Game Informer

Game Informer

Dota Gets A Netflix Anime Next Month

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 04:50 PM PST

Are you ready to take mid lane with your favorite characters... in an anime series? Valve's Dota is getting a Netflix series starting on March 25!

There's honestly not a whole lot in the teaser trailer, since it doesn't do a whole lot to define itself as a Dota product. That doesn't mean much though; we'll have to wait to see how it turns out with a more robust preview (or, better yet, an episode). As a Dota fan, I'll be there on day one to see how it turns out.

Click here to watch embedded media

The trailer does give away some information that is easy to process for Dota players. The title of the series "Dragon's Blood," and the character mentioned in the trailer being Davion, the Dragon Knight indicate that the series is going to hinge on Davion as a central character. In Dota, Davion is a tanky regenerating brawler that can transform into a dragon to gain immense power. We've all been in those teamfights where a big Davion cleans house!

With the scant other details provided, the series looks like it might be a traditional "hero's journey" anime following Davion's adventures against some malignant force. What other Dota characters will show up along the way? Who will be the big bad? Those answers are anybody's guess. Personally, I'd love to see some of the older classics that would make great anime archetypes ... Sven would be a slam dunk. Axe is sort of the face of the brand these days so if I was going to wager anyone would be in there, it would be him. Witch Doctor could be a hoot. I'm a big fan of Undying, but he probably wouldn't be all that great on the screen.

This won't be the first time the cast of the Dota universe has left their traditional home inside Dota 2. Valve's Artifact also gave the characters new interactions and flavor, and I still hope that new updates can bring new life to the game in the future.

More updates on the show will be posted on the official Dota 2 blog leading up to release here. Do you play Dota? What characters do you want to see in the show? Let us know in the comments!

Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen Dead Man's Tale Exotic Quest Guide

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 03:39 PM PST

A new week means a new exotic quest in Destiny 2: Beyond Light Season of the Chosen. To get the latest exotic, which is a Scout Rifle called Dead Man's Tale, you're going to need to revisit an old strike and get real cozy with Zavala. Here's what you need to know with a helpful Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen Dead Man's Tale exotic quest guide. 

Before you get started on the actual quest, there are a few things you need to do first. To get started, you're going to want to be at least 1230 Power for the actual quest. So if you're not there yet, run some dailies and grind a bit. You will also need to have the Season Pass in order to start this quest. You can learn more about that here. 

For those who are already at least 1230, the next step is to head over to the Strike on the EDZ (European Dead Zone). The strike itself is called The Arms Dealer. If you've already run this strike, what's next will be super quick. If not, you'll want to make sure you run the entire strike as it is meant to be run. 

How to get the Dead Man's Tale quest

Once in this strike, you're going to see a newly available entry point instead of following the quest marker. Take the alternate new path to head into a hallway with two levels, then take out the Scorpius enemies that will be in your path. Continue forward until you see more Scorpius foes and the boss you'll need to take out: Than'Grot. He's pretty easy to annihilate. Do that and take out the remaining Scorpius to proceed to the platform on the far right. There, you'll see a new marker appear that will take you to a pile of crates. Inside the big blue crate is an Intercepted Distress Signal. Get that and (for those that have already done this strike) head back to the Tower. 

Once at the Tower, speak to Zavala in his usual spot. He'll go on a monologue like he often does, but once done, he will offer a quest up for grabs:

Once the Voice on the Other Side quest is picked up, there are two steps to follow. In order to "investigate the distress signal," you're going to need to head to the Tangled Shore. The Tangled Shore was a part of the Forsaken expansion, so for those that boosted their character or chose to opt out of this DLC, you're going to need to do one of two things: 

  1. Complete the first part of the Forsaken expansion (which is really good!)

  2. Get someone who has already unlocked this area to join your part, toss party leader to them, and piggyback a ride to this destination

How to complete the new Presage exotic quest

Click here to watch embedded media

Mark this quest active and head to Tangled Shore. Once this destination is pulled up when in orbit, you'll see a new area open up in the top-left corner of this destination. It's there that players will be able to see the newest exotic mission called Presage, which takes place aboard Calus' abandoned ship. 

Note: One of my clanmates said that he thinks this can be run solo. I don't know if I'm just that bad at jumping, but I haven't even attempted to run this by myself. With my own experience in mind, please run with teammates. 

This quest is lengthy, so you're going to want to strap in for a little bit when running it for the first time. First things first: Ignore the big door. When you first start the quest, you'll see a main door in your path. You can't open it at this time, so don't even worry about it. Instead of going through it, you're going to go around it and you can do just that with the first of many jumping puzzles on the left. 

During this quest, you will see the addition of Spores. These will allow Guardians to safely go through particular doors that are lethal when used without the aid of the Spores. To use these, have your fellow players stand in the vicinity of the Spores to shoot them when they start to glow. Shooting the Spore while it is blue will activate a buff that will protect you when going through each doorway. 

A couple things to consider: 

  • There will be switches to open doors, but cores can also be shot as well.

  • Shooting fuses available can open doors, halt danger, and take down any barriers that are in the way. 

Eventually, the latest quest will have you falling face-first into a trash area alongside Screebs. In order to stop the contractor mechanism, you're going to want to search the floor for every grate to shoot until you find one that holds the core. As mentioned earlier, you need to shoot the fuse to stop the contractor from making you just another piece of trash in the pile, or the one that opens up the hatch that you can jump through before getting crushed.  

The next step is to search through tunnel areas. Continue through each area until you find the entrance back into the original area where you first came from. Once you make it back to this location, you're ready to take on the remaining puzzles to continue onto the final boss fight. 

Luckily, this is a pretty linear path to the missions, so don't go into it feeling overwhelmed by how seemingly massive this area is. It's relatively straightforward. Once you get to the final fight, you'll actually fight him on two different levels. On the upper level, there are three terminals that you'll need to be aware of, including one that is in a burning room. Each monitor needs to be activated in order to disable the burning room and make it to the next step. From there, drop down to the below level to deal damage and alternating between the upper and lower levels to defeat the boss. 

