Halo MCC Dev Speaks About The Upcoming Series X/S Improvements

While Halo Infinite has been delayed to 2021, Halo fans are getting a treat this year when Halo: The Master Chief Collection gets an update to take advantage of the power of the Series X/S consoles.

Producer Matt Hohl has now shared some new insight on the updates, and they sound exciting. In an interview on Halo Waypoint, Hohl first reminded players that the update will land on November 17, so it won’t be there at launch, but fans won’t have to wait long.

In terms of the upgrades, there is a “raw performance improvement across the board,” Hohl said. If you have a supported display, you can play Halo: MCC at up to 120fps/4K on Series X and 1080p on Series S. “

This was a big engineering effort as each game within MCC has unique performance challenges. While there are similarities to the efforts on the PC versions of each game, the work to do this on Series X|S is not always the same and included some unique challenges,” Hohl said.

Whether or not you’re playing at 120fps, MCC will get various graphics enhancements. Players can expected increased draw distances and an “improved split-screen experience” for both campaign and multiplayer. Hohl also teased that the loading times are dramatically improved. “I can’t wait until everyone gets to experience these loading times,” Hohl said.

Hohl teased that the loading times are so zippy that the development team needed to factor this in to ensure a smooth matchmaking experience.

“One of the side-effects of the new consoles is that loading is so much faster now that we have to make sure it doesn’t disrupt matchmaking,” Hohl said.

Elsewhere, MCC on Series X/S will support FOV sliders. There will also be cross-generation gameplay, so people on Xbox One can play with those on Series X/S. However, it remains to be seen if players on the new consoles will have an advantage due to the better graphics, frame rate, and draw distances.

The Xbox Series X and Series S both launch on November 10, just two days before Sony’s PlayStation 5. The more powerful Series X retails for $500, while the smaller, less powerful Series S comes in at $300. If you’re still searching for a preorder, check out our Xbox Series X/S preorder guide for stock alerts at various retailers.

Now Playing: What Halo Infinite’s Delay Means For Xbox Series X’s Launch | Generation Next

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Vampire: The Masquerade Is Getting A Battle Royale Game

A new Vampire: The Masquerade title has been announced, and it’s something a bit different from the others titles. The game, a battle royale set within the universe of the RPG series, has been unveiled by developer Sharkmob on the company’s project page.

The currently unnamed game has a teaser trailer and a brief description on Sharkmob’s website. It promises a gameplay scenario “where vampire sects are at war across the streets and rooftops of Prague,” and that players will be able to either go solo or team up with others. There will also be a hostile “Entity”, which is going after all vampires on the map.

You’ll have access to supernatural powers and weapons, and can tap into blood reserves to make yourself stronger as you hunt down your foes from other factions.

You can watch the teaser trailer below. It does not contain gameplay footage, however.

As some comments on the video point out, open street warfare goes somewhat against the concept of the “Masquerade” of the game’s title, which is meant to keep vampire affairs secret–but perhaps the game will deal with this in some way.

The game is currently tracking for a late 2021 release. Platforms have not been confirmed.

There are two Vampire: The Masquerade RPGs, Bloodlines 2 and Swansong, due out in 2021. Two visual novels, Coteries of New York and Shadows of New York, were released in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Bloodlines 2 was meant to release in 2020, but along with a delay, it has lost many key creative figures involved with the project.

The Next Dark Pictures Anthology Game, House Of Ashes, Revealed

A second game in the Dark Pictures series, Little Hope, has revealed a third game with a post-credits trailer. The next game is called House of Ashes, and it’s got some serious “the opening scenes of The Exorcist” vibes.

House of Ashes looks like it’ll incorporate elements of Sumerian mythology, and will feature Ashley Tisdale in a major role (presumably not as one of the “Ashes” that the house belongs to, though). It looks likely that she’ll be one of the playable–and potentially killable–characters.

The trailer has not been officially released by Bandai Namco yet, but you can watch a capture from the finale of Little Hope below.

This is the same way that Little Hope was revealed, with a trailer shown at the end of Man of Medan. It’s unclear which systems House of Ashes will come to, but the two previous games have launched on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

The Dark Pictures films follow on from Supermassive Games’ earlier hit Until Dawn, which was a PS4 exclusive. The games that have followed have been shorter and featured multiplayer modes.

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Dave Bautista Signs on the Play Intergalactic Lawman in Universe’s Most Wanted

Director Brad Peyton, who worked famously well with The Rock in the films San Andreas and Rampage, is now teaming with another ex-WWE Superstar, Dave Bautista.

Deadline reports that Bautista, sticking with the cosmic warrior genre that served him well in both Guardians of the Galaxy movies, is set to play an intergalactic peacekeeper on the trail of alien criminals in Peyton’s Universe’s Most Wanted.

The story centers on a cabal of space-crooks who land in a small town and hunker down in the quaint settlement. Bautista’s lawman will work with the son of the local sheriff, along with the town’s citizens, to defeat the extraterrestrial evil-doers.

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In other Bautista-related news, “The Animal” revealed that he lobbied to play Bane in Matt Reeves’ The Batman and that he hid inhalers under the ring during wrestling matches to help battle his asthma.

Last year, Peyton co-created Daybreak for Netflix, though it only lasted one season.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Ellen Page To Star In A New Video Game Movie About eSports

Ellen Page and former Disney star Paris Berelc are set to appear in a new video game-themed movie from BuzzFeed Studios.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “underdog comedy”–which is called 1UP–is described as “being in the vein of Pitch Perfect but set in the world of eSports.” The story will apparently take place with the backdrop of Gamergate.

