Death Stranding is releasing for PC on July 14, giving PC players a chance to experience Hideo Kojima’s strange opus. We’ve already seen the minimum and recommended specs for the game, but now publisher 505 Games has revealed some more details about what to expect if you load the game up on a powerful rig.
Death Stranding on PC will feature Nvidia DLSS 2.0 technology, as long as you have a GeForce RTX GPU installed. This means that the game can run with a frame rate over 100fps at 1440p, or at over 60fps with a 4K image.
The press release sent to GameSpot includes a quote from Kojima Productions’ Akio Sakamoto, praising the game’s PC release with NVIDIA tech. “The extra performance Nvidia DLSS 2.0 delivers in Death Stranding allows gamers to unlock the vast graphical potential of the PC platform by increasing the graphics settings and resolution, delivering on the vision we have for the game,” Sakamoto says.
A new trailer has also been released, showcasing the game’s stunning PC graphics.
GameSpot editor Michael Higham has gone hands-on with the PC version of Death Stranding, and says that it “runs like a dream” on the platform.
“Death Stranding looks great and runs well, and can even surpass that of the PS4 Pro, given you have the proper PC hardware,” Higham writes. “It often goes without saying, but this is good news–the broader takeaway here is that the quality of Death Stranding’s PC port can speak to how Sony’s first-party exclusives can get another lease on life on a new platform for a different audience. “
Death Stranding received a 9/10 in GameSpot’s review of the PlayStation 4 version. “It’s a game that requires patience, compassion, and love, and it’s also one we really need right now,” reviewer Kallie Plagge wrote–a statement that holds even more true in 2020 than it did in 2019.
In addition to Halo Infinite and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the team at 343 Industries is working on a Halo TV show with Showtime and starring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief. The production was shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s unclear when it may start back up again. While we wait for that, Halo’s transmedia boss Kiki Wolfkill has shared some new insight on the show and what it’s trying to do
Appearing on Star Wars writer Gary Whitta’s Animal Talking show, Wolfkill said it has been a “mind-bending challenge” to translate the video game series to TV.
Instead of directly adapting a previous Halo game or book, the TV show is seemingly going to tell an entirely new story. Wolfkill’s team has been working with Showtime–which is GameSpot’s sister company–on finding the best way to retain the essence of Halo and bring it to a new medium. This has been hard work, both on this Halo TV show and in the past. Fans will no doubt recall how Peter Jackson’s Halo movie famously fell apart.
“How do we take something and not try and verbatim translate it to a different medium. But how do we look at what the experience can mean for people,” Wolfkill said. “For me, I look at is as how do people feel when they come out of playing the game, or how do they feel after reading one of the novels. Or engaging in any of the different kinds of experiences that we have. Because that’s the core of what the universe is and entering the universe should mean.”
One of the benefits of TV versus a video game is that the show has the potentially to more fully develop its characters over the space of numerous episodes and countless hours, Wolfkill said.
“You also want it to be different, because the whole point of going to a different medium is to let yourself and let the IP express itself in a different way,” she added. “With television, we get long-form storytelling. We get to develop characters. We get to really dig into their backgrounds and their motivations and who they are emotionally. And they can express it as themselves as opposed to needing to reflect who they are through some of the other characters as we do in the games.”
There is no word yet on the plot for the Halo show. In addition to Schreiber as Master Chief, Natascha McElhone (The Truman Show, Californication) is set to play the iconic Halo AI Cortana, so we know she’ll be involved in the story in some capacity.
Simply getting the Halo TV show off the ground was hard work, Wolfkill said, due to the nature of how Hollywood works. On the other side of the coin, however, once production began, it moved along quickly–that is, until the COVID-19 crisis caused most major Hollywood productions to shut down temporarily.
“It’s really hard to get things done. Sometimes I’m amazed that anything gets done [in Hollywood], honestly,” Wolfkill said. “But on the flip side of that, once something is kind of in the chute–coronavirus delays aside–it moves at an incredibly fast rate and it’s really different that way from game development in terms of the linearity of the process.”
“We went through a period of really trying to figure out the right creative combination, and also figuring out what it meant for Showtime and Halo to come together,” she added. “They are two different entities who have both had success. Showtime has really strong expertise in places that we don’t, and Halo is a new kind of show for them. They’ve been amazing partners in acknowledging and understanding and working to really collaborate on understanding those differences and figuring out what is the right adaptation for Halo.”