You can also watch the walkthrough video courtesy of xHoundishx while we work on getting our own walkthrough put together (which will have the same info, but with a lot more dying).

Creating The Iconic Beasts Of The Monster Hunter Movie

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 02:28 PM PST

If you're going to make a Monster Hunter movie, you really need to deliver on the monsters. In Paul W.S. Anderson's latest film adaptation, starring Mila Jovovich and Tony Jaa, creatures run rampant, attacking everything in sight, and commanding the screen. But getting those monsters from Capcom's long-running video game series movie ready was a lot of work, requiring hundreds of people around the world and a year-and-a-half of labor, to be exact.

To figure out how it all came together, we recently spoke with Dennis Berardi, the founder of the visual production company Mr. X and visual effects supervisor for Monster Hunter, about how he adapted Capcom's monsters, the varying size of the creatures, and why sand is so hard to animate.

 

Game Informer: Before going into this project, did you play through the games to get more familiarity with the creatures or what was your relationship there?

D: I mean, I played through the games, I did a lot of research. We worked very closely with Capcom in the preparation. I got to meet the original game designers, which is a big thrill. We actually went to Japan and learned a lot about the lore and the culture. We spent some time with Ryōzō Tsujimoto and Kaname Fujioka, who are the original game designers and directors of the game, and just immersed myself. You know, I'm not an expert gamer. But I did get a copy of the game, Monster Hunter: World, at home I played it with my kids [laughs]. We had a lot of fun outfitting our cats and getting going on these quests. I mean, it's a very immersive world. I liked finding my way through the world. Of course, my 13-year-old immediately becomes an expert and I fuddle around a little bit. But visually, which is my craft, I was inspired by it, the Wildspire Wastelands and these beautiful, epic landscapes. To me, it was just a pretty world to be in, it was very experiential in a way that you have to be pretty smart. You have to be pretty clever. You know, although I do enjoy shoot 'em up games, I felt there was something very appealing to this for me as a visual person.

GI: Sure. I mean, what are some of the specific challenges you face when adapting these monsters from this video game for a movie?

D: The biggest challenge was really to try and develop for a cinematic level, to bring out those behavioral profiles. Obviously, we took the game as inspiration, of course, that's always our reference. We hope the fans are happy with how monsters appear on film and are rendered and act and behave. So that was our first reference. But then because it's not a virtual environment, we're trying to provide a photorealistic experience for the fans, we try and base our inspiration in physical anatomy, found in nature, and physical attributes that animals would would have in nature. So bringing those creatures to life, I think, is the big achievement.

We did a performance study, a motion study for each creature, where we looked at scale, how do they move, how do they plant, the weight distribution, to get a level of scale that was believable [to real people]. So, if Mila [Jovovich] or Tony [Jaa, the two leads of Monster Hunter] are doing a certain thing in a scene, you can't have a monster moving with a different motion profile because the physics won't match necessarily. So just stuff like that.

Scale was one of our biggest challenges. Defining the behavioral attributes for each of the monsters is a big challenge, really creating those performances. And then the photo realism of them. In some cases, we started with the Capcom models, but we had to res them up, increase the resolution for a 4K 50-foot screen – we have an IMAX release as well. These are some of the highest resolution creatures we've ever worked on – and I've worked on a lot of creature movies, including The Shape of Water [directed by Guillermo Del Toro] with the asset, the fish man, which was partially digital. These creatures are double the resolution of that creature.

GI: What were some of the specific references you all were looking at for these monsters in nature? Like, were there specific animals?

D: For Rathalos, we were looking mostly at larger birds of prey and how they move. Everything from hawks to eagles to falcons and scaling them up. And it doesn't always work, because Rathalos has a big, heavy center as well as these big feet, but there was reference there. Certainly for the Apceros, we looked at hippopotamus-type motion and big tortoises. They're kind of a cross between a hippopotamus and a tortoise, if you will. Slow foot plants, big heavy creatures. For the Nerscylla we obviously took a lot of inspiration from big spiders and did a lot of motion studies on that.

For textural reference and skin, we looked at everything from alligator hides to chicken feet to hawks feet. All the textures that are rendered on those creatures began life as a texture in nature, a real texture in nature, and I think that's why they look photo realistic. They look photo real, in my opinion. And we didn't have anywhere to hide because a lot of the film is in broad daylight. It's not like we're hiding these creatures, you know?

GI: Yeah, that was actually something I noticed. Compared to a lot of monster movies, this movie is so bright. What are the challenges there, as opposed to, you know, a Godzilla movie mostly set at night?

D: We wanted to light the creatures as if they're movie stars. So, we backlit them, we did exactly what Glen MacPhereson [director of photography] would do on set [laughs]. We would do a little ambient fill and a little bounce and usually a separate light for their eyes. We tried to really replicate that and it worked. In fact, I did photo survey everything when we were on location. And we did capture Glen's lighting shot by shot, scene by scene, where we would do silver balls and gray balls and 360 degrees stitched HDRI images that I could then see the angle of the sun, how he placed his key and fill lights and measure the ambient levels of light as well with the tool sets that we have, and I replicated that lighting model onto the creatures

GI: Considering how monster heavy it is, how do you work with the director and cinematographer to make sure that shots are framed to facilitate all the CG that needs to go into it.

D: It's a partnership, and we work well together. I would generally have the storyboard frames that we all agreed upon. Generally, for key sequences, I would do a 3D animatic, where I had Glenn's lens inventory in the computer. So you know, if he had an 18 mil[limeter] lens or a 35 mil lens, or a 50, or 80, or whatever potentially that he wanted to shoot on. I would map out the scene, put a 35-mil lens on, show them what it's like, and that would help define the spatial relationships. "This creature is 27 feet tall; we need to leave this much space for them." And then we would stage the action as if the creature was there. I would have a person in a motion capture suit, holding a big ball for an eyeline running around, or I'd have an eyeline on a pole for Mila or Tony. Sometimes I would even on the monitor, draw out the size of the creature, just at Paul's director's monitor, or composite in in real time where the creature would be, just to give him a sense spatially of the frame that he'd have to frame for. But truth be told, I mean, Paul is very tech savvy. He's a lover of visual effects. And we really only had to do that a few times before he got the feel for himself.

