FuturLab, the studio behind the critically acclaimed Velocity series and oddly satisfying PowerWash Simulator, is making a new Velocity-style game. The studio has announced a new collaboration with Thunderful Publishing, which will be helping FuturLab bring a Velocity spiritual successor to life.
FuturLab is most known for its sci-fi arcade speedrunning series Velocity, which consists of Velocity, Velocity Ultra, and Velocity 2X. The studio branched out more recently with the popular PowerWash Simulator, but now is returning to its sci-fi action roots with a brand new game.
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The studio says the new game is “a stylish, high-intensity third-person combat game,” that’s being described as a Velocity spiritual successor rather than a direct sequel. FuturLab founder James Marsden describes the upcoming game as “ambitious” in a recent press release. “It sees our studio returning to sci-fi action, possessing the same DNA as Velocity, but with far more ambition, style, and contemporary relevance,” Marsden said. “It is nothing short of a dream game, and we cannot wait to share it with the world.”
Neither studio nor publisher has shared a name, release window, or release platforms for the new game, but Thunderful’s head of publishing described the game’s early prototype as “a refreshingly new take on the action genre, presented with stunning visual style and super-tight gameplay mechanics.”
For the Pokemon brand’s first foray into a new genre, Pokemon Unite gets a lot of things right. The game certainly feels like a MOBA a la League of Legends or Dota 2, just in a much easier to understand presentation for those who’ve never played one before. Matches are short, snappy affairs with plenty of action and strategy. Learning each of the five classes is fun and rewarding. Each skirmish within a match ups the ante, increasing tension and excitement until it boils over in the final stretch. It’s just a shame that the confusing in-game economy composed of multiple currencies and a loot box-style lottery system can sometimes get in the way of the game’s fun.
For those unaware, Pokemon Unite is a “multiplayer online battle arena game” or “MOBA.” Two teams of up to five players choose a Pokemon, then enter an arena where they defeat wild Pokemon in the environment to gather energy and experience. Experience levels up a Pokemon, increasing its stats and powering up its moves, while energy is used to score points and win the game. This is where Pokemon Unite separates itself from traditional MOBAs. Pokemon must take their stored energy to an opposing team’s goal and “dunk” it through the hoop to score points equal to how much energy the Pokemon held. The dunking sequence itself is wonderful, with the Pokemon slamming the energy down through the hoop with force and excitement that will put a smile on your face. Dunks aren’t the only scoring method though, as special wild Pokemon sometimes appear that give temporary buffs or extra points, but they are rare and sometimes one-time occurrences during a match. When time runs out–10 minutes in a standard match–whoever has the most points wins.
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This goal-scoring approach is different from established MOBA games–League of Legends, for example, requires that a team enter the enemy’s base and destroy the Nexus–but it’s a fantastic choice in action. Most of the wild Pokemon lining the arena aren’t difficult to defeat, so even novice players will be able to gather energy easily. Some goals can only have so many points scored on them before they break, meaning disabled goals force you to progress further into the opponent’s side of the arena to find a new one. It’s a fun spin on the core objective of a MOBA match, taking something like defeating towers in LoL in order to progress and making it unique. Also, since the goals don’t fight back like LoL towers do, new MOBA players won’t need to worry about extra threats when trying to score.
Pokemon Unite serves as a tremendous entry point into what may be a new genre for many players
Pokemon Unite does a great job of making each match feel exciting. As this is a team game, you’ll feel a quick bond with teammates who stick to their roles and support as needed, and you’ll feel embarrassed for the one player doing their own thing and getting crushed for it. Every mid-match skirmish where you and your teammates are meeting a group of opponents is tense and exciting, and emerging victorious is thrilling. That 10 minute timer feels like it breezes by due to how much fun each match can be.
