The BFG is easily one of the most recognizable video game weapons of all time. The iconic firearm was born to eviscerate monsters and demons in id Software’s seminal first-person shooter, Doom. The gun was there for the formative years of the genre itself and has remained a mainstay, whether in follow-up Doom games, other id Software titles, or games in the genre as a whole.
But the Big F**king Gun actually has a rather unexpected history, having been based on a toy that was purchased from Toys’R’Us.
How did a kid’s toy blaster become one of the most devastating virtual weapons of all time? The latest episode of Loadout delves into just that question. Join Dave as he recounts the history of the BFG and explores its cultural impact in games, movies, and beyond.
If you haven’t already, make sure to watch the other episodes of Loadout available on GameSpot’s YouTube channel. There are videos dedicated to the silencer, nuclear bomb, revolver, and more.
Of course, the BFG makes its return in the latest entry in the Doom series. In GameSpot’s Doom Eternal review, Phil Hornshaw said, “Though it can take a bit to get the hang of it, the intricacies of Doom Eternal’s combat, combined with its enhanced mobility and option-heavy level design, create a ton of white-knuckle moments that elevate everything that made Doom 2016 work so well.
“Its combat is just as quick and chaotic, but requires you to constantly analyze everything that’s happening in order to come out victorious. Once you get the hang of the rhythm of Doom Eternal, it’ll make you feel like a demon-slaying savant.”
The console port of Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is being invaded by veteran PC players.
The news arrives thanks to a report from PCGamer, which details the “accidental crossplay” which has led to PC players facing off against those using Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 4 controls in Jedi Academy’s multiplayer mode.
Forums and social media platforms are amok with players complaining about PC veterans arriving in their multiplayer lobbies and wiping the floor with the inexperienced and more casual players on console, who don’t have the added benefit of a pinpoint mouse and keyboard setup.
As noted by user Max Payment on ResetERA, it looks like PC players are finding console server IPs on the console versions of the game, and then jumping onto their PC version and connecting to that IP. This effectively bypasses the assumed restrictions and jumps straight into open console multiplayer matches, allowing PC fans who have been playing since the game originally launched back in 2003 to wreak havoc. It’s a jerry-rigged crossplay solution!
Many fans have voiced their concerns on Twitter, with some responding to a tweet from Aspyr Media – the developer behind the console port – asking the studio to fix the server vulnerabilities.
One reply from Twitter user JediKnightHub reads “I think we’d all rather you patch out the IP address being displayed, change the IPs, and do all you can from PC players from entering the servers… please look into it, It’s ruining the experience for the new console players.”
As ever, the wisdom of Obi-Wan Kenobi rings true for those affected by this crisis – “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Although gaining that power is significantly harder when your opponent uses a mouse and keyboard and has been playing for 17 years.
A nimble modder has grafted parts of Half-Life 2’s opening into Half-Life: Alyx’s Source 2 engine.
Vect0R has recreated the moment that Gordon Freeman walks out into the City 17 courtyard at the start of Half-Life 2 in VR with Source 2, the engine that powers Half-Life: Alyx. The location is eerily quiet save for a few roaming Combine, with Wallace Breen’s looming face yet to be implemented, but features better lighting than the original version, which released on the first Source engine in 2004.
Instead of being planted to the ground, the player uses the VR control scheme from Half-Life: Alyx, including her pistol which must have the slider manually pulled back to reload. This quickly turns the courtyard into a shooting gallery.
The modder started work on the reimagining on March 24th but had been planning the project since January. Vect0R doesn’t plan on sharing it for public use just yet and created it to serve as a showcase for what could be done.
“I took the original map file and converted to Source 2 format and added to Half-Life: Alyx,” said Vect0R in the description of his YouTube video. They also mention that they were limited by the fact that Valve’s Source 2 SDK isn’t public just yet.
It’s a seriously impressive sight to behold and is clearly just the start for Source 2 tinkering off the back of Half-Life: Alyx. Who’s to say that we couldn’t see a full remake of Half-Life 2 within Alyx’s upgraded Source 2 engine, thanks to the hard work of modders like Vect0R? We do live in a post-Black Mesa world, after all.
Justice League Dark: Apokolips War will reportedly serve as the conclusion of the Justice League animated shared universe, originally launched by Jay Oliva’s Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox in 2013.
