Author: Trafficblast

It’s fair to say that Google Stadia hasn’t lit the world on fire. Despite a promising technical test and the deep coffers of one of America’s largest companies, the tech has been underwhelming and the library is anemic. This would be a problem for any new emerging technology, but a weak launch can be course-corrected given enough time. For Google, that time is running short now that Microsoft has announced its own, much more robust streaming plans and is leveraging the Xbox brand to do it.

Due to some combination of curiosity and poor impulse control, I bought both an OnLive and a Stadia Founder’s Edition at launch. Streaming has always been a fascinating concept, and I’ve wanted to see it firsthand, for better and for worse.

Stadia has failed to impress. Pro customers get discounts and a couple of free games, but other promised features like 4K output have been inconsistent. (Google pointedly blamed developers for this.) When Stadia does announce a new slate of games coming to the service, it’s often ones that have already been out on other platforms for months. It has precious few exclusives. The promise of Stadia is to play anywhere, but I don’t travel all that often even in the best of times, much less in the midst of a global pandemic. To top it all off, the games on Stadia are full-priced, often going for the standard price on other platforms, sometimes long after other platforms have offered significant discounts for older games that are marked as “New Releases” on Stadia.

With all this, I’m left with a platform that offers me full-priced games that I’ve already played, that are cheaper elsewhere, with at least some degree of lag, using a less-than-ideal controller on a service that could vanish if Google decides to scrap the project.

It’s in this environment that Microsoft recently announced plans for its xCloud streaming tech. Starting in September, xCloud will be bundled with Game Pass Ultimate, the all-you-can-eat subscription service that also includes Xbox Live Gold. Game Pass has long been an impressive value proposition, and Microsoft has been pushing hard to promote Ultimate as the go-to version of the service thanks to it bundling together the console and PC libraries.

Just in terms of sheer value, this will immediately make Game Pass Ultimate run rings around Stadia Pro. A Stadia Pro subscription grants you one or two games per month, similar to Xbox Live Gold, along with some discounts on full-priced games, for $10/month. Game Pass Ultimate, by comparison, is $15/month and will grant you the ability to stream the Game Pass library–and it also gives you Gold for a few free games and associated discounts. Microsoft hasn’t said if the entire Game Pass library will be streaming on xCloud from day one, but even just a fraction would be more free games than Stadia offers, with the promise of scaling up from there. What’s more, the Game Pass library includes Microsoft’s first-party games, which ensures games from recognizable franchises like Halo, Forza, and Gears are represented.

This is even more impressive in light of Microsoft’s Xbox Series X event. The company opened its showcase by stating that every single game shown would be available through Xbox Game Pass. That means the streaming service xCloud will offer the likes of Halo Infinite, Fable, Hellblade 2, and many more.

But it’s not just pure pound-for-pound game libraries where Microsoft is challenging Google. Microsoft’s xCloud is compatible with any Android device running firmware 6.0 or greater, while Stadia is still relegated to a list of specified mobile devices. (Neither is compatible with Apple’s iOS yet, though Microsoft has begun testing.) And Microsoft already has a firm foothold in the video game industry, lending greater assurance to the future of xCloud as part of its existing ecosystem.

Within that ecosystem, xCloud fits comfortably as a part of Microsoft’s overall strategy. Assuming xCloud streaming comes to Microsoft’s own consoles as well, it provides an on-ramp for current-gen Xbox One users to sample games at Xbox Series X fidelity, with cross-saves and Smart Delivery easing the transition when they decide to make the jump to next-gen. Relying on streaming as an augmented part of your library access makes more sense for most gamers than locking themselves into Stadia alone. Microsoft could even drop the price of the All-Digital Edition, or come up with a similar digital-focused console, to compete directly with Stadia’s Chromecast package as a streaming-focused device.

To be clear, it’s possible that Microsoft could drop the ball somehow. In comparing a current service to the promise of a future one, it’s impossible to foresee all the possible pitfalls and shortcomings of the emergent technology. Microsoft’s service could end up being more limited than it has suggested, or the streaming performance itself could be severely worse. There are ways for all of this to go very wrong. Google could also directly respond to Microsoft by expanding its own service to compete.

Assuming none of that happens, though, Microsoft’s plans contribute to the feeling that its push into streaming is part of a larger vision for the future of the industry. The company is leveraging its decades of cache and experience into a streaming service that fits alongside the rest of its game offerings and offers a better overall value. Google will have a hard time keeping up with that.

While this year’s SDCC all took place virtually, repackaged as Comic-Con@Home, one of the great things about the event was that anyone can “get into” a panel. No more waiting in line, overnight, to make sure you got a seat in the notorious Hall H. Every panel can be watched on YouTube, over and over and over again.

Because of this, we now know which panels the masses are most interested in, as all of YouTube’s videos display the view count. So what do people care about the most? As of Thursday, July 23, it was obvious that people wanted news about the long-delayed New Mutants movie–which, don’t worry, is still aiming for August theatrical release.

Below, you’ll find the list of the most-viewed Comic-Con panels from this year. These panels and numbers will be updated throughout the weekend, so we won’t know what the most popular panel of Comic-Con 2020 is until the end of Sunday, July 26.

