JRPG Octopath Traveler is receiving a mobile prequel, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent, and the game will be released in Japan on October 28. Octopath Traveler’s Twitter posted the announcement and also shared a new trailer. In honor of the game already reaching 500,000 pre-registrations, Square Enix also released a battle theme song for the antagonist Arguste.
Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent‘s development was announced back in March 2019, and the dev team confirmed that the mobile game will retain Octopath Traveler’s signature “HD-2D” look. According to a translation by Dualshockers, Champions of the Continent will be more like a single-player RPG, rather than a social game. As for plot revealed so far, the game follows characters as they confront and defeat three antagonists whose “endless ambition plunged the continent into darkness.” The three enemies are the one who holds wealth, “The Witch of Greed” Helminia, the one who holds power, “The Hero” Titus, and the one who holds glory, “The Playwright” Arguste.
In his Octopath Traveler review, Peter Brown said the game “thrives on its character progression and the temptations of high-level challenges and rewards. The promise of new jobs, exciting boss fights, and powerful gear will inspire you to poke around every corner, and there are no shortage of discoveries to strive for. And all the while, you’re treated to one of the most interesting and effective re-imaginings of a retro aesthetic around. Octopath will likely be a divisive game due to its fractured storytelling, but it’s one worth playing despite its lesser qualities. Its high points are simply too good to ignore.”
It remains to be seen if Square Enix plans to release Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent in the West.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
It’s no secret that securing a preorder for the PlayStation 5 has been tough, especially after retailers began offering them right after Sony’s showcase earlier this week. But it seems even if you have managed to lock down an order, you might not get a console on release day.
That’s the case over at Amazon, which has begun emailing customers about potential delays for PS5 orders that might result in shipping after the November 12 launch. The email cites the incredible demand for the console as the reason for delays and says that updates will be communicated to affected customers.
“We’re contacting you about your order of PlayStation 5 Console to let you know in advance that you may not receive this item on the day it is released due to high demand. We’ll make every effort to get the item to you as soon as possible once released.”
Numerous GameSpot staff members have received this mail already, so it could be a case of Amazon warning all customers ahead of potential delays. Target has also adjusted its shipment window for PS5 order, ranging from November 13-18. The entire situation around PS5 preorders has been a bit of a mess, so Amazon is likely not going to be the only retailer faced with these issues.
CD Projekt Red’s Night City Wire series has given us some very comprehensive looks at the many details and facets of the main setting of Cyberpunk 2077. During their recent stream, the developers at CD Projekt Red unveiled a fully explorable website that focuses on Night City, which you can check out right now. Similar a real-world website for any major city, the official Night City website is way more blunt and candid about the current state of things, offering us some surprising details about life in the big, expansive locale–even if most of them are somewhat terrifying. It’s a cool bit of worldbuilding, and if you’re interested in Cyberpunk 2077, it’s a fun read to understand just how crazy the game’s setting is.
One of the more imaginative things about cyberpunk fiction is that it examines our present-day through an extrapolated lens, allowing us to look at our current issues in a different light. This site works well as a satire of capitalism and corporate greed, putting in similar territory to the satirical look at America in Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop, but it also does a lot to show what’s in store for players in the game once it releases on November 19. Here’s a quick look at some of the most interesting and bizarre details from Night City’s official website.
A Brief History Of Night City
One of the first features you’ll see on the site is a quick rundown on the history of Night City. Located on the west coast in Central and Northern California, Night City was first established by billionaire industrialist Richard Night. He would not live long enough to see the completion of the city, but his vision would continue on. In the year 2077, Night City is a massive city-state with its own government, law enforcement, currency, and communities that inhabit it. Violence, corruption, and capitalism are the norm in Night City, and 2077 looks to be the roughest year the place has seen yet. The mayor of Night City in 2077, Lucius Rhyne, even shared his thoughts on the state of things.
