So I have no idea whether Prey will be as amazing as the new trailer makes it look, but it certainly reminds me of a cross between Half-Life 2 and Alien, and maybe the closest thing to a Half-Life spiritual successor we're likely to see.
The science-fiction shooter isn't just about blasting scary demonic creatures on a creepy space station, it's also about puzzle solving using an interesting arsenal of tools and weapons. Players take on the role of Morgan Yu as he unravels the mysteries of the space station and his own identity. (Morgan sounds a lot like Gordon, too.)
Here's the brand new gameplay trailer:
So that looks pretty awesome. Already 2017 is shaping up to be yet another great year for first-person shooters.
Prey is being developed by Arkane Studios, the creators of Dark Messiah of Might & Magic and the Dishonored games. It's no wonder that it reminds me a little of Half-Life 2 then---the art style of Dishonored strongly evoked that game as well. (The art style here doesn't, but the gameplay does...)
In any case, I'm sure it will be its own unique experience entirely, but I'm glad we're seeing more games like this and Titanfall 2 and various other creative shooters coming out.
Prey lands on PS4, Xbox One and PC on May 5th. I can't wait.
Action-RPG Nier: Automata has gone gold, publisher Square Enix has announced.
The game's producer, Yosuke Saito tweeted the news (translated by Gematsu), apparently stating that the game actually went gold long ago. He didn't specify exactly when the game was completed, however.
The demo's description on the Store says it is set in an abandoned factory, and it "follows android 2B's mission to destroy a massive enemy weapon that lies within."
The game is made by PlatinumGames, the developer of acclaimed action titles like The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta.
Ninja Theory reassures gamers that Hellblade will indeed be released in 2017 for PS4 and PC.
Ninja Theory has reiterated that the long-delayed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice will be released in 2017.
Originally announced in 2014, Hellblade was pencilled in for a 2016 launchalthough that obviously failed to happen. Fortunately, Ninja Theory commented on Twitter that the hotly anticipated PlayStation 4 and PC actioner will ship at some point this year, although an exact release date has yet to be announced.
“Yes! We’re really looking forward to sharing #Hellblade with you all. The support has been amazing,” said the company, in response to whether the game was coming out this year.
Hellblade’s story is based on Celtic mythology, and follows the exploits of Senua as she ventures into a hellish underworld concocted from the psychotic manifestations of her own reality and mind. Ninja Theory has described the game as an ‘independent AAA game’ in the sense that it is being developed and published independently, but still maintains the quality and production values of other major video game releases on the market.
Ninja Theory is perhaps best known to PlayStation gamers as the studio behind the PS3-exclusive Heavenly Sword, which was released back in 2007. In addition, the company was also responsible for rebooting Capcom’s Devil May Cry franchise back in 2013, with the game later being remastered for current-generation systems.
I hadn't heard of Dexed until today, just ahead of its PlayStation VR launch on Tuesday, but knowing that it was made by Ninja Theory (Enslaved, Hellblade) and inspired by Panzer Dragoon has me curious.
It's a straightforward premise, with players holding an ice blaster in one hand, a fire blaster in the other, and painting targets that are susceptible to one elemental attack but not the other. This trailer gets that point across, so I'll just add that there's a standard relaxing "Zen Mode" option as well.
After back-to-back late nights spent with Resident Evil 7, I could use a palate cleanser. The user reviews for the already-released Oculus Rift and HTC Vive versions of Dexed sound decent enough: short, sweet, and well-polished. About what I would expect from a built-for-VR arcade title.
Best of all, this is reasonably priced at $10. There's simply not enough of that in the VR space.
Netflix is working on a new original series based on Konami’s Castlevania franchise, the company announced today.
The news was buried within a press release sent out after an event for the network’s upcoming slate of new series, which was held in New York City. Although Netflix didn’t announce who would executive produce the Castlevania series, but Adi Shankar (producer on Dredd) confirmed on Facebook he would be co-running the series. The first part of the first season is expected to be released this year. Acclaimed writer Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Iron Man) has reportedly written the first season.
