You know how a screenshot gets blurry when you make it ten times larger? It's kind of like the opposite of that… But happening in real-time because it's a video game and not a static image. The thing you need to know is, when using 6K mode in Will of the Wisps, you aren't actually playing in 6K, but what you are playing does get a nice visual boost over the standard 4K setting.
Continue Reading at GameSpotOri And The Will Of The Wisps Xbox Series X Review
Eight months after its initial release, Ori and the Will of the Wisps received some impressive technical upgrades on the Xbox Series X and Series S. The optimized version of the game hits an ultra-smooth 60-120 frames per second on both next-gen consoles at varying resolutions. It's a huge comeback for a game that was initially subject to wonky technical issues. In the next generation, Ori sheds its graphical hangups and becomes more impressive for it.
Both consoles have frame rate-prioritizing "performance" and visually minded "fidelity" modes, but neither one feels like a compromise. On the Series S, you get to choose between 1080p with HDR at 120fps, or an upscaled 4K at 60fps. On the Series X, you can choose to play the game in 4K with HDR at a performance-focused 120fps, or goose the graphics in a supersampled 6K resolution, running at 60fps with HDR. Regardless of your settings, Will of the Wisps also benefits from enhanced load times and improved audio fidelity.
Supersampling, for anyone perplexed by the idea of playing an Xbox One-era game in 6K, processes an image at a higher resolution, then compresses it down to your TV or monitor's resolution. You know how a screenshot gets blurry when you make it ten times larger? It's kind of like the opposite of that… But happening in real-time because it's a video game and not a static image. The thing you need to know is, when using 6K mode in Will of the Wisps, you aren't actually playing in 6K, but what you are playing does get a nice visual boost over the standard 4K setting.
Continue Reading at GameSpotGears 5 Adds WWE’s The New Day as DLC Characters
WWE members of The New Day are coming to Gears 5 as playable DLC characters.
Xavier Woods, along with tag partner Kofi Kingston and Big E will be coming to Gears 5 as DLC, Woods revealed today on Twitter. A promotional image shows the three members of The New Day decked out in Cog armor ready to take on Locust.
“After playing @GearsOfWar for years (& reading the books) I’m happy to announce that myself, [Kofi Kingston], and [Big E] somehow convinced them [to] make us playable DLC characters in #Gears5,” Woods tweeted.
There’s no release date for when the trio will be officially available to play, but their models are looking pretty darn complete based on these promotional images. The New Day aren’t strangers to video games. Woods is a friend of IGN and has made his love of video games known, while The New Day even brought a little Final Fantasy 14 collaboration to Wrestlemania 32. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Gears 5 is playable now on Xbox, with enhancement on the Xbox Series X. Check out our Gears 5 review here, and check out our Xbox Series X review for more on the latest Microsoft system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.After playing @GearsOfWar for years (& reading the books ) I’m happy to announce that myself @TrueKofi & @WWEBigE somehow convinced them make us playable dlc characters in #Gears5 @Xbox
If you thought getting popped by gnashers got on your nerves, wait until its us doing it pic.twitter.com/nweuRLSzi7 — Austin #Creed4G4 - Future King of The Ring (@AustinCreedWins) November 17, 2020
Gears 5 Adds WWE’s The New Day as DLC Characters
WWE members of The New Day are coming to Gears 5 as playable DLC characters.
Xavier Woods, along with tag partner Kofi Kingston and Big E will be coming to Gears 5 as DLC, Woods revealed today on Twitter. A promotional image shows the three members of The New Day decked out in Cog armor ready to take on Locust.
“After playing @GearsOfWar for years (& reading the books) I’m happy to announce that myself, [Kofi Kingston], and [Big E] somehow convinced them [to] make us playable DLC characters in #Gears5,” Woods tweeted.
