Creative Freedom With Microsoft Is “Not As Hard As People Think,” Says We Happy Few Devs

Compulsion Games isn’t worried about losing creative freedom under Microsoft’s banner as part of Xbox Game Studios. The development team behind We Happy Few actually asserts that the Microsoft acquisition has afforded them the chance to more easily focus on the studio’s future.

“That’s actually removed a lot of the focus from finding where we’re going to find the next paycheck to actually concentrating on what is it that we need to make great games,” founder and creative director Guillaume Provost said in The Cost of Joy, a documentary recounting the history of Compulsion Games. “I can be more forward-looking to what we actually need in order to actually succeed. And [there’s] a huge difference from having a big backer like Microsoft that’s allowing us our creative space and our creative freedom, from being an independent developer that’s starving all the time and looking for money. Build the team not just for the next game, but for the next series of games.”

“Trying to maintain creativity inside an organization like Microsoft is not as hard as people think it is,” producer Sam Abbott said. “It’s really just about having a leadership group inside Microsoft that understands the value of creativity and creative games.” Community developer Naila Hadjas added, “We have been told to keep making really weird, just different things. So, on the creative standpoint, it’s just been all positive.”

Microsoft’s decision to acquire Compulsion Games as a first-party studio was one the We Happy Few developers did not anticipate. “I don’t think that ever crossed our mind,” Abbot said. “We’re spending a lot of time figuring out, do we think that we can raise the standards of quality of the games we’re building–can we become a real first-party studio?” Hadjas thinks they are up to the task, citing the team’s history with Gearbox as an example of Compulsion Games efficiently working with a larger studio. “Working with Gearbox prepared us to work with Microsoft in a lot of ways because we let them into our world and we learned to be very concise and precise with our feedback back and forth,” she said.

With the recent release of the We All Fall Down expansion, Compulsion Games has officially wrapped up We Happy Few. The game launched to mixed reviews–including ours here on GameSpot, where Alessandro Barbosa wrote, “[We Happy Few’s] entire gameplay loop is underpinned by boring quests and long stretches of inaction. And even when it forces you to interact with its world beyond just walking to waypoints, combat, stealth, and otherwise fascinating societies fail to impose the right balance of challenge and tension.”

Despite the rough start, Compulsion Games’ continued support for We Happy Few is commendable, and the bug fixes, updates, and DLC expansions have created a much better, more cohesive experience overall. With the game now complete, Compulsion Games is probably hard at work on an upcoming Xbox first-party title–which, based on the timing, is likely to release for Microsoft’s next-gen console, Xbox Series X, which is scheduled to launch during the holiday season in 2020.

Now Playing: We Happy Few – First 14 Minutes Gameplay

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Jackass Will Return to the Big Screen in 2021

Paramount has announced a fourth Jackass movie will arrive in cinemas on March 5, 2021, according to Deadline.

A controversial but influential icon of early 2000s reality TV, Jackass was created by Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze, and Jeff Tremaine. Jackass began life as an MTV series which ran from 2000 to 2002 before migrating to the big screen for 2002’s Jackass: The Movie. It was followed by two sequels, Jackass Number Two (2006) and Jackass 3D (2010), as well as some direct-to-DVD specials pieced together from unused movie footage and the 2013 Oscar-nominated spin-off Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa.

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Our Xbox Game of the Decade Picks

On our final episode of the year and of the decade we look back on our favorite Xbox games of the decade, including both first-party exclusives and memorable third-party offerings. Plus: a recap of the rest of the non-Xbox Series X elements of last week’s Game Awards and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, or grab an MP3 download of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered from our new barcade set, featuring an interview with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen. It’s an open bar; come and join us!

We’re taking some time off from Unlocked for the holidays, but we’ll be back with new episodes in 2020 starting on Tuesday, January 7!

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Hold Off on the Large Soda. Here’s How Long Rise of Skywalker Is

Like the many Star Wars movies before it, The Rise of Skywalker has a lengthy runtime. It’s not as lengthy as the three-hour-long Avengers: Endgame or The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, but you still might want to hold off on the extra-large drink if you plan on sitting through the entire movie without any interruptions.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is filled with plenty of action, plot twists, and moments you don’t want to miss. It’s the kind of movie where you could potentially miss out on something important if you leave the theater for even a few minutes, so make sure to head to the bathroom before you sit down to watch it.

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Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – Who Were All Those Jedi Voices?