GI: For a movie like this, how many people are on the VFX team?

D: First of all, it was a real international production, in terms of visual [production]. Mr. X did like 95-percent of the work, which was the company I founded and am the creative director of still. So that was 450 artists across Toronto, Montreal, and Bangalore. And then we had another company, a great little company called Black Ginger, and they were based in South Africa. They did some of the onset scanning and LIDAR. So, what we did was we were on location, in Africa, we went to Namibia, and we scanned most of the locations using LIDAR scanners. And Black Ginger did that for us.

GI: Did this scale of the monsters change at all? Like if the rathalos is 30 feet tall in the game, is it 30 feet tall in the movie? Or did you have to adjust that as well?

D: We adjusted. We took some liberties. So, our version of the Rathalos, when he's, let's say, standing, [...] not upright, but flat across like a bird of prey would do, is like 14 meters [45.9 feet] to the top point. Big boy, you know? He needed to be big because he had to take down a plane, right? Whereas Diablos is about half the size of Rathalos. The Nerscylla, because they swarm and there's many of them, they range in scale from like one meter tall to four meters tall, to the height of their highest spine. The Apceros were, like, three meters to the top of their hump, Cephalos was smaller. So, we took some liberties on scale, because we have to lens these things in real time and we're shooting, you know, our film format, which is widescreen. We made choices of their scale based on how we were going to film the movie.

GI: Throughout the project, what was some of the feedback you were getting from Capcom?

D: They were, boy, they were really great. I will say that Tsujimoto and Fujioka, we spent hours with them in post-production. I went down, and Paul and I made a big presentation to them. They analyzed everything, right down to like, the toenails of the of the Diablos. I'm not kidding. We did a whole anatomy presentation on them. We showed them their creatures, did a turntable where I showed their creature in 360 and then showed them our creature in 360. They had comments on color, texture, anatomy, how they moved, and their personalities. And yeah, I mean, they were very, very, very helpful, because we obviously wanted them to agree that we were, you know, being faithful to the creatures on the design side.

GI: One of the things I think that surprised me about this movie is just how like relentless and monster-filled the first 30 minutes are; they're just everywhere throughout the beginning of this movie. Can you describe what the workload on this film was like? What kind of work went into just getting a single scene done when it's so busy and so active with all these creatures?

D: Listen, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of person weeks goes into every scene. Typically, like the Diablos shot, Black Diablos shot in the sand, where she's chasing our military troops [...] I mean, it's a month just to get the animation sorted out with a team of dozens of people, and then it's probably another month to light and render the shots, and then it's another month to finalize the shot. But typically, for many sequences, it's kind of like three or four months to get it into shape. And then there's notes! We've got to see how it plays, see if it works now that it's photo real, and then it becomes kind of like, you know, like dailies. When you shoot something on set, you do take after take after take and you kind of pick the best take [...] Our process is similar. We'll do a take, which takes three or four months, but then we might need to do another take. So, it does take a long time, which is why we did have the benefit of time. The thing that happens when you have enough time and you're able to do multiple takes, you kind of get to live with the performance a little bit. You can come back to it, you can take a break on it, you can go work on another part of the movie and come back to it and say, "Oh, wow. What were we thinking? We were too close to it. Let's do another take. Clearly that needs to be looking camera left. That's wrong, let's fix that."

GI: This might be a weird question. But all the sand flying around the creatures and falling off them. Was that hard to animate?

D: Yeah. Just straight up, yeah, it was really hard. Whereas the creatures are hand animated, or motion captured in some cases, but mostly hand animated, or character animated or keyframe animated, the sand, you can't animate individual grains of sand or even clumps of sand, it's too labor intensive. It also has to react in a physically correct way. So we call that a simulation. And so what we do is we create the primary animation from the creature, or the body that's moving through the sand, because we have the ships and everything moving to the sand as well. Create that primary animation, and then we have that primary animation drive a sand simulation, which is just a computationally heavy algorithm that spawns all these particles and has them behave and interact and react to the physical bodies and forces, including gravity and the torsional portions of the creature moving through the sand. That's called a sand simulation.

We have so much computational difficulty there that we had to do a special deal with Microsoft to use their Azure Cloud rendering service. Because we have over 15,000 processors at Mr. X and it wasn't nearly enough. And so, we had hundreds of thousands of processors in the Microsoft Azure Cloud for rendering those computationally difficult sand scenes. That broke new ground for us at Mr. X. At one point the Microsoft rep called me, "What the hell are you guys doing? What are you processing? Are you sending something to Nasa or something?" [I was like,] "Oh, it's doing these sand simulations for Monster Hunter [laughs]."

GI: Last question for you. What stands out as, like, your favorite moment or scene or thing you worked on with Monster Hunter?

D: I will say that probably the most fun that we had was with this Palico creature, you know? He's kind of a lovable cheeky little guy. Paul gave me some autonomy on that. He let me basically cast the stand-in actor, who was this wonderful actor named Aaron Bueler, who delivered a great performance for us on the day. I put him in a gray tracking motion capture suit so Mila and Tony and Ron Perlman, they all had someone to play off. We had great fun with that. And then he became a real sort of hobby of mine. So, I really focused in on him to make sure that he was done at the level that the fans would respect. So, I'm pretty proud of Palico, for sure.

Monster Hunter is currently available to rent or purchase digitally. The movie is expected to be released on DVD and Bluray on March 2.

Microsoft Details How Xbox Continues To Pioneer Accessibility Efforts In Gaming

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 01:50 PM PST

Microsoft has been a pioneer in making gaming more accessible for all in recent years with its growing accessibility department, research into new ways to play as seen with its adaptive controller for Xbox, and its outreach efforts. While accessibility in gaming has finally been given the spotlight it deserves, the work is far from over. Because of that, Microsoft has detailed how it is ramping up its efforts to make gaming more available for all. 