The Halo TV show will be directed, at least in part, by Black Mirror’s Otto Bathurst. He directed the very first episode of Black Mirror, “The National Anthem,” which was very shocking and memorable.
The Halo TV show was announced to premiere in 2021, but that was before the production was shut down due to the global pandemic. It’s unclear if the show is still on track.
Also during the interview, Wolfkill gave a very small update on Halo Infinite, noting that the development team is “busting ass” on the project. It won’t be much longer until we see and learn more about it, as Microsoft plans to showcase the game during its Xbox 20/20 event that’s rumored to take place on July 23.
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Jump Rope Challenge, the free Nintendo Switch fitness game that released in June, has just received a free update that adds several new costumes to the game’s rabbit protagonist. They’re mostly the usual suspects, but there’s one surprise.
Here’s the complete list of character costumes included in the update.
Mario
Luigi
Peach
Toad
Bowser
Wario
Link
Samus
Isabelle
Squid Kid (girl)
Squid Kid (boy)
Arcade Bunny
The most interesting addition here is Arcade Bunny, a character who has only ever featured in one other Nintendo game–Nintendo Badge Arcade, a 3DS title that handed out badges that could be attached to the system’s home screen. Arcade Bunny was a fully fleshed-out character, and since the 3DS title stopped receiving updates many fans have missed them.
New backgrounds have been added to the game too, as well as a new ability–you can now double-under by swinging your Joy-Cons very quickly.
Jump Rope Challenge will remain free to download on Nintendo Switch until September 30, 2020.
In an appearance on Star Wars writer Gary Whitta’s Animal Talking show, Vogt-Roberts said a script is finished, but he has yet to be given the greenlight from a studio to actually make it. He shared that he wants to do it at a sizeable budget to faithfully capture the essence of the game series.
“Look, this is my baby. I’ve been working on this thing for six years, trying to make it so it is the disruptive, punk-rock, true to Metal Gear, true to Kojima-san spirit version of what this is. I will continue to fight for it every day,” Vogt-Roberts said. “It’s a difficult thing, getting any movie made in Hollywood is hard. Getting something like Metal Gear made … it is so complex [so] it’s even harder. That’s why I’m trying to make it for a budget where you can do crazy sh**, where you can do the Metal Gear version of it where it isn’t neutered.”
Vogt-Roberts went on to say he had hoped to be filming already, but the COVID-19 crisis and other factors have caused some disruptions to the schedule.
“I thought I was going to be on set on this movie a year ago. Right now, there’s a bunch of … COVID has sort of changed everything and we’re figuring out a bunch of stuff,” he said. “I have no idea when it’s going to go. I will fight for it every single day. I will fight to try and get this animated series going in conjunction with it. It’s tough getting movies made, especially something where you’re trying to be bold like this. I will fight every single day until I can’t.”
Also in the interview, Vogt-Roberts said he has actors in mind who could play Snake, but he did not say who they are. In addition to the movie, Vogt-Roberts said he’s hopeful to be able to make a Metal Gear animated series that brings back David Hayter as the voice of Snake.
For more on the Metal Gear movie, check out GameSpot’s own interview with Vogt-Roberts in the video above.
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First, a playlist update for Modern Warfare makes a changes to what’s available to play. The Shoot the Ship playlist has been removed, while Shipment (5v5) and Shoot House (8v8) have now been separated into individual playlists.
A playlist update for #ModernWarfare is also deploying now across all platforms that: – Removes the Shoot the Ship playlist – Shipment (5v5) and Shoot House (8v8) are now separate playlists Don’t forget, our 2XP, 2WXP, and 2X Tiers weekend starts tomorrow at 10AM PDT!
A small patch is deploying now across all platforms that fixes two issues we’ve been tracking in #ModernWarfare: Thank you for your reports and feedback! – Fix for the Realism Moshpit playlist not rotating modes – Fix for the CDL playlist not functioning as intended
Additionally, Modern Warfare has received a “small patch” across PS4, Xbox One, and PC that fixes two issues in particular. The Realism Moshpit was, in some cases, failing to rotate modes as it should have–but that is fixed now. Second, the CDL playlist was “not functioning as intended,” which has also been fixed.
