Author: Trafficblast

Tony Hawk himself has spoken about the origins of the upcoming Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 remasters and why he thinks the new games will help “turn the tide” of public opinion after the most recent games in the series were poorly received.

Speaking to IGN, Hawk said it was Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was pitched the idea of the remasters. “We’ve been having talks over the years of the potential of it, and finally, I literally sat down with Bobby Kotick. We were actually talking about other things in regards to my charity, and he just casually threw out, ‘Why don’t we remake THPS?'” Hawk recalled. “And I said, ‘You don’t understand how many people ask me that.’ And he said, ‘Well, you know, we’ve had success with a couple of other remasters, so why don’t we think about it.'”

In 2017, Activision Blizzard management said more Activision game remasters would likely happen after the gigantic success of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. After that game, Activision released the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and Crash Team Racing: Nitro-fueled remaster packages. Additionally, Activision recently launched Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered. On the Blizzard side, the company released a remastered version of Warcraft III, but it was a disappointment.

Also in the interview, Hawk spoke about how excited he was to finally work on remasters of the original Pro Skater games. He said he’s constantly asked about remasters, and he’s over the moon that they’re finally being made. “It was an answer to a call of the hardcore fans,” Hawk said.

“When people think of the first games, they have a certain nostalgic view of it. They don’t really realise how truly low resolution it was. I truly believe that the hardcore fans of our original series are going to be satisfied and probably overwhelmed by how good this is,” he added.

Hawk went on to acknowledge some of the Tony Hawk video game franchise’s shortcomings–Pro Skater 5 comes to mind–adding that he believes the Pro Skater 1 + 2 remasters will “turn the tide” as it relates to how people perceive the skateboarding series. “

“We might have had a few missteps doing games in the past, but I think this will really turn the tide. It does take you back to that time. It does take you back to that feeling. And I hope that people embrace it,” Hawk said.

The Pro Skater 1 + 2 remasters, which are being developed by Vicarious Visions, are due to launch in September for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more, check out an opinion piece below from GameSpot’s Michael Higham.

The PAX Aus team have confirmed that PAX Australia 2020 will not take place as scheduled in the wake of the continuing coronavirus crisis. The expo – the largest of its type in Australia – was set to take place from October 9 to 11, 2020 in Melbourne, Victoria.

“It is with a heavy heart that today we announce the postponement of PAX Australia 2020, due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 in Australia and globally,” said a statement published today on the PAX website. “We have been working hard with our partners and exhibitors to explore all viable options but with our desire to bring you the best PAX Aus ever, the next edition of PAX Aus will now take place in 2021.”

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— PAX Australia (@PAXAus) June 16, 2020

Australia’s borders are currently closed. Only Australian citizens, residents, and immediate family members can travel to Australia at this time. There are also varying levels of restrictions on domestic travel.

“While we can’t move forward with PAX Aus 2020 in the way that we normally would, we are finding new and exciting ways to connect you and the PAX community with your favourite content and creators,” continued the statement. “Stay tuned to our social media channels in the coming days as we start to announce more information.”

PAX Aus was the first PAX event hosted outside the US and has been held in Melbourne annually since its inception in 2013.

No new announcement has been made concerning PAX West. In April ReedPop announced that the expo would go forward as planned from September 4 to September 7 at the Seattle Convention Center, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.

I tell you what teddy boy, since mentioning jim jordan and wrestling is… problematic, why don’t we say fuck him and just make it you & me. I’ll give 50k to Black Lives Matter and you can keep all the tax payer money you were thinking of spending. https://t.co/6QDwCaEkpv

— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) June 15, 2020

Remothered: Broken Porcelain has revealed some of the horrors we can expect from it in a new trailer, and a release date has also been set. The game, which is a sequel to 2017’s Remothered: Tormented Fathers, will release August 25, 2020. It’s coming to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

The game, from Italian developer Stormind Games, makes some bold claims in the trailer, which tells viewers that they can “experience the most terrifying, most suspenseful, horror game of the year.” Judging from the trailer, it offers a more traditional survival horror experience than most other recent horror titles.

You can watch the trailer below and gauge whether you’ll be able to handle the scares offered up by Remothered: Broken Porcelain later this year.

The game follows Jen and her friend Linn, two maids at the Ashmann Inn, who have become aware that something is not right in their place of work. It’ll be up to players to help them escape. The game will also directly follow events from the first game, and the search for Celeste Felton will continue.