“The first time I ran for Night City Council, I burned through about a pair of Bandittos a week. I canvassed every street, alley and megabuilding in my district. I saw a lot and heard a lot more. By the end, I thought I knew everything there was to know about this city.When they showed me this site, I realized just how wrong I was. I almost feel bad revealing all of these secrets to you, visitors to and residents of our fine city. Luckily, there are plenty more you’ll have to discover for yourselves.” — Lucius Rhyne, Mayor of Night City
Getting Around In Night City
The official site has a quick explainer on the different ways to get around town. Despite its massive size, Night City is “surprisingly walkable,” according to the site. Every street in the city is named, making exploration a bit more manageable. If you want to get around fast, you can always take your car or motorcycle and drive around. During the 2060s, paid parking was banned from the city following rampant violence against contractors working for the company MeterMe!, which means you can park anywhere you like without any costs.
If you don’t have access to your car, you can also take cabs and NCart. The former is an AI-driven taxi service that will take you to where you want to go for a cost. NCart is the city’s public transport service, accessed at different points around town, and takes you to various stops around the city.
Keep Track Of The Carnage
Night City’s Trauma Team are a heavily militarized version of present-day paramedics.
According to Night City’s media, the massive city-state has seen its crime-rate triple in the year 2077, putting it higher than the rest of the United States combined. There’s even a current death toll for the day at the very top of the main page.
Capitalism Remains Unchecked In 2077
Based on the many videos and details we’ve seen from Cyberpunk 2077, it’s clear that the citizens of Night City are continually being sold or taken advantage of by Big Business. Rampant, unchecked capitalism and the exploitation pushed by corporations has been a key cause for many of the world’s woes today, and things aren’t any better in the future world of Night City. The site for Night City features countless ads for expensive products, some of which are for everyday things we have in abundance today, such as Real Water (with a trademark). This insight also gives us a look at how problems like radiation, indoor pollution, and mutation are the norm in 2077. And that’s terrifying.
Pop-Up Ads Are More Annoying And Unsettling In The Future
On that note, advertising in 2077 seems much more invasive and annoying in 2077. In addition to seeing ads for products like Arasaka home security, which show off holographic samurai guards watching over you as you sleep, we also see commercials for attorneys on call if you have problems with those pesky instances of mutation or malfunctioning cyberware. To offset this despair, slightly, we also have ads for food products like bagged tacos, the aforementioned Real Water, and packaged burritos made from “in vitro” synthetic beef.
See The Sights In Night City
There are many places to explore in Night City.
The site also includes a quick explainer on life in Night City’s many districts, which consists of a fairly blunt description of the locale and its troubles, along with its NCPD Threat Level analysis. Here are some brief excerpts from the site for Santa Domingo and Pacifica. Head over to the official page for more detailed descriptions on every district.
Santa Domingo: “In Arroyo, Santo Domingo’s industrial heartland, the discarded husks of belly-up factories dot the landscape and have unfortunately attracted the usual bottom-feeding criminals and degenerates.”
NCPD Threat Level For Santa Domingo: “WARNING: The NCPD has issued a warning about a vigilante force active in Santo Domingo known as the 6th Street Gang. Though the veterans who fill its ranks claim they protect their neighborhood from hostiles, the NCPD has received numerous reports of their involvement in typical gang activities, including but not limited to protection rackets and armed robbery.”
Pacifica: “Before you step foot into Pacifica, close your eyes and imagine boutiques with products for every demographic, pop-up cyberware clinics, and amidst them all, throngs of happy tourists spending their hard-earned eurodollars, having the time of their lives.Now open your eyes. What do you see? Crippling poverty? Crumbling infrastructure? Rampant gang violence? And nothing more? Then you, my friend, lack vision. Other, more far-sighted observers see in Pacifica pure potential. With proper investment and robust eviction measures, it may once more become Night City’s premier tourist destination.”
NCPD Threat Level For Pacifica: “WARNING: “The Night City Police Department’s current threat level for Pacifica is: CATASTROPHIC. In the absence of city authorities, criminal groups control it, specifically the Voodoo Boys. Members of this gang’s clothing and body modifications often make reference in some way to the vodou religion—hence the reason Night City locals seem to have revived the “Voodoo Boys” name of an earlier, unrelated gang. Furthermore, frequent attacks by “Scavengers” mean many who enter Pacifica leave without vital organs or prized implants.”
