This Saturday has brought with it quite the mix of deals. Leading the charge is the Samsung 980 Pro NVMe SSD. It’s a 1tb model, and will slot nicely into any modern PC or PS5. We’ve also found quite a nice deal on Nintendo eShop and Xbox Store Gift Cards, so if you’re a user of both platforms, this could be quite a wise deal to look in to. Also Dell has a whole slew of great PCs on sale, which you can check out further below!
Some games are inspired by the developer’s deep, personal experiences. Others are sparked by real-world events, or love of other media.
For Skatebird developer Megan Fox, it all began with a gif of a bird on a skateboard.
Also, here: pic.twitter.com/Z0wPfDGrtf
— Megan Fox (🛹🐦 OUT NOW) (@glassbottommeg) June 15, 2020
Fox is a seasoned developer, having worked in AAA on LEGO Universe before going indie and releasing games like Jones on Fire, Hot Tin Roof, and Spartan Fist. She started working on Skatebird in 2018 after, she says, Spartan Fist “bombed” and she had to let her entire development team go. Whatever she made next, Fox at the time was certain she would need to do it mostly alone.
But that certainty didn’t last long. First, a fellow game developer who goes by KevKev offered up a physics-based, skateboarding prototype codebase to anyone who wanted it, after he found that putting humans on skateboards was “inconsistent and weird.” Fox began messing around with it, letting the inspiration from the gif she had seen lead the way, and quickly discovered it was much easier to put a bird on a skateboard than a human.
“You know what a human on a skateboard is supposed to look like,” Fox says. “Pros are supposed to look cool. There’s a particular look and a stance and so forth. If you put a bird on a skateboard, well, no one really knows how it’s supposed to stand on the skateboard. And if they flap a lot and look awkward, well, they’re a bird on a skateboard.”
Fox wasn’t the only one who thought birds on skateboards looked like fun. At E3 2019, Fox found a slot for Skatebird at the Kinda Funny Games Showcase and launched her Kickstarter simultaneously. The support was tremendous, enough for Fox to expand the scope of the game from a fun little skating gag to include objectives, a story, and far more birds than originally planned. Though she planned for this next project to be a solo fun, Fox started working with other people again to support Skatebird’s development. What began as a “whatever the hell” kind of gag had turned into a full, serious project.
“I think people think it’s a lot bigger than it is,” Fox says. “It takes about five to eight hours to beat. It’s not huge. But then I guess that’s the size of most skate games. So maybe it is.”
While the idea for Skatebird started as a bit of a goof, its expanded scope meant Fox quickly had to become an expert on two things she didn’t know much about: birds and skateboarding. The former happened organically once she moved to the Seattle area and started feeding birds as a hobby, gradually learning the names of and how to identify different species.
She also hired a skateboarding expert to teach her about the different tricks and techniques, as she wanted Skatebird genuinely reflect the sport rather than including a bunch of made-up tricks. Having only skateboarded briefly in the past “in combat boots while wearing a trench coat,” Fox opted not to get back on the board during development to avoid injuring herself, but intends to take up the hobby again now that the game’s launched.
Alongside the research, Fox wanted her skateboarding game to be accessible in a way that big-name skateboarding titles had grasped at, but ultimately fallen short of. To do this, she looked to the Tony Hawk games’ very clear button assignments (meaning they could easily be rearranged or mapped to a different controller if needed) and attempted to combine them with EA’s Skate franchise’s elimination of the more precise arcade aspects.
“You can collapse almost all of the buttons down to one button, you can make it so that a single button does the grind and flip trick,” she says. “And it’s not ideal, like you can’t pull off every single trick in the game this way. But you can totally play the game this way.”
The finished Skatebird is cute and whimsical and full of, as Fox desired for it, birds “trying their best.” It’s tied together by a story of a bird whose “Big Friend” (a human, of course) has given up skateboarding, motivating the bird to try and inspire them to pick it up again as they skate around tiny, bird-sized courses. There are objectives to discover and lots of customization for the bird hero. Though primarily a skate game, there’s no denying Skatebird’s meme-ability, true to the gifs that inspired it.
