Month: March 2019

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Take-Two Interactive Software, the parent company of Red Dead Redemption 2 developer Rockstar and 2K Games, has had a dramatic increase to its stock price today. The increase stemmed from an apparently erroneous report that Sony was discussing the possibility of acquiring Take-Two Interactive.

First, Market Watch reported that Wedbush Securities analyst Joel Kulina said Sony is currently in “advanced board level discussions to acquire Take-Two Interactive in a mostly cash deal.” GameSpot contacted Kulina for clarification, and he expressed frustration with what he says was a misquote, leading him to be “bombarded with calls” about the comment.

“There is nothing behind this story that I’ve seen,” Kulina told GameSpot. “No one has found a source. Market chatter refers to simply what we hear on trading desks–happens daily, just more surprised this has gone viral like it has.”

Regardless, the initial comment was enough to kick off a flurry of trading, leading to a stock increase of nearly 7% as of the time of writing. Sony stock is also up slightly, at less than 1%. Kulina said there isn’t more to the story than the chatter, but the Take-Two stock jump is likely due to a favorable market position and the teaser released yesterday by Gearbox, which has been widely interpreted as a reference to Borderlands 3. Take-Two’s stock price has been on the decline recently, especially in the last month, so it was poised for a rebound.

Most recently, Sony and Rockstar partnered for timed exclusive Red Dead 2 content on PlayStation 4 and a special PS4 Pro console bundle. But Take-Two certainly isn’t wedded to one console, having developed games for multiple platforms over the years–some of which never appeared on a Sony console, like Rockstar Presents Table Tennis. Other properties under the Take-Two portfolio include the NBA 2K games, Civilization, and XCOM.

GameSpot reached out to Take-Two Interactive, which declined to comment.

Devil May Cry 5 has enjoyed a strong start on the UK physical sales chart, topping the all-format list in its debut week. For the week ending March 9, sales monitor Chart-Track says Capcom’s hack-and-slash game displaces the previous No.1, Anthem, becoming the first in the series to top the chart since DmC in 2013.

Below Devil May Cry 5, Red Dead Redemption 2 finishes at No.2, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe claiming the final podium position at No.3. The week’s only other new entry is Square Enix’s stealth game Left Alive, which sneaks in at No.39.

We enjoyed Devil May Cry 5 here at GameSpot, with critic Matt Espineli awarding the game a 9/10. “DMC5 thrives on the stylistic and mechanical prowess of its predecessors,” he wrote in our Devil May Cry 5 review. “It sticks to tradition above all else, pursuing a few ambitious new ideas along the way, but mostly maintaining the series’ focus on intricate fighting systems and campy bravado. Rarely does the game stumble, consistently leveraging its spectacle and mechanical depth to push aside any small frustrations. All the while, the story exudes a charismatic charm that keeps you constantly intrigued as you’re refining your skills. DMC5 proves the series can still be brilliant and imaginative without compromising its longest-held traditions.”

You can read the full top 10 sales chart for this week below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.

1. Devil May Cry 5
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
4. Anthem
5. FIFA 19
6. Far Cry: New Dawn
7. The Lego Movie 2 Video Game
8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
9. Metro: Exodus
10. Grand Theft Auto V

Although reviews for the Spyro Reignited Trilogy were mostly positive, praising the remaster’s faithful recreation of the originals’ charm, the PS4 and Xbox One collection also attracted some criticism upon launch. Some people were angered by the game’s lack of subtitles, which many gamers–for example, the hard of hearing–rely on to be able to enjoy games to their fullest.

Now, developer Toys for Bob has finally added complete subtitles to the three remastered games in a new update. The patch notes state the subtitles include “character headers to identify active speakers, succinct line splits for readability, [and] colored text for improved character association in most languages.”

Publisher Activision had previously avoided directly addressing the Reignited Trilogy’s lack of subtitles. At the time, it simply stated, “While there’s no industry standard for subtitles, the studio and Activision care about the fans’ experience especially with respect to accessibility for people with different abilities, and will evaluate going forward.”

Video game accessibility options have become a more openly-discussed topic in recent years, though some titles do not meet basic standards of accessibility. Colorblindness options are only just becoming commonplace, for example, while full closed captions–such as those offered by Far Cry: New Dawn–are still rare.

Phoenix Labs has announced the console release for Dauntless has been delayed. The developer also released further details for what’s included in the Hunt Pass Season 3–which went live today–for the PC version of this free-to-play action RPG.

Currently only available on PC via Steam, Dauntless was originally being ported to Xbox One and PS4 for release in April 2019, with a versions for Switch and mobile later in the year. The Xbox One and PS4 versions have now been delayed to Summer 2019, with Phoenix Labs stating it is using the “additional time to polish gameplay, stress-test for scale, and complete additional features.” The PC version of Dauntless is also scheduled to migrate from Steam over to the Epic Games Store, a move which has also been delayed to coincide with the release of the game on Xbox One and PS4.

Currently in open beta on PC, Dauntless will officially launch when it releases on Epic Games Store, Xbox One, and PS4. All of your progress from the beta will carry over, regardless of which system you choose. As Phoenix Labs plans on having all Dauntless players’ saved date be tied to an Epic account, the game will support cross-platform play and progression across all systems. Cross-platform support will extend to the Switch and mobile versions of the game as well when they eventually launch.

The third season of Dauntless Hunt Pass, titled Overgrowth, is now live. Listening to the community, Phoenix Labs has decreased the number of Title rewards you can unlock while increasing the number of Transmog rewards. You’ll earn 500 platinum for completing all levels of the pass, with an additional Elite track costing 1,000 platinum. The new season also brings several aesthetic changes to Dauntless. The snow has completely melted and spring has begun, with moss and vines covering buildings and giant green leaves hanging from the trees and other tall vegetation. Season 3 adds a new weather effect too–rain–as well as new items to find and plenty of collectibles to unlock. Overgrowth will continue until April 16. Complete details about the new season can be found on Dauntless’ website.

Similar to Monster Hunter, Dauntless takes place in a fantasy setting where you hunt down massive creatures in order to collect loot and craft new weapons and gear. Hunts can be lengthy affairs, taking anywhere from a few minutes to nearly half an hour. Like Monster Hunter World, Dauntless can be tackled completely solo or in a team of up to four people.