The Season 4 Reloaded update’s biggest new feature is a limited-time 200-player Warzone mode. The update also nerfs the overpowered Grau weapon, while a new Spotter Scope item helps players move through the map without flashing the familiar “glint” that exposes their location. This is all among the content recently announced as part of the upcoming Season 4 roadmap.
Looking ahead, Infinity Ward will kick off a double XP weekend for Modern Warfare and Warzone starting July 2 at 10 AM PT. The double XP will apply to standard XP, weapon XP, and Battle Pass XP.
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For those of you who are excited about Cyberpunk 2077 (which is currently 17% off on Amazon), there’s an awesome Cyberpunk themed SecretLab Titan gaming chair that just came back in stock. The PlayStation Plus 1-year membership just went down in price (using our own coupon code), and Best Buy is offering a gargantuan 12TB external drive for under $200. Check them all out here.
Zachary Levi, the star of the DC movie Shazam and the voice of Flynn Rider in Disney’s Tangled, is taking on a very different role for his next project. Lionsgate has announced that Levi will play former NFL standout QB Kurt Warner in sports drama called American Underdog, according to Collider.
David Aaron Cohen, who worked on the football TV show Friday Night Lights, is writing the script. The story will follow the real life of Warner, who indeed had an underdog story. After playing college football, Warner did not get drafted into the NFL, but he tried out for the Green Bay Packers. The team ultimately cut him, and Warner went home to Cedar Falls, Iowa to stock shelves at a grocery store.
Warner eventually signed with the Arena Football League’s Iowa Barnstormers, and he performed incredibly well. He was so successful that Midway made a game about him, Kurt Warner’s Arena Football Unleashed, which was released in 2000.
Later on, Warner finally got his shot in the NFL after signing with the St. Louis Rams where he won the Super Bowl in the year 2000. He was also named Super Bowl MVP for his performance in the game.
Given this incredible story, it’s surprising that a movie wasn’t made sooner. Whatever the case, brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin are directing American Underdog, with Kurt and his wife Brenda Warner producing. The movie is based on Warner’s memoir, All Things Possible: My Story of Faith, Football, and the First Miracle Season. The Erwin brothers are Christian movie directors who previously directed the independent movies I Can Only Imagine and I Still Believe. Levi is also known for being outspoken about his faith.
“Kurt’s story is one of relentless faith–in his own abilities but even more so in a higher power,” Levi said in a statement. “When I read Kurt’s story, I identified with the quiet strength he found to persevere–that’s something I think anybody can recognize in their own lives. This is the kind of underdog story that sports movies are all about, and the fact that it’s true makes it even more special. I’m thrilled to be part of bringing his story to audiences.”
Jon Erwin said Levi was his “first and only choice” for the role of Kurt Warner. “This is about an everyman who never let his dream die. Zachary was born to play this role–and when you add in his uncanny resemblance to Kurt Warner, we’re thrilled to be working with him,” Andrew Erwin said.
There is no word yet on when filming will begin or when American Underdog will come to theatres.
Speculation arose about whether or not Crash Bandicoot 4 would have microtransactions after the Microsoft Store’s listing for the game said it “offers in-app purchases.” The game’s developer Toys For Bob took to Twitter to clear things up, stating that it doesn’t include microtransactions at all.
Check out our interview with Crash Bandicoot 4’s producer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHS3ps6gzA8
CD Projekt Red has removed wall-running from Cyberpunk 2077. Level designer Max Pears told GameReactor that the developer chose to remove it for design reasons, but said that the game will still allow the player “a lot of flexibility” with how they move through the world.
How Cyberpunk 2077’s gameplay works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oaLn8T9kAw
Microsoft reportedly has a date for its live event coming later this month. According to VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb, and corroborated by Video Game Chronicle, the next Xbox 20/20 event will happen on July 23. The event is going to focus prominently on first-party titles, including Halo Infinite.
Meanwhile, Play For All keeps on trucking. Play For All is a multi-week summer gaming celebration and charity event featuring special guests like Troy Baker, Danny O’Dwyer, and many familiar GameSpot faces. We’ve already raised thousands of dollars for #BlackLivesMatter and COVID-19 Relief Efforts thanks to all of you! Be sure to tune in every day between 12 PM and 2 PM PDT for interviews, livestreams, and everything in between.
Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most anticipated games of 2020, and it finally arrives this month. It’s an open-world action game set in the 13th century, and it focuses on a character named Jin Sakai, one of the last samurai warriors on the island of Tsushima during the Mongol invasion. The trailers and footage released by developers Sucker Punch reveal that the game has taken a lot of inspiration of Japanese samurai cinema. So while we wait for the game, now is a perfect time to explore some classics of this movie genre.
Samurai movies–or chambara, meaning “sword fighting”–were made in Japan throughout the 20th century. But it was the huge success of Akira Kurosawa’s films in the 1950s and 1960s that truly popularized the genre, inspiring dozens of imitators and homages, and making the genre popular internationally. Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and The Seven Samurai were both remade as the classic westerns A Fistful of Dollars and The Magnificent Seven, while the director’s Hidden Fortress was an acknowledged influence on Star Wars.
But there’s more to samurai cinema than Kurosawa of course. Some movies took a more dramatic, contemplative approach, exploring the traditions and codes of honor of the samurai and ronin (masterless samurai). Others went the other way and cranked up the violence, especially during the 1970s, where jetting geysers of crimson blood became a familiar sight.
So here’s our selection of some key samurai movies to check out (and one fantastic film that doesn’t technically count but we’ve included it anyway). Many of these are also available to stream, so we’ve noted where you can find those on the various streaming platforms out there.
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11. Killing (2018)
Streaming: VOD rental
The most recent movie on this list, Killing is the latest film from acclaimed director Shinya Tsukamoto, who is best known for the cyberpunk classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man. As the title suggests, it’s a meditation on the act of killing, and how even the most ruthless samurai can be affected by taking lives. Tsukamoto himself plays a veteran warrior who takes a young samurai Tsuzuki under his wing, but things go horribly wrong when the family that Tsuzuki has been living with are threatened by a gang of bandits. It’s a small scale but intense movie, with sudden bursts of brutal violence.
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10. Harakiri (1962)
Streaming: Criterion Channel
Director Masaki Kobayashi is best known for his 1964 horror anthology Kwaidan, but two years earlier, he made this classic. It’s more of an intense melodrama than action movie, as a samurai warrior named Tsugumo comes to the palace courtyard of a feudal lord with the intention committing ritual suicide. Although Kobayashi does eventually deliver the samurai action, the movie really doesn’t need it to make it a compelling movie, with the intrigue and tragedy of the main story more than enough. It’s also worth checking out Takashi Miike’s impressive 2011 remake.
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9. The Tale of Zatoichi (1962)
Streaming: Criterion Channel
Zatoichi is one of the most iconic heroes in samurai cinema, and the success of this first movie spawned no fewer than 25 sequels, plus a TV show and a remake. Zatoichi is the legendary blind swordsman, whose sensitive nature conceals his incredible swordplay skills. Shintaro Katsu is perfectly cast, the action is exciting, and it was great way to kick off samurai cinema’s longest-running series,
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8. Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai (2002)
Ok, Ghost Dog is not a Japanese samurai movie. Cult director Jim Jarmusch has dabbled in numerous genres over the years, but even when he’s making vampire or zombie movies, his films are marked by offbeat storytelling, deadpan comedy, and great performances. Ghost Dog: is one of his best; it’s a darkly funny crime drama, in which Forest Whitaker plays the mysterious title character, a hitman who uses an ancient samurai code. The tone, pacing, and themes of honor and tradition have more in common with the traditions of Japanese cinema than Western crime films. Plus the music is by Asian action cinema fan and Wu Tang Clan main man RZA.
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7. Lady Snowblood (1973)
Streaming: HBO Max
A huge influence on Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies, Lady Snowblood combines samurai cinema with the revenge movie. Japanese icon Meiko Kaji plays a woman who seeks bloody revenge on the men who destroyed her mother’s life 20 year earlier. The film is a blend of artistic filmmaking and over-the-top gory violence, as Lady Snowblood is trained in the way of the samurai warrior and uses her skills to chop and hack her way to vengeance. It was followed by the inferior but still entertaining sequel Lady Snowblood: Lovesong of Vengeance.
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6. Twilight Samurai (2002)
The Oscar-nominated Twilight Samurai is one of the most acclaimed samurai movies of the modern era. It focuses on Seibeia, a widowed samurai who reunites with his childhood sweetheart Tomoe after many years. It’s a slow and thoughtful film, but when the action does arrive it has real emotional power, as Seibeia must face Tomoe’s abusive ex-husband in a duel to the death.