The 20 Pokemon on the Pokemon Unite roster fall into one of five categories: Attacker, All-Rounder, Speedster, Defender, and Supporter. These categories describe how each one should be controlled, leaning into the genre’s strategic elements. Attackers are better suited for the frontlines, taking out enemies and scoring loads of points, while Defenders keep the team’s goals safe from attack, for example. It’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it’s exactly what a MOBA for genre newcomers should be. You’ll know exactly what style of match to play depending on the Pokemon you choose, which for a brand-new MOBA player is a huge comfort. That’s not to say things don’t change mid-match, but taking that uncertainty out of the character-select screen lowers the barrier of entry, which is better for everyone.
Team balance is a big factor in a MOBA player’s success, and the game does a good job of allowing players to balance their teams how they wish. Small hints on the character select screen will let the team know which roles are not yet filled, while chosen Pokemon are faded out to clearly show who’s still available. Experimentation is encouraged in Pokemon Unite matches, allowing you to tinker with team composition until finding what works for your group. This freedom makes the game even more fun, delivering a unique experience in every match.
Despite having different classes, all Pokemon are controlled with the same simple button scheme. As you gain experience, the Pokemon’s special attacks will power up, first changing to a new move and then adding an enhanced version. While that sounds like a lot, the game does a great job of making everything clear in real time. Pikachu, for example, starts with Thundershock as a special attack, but at a certain level it will change to either Electro Ball or Thunder with a single press of a button. You don’t have to sort through menus or take minutes to power up–one simple press and you have a new move. It’s yet another lowering of the entry barrier for new MOBA players, and it’s well appreciated.
That touches on the best part about Pokemon Unite; it serves as a tremendous entry point into what may be a new genre for many players. It’s easy to pick up and play, giving everyone a chance to learn what MOBAs are all about. That said, genre veterans may find the game a little too simplistic, lacking the deep gameplay and strategic elements of LoL or Dota 2. There are no minions running around to farm for experience, and every player must head into the wild area–or “jungle” in MOBA speak–in order to level up. Pokemon Unite feels more of a stepping stone to other MOBA games and not the other way around, meaning longtime MOBA fans might feel underwhelmed with what they find.
The speed of the matches coupled with the approachable mechanics makes grinding for higher levels easy without feeling repetitive. Grinding has its benefits, too, with Trainer Levels that give you access to new modes and rewards and an optional Battle Pass that gives even more reward drops. There are ways around grinding as well if you want to speed things up, but unfortunately that means you have to deal with microtransactions, the Achilles’ heel of Pokemon Unite. The game’s easy, streamlined processes in gameplay goes out the window when the game’s economy enters the discussion.
There are five different in-game currencies, four of which are earned by playing. Aeos Coins are the most prominent currency and are earned after every match (as well as given as rewards for daily events, Trainer Level up rewards, and more). Aeos Tickets purchase items and enhancers and are earned from events as well. There’s also Fashion and Holowear Tickets–used to obtain Trainer skins and Pokemon skins respectively–that only come from the loot box-esque random draw called the Energy Reward system. The lone premium currency are Aeos Gems, which are only available via real money and can be used to purchase some of the things the other free currencies can buy, like Unite Licenses to access playable Pokemon or boosts to Battle Points to gain levels faster.
Having five currencies is an unnecessarily confusing system. Granted, four of them are earned by playing the game, meaning that everything available can technically be earned by grinding out matches, but the rates at which some currencies are earned are unreasonably low. Take the Holowear Tickets for example, which are earned one of two ways: complete the 90-level Battle Pass and earn a Battle Pass Prize Box, or get a lucky break in the Energy Reward lottery system. A chance in the Energy Reward system is given every five matches, but even then the chance of pulling the Holowear Tickets is very low. Then again, should you be lucky enough to pull the Holowear Tickets, you’ll only get 10, and currently the cheapest Pokemon skin available via Holowear Tickets costs 18 tickets. The quickest way to increase your chances is to buy extra Energy Reward lottery chances in the Shops–and those are only available for premium Aeos Gems.