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Ending Explained

At long last, the Skywalker Saga has reached its conclusion–for now, at least. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters and fans are getting the opportunity to see how director JJ Abrams wrapped up a long-running story that was first started by George Lucas 42 years ago. In GameSpot’s review of The Rise of Skywalker, Michael Rougeau wrote of the movie, “It should never be so clear to audiences that something in the filmmaking process has gone so terribly wrong–that the people who made the first film in a trilogy apparently didn’t bother to sketch out a plan for the second and third, and that the movies’ directors had visions for the series’ future that were so fundamentally at odds.”

But how does it end? With so much at stake–and so many characters to wrap up–The Rise of Skywalker had a lot of ground to cover. Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want any twists, turns, or surprises spoiled for you, do the smart thing and look away now. This is not the story you’re looking for.

If you want to know how each major character in the film ended their individual stories in The Rise of Skywalker, we have you covered. As for the ending of the film itself, there’s quite a bit to unpack. The broad strokes are that the First Order and the Sith were ultimately defeated by Rey, who was revealed to be the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine.

In a final showdown in the Sith temple on the planet Exegol, Rey used both Luke’s lightsaber (his first, which originally belonged to Anakin), as well as Leia’s–because it was revealed she also trained to be a Jedi–to deflect Palpatine’s Force lightning, shooting it right back at him. In destroying him, though, she sacrificed her own life energy and died.

That didn’t last for long, naturally. After shedding his Kylo Ren moniker and the dark side of the Force, Ben Solo came to her aid and used their connection through the Force–which this movie decided is called a “Force dyad”–to give his life energy to her. She woke up long enough to kiss him, before he keeled over and died.

Thus ended the battle of the Jedi and the Sith until the next time a movie about Jedi fighting Sith is released. The Rise of Skywalker didn’t end there, though. Following the death of Palpatine and the destruction of the Sith temple, Poe Dameron commanded the resistance and its allies in eliminating the armada of star destroyers the Emperor had created, bringing an end to the First Order once and for all.

After the Battle of Exegol, the resistance celebrated in their forest camp, as everyone realized they’d somehow actually won the war. This is the last time we see most of the franchise’s major characters. It’s Rey alone who figures into the final scene of the film.

Some time after the battle and celebration, she found herself at the moisture farm Luke Skywalker grew up at on Tatooine. There, in the sand, she buried the lightsabers of Luke and Leia–her mentors–putting their spirits to rest. She also revealed a lightsaber of her own, powered by a yellow Kyber crystal. It’s clear that Rey is not giving up on the way of the Jedi.

At that point, a woman passed by, asking who she was. Rey offered a simple response as the final two words of the Skywalker Saga. “Rey Skywalker,” she told the stranger.

With that moment, Skywalker has officially risen. While Rey’s bloodline may have a strong connection to the dark side of the Force, she chooses to align herself with those who taught her about the Force in the first place–the Skywalker twins.

Now that you’ve been able to watch Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, don’t forget to check out our massive compilation of Easter eggs from the film, as well as a look at the latest episode of The Mandalorian–the live-action Star Wars TV show on Disney+.

Now Playing: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – Official Final Trailer

Nintendo 2019 Year in Review – NVC 488

Welcome to Nintendo Voice Chat! First, in the news, the panel talks about Nintendo’s announcements at The Game Awards, including Bravely Default 2, more Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 DLC details, and a new trailer for No More Heroes 3. Then, as 2019 comes to a close, the NVC crew is here to recap the year. Join them as they discuss the biggest releases, announcements, delays, and surprises from Nintendo’s last twelve months. Finally, they answer your 2019-related listener questions on Question Block.

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The Force is strong with Vader Immortal on Oculus Quest

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Kill La Kill The Game: IF Nintendo Switch Update Adds New DLC Character For Free

Kill la Kill the Game: IF has a new update on Nintendo Switch that brings a bevy of changes to the 3D brawler, including the introduction of fan-favorite Mako Mankanshoku. The patch also addresses various bugs, implements a bunch of balance adjustments and changes, and much more.

This new Kill la Kill patch first launched on PC and PlayStation 4 in November 2019. That update, version 1.05, features many of the same adjustments and tweaks as this newly-released Nintendo Switch update.

Kill la Kill: IF’s Switch update adds Mako to the game’s roster for free. The plucky high schooler uses her two-star Goku Uniform in battle, which allows her to power-up over the course of a match. She’s just as fearless in the game as she is in the anime. Check out Mako Mankanshoku’s character introduction trailer below.