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5. Yojimbo (1961)
Streaming: HBO Max, Criterion Channel
Yojimbo is one of Kurosawa’s most entertaining samurai movies, and its success helped kickstart the spaghetti western genre, when Sergio Leone remade it as A Fistful of Dollars. It adeptly mixes action, comedy, and drama, as Toshiro Mifune’s charismatic samurai finds himself playing two rival crimelords against each other as they both compete for his services.
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4. Shogun Assassin (1980)
Streaming: Criterion Channel, HBO Max
The six-movie Lone Wolf and Cub series was based on the classic ’70s manga about a vengeful samurai who travels the land with his young son in a booby-trapped babycart. In the early ’80s, the first two movies–Sword of Vengeance (1972) and Babycart on the River Styx (1973)–were edited together by American producers, redubbed, and released here as a single 90 minute movie titled Shogun Assassin. This version focuses more on the blood-spraying mayhem and less on the drama, but it’s still huge fun. Shogun Assassin is available on the Criterion Channel, while the superb original films can also be found on HBO Max.
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3. Samurai Rebellion (1967)
Streaming: Criterion Channel
Another samurai classic from Harakiri director Masaki Kobayashi. Like its predecessor, this is a dark and serious story that focuses on a samurai questioning his values and place within the constraints of the feudal system. In this case, a once faithful samurai leads a rebellion against his former lord to protect his son, leading to an exciting and violent final 30 minutes. It’s also stunningly directed, with beautiful black-and-white photography and stylish camerawork.
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2. 13 Assassins (2011)
Streaming: Hulu
Takaski Miike’s 13 Assassins is actually a remake of a 1963 movie of the same title, but it’s even better than the original. The movie is set in 1844, and focuses on a group of samurai who come together to assassinate an evil lord. The gripping first hour, as the group are assembled, builds to an incredible final 45 minute battle sequence. What’s so impressive about this final scene is that Miike continues to develop the plot and characters alongside the violent mayhem. It’s a film that both honors the classics of Japanese samurai cinema and pushes the genre forward.
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1. The Seven Samurai (1954)
Streaming: HBO Max, Criterion Channel
Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai isn’t just one of the greatest samurai movies, it’s one of the best action movies ever made. This epic tale of a group of ronin who team up to protect a village from bandits set a new standard for action filmmaking, with Kuraosawa’s mastery of editing and choreography influencing filmmakers for decades to come. The action is matched by the compelling drama, with the three-hour running time allowing Kuraosawa to really explore all seven of his heroes, while the location photography gives it a realistic feel that still feels fresh.
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Actor Asa Butterfield was among those who auditioned for the role of Spider-Man in Sony’s latest reboot series. Butterfield was at one point considered to be the front-runner, but the part ultimately went to Tom Holland. Butterfield has now reflected on the past, saying it all worked out in the end because not getting Spider-Man allowed him to make the uber-popular Netflix show Sex Ed.
“Every so often there’s a part [that you really want] and it’s a script you love, and you kind of put your heart and soul into it, and you don’t get it. And it is tough and it is sh**, but I often find that something even better comes out of it at the end,” Butterfield told Collider. “And so in the case of Spider-Man, I did Sex Ed, because I wouldn’t have been able to do both of those at the same time.”
Butterfield went on to say that his take on Spider-Man was not the one that Sony wanted, and he’s OK with that in the end. The version of Spider-Man that Holland has on-screen is “entirely different” than what Butterfield had in mind.
“I think as an actor and going out for roles, there’s only so much you can do and everyone’s gonna have a different take on a part and look at a character in different ways, have a different sort of performance, and you kind of have to stick with what you think. And if that isn’t [necessarily] in line with what the director and the producers want, then it’s like, there’s nothing you can do about that. You might just not be the right person, and that’s out of your hands,” he said.
“And that’s something I’ve learned, something that I think is great to help me kind of get over it. Because Tom did amazing things with Peter [Parker] and he had an entirely different portrayal of him and I think it’s worked so well in the universe and in that part, and I don’t think I could do it. So I think all things work out in the end.”
Butterfield plays the lead character, Otis Milburn, on Sex Ed. The second season debuted in January, but Netflix has yet to say anything about a third season.
As for Spider-Man, the final entry in the Homecoming trilogy will debut in November 2021 with Holland returning as the web-slinger.