It’s An Election Year
If things didn’t seem bleak enough for Night City, you’ll be surprised to know that 2077 is also an important year for the city’s government. The position of mayor is up for grabs in 2077, and among the candidates is Weldon Holt. He is backed by current mayor Lucius Rhyne and has plastered ads on the site.
Climate Change Has Really Messed Things Up
Many of the locales in Night City are left in ruin following neglect and a damaged ecosystem.
As a reminder, the cyberpunk genre is an extrapolation of our present times, and one of 2020’s issues–climate change–is also a grave concern in the future. With the growing CO2 emissions and constant use of fossil fuels across the world, it’s put our current ecosystem at risk of collapse. 2077 examines this in a way that appears terrifying while also banal. In addition to a brief look at the outskirts of Night City, which is a desolate wasteland populated by nomads, we also see how mass migration has pushed people to more populated areas, resulting in massive unemployment and homelessness. It’s a scary thing, and Night City in 2077 treats it as the norm for everyday life.
Arasaka Is Everywhere
According to Cyberpunk lore, the corporation Arasaka is the world’s most influential and ever-present company. Dealing in arms and civilian products has allowed it to become a mainstay worldwide, and it has an especially strong influence in Night City. Many of the advertisements on the site show off their growing influence, which includes work as a private security force in Africa. In the main game, you’ll have the option to choose the Corpo life path, which starts you off as an Arasaka agent. Eventually, you’ll be cast out of the company and be put on their bad side for the remainder of the game.
That was a quick look at the website for Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City. Be sure to check out the site for yourself to see more details and info about the game’s main setting. And for more on Cyberpunk 2077, be sure to check out GameSpot’s Cyberpunk 2077 lore series, focusing on key characters like Johnny Silverhand and how Arasaka came to be.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Last month, DC presented Fandome which gave fans its first look at the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel, simply called The Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn. Kinnaman is only one of four returning from the original cast, alongside Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.
In an interview with THR, during doing press for his upcoming thriller, The Secrets We Keep, Kinnaman talked about the script for the film how he thought it was the funniest thing he’s ever worked on.
“[The Suicide Squad] is going to be insane,” Kinnaman said. “The script is so funny. Every page of that script was funny, and every page made me laugh.” He also went onto praise Gunn as a director and how he seems him as somebody who “commands that genre.”
“He just understands the world so well, and since he wrote it, he really reinvents not just the concepts, but also the characters. For me, it was like I did my first comedy, but it’s like heavily R-rated. It was a real learning experience for me too because I’d never done a comedy in that way before. So I asked James to work with me and teach me this s***. And yeah, we had so much fun doing it. That movie is going to be a f****** monster. Honestly, even though I’m in it, I can’t wait to see it as a fan.”
Kinnaman went on to describe the big difference on the level of chemistry among cast members this time around and if it felt weird being with an almost completely different cast.
“They’re such good people. It’s also something about the whole concept of being a squad. There was never a bad ego on either of these films; not the first or the second one. There was never a s***** person that was trying to suck up all the air,” he continued. “On both films, there were really generous, warm, funny people around that were just about feeding the collective. There’s something about the concept that really helps that vibe, and because there was a core unit from the first one, I think we brought that spirit of the first film into the second one as well.”
DC’s The Suicide Squad is scheduled to hit theaters August 6, 2021.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
In 1989, writer and illustrator Kentaro Miura took readers on a decades-long journey revolving around the mercenary Guts in a fantasy world as he hunts down his enemy Griffith. Guts is primarily known for the gigantic sword he carries around, which is bigger than he is. Now, after originally ending in 2018, it looks like Berserk is coming.
Manga Mogura discovered that there is a big reveal coming for the franchise on October 9, 2020. And the tagline for this announcement is “The New Beginning.” Check out the tweet below, which links to the Young Animal site, the Japanese manga that publishes Berserk.
The site also features some familiar images, including Guts and his trademark sword. It’s been a few years since there’s been anything new from Berserk, with Volume 40 publishing in Japan in September 2018 with the English translation coming a year afterward.