In the meantime, here’s what people were excited to learn more about on Day One of Comic-Con.

Numbers last updated: July 24, 12:50 PM ET

10. Conspiracy Theories and Propaganda Throughout Pop Culture (8.4k views)

J.D. Lombardi, Justin Montgomery, Guadalupe De La O, and G.L. Lambert talk about conspiracies in TV shows, movies, and comic books and how that correlates to our culture and current climate.

9. Amazon Prime Video: Truth Seekers (9.2k views)

Amazon’s latest original series reunites Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in a show that revolves around a ghost hunting show online. You can check out the trailer for the series and read GameSpot’s coverage here.

8. Solar Opposites (10k views)

Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan new animated series on Hulu was front and center for its panel on Thursday. During the event, we saw a clip from Season 2–and while it’s not completely animated, we got a good idea of what’s to come.

7. Cartoon Network Studios: The Art of Storyboarding (10.8k views)

Experts and industry professionals reveal how they got into the business for this panel, which includes The Amazing World of Gumball’s Mic Graves, Apple & Onion’s Chuck Klein, and Summer Camp Island’s Julia Pottand Alabaster Pizzo.

6. X-Men Fandom Surprise Party (12.2k views)

A panel that was originally going to be about X-Men fans talking about their love of the world of mutants. However, there were a few celebrity guests that surprised the panelists.

5. A Look Inside Marvel’s 616 on Disney+ (19.4k views)

While most of the MCU-related TV shows and movies have been delayed, there’s a new docuseries about the Marvel Universe coming to Disney+. Marvel 616 explores the vast history of the company’s comic book universe. To learn more, check out GameSpot’s coverage of the panel.

4. His Dark Materials Virtual Panel and Q&A Session (19.7k views)

Find out more about the HBO series in an expansive Q&A.

3. Amazon Prime Video: The Boys (30.3k views)

Ahead of Season 2, the Amazon original series panel features the cast talking about future episodes, and what we can expect. Also, there’s a new clip for Season 2 featuring a whale. Read more here.

2. Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel (40k views)

Star Trek has a super-sized panel to kick off the day. During the event, Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks–which got a new trailer–were all discussed. We also learned about a new animated Star Trek series coming to Nickelodeon.

1. The New Mutants (98.8k views)

The top panel of Thursday was none other than the long-delayed New Mutants movie. While it’s still planning an August 28 release, we saw some new footage of the film and got some new posters. Learn more here.

After being off the air for nearly a year, we now know when AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead will return. During the show’s Comic-Con@Home panel, it was announced that Fear the Walking Dead Season 6 will premiere on Sunday, October 11. Additionally, a trailer for the new season was revealed, which you can watch below.

In the minute-long clip, Morgan (Lennie James) can be heard asking for help as the show picks up following the Season 5 finale, which left him near death. Based on the trailer, he’s not dead yet but doesn’t seem far from it–especially now that it seems he’s being hunted.

“There is something going on with Morgan,” co-showrunner Andrew Goldberg teases of Morgan being seen with red eyes at the end of the trailer. Whether that means he’s a zombie or not remains to be seen. Whatever the case, it’s not business as usual for the character in the new season.

Fear the Walking Dead will return to AMC on October 11 with new episodes. Now the question is when the main show in this universe, The Walking Dead, will join it. You may remember the Season 10 finale of The Walking Dead was unable to be finished due to COVID-19. A new date has not been announced.

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The end is near for Vikings. The cast made its final Comic-Con appearance through its virtual Comic-Con@Home panel Friday, setting the stage for the final batch of episodes that will bring about the series finale. The first half of Season 6 aired earlier this year, while the second half is completed and will be seen eventually. To tease what was to come, though, a shocking clip was shown.

In the clip, Ivar (Alex Hogh) and his army are preparing for war. What he doesn’t expect, though, is that his brother Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) would be the opposition. You may remember in the finale of the first half of Season 6, Ivar seemingly killed Bjorn. However, as showrunner Michael Hirst revealed to GameSpot at the time, “He’s not dead yet. Honestly, Episode 11 will just knock your socks off. It’s so powerful. And it’s just brilliant for Alexander and in a way that’s what I wanted.”

While the clip makes it obvious that Bjorn is not long for this world, he’s clearly not going down without a fight.

As for what cans should expect from the final season, Hirst wouldn’t reveal much. However, he did have some parting words for the fans. “I think the conclusion of the saga is deeply satisfying and a proper and meaningful ending,” he said. “And I hope all of our fans will feel the same way. I tried to do justice to all of my characters and I hope I succeeded.”

Of course, it would be hard to have a final Vikings panel without a true Lothbrok family reunion. Travis Fimmel, who played Ragnar on the first four seasons of the show took part in the panel, reminiscing about his time on the series and some of Ragnar’s most notable scenes, including going to war against his own brother, Rollo (Clive Standen).

“For the character, even until that very moment, he was hoping that [Rollo] wouldn’t fight him back. He had a glimmer of hope that his brother wouldn’t betray him,” Fimmel said of the scene. “And as soon as that happens, I think it devastated his world and was really the beginning of the end of his drive. I think he really regretted his life, you know? He just wanted to be back with Lagertha.”

