Tactical Shooter Nine To Five Heads To PC Early Access

Redhill Games’ Nine To Five is now available on Steam Early Access if you’re looking to try out the tactical shooter that shakes up the formula with small, scrappy team fights. If you’re looking for something that feels a lot like the common core of Counterstrike but with smaller teams, more teams in each match, and considerably more intel available before taking action, Nine To Five might be one to take a look at. 

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Instead of the popular 5v5 or 6v6 formats that make up the standard in most shooter maps, Nine To Five centers on 3v3v3 gameplay, meaning if you’re the last left alive on a team, you can make a quick exit and hope the other two teams tear each other to pieces, leaving you to clean house on a final target. Of course, everything is objective-based, so securing the position fast and taking a critical point can mean a quick win, while the opponents hope that you get into a skirmish first before acting. Decisions, decisions!

Gun modding is a huge part of Nine To Five, and you can tweak the dials on damage, accuracy, range, and a host of other numbers on weapons, letting you play around with bizarre and powerful takes on the core weapons you expect in a tactical shooter. Shotguns, automatic rifles, sniper rifles, and the rest of the standard fare are all available for tweaking and tuning.

Unlike the 3v3v3 mechanics that change up gameplay considerably (for better or worse) than many other shooters occupying the same subgenre, drone usage is a big thing. Players all have drones they can use to scout areas or even set up to overlook a position. Have a great sniper roost with only one entry point? Set up your drone behind you, and you will know exactly when an enemy is on the approach and can swivel around and take them out. However, drones are fragile and easily destroyed, so scout and set up with caution! Also, we all know how boring it can be when you’re dead, and you have to wait around for your allies to complete the match to move on. Well, now you can actively help your teammates while dead by taking control of a drone and doing some more recon! These drones add a highly significant factor to gameplay and can easily be as important as quality aim.

Does the 3v3v3 format interest you? Do you like checking out games in early access or waiting for launch? Let us know in the comments!

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Bungie C++ Guidelines & Razors

Coding guidelines are commonly used to mandate a particular format style, to ensure proper usage of a system, and to prevent common issues from occurring. But how do you know if a new guideline is worth it or not?

Ghostrunner’s Neon Pack Adds Assist Options And Roguelike Wave Mode

Ghostrunner is a thrilling but brutally difficult action platformer that requires pixel-perfect timing and quick reflexes to survive. Thankfully, things will be a bit easier for those who want to enjoy the ride with a lower skill ceiling, thanks to the arrival of the Neon Pack DLC. The new content bundle, which is available to purchase now for $4.49, adds flashy new swords and two additional gameplay modes, one of which adds some handy assist options to make your ninja parkour adventure less maddening. 

Assist Mode adds handy accessibility options such as shorter cooldown times for special skills, the ability to take one extra hit before dying, and, perhaps the biggest boon, gameplay slowdown. This option decreases the speed of the action by two degrees, “slow” or “slower.” This allows players who have trouble keeping up with Ghostrunner due to physical disability, age, or otherwise to engage with the game at a pace better suited to them.

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For hardcore players, the roguelike Wave Mode pits them against 20 randomized waves of increasingly challenging enemies. With every wave you complete, you’ll unlock another upgrade to equip to help keep you in the fight. A special prize awaits anyone who can slice their way through all 20 waves. 

Neon Pack also bestows the Neon Night, Afterglow, Luminescence, and Glint swords. These colorful animated blades each come with their own glove set. 

Ghostrunner is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Native PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are scheduled to release September 28. Meanwhile, Ghostrunner 2 has already been announced for new-gen consoles and PC, though the release window remains a mystery. 


What do you think of the Neon Pack? If you bounced on Ghostrunner due to its difficulty, does the assist mode entice you to give it another go? Let us know in the comments!

Hearthstone Unveils New Mercenaries Mode

We first heard about Mercenaries all the way back in February, but today Blizzard has taken a much deeper dive into specifics about the upcoming Hearthstone mode. Mercenaries is essentially a different game but located within the Hearthstone client and universe, living separately in the same space – similar to how the auto battler Battlegrounds shares space with the core digital collectible card game. Hearthstone Mercenaries arrives on October 12.

In Mercenaries, you build up a village and put together a crew of powerful warriors, wizards, and whatever else you like. Most of the characters you can acquire are huge names in the Warcraft universe, ranging from high-profile powerhouses like Tyrande Whisperwind to meme-masters like Milhouse Manastorm. It’s important to reiterate that acquiring, playing, equipping, and both PVE and PVP experiences in Mercenaries are nothing like that of core Hearthstone. This is ostensibly a completely new game. 

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You must build a team of mercenaries from core archetypes – Fighters, Casters, and Protectors- and choose to slot both abilities and equipment. What do you do with this team? Chase bounties, of course! As you take on a bounty, you face various encounters and other interactive nodes as you work through a map. Yes, this aspect is very similar to how you maneuver through many modern roguelike deckbuilders such as Slay the Spire or Monster Train. Combat is its own beast that requires plenty of strategical noodling as you set things up and watch them happen, hopefully with a result that leaves you the winner. 

Along the way, progression is bolstered by building up your own village, which hosts myriad unlocks. You can check out deep dives into gameplay, village/collection, and a top-level overview on the official site. What do you think of Mercenaries? Is this mode appealing? Do you play Battlegrounds or standard Hearthstone? Let us know in the comments!

Dead Space Early Build Shows Better Lighting, VFX, And Alien Dismemberment

I remember playing Dead Space when it dropped in 2008 and putting my playthrough on pause multiple times because of crippling fear. Necromorph gurgling and low-frequency vespers would fill my ears even when walking down an unoccupied hallway. That level of dread is hard to match and even harder to recreate. And yet Dead Space is back in the spotlight once again. Motive Studios is helming the remake and showcased an early build during today’s livestream event: better lighting, new VFX, and updated necromorph dismemberment technology. 

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Senior producer Philippe Ducharme and creative director Roman Campos-Oriola took to the virtual podium to facilitate the Dead Space Remake livestream and show what the team has in store for returning and new players. Ducharme began the conversation highlighting the importance of honoring the first game’s legacy; “staying true to the source.” Motive Studios engaged with community members early on for brutal feedback during the conception stages. And even though polished gameplay wasn’t revealed today, we got a quick peek at the Ishimura’s next-gen facelift. The massive cruiser has been recreated using legacy assets amplified with new levels of detail and atmospheric lighting. Ambient fog coats shadowy corridors where necromorphs lie in wait.

Speaking of necromorphs, Ducharme and Campos-Oriola talked about the deeper level of gore coming to the Dead Space Remake. Impalement from Dead Space 2 is back, and layers of bodily membranes can be blasted away by Isaac’s different firearms. For instance, an energy slice from the plasma cutter might first rip an alien’s skin off the bone, giving the player an idea of their chosen weapon’s usefulness based on visual feedback. Perhaps an enhanced plasma cutter might sever the bone entirely. Either way, enemy body damage is now implemented, making the action more horrific than it already was; an impressive feat if you played the original version of the game.

Towards the end of the livestream, when asked about narrative expansion, Campos-Oriola responded that the story would remain unchanged because it’s “really iconic… it’s just about being Isaac and going into that hulking spaceship and feeling alone and isolated as you try to survive all these space zombies, finding Nicole, and solving the mystery of the Markers.” Motive Studios wants to resituate Dead Space in its broader universe (e.g., movies, anime, sequel games) in a better way. For more details, watch the stream above.


Does this make you even more excited for the remake? Based on Ducharme and Campos-Oriola’s words, is the team paying homage to the series in all the ways that you’ve ever imagined? Drop your thoughts in the comments section!

Windows 11 With Gaming Enhancements Launches October 5

PC users are no longer left wondering when the next big Windows platform is going to launch. Confirmed today in a blog post, Microsoft will be releasing Windows 11 on October 5. New computers loaded with the redesigned operating system will be released on that day as well, though a free update to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to existing Windows 10 users starting on launch day. But getting your upgrade could take a while.

Microsoft is looking to their last big OS release for guidance on this rollout for existing devices. “The free upgrade to Windows 11 starts on October 5 and will be phased and measured with a focus on quality. Following the tremendous learnings from Windows 10, we want to make sure we’re providing you with the best possible experience,” says Aaron Woodman in his post on the Windows blog. Newer products running Windows 10 will be prioritized, as they are more likely to hit the preferred specifications, which won’t be a stretch for recently purchased computers. 

Microsoft plans to have the rollout last through mid-2022, so if your desktop or laptop is more than a couple of years old, you may have to have some patience. Leading up to the release of Windows 11, MS will be rereleasing its PC Health Check app to determine eligibility to upgrade. Those who wish to remain on Windows 10 for the foreseeable future will continue to receive support and updates through October 14, 2025.

So, what does Windows 11 mean for gaming? Microsoft is taking features from the Xbox Series X/S consoles and bringing them to the new OS. Auto HDR will be making an appearance, and DirectX 12 Ultimate, which allows the use of DirectX Raytracing, mesh shaders, and variable rate shading. In layman’s terms, games can look and/or run better using these tools.

Another big deal for PC gaming is the inclusion of support for the DirectStorage API, which will greatly decrease loading times in-game, like what you’d see in the Series X/S. Luckily, DirectStorage will also be available for Windows 10 users, but regardless of your OS, the feature will need specific hardware like solid-state drives to work.

Of course, the Xbox app and Xbox Game Pass – as usual, for a separate subscription fee – will be present in the new OS environment, allowing for the use of Xbox’s community features and the subscription service’s library of games. Streaming games through the Xbox app via Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming at some point, but until then, the service will have to be through the web browser.

Windows 11 will also feature a new look, with the Start menu gravitating to the center of the taskbar. Clicking the Start icon will introduce a dock window with your available apps. It’s rather MacOS in its presentation, so those who are Windows loyalists may be in for some culture shock. Microsoft is tying Teams into the taskbar and will introduce updates to widgets, snapping, and improved accessibility options. Android apps will also be making their debut on PC, and not just for touch screen devices!

While the change from Windows 10 to 11 is a big deal, I don’t see it as being quite as problematic as previous OS transitions. While Windows 11 has a new look, the way it runs behind the scenes will be similar enough to Windows 10 that you shouldn’t have to worry about your current gaming collection suddenly becoming useless. Although there may be individual issues with apps and programs, so if there’s anything you absolutely need to keep up and running, do some research before upgrading.

