Amazon Australia recently revealed the date for its annual Prime Day event, and we figured we’d get you setup to take full advantage of it (plus you’ll score a free FPS to boot). We sure dug Battlefield 4 when it came out and when Prime Day rolls around on 12AM AEST on June 21st (with local deals running for 48 hours) you’ll have the Prime membership needed to score cheap stuff. Way to think ahead, you!
As seen in the gameplay trailer for Far Cry 6, the upcoming shooter will feature moments where the game plays out in third-person as opposed to first-person. Those moments of third-person won’t just be limited to cutscenes–you’ll see that perspective shift during certain parts of combat and when Dani enters guerrilla camps.
In an emailed response to GameSpot, narrative director Navid Khavari wrote that there are “a few reasons” for why Far Cry 6 shifts perspectives. The change is mainly to better highlight protagonist Dani Royas as a character, though there are gameplay ramifications too.
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“In cinematics, [third-person] is something the team tried early on, and it felt surprisingly seamless,” Khavari wrote. “It instantly felt like there was more of a connection to Dani’s journey in the world, more of a connection to this epic story in Yara.”
“Players will also be able to see their character customizations in these highly-realized story beats. In Guerrilla Camps, this is also an opportunity for players to be able to see their fully customized character, everything from their backpack to their clothes.”
As mentioned before, you’ll also shift to third-person when in guerilla camps–that wasn’t just a cinematic choice for the gameplay trailer. So while in hubs, you’ll be able to see your Dani as you speak to other characters, similarly to third-person RPGs like The Witcher, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Assassin’s Creed.
Khavari writes that the intended effect of seeing the interaction play out in front of you is to make Dani feel like an actual character that exists within the space you’re exploring–they’re “a member of the camp.” As soon as you leave the camp, the camera zooms back in and returns to first-person.
The only other time that the camera shifts to third-person is when you use a Supremo backpack. As seen in the Far Cry 6 gameplay trailer, these backpacks unlock powerful abilities for Dani, like a flamethrower, jetpack, or missile barrage. “In the Supremo backpack moments during gameplay, the third-person transition is intended so players can see all of the backpack’s effects, and better feel its impact in action,” Khavari writes.
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All in all, this is a far cry (heh) from Far Cry 5, which played out entirely in first-person and featured a completely silent protagonist in “the Deputy” who you never got to see in the game, not even in cutscenes, outside of the character creator and clothes customization window. As a result, the Deputy never felt like an actual presence in the game’s story. I’m hopeful that that won’t be the case for Dani based on Ubisoft Toronto’s decision to include the character in conversations.
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Far Cry 6 is scheduled to launch for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and PC on October 7.
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The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS), iam8bit, and fortyseven communications have announced the Game Maker’s Sketchbook, a new showcase celebrating art related to the craft of making games. The showcase will take place on July 19 during GDC, showing off a selection of art pieces from games.
“The recognition of video game art is dramatically underrepresented,” said Meggan Scavio, president of the AIAS, in a press release. “We wanted to create an annual festival that looks across the industry and spotlights all the different aspects of art and visuals that transport us into game worlds, that trigger our imaginations, delight us with their ingenuity, and celebrate the artists themselves.”
Submissions for the Game Maker’s Sketchbook are open now through July 1 for the showcase’s six categories. The categories are character art, environment art, impact, iconography, storyboard, and curiosities, with the last category being for any art that doesn’t quite fit into the other five. Any art from a video game published on or after January 1, 2020, is eligible for the showcase. The winners will be decided by a jury of artists and representatives from games, film, and fine art.
Each category will have a shortlist of three artworks with one overall winner. Some of the art will be sold as prints or collectibles by iam8bit, with the proceeds supporting the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. There will also be a special category called the Artists Sketchbook that will showcase all submitted art. The Game Maker’s Sketchbook is aiming to be an annual showcase celebrating artists in the video game industry.
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After only one season and a cliffhanger finale, Jupiter’s Legacy is coming to an end at Netflix. Though the adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic series of the same name premiered just under four weeks ago, the series’ cast members have now been released from their show commitment, effectively pulling the plug on another season.
