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Tag: Gaming News

  • Eagle-Eyed Fans Notice ‘Star Wars’ Tease in New ‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ Trailer

    Eagle-Eyed Fans Notice ‘Star Wars’ Tease in New ‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ Trailer

    After a long wait, Kingdom Hearts 4 has finally been confirmed. Not only that, but we even got a first teaser trailer that reveals Sora stuck in Quadratum. The location is strongly inspired by real-life Shibuya, which was teased in the Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC. It looks like a new direction for the franchise with a more hyper-realistic design moving forward. goofy and Donald do make an appearance, but it seems like the franchise is heading in a new direction. Yet, some eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a tiny detail that might be part of an AT-ST from the Star Wars franchise.

    As the following tweet from @dallin1016 highlights, it seems that the leg of an All Terrain Scout Transporter, better known as an AT-ST, is hiding in the background. Some believe that the location might even be part of Endor. While the trailer teases an open-world concept, perhaps we’ll see multiple worlds connected to one world. While most of us hoped to see more Square Enix representation after their absence in Kingdom Hearts 3, it does seem that Disney will still have a role of some kind.

    Influencer JSkeleton has also highlighted this connection, as many more notice this detail in the trailer. Of course, this also opens up theories that we might even see Marvel make an appearance in the upcoming fourth entry. While most of the franchises focused on Disney, and most recently Pixar franchises, it does make sense for them to expand as Marvel and Lucasfilm are Disney subsidiaries. Plus, an open world with many franchises connected could create a very unique experience for Kingdom Hearts that also unshackles them from some of the restrictions we saw in the previous entry. Here’s hoping they continue to tease it moving forward.

    Source: Twitter, YouTube

  • ‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ Announced During 20th Anniversary Event, New Key Art Released

    ‘Kingdom Hearts 4’ Announced During 20th Anniversary Event, New Key Art Released

    It’s been a long wait for fans of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, but the big event has finally taken place. Many were hoping to see some kind of announcement on the franchise’s future after it took a vow of silence in 2021. Once the doors opened to the Japan-exclusive event, some have been sharing pictures from the event and it seems that the key art of the event gave us our first tease of a fourth entry in the franchise.

    While some doubted if the visual is actually teasing the fourth entry, even if the placement and showcase of Sora counting down with his various costumes seemed like an obvious hint. Luckily, it seems an announcement was done behind closed doors, but luckily @aitaikimochi shared some insights into what the announcement included.

    Shortly after, the official Kingdom Hearts account dropped the full trailer including all the announcements for the event, which offers our first glimpse at a very different version of the franchise taking place within Quadratum.

    It looks like quite the departure from what we’ve seen from the franchise so far, especially with a completely revamped art style and the modern setting hinted at by the Re:Mind DLC’s secret boss. We even get a glimpse of combat that remains a bit flowing but with more interactive elements. It also seems like it might be moving away from visiting multiple worlds but focusing on one singular location. So, perhaps Kingdom Hearts 4 is an open-world game. For now, that is sadly all we know.

    Source: Twitter

  • Remedy Announces Remakes of the Original 2 ‘Max Payne’ Games

    Remedy Announces Remakes of the Original 2 ‘Max Payne’ Games

    Remakes continue to be all the rage these days, as some iconic franchises are making their return to a new console generation. Yet, in a surprising move, it seems like one more iconic franchise is making its return, as Remedy and Rockstar Games have announced that they are now working on remaking not only the original Max Payne but also Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne.

    The announcement seemingly came out of nowhere, as Remedy is working together with Rockstar Games for a new publishing agreement. They plan to release the remakes for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. They highlighted that it will be of the same quality as their usual AAA output so far. It’ll be developed with their Northlight game engine, which they also are using on the upcoming Alan Wake 2 release and their critically acclaimed Control.

    Rockstar’s Sam Houser had the following to say on the cooperation:

    We were thrilled when our long-time friends at Remedy approached us about remaking the original Max Payne games. We are massive fans of the work the Remedy team has created over the years and we can’t wait to play these new versions.