This paid currency would not be inherently bad if it were only used for cosmetic items such as those skins. As long as the game lets you earn the important things–Pokemon, battle items, etc.–by playing the game with no financial influence, the premium Aeos Gems would be a harmless addition to be ignored. Unfortunately, that’s simply not the case, as Gems can also be used to purchase Unite Licenses to unlock Pokemon and temporary boosts for Aeos Coins and Battle Pass Points, allowing you to more quickly unlock items that can be used in battle.
While buying a Unite License for a Pokemon just gives a player access to that Pokemon early–which isn’t a big deal outside of being able to use a Pokemon in battle sooner–it’s the items that are a key example of why this economy can feel unbalanced. In the Shops are two types of items: Held Items, which give your Pokemon permanent boosts in a match; and Battle Items, which are activated with a button press and give a quick temporary perk like healed damage or increased attack power. Pokemon can have up to three Held Items and one Battle Item assigned at a time. These items must be purchased in the stores before they can be equipped onto a Pokemon.
What’s not enjoyable is the game’s economy, a confusing mess of multiple currencies and systems
By pumping money into the game via the premium currency, either to boost Coin gain or using the Gems to purchase the items directly, a player can purchase and use these items faster than someone who’s not buying Gems. Items are also included in the Battle Pass, so buying Battle Pass Point boosts with real money will unlock those items faster as well. What’s more, these items can also be leveled up with Item Enhancers, yet another currency earned in-game that can be boosted with premium currency, increasing the disparity gap even further. All of this leads to a scenario where players who don’t want to spend money may find themselves itemless against a team of fully decked out opponents, putting the player that hasn’t purchased currency at an immediate disadvantage.
Don’t get me wrong: Pokemon Unite is an enjoyable game. The MOBA genre fits the Pokemon franchise very well, and as more Pokemon are introduced, the metagame will likely continue to evolve and may introduce more fun opportunities to strategize. Dropping into battle with new builds and trying new things is fun, as is taking a newly earned Pokemon into a battle and seeing what they can do. What’s not enjoyable is the game’s economy, a confusing mess of multiple currencies and systems designed to make paying for premium currency look like the easiest option to succeed. If microtransactions weren’t so incentivized we’d be looking at the next major Pokemon success story. Knowing that they are, however, player–and considering this is Pokemon, parent of player–beware.
Suicide Squad director David Ayer hopped on Twitter this week to air his grievances with critics and the studio that released the 2016 film. In the three-page letter, Ayer distances himself from the theatrical cut of Suicide Squad yet again and wishes and wishes director James Gunn well.
“I don’t know what quit is. I am not who you think I am,” Ayer says in the letter. The director describes his difficult upbringing and youth before joining the Navy and working odd jobs prior to becoming a screenwriter.
“I put my life into Suicide Squad,” Ayer wrote of the 2016 film. “I made something amazing–my cut is [an] intricate and emotional journey with some “bad people” who are s*** on and discarded (a theme that resonates in my soul). The studio cut is not my movie. Read that again.”
Ayer’s Suicide Squad was notoriously tinkered with by Warner Bros. In a tweet last year, the director attributed the interference to executives shocked by negative reviews of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the success of Deadpool, and said in another that “it’s exhausting getting your ass kicked for a film that got the Edward Scissorhands treatment.” Alongside the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League earlier this year, fan interest in the original cut of Ayers’ movie has spiked, and Ayer said this spring that he still wants his cut to see the light of day, but Warner Bros. brass says it’s not happening.
“And my cut is not the 10 week director’s cut,” Ayer continued. “It’s a fully mature edit by Lee Smith standing on the incredibly [sic] work by John Gilroy. It’s all Steven Price’s brilliant score, with not a single radio song in the whole thing. It has traditional character arcs, amazing performances, a solid 3rd act resolution. A handful of people have seen it. If someone says they have seen it, they haven’t.”