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Are you excited about the new version of Windows? Will you be upgrading ASAP, or would you rather wait and see how things shake out? I, for one, love digging into new software and tech, so count me among those diving in immediately.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season 5 Is Here

While Call of Duty: Vanguard may have revitalized Call of Duty conversation over the last few weeks, the content engine rolls on strong for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone. Season 5 is finally here, and with it comes a new Double Agent mode, multiplayer maps, Zombies, and Warzone additions! Let’s break it down.

First, there’s Double Agent mode. Get ready to backstab and betray in this multiplayer party-style experience. Is this Call of Duty’s take on Among Us fever? Not quite, but there’s still plenty of sus to be had. Double Agent features a ten-player lobby in which players take on one of three roles. The titular double agents want to see everyone else dead or blow up explosive sites to see victory. The investigator, well, investigates to try to find the double agents. And the rest of the players are operatives who identify and eliminate the double agents before they win. 

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Obviously, this type of game mode wouldn’t work well with mini-games and many people standing in a circle accusing each other of being the enemy in a Call of Duty game. Nah, everyone starts with a pistol, and weapons are available all over the map. However, each role has access to different skills and abilities to help them meet their goals. For instance, the investigator can track footprints from a kill location to help identify an enemy or issue a Wanted Order to mark a suspicious player. Yep, you can use voice chat to help identify those wily agents too! I’m sure those conversations will be absolutely chill.

Demolition game mode makes a return. If an investigation isn’t your thing, you can blow up bombsites. Now that’s more like it! Five multiplayer maps head into rotation here as well across the season rollout (not all available at Season launch), including Echelon, Slums, Showroom, Drive-In, and Zoo. Yes, Zoo. You get to battle it out in freaking bear pits, aquariums, and the gift shop. Don’t worry; no animals will be harmed. I hope we get to fight in the penguin areas; those are always the coolest places in any zoo.

Zombies mode is getting a new perk that lets players see enemies, highlighting them with a bright outline perfect for spotting dangerous threats long before they’re chomping your face. A new Outbreak region brings even more variance to the Zombies survival mode (If you’re not familiar with Outbreak, it’s pretty awesome, and yes, it’s a mode within a mode, games are getting very meta these days). Tanks have also been added to Outbreak, so when you really need some extra stopping power, you can mow down an entire legion of zombies with some serious shelling. And if that wasn’t enough, a grapple gun also adds some traversal and speed options for Outbreak players.

And if you aren’t interested in any of that content, Warzone has even more going on. New perks enter the pot with Combat Scout and Tempered. Combat Scout pings enemies and temporarily highlights them, which is a huge edge in combat for the battle royale mode. Tempered lets you get the most out of your armor plates, making them more efficient so that your team will likely have more plates to share so you can go into battle fully prepared. New points of interest and a new Gulag map flesh things out.

Alongside all this, there are new operators, new weapons, and more also on the way. For a full overview of everything hitting in Season 5, check out the official site here. What do you think about Season 5, specifically the Double Agent mode? Let us know in the comments!

The Marvel’s Midnight Suns Digital Issue Is Now Live

Marvel's Midnight Suns

If you subscribe to Game Informer‘s digital edition, you’re now able to learn more about the highly anticipated Marvel’s Midnight Suns from the strategy masters at Firaxis Games. Following last week’s cover reveal, our digital issue is now live to subscribers on web browsersiPad/iPhone, and Android devices. Individual issues will be available for purchase later today. You can download the apps to view the issue by following this link. All of these digital options are included in a standard subscription.

Cover by Ryan Stegman (artist) and Guru-eFX (colorist)

But this issue is so much more than just our cover story! In keeping with the theme of games inspired by the colorful panels of comic creators, various Game Informer editors discuss their favorite comic book and superhero games of all time. Jason Guisao writes an opinion on why Princess Zelda should finally get her own game. We offer a detailed breakdown of Valves’ new portable PC device, the Steam Deck. Matt Miller takes an early look at the World of Warcraft-themed Pandemic board game. Meanwhile, Blake Hester goes hands-on with the latest Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio epic, Lost Judgement.

We also have deep-dive on some of the most exciting games on the horizon, including big features on Back 4 Blood and Life is Strange: True Colors. Even beyond our featured previews, you can expect new looks at Far Cry 6, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, NBA 2K22, Halo Infinite, Company of Heroes 3, and plenty more! Top that off with our usual review section, as well as a bevy of other interesting articles and this issue has something for everyone!

If you subscribe digitally on PC or mobile through our standard subscription, you can access the issue now. If you subscribe through our third-party apps, Kindle and Nook, the issue will arrive in your library later this week.

Not a digital subscriber yet? Convert your existing print subscription or start a new subscription here.

CD Projekt Red Hires Cyberpunk 2077 Community Modders

Despite its bumpy launch period, Cybperunk 2077’s fervent modding community has been hard at work buffing Night City’s immersion in positive and controversial ways. Nevertheless, the impact that mods like third-person perspective and cosmetic upgrades for V have raised the eyebrows of developers at CD Projekt Red. According to a post on the Cyberpunk 2077 Modding Community Discord Server (as well as this Reddit screenshot seen here), a few notable modders have been hired to work alongside the folks at CD Projekt Red.

Under developer Yigsoft’s banner, the chosen modders are slated to work on multiple aspects of Cyberpunk 2077’s backend. The post reads as follows, “We will be working on various projects related to the Cyberpunk 2077 backend and the game’s modding support. We are really excited for this, and we really hope we can help to bring Cyberpunk 2077 to the next level!” What these community members turned full-fledged developers will be working on remains to be seen. 

Cyberpunk 2077 has gotten a long list of technical updates since its 2020 launch. The patch notes range from minor bugs to progress-halting issues. Multiplayer and next-gen upgrades are still expected at some point in the future, but details surrounding these anticipated features are scarce. Regardless of this, Cyberpunk 2077 soared to new heights on high-end PCs, earning a 9 when we originally reviewed it. While myriad problems have since been fixed, Cd Projekt Red’s ambitious sandbox wasn’t recieved as well on the base versions of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. I concluded my last-gen review stating:

“Cyberpunk 2077 wasn’t optimized for last-gen consoles, and no amount of interesting side activities can remedy that. On PC, the world lives up to its title as the ‘City of Dreams.’ For Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players, however, their time in Night City is likely a nightmare.”


With community members joining the dev team, what do you hope to see in future Cyberpunk tweaks or content rollouts? Let us know in the comments section!

Photo Adventure Game Toem Gets September Launch Date

Toem is a charming photography-focused game that recently got its due during the Nintendo Indie World Showcase. Those excited to unwind in its cutesy, hand-drawn world and capture photographs will get their chance on September 17.  

The game whisks players to a whimsical land inspired by Scandanavia inhabited by talking balloons, goofy ship captains, and other weird characters designed to make you say “aww.” You’ll use your trusty camera to take photos to solve puzzles while working your way up a mountain to experience an event known as the, you guessed it, Toem. Since your character has an altruistic soul, you also use your camera eye to solve the problems of the area’s native citizens. Check out the trailer for a snapshot of everything that lies in store. 

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As you’ve likely gathered, Toem is a laid-back experience that encourages players to slow down and enjoy its peaceful atmosphere. To that end, a soundtrack of chill beats helps players melt into the adventure. A roughly 4-hour runtime also positions Toem as a pleasant palette cleanser in between larger releases. If you’re a completionist, though, expect to spend twice as long uncovering all of the game’s secrets. 

Toem was already slated to launch on Switch and PC, but the game has now been confirmed for PlayStation 5. You can pick it up for $19.99 with a 10% discount during launch week. If you’re in the market for other upcoming photography-based games, check our list of the coolest photo-taking games you can play right now and on the horizon. 

Any of you shutterbugs interested in giving Toem a look? Let us know in the comments! 

Far Cry 6 Preview – Stoking The Flames

Far Cry 6

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Release:

Rating: Mature
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC, Mac

Ever since its announcement last summer, Far Cry 6 has been one of the most highly anticipated games on the horizon. With a revolution against a murderous dictator on the fictional Caribbean Island of Yara serving as the backdrop, the stakes are high in this latest entry. While everything has looked promising to this point, I was excited to finally get my hands on the new game to see for myself how it’s turning out.

The opening moments of Far Cry 6 feature celebratory tones, but they don’t last long. You play Dani Rojas (who can be male or female), a former soldier looking towards a better life. You’re on the roof of your home having a drink with your friends Alejo and Lita, excited to leave Yara behind. The plan is drinks in Mexico, then dinner in Miami. A commotion on the ground draws your attention as soldiers in President Antón Castillo’s army start shooting civilians. Lita pleads with Alejo not to draw attention, but his hatred for Castillo is too much; he throws his beer at the soldiers, yelling, “F— Castillo!” Unfortunately, the soldiers spot him and put a bullet in his head. 

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All hell breaks loose as Lita and Dani make a break for it, evading soldiers and racing to the docks. They board a fishing vessel, but the sense of relief is short-lived as the boat suddenly stops and Castillo walks down the steps. Actor Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian fame plays Castillo. From this scene, he appears to one-up the already sterling roster of menacing antagonists from Far Cry’s history. 

After his bodyguard murders one of the refugees who yells in Castillo’s face, the President turns his attention to a small, hooded child in the back, who turns out to be his son, Diego. Diego was also attempting to escape, and he pleads with his father to let the others go. Castillo doesn’t listen. He whisks his son away, and his forces open fire on the ship. 

Dani awakens on Isla Santuario next to Lita, who is bleeding out on the beach. She hangs on long enough to pass Dani her phone with information on finding rebels on the island. In an emotional moment, Lita dies, and Dani grabs her machete and embarks on the journey to escape from Yara.

Dani soon seeks out the camp in Lita’s phone and finds Clara, the leader of the resistance group Libertad. Dani asks for help getting out, but Clara runs down Libertad’s mission, convincing Dani to stay and fight. Dani’s first mission is to track down a former double agent named Juan Cortez. 

Juan is known for his love of booze but also his resourcefulness and eccentricity. Naturally, I find him at the bar in a small, beachside town. Castillo’s FND military forces are also looking for him, and it turns out the barman sold him out. After Juan pays the bartender back for that favor, he and his pet alligator, Guapo, jump into action, fighting off the soldiers alongside Dani. Guapo likes Dani and becomes the first Amigo – animal companions that fight alongside you – that you add to your roster.

Before heading back to camp, Juan says he wants to make a stop at a recent FND supply drop. Along with Guapo, I take out the soldiers and scavenge the supplies. Once back at camp, I use those supplies to craft two special bullet types for enemies with and without armor, respectively. 