    Sam Houser

    There’s no set release date, especially as they seemingly just started production on the project. The developer is still busy preparing the release of Alan Wake 2, which also doesn’t have a specific release date as of now. So, we might have to wait a little longer for any update.

    Source: IGN

  • Long-Rumored ‘Rainbow Six Mobile’ Finally Confirmed

    Long-Rumored ‘Rainbow Six Mobile’ Finally Confirmed

    It’s almost time for Rainbow Six fans to take the fight from their TVs and monitors to their mobile phones. After countless leaks, rumors, and other discussions floating around, the game was a terribly-kept secret. However, event after event, no news would come. Finally, Ubisoft has confirmed the game, which is being developed by a new team based out of Montreal.

    The game was built from the ground up as the team has promised fans that their team will be staffed up and ready to support the game for a long time. While the game seems to look a lot like Rainbow Six Siege, the game was definitely built with the new device in mind, taking the 5v5 tactical gameplay fans love but letting them enjoy it on the go.

    The final confirmation isn’t all, as Ubisoft will be running multiple live tests for the game over the upcoming weeks to get ready for the official release. We don’t know quite yet what they might change throughout production to accommodate the new format. Mobile games also are more fast-paced due to players being on the road. So, we should expect some changes going from the regular version to mobile, but that’s not uncommon.

    You can watch the trailer right here:

    Source: Ubisoft

  • Unreal Engine 5 is Officially Available to All Developers Starting Today

    Unreal Engine 5 is Officially Available to All Developers Starting Today

    The era of Unreal Engine 4 is officially over. Starting today, all video game developers will have access to the new Unreal Engine 5 to create new next-generation gaming experiences across PC, Console, and Mobile. We have seen a lot of Unreal Engine 5 over the last few years, starting with the announcement and showcase of the engine during PlayStation’s initial marketing campaign for the then-unreleased PlayStation 5.

    The engine promised jaw-dropping visuals, incredible lighting tools, and is easily the most advanced game engine to date. For those that don’t know what an engine is, they are essentially the tools that developers use to create their games. For example, if every game that someone makes requires lighting, whether that be the sun or from an indoor source, it makes no sense to create the tools to do that from scratch for every single project. Instead, it can be added to the engine so when the next game is being made, you have the tools prebuilt to make those lighting effects come to life without the need for the labor and budget-intensive task of creating those tools.

    With Unreal Engine 5 now being released to all video game developers, we should start seeing games running on the engine very soon from partners that have had access to the engine early, like PlayStation for example. For everyone else, we can expect to see UE5 become the staple engine of choice for many game developers, similar to how UE4 became the go-to engine for most studios. I cannot wait to see more games on the engine to showcase the true capabilities of next-gen video games, hopefully, UE5 is a stepping stone to get to the experiences that the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles are capable of.

    Source: Twitter

  • Crystal Dynamics Confirms Work on New ‘Tomb Raider’ Game

    Crystal Dynamics Confirms Work on New ‘Tomb Raider’ Game

    It seemed inevitable, but Crystal Dynamics has finally confirmed they’ve started working on the fourth entry of their Tomb Raider franchise. The developer took to Twitter to share a small video also announcing that they’re currently focusing their work with the new title to bring it to life with Unreal Engine 5. The new franchise kicked off back in 2013 and went on to spawn the sequels Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

    Tomb Raider is one of the franchises that defined the modern gaming industry. It wasn’t an easy task to reboot such an iconic franchise, especially with the new direction they took. They brought the game into some familiar territory, as it was compared to Uncharted at the time quite a bit, which also reinvented the modern take of adventure, tomb raiding gaming styles.

    Indiana Jones is also scheduled to get a game at some point in the future. So, it seems we’re seeing another resurgence of this genre. There’s no word if we’ll see a new entry from Naughty Dog, as they recently wrapped up Nathan Drake’s story. So, Crystal Dynamics might be the one to fulfill that hole the ending of that franchise left in our hearts.