Ayer doesn’t directly address Warner Bros. in relation to the Suicide Squad movie he directed, though, stating that “I’ve never told my side of the story and I never will. Why? Same reason no one will know what happened on my submarine. I keep my covenents [sic]. I’m old school like that. So I kept my mouth shut and took the tsunami of sometimes shockingly personal criticism. Why? That’s what I’ve done my whole life. Real talk I’d rather get shot at.”
Ayer is more bullish on the upcoming not-a-sequel from James Gunn, which is set to release next week.
“I’m so proud of James and excited for the success that’s coming,” Ayer wrote. “I support WB and am thrilled the franchise is getting the legs it needs. I’m rooting for everyone, the cast, the crew. Every movie is a miracle. And Jame’s [sic] brilliant work will be the miracles of miracles. I appreciate your patience.”
“I will no longer speak publicly on this matter,” Ayer said, seemingly in an attempt to put further talk of an “Ayer cut” of Suicide Squad to bed.
343 Industries wants fans to remember that the Halo Infinite technical test is, as the name implies, a technical test. This is not the same as a game launch, so there will be hiccups.
“As we are all eager and increasingly impatient, just a friendly PSA this is a technical test at a scale unlike anything we’ve done to date,” Halo community director Brian Jarrard wrote in a Twitter thread. “Driven by production. Not a game launch. Things are proceeding but there are many steps to navigate.”
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“Also a great scale test for our systems as we’ve seen Waypoint load dramatically increasing. Team has already been able to work out additional deployments but it’ll likely get bumpy when everyone slams the site for their messages, please bear with us.”
Jarrard also wrote that this technical test has been designed around US business hours, so folks who live outside of the US shouldn’t expect the same level of 24-hour monitoring associated with a game launch. 343 will primarily be working on the technical test within its business hours.
If you didn’t make it into the Halo Infinite technical test, don’t worry. 343 Industries released gameplay of a full Halo Infinite match running on Xbox One. Despite running on last generation hardware, the gameplay looks remarkably crisp.
Halo Infinite will launch for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC this holiday season.
In a This Week At Bungie blog post, the studio laid out information about cross-play between Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Stadia is coming to Destiny 2 in Season 15.
With Destiny 2 on so many platforms, you may be wondering what will happen to everyone’s name. Bungie will require all Destiny 2 players to create a “Bungie Name” that will stay the same across all platforms. These Bungie Names will consist of the player’s Bungie Name, display name, and numeric ID.
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To make it easier for console friends to search for other players, Bungie will reduce the number of characters used in a Bungie Name. They addressed how some player names on Steam with extended character sets won’t be available. Also, all names will be moderated and filtered to prevent offensive terms. “It is possible that due to removing these characters, players will end up with empty names, or names that result in offensive terms,” Bungie explained. Unfortunately, if players are stuck with an empty or offensive name, they won’t be able to change it at launch and will have to wait a couple of months. Basically, think thrice before creating your Bungie Name.
Along with a Bungie Name, players will have a roster called Bungie Friends which will have all friends in one list. Players can filter their list based on platforms as well. You can even team up with cross-platform clan members. To add friends to Bungie Friends, players will have to search for their friends on their preferred platform and send friend requests. Another way is to search for friends via the Invite screen. Lastly, players can use Bungie’s friend finder site, which will launch when cross-play becomes available, to link their platforms and send Bungie Friend requests. For Fireteam requests, players can open the Roster tab in their menu and search for the players they want to team up with.
Another thing to keep in mind is that voice chat will not be available between platforms when cross-play launches, but Bungie suggests that it will be fixed in an update after launch. Players will have to wait till the winter for text chat on consoles and text input with keyboards.
Bungie is aware of targeted harassment in the community. To keep the community safe, players will be able to block other players and access privacy settings through their Roster menu.
Bungie also addressed a question many fans have been asking: How will competitive PvP modes work? For matchmaking initially, PC players will only match with other PC players, and console players will match with other console and Stadia players. If there is a cross-platform Fireteam that includes a PC player, that Fireteam will be placed in the PC matchmaking pool.
