Square Enix has suggested that it could one day return to the world of Final Fantasy X with a Final Fantasy X-3 sequel. In a new interview with Famitsu as reported by Japanese blog Ryukutya via RPGSite, several key members of Final Fantasy X commented on how the project even has a plot written by Kazushige Nojima, who served as one of the scenario writers on the 2001 game.
“If we are to make X-3, we somehow have a synopsis written by Nojima-san,” character designer Tetsuya Nomura explained. “It’s sleeping right now, but the plot itself does exist.”
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As RPGSite also noted, a recent audio play could be used as another potential storyline springboard. Taking place a year after the events of Final Fantasy X-2 and focused on two new characters called Chuami and Kurgum, Final Fantasy X Will reunited several of the original game’s voice actors and dealt with the return of Final Fantasy X‘s main antagonist, Sin.
Motomu Toriyama–the designer and writer for Final Fantasy X–added that while the chances of the sequel being made weren’t zero, these projects won’t be made until Final Fantasy VII Remake is completed.
“The probability is not zero. But we are not in a phase where we can talk about it, unless we have finished producing FF7 Remake,” Toriyama said.
Battlefield 2042 developer DICE has published an in-depth FAQ on its website, and included in the blog post are details around the studio’s plans for cross-play and cross-progression, along with more information on the differences in content between console generations.
DICE has confirmed that it is examining the possibility of adding cross-play for Battlefield 2042, though it’s not confirmed as feature for the game yet. “We can confirm it’s a function we’re looking to build and test,” the studio said. As a result of this, DICE has delayed the upcoming Battlefield 2042 technical test to later in the summer so it can test cross-play.
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This technical test will include “a few thousand” people, and DICE will notify people by email if they’ve been a selected. A more expansive open beta is coming later.
Cross-play in the technical test will come in two buckets, and you can opt out from playing against people on PC, thankfully. Here’s the breakdown:
PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 consoles (PC and console can opt-out from playing together)
Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles
DICE is also planning cross-progression and cross-commerce for Battlefield 2042. This means all your progress and any content you might buy on one platform (Xbox, PlayStation, or PC) will move with you if you play on a different system.
The FAQ also clarifies that Battlefield 2042’s new weather events, including tornadoes and EMP storms, will be available on all platforms, not just next-gen consoles and PC. Players on PS4/Xbox One will have matches capped at 64 players (compared to 128 on next-gen and PC), while maps on PS4/Xbox One have seen “adjustments to the playable area,” DICE said.
Additionally, the FAQ covers AI soldiers who will populate Battlefield 2042 matches in some circumstances. AI soldiers are being used to fill servers, and you cannot opt out of playing with them. However, DICE said there will be a cap on AI soldiers in a given match, and in general it will not eclipse the number of real human players in a match.
In one example that DICE provided, if a match has 120 out of 128 players, AI soldiers will join to balance the teams. If a human player drops out during a match, an AI player will take their place until another human joins.
AI soldiers won’t be as capable as human players, however. They cannot use Battlefield 2042’s various traits and specialities, and they can’t use the Wingsuit. They’re not idiots, however, as they can use the vehicle call-in system and capture objectives. “They do have the intelligence to decide between engaging with you via enemy fire, flanking, throwing grenades, or even reviving a downed squad mate,” DICE said.
The full FAQ is stacked with lots more details on what’s new in Battlefield 2042.
Actor Don Cheadle, who over the course of his career has now earned 11 Emmy nominations, took to Twitter to admit he’s pretty confused over his most recent nomination. It was recently announced Cheadle’s in the running for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series–which means he landed a spot in the category on the strength of a three-minute cameo in the pilot of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In response, Cheadle tweeted: “I don’t really get it either.” This isn’t the actor’s way of being humble or falsely modest–Cheadle only speaks in one of the two quick scenes where he reprises his Marvel Cinematic Universe character James Rhodes. In the other scene, he’s merely listening to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson give a speech about donating Captain America’s shield to a museum. Cheadle’s was the only acting nomination for the show.
thanks, well wishers. sorry, haters. agreed, 🤷🏿♂️ers. i don’t really get it either. buuuuuuuuuut on we go …
— Don” ‘t ask me google questions” Cheadle (@DonCheadle) July 13, 2021
The 73rd annual Emmy awards are set to air live on September 19 at 8 PM ET on CBS and Paramount Plus. Marvel has a strong showing at this year’s Emmys, with WandaVision being a particular standout, earning nominations for Best Limited Series, Best Actress in a Limited Series (Elizabeth Olsen), Best Actor in a Limited Series (Paul Bettany), and Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series (Kathryn Hahn).