In a new post over on Xbox Wire, Brannon Zahand, a senior program manager for gaming accessibility at Microsoft, opens up about new goals the company has regarding their efforts. "Passion for game accessibility has grown exponentially among developers and gamers alike in the past decade," he says in the post when talking about why this movement is so crucial. "According to the ESA Foundation, there are nearly 46 million gamers with disabilities in the U.S. alone, [sic] so we're heartened to see that game developers are actively seeking out resources that guide inclusive game design to ensure that their games are fun for everyone who wants to play."

According to Zahand, accessibility has become a "core aspect" behind all development decisions within the Xbox brand. This became the norm when the company created the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines back in 2019, and from there the efforts grew in both scope and support. 

Since the launch of programs within the company to be more community-focused in areas that are usually left unrecognized, Xbox has worked alongside many groups targeted various aspects of accessibility to continue growing and properly addressing fan feedback. "Over the past year, developers have expressed enthusiasm for the XAGs (Xbox Accessibility Guidelines), but also asked for additional context and clarification as to how to ensure these guidelines are properly implemented in their games," Zahand continues. "Additionally, there has been a clear desire for more content that helps a developer understand 'where to start' or 'how to focus efforts.'" In an effort to make the impact of XAGs even more effective, the team is implementing new growth goals for 2021 and beyond. 

Kaitlyn Jones is leading this expanded project as part of the Microsoft Gaming Accessibility Team and has outlined the key improvements that players can see going forward. Improved language is the first point of revision for the team. What this means is that Microsoft is clarifying the language used in the XAGs in order to make sure that the thoughts expressed are easily understood and more reader-friendly. 

Having a clear "goal" was also important moving forward. For this, Microsoft is making the XAGs more defined to properly convey clear goal points listed for readers to process accurately to make reading through each guideline more understood and effective.

An improved overview is also outlined in an effort to ensure that developers are properly understanding how vital each guideline is when making games be more available to all, each section has been overhauled to "provide key contextual information" that includes the impact of each point made. 

Part of this overhaul also includes "high-level questions" to ask developers to help them identify potentially inaccessible elements in their game that could be addressed. The XAGs are also being improved in a way that makes it easier for devs to identify areas within their games that need additional attention.

With the nature of the XAGs being technical in a way that some may not understand, part of the overhaul efforts are to make sure that more context is given to help make the guidelines easier to understand and implement. In another effort for clarification, the XAGs will also provide examples via video and images to show off real-world examples of how these efforts improve the gaming experience. 

But overhauling the guidelines is just the first step. "With that in mind, the Game Reliability Engineering team and the Gaming Accessibility Team have collaborated to put together an industry-first, platform-provided game accessibility testing program that can validate games using the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines," Zahand adds. "Mike Gamble, principal software engineering lead in Game Reliability Engineering and 25-year game industry veteran, led the project.

"Developers now have the option to send Microsoft their Xbox or PC title and have it analyzed and validated against the recommendations provided in the XAGs. Where issues are found, they are noted with reproduction steps, screenshots, and other information to help the developer understand what aspect of a given experience may be challenging for certain gamers with disabilities."

This focus also aims to draw attention to resources within the community talking about accessibility, including links to "inclusive design documentation, non-profits and industry-recognized subject matter experts, platform-specific technical documentation, and more." 

Zahand also details how the gamers themselves are making a large impact on this continued initiative, including the constant inclusion of gamers with disabilities testing out new ideas, goals, and products that are in progress for efforts on how to making gaming better for all. 

We spoke with Zahand ourselves a few months ago, and what we learned about Microsoft's efforts left us feeling inspired. From how the team is approaching epilepsy concerns to how they are balancing all player types, it's clear that the company is making real headway in the name of accessibility and not simply putting a Band-Aid over the issue. 

To learn more, you can read up on the past, present, and future of Xbox's accessibility efforts right here. 

Surviving Our First Hours In Valheim – New Gameplay Today Live

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 12:20 PM PST

Click to watch embedded media

Valheim is a new Norse survival game released in Steam Early Access earlier this month and has quickly taken Steam by storm with its peak concurrent player count topping 360,000 over the weekend. While other survival game adventures typically focus on creating either an isolated experience or an intensely competitive multiplayer environment, Valheim sets its gaze on the cooperative opportunities that are presented by the genre.

The game tasks up to 10 players to hunt, craft, cook, build, and ultimately, survive not only the harsh elements that are presented by the game's tiered biomes but also to confront the Norse horrors that live in the wild. After being ferried to Valheim by the Valkyries, your wayward Viking soul must brave the elements, explore snowcapped mountains by foot or the raging seas by longboat, build their own shelter and bases, and eventually fight back the chaotic monstrosities that plague this otherwise stunning environment.

There is a lot to do in the world of Valheim! Luckily for those looking to start out, we've got some helpful tips on how to get started such as general tricks, how to start collectible more valuable resources, and even how to best approach difficult boss battles that will be fought along the way. There is a lot to love in this survival game, both with the gameplay itself and the title's beautiful soundtrack. If you aren't quite ready to join in on the fun to see for yourself, come by and check out our stream to see what this Norse-inspired world has to offer.  

Join PC Editor Dan Tack and Video Editor Alex Van Aken for an episode of New Gameplay Today Live, starting at 2:30 p.m. CT over on the Game Informer YouTube channel, wherein the duo explores and survives the first few hours in this all-new Norse survival game. Looking to get started playing Coffee Stain Publishing's latest release yourself? Be sure to check out our helpful Valheim beginner's guide, written by the one and only Dan Tack!

Former Nintendo Of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé Is Not Impressed With E3 2021 Plans

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 11:50 AM PST

Earlier this month, the ESA announced its commitment to a digital 2021 E3. Last year, in response to the epidemic and in line with lockdown regulations and safety protocols, E3 was cancelled. The spirit of the popular event, however, lived on with Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest and a multitude of separate publisher-facilitated showcases. These events were successful and proved to be potential alternatives to the age-old E3 format. Former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé voiced his opinion on the ESA's plans for E3 2021 to Gamertag Radio. As a well-known and influential industry veteran, Fils-Aimé used to be directly involved in past E3 planning discussions.

