Monthly Archives: December 2020
Build Your Own Stunt Tracks in Forza Horizon 4’s Latest Free Mode
After a two-year stream of new environments, new modes, and dozens and dozens of new cars, Forza Horizon 4 just won’t stop getting bigger. The newest addition to the long list of activities crammed into Playground Games’ open world racing juggernaut is the Horizon Super7, a brand-new mode that allows players to participate in custom-built racing, driving, and stunt-based challenges made by other players, plus the ability to create and share their own.
[caption id="attachment_2448370" align="aligncenter" width="3840"] Run out of things to do in Forza Horizon 4? Now you won't. Ever.[/caption]
If you’re thinking this sounds similar to the custom, user-created Bucket List challenges from Forza Horizon 3, you’re on the right track. Like Forza Horizon 3’s custom Bucket List challenges, Super7’s creation tools are based around a similar set of broad challenge types, from skill score challenges to PR stunts, and from point-to-point time trials and easy cruises. You can tune the season, time of day, weather, and even select the default music from Forza Horizon 4’s radio stations if you wish.
[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=If%20you%E2%80%99re%20thinking%20this%20sounds%20similar%20to%20the%20custom%2C%20user-created%20Bucket%20List%20challenges%20from%20Forza%20Horizon%203%2C%20you%E2%80%99re%20on%20the%20right%20track."]There are some significant differences, however; Super7 challenges can be created starting wherever you choose (rather than pre-set points on the map) and they can now be filled with stunt jumps, props, and other structures via a custom map editing tool.
[caption id="attachment_2448373" align="aligncenter" width="3840"] This simple burnout pad only took a few minutes to build.[/caption]
That’s right: Super7 sets you loose in Forza Horizon 4’s map of Britain with an armful of items you can drop and position virtually wherever you wish. The map editor is quite straightforward to use, and placing and adjusting items around the world is mostly painless. Items can be automatically snapped to the ground at first, but they can subsequently be skewed, twisted, overlapped, and even partially buried to suit your requirements. So far I’ve created a snaking drift course through the train yard hemmed in with shipping containers, concrete blocks, and railway wagons – and also a simple burnout pad – and the process was very easy. Other users so far have created everything from incredibly narrow mazes for the Peel P50 to skate park-style stunt arenas, and from dinosaur-filled forest follies to megaramps that stretch miles into the air. The amount of stunt objects and props available seems a little slim (particularly following so closely in the wake of Dirt 5’s ‘Playgrounds’ stunt track editor), although I guess there’s every possibility that additional items, ramp types, and so on could be added going forward.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=forza-horizon-4-super7&captions=true"]
Super7 itself refers to the fact that, when beginning the mode, your task will be to complete seven user-created challenges selected for you. Beat all seven Super7 challenges and an exclusive reward awaits. In the modest pool of challenges submitted by early Super7 players, not all of them were home runs – but challenges you find too frustrating or too boring can immediately be swapped for fresh ones.
The prop budget for dropping items on the map can support a decent amount of them, although if you want to totally close-off a course to prevent other players from using the open world to completely bypass it, your design can’t really be too long unless you plan it in a way that utilises existing structures already permanently on the map as extra barriers.
Like The Eliminator, the compulsive Battle Royale Mode that Playground Games added to Forza Horizon 4 this time last year, Super7 will have its own dedicated tab in the Pause Menu. This makes it easy to browse new challenges and see what’s trending. Playground Games will also curate picks of its own. Also like The Eliminator, Super7 also has unique rewards for progressing through the tiers, including the all-time classic 1924 Austin Seven and the wonderfully wedge-shaped but famously unreliable 1979 Triumph TR7 Roadster. Progression through the tiers seems a little slow for now but it’s likely that it’ll be more appealing to tackle a steady stream of user-created challenges once the update arrives in the wild and the full power of the community’s creativity is fully unleashed within it.
[caption id="attachment_2448360" align="aligncenter" width="3840"] It's going to take some time to reach these top rewards at the current pace.[/caption]
Super7 will arrive as a free update tomorrow and will be available for all Forza Horizon 4 players on all available platforms.
Yet to try Forza Horizon 4? IGN’s review will fill you in on how it raised the open world racing bar. Rest assured, it’s never too late to get behind the wheel – especially since it looks better than ever on Xbox Series X/S.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/forza-horizon-4-xbox-series-x-and-s-trailer"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.Build Your Own Stunt Tracks in Forza Horizon 4’s Latest Free Mode
After a two-year stream of new environments, new modes, and dozens and dozens of new cars, Forza Horizon 4 just won’t stop getting bigger. The newest addition to the long list of activities crammed into Playground Games’ open world racing juggernaut is the Horizon Super7, a brand-new mode that allows players to participate in custom-built racing, driving, and stunt-based challenges made by other players, plus the ability to create and share their own.