Bungie issued a patch for Destiny 2, hotfix 3.2.1.3. There are a lot of general fixes here and there to different parts of the game, along with some specific ones with Raids.
In the Vault of Glass Raid, weapons drops have been removed from the loot pools of Master Vault of Glass encounters. The difficulty of Raids plays a part in this patch. During Master difficulty encounters, players are now guaranteed to receive stat-focused armor, and Master Vault of Glass loot lockouts have been separated from the Normal level one. Additionally, both Normal and Master difficulty level Vault of Glass Raids can now be looted independently each week.
Drops will now only be at players’ Pinnacle Power from the first weekly clear of each encounter. Bungie gave an example of this situation, clarifying that if a player completes Oracles on the Normal difficulty, it will provide a Pinnacle award. However, if you later decide to clear Oracles on Master difficulty during the same week, then your reward will be stat-focused armor but it won’t be at your Pinnacle Power. Any further completion of either encounter will award players with Spoils of Conquest. On Master, you’ll also earn Masterwork Materials.
As for general hotfixes, a fix was implemented for the Stasis finishers issue that caused a slight delay to weapon readiness relative to non-Stasis class finishers. A cosmetic error was also fixed where Boots of Emperor’s Agent wasn’t showing shaders correctly.
Lastly, the last noted fix involves the Ghoyster Shell that has cartoonish eyes. There was an issue where the Ghoyster Shell could have terrifying dead white pupils in certain environments.
In other recent news, Destiny 2 will remove Synthstrand from the armor synthesis system in Season 15. Cross-Play between Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Stadia will arrive in Season 15 as well.
Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over a Black Widow contract breach after the movie was released day and date on Disney Plus. This is despite Johansson’s contract reportedly assuring her that the movie would be released exclusively in theaters.
This news comes by way of The Wall Street Journal, which reports a large part of Johansson’s salary was based on the movie’s box office performance in theaters. Because the movie was released to Disney Plus sources familiar with the lawsuit say the move to streaming cost Johansson more than $50 million.
“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” the lawsuit reads.
Johansson’s complaint states that her representatives attempted to renegotiate her contract for Black Widow after learning that the movie would be released as a Premier Access movie on Disney Plus the same day it hits theaters. The suit claims that Disney and Marvel were “unresponsive” to these discussions, according to WSJ.
Even before the pandemic Johansson was reportedly already worried the movie would be released as a Premier Access title, and the actor sought assurances that the movie would have a traditional theatrical release.
According to an email within the lawsuit, Marvel Chief Counsel Dave Galluzzi reportedly told Johansson’s representative that there would need to be discussions if plans changed “as the deal is based on a series of (very large) box office bonuses,” for Johansson.
Elsewhere in movie making, WarnerMedia renegotiated many of its contracts with actors for this very reason. It was previously reported that Warner Bros. paid more than $200 million to talent whose original contracts were based on box office performance but were changed to reflect day-and-date streaming deals.
Black Widow set a pandemic record with its $80 million domestic box office debut. It also made $60 million on Disney Plus. However, the movie quickly slumped at the box office, something that angered theater owners around the country.
New alien artifacts have landed in Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 7. Players have a week to collect each one before they disappear. Thankfully, our trusty guide below will show you where to find them all for week 8.
What Are Alien Artifacts in Fortnite?
In our Fortnite week 7 alien artifact guide, we explained that Fortnite’s alien artifacts are floating canisters that allow players to customize the new Battle Pass Kymera skin. They’ll unlock new color schemes, facial features, and more. A few artifacts spawn in different places on the island once a week, hence these guides.
Note that only one person can pick up each artifact per match. Because of this, each location is usually heavily contested.
All Fortnite Alien Artifact Locations for Week 8
Five more artifacts have been added to Fortnite’s map this week. Some are harder to collect than others; the artifacts near IO bases present a unique challenge where players must contend with their rivals as well as IO soldiers. Thankfully, all you have to do is touch an artifact to collect it.