Although Netflix does not regularly release official audience figures, Jupiter’s Legacy was featured in the streamer’s top ten category for several days after its premiere. However, it seems likely that the show did not perform to Netflix’s expectations, particularly for a high-profile project that carried a more expensive production scale.
“I’m really proud of what the team achieved with Jupiter’s Legacy and the amazing work everyone did on that origin season,” Millar wrote in an official statement posted on Twitter. “We’ve made the tough call of letting our incredible cast out of their show commitment as we continue to thoughtfully develop all realms of the Jupiter’s Legacy saga. We’re confident we’ll return to it later and just want to say thanks to you guys for your continued support and to the cast and crew who made this look so great.”
Millar will soon launch Jupiter’s Legacy: Requiem, a new comic series that will continue the property’s story. While the upcoming comic books may have been planned as a way to set up narrative threads for future television episodes, it could also touch on loose threads from the show’s first season.
In our review of the first season of Jupiter’s Legacy, IGN gave the series a 7, saying it “delivers plenty of exciting superhero action, compelling stories, and memorable characters thanks to strong performances from its leading cast.”
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J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.
What started out as an April Fools joke is now a full-fledged game. Inkle Studios, the creators of 80 Days, have surprise released Overboard, a visual novel “whodunnit where you’re the one whodunnit.” In a press release, Inkle describes Overboard as “80 Days meets Agatha Christie with a wicked twist,” the murder mystery is available now on PC, Switch, and Apple devices.
While the game’s release comes as quite the surprise, news of Overboard actually first surfaced back in April, when Inkle co-founder and narrative director Jon Ingold joked about the studio releasing a game about a “multiple murderer who hate dolphins and talks to God.”
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In Overboard you take on the role of Mrs. Veronica Villensey, a very recently widowed starlet and heiress who has eight hours to cover her tracks and frame someone else for the murder of her husband. While pinning the blame on someone else is no easy feat, there are plenty of ways to go around it, with the press release stating the game is “designed for multiple playthroughs with an enormous amount of variety and consequence.” Apart from antagonistic dolphins, the game features a cast of colorful characters that move around in real time, each with their own secrets you can discover and use against them. According to Inkle, “anyone could be a witness, [and] anyone could be the next victim.”
Made in just 100 days, Overboard is Inkle’s fifth game and follows the company’s pattern of creating narrative-driven titles such as 80 Days, a game Hope Corrigan called a “wonderfully imaginative and vivid steampunk world presented through beautifully-told narrative” in GameSpot’s review. For those ready to take on the role of black widow and try to–quite literally–get away with murder, you can pick up Overboard on the Nintendo eShop, Steam, GOG, and the App Store for $15 USD.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
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Chapter 2: Season 7 of Fortnite is right around the corner and the game might be teasing this new season’s theme with in-game alien abductions.
These alien abductions are happening in-game seemingly at random, as reported by The Verge. Any given player on the map might be targeted by a massive laser beam that comes from the sky and in a matter of moments, they’ll be transported across the map.
It’s unclear why this is happening at all, but as anyone who plays Fortnite knows, it’s not happening for no reason. With Season 7 of Fortnite beginning next week on June 8, it’s easy to see how these alien abductions might be connected. Perhaps Season 7 will be themed around aliens.
It wouldn’t be surprising considering everything going on in the real world right now, and Epic Games has been known to capitalize on real-world events in its battle royale game. For the unaware — and brace yourself for this — the United States government (specifically the Pentagon) has confirmed that videos and photos of unidentified aerial phenomena, more commonly known as UFOs, are real and out there.
Now, this could all be a coincidence, of course, but it seems clear that Fortnite is teasing something related to aliens and UFOs.
Many influencers and people in games press have received special cards that seem to be connected to whatever Fortnite is teasing — the cards feature alien-like signage on them with “they’re coming” written across the top — and elsewhere on social media like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, official Fortnite videos that also say “they’re coming” have been spotted.
You can watch one of these videos seen on TikTok below, as originally reported by The Verge.
Chapter 2 – Season 7 teaser videos are starting to be posted as ads on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
An image similar to the one seen in the TikTok above can be found on Fortnite’s website too. What all of this means is still unknown, but given the alien abductions happening in-game and all the marketing happening outside of the game, it seems safe to say Season 7 will have something to do with aliens.
