Arkane has revealed that the original story of the Dishonored series is “complete”, but the franchise has not been put on hold, as per previous reports.
In an interview with IGN Middle East, Arkane Studio’s Co-Creative Director Dinga Bakaba set the record straight about a previous quote from Arkane’s Ricardo Bare, who said in 2018 that Dishonored was “resting for now.” This led fans to believe that the future of the series was uncertain, with outlets reporting that the series had been put on hold.
”It’s weird because for us as a studio, we never did a sequel to a game we made before,” Bakaba told IGN Middle East. “It was interesting to make and everything, but the rumors of putting the IP on hold was highly exaggerated and was misquoted”
Bakaba believes that Bare’s quote was ”over-interpreted.” “I don’t think there was a decision to put [the] Dishonored series on hold,“ he explained. While Arkane has wrapped up the storyline concerning Emily Kaldwin and Corvo Attano and believes the narrative to be complete, this doesn’t mean that there can’t be any more games in the Dishonored universe in the future. “It’s something where we had a story to tell about the Kaldwins and the Outsider, and that story is over,” he said
“So, whatever happens, that Dishonored is complete. This is the best, and most honest answer we can give but, in any case, I don’t think we will be revisiting that [the Kaldwin storyline]. Bakaba goes on to explain that the decision not to revisit “that part” of the Dishonored world was a creative choice and speaks to Arkane’s intentions as a studio.
Bakaba goes on to explain that Arkane is “not a studio of one game, and I don’t think we ever will be.” In the years since Dishonored, we’ve seen Arkane turn to new projects like Prey, and supporting Machinegames in making Wolfenstein: Youngblood.
It’s unclear what’s next for Arkane as far as Dishonored is concerned, but this leaves the door open should they wish to return to the game’s atmospheric world in some respect. We also have Deathloop to look forward to, an action-adventure game directed by Bakaba himself. The game is yet to receive a release date, but we’ll be sure to update you if we hear anything more about it.
Sony has reportedly told developers that PS4 games submitted for certification from July 13 onwards must be forwards compatible with PS5. PS4 versions of The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima will also apparently be compatible with PS5.
Per a report from Eurogamer, developer documentation on Sony’s internal Partner website now includes a step that must be checked, saying that the game has been tested for compatibility with PS5. That compatibility apparently means that the PS4 game’s code must run without issues on a PS5, and the game must include all the same features.
Sony is also seemingly “strongly” recommending that any patch or remaster for a game submitted before July 13 would allow for PS5 compatibility. Any patch for a game submitted after that cut-off must ensure the game remains compatible with PS5.
There’s a difference between submission and release – games are submitted for certification well before release, so some games arriving after that cut-off date could still be non-compatible with PS5.
However, Eurogamer also reports that it has heard that The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima – Sony’s final major PS4 exclusives, and neither of which will have hit that cut-off point – will be supported on PS5.
2K has released seven different games from three franchises on the Nintendo Switch today, all of them beloved titles. BioShock: The Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection and XCOM 2 Collection are now available, and the individual titles within the first two collections can also be bought separately. Each game comes with all previously released DLC.
If you’re buying these games digitally, you’ll want to hope that you have plenty of space on your SD card–the smallest game in the bunch weighs in at 10.4GB. In total, the seven games weigh in at 103.1 GB.
BioShock 2, which originally launched with a multiplayer mode, features just the campaign, along with the Minerva’s Den and Protector Trials DLC packs.
Here’s the complete list, including Switch Eshop prices and file sizes.
BioShock Remastered: $20 (12.5GB)
BioShock 2 Remastered: $20 (10.4GB)
BioShock Infinite: The Complete Collection: $20 (20.7GB)
BioShock: The Collection: $50 (features the three games above)
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition: $30 (13.7GB)
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection: $40 (21.5GB)
Borderlands: Legendary Collection: $60 (features both games above)
We quickly loaded up XCOM 2–theoretically the most complicated port, as the only game in this list not released on PS3 and Xbox 360–and first impressions suggest a strong port of the 2016 game, with the most notable cutbacks coming in the barracks menus. The screenshots below are taken from an undocked personal Switch unit.
