Category: Games

Earlier this week Microsoft confirmed that xCloud, its games streaming service that will be bundled with Xbox Games Pass Ultimate, will be launching in September on Android. Apple devices were completely omitted from the announcement, with their testing apps pulled from devices shortly afterwards.

Microsoft has chosen to prematurely end its iOS testing for xCloud ahead of the previously communicated September 11 date, when Android test users will migrate over to the officially launched product. In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft say its attention now is focused on a smooth launch across Android.

“Our Project xCloud preview TestFlight period has ended on iOS and we are focused on delivering cloud gaming as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to Android customers beginning September 15,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. “It’s our ambition to scale cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass available on all devices.”

The xCloud test on iOS was already much more limited than the one on Android. It was limited to 10 000 users and only featured Halo: The Master Chief Collection to play. TestFlight builds need to be periodically renewed and updated to stay live, which Microsoft seem to have put on pause for the meantime.

The issue isn’t necessarily with Microsoft, but may be with Apple instead. Apple has strict policies around remote network connections, with its rules stipulating that apps can only make such a connection to another local device on the same network. Therefore, Google Stadia still hasn’t launched a client on any Apple devices and could be the main hurdle Microsoft faces too.

Apple additionally restricts apps that connect to external storefronts, since it cannot control content and royalties on these transactions. This was the main issue Valve had when attempting to launch their Steam Link app on iOS, which eventually took a year to resolve. Considering Steam Link only connects to a computer you own, it circumvents the previous rules holding back Google and Microsoft.

Microsoft hasn’t directly stated which rules are preventing it to push forward with xCloud plans on Apple devices, but if Stadia is any indication it might not be an easy problem to resolve. Games Pass Ultimate subscribers will get xCloud support for free starting next month, with Microsoft announcing a portion of the 100 games you can expect on launch day. A variety of accessories from Razer, PowerA, and more have also been revealed.

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Epic Games is taking another big step forward with its online marketplace with the release of an exclusive new free-to-play “interactive-sitcom” called 3 out of 10. Blending the gameplay of a classic 2D adventure game with the style and presentation of a late-night animated series, 3 out of 10 is the next unusual experiment coming to Epic Game Store on PC. With the first episode of 3 out of 10 out now, and new entries for the five-episode first season releasing weekly till September 3, the game focuses on one of the industry’s worst game developers seeking to make it big with their next game.

Just before the reveal, GameSpot got to play 3 out of 10 and had a chat with members from developer and publisher Terrible Posture Games about the making of this “experimental” game for the Epic Games Store. The first episode focuses on the fictional Shovelworks Studios’ new hire, Midge Potter, a replacement for an animator who unexpectedly combusted at his desk. Within minutes of joining the team, she’s thrust into the bizarre world of game development at a C-level studio that’s struggling to make a hit and avoid the ire of angry fans picketing their building.

Game director Joe Mirabello told GameSpot the developer is trying something different with the adventure series. Its previous credits include titles like Tower of Guns and Mothergunship, two FPS games that parodied the genre, and 3 out of 10 carries a similar awareness of the genre and the setting it inhabits. Mirabello stated during our interview that he has had his share of odd experiences working at game studios like Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios, the ill-fated developer that released Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Yet, Mirabello stressed that 3 out of 10 isn’t “punching down” on the industry, but rather highlighting the absurdity within it.

“A lot of people grow up wanting to be a game developer, and the media that’s out there presents it like things shown in movies like Grandma’s Boy, which is not very accurate. It very much tried to take the medium and shove it into another container,” said Mirabello. “That said, there are movies out there that very accurately portray what, for instance, being a journalist is like, and it’s not all roses, even showing a comedic side to it. You feel like you’ve learned a little bit about what the day-to-day life would be, even if it is abstracted, silly, or even just a bit different. To me, I felt you could have something that pokes fun at the gaming industry in an absurdist way, yet at the same time, not be inaccurate. It also felt that something like was a good fit for being an actual game too.”

3 out of 10 presents itself as an animated sitcom, with many gags and non-sequitur humor that would feel right at home in a show from Adult Swim or a Comedy Central cartoon circa the 2000s. Yet, it takes many of its gameplay cues from classic 2D adventure games such as Grim Fandango and The Secret of Monkey Island, with the various hijinks that the Shovelworks devs find themselves in culminating in set-piece encounters. When you’re not exploring the office and talking with the team, you’ll engage in different mini-games and optional activities that jump into different genres, which was cool to see play out. Completing tasks efficiently and with accuracy will earn you collectable stars, which will be tallied up and placed on a leaderboard by the episode’s end.

In our playthrough of Episode 1, Welcome To Shovelworks, Midge tries to fit into her new job. After meeting her new co-workers, she’s tasked with helping the floundering, yet stable developer overcome the latest controversy following the reveal of their next game, Surfing with Sharks–an endless runner that unexpectedly has an end. The first episode does a pretty solid job of offering an accessible and comedic look at the internal conflict of game development, and how minor issues lead to big problems. It dabbles in the familiar tropes of office sitcoms, which at some points can feel a bit crass with jokes poking fun at underpaid interns, but the absurdist approach still makes it enjoyable and it is largely in good-taste.