According to ComicBook.com, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War will end the current run in the DC Animated Movie Universe, as the 15th and final film in the continuity, which includes sequels to The Flashpoint Paradox, Son of Batman, and Justice League Dark. However, Warner Bros. Animation will continue to produce animated DC Comics movies, though it’s not clear whether they will be independent stories or the start of a new continuity.
Directed by Matt Peters and Christina Sotta, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War boasts the largest superhero cast in the history of DC Universe Movies with dozens of characters spotlighted in a grand ensemble of talent reprising their renowned roles from the six-year story continuum.
Among those reprising their animated characters are Matt Ryan, Jerry O’Connell, and Taissa Farmiga, who anchor the cast as Constantine, Superman and Raven, respectively. This assemble will lead the heroes into humanity’s final attack against the film’s key villain, Darkseid, who will once again be voiced by Tony Todd.
Alongside that trio are the long-running core of Justice League voices, comprising of Jason O’Mara as Batman, Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Shemar Moore as Cyborg, and Christopher Gorham as The Flash, as well as many other returning Justice League Dark and DC voice cast members.
The movie has been rated R for “bloody violence, language, and some sexual references” and will serve as the direct sequel to 2017’s Justice League Dark.
In our review of Justice League Dark, we praised the film for its execution of “the magical team-up concept,” saying it “delivers a satisfying supernatural adventure” that “does justice to the main cast of characters by telling their tragic origin stories and showing off their quirky personalities.”
Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC, and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War debuts on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital in spring 2020.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
Copies of Final Fantasy 7 Remake will ship early to Australia and Europe, Square Enix has announced.
The news was revealed in a tweet from the official Final Fantasy 7 Remake account, which contained a formal message from Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya Nomura, two of the Remake project’s lead developers.
“Our highest priority is that all of you, including those who live in countries currently facing the biggest disruption, can play the game at launch, so we made the decision to ship the game earlier than usual to Europe and Australia,” the statement reads.
— FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE (@finalfantasyvii) March 30, 2020
This means that those of you in Europe and Australia waiting for your copy of Final Fantasy 7 Remake may receive the game earlier than the street date of April 10th, 2020.
The decision wasn’t taken lightly, and – as you may have surmised – it was made in response to “disruption to distribution channels caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
The coronavirus pandemic has strained the global supply chain and estimates for delivery are becoming more haywire, which is why Square Enix has decided to send the game out now so it can meet the demand at launch.
As for fans in the Americas and other Western regions, Square Enix is optimistic that the game will arrive by launch day, though due to the “challenging situation” the company cannot provide data for every country and retailer.
To round off the statement, Kitase and Nomura asked fans not to spoil the game if they receive their copy early. “There are potential spoilers that have been out there for over two decades as the original Final Fantasy VII was released in 1997… but Final Fantasy VII Remake is a new game that still has many surprises for everyone,” the statement reads.
Locke and Key is the TV adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s cult comic book, and Season 1 was released by Netflix in February. The streaming giant has now announced that the show has been greenlit for the second season.
News of Locke and Key Season 2 was revealed on Twitter by the show’s official account. A short teaser shows one of the series’ magical keys, with the number 2 floating in it. Ok, it’s not the most exciting of teasers, but for fans of the genre-bending fantasy show, this is great news. Check it out below:
Work on Season 2 has actually been underway for several weeks–last month, producer Carlton Cuse told GameSpot that writing had already started, even though it was yet to be greenlit. The show focuses on a widowed mother and her three children as they move into their ancestral home after the father of the family is killed. Known as Keyhouse, the house holds secrets, including keys with mystical powers that have a connection to the deceased father. The cast includes Darby Stanchfield, Jackson Robert Scott, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, and Bill Heck.
In his review of Season 1, GameSpot’s Michael Rougeau said, “if the Netflix version is your first introduction to Locke and Key and you don’t mind some cheesy writing, you’ll probably enjoy the show just fine, without all the baggage of the high expectations that fans have been lugging around for the decade-plus since Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s masterful horror comics series debuted.”
The Xbox Series X hasn’t broken the ‘pizza box’ style console form factor just to stand out from the crowd. The new, tall design is actually fundamental to delivering the extra power of the console.