Prior to the announcement animator Michael Hirsh told the Globe and Mail that his new studio, Wow Unlimited Media, would be teaming with Netflix to create the animated series. According to Hirsh, the show will be targeted towards a younger audience, which is interesting considering Shankar described the show as dark and satirical, with the intention to “flip the vampire sub-genre on its head.”
In December, Adventure Time executive producer Fred Seibert hinted on a podcast that he was working on a TV series about a popular video game (his studio, Frederator, owns the rights to Castlevania) but nothing was confirmed by Seibert or Netflix at the time.
The first Castlevania game was released in 1986, but it’s unclear if the series will focus on the events of that specific title or later installments in the franchise. The last game in the Castlevania series, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, was released in 2014.
More information is expected to be announced in the coming months.
The Japanese game developer reveals more about his next project, 'Death Stranding', and his love for movies
Hideo Kojima is currently working on 'Death Stranding' starring Mads Mikkelsen Illustration by Bram Vanhaeren
Hideo Kojima's work in video games, creating the strange, huge and best-selling series Metal Gear Solid for publisher Konami has won him an army of devoted fans and plenty of awards. Those fans and peers alike were shocked when, in 2015, it became clear he was leaving Konami and Metal Gear Solid behind under not entirely amicable circumstances.
Now he's back with a new studio, Kojima Productions, and a new game, Death Stranding, that stars Mads Mikkelsen, Norman Reedus and Kojima's friend and cult movie director Guillermo Del Toro. In an in-depth interview with Glixel – the new video game site from the makers of Rolling Stone – he spoke about the new project, his passion for movies and gave his take on the new Nintendo Switch console.
He sees the Nintendo Switch as an evolution of a 2011 Metal Gear Solididea"You might be familiar with a thing we created called 'Transfarring' which let you transfer data between a PS Vita game and a PS3 game. I see the Switch as an evolution of that idea, where you can play something at home and play it to go. This is the main attraction of this system."
His next game Death Stranding isn't horror, and will even be funny"Death Stranding is not a horror game. I just wanted to make something that looks very unique, something you haven't seen before, something with a more artistic slant to it. I’m not pursuing a dark aspect to the game."
He also explains that lighter moments are important when you're putting a player through stressful situations. "So we'll have humor in this game too, but to a degree that it doesn't ruin the world setting. It will be at an appropriate level."
He believes that the difference been watching a movie and playing a game will disappear
"I believe that in the very near future, games and movies will meld together. Also the way games and movies are created now are basically interchangeable; you can interchange assets," he says.
"But if we move to what we were just talking about – VR and breaking out of the frame – that'll happen with movies. So now with movies people will be able to look anywhere, so you’ll need to design assets, you'll need to design the movie with the same mentality as designing a game to service the viewer, to cover all those bases. So in that respect they'll become the same type of entertainment."
He's seen Mad Max: Fury Road - Black And Chrome Edition 18 times"I really enjoy that even though it doesn't have any color, for some reason you feel colors, and even smells and sounds that aren't there. Maybe it's because I've seen it so many times it sort of puts itself back together in my mind."
He's very into La La Land’s lead actress"Right now I’m really into Emma Stone. [Laughs] There are many actresses I like, like Alicia Vikander from Ex Machina," he says. Alicia Vikander is my favorite actress, but right now I'm really into Emma Stone because of La La Land. I've seen it three times already.
Mads Mikkelsen had no idea who Hideo Kojima was or what he’d created until he asked his son. Spoiler alert: excitement ensued.
Mikkelsen appeared on a recent episode of HideoTube, brought to you by Kojima himself to discuss Death Stranding. The actor discussed his first meeting with Kojima and his experiences developing the game. The most endearing part of Mikkelsen’s interview was when he spoke about discussing the project with his son.