A quick test of BioShock Infinite suggests that it has similarly received a good port, one that performs well and looks fantastic on the Switch’s portable screen. Some shots, again taken from a personal undocked Switch, are below.
There’s a new BioShock in the works right now, although platforms for it have not been announced. If you’re a PC user, you can also nab Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for free on the Epic Store right now.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition has arrived on the Nintendo Switch, adding another sprawling adventure to the hybrid system’s library. It can also be an overwhelming one between its vast environments and numerous complex systems, particularly if you’ve never played the Wii original or the New 3DS port.
While this version of Xenoblade Chronicles greatly cleans up the UI and makes other tweaks to improve its accessibility, there are still some aspects of the game that aren’t fully explained by its tutorials. To help you out, we’ve rounded up some essential tips and other things to be aware of before you set out on your adventure across the Bionis.
We gave the remastered RPG a 9/10 in our Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition review. Critic Jake Dekker called it “just as vast and fantastical as it was in 2010” and said, “Although not every aspect of Xenoblade Chronicles has aged as well as others, Definitive Edition proves that Xenoblade Chronicles is still a fantastic JRPG with an immense amount of strategic depth that’s still impressive in 2020.”
Ahead of Xenoblade’s launch, Nintendo has released a small 1.1.1 update that patches up a few specific issues with Chain Attacks. If you’ve played the latest entry in the series, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, you’ll also find a nice gift waiting for you when you first boot up the game: 100,000 gold.
As enticing as it may be to follow the main storyline, it’s a good idea to spend some time just exploring the world. Each landmark you discover around the Bionis and the Mechonis opens up a new quick travel point, allowing you to warp instantly to places you’ve previously visited. On top of that, you’ll earn experience points each time you discover a new landmark or location, which makes simply exploring the world rewarding in its own right.
Complete Sidequests To Level Up Quickly
Like other RPGs, Xenoblade Chronicles is rife with sidequests. While many of these send you off on typical RPG errands like defeating a certain number of monsters or collecting specific materials, there’s a good incentive to complete them: You’ll earn experience points along with some very helpful rewards, including new gear and money.
In fact, completing sidequests is a much more expedient way to level your party up than by just battling monsters, and you shouldn’t have much need to grind so long as you’ve been regularly clearing sidequests. Moreover, many of these missions don’t require you to return to their quest giver to collect your rewards, so you’ll reap their benefits right upon their completion.
Buy Manuals To Fully Level Up Your Arts
As you battle your way across the Bionis, each character in your party will gradually amass Art Points, which can be used to level up their Arts. Unlike experience points, Art Points are not automatically distributed, so you’ll need to go into the menu and manually divvy them up as you see fit. Remember to periodically level up your party’s Arts as you play; doing so will reduce the attacks’ cooldown timers and improve their efficacy, which will be necessary to deal with the escalating threats you’ll face as you progress through the story.
However, one thing the game doesn’t explicitly tell you is that you can initially only power up an Art to level 4. To improve an attack beyond that, you’ll need to purchase Art Manuals from vendors at the different settlements you visit on your journey. Once you’ve purchased a manual for a specific Art, you’ll be able to level it up past its initial ceiling. Intermediate Manuals allow you to power an Art up to level 7, while Advanced Manuals raise that Art’s level cap to 10.
Hunt Down Unique Monsters
Roaming the world amongst the normal assortment of fauna are a special breed of enemies called Unique Monsters. These foes are typically larger than standard monsters and all have a distinct name like Evil Rhangrot or Territorial Rotbart. They’re also much tougher, making them more akin to minibosses.
While you likely won’t be able to defeat every Unique Monster when you first encounter them, it’s a good idea to remember where they lurk and return to battle them when you’re sufficiently prepared. If you can slay the Unique Monster, it’ll drop some great items, including Affinity Coins (which can be used to set up Skill Links–more on that in a bit) and new gear. In fact, the gear you can obtain from Unique Monsters is typically better than what you’d find at vendors in the area, making it worth your while to hunt these enemies down.
Craft And Equip Gems
On the outskirts of the Commercial District in Colony 9 is the Gem Man’s stall, where you can forge new gems for free. These can be equipped on any piece of gear that has an open slot to bestow additional perks on your party members; some gems reduce the amount of aggro that’s drawn by auto attacks, for instance, while others increase your max HP.