At this point, we still don’t know when to expect the final episodes of Vikings to premiere on History. When they do, though, it looks like it’s going to be a wild ride. You can check out the entire panel below.

Viz Media has announced it’s localizing the 2019 book collecting interviews with Satoru Iwata, the late Nintendo CEO. Ask Iwata: Words of Wisdom from Nintendo’s Legendary CEO releases Spring 2021 in physical and digital editions in North America.

The book, in part, compiles various transcripts from a decade of interviews in the “Iwata Asks” series, a project he worked on from 2006 until his death in 2015. Iwata Asks typically featured Iwata and Nintendo developers discussing popular first-party series releases, hardware, and more. The series went in-depth on the Wii, Nintendo DS, 3DS, and Wii U, from both a hardware philosophy as well as the platforms’ software libraries. There will also be contributions from Iwata’s collaborators such as Shigeru Miyamoto.

The book was originally edited and published by Japanese company Hobonichi, which was founded by Shigesato Itoi, the director of the beloved SNES game Earthbound. Viz Media, the book’s English-language publisher, commonly releases manga adaptations of video games, including The Legend of Zelda.

Ask Iwata doesn’t have a firm release date, and it’s not available to pre-order just yet. However, if you want to read some of Iwata’s insightful interviews, Nintendo has a wide assortment of transcripts from the series on its website. There are also a few Iwata Asks videos on Nintendo’s YouTube channel.

The latest Pick-And-Mix Steam games bundle from Fanatical is live and offers 20 different games you can choose from, including Saints Row IV, Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell, and much more. Fanatical bundles usually last at least a week, but it’s unclear when this particular bundle deal ends–if you’re interested, you should snag it as soon as possible.

Saints Row IV is a fantastic open-world action game that puts you in the shoes of the Saints’ leader in a virtual-reality world. Your task is to use your newly acquired superpowers, ridiculous guns, and more to defeat the aliens trying to take over Earth. Gat Out of Hell is a spinoff of sorts that stars series favourite Johnny Gat fighting his way through hell.

Pick-And-Mix Steam games bundle

3 games for $10

Other notable games include indie favourites like Blazing Chrome, a tribute to 16-bit Contra games; Iconoclasts, an incredible 2D action-adventure game; and Door Kickers: Action Squad, a co-op 2D shooter that has you kicking in doors and taking out baddies. Also, there’s Garfield Kart: Furious Racing if you have an affinity for the Monday-hating, lasagna-loving orange cat.

If you’re interested in more than three of these games, you can buy even more and still get the three games for $10 deal. You do need to add at least three games to each Pick-And-Mix bundle you want to buy–you won’t get a discount with only one or two games.

All Pick-And-Mix Steam games

• Antihero
• Blazing Chrome
• Conglomerate 451
• Door Kickers: Action Squad
• The Executioner
• The Fall Part 2: Unbound
• Garfield Kart: Furious Racing
• Gray Dawn
• Iconoclasts
• Pike and Shot: Campaigns
• Rec Center Tycoon
• Remnants of Naezith
• Saints Row IV
• Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell
• Skyhill: Black Mist
• Stronghold 2: Steam Edition
• Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon – Da Orks
• We the Revolution
• Windscape
• Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap

Yoshitaka Murayama, the writer and director of Suikoden and Suikoden II, has unveiled his next project: a spiritual successor to the classic PS One RPGs called Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

Developed by Rabbit & Bear, an independent studio founded in Tokyo earlier this year with other industry veterans, Eiyuden Chronicle is a 2.5D classic-style JRPG featuring an extensive cast of 100 heroes. As in Suikoden, battles will be turn-based and feature a six-character party, with dynamic camera movements during boss encounters. The game will also boast a fortress-building element as you recruit heroes, as well as a guild system that will allow you to customize your fortress differently depending on which one you join.

Along with the announcement, Rabbit & Bear has shared a handful of work-in-progress screenshots of Eiyuden Chronicle. All the screenshots were captured in-engine, although the studio notes that it still hopes to improve the fidelity of the graphics. You can take a look at the images below.

Working alongside Murayama on the project are lead artist Junko Kawano, whose credits include Suikoden I and Suikoden IV; director Osamu Komuta (Suikoden Tactics and Suikoden Tierkreis); and art director Junichi Murakami (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow). The game will also feature music by Tales series composer Motoi Sakuraba, Wild Arms composer Michiko Naruke, and others.

Rabbit & Bear is turning to Kickstarter to help fund Eiyuden Chronicle. According to Murayama, crowdfunding the game is necessary to ensure the developers retain its rights. “We chose Kickstarter in order to make an interesting game with the players in mind, hold the rights to the planning, world, and story of the game, all while keeping the fun of the project,” he said.

Eiyuden Chronicle is initially being planned for PC. The Kickstarter campaign begins on Monday, July 27, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET and runs until August 28. Rabbit & Bear has not yet specified how much money it is trying to raise for development, although there will be stretch goals to release the game on all major consoles as well. Eiyuden Chronicle is tentatively planned to launch in Fall 2022.

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