Far Cry 6

Juan then tells me my next mission: Steal uranium from one of Castillo’s forts. On my way there, I encounter a checkpoint that blocks traffic with a spike strip. I decide to take out the soldiers and destroy the FND billboard to claim the checkpoint as my own, which posts guerrilla fighters there instead of Castillo’s forces. Shortly after, I arrive at my destination. 

The fort is full of guards, but I notice multiple ways to approach the situation after scoping it out from a nearby viewpoint. Do I equip my armor-piercing rounds and go in guns blazing? Or do I take a sneakier route to make my approach easier? I see vines on the exterior that I could climb, and there is a way to swim under the fort and enter through the cellar. I could also go to the substation on the cliffside and zipline into the window. I decide to scale the vines and take out the patrolling soldiers one by one. After killing the officer, retrieving the key, and finding the uranium, I head back to Juan at Clara’s camp.

Once back, Juan hands me my first Supremo – an ultimate weapon that operates on a cooldown. The Exterminador is a multi-rocket launcher that locks onto enemies and wipes them from existence; it’s the definition of “overkill” against foot soldiers but is also effective against tanks. Other Supremos you unlock include the Volta, an EMP pulse that knocks enemies over, disables security systems, and hijacks vehicles, and the Médico, which lets you self-revive and heal allies. My personal favorite is El Muro, a revolver with a ton of stopping power that you use with a handheld shield.

Far Cry 6

After blowing up two of Castillo’s ships and escaping Isla Santuario, I land on El Este, where I meet a whole new cast of characters, fight alongside different resistance groups, and open a ton of new missions. Yara seems vast in its explorable area, and I can’t wait to dig into the final product. 

Far Cry 6 starts with a bang from both narrative and action standpoints. I’m curious if Ubisoft can carry forward with these emotional gut-punches without falling victim to the cognitive dissonance for which Far Cry is often known. Hopefully, the enjoyment we get from flying around in our wingsuits, firing over-the-top weapons, and fighting alongside a cute wiener dog named Chorizo doesn’t contrast too harshly with the story of an island in political peril. Only time will tell if Ubisoft can balance these disparate tones, but in my time playing, I had a blast and still felt the weight of the dark narrative beats.

Far Cry 6 comes to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Luna, and PC on October 7.

The Big Con Is An Easy Mark Worth Scoping Out

Publisher: Skybound
Developer: Mighty Yell
Release:

Rating: Teen
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC

The Big Con transports players back to the ‘90s when video rental stores dotted the land, tacky bright colors were in like Flynn, and you could unironically describe something as “radical” and be considered, well, pretty rad. The game launches today, and I’ve found the game’s first few chapters to be as enjoyable as drawing that cool “S” symbol over and over again. That’s a compliment in case you’re a young ‘un. That thing is weirdly entertaining to make. 

The game stars Ali, a mischievous though good-hearted teenager who discovers her mom’s video store (which also serves as their home) is in danger of being foreclosed by dubious loan sharks. Saving the store requires repayment to the tune of $97,000. Despite her mother’s resistance, Ali wants to help, and she secretly partners up with Ted, a well-dressed teen and master con artist, who shows her the ins and outs of stealing. That’s right; you’ll need to con your way to enough money to buy a fancy new car. She’s also got Rad Ghost, a humourous apparition that is the walking distillation of early ‘90s attitude who serves as your hint giver and moral support.  

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Under the guise of attending band camp, Ali and Ted embark on a cross-country road trip to hunt for increasingly bigger scores. Every stop along the way, whether it be shopping malls or a busy train, serves as a self-contained level, and the goal is to accumulate a certain amount of cash before moving on. As you freely roam around areas, you’ll gather items and converse with folks to find out what makes them tick and, most of all, the things they’re willing to open their wallets for. 

I’m spending most of my time pickpocketing friends, frenemies, and plenty of colorful strangers. It’s the most basic form of stealing and can be performed on just about anyone. Doing so involves sneaking behind targets and winning a simple mini-game of stopping a moving cursor inside of the colored section of a bar. The harder the pickpocket, the faster the needle, and the more narrow the safe zone is. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll earn more money from tougher robberies. I’m scoring close to $100 or more from easier targets after initially getting single-digit amounts.  Pickpocketing isn’t the hardest thing in the world, provided you possess decent reflexes, but it does capture the tense timing of nabbing what isn’t yours without detection. Not that I would know anything about that, of course. 

So far, there doesn’t seem to be any apparent moral consequence to flexing those sticky fingers. I kind of hope that remains true because I’ve had no quarrel with stealing a child’s favorite baseball card to sell to a desperate collector or robbing a mother while she strolled peacefully with her newborn. Failing the pickpocket game does get you caught, however, though it only means you can’t attempt to rob them again without wearing a disguise. Paper bags, clown noses, Groucho Marx glasses, and other silly outfits can be found while exploring and allow you to frisk targets who are on to you. You can only get caught three times in total, though, so don’t be afraid to move onto someone else if a target is too tricky to fleece. 

You can make decent money digging through pockets, but the bigger scores come by eavesdropping on folks to learn about their wants and needs, then capitalizing on them. I encountered a desperate father looking to buy a sold-out doll for his whiny daughter and a stock trader willing to pay anything for a hot market tip. Getting what you need generally hasn’t been difficult as long as I explored thoroughly and talked to everyone. To help the stock guy, I feigned interest to a financial expert who was more than happy to regale me with a humorously long diatribe about current market trends. Regurgitating that lecture to the needy gentlemen netted $1000 for the tip. 

The puzzle design has yet to challenge me, and I think I’m okay with that for now. The Big Con has design trappings reminiscent of point-and-click games of old, but I haven’t had to combine items or manually present them in the sometimes annoying “is this what you’re looking for?” kind of way. If you have what someone needs, the game clearly surfaces it through dialogue. This takes away a lot of the frustrating guesswork and obtuse dot-connecting that the genre can be notorious for and allows me to enjoy the goofy writing and weird situations. 

You’ll also pick up random junk in addition to costumes and quest items. Nothing goes to waste in The Big Con, though, thanks to an eccentric collector who tasks you with finding items that match certain themes. For example, he’ll want things that remind him of corn or cows. He’ll pay for each correct item, and he’ll also buy all of your remaining junk once you’re ready to move on to the next area. It’s a nifty way to make some extra cash, providing further incentive to poke around your surroundings. 

So far, The Big Con has been a charming homage to a decade near and dear to millennials such as myself. It’s been a smooth game to sail through since the mechanics and puzzles aren’t the deepest in the world, and while that could be taken as a knock, I’d rather something be simple and make sense than be overly convoluted. That could change as I explore deeper, of course, but for now I’m having a good time soaking in the vibrant presentation and catchy soundtrack. I’m also growing more and more curious if Ali’s altruistic crime spree pays off. Can she rescue the video store? Will she face any consequences whatsoever for her actions? Seriously, what’s really going on with Rad Ghost? You can answer those questions and more right now by picking up The Big Con on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.

Gotham Knights And Suicide Squad To Be Shown At DC FanDome 2021

If you’re a fan of the Batman Arkham games, you’ve likely been eagerly awaiting news on Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. You won’t have to wait too much longer. The DC FanDome will return for a 2nd edition this October, and Warner Bros. Interactive plans to show off both games during the event. 

Neither Gotham Knights nor Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League are traditional sequels to the Arkham games, but they are both exciting titles in their own right. Gotham Knights is a co-op-friendly action game from WB Games Montréal. Players won’t be able to play as Batman, but they will be able to jump into the capes of Batgirl, Red Hood, Nightwing, and Robin to protect their beloved city after the death of Batman. Gotham Knights continues the vein of the Arkham games but features a greater emphasis on RPG systems. 

Meanwhile, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is the long-awaited new title from Rocksteady Games, which last released Batman: Arkham Knight in 2015. We still don’t know much about Suicide Squad. Still, many have suggested that it’s set in an open world based on Metropolis, features co-op and solo play, and centers on Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark as they work to take down the Justice League. 

Warner Bros. Interactive has been radio silent about both games for some time, but a bunch of fresh details are set to drop during this year’s DC FanDome, taking place Saturday, October 16, at noon CST. 

In addition to the games, the FanDome will include Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Batman, Batman: Caped Crusader, Batman: Fear State, the Batman/Fortnite comic crossover, Batwheels, Batwoman, Black Adam, Black Manta, Catwoman: Hunted, DC League of Super-Pets, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, DC’s Stargirl, DC Super Hero Girls, DMZ, Doom Patrol, The Flash (film and TV), Harley Quinn, Injustice, an update on the Milestone Universe, Naomi, Nubia and the Amazons, Peacemaker, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Supergirl, Superman & Lois, Sweet Tooth, Teen Titans Go!, Titans, Young Justice: Phantoms, Wonder Woman Historia, Wonderful Women of the World, and more. Find out more details here

Ready, Set, BAKE for FFXIV’s 8th Birthday!

Hello everyone, this is Kiwikopo from the Community team!

As we near the end of the 8th Anniversary celebrations for A Realm Reborn, we wanted to share with you the full recipe for the amazing birthday cake created by baking extraordinaire Kim-Joy!

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The recipe below is split into sections so you’ll be able to make select bits or try your hand at recreating the full cake.

If you haven’t watched the video yet, allow us to show you the process in all its cake-y glory!

Thank you again for all the amazing support over the past 8 years, the Anniversary is always a fond time for the team to remember the journey we’ve been on together and the journey we’ll continue to travel on.

See you soon!