Before you can craft these gems, however, you’ll need to have ether crystals. These can be mined from ether deposits scattered all around the Bionis, so it’s a good idea to make a note of where a deposit is and return to it periodically to mine more crystals and forge those into gems.
Register Items In The Collectopaedia
As you explore the Bionis and the Mechonis, you’ll frequently come across glowing blue orbs scattered around the environment. Pick up one of these and you’ll receive a bizarrely named item like a Dance Apple or Sweet Wasabi, and while their purpose isn’t immediately apparent, these collectables will come in handy at various points in the game. You can trade these items with named NPCs, for example, which will improve their town’s Affinity rating, opening up additional sidequests and other benefits. On top of that, you can also register the items to receive some extra rewards.
Nestled within the Collectables menu is an option called the Collectopaedia. Each page in this repository is devoted to one of the areas you visit on your adventure, and it contains slots for all of the different collectables you can find scattered about that area. Each time you register a collectable here, you’ll receive a helpful reward like a gem. If you can complete an entire page, you’ll get even more rewards, including new weapons and armor, making it a good idea to collect every blue orb you come across as you play.
Build Up Your Affinity And Set Skill Links
As your party members complete sidequests together and battle alongside each other, they’ll gradually improve their Affinity. This opens up numerous benefits; not only will you craft better gems if your party members have a higher Affinity, you’ll also be able to set up Skill Links.
Using Affinity Coins, you can set a Skill from one character’s Skill Tree to another character, letting both take advantage of its perks. For example, linking Sharla’s Adrenaline Skill to Reyn will cause his tension to increase as he takes damage, which ties in well to his role as tank. Remember to also periodically switch up a character’s Skill Tree, which will unlock additional Skills that you’ll then be able to link.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is finally out on Nintendo Switch. The remastered Wii RPG arrives almost three years after the series’ most recent installment, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and if you’ve played that game, you’ll find a nice free gift waiting for you.
If you have save data for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on your Switch, you’ll receive a special one-time bonus upon booting up Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition–100,000 gold. Note that you’ll only have one chance to claim this bonus, so make sure to select Collect before setting off on your adventure, as you won’t be able to receive the gold after you’ve started the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles has received a number of tweaks and touchups in its move to Switch. Not only have the character models been significantly updated (you can get a better look at the improved models in these screenshots), the game also features an entirely new epilogue story called Future Connected, which follows Shulk and Melia one year after the events of the main game. Xenoblade director Tetsuya Takahashi estimates that Future Connected takes about 10-12 hours to complete if you focus on the story and about 20 hours if you include all of the side content.
We gave the remastered RPG a 9/10 in our Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition review. “Although not every aspect of Xenoblade Chronicles has aged as well as others, Definitive Edition proves that Xenoblade Chronicles is still a fantastic JRPG with an immense amount of strategic depth that’s still impressive in 2020,” critic Jake Dekker wrote.
If you’re new to Xenoblade Chronicles, be sure to check out our roundup of some essential tips that will help you out on your adventure across the Bionis.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
The head of Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, has offered some high-level thoughts on what the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X can offer in terms of new experiences. During the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, Strauss Zelnick said the next-gen consoles will allow for lots of new richness and depth.
“We’re very excited about what the new consoles will allow our creative folks to do,” he said. “We’ve obviously been developing with new technology for some time [already] so we’re very familiar with where that can take us. Generally speaking, what new technology in our business allows us to do is better memory, better graphics, more fidelity, more beauty, more subtlety, more speed, more richness, and more depth. More characters.”
Zelnick pointed to Red Dead Redemption 2 versus Red Dead Redemption 1 as an example of how its developers leveraged new technology to make more in-depth experiences. Indeed, Red Dead Redemption 2 offered a much larger, richer world than the original game, which was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
On a longer timeline, Zelnick said he expects development tools to be able to create experiences that are indistinguishable from real life.
“Over time, our systems will be so sophisticated that you won’t be able to distinguish between interactive entertainment created in a computer and live-action entertainment created with a camera,” he said. “There will come a point where photorealism will be possible.”