“The story centers on a female gamer named Vivian Lee who quits her college eSports team rather than put up with sexism from her male counterparts,” reads a line from the description. “But with her scholarship on the line, she is forced to assemble a Varsity-caliber, all-women’s team that can compete with the boys. With the help of an enigmatic coach who returns to the spotlight after her own Gamergate scandal, the young woman recruits an unlikely crew of unskilled misfits to kick some serious gamer butt.”

Page plays the coach and Berelc is the college student. Production is reportedly slated to begin in November in Toronto. Page is no stranger to video games, as she starred in Quantic Dream’s PS3 game, Beyond: Two Souls.

The movie will be directed by Kyle Newman, who previously directed Barely Lethal, a movie that starred Samuel L. Jackson, Sophie Turner, and Hailee Steinfeld. Newman is also known for his comedy Fanboys, which tells the story of Star Wars fan who break into Skywalker Ranch. In addition to these projects, Newman directed multiple Taylor Swift music videos.

Julia Yorks, who wrote episodes of Skylanders Academy and The Adventures of Puss in Boots, is attached to write 1UP.

Cyberpunk 2077’s Developer CD Projekt Red’s Stock Has Fell 25% in Two Months

Since its peak at the end of August, Cyberpunk 2077’s developer CD Projekt Red’s share price has fallen by 25%.

As reported by GamesIndustry.Biz, the peak coincided with the announcement of The Witcher: Monster Slayer mobile AR game. Since then, CD Projekt Red market cap has dropped by almost €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion). In August 2020, the price per share was around $116 USD and, as of October 30, it had fallen to around $84 USD.

In that time frame, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued, Cyberpunk 2077 has seen another delay to December 10, 2020, and reports have come out about mandatory crunch at CD Projekt Red, even after the studio promised there would be none.

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CD Projekt Red Head of Studio Adam Badowski responded to the reports, saying it was “one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make,” but noted that the developers would be “well compensated for every extra hour they put in.”

Cyberpunk 2077’s delay follows CD Projekt Red stating that the game had gone gold. However, the developer needed a bit more time, and it appears that the delay may be related to the current-gen versions of the much-anticipated game.

CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kicinski once again said there will be no further delays following this one, as this most recent push back is of a much different type than the previous ones.

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For more on Cyberpunk 2077, check out its Twitter account having a reckoning with its old Tweets following the delay and our thoughts after playing Cyberpunk 2077 for four hours earlier this year.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Anthem 2.0: Javelin Builds, Skill Trees, and Artifact Details Revealed

Anthem is currently undergoing a major overhaul, and BioWare has detailed how the team is planning to improve Javelin gameplay, builds, skill trees, artifacts, and more.

Revealed on BioWare’s blog, these ideas, mockups, and direction are all works in progress, and may change, but it gives a glimpse into the development of Anthem’s future.

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Javelin Gameplay and Builds

One of the biggest complaints that BioWare has heard about Anthem was that it “doesn’t offer satisfying Javelin Builds.” It has taken that to heart, and wants to give more choice and experimentation for loadouts.

Anthem’s UI, at least in this look, appears to take a more Destiny-like approach, and shows how items will now be categorized to one of 11 available equipment slots. Weapons would also be Primary or Secondary to offer “distinctiveness in their role,” Mods and Artifact slots would replace Components, and players would be able to manage their Equipment and Abilities in their Loadout Screen.

Abilities would also be unlocks, not drops, to help players get the build they want. Builds would be defined by synergies of Specializations, Abilities (which can be enhanced by Mods), and Equipment. Inscriptions would also improve build synergies, but would no longer be as much a primary factor in them.

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Anthem’s Updated Skill Trees and Artifacts

The Anthem development team is playing around with the idea of Javelins leveling up and earning Skill Points. These points would unlock Abilities, Passives, and Stat Boosts, and each Specialization would have its own Advanced Skill Tree.

There would be multiple specializations that cater to different styles of gameplay, and each Javelin would be able to wield a powerful Artifact that can be customized.

Many players have felt that Components feel “nothing more than stat modifiers,” and the team wants to replace them with Artifacts – super powered tech that set your Javelin and Freelancer apart. Each type of Javelin would have a distinct Artifact that would cater “towards its class fantasy.”

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For example, a Ranger’s rocket pod would be upgraded into the Skyfell Launcher Artifact, a pair of back-mounted pods that transform into rocket launchers. Artifacts would also change in appearance depending on what parts are equipped, and the parts would contribute to powerful passive abilities generated by the Artifact.

For more on Anthem, be sure to check out the upcoming changes planned to loot and weapons and how we may not be seeing this update for quite some time.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Daily Deals: Last Chance to Save on Early Black Friday Deals

Welcome to our Black Friday deals page! Not really, it’s Sunday, but if you’re shopping at Best Buy, then we can understand the confusion. They’ve been running a very early Black Friday deals event, which ends today, so if you want to snatch up some cheap electronics, now’s the time to do so. These deals aren’t expected to get any better when the real Black Friday rolls around, so don’t feel bad jumping on the savings early.

#1: Vizio 65″ 4K OLED Smartcast TV for $1499.99

$500 Off MSRP

This is a HUGE discount on a recently released 2020 OLED TV. It’s a full $350 cheaper than LG’s 65″ OLED TV and the lowest price we’ve ever seen for a 65″ OLED TV. OLEDs are best of breed, and if price has been the only thing that’s shied you away, this will change your mind.

The Top Best Buy Black Friday Deals So Far

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