FINAL FANTASY XIV Birthday Cake

Makes:
One large 3-tiered cake

Needs:
2 x 5-inch cake tin, 3 x 7-inch cake tin, 3 x 9-inch cake tin

Key Equipment:
– White wire (for whiskers)
– Black cake pop stick
– Toothpicks
– Dowels
– Correct cake tin sizes

Ingredients

For the lemon cake:
*(this needs to be made twice – once for the top and middle tiers, and then again for the base tier)*

– 480g unsalted butter (cubed, at room temperature)
– 480g caster sugar
– 1tsp salt (or use salted butter and omit this)
– 480g eggs (about 8 medium)
– Zest of 5 unwaxed lemons
– 1tbsp vanilla bean paste
– 650g plain flour (or gluten free flour plus 2 1/4tsp Xanthan gum)
– 6tsp baking powder
– 300g full fat yoghurt

OR vegan cake alternative:
*(this needs to be made twice – once for the top and middle tiers, and then again for the base tier)*

Dry Ingredients:
– 625g self-raising flour
– 450g caster sugar
– 1/2tsp salt
– 2 1/4tbsp baking powder
– Zest of 5 unwaxed lemons

Wet ingredients:
– 700g soy milk
– 280g sunflower oil (or other neutral tasting oil)
– 1tsp liquid from tin of chickpeas (aquafaba)
– 1 1/2tbsp white wine vinegar
– 1tbsp vanilla bean paste

Buttercream:
– 550g unsalted butter (or use vegan butter that has at least 75% fat content)
– Salt, to taste (this adds a depth of flavour to the sweetness and helps to bring out flavour! I also often use salted butter, but if you like a less salty buttercream, add the salt yourself as then you can control the amount)
– 800g icing sugar
– 2tbsp vanilla bean paste
– A few tablespoons of milk to achieve a spreadable consistency (omit this if making vegan)

Kohakutou Style Jelly Gems
(Ideally leave these for several days to form a hard crust, and then they can be stored in an airtight jar for other future baking projects.)
– 150g water
– 140g caster sugar
– 2g agar agar powder
– A tiny drop of almond extract (or any clear flavouring) to taste
– Gel food dyes of your choice

Custard Mochi Spriggan
Wrapper:
– 60g glutinous rice flour
– 70g rice flour
– 40g cornflour
– 30g icing sugar
– 240ml milk (or plant-based milk)
– 2tbsp vegetable oil
– 2tbsp condensed milk (or vegan coconut condensed milk) (this makes it creamier, though you could just substitute whole milk or plant-based milk if you don’t have condensed milk to hand!)
– Black gel food dye

Thick Custard Filling:
– 130g milk (or plant-based milk)
– 1tbsp vanilla bean paste
– 2 medium egg yolks (replace with extra 2tbsp cornflour plus 4tbsp milk to make vegan)
– 30g caster sugar
– 25g cornflour
– 25g melted butter (or vegan butter)

Tangzhong Bread Fat Chocobos
Tangzhong:
– 100g water
– 25g strong white flour

Dough:
– All of the tangzhong
– 125g whole milk
– 30g melted, unsalted butter
– 10g sugar
– 1tsp salt
– 1 large egg (or substitute with 30g milk, and 25g of extra melted butter)
– 350g strong white plain flour
– 7g fast action instant yeast
– Yellow and orange gel food dye

Gingerbread Cactuars
– 150g salted butter (or use vegan butter – minimum 75% fat content, ideally 80%)
– 120g dark muscovado sugar
– 2tsp black treacle
– 2tbsp beaten egg
– 2tbsp ground ginger
– 3/4tbsp ground cinnamon
– 1/4tsp ground cloves
– 225g plain flour

Royal Icing
– 40g egg white (substitute with chickpea water (aquafaba) for a vegan version)
– 225g icing sugar
– Extra egg white and icing sugar to adjust and get the right consistency

Plus:
– Food dyes: blue, two shades of green, black
– 1kg white fondant
– Pink edible lustre dust
– 50g black fondant
– A pinch of pink fondant
– A small handful of yellow fondant (or marzipan)
– Sprinkles to decorate Cactuars
– 100g beige-coloured biscuits (e.g digestives, rich tea or shortbread), crushed into fine crumbs
– Edible black ink pen (or use black food dye mixed with a little water)

Method

For the cake:
1) Preheat oven to 170C (fan). Grease the base and sides of 3 x 7-inch tins and 2 x 5-inch tins, and then line the bases with a circle of greaseproof paper.

2) Add butter, sugar and salt to a stand mixer bowl with balloon whisk attachment (alternatively use an electric hand whisk, though this will take a little longer as this is a large quantity!). Beat on medium speed until the butter is smooth, then beat on high speed until the butter is very fluffy and pale in colour, scraping the sides of the bowl down a few times when needed. You can’t overbeat the butter, so keep beating until it is definitely no longer getting lighter in colour.

3) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon zest and vanilla bean paste, and mix to combine.

4) Sieve in the flour and baking powder, and then mix in by hand using a spatula, until almost combined but there is still some visible flour.

5) Add the yoghurt, then continue mixing with the spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Divide the batter between the five cake tins. Bake the smaller cake tins for around 20-25 minutes, and leave the larger cakes in to bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6) Leave them in their tins for 5 minutes before running a knife around the edges and turning out on to cooling racks. Peel off the greaseproof paper.

7) Then repeat the steps above to make the cake again, this time dividing the batter between 3x 9-inch tins and baking for about 30-40 minutes.

For the vegan cake alternative:
1) Follow step 1 as above. Then, in a large bowl, mix the vinegar with the soy milk until it curdles and thickens.

2) Add the rest of the wet ingredients and the salt, and stir together.

3) In a separate large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

4) Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until just combined.

5) Pour straight away into the prepared tins, and bake the smaller cake tins for 20-25 minutes, and the larger for 30-35 minutes, or until springy on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6) Then follow step 6 and 7 as above.

For the buttercream:
1) Add the butter, salt and icing sugar to a bowl.

2) Beat on slow until the icing sugar is combined (you may also want to cover the bowl with a tea towel to prevent the icing sugar flying everywhere!)

3) Beat on high until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula when necessary to ensure everything mixes properly.

4) Add vanilla bean paste and whisk again until combined.

5) Add milk to soften (though not if making vegan) and achieve a spreadable consistency.

Kohakutou Style Jelly Gems:
1) Add the water, sugar, agar agar powder and almond extract (to taste) to a pan. Heat over medium heat and stir intermittently, until the agar agar and sugar has dissolved. Then heat on high until the mixture is boiling, and allow to continue bubbling for 3 minutes.

2) Remove from the heat and pour into a wide, shallow dish. Immediately use a toothpick to add blobs of food dye. You can use multiple colours. Spread and swirl the food dye through the mixture. Then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes until completely set, though it will also set at room temperature, just takes a little longer.

3) Once set, run a knife around the edges and then turn out on to a chopping board. Use a knife to carve the jelly into rock/crystal shapes. Then place on greaseproof paper and leave at room temperature, exposed to the air. In a couple of days, the jelly will become hard and crunchy on the outside – at this point, turn them over so that the other side is exposed to the air and leave to dry out on the outside again. Once hardened and crystallised, they are ready to use! Note: If you like, you can use these without forming the crust, they will just have a different/softer texture on the outside.

Custard Mochi Spriggan:
First make the filling:
1) Whisk together the eggs yolks (or vegan replacement), caster sugar and cornflour.

2) Add the milk and vanilla bean paste to a small saucepan, then heat over medium heat until just starting to bubble.

3) Then pour a small amount over the egg yolk mixture, whisking quickly and constantly as you pour. Gradually add the rest of the milk, still continuing to whisk constantly.

4) When all is mixed together, pour back into the pan and return to the heat. Continue whisking until the mixture is very, very stiff (can hold a spoon upright!).

5) Remove from the heat and add the butter, then stir until it melts in.

6) Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until firm. When chilled, shape the custard into 10g round balls. Flour your hands and the work surface to prevent sticking whilst shaping. Place these on a plate lined with greaseproof paper, and leave in the fridge for now.

Tip for the custard: When the mixture thickens and starts looking like it might go lumpy – just take it off the hob temporarily and whisk again until all smooth before returning to the heat. You need short bursts of heat, but you will need to take it off the hob to catch up with whisking – as this custard gets very thick!

Next make the mochi wrapper:
1) Add all the ingredients to a microwaveable bowl (adding enough black food dye to colour – it will darken a little as it thickens in the microwave) and whisk together until smooth and combined.

2) Cover with cling film, then microwave on high in 1-minute bursts, whisking well after each burst.

3) You will need to microwave it for a total of 3-4 minutes, and switch to mixing with a spatula towards the end as it will get very thick.

4) Once thick, turn out on a surface coated with a generous amount of glutinous rice flour or cornflour to prevent sticking. Divide into 25g individual pieces.

5) Use your fingers to press a piece into a rough circle shape (slightly thicker in the middle than the sides), making sure to use enough glutinous rice flour/corn flour to prevent sticking.

6) Then place a ball of custard in the centre and lift the sides of the dough up to encase the filling, pressing together firmly on top to seal. Turn this around so the base is now the top.

7) Add ears by shaping the mochi around toothpicks, then pressing into the top of the mochi.

Just before assembling the cake – decorate these as Spriggans – wipe a tiny bit of oil on the surface just to remove any rice flour/cornflour. Then press on small pieces of coloured fondant for the eyes, mouth, etc. Pipe little triangles or dots of white icing (use icing left over from Cactuars) on the mouth to represent the teeth.

Tangzhong Bread Fat Chocobos:
1) Make the tangzhong. Using a balloon whisk, mix the water and flour in a saucepan. Switch to a spatula, and continue to stir until over medium heat, until thickened to a pudding-like consistency and has reached 65C. Spoon into a bowl, cover with cling film (make sure this touches the surface of the tangzhong) and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, warm the milk in the microwave. It should be warm but not hot. Also, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the milk and butter to a large bowl, plus the sugar and salt. Take the tangzhong out of the freezer and add to the bowl along with the egg (or vegan replacement). Add yellow food dye. Whisk all together.

3) Add the flour and yeast. If using a stand mixer, just allow the machine to knead for 10 minutes with the dough hook attachment – adding more yellow food dye if needed for colour. If working by hand, then use a wooden spoon to combine everything into a shaggy ball of dough, then turn out on to a floured surface.

4) Knead by hand for about 10-15 minutes. The dough will be sticky to start with, but avoid adding too much flour – it will gradually become less sticky as you knead it. If the dough sticks to the surface, use a dough scraper to scrape it off. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth, it will still be a little tacky but that is normal.

5) Place the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise at room temperature until about doubled in size. This takes about an hour, but it depends on the temperature of where you leave it.

6) When the dough has doubled in size, turn it out on to a lightly floured surface and knock back. Shape into Fat Chocobos – these are made up of two balls of dough (one much larger than the other), then little arms and a beak. To shape the balls of dough, roll it between the palms of your hands, then to get it smooth, use your fingers to stretch the dough across and create a neat seam which will be the bottom. Place the smaller ball of dough on top of the larger, pressing to make sure it sticks. Add orange food dye to a small amount of dough, and knead in until it’s all combined. Use this for the Chocobo’s beak. Add small amounts of dough for the arms. Repeat until you’ve made a few Chocobos and used up the dough. You can make them all different sizes to add character. Place these on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover lightly with oiled cling film and leave to rise until nearly doubled in size. The time this takes varies depending on the temperature of the location, but won’t be as long as the first rise. You are looking for the dough to have nearly doubled in size and spring back halfway when lightly indented with a finger. 15 minutes before the end of the rise, preheat your oven to 180C.

7) Bake for 15 minutes. You may need to cover the buns with foil after 5-10 minutes, just to prevent them browning too much. When baked, leave to completely cool on a wire rack. When cool, use black edible ink pen to add eyes OR paint eyes on using black food dye mixed with a little drop of water.