There’s no release date for when the trio will be officially available to play, but their models are looking pretty darn complete based on these promotional images. The New Day aren’t strangers to video games. Woods is a friend of IGN and has made his love of video games known, while The New Day even brought a little Final Fantasy 14 collaboration to Wrestlemania 32. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=confirmed-xbox-series-x-games&captions=true"] Gears 5 is playable now on Xbox, with enhancement on the Xbox Series X. Check out our Gears 5 review here, and check out our Xbox Series X review for more on the latest Microsoft system. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.After playing @GearsOfWar for years (& reading the books ) I’m happy to announce that myself @TrueKofi & @WWEBigE somehow convinced them make us playable dlc characters in #Gears5 @Xbox
If you thought getting popped by gnashers got on your nerves, wait until its us doing it pic.twitter.com/nweuRLSzi7 — Austin #Creed4G4 - Future King of The Ring (@AustinCreedWins) November 17, 2020
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Novel Won’t Just Retell the Movie’s Story
Quentin Tarantino will write a novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that will have new events taking place before and after the movie.
The book will be released in paperback, ebook, and digital audio editions in summer 2021. A "deluxe hardcover edition" will be released in fall 2021.
"In the seventies, movie novelizations were the first adult books I grew up reading,” Tarantino said in a statement. “And to this day I have a tremendous amount of affection for the genre. So as a movie-novelization aficionado, I’m proud to announce ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD as my contribution to this often marginalized, yet beloved sub-genre in literature. I’m also thrilled to further explore my characters and their world in a literary endeavor that can (hopefully) sit alongside its cinematic counterpart.”
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=quentin-tarantinos-most-notable-abandoned-or-delayed-projects&captions=true"]
Tarantino will release the book through Harper Collins in North America where the filmmaker has signed a two-book deal. The other book, Cinema Speculation, is a nonfiction book that contains various essays and musings from Tarantino on the movies of the 1970s. There is no release window for Cinema Speculation at this time.
Harper Collins Vice President and Executive Editor Noah Eaker praised the "master storyteller" in a press release.
"Quentin Tarantino’s literary talents have been in plain sight since his first scripts, but to see how skillfully he endows his characters with life on the page and how he constantly takes a reader by surprise, even one who knows the movie by heart, is to see a master storyteller trying on a new form and making it his own,” Eaker said.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/17/quentin-tarantino-will-write-and-direct-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spin-off-bounty-law"]
Tarantino still has plans for more Once Upon a Time content. The filmmaker wrote five episodes of Bounty Law, the TV show that Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt's characters act in, while he was preparing to film the movie. Tarantino liked the scripts enough that he plans to actually film the five episodes.
On top of that, Tarantino said a four-hour cut of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood exists and it will likely get a release. Hopefully, all of these projects will see the light of day, but Tarantino has been known to abandon or delay projects.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who would gladly sit through a four-hour cut of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Novel Won’t Just Retell the Movie’s Story
Quentin Tarantino will write a novelization of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that will have new events taking place before and after the movie.
The book will be released in paperback, ebook, and digital audio editions in summer 2021. A "deluxe hardcover edition" will be released in fall 2021.
"In the seventies, movie novelizations were the first adult books I grew up reading,” Tarantino said in a statement. “And to this day I have a tremendous amount of affection for the genre. So as a movie-novelization aficionado, I’m proud to announce ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD as my contribution to this often marginalized, yet beloved sub-genre in literature. I’m also thrilled to further explore my characters and their world in a literary endeavor that can (hopefully) sit alongside its cinematic counterpart.”
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=quentin-tarantinos-most-notable-abandoned-or-delayed-projects&captions=true"]
Tarantino will release the book through Harper Collins in North America where the filmmaker has signed a two-book deal. The other book, Cinema Speculation, is a nonfiction book that contains various essays and musings from Tarantino on the movies of the 1970s. There is no release window for Cinema Speculation at this time.
Harper Collins Vice President and Executive Editor Noah Eaker praised the "master storyteller" in a press release.