Fils-Aimé  talked with Gamertag Radio about his appreciation for E3 and its large impact on the wider community. However, after learning about the ESA's plans for the upcoming E3, he had less enthusiastic words, "I have to say that what I read doesn't sound all that compelling." Fils-Aimé would also go on to state ways that E3 could potential adapt and secure consumer interactivity:

"I think that the platform holders need to find a way digitally to enable their fans, their players, to experience the content because that's the key for E3 right – the ability to be playing The Last of Us Part 3 for the first time, or to play that next Breath of the Wild game for the first time, or to play the next great game coming from the new amalgamation of all the Xbox studios." 

With popular publishers — from Ubisoft to Sony — setting up their own digital events and reputable icons like Geoff Keighley severing ties with E3 because of disagreements on the annual event's direction, the future of E3 is more in question than it's ever been. Would you be sad to see E3 eventually phase out from existence? Or are you looking forward to the independent future of gaming's summer festivities? And do you think that Reggie Fils-Aimé's call for a more consumer-centric E3 could save the beloved event?

[Source: GamerTag Radio via VGC]

Every Playable Character In Marvel's Avengers

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 11:35 AM PST

If we've learned anything from Marvel's comics and cinematic universe, it's that the world is always expanding. New villains are always emerging and new heroes are always swooping in to stop them. Crystal Dynamics is taking this same approach with its game starring Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Marvel's Avengers launched with six playable characters, but that's far from all the heroes we'll be able to take control of when it's all said and done. Crystal Dynamics has said that all playable characters will be added at no additional cost, but additional upgrades for those characters could cost money.

Check out all the characters you can play as in Marvel's Avengers, as well as all the heroes still to come.

Ms. Marvel

Following a disaster in the opening of the game, Kamala Khan discovers new powers that allow her to grow and stretch her body in ways that help her fend off enemies and traverse the environment in unique ways. As the main character of Marvel's Avengers, her goal is to reassemble the outlawed hero team to once again save the world.

Captain America

The leader of the Avengers, Captain America is killed during the opening sequence. His loss is felt throughout the story as the Avengers work to come together and make his sacrifice meaningful.

Iron Man

The billionaire tech genius in the metal suit has a full arsenal of gadgets and weapons to use against the forces of evil.

Black Widow

The former SHIELD super spy is a martial arts and weapons expert, and has the gadgets to support her skills.

Thor

The mighty god of thunder wields his legendary hammer Mjolnir, along with powerful command of lightning.

Hulk

The mild-mannered Bruce Banner transforms into the giant, green rage-monster to rampage through enemies and environments with ease.

Marvel's Avengers

Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) – December 8, 2020

Clint Barton's protégé joins as the first post-launch hero. An expert archer trained by Clint, Kate has similar abilities to him, but features her own distinct moveset and gear, which include razor arrows, scattershot arrows, explosive arrows, and smokescreen arrows. She can also teleport around the battlefield using warp arrows, spawn holograms, and apply quantum energy to her attacks. She joins as a part of Operation: Taking AIM, with a story focused on searching for Clint Barton with the Super Adaptoid standing in her way as a new Omega-level antagonist with all the abilities of the Avengers.

Upcoming Heroes:

Hawkeye (Clint Barton) – March 18, 2021

Missing since the events of A-Day, Clint Barton re-emerges as a part of Operation: Future Imperfect. Taking place in a future where the world has been devastated by the Kree and nuclear war, Operation: Future Imperfect pits Hawkeye against a deranged Maestro, a transformed version of Hulk that combines Banner's intelligence with Hulk's might. Maestro has killed all superheroes and supervillains in this theoretical future, and it's up to Hawkeye to put an end to his reign.

Spider-Man - 2021
(PlayStation Exclusive)

Crystal Dynamics has announced the webslinger is coming to the PlayStation versions of Marvel's Avengers in 2021, but it will be a distinct version from what we saw in Insomniac Games' Spider-Man.

Black Panther - TBA

While not officially announced, the launch edition of Marvel's Avengers War Table began with a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman, saying it altered the contents of the presentation due to his recent passing. The message then gave way to a Black Panther icon, appearing to hint that the character would be revealed in the future.

Be sure to bookmark this page and come back regularly to see the latest additions to Marvel's Avengers as they are announced and added.

Hawkeye Gets Detailed In Latest Marvel's Avengers War Table

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 11:34 AM PST

Marvel's Avengers

In December, Marvel's Avengers finally received its first post-launch hero in the form of Kate Bishop, the protégé of original Hawkeye Clint Barton. Her story, Operation: Taking AIM, centered around a conspiracy involving Nick Fury and time travel, which leads into the story of the next post-launch hero, Clint Barton. Today, developer Crystal Dynamics provided its first in-depth look into the arrowed Avenger, as well as a March release date for Hawkeye.

Hawkeye's story is called Operation: Future Imperfect and takes place in the not-too-distant possible future where all hope is lost and the world has been devastated. The Kree have come to Earth and laid waste to the planet.

Marvel's Avengers

According to the War Table presentation below, the Operation: Future Imperfect story is heavily inspired by the Old Man Hawkeye Marvel Comics run. That story centers around the world's supervillains organizing to wipe out all superheroes. In Marvel's Avengers' loose adaptation of this storyline, old man Hawkeye retired and sat the fight out, so he wasn't a part of the fight when the Kree attacked. Meanwhile, modern-day Hawkeye is involved in a storyline inspired by the Hawkeye comics My Life as a Weapon. 