In a new report from Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry, Microsoft explains that the tall dimensions of the Xbox Series X, likened by many online to a fridge, are actually dictated by several factors. One of the most important of these is airflow; powerful components need to get very hot, and so dispelling air upwards is vital.
“The ODD [optical disc drive] sets one dimension, the volume of the heat sink sets the other dimension,” explained Chris Kujawski, principal designer at Microsoft. “The height is set by airflow and throughout this kind of complex negotiation of figuring out how this stuff comes together, we landed on a square form factor which we love.”
The tall case has a powerful fan at the top, which reportedly helps draw 70% more airflow through the console than the previous generation Xbox. The heatsink attached to the main board inside also achieves 20% more airflow.
Further contributing to the design is that instead of one large rectangular board, the motherboard has been split into two and mounted either side of a metal chassis block that helps cool the hottest components in the console. This split also helps keep the footprint of the console smaller despite the added height.
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn’t set to launch until April 10, but Australian and European players may find the game ahead of time. Square Enix has opted to ship the game to both regions early in order to offset any disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement on its official Twitter account, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake team said it wants to ensure everyone can play the game at the same time. This includes areas facing the most disruption, such as Europe and Australia. Shipping the game earlier could result in those regions playing it before everyone else, so the team asked that players do not spoil its story.
“We know there are potential spoilers that have been out there for over two decades as the original Final Fantasy 7 was released in 1997. But Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a new game that still has many surprises for everyone,” the team continued. “All our fans and players deserve to experience the game for themselves, and we ask for the support of our dedicated community around the world to ensure that.”
Square Enix added that its “highest priority” is making sure everyone can play the game at launch.
“As a result, there is a greater chance that some of you in there regions will now get a copy of the game prior to the worldwide release date of April 10.”
Copies have already made it into the wild, with players finding the game’s Deluxe Edition and showing off its contents on Reddit. Fortunately, the entirety of the game can’t be spoiled through early copies, as Square Enix is developing Final Fantasy 7 Remake as a multi-part title. Digital copies should also arrive at launch, and Square Enix has been actively communicating with players regarding potential changes.
The game launching in April only contains the story up through the Midgar area. It’s available exclusively for PS4 and you can check out GameSpot’s pre-order guide to learn where to purchase.
In celebration of Super Mario Bros.’ 35th anniversary, Nintendo is said to be planning a big celebration that will include “plans to re-release most of Super Mario’s 35-year back catalogue this year.”
As reported by VGC, multiple sources have confirmed this news that also states a new installment in the Paper Mario series will be arriving on Nintendo Switch in 2020.
The Super Mario…party was set to be revealed during E3 2020, which has since been canceled. Nintendo is now said to be reviewing its plans and deciding how it will hold the event in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Eurogamer has also confirmed parts of VGC’s report, and its sources have indicated that Super Mario Galaxy is “indeed one of the games being readied for a remaster, alongside a couple of other 3D Mario favourites.”
Eurogamer also states that new Paper Mario is in fact “in the works” and that a deluxe edition of the Wii U’s Super Mario 3D World will arrive on Switch with “an array of new levels.”
Gematsu has also “heard similar reports,” and adds in that Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine will also be brought to Nintendo Switch.
If these reports are accurate, and assuming the games will not be delayed due to COVID-19 or other factors, Nintendo Switch owners will be able to look forward to the following Mario titles in 2020:
As the credits rolled on Resident Evil 3’s campaign, I immediately started playing it over again. Not because I felt like I missed anything the first time around – I was as fastidious as developer Capcom encouraged me to be – but because my journey through Raccoon City was so consistently packed with tense monster moments and breakneck-paced fun, and it was so challenging throughout its six-odd hours, that I wanted to jump in and do it all over again with sharper skills and knowledge. My undying enthusiasm for it speaks volumes of the polish seen in this remake, and the finesse with which it manages to tread the tightrope between a confident modern horror and a tonal callback to the original Resident Evil trilogy.
Resident Evil 3 takes place nearly concurrently with the events of the equally accomplished Resident Evil 2, and follows different characters. The endearingly practical Jill Valentine – last seen in the original Resident Evil and its Director’s Cut – is called upon by a roguish Umbrella Corp mercenary by the name of Carlos Oliviera to help save the remaining inhabitants of a demolished Raccoon City from the carnage spawned by the T-Virus outbreak. Of course, nothing goes to plan, and Jill finds herself in a wonderfully labyrinthine, zombie-studded playground where she – and your nerves – must also contend with the threat of an invulnerable monster called Nemesis.