Skatebird comes at a time when skate games are seeing a bit of a renaissance, from indie title announcements like Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and goofy riffs like Street Uni X (think Tony Hawk but a unicycle), to AAA endeavors like EA’s revival of the Skate franchise and, of course, the return of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2.
Whether or not the genre sticks around for good or skates off into the sunset, Fox says that now turned out to accidentally be a great time to release a skateboarding video game.
“There are tons and tons of indies that are starting to play in this genre,” Fox says. “And usually, that’s the sign that the genre has blossomed and is really starting. And then when EA Skate comes out, that’s the sign that AAA is entering the space again, because indies have once again shown that this genre exists and it works and it makes money and AAA goes, ‘I like money.’ And then they come in and after that, I don’t know what will happen. They could kill the genre again, or maybe not. But at least right now it’s pretty cool.”
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
It’s that time of year again where the days start getting shorter, the football season has started, and inevitably, EA Sports releases a new FIFA. But what’s new in FIFA 22? And more importantly, what’s actually going to make a difference? Here is everything we think is worth taking notice of:
1. Hypermotion – This year’s buzzword is Hypermotion; new technology being implemented on the PS5 and Series X/S versions of FIFA 22. This machine-learning algorithm learns from capture of real-life 11 vs 11 matches, then performs new animations in real-time to create organic player movement, including passes, shots, and something as simple as trapping the ball.
Players take the ball in their stride with ease with hitching and stuttering kept to a minimum during sprints when trying to collect a pass. It promises a much more fluid feel to general gameplay. For much more detail on this, check out my gameplay preview here.
2. Goalkeeper Rewrite – Dodgy goalkeeping has been an issue that has plagued FIFA recently, but a new intelligence system aims to make them much more reliable. New personality types are also being introduced in order to replicate the different styles of ‘keeper found around the world from sweepers to pure shot-stoppers.
3. Explosive Sprint – This new mechanic allows for attackers to lure a defender close to them before accelerating away with a sharp burst of pace. It should allow for more dynamic one-on-one encounters, but let’s just hope it isn’t as overpowered as FIFA 21’s bridge skill ability.
4. True Ball Physics – Improved ball physics makes feel more realistic than ever as they zip through on a wet surface or hold up on the grass as backspin is applied to a lofted through ball.
5. New Attacking Tactics – Players are finally able to apply different playing styles to each half of the pitch, meaning you can press high with attackers but also keep defenders deep if you wish to prevent a counter-attack.
6. Create Your Club – You’ll now be able to create your own football club from scratch and enter them in any league you wish. The customisation options will be familiar to any who have played pro clubs, but you’ll be able to design your own kit, crest, stadium, all the way down to the pattern of the grass on the pitch. You’ll then be able to choose the average ability and age of your players who are then randomly generated as your starter squad.
7. Sub Appearances – When playing a solo player career you can now be substituted on during a match. Something that maybe should have been in FIFA a while ago, but aims to deliver the experience of being a young player aiming to break into the team and impress the manager.
8. Manager Rating – Continue to impress that manager and your manager rating will go up and is represented by a bar that fills up the more faith he has in you. Let it slip all the way into the red though and you’ll find yourself out of the lineup.
9. Match Objectives – Once you enter the pitch you’ll be given three match objectives to complete in order to earn maximum XP. These vary depending on factors including your position on the pitch, the formation you’re in, and the opposition you’re playing and range from achieving a minimum match rating out of 10 to scoring a goal outside the box.
10. New Player Progression – There’s room for a lot more experimentation now when building your player. A revamped skill tree allows for you to specialise much more heavily and put points into specific attributes.
11. Player Perks – There’s also the new perk system which is set to make tangible improvements to your player and team. Perks unlock as you level up and you can equip up to three of them to take into a match. Perks grant you additional stat boosts on top of your and trigger automatically when certain conditions are met. For example, once the Distance Shooter perk is activated it grants you the finesse shot trait for a 5-star weak foot boost, whereas Defensive Cover boosts defensive awareness, interceptions, and tackling for all of your teammates.