In the apocalyptic future, a nuclear war has destroyed the planet and Hulk is driven insane by the tragic events as the additional radiation causes him to further transform into Maestro, a version of the green monster that combines Hulk's might with Banner's intelligence. Maestro takes out all remaining heroes and villains in the world to attempt to rebuild the planet in his image. With a throne surrounded by trophies like Iron Man's helmet and Captain America's shield, it doesn't look like things went so well for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Marvel's Avengers

Once you pick up the bow as Hawkeye, you can expect an eclectic mix of abilities from Clint. While you may best know him as the expert archer in the Marvel universe, Crystal Dynamics took inspiration from Clint's time as Ronin to also give him high-level swordplay. Clint is able to sidestep attacks and parry with ease. His Deadeye ability lets him home in on a specific target to maximize damage, while his arsenal of 10 unique arrow types will let you approach fights how you want to. His Hunter's Arrow ultimate allows him to shoot an arrow (or multiple arrows when you upgrade) that flies from enemy to enemy across the battlefield. 

You can see the entire War Table presentation below.

Click here to watch embedded media

The release of Hawkeye and his story coincides with the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of Marvel's Avengers. You can read more about that news here, or get up to speed with the game by checking out the full list of playable heroes and our review.

[Source: Marvel's Avengers on YouTube]

Xbox Game Pass Adds 7 New Games, Including Code Vein, Elite Dangerous, And More

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 10:51 AM PST

We've officially surpassed the halfway mark of February 2021 and to celebrate, Microsoft is sharing the new titles that players can look forward to coming to Xbox Game Pass. This ever-evolving library is constantly bringing new favorites and brand new games into its rotation and now seven new adventures are joining the fray. 

For those that may not be aware, Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service where, for a monthly flat fee, players can enjoy tons of games at no additional cost, including day-one first-party launch titles, DLC, and more additional content. For February going into the new month, we've got several new additions to enjoy, which you can learn more about below: 

Microsoft

What's coming: 

  • Code Vein, PC - February 18
  • Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Ultimate Edition, Cloud and Console - February 18
  • Wreckfest, Cloud, Console, and PC - February 18
  • Killer Queen Black, Cloud and Console - February 23
  • Dirt 5, Cloud, Console, and PC - February 25
  • Elite Dangerous, Console - February 25
  • Superhot: Mind Control Delete, PC - February 25

DLC and game updates: 

  • Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen - Until May 11
  • Fallout 76: Fascnacht Parade - February 16 - February 22
  • Microsoft Flight Simulator World Update III: United Kingdom and Ireland - Available now
  • Minecraft Dungeons: Flames of the Nether DLC and 10 Million Players Celebration - February 24
  • Moving Out: Movers in Paradise DLC - February 25
  • State of Decay 2: Toward Brighter Days - February 16 - March 1

What's leaving: 

  • Dirt 4, Console - February 24
  • Momodora: reverie Under the Moonlight, Console and PC - February 28
  • Mother Russia Bleeds, PC - February 28
  • Oxenfree, Console and PC - February 28
  • The Jackbox Party Pack 4, Console - February 28
  • Vambrace: Cold Soul, Console and PC - February 28

For those that don't have a Game Pass membership yet, here's what you need to know. With this service, there are two options to choose from: the Xbox Game Pass and the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Both offer Xbox players a chance to play over 100 titles at no additional cost, including day-one launches of first-party titles. 

Xbox Game Pass is $9.99 a month with the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate version coming in at $14.99, including Xbox Live Gold into that updated price. It's a solid deal, great for those that don't care to own titles or intent to play through more than once. 

What do you think about the latest titles to join the Xbox Game Pass going into March 2021? Sound off in the comment section below! 

[Source: Microsoft]

Marvel's Avengers Comes To PlayStation 5 And Xbox Series X In March

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 10:47 AM PST

Click here to watch embedded media

When Marvel's Avengers launched on last-gen platforms in 2020, we praised the title for its strong single-player campaign, but in the time since its launch, the development team has been largely quiet on the post-launch roadmap, much to the chagrin of a once-hopeful community. We received our first post-launch hero in Kate Bishop in December, but the new-gen version, which was originally set to be a launch title for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X was delayed so the team could focus on and prioritize more pressing problems that popped up after launch.

We now know that Marvel's Avengers is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on March 18. The current-gen version brings better performance, upgraded visuals, higher framerate, significantly faster load times, and haptic feedback for each hero on PlayStation 5. Those who already have the game on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One can upgrade to the current-gen version at no additional cost. Those who do upgrade will still be able to play with others with those who remain on the last-gen versions.

The release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S version coincides with the release of Hawkeye (Clint Barton). This means that if the new-gen version is what you've been waiting for to jump into the Crystal Dynamics' world of Marvel's Avengers, you'll have the base Avengers Reassemble campaign, the Kate Bishop Operation: Taking AIM campaign, and Clint Barton's Operation: Future Imperfect to play through. 

If you're new to Marvel's Avengers, check out the full list of heroes you can play as in the game and learn more about the title through our review.

A Bunch Of Amazing Games Are In Annapurna PS4 Box Sets, Out Today

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 10:32 AM PST

Annapurna Interactive has built a reputation for smart and varied games during its years of existence, often challenging conventions of what a game can be, and how interactive entertainment can remain engaging, even while tackling unusual or surprising subject matter. That penchant for unique games is on display in the publisher's new physical-release PlayStation 4 Box Sets, which are being released today in collaboration with iam8bit, another company known for its focus on the artistic side of video game creation. Iam8bit has been around since 2015, and focuses on partnerships with game and film creators to release high-end art, collections, and other products, and also interface directly with fans through community events.

The new box sets are exclusively built for PS4, and include a wide variety of Annapurna's games, including Donut County, Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition, Outer Wilds, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Wattam, and What Remains of Edith Finch, as well as a first appearance of Telling Lies and Gorogoa as a physical PlayStation 4 release. Those final two games will only be available as part of these sets.

The box sets are releasing on two separate tiers, at different price points. The Deluxe edition is only available directly through iam8bit, and will set you back $199.99, and comes in a limited edition of 2,000, with a special custom folio package, and includes exclusive statements from the game creators.

Meanwhile, the Ultimate PS4 Collection is available through a variety of retailers for $179.99, including all the games in an attractive boxed set, but without those extras that are part of the Deluxe edition.