Berserk has also been adapted to TV twice–once between 1997-98 and then again between 2016-17, with the second series going a bit beyond what the first series covered. Yukes also published a game for Sega Dreamcast in 1999 called Sword of the Berserk: Guts’ Rage. Then in 2017, Omega Force produced Berserk And The Band Of The Hawk, which was Dynasty Warriors with Guts.
A new update for No Man’s Sky will arrive next week on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Titled Origins, developer Hello Games said the patch notes will be revealed when the update drops.
The studio hasn’t specified what’s coming to No Man’s Sky when the Origins update releases. Hello Games did call the update “the beginning of something new, as No Man’s Sky continues to grow and evolve.” Hello Games was quick to reiterate that Origins isn’t the largest update.
Whatever is on the way to No Man’s Sky next week, Hello Games assured that the team has worked hard to “deliver in difficult circumstances.”
“We know there is a huge appetite in the community for No man’s Sky content, and the team has worked our socks off this year to deliver in difficult circumstances,” the studio said. “We have been quiet, but we are always listening and focusing on improving the game that our team loves and feels so passionately about.”
No Man’s Sky’s last update, Desolation, dropped in July for all platforms. It added dilapidated freighters you could rummage through, additional story content, and a laundry list of bug fixes.
Hello Games confirmed it’s working on a “huge, ambitious game.” Studio head Sean Murray didn’t go into specifics, indicating the project is a long ways off. In the meantime, the developer dropped its puzzler The Last Campfire on August 27 for iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. We scored it an 8/10 in our The Last Campfire review, calling it a “consistently relaxing and pleasant experience.”
Developer Crystal Dynamics has detailed the latest weekly updates for Marvel’s Avengers. The weekly reset has opened up two new Priority Missions, during which players have to uncover a SHIELD vault and fend off AIM forces in the process of unlocking it. The rewards for completing these missions will be unique gear that isn’t available anywhere else in the game. Modifiers are also active and include increased cryo damage from players, enemy health regeneration, and toxic hazards:
Desert Vault (Low Power Level)
Modifiers:
Famine: Enemies do not drop Regen Packs when defeated.
Outbreak: Toxic hazards are added to the environment. Gamma damage from enemies and the environment are increased.
Collider: Particle damage from players is increased.
Guaranteed Reward: Polychoron and Hero-Specific Gear
Tundra Vault (High Power Level)
Modifiers:
Turmoil: Significantly increased presence of Riotbots.
Resurgence: Enemy health regenerates after a short delay.
Clash: Melee damage from any source is greatly increased.
Snowball: Cryo damage from players is increased.
Guaranteed Reward: Epic Gear
If you’d prefer to take on AIM threats in a smaller arena, this week’s Priority HARM Challenge will give you an opportunity to do so. The first completion reward will be a new comic book collectible that provides a passive 0.5% status resistance for your Avengers once obtained.
HARM Challenge reward
Modifiers will also be active, which include increased Willpower regeneration and more damage from all projectile sources in the Low Power Level HARM room challenge. In the High Power Level challenge, melee damage from any source has been amplified, but players are able to do inflict more cosmic damage in return.
Low Power Level Challenge
Modifiers:
Oasis: Regen Packs have increased Willpower benefit.
Torpedo: Projectile damage from any source is greatly increased
High Power Level Challenge
Modifiers:
Famine: Enemies do not drop Regen Packs when defeated
Clash: Melee damage from any source is greatly increased
Cosmos: Cosmic damage from players is increased
Crystal Dynamics also explained that patch V1.3.0 will drop soon, and will be the “biggest patch yet” for the game. This comes after a previous update provided a number of fixes, such as players falling through the world when starting the Avengers Initiative and eliminating “Device_Hung” crashes that were reported after launch.
In our Marvel’s Avengers review, the game received a 7/10. “At times, Marvel’s Avengers struggles to unify a thoughtful story focus with a more momentum-based, action-heavy live game system–but both have their good qualities,” wrote reviewer Phil Hornshaw.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Michael Ancel, creator of Rayman and Beyond Good & Evil, has said he’s leaving the world of video games to open a wildlife sanctuary – but assured fans that work on Wild and Beyond Good & Evil 2 will continue without him.