We gave the game a 7/10 in our Kill la Kill the Game: IF review, saying, “Kill la Kill IF is clearly designed for fans of Kill la Kill who are looking for more ways to enjoy the characters, music, and battles of the anime series.”

Check below for a breakdown of Kill la Kill the Game: IF’s latest patch.

Full Kill la Kill the Game: IF Patch Notes

New Contents

  • Added new playable character, Mako Mankanshoku.
  • *Playable in all versus modes and Gallery mode.

Balance Changes

  • Adjusted the actions of each character.
  • Fixed a bug where displayed damage values weren’t added for some moves.

Character Balance Changes

  • Universal Balance changes
    • Fixed a bug where SP gauge spenders could sometimes be used even when the SP gauge was not quite full enough.
    • Fixed a bug where in training mode, enemies hit by certain attacks would go through damage animations after their position was reset.
    • Fixed camera issues in training mode and tutorial mode
  • Ryuko Matoi (Single-blade)
    • Long-range dash
    • Long-range ground attack
    • Ground break
    • Air break
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
    • Time up defeat
      • Character size adjusted.
  • Satsuki Kiryuin (Single-blade)
    • Long-range ground attack
    • Long-range air
    • Ground break
    • Ground break attack
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
    • Long-range ground attack
      • Added 25 to the limit value when the limit value was 200 or less with Ketsui Lv1 or higher. In addition,
        attacks other than mash cancels can now be chained under the circumstances above.
    • Close-range ground 1 vert
      • Adjusted the timing for long-range cancels.
    • Close-range air attack
      • Adjusted Ketsui Lv 1 and higher movement and close-range attack collision detection.
    • Close-range special
      • Fixed a bug where characters would move toward the center of the stage before the last attack after hit animations.
    • Time up defeat
      • Character size adjusted.
  • Ira Gamagoor
    • Close-range special (Whip throw finish)
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, an attack would not change the limit value.
    • Time up defeat
      • Character size adjusted.
  • Uzu Sanageyama
    • Action camera
      • Adjusted camera behavior when Sanageyama is close to the screen.
    • Break attack
      • Fixed a bug where pursuit dash inputs were not registered during guard breaks and counter hits.
    • Close-range air 1
      • The cancel route into a break was changed into a dash break.
      • Fixed the cancel route during counter hits so that it is the same as during normal hits.
  • Nonon Jakuzure
    • Concussion shot
      • Changed the timing so that when equipped, the shot fires at the start the action when performing a pursuit dash.
      • Added horizontal tracking when the equipped shot is fired.
    • Ground break
    • Long-range special
    • Long-range super
    • Special break
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
    • Time up defeat
      • Character size adjusted.
  • Houka Inumuta
    • Close-range ground cloak 2
    • Close-range ground cloak 3
    • Close-range air cloak
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
    • Long-range ground cloak 1
    • Long-range ground cloak 2
    • Long-range air cloak
      • Fixed a bug where bunshin attacks would not activate when the target blocks the cube.
      • Fixed an animation but with bunshin attacks.
    • Air cloak break
      • Adjusted behavior for close-range air attacks after pursuit hits.
    • Special break
    • Super break
      • Damage is now displayed along with hit count during demo animations.
  • Ragyo Kiryuin
    • Special break
    • Super break
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
    • Time up defeat
      • Character size adjusted.
  • Nui Harime
    • Close-range air 2
    • Dash break
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
  • Ryuko Matoi (Dual-wield)
    • Close-range ground form 2
    • Long-range ground form 1
    • Long-range ground form 1
    • Long-range air form
    • Long-range special 2
    • Long-range special 3
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
  • Satsuki Kiryuin (Dual-wield)
    • Air break
    • Long-range special
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
    • Air step cancel
      • Fixed a bug where an update to increase attack power by 50% was not implemented correctly.
    • Time up defeat
      • Character size adjusted.
  • Nudist Beach D.T.R
    • Close-range ground 2 horiz
    • Close-range air 2
      • Fixed a bug where if the target’s limit value was 0, further attacks would not change the limit value.
    • All long-range attacks
      • Additional damage from accumulated sticky shots now increases the combo count.
      • The amount of accumulated sticky shots to deal additional damage adds up each time.
        However, at Ketsui Lv1 or higher, this count is reset.
      • The amount of sticky shot hits are counted separately for Ketsui Lv0 and Ketsui Lv1 and higher.
    • Close-range super
      • Accumulated sticky shot hits are now reset after the animation is complete.

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