"[My] son knew him, knew his games. And when I told him I was gonna meet you he was like, 'Oh! I have to come with you!' But obviously he's a brilliant man and very, very nice, and it's just an honor to be part of this. It's something that I've never done before, and to do it straight in the super league is fantastic,” Mikkelsen said (via Games Radar ).
When your kid is excited about a project, there’s no way you’re turning it down. Mikkelsen went on to discuss his experiences on the motion capture set for Death Stranding. The actor was impressed by Kojima’s push for improvisation on set. Mikkelsen liked being able to contribute to developing his character.
"As I said before, it's a very interesting universe,” Mikkelsen said, referring to Death Stranding . “It's not story driven in the sense that we go from A to Z, like we do in a film. We can make up the background, but we don't necessarily have to, because it is out of time, out of space. It is in the moment. So I think the opportunity of doing things we've never done before, as you say, that is not necessarily linked to a psychological base, but it's based to the moment. It could be very interesting, which we normally don't do when we do characters.”
For what we can tell from the Death Stranding trailers, Mikkelsen is likely playing a villain in the video game. We don’t know much about his character, but we have faith in Kojima’s ability to create interesting storylines. Death Stranding is currently in development through an exclusive partnership with Sony.
With directors leaving The Flash every couple of weeks, early rumblings suggesting disappointment from Wonder Woman, and Ben Affleck departing The Batman's director's chair, things at DC and Warner Bros look very chaotic right now.
Harley Quinn has always been known to thrive in chaos, though, and the Joker's deranged other half seems to be doing just that at the moment. While other characters' films are struggling to get off the ground, Harley's prominence in the DC plans has risen exponentially.
Margot Robbie's clown-obsessed criminal will team up with iconic female baddies in Gotham City Sirens, a film that's on the fast track while other DC projects gestate in development hell. It's a testament to Robbie's performance in Suicide Squad that she's branching into her own vehicle here, whereas the future plans for Jared Leto's Joker are far less clear.
Some talent from Suicide Squad will return, with a few fresh faces added to the mix, suggesting that this (like the major tonal shift of Justice League) is another attempt from DC to correct course and get their universe on track.
Here's everything you need to know...
8. David Ayer Is Back…
2016 Getty Images
Despite the divisive nature of Suicide Squad, its writer-director David Ayer hasn't been thrown out by Warners and DC. The helmsman of Fury and End Of Watch will return to the DCEU to direct Gotham City Sirens, re-teaming with Robbie after shooting her big screen Harley Quinn debut.
Many loathed Suicide Squad, Ayer himself on Twitter recently, posted a very reflective monologue about the lessons he's learned from his first DC movie. If he could make Suicide Squad again, Ayer says he'd "engineer a more grounded story" and "give the characters the stories and plots they deserve next time. Real talk."
With any luck, Ayer will take these lessons on board and take care to deliver the best movie he can with Gotham City Sirens. But it seems the studio doesn't have infinite faith in him..
7. … But He's Not Writing The Script
Warner Bros.
Warners are willing to let Ayer behind the camera on another DC film, but they don't want him writing the script this time.
Instead of Ayer, Geneva Robertson-Dworet has been tasked with hashing out the script for Gotham City Sirens. She's a hot talent in Hollywood at the moment, who's also been tasked with writing the Tomb Raider reboot and Robert Downey Jnr's Sherlock Holmes 3. This is an unprecedented number of blockbusters for a writer to have on their plate at once; especially a writer who hasn't had a film in cinemas yet.
But that's what Robertson-Dworet is: a brand new writer on the scene that all the studios are fighting over. Hopefully that means she's got epic skills to bring to the table, and some fresh ideas to liven up the DCEU.
6. Margot Robbie Is Stepping Up To Exec Producer
Warner Bros. Pictures
Following a recent trend (Daniel Craig did it with Spectre and Ben Affleck is doing it now on The Batman), Margot Robbie won't just be the star of Gotham City Sirens - she'll also be involved behind the scenes as an executive producer.