12. Dressing Room Atmosphere – Cinematic sequences will not play out from the locker room at the end of each match, reflecting the highs and lows over the course of a season. Water bottles may be thrown at the end of a crushing derby loss, or champagne corks flying after a victorious cup final.
13. Alex Scott Commentary – Ex-England international and current fantastic pundit Alex Scott joins the team as FIFA’s first female member of the commentary team. She’ll be giving you updates from around the grounds as other matches are played out simultaneously, a role previously occupied by Alan McInally.
14. Dynamic Tifos – Any player can now be proudly displayed by fans in the stadium in all of their 50-foot glory. Who is displayed will change depending on who are the best players at the club and who has been there the longest. Yes, that includes your own generated player.
15. Drop-In with Friends – If you can’t get your whole squad together for a whole session but still want to play with some of your friends, you can now do so by grouping up and dropping into some matches without affecting your club’s record. It’s not always easy to get up to 10 other people synced up for an evening so this is a welcome addition to Pro Clubs.
16. Player Growth – It will now be clearer than ever to see just how much XP you gain from each match with post-game screens breaking down your performance and how close you are to reaching the next level and those all-important skill points.
17. Perks – These will be making their way over to Pro Clubs as well. See above in the Career Mode section for information on how perks work for your pro.
18. Enhanced Club Customisation – There’s now a much higher level of customisation available when tailoring your pro club in FIFA 22. Change everything from seat colours, goal songs, goal net shape, pitch wear, stadium banners, and much, much more.
19. Female Players Added – For the first time female virtual pros can now be created and play alongside their male counterparts with no additional gameplay impact.
20. FUT Heroes – A new type of card for cult characters of the sport who perhaps aren’t quite Icon status but left a big imprint of the game. These include the likes of Robbie Keane, David Ginola, Clint Dempsey, and Mario Gomez. They’ll provide a green chemistry link for any player in the same league as on their card.
21. Division Rivals Revamp – A structure in Divison Rivals that now takes place over the course of a whole season. Win matches to progress through new stages, ranks, and divisions on your way to better weekly rewards. Stay at the right level for your skill by playing matches and reaching checkpoints. You’ll receive rewards based on your performance both at the end of every week and at the end of each season.
22. Elite Division – Above Division 1 is a new Elite Division reserved for the most skilled players. Top performers in this division will get the chance to compete in the FIFA Global Series.
23. FUT Champions Revamp – Qualify for the FUT Champions Weekend League by playing playoff games during the week and earning enough points. The Finals each week will now consist of 20 matches to play over the weekend, down from the 30 of recent years. A new points-based system will determine rewards.
24. Co-Op Public Matchmaking – You no longer need to pair up with a friend to play online co-operatively in FUT. Search for a partner and enter the FUT Friendlies lobby to play 2v2.
25, New Skill Meter – In order to emphasise the difference between Volta and other modes, a new skill meter encourages players to play with flair. Different moves are rewarded with different points values and include beating players with skill moves, nutmegging opponents, and bouncing passes off of the wall. More points consolidated means the more your next goal is worth, from 2 all way up to 4.
26. Signature Abilities – One of three signature abilities can be added to your player. These operate on a cooldown and can be triggered using the right shoulder button. These abilities are titled Power Strike, Pure Pace, and Aggressive Tackle, applying various buffs to your character.
27. Increased Skill Moves – A greater amount of skill moves have been added to the simple skill moves mechanic (holding in the left shoulder button) to provide more variety in gameplay. Several standing skill moves are now also available such as a ball stand a fake shoe tie feint.
28. New Base Stats – When creating your Volta player, there’s no more uphill battle to fight in order to make them ready for the streets. Each player starts with an 82 overall rating and 5-star weak foot and skill moves so they feel great to play with straight away.