Zelnick pointed out that the graphics and presentation for the NBA 2K series is so advanced that it’s nearly as good as real-life NBA broadcasts.
However, just because Take-Two’s teams may one day be technically possible to reach photorealistic graphics, that doesn’t mean the company will pursue this for all of its games. Zelnick pointed out that the Borderlands franchise will likely remain a stylized series in the future. However, the executive said some of Take-Two’s other teams might pursue games with photorealistic graphics.
The PS5 and Xbox Series X are both scheduled to release this holiday.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
IGN can exclusively announce One Shell Straight to Hell, a new twin-stick shooter developed by Shotgun With Glitters. The game will be published by Feardemic, an indie label under Bloober Team, the Poland-based publisher behind Blair Witch and The Medium.
One Shell Straight to Hell employs a voxel-based visual style and inventive gameplay that mixes roguelike and horde-mode style base defense. “Descend into our ever-changing dungeons that overflow with demonic enemies and pit your insane skills and over the top weapon collection against the satanic hordes,” reads the game’s Steam description. “For your entertainment I have personally manifested a collection of monsters that are madder than the Mad Hatter, and to make it even more challenging, this ludicrous bunch will come in endless waves to lay siege on your fortifications.”
You can check out a reveal trailer below, and our first-look preview video above:
Indie fans might recognize the game’s protagonist Padre Alexander, who was also the lead in the developer’s previous title, The Padre. Padre is a holy priest, but also a demon slayer with a sarcastic wit. Wearing a traditional black cassock, Padre is heavily armed with deadly revolvers and knives. It’s kind of like a mix between The Exorcist and manga/anime series Hellsing, the latter of which seems to be a heavy source of inspiration for Padre’s character setting and name.
One Shell Straight to Hell is due later this year on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. You can wishlist the game on Steam now.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Shin Imai is Deputy Chief Editor at IGN Japan. Follow him on Twitter.
Chad Muska, one of the iconic skateboarders from the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, is returning for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, and in a new video he has talked about the series’ legacy and impact on both his life and skating culture.
Muska, who was 21 when he appeared in the first game back in 1999, says that “the games influenced my life in general,” and was very important for the skateboarding industry. “To this day, people come up to me and they’re like, ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, I picked you! If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have started skateboarding!'”
You can watch the short video below, and compare 1999 PlayStation 1 Muska to 2020 PlayStation 4 Muska.
Muska first appeared in the original Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, before appearing in the next five games in the series, through to Tony Hawk’s Underground 2. Activision recently released a similar video for another skater from the series’ history, Steve Caballero.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 releases September 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Check out our preorder guide to make sure you’re ready to roll on day one.
Epic Games is gearing up for another huge Fortnite event to mark the end of Chapter 2, Season 2. Officially called “The Device,” the upcoming finale–popularly referred to as the Doomsday live event–is mostly still a mystery. But we do know when it begins.
What Is The Doomsday Live Event?
The much-rumored “Doomsday Device” that Fortnite players and leakers have been discussing for the past few weeks is at the core of this event, with some speculating that the large orb-shaped device with pipes running everywhere in Midas’s office is The Device. The introduction of the Storm the Agency challenges in the game’s latest update might suggest that Team Shadow may soon usurp Team Ghost in the Agency, which could lead to the device being triggered.
When Is The Doomsday Event?
The Doomsday live event begins on June 6 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET, which is about a week past when the doomsday clocks were originally suggesting in the game. Epic Games says space is limited so you should show up 30 minutes beforehand, and it will only take place once. Presumably this event (officially called The Device) will coincide with an updated countdown clock reaching zero in order to add some extra tension. Because of the updated animations for swimming, it’s predicted that some of the battle royale map could be sent underwater as part of the event. This would create a radically-different environment for the beginning of Season 3, assuming the changes are story-centric and semi-permanent.
Recently, Epic partnered with OnePlus to get Fortnite running at 90 frames per second on their phones, which is better than consoles like the Nintendo Switch. One thing’s for sure: based on the smash success of April’s Travis Scott event, it’s likely that this Doomsday will be even more ambitious than any we’ve seen before.