[widget path=”global/article/imagegallery” parameters=”albumSlug=every-ign-resident-evil-game-review-ever&captions=true”]
It’s a very classic Resident Evil set up, but then, this is a remake of a classic, goofily fun Resident Evil story — the original 1999 game. The major story events from the original Resident Evil 3 are all there, albeit rearranged, and the cheesiness the early trilogy is known for is delivered in a charmingly self-knowing way. “How is it no one in the hospital ever noticed all this?” Jill wonders aloud after discovering a massive underground base that isn’t particularly well hidden. Resident Evil 3 is also, fortunately, very efficient in its storytelling; the villain is perfectly villainous, the heroes are all selfless and charming, and cutscenes are lean yet efficiently deliver big dramatic moments. It carries the gameplay swiftly along, in other words, and never gets bogged down in unnecessary exposition.
[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=Capcom%20has%20done%20an%20incredible%20job%20in%20the%20small%20details%20here.”]The chaotic, ruined Raccoon City goes a long way toward bringing Resident Evil’s story and the broader universe to life. Once again working within the RE Engine that powered both last year’s Resident Evil 2 and 2017’s Resident Evil 7, Capcom has done an incredible job in the small details here; from the in-universe advertising (“No Spares in This Game!” reads the tagline for a movie called “Sudden Death Bowling”) to the detritus left by citizens who had to escape in a hurry, to Resident Evil 2-related Easter eggs (“Now here’s a weird f****ing door!” Carlos says upon encountering the Spade Door, which is so significant in Resident Evil 2’s police station) and genuinely compelling in-game notes and journals that give background context to some poor guy’s tragic death and/or reveal a code to open a safe. These are spaces that feel realistically inhabited and then abandoned, full of the sort of detail that had me poring every inch of a room after I’d killed everything in it.
This detail and polish extend to Resident Evil 3’s broader environments, which are stunning. Smashed cars are piled up outside of flickering neon signs, fires lick their way across kitschy storefronts, and broad industrial spaces are eerily empty. Although you can’t interact much with the world unless you are specifically instructed to (this is still a Resident Evil game and is thus inhospitably rigid with its options for touching things) the atmosphere around you is always pulling out all the stops to make you feel vulnerable and small. Not to lean too much into cliches, but I literally jumped at my own in-game shadow more than once.
[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=At%20the%20very%20least%2C%20every%20room%20has%20useful%20items%20or%20a%20secret.”]Like its predecessor, and indeed, every decent Resident Evil game before it, every part of Resident Evil 3’s world feels deliberately put together. No enemy is thrown in for the sake of it, no room is there ‘just because’; at the very least, every room has useful items or a secret. Areas house problems to solve or clues that lead you to other areas and then back again; a fire obstructs one route, for example, and must be extinguished with the help of a part hidden in a nearby building – a building which also houses a weapon that can’t be accessed without the use of a tool that’s located past the area obstructed by fire.
These tasks might sound video-gamey (and they are), but solving them is never a chore thanks to elegant, interlocking level design that makes backtracking easy. When I say “easy,” I don’t mean “safe,” though, because that corpse on the floor in that building you were in 30 minutes ago, for example, may not be a corpse any longer. Thankfully, the Resident Evil 2 Remake map screen returns, dutifully logging exactly where you saw that locked safe and highlighting if you’ve missed any items after exploring a room.
[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=As%20long%20as%20you%E2%80%99re%20careful%20you%20won%E2%80%99t%20feel%20like%20you%E2%80%99re%20being%20punished.”]Item micromanagement is where Resident Evil 3 leans hardest into its old-school survival horror lineage. Like the original (and in RE2), items are your lifeline and inventory is limited, and running back and forth between storage chests to make sure nothing is wasted and certain items are combined in smart ways is a must if you want to survive for long. I rarely ran out of bullets and health – at least during my first run on Standard mode – but this was due to diligent scavenging rather than items being plentiful. As long as you’re careful in Resident Evil 3, you won’t feel like you’re being punished, and that’s the mark of any good classic survival horror game.
[ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/27/resident-evil-3-jill-valentine-trailer]
A sense of dread as you navigate Resident Evil 3’s puzzle box of a world is not unfounded, as you can be easily caught unawares by a number of deadly nasties. There’s plenty of variety in enemy design here to keep things fresh, such as the spider-like Drain Deimos who will poison Jill with parasites (the cure is to eat a green herb and then throw up), Pale Heads (first seen in the Resident Evil 2 DLC) who can only be downed by a very accurate blow to the head with your most extreme weaponry, and more things trying to eat your brains beyond your garden variety zombie. Even the latter can prove deadly, especially because they feel faster and more erratic in their movements than their predecessors in Resident Evil 2 and can show up in big enough numbers to really overwhelm you.
[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=There%E2%80%99s%20plenty%20of%20variety%20in%20enemies%20to%20keep%20things%20fresh.”]Fortunately, Jill is a lot nimbler on her feet than Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield, which gives Resident Evil 3 a more frantic, action-oriented feel than its predecessor (though it’s not all-out-action like Resident Evil 5 or 6, don’t worry). Jill has a quick step move that allows her to sidestep an incoming attack, and when timed just right it earns you a slight slow-motion effect to help you escape. It’s a move I used regularly and compulsively, and it proved as important to the minute-to-minute combat as Jill’s handgun. Some of its best moments involved me getting a jump scare from an unexpected zombie and dodging out of its way via pure muscle memory before lining up a headshot with my shotgun.
Of course, Jill isn’t limited to a single gun; she gradually unlocks the classic Resident Evil arsenal (handgun, shotgun, grenade launcher, etc.), and each weapon feels satisfyingly weighty to shoot. More importantly, I used every gun right up until the end, thanks to upgrades to basic weapons that extend their shelf-life significantly. My original shotgun, for example, was upgraded with a Shell Holder, Tactical Stock, and a Semi-Auto Barrel, which made it far more efficient against Resi 3’s tougher enemies in the latter part of the campaign.
[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=I%20faced%20one%20of%20RE3%E2%80%99s%20most%20delightfully%20difficult%20challenges%20as%20Carlos.”]To shake up the pace, Resident Evil 3 intermittently switches you to Carlos’ perspective; our merc is a little less scrappy and nimble and a little more action-forward than Jill, equipped with a powerful assault rifle that can clear a room from the get-go, at the cost of precious ammunition. That doesn’t mean it’s easier – I faced one of Resident Evil 3’s most delightfully difficult challenges as Carlos, which involved plowing down wave after wave after wave of enemies in a very confined space. It was, not to put too fine a point on it, a blast.
But this is primarily Jill’s show, and she needs everything at her disposal. Resident Evil 3’s central antagonist, Nemesis, is powerful and fast, moving like a giant, horribly disfigured cat stalking and pouncing on its prey across a series of exhilarating boss fights. These battles see you face off against him in sprawling arenas; it’s just you and your arsenal against whatever horrific form he’s evolved into. Executing a perfect dodge as he leaps at you from afar is a wonderful feeling, as is blowing him off the side of a building with a mine grenade.
[poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=Nemesis%20is%20powerful%20and%20fast%2C%20moving%20like%20a%20giant%2C%20horribly%20disfigured%20cat.”]It’s a shame, then, that he doesn’t show up more often. Mr. X in Resident Evil 2 is so frightening because his presence felt unexpected, which led to a feeling that you were never safe even if you were in areas you thought you could be. Nemesis apes this pattern in Resident Evil 3’s first couple of hours – there’s a brilliantly climactic showdown with him that involves you desperately trying to escape through a vent as he pursues you – but he soon gets relegated to big, pre-programmed boss fights. Once that happens, that sense of the looming pursuer operating under his own AI is lost.
[poilib element=”poll” parameters=”id=bf8bce16-66f9-48d4-83f4-291575056b48″]
There is no New Game Plus after Resident Evil 3’s campaign, but completing in-game challenges – such as collecting all bobbleheads, knocking X number of hats off a zombie, X number of kills with a certain weapon, etc – unlock a shop where you can cash in your points on useful items to be used in a second or third playthrough. These items, such as coins that make your attacks more powerful or weapons with infinite ammo, made my next playthrough on Resident Evil 3’s hard mode a lot more…manageable.