Cheadle also stars in Space Jam: A New Legacy, which debuts on July 16 in theaters and on HBO Max. The actor also recently let it slip that Michael Jordan will–despite many rumors to the contrary–be in the movie, “but not in the way you’d expect.”
The whimsical battle royale game Fall Guys continues to expand. Season 5 is coming up next, and developer Mediatonic has now revealed its theme and release date: July 20.
The studio teased the theme with an elaborate puzzle, which the community quickly solved in about an hour to reveal that “jungle adventure” is the theme for Fall Guys Season 5. The teaser art can be seen below, showing off what look like new costumes and a jungle-themed setting. You might have spied a cute little critter in the left-hand corner, and its name is Sherbert. Sherbert is now canon, following some fun on Reddit.
This was just the first reveal for Fall Guys Season 5, so there is no word yet on the specifics of what’s coming in the next season or when it’ll be released. But you can likely expect new cosmetics, more games, and other updates.
Mediatonic will reveal Fall Guys Season 5 in full on Monday, July 19, through a livestream on the Fall Guys YouTube page starting at 8 AM ET.
Mediatonic will be dishing on all the latest updates to their hit battle royale party game. Find your very own ‘Save The Date’ invitation below. We can’t wait to see you there! 😊
Mediatonic recently delayed the game’s Nintendo Switch and Xbox versions to an unspecified date in the future. Alongside that news, the studio said it is working on cross-play for Fall Guys to connect the player base in a new way.
Hot Toys usually unveils new figures based on popular films after they’ve launched, but this week the Hong Kong-based manufacturer is unveiling its new slate of collectibles a few months early. In addition to a concept art version of Doctor Strange decked out in Iron Man armor and Boba Fett on a throne fit for a Hutt, the company revealed its Spider-Man: No Way Home figure that features Peter Parker in a new black and gold costume.
There’s a hint of red to remind you that this is a Spider-Man underneath all that gold, but it’s an otherwise massive departure from the costumes that actor Tom Holland has worn since he took up the mantle of the web-slinger in 2016. As a Hot Toys figure, this particular collectible has an astonishing amount of detail that shows off a mixture of science and sorcery, with Spider-Man’s costume looking magically enhanced and capable of firing off mystic web-blasts that look very much like one of Doctor Strange’s signature spells.
On the suit are layers of circuitry and golden webbing that would make Iron Man proud. There’s also a decent number of extras available with the figure, such as spare eyes to create different masked facial expressions, spare webbing to recreate some dynamic scenes, a themed base, and a head sculpt of Holland if you feel like taking his mask off.
Hot Toys Spider-Man: No Way Home Sixth-Scale Figure
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Hot Toys hasn’t revealed an official release date or price just yet, but these figures are usually available for preorder a year before they arrive on shelves and tend to hover around the price range of $250.
If that’s too rich for your blood, there are a number of more affordable options that were recently unveiled, such as Lego, Funko Pop, and Marvel Legends toys.
Banjo-Kazooie fans may have just been given the avenue they need to make Banjo-Threeie a reality. Xbox head Phil Spencer has revealed that seeing legacy Xbox games succeeding as part of the company’s Game Pass service could help justify future reboots.
Speaking on the Kinda Funny Gamescast, when asked if Game Pass data helps justify potential reboots Spencer said “absolutely it does,” naming games like Prey and Fable as recent examples.
“Seeing more people playing something like Prey, or Dishonored or going back to Fable and [that] you can talk about those games, for us as we sit back as a creative organisation and watch what people are interested in,” Spencer said. “It gives us more data to think about things that we might pick up and take forward with new ideas and new teams that might want to go do that.”
Reboots are not uncommon in Xbox’s strategy, as series like Flight Simulator and Battletoads have seen new entries as of late while Perfect Dark’s reboot has been revealed. Game Pass could be the doorway to more in the future, whether it be standalone or a compilation like Rare Replay. “Rare Replay was a really interesting thing for us to go do and letting people go and experience some of the old Rare IP,” he said. “We’ll stay on that, because Game Pass gives us a business model where that makes sense.”
For more news from this interview, check out Spencer’s comments on the PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller potentially inspiring a Xbox controller redesign. For Xbox Game Pass, take a look at our list of all 42 games announced for the service during the Xbox and Bethesda E3 Showcase last month.
The full trailer for Fear Street Part 3: 1666 has been released. The third and final part of the three-movie adaptation of RL Stein’s young adult horror series hits Netflix this Friday, July 16.