29. Volta Arcade – A bunch of minigames has been thrown into the mix this year, Virtua Tennis-style. If you want a break from actual football then try your hand at including Dodgeball, Foot Tennis, and the curiously named Disco Lava.
30. Volta Seasons – A new way to play Volta that has been borrowed from FUT is Volta Seasons. Essentially a 6-week long battle pass that you can complete in order to earn new cosmetics.
31. Player Recruitment Removed – The focus is very much on building your own character this year, so much in fact that no professional players, celebrities, or Icons will be recruitable to your Volta squads.
32. No Volta Story – For the first time since the Volta mode launched there will be no Volta single-player story mode in FIFA 22, instead, the focus has been placed on the multiplayer experience.
33. Two-Player Celebrations – OK, this may not be something that truly matters. But I think it’s nice that I’ll be able to run over to a teammate and give them a high-five after a lovely team goal in Volta.
And that’s everything! All there is to do now is that wait until FIFA 22 releases and we see how much of a difference how all of these changes add up to.
Simon Cardy can’t wait for another year of lining up against Varane and Mendy. Find him over on Twitter at @CardySimon.
Pokemon Legends Arceus preorders have been available for a while in the UK, but there’s been some excellent quite recently. The game will launch on January 28, 2022 for Nintendo Switch, and preorders will now include a unique SteelBook and PokeBall cartridge in the UK.
Preorders are still available at Amazon, and with the game shipping for £49.99 next year. Alternatively, you can also preorder the game on the Nintendo Store online and get a SteelBook and unique figurine of Arceus.
A recent Pokemon Presents gave us an in-depth look at Legends Arceus, including details such as your starter Pokemon – Rowlet, Cyndaquill, or Oshawatt, alongside a better look at the open world you’ll be exploring.
We have also been treated to new details on Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as a mobile release date for Pokemon Unite.
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Jonathan Ferguson, a weapons expert and Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries, breaks down the weaponry of Rainbow Six Siege, including the C1 9mm, the DP27 and the L85A2 Assault Rifle.
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake has been announced, we’ve got more details as to why God of War: Ragnarok will be the final entry in the Norse saga, Sega is announcing a new RPG at Tokyo Game Show, and Mega Man’s robo-dog Rush is coming to Monster Hunter Rise. Join Persia for your daily GameSpot News update.
In this video, Persia talks about the announcement of SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake from the THQ Nordic 10th Anniversary stream. The game will have unlockable platforming skills and costumes and will take you to 7 distinct Wishworlds like Wild West Jellyfish Fields and Halloween Rock Bottom.
Persia also goes over God of War: Ragnarok and why it will be the second and final entry in Sony Santa Monica’s Norse saga according to a recent interview with Cory Barlog.
Sega has also announced that a brand new RPG will be revealed during its showcase at Tokyo Game Show on October 1st at 6AM PT/ 9AM ET.
Lastly, Persia goes over the newest crossover in Monster Hunter Rise that will be Rush from the Mega Man series to the game in the form of a Palamute skin.
For more information on all of our topics, visit gamespot.com.
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The leaves are changing, temperatures are cooling down, and in Los Santos, it’s time for players to hop on their bikes in GTA Online. Whether it’s a BMX bike ride through the city or high-speed sport bike races, four-wheel vehicle averse players can earn some more cash this week by taking part in a suite of activities. Sadly, this week’s focus on bikes also means players won’t be getting a new car to pick up either.
This week’s GTA Online update was shared via the Rockstar Newswire, which we’ve detailed down below.
Bikers of all stripes will have plenty of opportunities to earn some extra cash this week. Casual bikers can participate in the Hasta La Vista Adversary mode, where a truck tries to trample down city cyclists, for three times the cash and XP. On the other end of the spectrum, all bike races are paying out twice the cash and XP, regardless of how players place.