Gingerbread Cactuars:
1) Add the butter, muscovado sugar, salt and treacle to a bowl, and whisk until soft, smooth and combined.

2) Add the 2 tablespoons of beaten egg, then add the ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Mix until just combined.

3) Add the flour and combine using your hands until it forms a ball. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and roll out to the thickness of a pound coin. Cut around cardboard templates to cut out Cactuar shapes, and transfer to a lined baking tray (that you can fit in the fridge).

4) Chill the biscuits for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170C while you wait.

5) Bake the biscuits for 10-12 minutes, or until just beginning to colour. Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray, before carefully transferring to a wire rack.

Royal Icing and Decorating the Cactuars:
1) Use an electric mixer to combine the egg white/aquafaba and icing sugar until you get a smooth consistency.

2) Then add tiny amounts of extra egg white/aquafaba and/or icing sugar to get the right consistency – it should hold a trail for 10-15 seconds, before disappearing in.

3) Remove a tablespoon to a separate bowl and dye this black.

4) Remove 3 tablespoons to another bowl and dye this a dark green.

5) Place these colours into two separate piping bags.

6) Colour the remaining icing a lighter green colour, and then split this between two piping bags – a large tablespoon in one, and the remainder in the other. So in total you will three bags of green icing (two different shades, and one bag of black icing.

7) Cut a small opening on the two bags of green icing that contain the smaller amount.

8) Cut a bigger opening in the larger. Cut a small opening on the bag of black icing.

9) Pipe an outline on a Cactuar biscuit using the lighter green icing with smaller tip.

10) Then fill in the centre with the other piping bag (larger opening) of the same colour.

11) Use a toothpick to spread the icing to the edges and burst any bubbles, though work quickly to do this before the icing forms a crust on top.

12) Leave this to completely set for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

13) Then use the darker green icing to pipe the lines on top, and black food dye for face.

14) Add a few sprinkles to embellish. (See video or image to see the final design to work towards!). Ideally leave these to set again for at least 3 hours, before using to decorate the cake.

To Assemble:
1) Once all the cakes are cool, use a serrated knife to cut off any domes on top, so that they are flat.

2) Place a flat plate (one that you are happy to serve the cake on) on top of a cake decorating turntable. Spread a blob of buttercream in the centre, then place a 9-inch cake layer on top. Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top using an offset palette knife. Place the next cake layer on top and repeat until all three 9-inch layers are stacked. Now to crumb coat the cake. Cover the outside of the cake in more buttercream, then use a metal scraper to smooth the sides, using the turntable to help. There will be crumbs in the layer and the cake showing through, that’s fine! Smooth in the top edges using the palette knife, and then scatter the biscuit crumbs all up the sides of the cake and around the base, to create a desert backdrop effect for the Cactuars later. Place in the fridge (2 hours) or freezer (30 mins) to chill until firm. Repeat the crumb coating with the 7-inch cakes, the only difference is this time work on a thin cake board/piece of cardboard (which will be hidden later), and don’t add the biscuit crumbs. Again, chill the cake.

3) Once the 7-inch cake has chilled and buttercream is firm, remove from the fridge and place back on turntable. Dye a small amount of buttercream blue, then place random blobs of blue and white buttercream all over the cake. Smooth the sides and top in the same way as before, though this time there should be a nice marbling effect. Then place back in the fridge to chill.

4) Next, stack the 5-inch cake in the same way, then use a serrated knife to carve so that the top is rounded. Crumb coat with buttercream, then smooth using a palette knife. Place in the fridge to chill.

5) Once chilled, roll out the white fondant into a large circle, about the thickness of a pound coin. Then lift the fondant and place on top of the carved and crumb coated cake. Use a fondant smoother to smooth any bumps and ensure the fondant adheres. Then use a knife to cut off the excess around the bottom edges. Chill again in the fridge.

6) When all three tiers are chilled, it’s time to stack. Note: If the cake needs to sit around for a while, ensure you place three dowels in the bottom tier. Stack the cakes in size order, finishing with the top Moogle tier.

7) Now to decorate the top tier so it really looks like a Moogle! Use leftover fondant to shape the ears, then carefully press these on top so that they adhere. You can use toothpicks to help if needed. Shape the nose using pink fondant and press on. Shape the eyes using black fondant and press on. A little royal icing may help to stick down the nose/eyes/ears. Press white wire (or similar) into the sides for the whiskers. Shape a yellow pompom (using fondant or marzipan) on a black cake pop stick, and insert on top. Just make sure the pompom isn’t too heavy and slides down. Then brush on pink edible lustre dust to Moogle rosy cheeks and pink bits on ears. Shape the Moogle’s wings out of black fondant (roll it out and then cut into shape) and attach to toothpicks. Leave out to harden and strengthen (or to speed up you can place it in a fan oven, warm but switched off or knead in a little tylose powder to firm up your fondant), then place on cake.

8) Finish by adding all the Cactuars around the outside of the base cake (use a little buttercream to stick them down if transporting cake), alternately arranging the Fat Chocobos and Spriggans around the middle tier, and adding kohakutou gem stones in front of the Spriggans.

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All Of The Known Dinosaurs In Jurassic World Evolution 2

Publisher: Frontier Developments
Developer: Frontier Developments
Release:

Rating: Teen
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

“Life finds a way.” With dinosaurs on the loose in the United States, Jurassic World Evolution 2 fully embraces Ian Malcolm‘s famous warning. We’re going to learn what life is like living among these thunder lizards.

Frontier Developments says players will encounter over 75 dinosaurs species within this sequel. We likely won’t learn exactly which dinosaurs are included prior to the game’s November 9 launch, but Frontier is trickling out videos that highlight some the new additions and returning favorites.

With an expanded focus on marine and flying reptiles, there should be a diverse amount of creatures to study and perhaps contain within your theme parks. The wider variety also means more ways that guests can be devoured. We all want to know if a flying dinosaur can feed the Mosasaurus by dropping a guest into the lagoon.

The list below rounds up all of the known dinosaurs that will be in Jurassic World Evolution 2. We’re currently sitting at just under half of what we can expect to see in the game. Odds are some of the hybrids like the Indominus Rex will return, and will likely be joined by other Frankensteined monstrosities. We also don’t know if Frontier is adding dinosaurs from the ongoing Camp Cretaceous Netflix show. Bumpy would surely be a draw for parks.

We’ll update this list whenever new dinosaurs are announced or discovered and will also provide a full list upon the game’s release. Here are the known dinos:

  • Acrocanthosaurus – Carnivore
  • Albertosaurus – Carnivore
  • Allosaurus – Carnivore
  • Amargasaurus – Herbivore

Click here to watch embedded media

  • Ankylosaurus – Herbivore
  • Attenborosaurus – Piscivore (Marine) *Deluxe Edition Only
  • Baryonyx – Piscivore
  • Brachiosaurus – Herbivore

Click here to watch embedded media

  • Camasaurus – Herbivore
  • Carnotaurus – Carnivore
  • Chasmosaurus – Herbivore
  • Coelophysis – Carnivore

Click here to watch embedded media

  • Corythosaurus – Herbivore
  • Dimorphodon – Piscivore (Flying)

Click here to watch embedded media

  • Diplodocus – Herbivore
  • Dracorex – Herbivore
  • Dryosaurus – Herbivore
  • Gallimimus – Herbivore
  • Geosternbergia – Piscivore (Flying) *Deluxe Edition Only
  • Homalocephale – Herbivore
  • Huayangosaurus – Herbivore *Deluxe Edition Only
  • Kentrosaurus – Herbivore
  • Megalosaurus – Carnivore *Deluxe Edition Only
  • Mosasaurus – Piscivore (Marine)

Click here to watch embedded media

  • Nasutoceratops – Herbivore
  • Pachycephalosaurus – Herbivore
  • Pachyrhinosaurus – Herbivore *Deluxe Edition Only
  • Parasaurolophus – Herbivore
  • Pteranodon – Piscivore (Flying)

Click here to watch embedded media

  • Qianzhousaurus – Carnivore

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  • Stegosaurus – Herbivore

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  • Struthiomimus – Herbivore
  • Torosaurus – Herbivore
  • Triceratops – Herbivore

Click here to watch embedded media

  • Tyrannosaurus Rex – Carnivore
  • Velociraptor – Carnivore

Everything We Know About Deathloop

We have been following the news about Deathloop closely since it was revealed at the Bethesda 2019 E3 conference, even featuring it on the cover of one of our issues. A lot has happened in the two years since its announcement, including a deal that brought Bethesda-owned studios under Microsoft’s umbrella, which made everyone question whether the title would continue as a PlayStation 5 console-exclusive.

As far as the game’s journey, it seems that Deathloop’s development was a case of life imitating art. The game went through a cycle of getting delayed, showing off details in a Sony showcase, getting delayed, and showing off more details in Sony’s State of Play. But it looks like the loop is about to break since the stylish first-person shooter has gone gold and is just around the corner. To make sure you have all the info you need on release day, here’s everything we know about Deathloop:

Who Is Making It?

Arkane Studios is handling the game’s development, specifically its team based in Lyon, France. The studio is best known for the Dishonored series and Prey, and it is bringing a lot of those games’ DNA into Deathloop, a new IP for the team. The game’s director Dinga Bakaba is a long-time Arkane veteran and previously directed Dishonored 2 and Wolfenstein: Youngblood.

Who Am I Playing?

You’ll slip into the ‘60s-inspired leather jacket of Colt Vahn, an assassin who finds himself trapped in two senses. He is stranded on Blackreef Island, a spit of land in the middle of the ocean teeming with deadly enemies, but he is also ensnared in a never-ending, 24-hour period. To escape both, Colt must cross off every name on his hit list before time resets his progress.

If I’m An Assassin, Who Are My Targets?

Scattered across the island are eight individuals, called the Visionaries, who hold the key to breaking through Colt’s nightmare imprisonment. Here’s the list: Egor Serling, Aleksis Dorsey, Frank Spicer, Charlie Montague, Harriet Morse, Fia Zborowska, Dr. Wenjie Evans, and Julianna Blake. Each of these people helped the AEON Program successfully loop time in pursuit of eternal life. They are the pillars that hold up the life-prolonging project, and while even one remains alive, it will continue. From swanky clubs to scientific facilities, Colt must track down every person in this group, study their routines, and take them out before his time is up to break the maddening cycle. But be warned, if you don’t get them all, you’ll have to start all over the next day, and there is only one solution to Arkane’s “murder puzzle.”

