The Outer Worlds Will Only Be Enhanced On Xbox One X, Not PS4 Pro

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Publisher Private Division has announced that developer Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming game, The Outer Worlds, will only be enhanced on Xbox One X. It’s a surprising move given that most games available on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro are enhanced on both consoles.

In a statement to Windows Central, a Private Division spokesperson said that The Outer Worlds would only support 4K “on Xbox One, no enhancements for PS4 Pro.” This means that you will only be able to play The Outer Worlds in 4K on Xbox One X and PC, with the PS4 Pro capping at 1080p.

Though neither Private Division nor Obsidian Entertainment added why PS4 Pro wouldn’t support The Outer Worlds in 4K when Xbox One X will, it is worth noting that Microsoft acquired Obsidian back in 2018. That’s not to say that Microsoft’s relationship with Obsidian is the sole reason that this is happening–again, there’s been no announced official reasoning–but it’s good context to have when viewing this situation.

On PC, The Outer Worlds is a timed exclusive on the Epic Games Store. If you pre-order the game, you can nab it at a discount. For those looking to play the upcoming space RPG on Xbox One, The Outer Worlds will be available via Game Pass on launch day.

The Outer Worlds has been marketed as the spiritual successor to the Fallout series–the game is being made by the studio helmed by the series’ creators. However, rather than being set on the post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland of Earth, The Outer Worlds is a futuristic science fiction story that takes place on several planets throughout the far reaches of space. Like many RPGs before it, The Outer Worlds emphasizes player choice–giving you the option of choosing your own destiny. Whether you become the universe’s savior or conqueror is up to you.

The Outer Worlds will launch for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on October 25. A Switch version of the game is scheduled to release at a later date.

Lord Of The Rings TV Show Adds Another Cast Member In “Significant” Role

The Lord of the Rings TV show from Amazon continues to take shape. Collider reports that Amazon has brought on English actor Maxim Baldry to play a “significant” role in the big-budget fantasy show.

Baldry, who was most recently seen on HBO’s Years and Years, is just the latest to join the cast of the Lord of the Rings show. Will Poulter (Midsommar, Bandersnatch) and Markella Kavenagh (Romper Stomper) are also reportedly lined up for roles in the show.

Officially, however, no announcements about the cast for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show have been made as of yet.

Behind the camera, Amazon has assembled an all-star team of writers and producers. The writers room for the untitled Lord of the Rings show includes Gennifer Hutchinson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Helen Shang (Hannibal), Justin Dohle (Stranger Things), Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones), and Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4).

J.A. Bayona, the director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is directing episodes one and two of the Lord of the Rings show.

Kate Hawley is the costume designer; she previously worked on Edge of Tomorrow and Suicide Squad. Rick Heinrichs, who won an Oscar for Sleepy Hollow and also worked on The Last Jedi, is the production designer; Jason Smith, who worked on The Revenant, Super 8, and The Avengers is the visual effects supervisor. Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey is also working on the new Amazon show, as is Lord of the Rings movie trilogy illustrator and concept artist John Howe.

The Amazon show also has numerous producers, including people who have worked on Westworld, Boardwalk Empire, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Departed.

The Lord of the Rings TV show takes place during the Second Age, but there is no word on any of the characters who might appear in it or by what means the show will handle its time period.

In other news, a new Lord of the Rings video game focused on Gollum is in development at Daedalic Entertainment, while a AAA online Lord of the Rings game is also on the way.

For more on Lord of the Rings, check out the latest episode of True Fiction in which we examine how World War I inspired The Lord of the Rings–watch it in the embed above.

Star Wars: Rogue One TV Show Brings On The Movie’s Writer

The new Star Wars TV show starring Rogue One’s Cassian Andor has found a writer–and it is a familiar name for the franchise. According to Variety, Disney has hired Rogue One the movie writer Tony Gilroy to write the pilot for the Cassian Andor show. Additionally, Gilroy will direct multiple episodes in the series, the site reported.

The untitled program’s showrunner is Stephen Schiff (The Americans).

The show is centered on Andor (who is played by Diego Luna just like in the movie), and it is set before the events of the film. It’s been billed as a “spy thriller.” In addition to Luna, Alan Tudyk is coming back to play the silly droid K-2SO.