What sets 3 out of 10 apart from other adventure games is that it embraces the Netflix-style approach of having control of your content. As an interactive animated show, you’re free to follow the flow of the episode. However, you can also skip scenes and rewind to previous moments. This accessible approach can be handy when trying to score enough stars during each episode’s key scenes or if you get stuck during a particular mini-game and want to proceed with the plot. Each episode is also around 30 minutes, to ensure that they maintain a decent pace and are easily digestible.

According to Mirabello, Terrible Posture’s pitch for a new adventure game series was enough for Epic Games to get interested–So much so that work has already begun on the second season, which might address the absurdity of the current climate with COVID-19 and the push for a work-from-home lifestyle.

“This game is kind of an experiment in how you can tell a story in a game,” Mirabello said. “But when it comes to the current pandemic, I won’t say there hasn’t been an impact on us [despite us already working remotely]. Compared to some other studios where they changed their entire way they do things, that has not been the case with us. It’s mostly just been managing our own personal health. I almost felt like it’s been a blessing for us that we’ve been able to continue on with this game. There’s a lot of things in society that have completely changed overnight. We don’t know how the game industry is going to look on the other side of this. So in the future, that might be something that we have to make a comment on, but if we do so, I want to make sure that it’s something that we can address in a lighthearted way so that we’re not punching down on anybody, but still in a way that’s in jest. We want to make sure that we have the authority to speak in that kind of tone on whatever we are commenting on.”

The Epic Games Store has employed a somewhat unorthodox approach to building its market, leveraging heavy hitters like Fortnite while also expanding a suite of exclusives. 3 out of 10 looks to be one of those games that does things differently with its approach to the adventure genre, but also in how players can experience the entire story throughout its season. The entire five-episode first season will be free-to-play on the Epic Games Store, and aside from the option to purchase the game’s soundtrack, there will be no microtransactions or other paid content with the game. It’ll be interesting to see how 3 out of 10 grows following its first season, and what new experiments it could yield for the Epic Games Store in the future.

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While the movie High Fidelity may have become a cult classic, the TV show of the same name sadly got the ax this week. Deadline is reporting that Hulu has chosen not to renew its High Fidelity original series for a second season.

The Hulu series was based on a novel by British author Nick Hornsby (who also gave us About A Boy) and later adapted for American audiences with the 2000 film starring John Cusack and, coincidentally, Lisa Bonet. Zoë Kravitz starred as Rob, the record store owner who has struggled a lifetime of failed relationships and trysts and reminiscences on what went wrong with each one. If you’ve seen the movie, the first season follows that overarching plot very closely, but still had very much a life of its own.

The report also stated that the final decision was not easy and came after “lengthy deliberations.” The show, which has been well received by critics and currently has an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Kravitz took to Instragram Thursday morning following the announcement to thank the cast and crew for their time and support for the show.

View this post on Instagram

i wanna give a shout out to my #highfidelity family. thank you for all the love and heart you put into this show. i’m in awe of all of you. and thank you to everyone who watched, loved and supported us. ✌🏽 #breakupssuck

A post shared by Zoë Kravitz (@zoeisabellakravitz) on Aug 5, 2020 at 7:25pm PDT

High Fidelity is the latest casualty for the 2020 television year. Fan favorites like Syfy’s The Magicians, Ray Donovan, and even freshmen series Friended By God all saw the end of their run earlier this year. Fox’s Cops finally saw the end of its 32 year run after getting political heat from activists.

Developed for TV by Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka, the series co-starred Jake Lacy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes, and had fun guest stars like Parker Posey and Debby Harry.

The first trailer for Netflix‘s upcoming surreal in a good way but still very much foaming-at-the-mouth weird while also funny horror-drama I’m Thinking of Ending Things has arrived.

Adapted from the 2016 debut novel from Canadian writer Iain Reid with the same name, the film version has been written and directed by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). This is Kaufman’s third time in the director’s chair for a movie he’s also written. It’s also the first time he’s adapted another writer’s material since 2002’s Adaptation, starring Nicolas Cage in multiple roles.

The official synopsis for I’m Thinking of Ending Things reads, “Despite second thoughts about their relationship, a young woman (Jessie Buckley) takes a road trip with her new boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm. Trapped at the farm during a snowstorm with Jake’s mother (Toni Collette) and father (David Thewlis), the young woman begins to question the nature of everything she knew or understood about her boyfriend, herself, and the world.” (edited) But as the trailer suggests, the movie seems to be much more about the tone and world than the plot itself, per se.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is due to premiere on Netflix September 4, although reportedly would have played the festival circuit had COVID not shut events and venues down. In advance of the movie’s upcoming release, Kaufman recently told Entertainment Weekly: “I don’t set out to do a mindf*** [in my movies]… I’m not setting out to do something that ‘tops’ some sort of brainteaser I might have done before. But there’s no question that I’m trying to build on the stuff that I’ve already done.”

I’m Thinking About Ending Things lands on Netflix on September 4.

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2K’s new golf game, PGA Tour 2K21, is almost here. GameSpot was fortunate enough to get some hands-on time with the game ahead of its August 21 release on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.

In a new video, we check out the game’s new Career mode by playing a full round at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas for the The Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

PGA Tour 2K21 introduces a number of helpful features for new players, like putt trails, shot feedback, and a power meter, and we made the most of them to go low with a score of 59.

Check out the full gameplay video above, and keep checking back with GameSpot for lots more on PGA Tour 2K21 in the days and weeks ahead.

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