While it's a pricey proposition for a variety of already-released games, the box sets are clearly targeted to existing fans looking to celebrate the artistry and independent spirit of the games in question. Projects like Kentucky Route Zero and What Remains of Edith Finch have been profoundly influential and beloved games in recent years. Beyond having access to the full slate of these varied games from Annapurna, the team-up with iam8bit ensures that the box set itself will be a beautiful shelf-piece all by itself.

Amazon Game Studios' New World Delayed Again

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 09:54 AM PST

New World is the upcoming MMORPG from publisher Amazon Game Studios and developer Double Helix, though according to the original plan, it was supposed to be out by now. The game was scheduled to be released last August, but was delayed in the interest of refining the experience. The revised release window was spring 2021, but today Double Helix announced that launch is being pushed again.

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According to the latest development update on the New World site, the game will now be released on August 31 – a year after its original date. However, considering all of the challenges that studios have been facing in terms of development during a pandemic, some moved release dates are easy to understand.  

Double Helix doesn't specifically cite those issues, but giving a game more time to reach its potential is rarely a bad move. That seems to be the main motivator, according to the studio's explanation. In announcing the new date, Double Helix's post reads (in part):

We've been hard at work on compelling end-game features we believe are important to include at launch. These features won't be ready for the Spring timeframe that we had communicated. With that in mind, we will release New World on August 31, 2021. With this extra time we'll be able to add these substantial improvements while polishing and fine tuning the whole game before we open Aeternum's shores to the world.

Though the delay is certainly news people should know, New World is more than its release date. If you want to learn more about the game itself – including its story, combat, and even romance options – then check out our interview with members of the development team. You'll get plenty of insight into the game's vision and the team's approach to bringing it all to life.

What are you thoughts on the August release date for New World? Are you disappointed you need to wait longer? Are you just excited to see the final result, whenever it's ready? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Peter Molyneux's Studio 22Cans Hit With Layoffs

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 09:30 AM PST

Peter Molyneux founded the studio 22Cans back in 2012 based in Guildford, England. Molyneaux started this venture following his work at Bullfrog Productions and Lionhead Studios, the latter shuttering its doors back in 2016. With 22Can's first game launching back in November 2012, the company is faced with the difficulty of layoffs going into 2021. 

As reported by GameIndustry.biz, the UK-based studio has begun an unfortunate round of layoffs, though the exact number of those affected has not been disclosed at this time. 

"Unfortunately, due to a number of factors including projects reaching a certain stage in their development, we can confirm that a number of roles at 22Cans have been made redundant," a studio spokesman said to the site. "Development at the studio is continuing, however."

22Cans

While this is a situation that no one wants to see or experience, it does look like the studio is taking steps to care for those impacted by the layoffs, including "some support" for the newly released staff in an effort to help place them in a new employment situation as soon as possible. 

Currently, 22Cans is working hard on a new simulator game called Legacy for PC players, though release date information remains under wraps. According to the spokesperson, development on the current title will remain on-course and will not be negatively impacted by the recent change. This new project follows after Godus, a game meant to be the spiritual successor to Molyneux's previous title Populous, which was developed for PC and mobile but the PC version hasn't seen an updated beta since 2016, though the mobile version continues to see support. It has been reported that following the end of lead developer Konrad Naszynski's contract that there is no one at the studio with plans to work on the Godus for PC. 

Layoffs, while sometimes unavoidable, are never something anyone wants to go through. Our hearts are with those employees affected by the sudden shift. If you or someone you know is impacted by the news, please check out this resource here within the industry that has a constantly updated list of employment opportunities. 

[Source: GameIndustry.biz]

The Last Of Us TV Series Fanart Shows Off Pedro Pascal As Joel

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 08:03 AM PST

The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal has been confirmed to be taking on the role of Joel in the upcoming The Last of Us TV series on HBO alongside Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey as Ellie. While we haven't seen either in full costume at this time, one fan decided to create art based on the casting news to see how Pascal fits the bill as our hardened smuggler-turned-best-dad. 

The below art was submitted by Reddit user 'Misty1789' and shows off a scruffier-looking Pascal with white littering his beard and in his more usual clothing style. From the guarded expression in his eyes to the aesthetic changes made to make him look more Joel-eque, this art has me a little more excited to see if the upcoming show is a true tribute to the first game from Naughty Dog. 

Thought it might be an interesting experiment to try and envision Pedro Pascal as Joel, so this happened from r/thelastofus

The latest adaptation will be a story set within the first game. Though exact details haven't been revealed quite yet, the team behind the new show has said in the past that it will "enhance" what fans fell in love with in the first place. Naughty Dog, the studio behind the game, is working alongside Sony Pictures Television, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games to make this series a reality with Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole) as the show director and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) as co-executive producer and lead writer. 

Neil Druckmann, the creator of The Last of Us and co-president of Naughty Dog, has said in the past that this adaptation is in the right hands because of Mazin's "deep understanding" of the source material.

It will be interesting to see what other casting news will be revealed to get a closer look at what the upcoming The Last of Us TV series will have to offer. Since we have our Joel and Ellie, however, we've got to ask: How are you feeling about the upcoming show? Could it be a loving homage to the first game or are you seek of seeing adaptations altogether? Sound off in the comment section below! 

Silent Hill Creator Teases New Concept Art For His Upcoming Horror Project

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 07:50 AM PST

While not Silent Hill, the creator of the iconic horror franchise, Keiichiro Toyama, just shared never-before-seen concept art for the new project he is working on. As expected from Toyama, the artwork looks pretty terrifying. 

The new concept art was revealed thanks to a recent interview with the creator over on the Bokeh Game Studio's YouTube channel, the studio behind the new project Toyama is working on. During the interview, he shared a first look at the upcoming horror project with a few new images that show off that Toyama has definitely not lost his touch when it comes to absolutely horrifying his fans. 