Egor and Aleksis were two of the first targets Arkane revealed. As the founder of AEON, Egor Serling is a scientifically minded individual who enjoys solitude while wanting to be the life of the party. On the other end of the spectrum, Aleksis Dorsey thinks of himself as the leader of his pack, something he communicates through his signature wolf mask. We later got a glimpse at Frank Spicer, the group’s muscle and aspiring rockstar. Julianna Blake is a unique member of the Visionaries. Not only does she recognize she is in a time loop, unlike everyone else whose memory resets each time, but she’s also actively hunting you down to stop you from ending it. The other four targets are still a mystery, but you’ll have plenty of time to figure them out during your time in the loop.

Deathloop

How does The Time Loop Work?

As the name suggests, Deathloop’s deadly gameplay takes place in a repeating 24-hour cycle of time. Each day is split into Morning, Noon, Afternoon, and Night. If Night comes to an end and you still have targets on your list, or you die, you’ll wake up back at Morning again. Luckily, you’ll retain all the information you gathered during your last loop and, with an unlockable rare item called Residuum, you even get to hold on to some of your gear and abilities between loops.

Dying does not always mean starting over again, however. Early in the game, players pick up the Reprise ability. Reprise lets you turn back time to before your death, giving you a chance to right your deadly mistakes before you make them. This is especially valuable because you can’t quick save your game in Deathloop. However, you only get two Reprises per day, and you need to retrace your steps to recover some of your most valuable items after triggering it. If you want more than two take-backsies in one loop, set your sights on Julianna because killing her refreshes the ability.

Blackreef Island

Within the black-sand beaches of your prison are four distinct districts, each with their own unique flavor. You are free to explore any of them in whatever order you’d like, but you can only investigate a single location during any one time period, so choose carefully. It is possible your target won’t be available at the time you decide to infiltrate their liar, but once you discover this, you can avoid that time and place combo the future.

For all the other island inhabitants, Blackreef is a never-ending party that you are trying to crash. This means every single person you meet in the game will be antagonistic and try to kill you. While the world around you may be utterly hostile, it at least has a groovy vibe. Everything from the game’s locations to its characters has an eye-catching 1960’s aesthetic design.

What Are The Tools Of The Trade?

Despite waking up on a beach with no idea what’s going on, Colt gains access to a surprisingly large assortment of gear throughout his adventure. Weapons, of course, are some of the most important. For silent kills, you can go with the over-the-top nail gun called the PT-6 Spiker, or the tried-and-true Machete. If you want to go in guns blazing, you’ve got the Rapier, a sniper’s dream shotgun, the Strelak 50-50 assault rifle, the heritage gun that looks like it should be out on the open plains, and many more. To make these weapons, and yourself, even deadlier, you can equip tiny metal Trinkets found throughout the world that grant boosts and alter gun properties.

Guns aren’t the only trick up your sleeve. Deathloop also boasts some powerful abilities, like Reprise, which you can collect by picking up the right Slab. These Slabs grant unique powers in the game, including Karnesis, which lets you throw objects and people around with ease. Many Arkane fans will recognize the Shift ability as it bears a striking resemblance to a similar power, called Blink, in Dishonored. You can also upgrade each ability to enhance its effect. Slabs are scarce, but you can sometimes find them on Visionaries you have killed.

Is There A Multiplayer?

Yes, the game has a limited online PvP aspect that works like a Dark Souls invasion. Other players can enter your world as Julianna Blake and try to murder you. You’ll always know when this happens because your loquacious rival announces her arrival over the radio. The person playing as Julianna only gets one life in a day, but another player could inhabit the lethal sniper later, so you’re never entirely safe. Knowing that some players might find this feature unappealing, Arkane made it possible to restrict challengers to your friend list or opt-out entirely.

When Is The Game Coming Out?

Deathloop releases on September 14 for PlayStation 5 and PC.

Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous Shows Off In Launch Trailer

The last decade has provided players with a wealth of CRPGs to explore; the classic isometric days of roleplaying are definitely not forgotten. Pathfinder: Kingmaker’s successor, Wrath of the Righteous, lands this week on PC. Playing on console? Fear not. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is scheduled to hit PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 1, 2022. Okay, so that’s a little ways away, but it’s nice to see that games that would once be PC-only fare are getting excellent translations to console, taking into consideration the sweeping changes needed to shift from mouse-and-keyboard to controller gameplay. Check out the launch trailer right here.

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Wrath of the Righteous as a CRPG gives you one major option, whereas many other genre titles are locked into one school of thought. Yes, you can choose to play as either real-time with pause or pure turn-based. This gives players the freedom to pick a playset that works for them, whether they want to channel the classic Black Isle vibes or simply work within pure turn windows. You can switch between these game modes as you wish in-game, so you can experiment and find the one that works for you.

Wrath of the Righteous also features nine Mythic Paths to explore, allowing players to obtain godlike abilities and powers far beyond the scope of normal CRPGs. These are game-changing toolkits that can radically transform an entire playthrough and all gameplay options at any given time. Forget casting a big fire spell; we’re talking about controlling and altering the flow of time, becoming an actual Dragon, Lich, Angel, or an Insatiable Swarm. Yeah. That’s the first time I’ve seen playing as an Insatiable Swarm as an option, so I’m going to be checking out that one.

Do you play CRPGs? What’s your favorite? Are you excited to see more of them come to console? Let us know in the comments!

First Look At Dead Space Remake With Special Livestream Tomorrow

Motive Studios announced a Dead Space remake is on the horizon, though the reveal didn’t come with any sort of gameplay or cinematic trailer. A simple reveal, but that’s all it took to get horror fans pumped. For those curious as to what the remake will have in store, the team is hosting a special Dead Space live stream tomorrow, here’s what you need to know. 

How to watch the Dead Space Remake livestream

The community live stream and early look at the development is going down on Twitch on August 31 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. You can watch it right here with the official Motive Studios Twitch channel where Senior Producer Philippe Ducharme and Creative Director Roman Campos-Oriola will be showing off what the team has been working on. 

The live stream will give fans a first look at the early development build for the game and hear what the creative leads have to say about the work thus far. They will also be diving a little deeper into what the vision is for the remake, something talked about earlier this Summer

Also included will be a few special guests from the Dead Space Community Council, a group that is made up of some of the biggest Dead Space fans that have been helping out with this endeavor. It will be great to see what changes are going to be witnessed with the remake, especially since a previous interview detailed some of the plot holes that Motive Studios is looking to fill


Are you excited to see our first look at the Dead Space Remake? What are you thoughts so far on the revisitation of the iconic space horror adventure? Shout out those thoughts loud and proud in the comment section below! Do it for Isaac. 

Mythic Legions Is Bringing Their Figurine Universe To Video Games

Four Horsemen Studios is bringing their toy line into the video game universe with Mythic Legions Tactics: War of the Aetherblade. The figurines feature interchangeable parts and custom options, so players have been able to build their own takes on classic fantasy archetypes like skeletons, ogres, knights, goblins, and more. While the toys-to-life craze may have died down in recent years, Four Horsemen is bringing the universe they’ve created in the wargaming figure world directly into games with tactical game. Makes sense, right? I mean, if you were going to attempt to emulate the tabletop fantasy gaming world, it would probably have to be something turn-based and tactical in order to capture the source essence. You can see things in a pre-alpha state in this trailer below!

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If you’ve never seen the Mythic Legions figure line, they’re impressive. How that is going to translate into a game in its final form is always a question, but at least the team has a great foundation to start from. Mythic Legions Tactics: War of the Aetherblade is slated to hit with a free-to-play multiplayer battle mode with a purchasable single-player mode that contains a ton of battles, characters, races, and a bunch of other things that get unlocked for multiplayer as you progress. 

As you play, you can unlock and collect visual changes for characters, weapons, and armor, so it’s not veering into any kind of pay-for-power gacha or anything. If you feel like just setting up some absurd battles between all kinds of factions and races, you can use Battle Template mode to create two absurd forces and just watch them fight each other to the ground, which could make for some interesting streaming scenarios where viewers can predict the winner out of the two teams.

Mythic Legions Tactics: War of the Aetherblade doesn’t have a release date yet, but is looking to land on Android, iOS, and PC at launch. Other platforms appear to be a possibility, as Xbox Series X/S was mentioned as a stretch goal during the project’s Kickstarter.

What do you think about Mythic Legions Tactics: War of the Aetherblade? Do you tabletop fantasy wargame? Have you ever thought about it? The sheer thrill of pulling out a measuring tape to see if your fireball can reach a knight is something that’s handled a bit more cleanly in the digital world, but there’s something special about seeing your opponent’s face when you roll a natural 20, right? Let us know in the comments!

Roguelike Golf Adventure Cursed To Golf Coming To Switch And PC In 2022

A roguelike golf adventure? It’s more likely than you think. As genres continue to collide, Chuhai Labs and Thunderful Publishing are teeing off with Cursed to Golf in 2022. What platforms is this golfy charmer coming to? Nintendo Switch and PC! Yep, you play as a golfer attempting to escape Golf Purgatory, with 18 holes (dungeons) to get through and 4 biomes. It’s a bizarre mashup of genres as you head into turn-based challenges in 2D side-scrolling golf, with all the fun stuff you’d find on regular golf courses served up in a more interesting way. 

That means players face down water, rough, bunkers, and a whole slew of more twisted fare that only makes sense in this golfish-afterlife-thing. So get ready to take on fans, spikes, explosives, and a whole lot more, stuff that would put your local mini-golf course soiree to shame. Check out the trailer below for a taste of what Golf Purgatory is all about. Alongside the turn-based roguelike stuff, there’s apparently some Metroidvania elements too – why not, right?

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There’s a lot of enthusiasm in that trailer and yes, some gameplay too. Calculate the precise angles and speed to land those big shots as you try to maneuver your way out of purgatory.  Of course, with many challenges to face, our golf hero isn’t helpless. With many abilities like time rewinds, scattershots, and various speed-ups and slowdowns, players have the chance to manipulate the flow of golf to their advantage. As it’s in the roguelike format, every run is different, and the tools in your golf bag are going to be different every time. You never know what you might discover by combining different mechanics in new ways.

What do you think about Cursed to Golf? Are we entering an era full of golf-based takes on other genres and subgenres? Sound off in the comments and let us know!

343 Industries Explains Why It Hasn’t Shared Halo Infinite Campaign Gameplay Footage Yet

When 343 Industries dropped Halo Infinite’s first Flight Test for the game’s multiplayer, the reception was overwhelmingly positive. Then, during Gamescom, we got another new look at Halo Infinite, though still no campaign gameplay. The decision not to reveal more of the campaign has resulted in worry from the community about the state of the game, considering its original delay. However, the studio is now providing insight into why we haven’t seen anything concrete yet regarding Master Chief’s story. 