Gilroy wasn’t originally attached to Rogue One, but was brought in later in the production process to handle what were described as “extensive” reshoots. Before Star Wars, Gilroy earned two Oscar nominations for the George Clooney movie Michael Clayton. Gilroy also wrote and directed various installments in the Bourne series starring Matt Damon.

The Rogue One TV show is expected to begin production in 2020. It will premiere on Disney’s new streaming service, Disney+.

Disney+ launches in November with a huge amount of content, including a live-action Star Wars TV show–The Mandalorian–starring Game of Thrones actor Pedro Pascal.

The next Star Wars video game is Jedi: Fallen Order from the creators of Titanfall and Apex Legends. The game lauches in November for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

A Marvel Studios Deadpool Movie with Ryan Reynolds Still Could Be R-Rated

The writers of Deadpool are confirming there may be an R-rated future for the famously foul-mouthed superhero.

Speaking to EW, co-writer Paul Wernick said Marvel has given them permission to continue making R-rated films for the Deadpool franchise.

“Marvel has promised to continue to let us play in the R-rated Deadpool universe, and the hope is that they will also let us veer into the MCU a little bit as well and play in that sandbox,” Wernick said.

With Disney acquiring Fox, some fans have wondered whether Deadpool would be reined in. Deadpool 2 director David Leitch recently said a future Deadpool sequel would not “necessarily need to be R.”

Continue reading…

Rogue One Writer Tony Gilroy Joins Cassian Andor Disney+ Series

Disney’s upcoming Cassian Andor series is forging another important connection to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as Variety reports Rogue One co-writer Tony Gilroy has joined the series.

According to Variety, Gilroy will write the pilot episode and direct several episodes. Gilroy will join the previously announced Stephen Schiff, who is serving as showrunner for the prequel series.

Little else is known about the Cassian Andor series, including the official title or a firm release date. We do know Diego Luna will reprise his titular role, along with Alan Tudyk as the voice of sardonic assassin droid K-2SO. The series will take place before the events of Rogue One and explore Cassian’s role in the growing Rebel Alliance. The series is exclusive to the Disney+ streaming platform and is expected to debut at some point in 2021.

Continue reading…

Google Pixelbook Go Hands-On Impressions

I’ve always wanted one of Google’s Chromebook Pixels or Pixelbook, but they’ve always been out of reach with prices reaching into the thousands if not more. Thankfully Google has decided to start making the Pixelbook Go, it’s cheapest Chrome OS device yet with a starting price of $649.

That’s still damn pricey compared to some of the best premium Chromebooks that retail for closer to $350 and it easy enough to find something decent for $200 or less. But I do have to say the Pixelbook Go feels like a cut above the rest of the competition.

For starters, it’s immaculately thin-and-light at just 0.5-inches thick and 2.3 pounds in weight. It also features a really clean design where the top and bottom of this laptop form an almost unbroken gentle curve around the edge of the notebook.

Continue reading…

Little Town Hero Review

The first brand-new non-Pokemon RPG from developer Game Freak in more than 20 years is an exciting prospect, and Little Town Hero proves the venerated developer still knows how to get weird. The entire adventure takes place in a single town, with turn-based fights in its snaking streets as local villagers throw food, ideas, and chickens at you to help take down the intimidating monsters that threaten their peace. While overly slow pacing and some occasionally aggravating randomization had me questioning whether I’d made a huge mistake in picking it up initially, Little Town Hero soon recovered thanks to a charming story and one of the cleverest and quirkiest JRPG combat systems I’ve used in years.

Continue reading…

League Of Legends: New Shooter, Fighting Game, Animated Series, And More Announced

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Riot Games had a big day. During the League of Legends 10th anniversary livestream event, the studio made a number of big announcements, some of which were total surprises.

There was a lot to learn from the broadcast, and we’re rounding up all the news in one place to help you get a quick snapshot from all the big reveals.

League Of Legends New Character

Riot announced the newest champion, Senna, who is a support character that joins the 140+ champions already in the game. “Originally one of the many souls trapped in Thresh’s lantern and a fan favorite since her introduction in Lucian’s story, Senna is the newest support to join LoL’s roster of more than 140 champions and will uniquely embody a marksman-like playstyle,” Riot said.

Senna will be available in LoL’s public beta server starting on October 29. She will then go live in the game officially on November 10.