Posting on Instagram, the director wrote: “Today is very special for me. After more than 30 years, I’ve decided to stop working on video games and fully focus on my second passion : Wild Life ! My new project takes place in the real world and consists in a wild life open sanctuary dedicated to education , nature lovers and … wild animals.”
Addressing his currently ongoing projects, Ancel reassured fans: “Many of you might want to know what will happen to Wild and BGE2. No worries, since many months now the teams are autonomous and the projects are going super well. Beautiful things to be seen soon.”
In an update on Beyond Good & Evil 2, senior producer Guillaume Brunier wrote: “For years, Michel imparted his creative vision and helped us remain faithful to BG&E’s incredible universe. His uncompromising passion pushed us to redefine what was possible in crafting an expansive, multicultural, and futuristic science-fiction world. As we move forward, we are all committed to remaining true to this vision.”
An Ubisoft press release also pays tribute to the director:
“Today Ubisoft announces that Michel Ancel has chosen to leave the video game industry after an exceptional career spanning more than 30 years. A nature-lover, Michel has been working on a personal project dedicated to the protection of wildlife for a long time. This project, a wildlife sanctuary in the region of Montpellier, France, is now growing in scope, and he wishes to put his full effort into this longstanding passion.
Michel is at the origin of some of Ubisoft and the video game industry’s most beloved franchises, including Rayman, the Raving Rabbids and Beyond Good and Evil, whose second opus, Beyond Good and Evil 2 is currently in development. The teams at Ubisoft Montpellier are currently focusing on the main stages of production, aligned with the vision set out by Michel. They will have more to share with their community of fans in the months to come.
We would like to thank Michel for the incredible creative vision he has brought to Ubisoft over the course of his career, and wish him all the best for this new venture.”
Ancel rose to fame as the creator of Rayman, and has helped create every mainline game in the series, going on to helm Beyond Good & Evil and the video game adaptation of Peter Jackson’s King Kong.
We’ve contacted Wild Sheep Studio for comment.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Sony has said that the company doesn’t plan to bring its new first-party games to a Game Pass-like subscription service because it wouldn’t be “sustainable.”
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan broke the news in an interview with GamesIndustry.Biz. The interview noted the surprising reveal of the PlayStation Plus Collection during the PS5 conference, which will bring a library of the PS4’s best games to the console, available to PlayStation Plus subscribers for free.
In light of this news, Ryan was asked whether PlayStation might follow Microsoft’s lead in bringing all of its future first-party games to a subscription service upon the day of release.
“For us, having a catalogue of games is not something that defines a platform,” Ryan told GamesIndustry.Biz. “Our pitch, as you’ve heard, is ‘new games, great games.’ We have had this conversation before — we are not going to go down the road of putting new releases titles into a subscription model. These games cost many millions of dollars, well over $100 million, to develop. We just don’t see that as sustainable.”
Ryan added that Sony’s ambition is to make games “bigger and better, and hopefully at some stage more persistent.” A day-one first-party subscription model like Game Pass wouldn’t suit that ambition for PlayStation. “We want to expand and grow our existing ecosystem, and putting new games into a subscription model just doesn’t sit with that.”
Yesterday was bittersweet. The PS5 console and RTX 3080 video card both went up for order, and both sold out nearly instantly. As of now, it’s pretty much impossible to find a PS5 from an authorized reseller. For those lucky souls who did score, the PS5 accessories including the DualSense controller are still available on Amazon. For those looking for the RTX 3080 video card, we’ve only seen a single vendor that has anything in stock (and unfortunately you’ll have to pay over MSRP). However, there are gaming PC rigs featuring the RTX 3080 video card that are still available.
______________________________ Eric Song is IGN’s deal curator and spends roughly 1/4 of his income on stuff he posts. Check out his latest Daily Deals Article and subscribe to his IGN Deals Newsletter.