Even though Ayer's Suicide Squad script was all over the place, it was clear in the finished film that Robbie really understood the character of Harley Quinn. As pre-transformation Harleen she was nervous and shy, and as the fully-fledged supervillain Harley she darted between comedic charm, outright nuttiness and pure, crazy love for Mr J.
It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the character on screen after witnessing Robbie's take. And her eye for Harley's idiosyncrasies will surely come in handy during production: part of her job could be ensuring that everyone stays on the same page, sticking to one vision for the character. That kind of focus was missing last time around, and could make all the different here.
5. It's Not The First Harley Script They've Worked On
DC Comics
Before settling on the Gotham City Sirens branding, DC had Christina Hodson (another up-and-coming female writer) working on a script entitled Birds Of Prey. According to The Wrap, it would've featured Harley alongside "multiple female heroes." Rumours inspired by comics suggested that Batgirl, Black Canary, Huntress and Katana could've all appeared.
It remains to be seen whether any ideas from Birds Of Prey will bleed into Gotham City Sirens. It would certainly be cool to see rival female factions on the big screen - iconic DC heroes and villains, with a conflicted Harley caught the middle. After saving the world in Suicide Squad, is there part of her that would rather help people than hurt them?
For now, the plot of the movie is a mystery, but it's probably wise to expect a female hero or two among the baddies...
4. The Joker And Batman Aren’t Confirmed
Warner Bros.
As it stands, the only actor listed on Gotham City Sirens' IMDb page is Margot Robbie herself.
Jared Leto's Joker has not been confirmed yet, but seems likely to show up in some capacity, even if it's just to explain why Harley is branching out on her own rather than hanging out with him after Suicide Squad. Some fans wanted more Leto last time, and others would've been happy if he was removed altogether - it'll be interesting to see how the powers-that-be respond to that.
Ben Affleck's Batman isn't attached yet, either. It would be odd for a film with Gotham in the title not to feature the city's most famous resident, but Batfleck is busy writing, starring in and producing his own DC film at the moment. Would he even have time to shoot a cameo?
3. Megan Fox Is Rumoured For Poison Ivy...
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Shortly after Gotham City Sirens was announced, Bleeding Cool posted a rumour: Megan Fox, they reckon, is circling the role of Poison Ivy. They had reasons to back it up, too. Apparently, Fox is a long-time comic book fan, which is why she previously signed on for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jonah Hex and Robot Chicken (in which she voices Lois Lane) and that the website had "been shown hard evidence that [Fox] has ordered pre-52 Harley Quinn comics that feature Poison Ivy, sent to her Warner Studios address."
Nobody at Warners responded to the rumour, though, so it remains just that for the time being.
There's no denying that Fox looks the part. And she's even played evil characters before, giving one of her best performances in the murderous lead role in Jennifer's Body. Red hair and green clothes is all she needs at this point.
2. … And Haley Bennett Could Be Catwoman
Universal Pictures
2016 was a big year of Haley Bennett - she sizzled in The Girl On The Train and provided the emotional core to The Magnificent Seven. But 2017 could be even bigger for her, with rumours persisting that her casting as Catwoman is soon to be confirmed.
Bennett has been teasing something along these lines on her Instagram account. She literally posted a picture of Catwoman, followed by evidence that she's had her hair cut short. Then she snapped a seafood dinner, and added the caption "Meow". And after that came a selfie, showing Bennett in a slinky all-black outfit. She's toying with DC fans at this point.
Margot Robbie, Megan Fox and Haley Bennett would make for a star-studded ensemble, that's for sure. Of course, it's worth reiterating that neither Fox or Bennett's casting is officially confirmed yet... but still, these are exciting times.
1. It Could Get Hot And Heavy
DC Comics
A romance between Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy was brewing in the comics for ages (they lived together for a time, and the hints at a sexual relationship were fairly blatant), before DC's Twitter account confirmed in 2015 that "they are girlfriends without the jealousy or monogamy."