Gameplay Changes, Updates, And Gifts

Riot is rolling out the “biggest changes” ever for the Summoner’s Rift map. This will take the form of the Rise of Elements, which are gameplay changes that make use of a new feature called Elemental Drakes. The changes will populate on the test servers on October 22 before going live for everyone on November 22.

Additionally, LoL is bringing back the Ultra Rapid Fire mode for another limited-time event. On top of that, Riot is adding Arabic language support while it is also working on nine different music albums based on each LoL season; they go live on October 15.

Another update is a gift for fans. Everyone who made an account before October 15 at 6 PM PT will get an in-game gift for each day they log in and play until October 27.

Teamfight Tactics Coming To Mobile

The auto-battler game, Teamfight Tactics, will launch on mobile devices in Q1 2020. Pre-registration is available now on Google Play. The eight-person strategy game, which is free, will feature new sets of characters and ability every 3 or 4 months to keep things fresh. Additionally, the PC version of Teamfight Tactics will add a new set called Rise of the Elements when it launches on November 5 in the LoL game client.

No Caption Provided

A New Card Game

The rumoured Legends of Runterra (LoR) is now officially confirmed. The free-to-play collectible card game appears similar to Blizzard’s Hearthstone. It features characters from the LoL universe, while the gameplay is focused on “dynamic, alternating combat that demands players use their skill, creativity, and cleverness to succeed.”

The game launches in 2020 for PC and mobile. For lots more, check out GameSpot’s recent preview from PAX Aus.

League Of Legends For Console And Mobile

League of Legends is coming to console and mobile in the form of a new game called Wild Rift. It is similar to LoL on PC, but adapted and built “from scratch” for the new platforms. “Wild Rift is not a port of LoL on PC — it is a new game built from scratch to ensure it is a polished, legitimate LoL experience that’s worth players’ time,” Riot says.

New Animated Series

A new League of Legends animated show called Arcane is on the way–and it looks great. Set for release in 2020, the show takes place in the uptopian world of Piltover, “the story follows the origins of two iconic League champions–and the power that will tear them apart.”

A League Of Legends Shooter

Project A is the working title for a new, character-based competitive shooter set in the League of Legends universe that looks similar to Blizzard’s Overwatch. “The game is set on a beautiful near-future Earth and has a lethal cast of characters, each with unique abilities that create tactical opportunities for their gunplay to shine,” Riot said.

More details on Project A will be announced in 2020.

A League of Legends Fighting Game

Another surprise reveal was Project L, which is the working title for a League of Legends fighting game. Riot has said only that the title is in the early stages of development. Riot will share more details in 2020.

No Caption Provided

Something Else Entirely

Riot had yet another title to announce during its livestream event. Project F is the codename for a title that is “very early” in development. Riot is saying basically nothing about the title at this stage, confirming only that it “explores the possibilities of traversing the world of Runeterra with your friends.”

League of Legends Origins

A movie-length documentary about League of Legends, called Origins, has arrived from Oscar nominated director Leslie Iwerks. She is the granddaughter of Disney animator Ub Iwerks, who co-created Mickey Mouse. The movie will covers LoL’s history, and you can stream it now on Netflix.

A Social Impact Fund

Riot announced The Riot Games Social Impact Fun, which is a non-profit organisation aimed at helping provide “global social impact.” The group has already donated $4 million. As part of the new campaign, a new LoL skin called Dawnbringer Karma will be released, with all of the money going to the Fund.

League of Legends Esports Manager

Finally, Riot announced a new team-management game called League of Legends Esports Manager–and that is exactly what it is. The title has players taking on the role of a fictional LoL manager who must create a team and take them to the big time.

Legends of Runeterra: 40 Things You Need to Know About Riot’s New Game

Legends of Runeterra is a brand new digital card game from Riot Games. It was just announced as part of Riot’s ten year anniversary stream (along with a number of other hugely exciting projects), and will give players a whole new look at the world of League of Legends, bringing many of its iconic champions to life in a whole new way. It’s hugely exciting, in other words, and there’s an awful lot to dig into. (You can even pre-register now!)

My Legends of Runeterra overview and hands-on impressions are here, but that only covers some of what I learnt about the game. Here are 40 things you need to know about Legends of Runeterra:

Continue reading…