"Quentin Tarantino’s literary talents have been in plain sight since his first scripts, but to see how skillfully he endows his characters with life on the page and how he constantly takes a reader by surprise, even one who knows the movie by heart, is to see a master storyteller trying on a new form and making it his own,” Eaker said.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/17/quentin-tarantino-will-write-and-direct-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-spin-off-bounty-law"]
Tarantino still has plans for more Once Upon a Time content. The filmmaker wrote five episodes of Bounty Law, the TV show that Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt's characters act in, while he was preparing to film the movie. Tarantino liked the scripts enough that he plans to actually film the five episodes.
On top of that, Tarantino said a four-hour cut of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood exists and it will likely get a release. Hopefully, all of these projects will see the light of day, but Tarantino has been known to abandon or delay projects.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN who would gladly sit through a four-hour cut of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special Review
The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney+.
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For those looking for a sweet, off-kilter addendum to the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy -- one that will most assuredly leave you with a bigger smile than The Rise of Skywalker did (if it left you with a smile at all) -- the new LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special is a charming and calamitous cross-time caper that blends all three trilogies together like never before.
Using the original (cult car-crash-you-can't-look-away-from) 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special for inspiration, the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special takes place after the demise of the First Order, post-Rise of Skywalker, and reunites Rey, Finn, Poe, and Rose for a celebration of Life Day on Kashyyyk. Those familiar with the original special will delight (maybe?) at the return of Itchy, Malla, and Lumpy while those who've been to Galaxy's Edge at a Disney theme park might appreciate the multiple Fried Endorian Tip-Yip references. Yes, this special is designed to cater to all levels of Stars Wars fandom, and all eras of Star Wars cinema.
For all of its flaws, The Rise of Skywalker did give fans the first adventure featuring Rey, Finn, and Poe as a crusading trio instead of keeping them mostly separate throughout the movie. It was odd to wait to do that until the very end of the saga, but it was still a great thing to have happen before it was all over. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special sort of revisits this and builds on it, giving us more time with these characters as true friends -- albeit a very silly time. Again, this is a comedic, winking, even self-deprecating take on the Skywalker Saga but it still, in a strange way, wraps things up better than you'd ever anticipate.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/05/lego-star-wars-holiday-special-official-trailer"]
As Rey struggles to train Finn in the ways of the Force, Poe and company try to put together the perfect Life Day party. Rey's journey takes her to through time and space to search for secrets from past Jedi masters, bringing her through -- we'll just say -- the saga's greatest hits. From Hoth to Dagobah to Tatooine podracing to a young Obi-Wan complaining about trade disputes (and even a quick Mandalorian scene), Rey sort of "time heists" her way through all nine movies, creating a big, joyful swirl of Star Wars nuttiness full of meta-gags like Kylo Ren's shirtlessness, Jar Jar's senate speech, and an errant Greedo "Maclunkey!"
And just like how the Avengers' time heist in Endgame unleashed a past Thanos, Rey inadvertently ropes Return of the Jedi's Emperor Palpatine into the journey and causes some fun friction between Kylo and his grandfather, Darth Vader. It's here that the special finds its true hilarity as the Dark Side, which is usually incredibly dour, is a great source for some laughs. We don't ever get to see someone like Palpatine cut loose outside of Robot Chicken. Here, voiced by Trevor Devall, the Emperor is quite the cut up.
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The majors stars of the Sequel Trilogy aren't around to provide voices in the way that, say, the original Star Wars Holiday Special had Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford on deck, but Kelly Marie Tran, Billy Dee Williams, and Anthony Daniels are in it as well as Star Wars: The Clone Wars vets Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker), Tom Kane (Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn), James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and Dee Bradley Baker.
Look, the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special isn't ground-breaking, and it can be fairly corny a lot of the time, but it'll surprise you with how much it puts a nice pretty bow on top of the entire franchise. Ultimately, it's a better send-off in many ways than Episode IX.
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