[caption id="attachment_2448370" align="aligncenter" width="3840"] Run out of things to do in Forza Horizon 4? Now you won't. Ever.[/caption]
If you’re thinking this sounds similar to the custom, user-created Bucket List challenges from Forza Horizon 3, you’re on the right track. Like Forza Horizon 3’s custom Bucket List challenges, Super7’s creation tools are based around a similar set of broad challenge types, from skill score challenges to PR stunts, and from point-to-point time trials and easy cruises. You can tune the season, time of day, weather, and even select the default music from Forza Horizon 4’s radio stations if you wish.
[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=If%20you%E2%80%99re%20thinking%20this%20sounds%20similar%20to%20the%20custom%2C%20user-created%20Bucket%20List%20challenges%20from%20Forza%20Horizon%203%2C%20you%E2%80%99re%20on%20the%20right%20track."]There are some significant differences, however; Super7 challenges can be created starting wherever you choose (rather than pre-set points on the map) and they can now be filled with stunt jumps, props, and other structures via a custom map editing tool.
[caption id="attachment_2448373" align="aligncenter" width="3840"] This simple burnout pad only took a few minutes to build.[/caption]
That’s right: Super7 sets you loose in Forza Horizon 4’s map of Britain with an armful of items you can drop and position virtually wherever you wish. The map editor is quite straightforward to use, and placing and adjusting items around the world is mostly painless. Items can be automatically snapped to the ground at first, but they can subsequently be skewed, twisted, overlapped, and even partially buried to suit your requirements. So far I’ve created a snaking drift course through the train yard hemmed in with shipping containers, concrete blocks, and railway wagons – and also a simple burnout pad – and the process was very easy. Other users so far have created everything from incredibly narrow mazes for the Peel P50 to skate park-style stunt arenas, and from dinosaur-filled forest follies to megaramps that stretch miles into the air. The amount of stunt objects and props available seems a little slim (particularly following so closely in the wake of Dirt 5’s ‘Playgrounds’ stunt track editor), although I guess there’s every possibility that additional items, ramp types, and so on could be added going forward.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=forza-horizon-4-super7&captions=true"]
Super7 itself refers to the fact that, when beginning the mode, your task will be to complete seven user-created challenges selected for you. Beat all seven Super7 challenges and an exclusive reward awaits. In the modest pool of challenges submitted by early Super7 players, not all of them were home runs – but challenges you find too frustrating or too boring can immediately be swapped for fresh ones.
The prop budget for dropping items on the map can support a decent amount of them, although if you want to totally close-off a course to prevent other players from using the open world to completely bypass it, your design can’t really be too long unless you plan it in a way that utilises existing structures already permanently on the map as extra barriers.
Like The Eliminator, the compulsive Battle Royale Mode that Playground Games added to Forza Horizon 4 this time last year, Super7 will have its own dedicated tab in the Pause Menu. This makes it easy to browse new challenges and see what’s trending. Playground Games will also curate picks of its own. Also like The Eliminator, Super7 also has unique rewards for progressing through the tiers, including the all-time classic 1924 Austin Seven and the wonderfully wedge-shaped but famously unreliable 1979 Triumph TR7 Roadster. Progression through the tiers seems a little slow for now but it’s likely that it’ll be more appealing to tackle a steady stream of user-created challenges once the update arrives in the wild and the full power of the community’s creativity is fully unleashed within it.
[caption id="attachment_2448360" align="aligncenter" width="3840"] It's going to take some time to reach these top rewards at the current pace.[/caption]
Super7 will arrive as a free update tomorrow and will be available for all Forza Horizon 4 players on all available platforms.
Yet to try Forza Horizon 4? IGN’s review will fill you in on how it raised the open world racing bar. Rest assured, it’s never too late to get behind the wheel – especially since it looks better than ever on Xbox Series X/S.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/forza-horizon-4-xbox-series-x-and-s-trailer"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Luke is Games Editor at IGN's Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.Monster Hunter Pulled from Chinese Theaters Over Offensive Joke
The live-action Monster Hunter movie has been pulled from theaters in China over a controversial joke in the movie with racist connotations. This has led to a major backlash to the film and calls from Chinese audiences for further boycotts.
The controversial quip from the Monster Hunter movie involves a scene where two soldiers are talking to one another. One of the soldiers asks the other, “What are my knees?” and then follows-up by saying, “Chi-knees.”