If that’s the case, it’s probably safe to don your Ripley skin next time you hop into Fortnite in case you get abducted. While waiting for Season 7 to launch on June 8, check out this Xenomorph skin in Fortnite and then watch this trailer for the new Fortnite June Crew Pack.
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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.
Ark: Survival Evolved‘s newest expansion, Genesis Part 2, will now be launching on all platforms simultaneously on June 3, one day after it was supposed to launch. The delay comes from the game’s official Twitter account, stating that the game is in the certification process and is expected to be completed early in the morning. The expansion will launch at 5 AM PT/8 AM ET on June 3 across all platforms.
Genesis Part 2 is currently finishing the automated certification process. We expect that process to be complete in the early morning, so we’ll be launching simultaneously on all platforms at 8 AM Eastern June 3rd. Thank you for your patience and support. It will be worth it!
— ARK: Survival Evolved (@survivetheark) June 2, 2021
Genesis Part 2 is the final expansion for Ark, as the developers look to move forward with development on the sequel Ark 2, which features Vin Diesel. Genesis Part 2 was originally announced in November of last year with a release window of March 2021 but has since been delayed multiple times. While the latest delay was only for a day, it came very last minute, since Studio Wildcard announced it on what was supposed to be launch day for the expansion.
Genesis Part 2 has been described as the biggest expansion to Ark since its launch, featuring new voice work from David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time) playing Sir Edmund Rockwell and the AI companion Helena Walker respectively. It also features a ton of new items and mechanics, like the Egg Incubation Device and the Exo-mek.
Ark: Survival Evolved’s Genesis Part 2 expansion will be available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, Steam, and the Epic Games Store on June 3 at 8 AM ET.
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Atari’s long in-the-works new console, the Atari VCS, is set to launch on June 15, the company announced. Via Game Informer, the Atari VCS will retail for $300, with a bundle including two controllers retailing for $400. Bundle purchasers will be able to choose between two colors, Black Walnut or Onyx. The base version of the console comes only in Onyx. The console will be available via Best Buy, GameStop, Micro Center, and the official Atari VCS website.
Third-party controller maker PowerA created two new controllers for the Atari VCS: one inspired by the classic Atari 2600 joystick, and a more modern game controller that Xbox and PlayStation players will instantly be familiar with. Both controllers are wireless, charge via USB-C, and sport rumble functionality as well as LED lights. Each controller will retail for $60.
Atari’s new console may look retro, but it’s built to be a modern multimedia machine. More than a dozen modern games–including Atari’s own Missile Command: Recharged–will come included with the console, in addition to 100 classic Atari 2600 and arcade games. Users also get access to Antstream Arcade, a game streaming service with a large collection of retro games available.
Users can also access apps for almost every major streaming service, including Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube via the console, and it includes a built-in Google Chrome browser and access to Google’s Workspace apps. Windows, Ubuntu Linux, and Chrome OS can be installed on the Atari VCS, effectively turning it into a mini-PC.
Specs-wise, the machine is capable of 4K resolution and HDR. It sports an AMD Ryzen processor and has internal storage with expansion capabilities, and also features Bluetooth 5.0, USB 3.0, and dual band Wi-Fi support.
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E3 2021 has nearly arrived, which means we’ll soon be seeing dozens or even hundreds of new games spread across numerous events, showcases, and livestreams. Many of these (like Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest and Devolver’s stream) aren’t technically part of E3, but for the purposes of gaming fans, it makes little difference: June is when we’re going to see a ton of new games and new looks at previously announced ones. But just which games are actually going to be present at these shows?
Well, that’s where things get a little tricky. The list of what we know will be at E3 is rather thin. Whether that’s because of the unusual all-digital nature of this year’s show, a general lack of leaks, or some other factor, the end result is that we should be in store for some surprises during this year’s show.
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But to help you set expectations, we’ve assembled a list of the games that we do know will be showing up either during E3 itself or the surrounding events. Much of what’s outlined below will be featured during the Guerrilla Collective’s two streams, which are set for June 5 and June 12, but there are several other titles that have been confirmed to be showing up at E3 in some fashion, including the reveal of the new Battlefield.
Other events are complete wildcards: a Nintendo Direct has been confirmed for June 15, but aside from the fact that it will focus primarily on 2021’s lineup of Switch games, we don’t know what will be included. Metroid Prime 4? The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2? We sure hope so, but it’s anyone’s guess as to what will be featured or if any of it will be running on the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro.