If you’re hungry for more horror, it’s also worth checking out the trailer for the next Resident Evil title, Resident Evil: Village, which is coming in 2021.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the battle royale game Warzone continue to introduce new microtransactions. The latest come in the form of a pair of weapon bundles, one of which features a brand-new ice pick melee weapon to finish your foes in icy style.

The “Notice Me III” bundle comes with the “Dream Dasher” SMG blueprint that features a specialized sight, barrel, ammo, and rear grip. It also features the “Chibi Trooper” weapon charm and the “Cute Cadet” sticker.

The other new bundle now available is the “Wendigo” bundle. It comes with “Psychosis” assault rifle, the “Evil Manifest” SMG, and the “Crevasse” ice pick weapon. This bundle also includes a “Taiga” skin for the Operator Krueger.

In its blog post, Activision did not announce price points for these new Modern Warfare/Warzone bundles, and they do not appear to be out yet, but the game’s other cosmetic bundles–of which there are many–range from around 800 Call of Duty Points to 1800 Call of Duty Points. These new bundles should go live soon.

In other news, Modern Warfare is adding the One in the Chamber mode this week, while the 50v50 Warzone Rumble deathmatch mode is staying in the game for the time being.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, the new game from Vanillaware (Dragon’s Crown, Odin Sphere, Muramasa: The Demon Blade), has announced a western release date. The game, which released in Japan on November 28, 2019, will be available in the US and other English-language territories on September 8, 2020. A trailer has also been released, showing off the game’s incredible 2D art.

The game, which features 13 playable characters (hence the title) has a strong narrative focus that jumps between different time periods. It’s a 2D title that features top-down combat between mechs you can customize and various kaiju.

You can check it out in the trailer below, which shows off the game’s protagonists.

Vanillaware is known for its excellent, fast-paced combat, and the game was very well received in Japan. It was the only game nominated for the Seiun Award in the Media Category for the year of its release, and received awards and nominations in the Japan Game Awards, Famitsu Dengeki Game Award 2019, and Japan Otaku Awards.

At launch, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim will only be playable in Japanese, as the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the game’s production schedule. However, a free patch will add an English voice acting option post-launch.

The game is exclusive to PlayStation 4.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

Fortnite‘s latest in-game event, The Device, was a gigantic success. Epic Games has announced new statistics about it, and also teased a water theme for Season 3.

Writing on Twitter, Epic said it was “overwhelmed by the response” to The Device. A total of 12 million people were in the game when the event took place. The numbers could have been higher, but Epic put a cap on player numbers to help with stability.

Some of those who could not attend the event watched livestreams of it. Epic said a combined 8.4 million people watched The Device on Twitch and YouTube. You can re-watch the event in the GameSpot video above.

Epic also teased that future in-game live events will be able to accomodate more users. “As we push the edge of what live-events can be, we’re improving systems so more of you can experience them in-game,” Epic said.

In a follow-up tweet, Epic confirmed that Fortnite Season 3 will begin on Wednesday, June 17. The studio also seemingly teased the long-running rumor that it’s a water-themed season, saying to fans, “We can’t wait for you to dive in!”

For lots more on The Device, check out GameSpot’s rundown of what it means for Season 3 and the future of Fortnite’s metaverse.

Humankind, the next game from Endless Legend and Endless Space developer Amplitude Studios, is a 4X strategy title that will use an “OpenDev” platform to gather player feedback ahead of launch. In a new post on publisher Sega’s website, it’s been announced that the game will launch in 2021, but that the developers are currently taking applications for a free early access period where players will be able to test certain scenarios and have an impact on development.

You can sign up for the OpenDev initiative now. Players who register right now will potentially be able to access three limited-time scenarios–Towers of Babylon, Battles of History, and Hold the Fort, each seemingly exploring a different period from history.

In the trailer below, being part of OpenDev is compared to joining the game’s development team. Humankind was originally due to release in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the game’s development.

This is different from a typical “Early Access” period or beta, Amplitude Studios argues, and you’ll have a greater impact on how the game plays when it releases.

The game, which has only been announced for PC thus far, will explore humankind’s entire history. For more on the game, check out GameSpot’s preview, including quotes from narrative director Jeff Spock.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.