In a recent blog post on Halo Waypointhead of creative Joseph Staten provided some context regarding the reveal decisions surrounding Halo Infinite. “In many ways, shutting down a game is like being on final approach to landing an airplane,” Staten said in the latest blog post. “And if you’ll forgive a bit of aviation-geekery, the entirety of the team is essentially in a “sterile cockpit,” which is to say: we’re at a critical phase in the flight that is Halo Infinite, so it’s extremely important to avoid distractions and stay focused on mission-critical tasks only. For Campaign, that means putting maximum effort into ensuring the wide-open, adventure-filled experience you’ll all get to play on December 8th is as great as it can possibly be. And gameplay demos and trailers not only take a huge amount of effort to do well, but they also take cycles away from bugs and other shutdown tasks.”

In terms of “shutting down a game,” Staten is referring to polishing up what the experience will have to offer. When fans got their first glimpse at what Halo Infinite looked like in action last year, the response was immediate and not in a good way. The team eventually decided to push back its release a whole year, taking that time to re-evaluate the game they wanted to ship. We’ve seen that effort in full force on the multiplayer front, but the lack of campaign has been worrisome. Luckily, Staten did mention he is currently playing through the campaign, saying, “I’m going for a 100% run, which means completing all primary and secondary missions, finding all collectibles, etc. I’ve played Infinite’s Campaign multiple times. But every time I do, I always find something new tucked away on Zeta Halo. Sometimes these are quiet little bits of environmental storytelling, such as an abandoned but desperately defended Marine recon post, high on a lonely mountainside (fortunately, the Banished missed the fully loaded S7 sniper rifle that the Marines left behind). Sometimes these are combat encounters with deviously polished scripting, for example, a UNSC forward operating base that seemed abandoned… until I heard the laughter and taunts of multiple, energy sword-wielding and cloaked Elites, as I stumbled into their trap.”

With another Flight Test on the way that does away with the teabagging (oh sorry, NOT teabagging) bots and Slayer, hopefully, there will be more information on the state of the campaign and an up-close-and-personal look sooner rather than later. 

In the meantime, catch up on all of the latest Halo Infinite news with our dedicated game hub right here


What do you think? Does the lack of Halo Infinite campaign footage concern you, or do you trust 343 Industries with the latest entry? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! 

Kojima Makes A Great Point About Using Photo Modes As A Learning Tool

Hideo Kojima wants people to stop ragging on photo modes in games, and you know what? He’s right. On Twitter over the weekend, the Metal Gear and Death Stranding director had some encouraging words for those using in-game photography and how they can potentially improve the skills of aspiring shutterbugs.

“There are still some people who make fun of the fact that you are taking virtual pictures in the game. If you keep taking pictures, even in-game, your sensitivity and skills will naturally improve. Composition, layout, focus, etc,” Kojima says in his first of two Tweets on the subject. In games, you have complete control over your scenery, lighting, and character poses, giving the freedom to play around and experiment with capturing your subjects in ways that you may only have seconds to do in real life.

Developing that eye for composition takes time but using tools like photo modes could certainly speed up the process for the real thing. Kojima’s mini-thread concludes with that same sentiment, saying, “Most importantly, you will know what you want to photograph. After that, the in-game experience will surely come in handy when you shoot with a real camera or smartphone.”

Honestly, I hadn’t given too much thought to the benefit of photo modes before reading this series of tweets, but I’m in complete agreement with Hideo. If I’m ever itching to improve my photography skills, I’m going fire up Final Fantasy VII Remake or even Super Mario Odyssey, and see what kind of wild shots I can take, or even just brush up on the fundamentals. 

Have you had any success learning photography from photo modes in games? Do you have any favorite photo modes you’d like to share? Let our community know in the comments! And if you want to know about games with photography as a core mechanic, our newest associate editor Jill Grodt has you covered with a fantastic feature on the subject here.

Two New Critical Role Statues Are On The Way With Vax And Vex

Sideshow Collectibles is a company that sets the bar high when it comes to high-end commemorations of our favorite franchises. From comics to games, Sideshow knows how to craft the perfect fan tribute and now it is adding even more statues to the D&D experience Critical Role’s memorabilia lineup.  

In addition to the Fjord and Beau statues that were revealed last year, the high-end collectibles company is now adding Vax and Vex to the fray. While neither are quite available to arrive in homes everywhere, the pair is at least pre-orderable for those interested: 

Vax 

The Vax statue above features a hexagonal base that is meant to look like stone where you’ll see the Vox Machina logo engraved. Standing at 11.75″ tall, this smirking statue is the perfect addition to any Critical Role fan’s collection. 

Vex: 

Vex can be seen on a similar base, though at a slightly shorter height at 11.5″ tall. With a more expressive look that fits this character perfectly, she joins Vex as the latest statue grab available for D&D fans. 

Both are available now to pre-order for $195. The expected ship date is currently slated for a May to July 2022 launch. Interested? Check them both out here to learn more about how you can secure one. 


Thoughts on the latest statues to join the Critical Role lineup? Shout those thoughts out loud and proud in the comment section below! 

Norman Reedus Says Death Stranding 2 Is “In Negotiations”

With the Death Stranding: Director’s Cut on the way, it looks like Hideo Kojima is far from done with the breakout universe for his Kojima Productions studio. In a recent interview, Norman Reedus, who played Sam Porter Bridges in the game, stated that a sequel is currently “in negotiations.”

In a recent interview with Adoro Cinema (courtesy of Twitter user @Nibel), the actor confirmed a sequel is the current plan in the most casual way possible.  When asked which character he thought could win a marathon, his character from The Walking Dead or from Death Stranding, he was quick to side with Sam Porter Bridges because of his motorcycle and the exoskeleton. Which, fair. What’s interesting, however, is that he added, “I think we’re doing a second Death Stranding. The game is in negotiations right now. So… yay!” 

While not to be taken as an official announcement quite yet, his comments do sound promising for those hoping for a continuation of this particular world. Whether it will continue on the narrative told in the first game or take on a completely new set of characters remains to be seen, but the fact that it is in negotiations is a good sign. 

There have been rumors that Kojima Productions has some sort of partnership with Microsoft for future releases. Since Kojima’s company is his own to do with what he’d like, he has the freedom to bounce between any company he wishes. The first Death Stranding originally started as a PlayStation exclusive, though that barrier widened to include PC post-launch. Nothing about a partnership with Team Green has been formally announced, however, so we’re keeping this firmly in the rumor pile for now. 


Are you excited for a potential Death Stranding 2? Do you think there is a special partnership between Xbox and Kojima Productions? If so, what do you hope that partnership looks like? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! 

First Official Resident Evil Movie Reboot Photos Of ‘Welcome To Raccoon City’ And New Details Revealed

Not only do we have our first look at the official Resident Evil movie reboot photos for Welcome to Raccoon City, but we also have new details about the upcoming film, as well. 

Courtesy of IGN, we’ve got our first look at Avan Jogia as Leon S. Kennedy and Kaya Scodelario as Claire Redfield. To see even more photos, including Tom Hopper as Albert Wesker, Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine, and Nathan Dales as Brad Vickers, you can check out the full photo gallery right here

IGN
Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield

Also included with the new set reveal is an interview with director Johannes Roberts where he reaffirmed that the movie reboot is based on the first two Resident Evil games and how Raccoon City became a central point for chaos being unleashed into the world with the T-Virus. He also mentioned how this movie will be a completely different experience than the films that starred Milla Jovovich, saying:

“This movie really had nothing to do with the previous franchise. This was all about returning to the games and creating a movie that was much more a horror movie than the sort of sci-fi action of the previous films. I was hugely influenced in particular by the remake of the second game and I really wanted to capture the atmosphere-drenched tone that it had. It was so cinematic. The previous movies were very bright and shiny whereas this movie was dark and grimy, entirely shot at night. It’s constantly raining and the town is shrouded in mist. … I was hugely influenced by movies like The Exorcist (and Exorcist 3!), Don’t Look Now, and The Shining. You can really feel the texture in this movie. Nothing in this town feels hi-tech. It feels dilapidated. I wanted Raccoon City to feel a bit like the town in Deer Hunter; a ghost town forgotten by the rest of the world. And the whole structure of the film was definitely very influenced by Assault on Precinct 13.”

“With this movie, I really wanted to go back to the original first two games and re-create the terrifying visceral experience I had when I first played them whilst at the same time telling a grounded human story about a small dying American town that feels both relatable and relevant to today’s audiences,” said Johannes earlier this year.

IGN
Marina Mazepa as Lisa Trevor

At the root of this new movie, the director mentioned that he wanted the film-verse of Resident Evil to return to the roots of the franchise: Horror. “I wanted to go back to the horror of it all. I wanted scares and atmosphere rather than full-on action,” Roberts told the site. “I think fans of the game felt the same. They wanted to see the iconic characters and locations and feel that the movie was more in line with the Resident Evil game world so that’s really why we chose to go in that direction. We worked hand in hand with Capcom on this movie to the point that we actually got blueprints from them on the designs of the Spencer Mansion and Raccoon police station in order to recreate them as perfectly as we could. We even have the exact artwork up on the mansion walls. Capcom saw it for the first time the other day and was so happy and excited.”

The upcoming Resident Evil movie reboot will be set in a new universe that is inspired by the iconic Capcom franchise, including mainstay characters that we’ve fallen in love with through the years. It also has an all-star team behind the film, including Robert Kulzer as producer (Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil movies), James Harris (I Am Not A Serial Killer), Hartley Gorenstein (The Boys), and Martin Moszkowicz as executive producer. Alex Zhang (Greyhound) and Victor Hadida are slated to co-executive producer, with Colin Scully and Alex Westmore overseeing the entire reboot. 

To learn more, check out the full interview here


Thoughts on our first look at Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and the director’s comments about its inspirations? Shout ’em out, loud and proud, in the comment section below (yay, comments are back!!).

Naughty By Nature – Naughty Dog Leadership Reflects On The Studio’s History

Naughty Dog is one of the most beloved game developers in the industry. Since 1984, the studio has delivered a steady stream of hits, including iconic franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. But making games isn’t getting any easier, so we sat down with Naughty Dog co-presidents Evan Wells and Neil Druckmann to talk about how they’re shepherding the legacy of the studio, working to combat work crunch, and dealing with harsh criticism.