The line echoes a longtime, racist playground chant “Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these.” The playground rhyme has created a historic association between the phrase “dirty knees” and anti-Asian and anti-Asian American racism.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monster-hunter-movie-images&captions=true"]
The backlash on Chinese social media was swift, and local theaters began pulling the movie from screens amidst growing criticism. Oddly enough, the line was even altered for the Chinese subtitles, but the localization changed the reference into an idiom about Chinese people kneeling, which further exacerbated the situation.
While the Monster Hunter movie has already been pulled from theaters, any potential re-release in China with the scene edited out is in doubt as the online backlash against the film continues to grow.
The criticism of the film has extended to other Monster Hunter properties as well. The Steam version of Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World is getting review-bombed over anger with the movie adaptation.
Capcom, the developer of the video game series on which the film is based, has issued a statement on Chinese social media regarding the backlash. According to analyst Daniel Ahmad, Capcom says it is, “aware of the situation and the controversy” but says it is not a producer on the Monster Hunter movie and will report the situation to the companies directly involved with the making of the movie.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/14/monster-hunter-exclusive-official-trailer"]
Monster Hunter was produced by Tencent Pictures and Constantin Pictures and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Starring Milla Jovovich, the film follows modern-day soldiers who find themselves facing off against giant monsters from the video game while teaming up with a group of Hunters.
The Monster Hunter film is slated for a December 25 release in the US. It is unclear if the controversy will change plans for the film’s North American release; but if anything impacts the release it will likely be a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is changing the US movie-going landscape in considerable ways.
This story replaces and updates an earlier report on the same topic. IGN's news team felt that the original version didn't fully explain the racist connotations of the line in question, and have rewritten the article and added additional context to make clearer the issue.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.
This story replaces and updates an earlier report on the same topic. IGN's news team felt that the original version didn't explain the racist connotations of the line in question, and have rewritten the article and added additional context to make clearer the issue.
Monster Hunter Pulled from Chinese Theaters Over Offensive Joke
The live-action Monster Hunter movie has been pulled from theaters in China over a controversial joke in the movie with racist connotations. This has led to a major backlash to the film and calls from Chinese audiences for further boycotts.
The controversial quip from the Monster Hunter movie involves a scene where two soldiers are talking to one another. One of the soldiers asks the other, “What are my knees?” and then follows-up by saying, “Chi-knees.”
The line echoes a longtime, racist playground chant “Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these.” The playground rhyme has created a historic association between the phrase “dirty knees” and anti-Asian and anti-Asian American racism.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=monster-hunter-movie-images&captions=true"]
The backlash on Chinese social media was swift, and local theaters began pulling the movie from screens amidst growing criticism. Oddly enough, the line was even altered for the Chinese subtitles, but the localization changed the reference into an idiom about Chinese people kneeling, which further exacerbated the situation.
While the Monster Hunter movie has already been pulled from theaters, any potential re-release in China with the scene edited out is in doubt as the online backlash against the film continues to grow.
The criticism of the film has extended to other Monster Hunter properties as well. The Steam version of Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World is getting review-bombed over anger with the movie adaptation.
Capcom, the developer of the video game series on which the film is based, has issued a statement on Chinese social media regarding the backlash. According to analyst Daniel Ahmad, Capcom says it is, “aware of the situation and the controversy” but says it is not a producer on the Monster Hunter movie and will report the situation to the companies directly involved with the making of the movie.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/14/monster-hunter-exclusive-official-trailer"]
Monster Hunter was produced by Tencent Pictures and Constantin Pictures and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Starring Milla Jovovich, the film follows modern-day soldiers who find themselves facing off against giant monsters from the video game while teaming up with a group of Hunters.
The Monster Hunter film is slated for a December 25 release in the US. It is unclear if the controversy will change plans for the film’s North American release; but if anything impacts the release it will likely be a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which is changing the US movie-going landscape in considerable ways.
This story replaces and updates an earlier report on the same topic. IGN's news team felt that the original version didn't fully explain the racist connotations of the line in question, and have rewritten the article and added additional context to make clearer the issue.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.
This story replaces and updates an earlier report on the same topic. IGN's news team felt that the original version didn't explain the racist connotations of the line in question, and have rewritten the article and added additional context to make clearer the issue.
GTA Online: Rockstar Reveals New Social Area, ‘The Music Locker,’ Coming Soon
Soon players in GTA Online will be able to gather and dance in a new social area. The Music Locker will arrive alongside more musical additions, in an upcoming update.
GTA Online: Rockstar Reveals New Social Area, ‘The Music Locker,’ Coming Soon
Soon players in GTA Online will be able to gather and dance in a new social area. The Music Locker will arrive alongside more musical additions, in an upcoming update.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vinyl Soundtrack Announced
Much like the original Marvel's Spider-Man, PS4 and PS5 launch game Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales will see its impressive soundtrack get a vinyl pressing, available later this week via Mondo.