Even the Xbox/Bethesda event–despite now featuring the games that would be included at two different E3 showcases–is a huge question mark. Based on the teaser artwork, Halo Infinite and Starfield will both be making appearances, and we’ve included them in the list below on that basis. With Infinite releasing this year, it’ll surely be shown off prominently, but Starfield–and its potential exclusivity to Xbox and PC platforms–remains a game that we know virtually nothing about, so any new information about it would be exciting.
In addition to the list below, we have an E3 press conference schedule to help you keep on top of when things will be happening, as well as a Play For All schedule that includes GameSpot’s plans for the month; we’ll be revealing exclusive looks at a number of games during our own livestreams later in the month. If you’re less concerned with what’s definitely going to happen, be sure to give our E3 wishlist and E3 rumors roundup a look.
Read on for a look at all the games that’ll be at E3–we’ll continue to update this list as more are confirmed.
Games Confirmed For E3 2021
AK-Xolotl
Aeon Drive
Akatori
Amber Isle
Anno: Mutationem
Archvale
Batora: Lost Haven
Battlefield
Bear and Breakfast
Beasts of Maravilla Island
Behind the Frame
Black Book
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Blooming Business Casino
Chernobylite
Death Trash
Death’s Door
Demon’s Mirror
Despot’s Game
El Paso, Elsewhere
Elderand
Endling
Eternal Cylinder
Fire Tonight
Ghostrunner
Grime
Halo Infinite
Happy’s Humble Burger Farm
Hello Neighbor 2
Industria
Kitsune Tails
Kraken Academy
Kung Fu Kickball
Lamentum
Loot River
Moonglow Bay
Moroi
My Lovely Wife
No Longer Home
Omno
Onsen Master
Ooblets
Paralives
Phantom Abyss
Potion Craft
Rawmen
Rubi: The Wayward Mira
Run Die Run Again
Sable
Serial Cleaners
Severed Steel
Shadow Warrior 3
Slime Heroes
Starfield
Super Space Club
Tamarindo’s Freaking Dinner
The Gecko Gods
The Legend of Tianding
The Light Bringer
The Light of Darkness
Tinkertown
Trash Sailors
Trifox
Unmetal
Unpacking
Venice 2089
White Shadows
Wolfstride
Ynglet
Zodiac Legion
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Hot on the heels of the news that Venom is getting a new ongoing series in November, Marvel Comics is also revealing a brand new Hulk comic. As it turns out, current Immortal Hulk writer Al Ewing and Venom writer Donny Cates will be trading places in 2021.
The new series, simply titled Hulk, features Cates charting a new course for Bruce Banner and his dangerous alter ego. Joining Cates is none other than Invincible artist Ryan Ottley, with Venom’s Frank Martin providing colors. If you thought Hulk’s world was violent before, the new series may just be taking that destruction to a new level.
The new series looks to be altering the dynamic between Bruce Banner and the Hulk once more. Marvel’s press release teases Banner may have finally found the “radical” solution to controlling his transformations, implying it may be one that permanently takes Hulk off the table. But will that solution have unintended consequences for the Marvel Universe? Better the Hulk you know than the one you don’t.
“Marvel just gave me the keys to the strongest one there is,” Cates said in Marvel’s press release. “Haha… oh boy. You guys are just not ready for this. You’re about to find out what happens when Ryan Ottley and I get angry….and guess what? Well…pretty sure you’re gonna like us a lot when we’re angry.”
Ewing and artist Joe Bennett are currently wrapping up their lengthy run on The Immortal Hulk, which is slated to conclude with issue #50 on September 1. Hulk will debut in November, the same month Ewing, Ram V and Bryan Hitch kick off their new Venom series.
As with Venom, Marvel will give Hulk fans a taste of the new series on Free Comic Book Day (scheduled for August 14). Free Comic Book Day 2021: Avengers/Hulk #1 will feature a new short story leading into Cates and Ottley’s series.
In other Marvel news, the publisher has big plans for the X-Men franchise this summer, including the debut of a brand new X-Men team and the launch of Jonathan Hickman’s next X-book, Inferno.