At first hearing, Naughty Dog can come across as kind of a silly name for a company. It definitely has a legacy now, but do you ever wish you could change the name?
Evan Wells: I love it. I think it’s got a great history at this point. When Jason [Rubin] and Andy [Gavin] founded the company, they were called JAM Software, which was maybe cool back in the ’80s but probably not so cool today. They were about to publish their first game with EA and they went, “There’s already a JAM Software, so you’ve got 24 hours to come up with a new name.” That’s where Naughty Dog came from. I think it works. I like the name, and I wouldn’t want to change it now.

Speaking about that legacy, Naughty Dog has had such an interesting history. It started making kid-friendly platformers and almost every project has gotten more mature. Can you talk about that progression?
Evan Wells: A lot of it comes through our staff maturing but also the industry and the medium maturing. Back when we were making Crash Bandicoot, we couldn’t conceive of making a game like the The Last of Us, it just wasn’t technically achievable. As creators we’ve grown through the years and we’ve progressed with the hardware and actually tried to stay ahead of that curve. With Crash Bandicoot, we had to have a big head with big features just so you could read the character expressions. Then when we move to PS2, we could get more detail we could go more humanoid. With the PS3, we could finally get that subtlety where you have emotion between the lines and really get the subtle facial features. Each hardware production has allowed us to delve into more interesting content.

Neil Druckmann: We have more flexibility now. Now we have the luxury of picking and choosing what style, and what kind of story, and what kind of game we want to create.

A look inside the Naughty Dog offices

Do you have any desire to go towards lighter fare or return to your roots, to those kid-friendly games?
Evan Wells: If we had endless resources and time it would be super fun to do that. You look at what Insomniac is doing with Ratchet and Clank and it’s exciting. It’s great to see that stuff. We’re just limited with time, you know, I’m 48 years-old and how many more games do you get to make, so you got to pick and choose.

Neil Druckmann: Once we finish a project, we spend quite a bit of time entertaining all sorts of different directions, whether it’s going to be something new or if we’re going back to some old franchise. We really take our time with it, and if you were to see our folders of concept art you’d see unused concepts that are all over the gamut. Then we look at everything and we ask ourselves what are we excited by? What’s something that’s going to challenge us and push us, and push the medium as far as games that can be? Because that inspiration is so important to carry through years of production.

A lot of fans have this perception of Naughty Dog as this crown jewel in Sony’s cap, like the best of the best in the development world. Do you see yourselves that way?
Evan Wells: That’s a big question. We just try to make games that excite us. We try to make games that are going to be fun to play and received well by our fans, and rewarding for the team to create. We’re not really driven by any pressure from Sony to do anything in particular.

Neil Druckmann: To steal a term from someone, our brand is excellence and people come to Naughty Dog to achieve excellence and we give ourselves the pressure of living up to the kinds of games people expect from us.

You’ve said that you look up to studios like Insomniac, Guerrilla Games, and Sony Santa Monica. What specifically do you see them doing that inspires you?
Neil Druckmann: It might be some particular tech like what Guerrilla was able to achieve with how dense their foliage is. We looked at that, and we talked to them about that.

Evan Wells: You always come out with something that you could do better, even if it’s not something you adopt directly. So many times you’re brainstorming something in the office with your colleagues, and you look at something like, “Yeah, that’s just gonna be too hard to implement. We can’t go down that road.” And then you go talk to another studio, and you see that they’ve done that very thing or something very similar and you’re like, “Oh my God!” And then they talk about how it’s paid off, and you’re instantly inspired.

The Last of Us Part II concept art

Do you have any specific examples of that?
Evan Wells: Very early on in The Last of Us Part II development, we knew that it was taking places in Seattle, and we knew that Sucker Punch had completely modeled Seattle for Infamous Second Son. We said, “We’re not going to use the assets in the game, but we want to quickly feel out the space, so can we get access to those assets?” And they said, “Sure,” and sent it over. We were able to quickly rough out the environment. That was a huge help.

Neil Druckmann: Another thing that comes to mind when we were talking to Sucker Punch is that we were talking about mo-capping a horse for The Last of Us Part II, and we were looking for ways to do it, and they were like, “Oh, we’re about to do the same thing [for Ghost of Tsushima]. Let’s double up our efforts.” Motion capture for a big animal is a big deal, and we were able to just approach the problem together and use similar data, sometimes the same data for both games.

I wouldn’t have even thought about mo-capping a horse. That’s crazy that you did that.
Neil Druckmann: We also mo-capped dogs, and then there’s a sheep sequence in The Last of Us Part II, and that’s actually dogs acting like sheep.

Naughty Dog has such a proven track record, but that hasn’t come without cost. Over the years, you’ve come under fire for studio crunch. Could you speak to your personal experience with crunch and how that’s affected the studio?
Evan Wells: I have definitely personally worked very hard over the years. I think some of that has helped me get to where I am in my career. As a studio, we’ve all worked hard together, and we are working very hard on every project to find the right balance, just like we do in all of our technical aspects of creating a game. We have post mortems and we look at how the animation went and we look at how the design went and we dig really deep into all the things that could have been better and the things we got right. We do the same thing with production. We look at how the whole game was created, and where we can make improvements and how we can strike the right balance between giving people the opportunity to – as I mentioned earlier – leave their mark on the industry and advance their craft in ways that have never been achieved, but also find space along that spectrum.

Neil Druckmann: We have so many talented people that are good at solving problems, whether they’re creative or technical. Let me go back to The Last of Us Part II; some pillars that were important to us were diversity, diversity in the people we hire and the characters that we have in our game as well as accessibility and how do we make our games more accessible. Likewise, we’re looking at quality of life for preventing burnout, to employ the brain power we have in our studio, and we started coming up with working groups to talk about the areas in the studio where we can improve. We worked a particular way when we’re 40 people, now we have to evolve as we keep growing.

Evan Wells: Something else that we’re really focused on is increasing the level of management at the studio. We have more directors and more leads, all with the end goal of giving the entire team more opportunities to provide feedback and check in on their well-being.

Neil Druckmann: Everybody has a different definition of what crunch means. And I guess for us, we think of it as, how do we look out for the well-being of our colleagues and everyone that works at Naughty Dog, which is some combination of how many hours you work and how much stress you’re feeling, whether that’s something that’s going on in the office or at home. We find that there is no one solution that fits everybody. Everybody has a unique situation we might need to address.

One of the things that the industry has talked about as a possible solution is unionization. Do you have thoughts on unionization?
Evan Wells: I haven’t put a lot of thought into that. I don’t know if that would be a solution for crunch. To Neil’s point about making sure that everybody is able to work as hard or as little as they want, we’ve got to create an environment that allows that. If we had some sort of restriction where when the clock strikes 40 hours the servers shut down and you can’t work anymore, that would frustrate people to no end. There are people who really want to put in that extra polish on their own volition, and they would feel handcuffed.

Neil Druckmann: We’ve tried stuff, like Evan is describing, in the past where we’ve said, “Okay, no working past this hour,” or, “It’s mandatory that no one can work on Sunday,” and they’re always a lot of corner cases of someone saying, “Well, I couldn’t work on Friday because I had to be with my kids. It’s actually more convenient for me to come in on Sunday.” When you try to have a silver bullet, like one solution, you’re always leaving someone behind. That’s why we feel like we need multiple solutions. We have to approach this from multiple angles.

A Naughty Dog family shot

You talked about ensuring that the workplace is a fun environment. What does that look like?
Neil Druckmann: We make video games, right? So many of us have dreamed about doing this when we were kids and sometimes you’re in it so long you forget to appreciate it. For me it’s just a constant reminder that the creative process, the putting the thing together, should be fun in itself. That’s about how do you get feedback? How do you realign someone that was working on [an] idea that might not work out, but still inspire them to come back to the vision? There’s an art to that.

Some companies seem to be moving away from the big, story-driven single-player games. For example, Ubisoft recently announced that it would be developing more long-tail, free-to-play games. Do you feel that story-driven, single-player games are still Naughty Dog’s future?
Evan Wells: Absolutely. Yeah, and it’s sort of in our DNA to tell these stories. I think that’s going to continue. Single-player experiences are near and dear to us. It’s what has attracted a lot of people to Naughty Dog, and that’s what inspires them, so I think we’re going to keep at it as long as we can.

Neil Druckmann: And again, going back to who Sony is, there has never been a mandate like, “Oh, this is where we see the winds shifting. Can you start making these kind of games instead?” We know just as they know that when you work on something you’re excited by, something you’re passionate by, you’re going to do great work.

You basically put a bow on the Uncharted series, but you still have that The Last of Us multiplayer project in the works. Do you want to continue to work on the IP you’ve established or do you have a desire to create new properties at this point?
Evan Wells: I think the easy answer is: both. I think there’s excitement to develop new IP, but there is still a ton of love for Uncharted and The Last of Us, and I think you’ll see both kinds of projects from us in the future.

The Last of Us Part II was a big, sprawling project and it was largely well-received, but a certain segment was very critical of various aspects of the game. How did you, as a studio, deal with that?
Neil Druckmann: When we started making The Last of Us Part II, specifically, we knew we were making something that would be controversial for part of the fanbase. That’s not the reason to make it, we made it despite that. Our intention is not to upset people or alienate people, our intention is to tell a story that’s meaningful to us that we think has some value behind it, and is worth spending years of our time making. When we had the leaks, before anybody had a chance to play it, that’s when we got a ton of negativity, and we started questioning, “Is this game going to be successful at all?” We didn’t even know how much the leak really hurt us. That was really the low point for me. And it helped that some people in the studio – like [character art director] Ashley Swidowski reached out to me and said, “I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I am proud of this game. It’s my favorite game I’ve worked on, and you don’t understand how much this means to me.” More than anything, that’s the thing that makes me proud. Sometimes I get asked, “Do you get nervous for interviews or for doing a presentation at E3?” And, I’m an introvert and there is some level of nervousness, but I never get more nervous than when I have to speak in front of all of Naughty Dog, because there’s nobody that Evan and I want to make more proud than everybody else who works on the game, because they put so much of themselves into the game. They’re so excited and they’re so passionate about what they’re making. Those are the people I want to make proud more than anything else. If some percentage of the studio didn’t like the game that would just bum me out beyond repair. As far as people on the outside, I’m like, “That’s unfortunate [you didn’t like The Last of Us Part II], but I stand by the game we made.”

Sounds like you’re saying that some of the biggest fans of Naughty Dog are at Naughty Dog?
Neil Druckmann: I would say that the biggest fans and the biggest critics are within Naughty Dog, and that’s what keeps us as good as we are.


This article originally appeared in Issue 337 of Game Informer.