For those that see a bike as less of a transport vehicle and more of a lifestyle, Motorcycle Club owners can also pick up some extra dough with their illegal sales. Completing forged document, counterfeit cash, or weed selling missions will pay out double the cash until September 22. To spur on these dirty deeds, players will be able to resupply their businesses for half the cost as well.
Players who prefer their souped-up engines to popping wheelies still have a couple of things to look forward to this week. GTA Online’s test track is populated by the Annis ZR350, Vapid Dominator GTT, and Karin Calico GTF this week, all of which players can try before they buy. Those in the market for a new set of wheels can also earn a Dinka Jester RR by earning a top-three spot in GTA Online’s Street Race Series five days in a row.
Keeping with the biking theme, this week’s discounts in GTA Online are for players that want to live out their best biker life, whatever form their two-wheeled vehicle of choice comes in. Along with every bicycle being free, players can purchase MC Clubhouse property for cheap, as well as any upgrades that go along with them. A full list of this week’s discounts can be found below.
While players will be able to keep on causing mayhem and havoc in GTA Online, they’re going to have to wait a bit longer to play the game on next-gen consoles with a full suite of upgrades. Grand Theft Auto V’s next-gen release has been pushed back to March 2022 from its original November 11 release date.
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Actor Daniel Craig has played James Bond for the past 15 years, but with this October’s No Time To Die, he’s setting down his martini glass and pistol and retiring the character.
The farewell speech that Craig gave to the crew after wrapping No Time To Die has now emerged online. Craig gets emotional in his sendoff, saying, “I’ve loved every single second of these movies, and especially this one, because I got up every morning and I’ve had the chance to work with you guys. That has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
Craig also acknowledged some of the controversy about what he said in the past about the James Bond films. He didn’t mention any specific examples, but Craig is quoted as saying that, after wrapping up Spectre, he would rather slash his wrists than come back to play 007 again. But Craig did agree to return for the 25th James Bond movie, and he later said his earlier comments–which he made just two days after he wrapped Spectre when he was feeling exhausted–were “really stupid.”
It’s pretty clear from Craig’s emotional farewell speech that making five James Bond movies was a special achievement for the actor. While he’s finished playing 007, Craig is still making movies, including the upcoming Knives Out sequels that will pay him $100 million.
No Time To Die comes to theaters on September 30 in the UK before debuting in the US on October 8. Advance tickets are on sale now.
The movie is directed by True Detective’s Cary Joji Fukunaga and features Rami Malek as the villain. Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Jeffrey Wright, Naomie Harris, and Rory Kinnear all return from earlier entries, while Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) and Ana de Armas (Knives Out) join the cast.
A massive addition is on the horizon for Call of Duty Mobile. The Blackout map from Black Ops 4‘s battle royale mode of the same name is coming to Call of Duty Mobile on September 22 as part of one of the biggest updates to the popular game so far.
Blackout, fans may recall, was Activision’s first stab at the battle royale genre. It was well-liked, but Activision opted to pursue Call of Duty: Warzone instead, leaving Blackout behind. But it’s alive again thanks to Call of Duty Mobile.
Blackout in Call of Duty Mobile sounds like it’ll be similar to the console/PC version of the map, with many points of interest containing references to popular Black Ops maps like Nuketown, Array, Ghost Town, Firing Range, and Verruckt. “Some areas are nearly identical to their multiplayer incarnations, while others are only loosely based on their known environments,” Activision said.
It’s not immediately clear if Blackout is replacing Call of Duty: Mobile’s existing battle royale map, or if it will operate alongside it as a second option. Whatever the case, it’s coming to Call of Duty: Mobile as part of the game’s second anniversary following the game’s release in October 2019.
Call of Duty Mobile passed 500 million downloads across mobile platforms earlier this year, which works out to about one download for every 15 people on Earth. The game is free-to-play and makes its money from microtransactions.
In other news, the Call of Duty: Vanguard multiplayer beta is going on now, though cheaters are not welcome.
The big changes for Call of Duty Mobile are arriving as Activision Blizzard faces a lawsuit from the state of California over discrimination and sexual harassment of women.
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