While the previous two movies were set in 1994 and 1978, this final part takes us back to the 17th century. It’s set in a rural community gripping by a fear of witchcraft and focuses on a witch hunt that will have repercussions three centuries later. The film will also be intercut the other timelines, as the teenagers in ’94 and ’78 try to finally end the curse of Shadyside.
The trailer suggests that Part 3 will have a very different, creepier feel to the other movies, and will hopefully deliver a satisfying conclusion to this hugely entertaining series. Check the trailer out below:
Fear Street Part 3: 1666 stars Kiana Madeira, Elizabeth Scopel, Ashley Zukerman, Ted Sutherland, Gillian Jacobs, Sadie Sink, and Olivia Scott Welch. Like the previous films, it’s directed by Leigh Janiak.
The first Fear Street book, The New Girl, was published in 1989. It was followed by 50 follow-up novels, plus several spin-off series. It stands as one of the best selling young adult book series of all time. For more, find out what’s new on Netflix this month.
EA Sports has announced a partnership with The R&A to bring 2022’s The Open Championship to the upcoming EA Sports PGA Tour game.
The tournament, including its Old Course at St Andrews Links, will be featured in the game when it launches in Spring 2022, EA Sports said.
In fact, EA Sports PGA Tour will have all four Major Championships of golf, and it’s the only game to do that. 2K’s PGA Tour series licensed content, but not each Major.
EA also said in its news release that EA Sports PGA Tour will have multiple control setups, including the classic three-click swing mechanics and a “brand-new” setup to be announced later.
Martin Slumbers, the head of The R&A, said in a statement that EA’s golf game series is helping to elevate the profile of golf overall. “EA Sports plays an important role in taking golf to a wider audience through its highly realistic and immersive game,” Slumbers said.
In addition to the Old Course itself, EA Sports PGA Tour will feature the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse and the Swilcan Bridge, which are two iconic elements of the grounds.
The other Majors that will be featured in EA Sports PGA Tour include The Masters, the PGA Championship, and the US Open. In the real world, The Open kicks off its first round tomorrow, July 15, at the Royal St George’s course.
In other golf game news, Nintendo’s Mario Golf: Super Rush is out now on Nintendo Switch.
NBA 2K22 will be getting three variations of cover athletes, paying homage to current greats in the NBA and WNBA as well as historical legends. The standard and cross-gen digital version will feature NBA All-Star Luka Dončić.
North American players can get a special alternate standard edition featuring WNBA champion Candace Parker, through GameStop and EB Games. This will mark the first female cover athlete in NBA 2K history. Japan is also getting a special version featuring Wizards player Rui Hachimura, the first Japanese player to reach the NBA playoffs.
Meanwhile, the NBA 75th Anniversary Edition features a trio of players who had a big impact on the sport: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant.
The standard edition will be $60 on PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC, and $70 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The cross-gen bundle will be $80 and give you access to both generations, within the same console family. The 75th Anniversary Edition will be $100 and include cross-gen access as well. Both the cross-gen bundle and 75th Anniversary Edition include artwork from Charly Palmer, known for his “Civil Rights” series of paintings.
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“Making the global cover of NBA 2K22 is special for me,” Dončić said in the announcement. “I’m proud to represent my country in a special cover that honors the colors of the Slovenian flag. Basketball has given me so much, and I’m excited to give back and work together with 2K Foundations this year to help the lives of young kids around the globe.”
NBA 2K22 is coming on September 10, 2021. 2K promises more details in the coming weeks, including announcements surrounding new features, the soundtrack, and live service updates.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer is a fan of Sony’s DualSense controller for the PS5, and in a recent interview he hinted that the company may be inspired to make a more feature-rich peripheral for the Xbox Series X|S.
“We’re definitely thinking about different kinds of devices that can bring more games to more places,” Spencer said on the Kinda Funny Gamescast as reported by VGC. “There’s probably some work that we’ll do on the controller. I think Sony’s done a nice job with their controller and we kind of look at some of that and think there are things that we should go do.”
It could work.
This isn’t the first time that Spencer has commented on the innovation that Sony introduced to the controller space with the DualSense, as he mentioned last year during the Xbox Series X|S launch that Xbox was keeping an eye open for technology that could both inspire and become a common part of a “platform that developers and players are going to look for.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Sony’s DualSense controller, it’s a fascinating piece of technology that uses haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and more nuanced rumble features to deliver a more immersive experience in games when implemented properly.
The Xbox Series X|S controller on the other hand is a more iterative upgrade in comparison, but one that makes it compatible with Microsoft’s last generation of consoles. Aside from more modern ergonomics, the controller features newer textures for grip, redesigned triggers, and a very handy capture button.