IGN can exclusively announce and reveal the Miles Morales vinyl soundtrack, which will be available for preorder on Wednesday, December 9 at Mondo. For $35, the 2XLP vinyl features artwork by Chun Lo, 2x 180 Gram colored vinyl (also available in 180 gram black vinyl), and includes the score by composer John Paesano, as well as "I'm Ready" by Jaden and Lecrae's "Where We Come From" and "This Is My Time." Check out a first look at the vinyl artwork below:
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=spider-man-miles-morales-vinyl-soundtrack&captions=true"]
Mondo is offering the soundtrack in collaboration with Hollywood Records, and the full track listing is as follows:
Disc One:
SIDE A
- Don’t Give Up
- Rhino Rampage
- New York’s Only Spider-Man
- Spider-Training
- Best Friends
- Be Yourself
- Confession
- The Underground
- Thicker Than Water
- On the Case
- All In
- Trying to Protect You
- We’re Here for You
- Worst Enemies
- Make It Right
- Won’t Give Up
- I’m Ready - Performed by Jaden
- Where We Come From - Performed by Lecrae
- This Is My Time – Performed by Lecrae
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vinyl Soundtrack Announced
Much like the original Marvel's Spider-Man, PS4 and PS5 launch game Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales will see its impressive soundtrack get a vinyl pressing, available later this week via Mondo.
IGN can exclusively announce and reveal the Miles Morales vinyl soundtrack, which will be available for preorder on Wednesday, December 9 at Mondo. For $35, the 2XLP vinyl features artwork by Chun Lo, 2x 180 Gram colored vinyl (also available in 180 gram black vinyl), and includes the score by composer John Paesano, as well as "I'm Ready" by Jaden and Lecrae's "Where We Come From" and "This Is My Time." Check out a first look at the vinyl artwork below:
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=spider-man-miles-morales-vinyl-soundtrack&captions=true"]
Mondo is offering the soundtrack in collaboration with Hollywood Records, and the full track listing is as follows:
Disc One:
SIDE A
- Don’t Give Up
- Rhino Rampage
- New York’s Only Spider-Man
- Spider-Training
- Best Friends
- Be Yourself
- Confession
- The Underground
- Thicker Than Water
- On the Case
- All In
- Trying to Protect You
- We’re Here for You
- Worst Enemies
- Make It Right
- Won’t Give Up
- I’m Ready - Performed by Jaden
- Where We Come From - Performed by Lecrae
- This Is My Time – Performed by Lecrae
Netflix’s Transformers: War for Cybertron: Earthrise Trailer Revealed
Netflix's animated Transformers trilogy, War for Cybertron, is continuing with its second part this month, and IGN has a new look at what's in store.
Check out the new trailer for Transformers: War for Cybertron - Earthrise, below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/transformers-war-for-cybertron-earthrise-trailer"]
The new trailer shows the war is far from over, with plenty of teases in the trailer of the action to come, featuring Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and many more Autobots and Decepticons as they seek the AllSpark and the conflict moves, as the title suggests, to Earth.
Earthrise continues in the footsteps of War for Cybertron - Siege, which debuted earlier this year. IGN called the first installment in the trilogy "a great start, with an engaging first chapter that's both action-packed and insightful" in our War for Cybertron - Siege review.
IGN also previously debuted a first look at figures in the War for Cybertron - Kingdom line from Hasbro, and if you're interested in checking out more of what's debuting on Netflix this month, be sure to read our full December breakdown of what's new to Netflix.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-december-2020&captions=true"]
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Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.
Netflix’s Transformers: War for Cybertron: Earthrise Trailer Revealed
Netflix's animated Transformers trilogy, War for Cybertron, is continuing with its second part this month, and IGN has a new look at what's in store.
Check out the new trailer for Transformers: War for Cybertron - Earthrise, below:
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/07/transformers-war-for-cybertron-earthrise-trailer"]
The new trailer shows the war is far from over, with plenty of teases in the trailer of the action to come, featuring Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and many more Autobots and Decepticons as they seek the AllSpark and the conflict moves, as the title suggests, to Earth.
Earthrise continues in the footsteps of War for Cybertron - Siege, which debuted earlier this year. IGN called the first installment in the trilogy "a great start, with an engaging first chapter that's both action-packed and insightful" in our War for Cybertron - Siege review.
IGN also previously debuted a first look at figures in the War for Cybertron - Kingdom line from Hasbro, and if you're interested in checking out more of what's debuting on Netflix this month, be sure to read our full December breakdown of what's new to Netflix.
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=netflix-spotlight-december-2020&captions=true"]
[poilib element="accentDivider"]
Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor, host of Podcast Beyond!, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.