Alien Artifact 1 – located south of Craggy Cliffs and just east of Pleasant Park
Alien Artifact 2 – located southwest of Boney Burbs
Alien Artifact 3 – located southeast of Corny Complex
Alien Artifact 4 – located just east of Slurpy Swamp
Alien Artifact 5 – located southwest of Catty Corner and east of Misty Meadows
Alien Artifact 1
The first alien artifact can be found to the south of Craggy Cliffs and east of Pleasant Park. It’s located under a large stone on a hillside amidst alienated/purple grass.
Alien Artifact 2
The second alien artifact is located southwest of Boney Burbs. You won’t have to go far. The artifact is in the middle of the purple-colored grass, near some trees and large stones.
Alien Artifact 3
The third alien artifact is located southwest of Dirty Docks and southwest of Corny Complex (basically, in the middle of these two locations) at an IO base. To find it, look under the helipad that’s connected to the large satellite building.
Alien Artifact 4
The fourth alien artifact can be found just east of Slurpy Swamp. It’s located in a large warehouse near the mouth of a river. Just follow the road leading away from Slurpy Swamp in that direction. The artifact will be inside the warehouse, suspended over a large turbine.
Alien Artifact 5
The fifth and last alien artifact is located south of Catty Corner. Follow the river until you get to a small wooden bridge. Your prize will be sitting underneath the southern side of the bridge.
And that’s it for Week 8’s Alien Artifacts. Be sure to check back here for more Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 7 guides!
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Kenneth Seward Jr. is a freelance writer, editor, and illustrator who covers games, movies, and more. Follow him @kennyufg and on Twitch.
A cast listing for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness indicates that Gargantos might be making an appearance in the MCU sequel.
CBR spotted the name of the Marvel Comics sea monster on Yenifer Molina’s profile on the professional networking site Mandy, where Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange sequel is listed in the credits section of the page. The role assigned to Molina is labelled “Gargantos Fight 2,” which seemingly teases a Gargantos grapple of some kind working its way into the movie.
The tentacled terror first appeared in Marvel’s Sub-Mariner #13 in 1969. The issue, written by Roy Thomas and Marie Severin, saw the Lemurian emperor Naga unleash Gargantos in a battle against Namor the Sub-Mariner. Gargantos was featured in the comics again, two decades later, making a splash on the pages of X-Factor Annual #4.
No official word on Gargantos potential role in Doctor Strange 2 has been disclosed beyond the brief listing on Molina’s profile. Her other credits include playing an office worker in Pokémon Detective Pikachu and appearing as a waitress in Tom and Jerry, which may suggest that she will only have a small part in whatever the “Gargantos Fight 2” is.
Who or what Gargantos might be fighting also remains to be seen, though possible contenders include Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, together with Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, and Chiwetel Ejiofor — who are all reprising their roles from 2016’s Doctor Strange.
Marvel’s Avengers’ War for Wakanda expansion starring Black Panther will be released on August 17 as a free update to all owners of the base game.
Alongside adding Black Panther as the third new playable Super Hero, War for Wakanda will feature a new story, two new villains, a brand-new environment to explore, new enemies, the Birnin Zana Outpost, new solo or multiplayer Drop Zone and Threat Sector missions, and much more.
Developer Crystal Dynamics will be sharing much more about the War for Wakanda expansion during a brand-new Marvel’s Avengers War Table presentation that will premiere on Monday, August 16 at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST on Twitch.TV/CrystalDynamics.
Throughout the story, which will bring the total single-player campaign content length of Marvel’s Avengers to 25 hours, players will get to explore the lush jungles of Wakanda and go to a new Outpost which is the Royal Palace that overlooks Birnin Zana. This Outpost, which is also known as “The Golden City” contains Shuri’s laboratory, Zawavari’s chambers, and the Wakandan War Room.
War for Wakanda takes place five years after Marvel’s Avengers’ A-Day event and will see Wakanda’s struggle in whether or not to join the fight following A.I.M. and MODOK hiring Ulysses Klaw to procure Vibranium.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