A year later, the comics acted on the innuendo and actually showed them being intimate. Finally, the iconic female villains locked lips in Bombshells issue #46.
"There are better things to do in the moonlight than dance", Harley said before the snog, riffing on Jack Nicholson's famous line from the 1989 Batman film. But will the moviemakers return the favour now, and refer to this relationship on the big screen? Could Harley and Ivy by the DCEU's first non-straight couple?
Gotham City Sirens would be the prime opportunity to explore this, given its focus on female characters and Harley branching out. Also, it's impossible to deny that some romance between sexy super-villains would get some bums on seats...
What do you want to see in Gotham City Sirens? Let us know in the comments below...
A whole heap of new gameplay details have emerged on Mass Effect Andromeda, along with a bunch of stunning screenshots. BioWare has been gradually peeling back the layers on its next sci-fi space opera ahead of next month’s launch, revealing that a lot of inspiration has been taken from The Witcher 3, for quest content in particular.
“We are approaching the completionist aspect very differently, because we've done and learned a lot from Inquisition," said Mass Effect producer, Fabrice Condominas. "But we've also observed what other games have been doing, like The Witcher.”
Which is all great to hear because if Dragon Age: Inquisition had one major downfall it was the surplus if below par side-content. It truly was the epitome of quantity over quality and the experience was made heaps better by just skipping as much of it as possible.
And now for some juicy game info on Mass Effect Andromeda. Spoiler warning obviously, although nothing here is particularly plot-heavy.
In total there will be a dozen hub areas in MEA. This includes the Citadel-like Nexus space station, and Kadara, a cyberpunk Wild West town on the galaxy’s frontier.
The tone of Mass Effect Andromeda’s plot will be much more like. There is no overarching evil force, this is more a tale of adventures in space and feeling of discovery. Each of Andromeda’s planets will have its own back story, a questline, enemy bases to clear out and puzzle-based vaults to work through for exclusive loot.
The galaxy map will be presented in full 3D and players will have full agency over where they travel to. Littered throughout it will be story missions which will be much more linear than the side-content. Players will be funneled through “arena-like” areas rather than open-world for mainline quests.
Still nothing on Mass Effect Andromeda’s PC system requirements, however BioWare has previously said we can expect to see them in February. With just two weeks left to go that means we haven’t got long to wait.
Mass Effect Andromeda is out on March 21st for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Whose combined résumé boasts Dying Light, The Witcher series, Hitman, Dead Island and more.
After leaving Techland in April 2016, the Polish studio's ex-COO Pawel Zawodny has now launched new outfit Strange New Things.
Having overseen work on the likes of Dying Light, Dead Island and the Call of Juarez series himself, Zawodny is joined by a handful of former Techland colleagues, as well as former employees of IO Interactive and CD Projekt Red. Their collective industry experience spans 144 years, and covers over 20 big-budget games.
"Every member of the team had worked on major titles throughout their career," says Zawodny in a statement. "Dying Light, Hitman, The Witcher series, Dead Island, Call of Juarez series—they are just some of the titles we were heavily involved in. We have producers, artists, writers, programmers, level designers, and other people who had major impact on those AAA productions.
"After decades of creating titles that were dictated by so-called market demand, we've all reached a point when we decided to do something different—something that comes from 'us'. We also felt that the way the industry giants work is outdated. We want to adapt to a new way of working and fostering team work—an evolutionary approach described as Teal—where there are no predefined hierarchies or roles. It's time that we change the industry from the inside."
"This is the project name of our upcoming game that will be about [blank], which is set in [blank], from the perspective [blank]. This project holds a special place in our heart. It tells the story of a particular moment in a particular time and place. That moment made a huge impact on [blank]. It’s a story that happened many times before, and most likely will happen [blank]. But this is [blank's] story, and you can experience it [blank]. All will be revealed at the right time."
Very edgy.
Given the wide-reaching level of experience harnessed by Strange New Things, though, whatever it does come up with will most likely be worth keeping an eye on into the future.
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