Click image thumbnails to view larger version

 

                                                                                                            

The above creatures revealed are unsettling, and I'm not just saying that as a massive weenie when it comes to anything horror-related. The monster designs are unique in their anemic aesthetic, something that Toyama talks a little more about in the new interview. "I often read comics as a form of entertainment," Toyama says in the below YouTube video. "Recently, you see a trend for 'death game' type of content. These works tend to add entertainment to somewhat brutal worlds, so I naturally took that approach. The view I have of horror is the everyday life being shaken. Rather than just showing scary things, it should question our position and make us challenge the fact that we're living peacefully."

Click here to watch embedded media

Death comics in Japan are gruesome, harrowing, and artistic down to the last line, and they've begun getting more and more popular in the West in recent years. With his insight about horror being connected to "everyday life being shaken" when reflecting back specifically on the last year, we can't help but to think he's had a lot more inspiration going into this new project beyond the usual horrors that humans face. Personal loss, world loss, political strive, natural disasters, horrifying human behavior — there are worlds of inspiration to be had and he's already proven he knows how to tap into that in a beautifully macabre way. 

Toyama also mentions that this new project is a way for him to go "back to my roots" when returning to this genre but that he also wants to ensure that an "entertainment" note could also be felt in the story beyond blind terror. His new project will retain "elements of horror" but that won't be all that it is, making this mysterious project even more intriguing when trying to guess what could possibly be coming next. 

What do you hope to see from Toyama's new horror project? Any guesses based on the interview above and the concept art shared? Sound off with your theories in the comment section below! 

[Source: Bokeh Game Studios via IGN]

50-Minute Nintendo Direct Set For February 17

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 07:17 AM PST

Nintendo has announced its first big Direct showcase in a while, promising more than 50 minutes of new information regarding games coming to Switch as well as new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate news. The Nintendo Direct is set for February 17. 

Nintendo didn't provide any more details about what the Direct will entail other than a vague reveal that the fighting game will be a part of it. The February 17 Nintendo Direct will be "roughly 50 minutes of information focused on available games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and games coming to Nintendo Switch in the first half of 2021." 

Click here to watch embedded media

Many fans are hoping for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 news, since the anniversary for that franchise is just a few days later on February 21. While not confirmed, it seems likely that at least something will be revealed concerning the future of Link and Zelda's adventures. If not, the timing of the two events is just one massive coincidence. Given how Nintendo treated the Super Mario 35th anniversary, however, the possibility of new Zelda news is incredibly high. 

Could we learn about more ports? That's also possible, given that the verbiage of the announcement focuses on already available games, so new DLC, events, and ports are most likely for this event. 

Just give us a Wind Waker port, you cowards. 

Ultimately, we will simply have to wait to see what the February 17 Nintendo Direct has to offer when the showcase goes live tomorrow at 2 p.m. Pacific. We'll be covering it live here at Game Informer as well as livestreaming it ourselves, so keep it tuned in right here to see what else the Big N has in store for players to enjoy. 

What do you hope to see from the February 17 Nintendo Direct? Are you hoping for Breath of the Wild 2 news or are you solely focused on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Sound off with your hopes, thoughts, and dreams in the comment section below. Link would want you to. 

Xbox Announces New Premium Wireless Headset

Posted: 16 Feb 2021 07:00 AM PST

The team at Xbox has announced a new headset to complement the new console hardware it launched last year in the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The new Xbox Wireless Headset promises myriad upgrades to your average, run-of-the-mill gaming headset with best-in-class audio performance and chat features.

When Microsoft set out to improve the gaming experience for the now-current generation of gaming, one key area was audio. The team wanted you to feel like you were dropped into the middle of your gaming experience, and hoped to achieve that with custom audio hardware built into the consoles to relieve the CPU of the workload of processing audio. With the new Xbox Wireless Headset, the platform holder hopes to take the experience to the next level.

The Xbox Wireless Headset allows you to hear games loud and clear with low latency and lossless audio. This new device supports the most popular spatial sound technologies, including Dolby Atmos, DTS Headphone: X, and Windows Sonic. Xbox specifically calls out being able to better hear crucial sounds like enemy footsteps as they attempt to sneak up on you. 

On top of being able to hear your games better, this new headset enables players to better hear those you're playing with. Intelligent chat audio quality is possible thanks to dual beamforming microphone elements that pick out speech, as well as voice isolation tuning that helps your microphone pick up your voice over any background noise. If you're not feeling super chatty, a new, toggleable auto-mute feature automatically turns off your mic when you're not talking so you're not heard unless you're meant to be; there's also a manual mute button, just to be safe. Either way, you're only heard when you want to be heard, and a new light indicator tells you when your voice is being picked up and the mic is active.

All the technology in the world would be for naught if the headset is uncomfortable, so the team at Xbox worked to deliver a lightweight design, large and soft earcups made of polyurethane leather, and an adjustable headband with a thick cushion. Just because it's comfortable doesn't mean it's soft all around, though. The Xbox Wireless Headset features a frame with an inner metal headband, rubberized dial rings for grip, and an adjustable mic that you can easily tuck away if you're not using it. The earcups also rotate so you can easily adjust the volume of the game or chat. 

Click here to watch embedded media

Much like other premium accessories released by Xbox (like the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller 2), nearly every aspect of the experience in configurable and customizable. Using the Xbox Accessories app on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, or PC, you can fine-tune and customize your experience, including equalizer settings, bass boost, auto-mute sensitivity, mic monitoring, and even the brightness of the microphone's mute light. You can also connect to this app to download updates to the headset.

The headset can connect to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 PC, plus mobile devices via Bluetooth. That means you can use the headset to listen to music on your phone before switching over to your Xbox for gaming without any wires. You can even pair the headset to both your phone and Xbox simultaneously so you can have a call and play games at the same time. When it comes to battery life, you can squeeze four hours of use out of 30 minutes of charging, of 15 hours of use out of three hours of downtime charging.

The new Xbox Wireless Headset is available beginning March 16, and can be pre-ordered starting today. The headset is listed for $99.99.

Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S launched last November, delivering iterative, yet noticeable improvements over its predecessors in the Xbox One and Xbox One X. If you've yet to dive in to the new generation of gaming, you can learn more about what those two systems bring to the table by reading our review.
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