    Source: Twitter

  • E3 is Skipping 2022, Hoping for a Comeback in 2023

    E3 is Skipping 2022, Hoping for a Comeback in 2023

    Here’s a surprise, but it looks like the biggest gaming event of the year, E3, has decided to not take place in 2022. After initially purely canceling the in-person event, it has now decided to also not move forward with a digital event. It first made the waves when Razer’s Will Powers shared a tweet on his official account teasing that the event may have been canceled before IGN went on to confirm it.

    It was back in 2019 when the event first got canceled before getting a digital-only version last year. There’s currently still no official statement by ESA, but it seems that ongoing discussions were happening in the background for quite some time but the ESA not making a public statement on anything has lead to frustrations. As a result, the choice ended with them completely moving on from the event overall.

    This announcement, however, does not mean that E3 is over. It seems the plan is to come back stronger in 2023. Of course, it also strongly depends on the third-parties potentially joining in as other opportunities arise in their absence. Summer Game Fest is a definite return for this summer and has planted itself as quite the competitor. We’ll see what 2023 has in store for us and how the ESA plans to make its return.

    Source: Twitter, IGN

  • First Look at the Long-Rumored ‘One Piece: Odyssey’, Confirmed as an JRPG

    First Look at the Long-Rumored ‘One Piece: Odyssey’, Confirmed as an JRPG

    One Piece fans have been anxiously awaiting any news on the next One Piece-based game and it has finally been unveiled. The title One Piece: Odyssey has finally been unveiled with a full-fledged trailer. Not just that, but we also got the confirmation that it won’t be an action game but rather a JRPG featuring the Straw Hats at the center. The story will be written by the manga’s creator Eiichiro Oda, who also designed the supporting characters and creatures.

    That is not all, as we also got a short producer interview teasing what the upcoming project has in store for players that have been long waiting for their change to dive into the next adventure:

    The game looks promising and feels like many other modern JRPGs, especially the latest Dragon Quest game. It does seem like you can have three Straw Hats in your party at the same time, but it’s unclear if it’s more moving towards a turn-base style or something more aligned with Final Fantasy 7 or even its Remake. The world certainly looks promising, especially as you’ll have an entire island to explore.

    The most interesting aspect is Jinbe’s noticeable absence in the story. We do hear his voice at the end and I wonder if you’ll also be able to recruit other characters from the One Piece world besides the Straw Hats to build your unlikely team of characters. Kid and Law could become additional characters and there were rumors this game would expand beyond it’s initial release. Plus, this is the longest development they’ve ever had on a game of the franchise, which hopefully hints at quite a bit of polish.

    Source: YouTube, Twitter

  • Latest Disney+ ‘Mickey Mouse’ Special Includes ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Reference

    Latest Disney+ ‘Mickey Mouse’ Special Includes ‘Kingdom Hearts’ Reference

    To this day, the fact that Disney and Square Enix worked together on a game that combined both worlds into one with Kingdom Hearts remains one of those things that seem like pipedreams. Somehow, we’ve got three main titles and countless spinoffs. And in a surprising twist, it seems that Disney is starting to include references to the project, as eagle-eyed fans have noticed that Mickey Mouse’s Kingdom Key D was included in a brief sequence in the new Disney+ special The Wonderful Spring of Mickey Mouse.

    The fact it appears while they are busy spring cleaning is a hilarious idea, as it seems that his time with the Keyblade was in the past. IThe brief tease also includes Yen Sid’s famous hat that he briefly borrowed, a character that also appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series. The inclusion is a great tease, as there have also been quite a few rumors that Disney+ was developing a series based on the franchise. We’ve sadly never heard much on it and it seemingly has vanished since.

    It would be fun to see Sora appear in one of these specials, as the art style would offer a very creative take on the character. Plus, it would just be surreal to actually see them interact outside of the games. Here’s hoping that the appearance is also a tease that we may get some hints on the project as we are currently in the franchise’s 20th anniversary.

    source: Disney+ via Twitter

  • First Tease of the Long-Rumored ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    First Tease of the Long-Rumored ‘One Piece Odyssey’

    Just recently, we got a tease of what may be a hint that we’ll get our first official look at the upcoming live-action Netflix series for One Piece. It was part of what would end up being six tweets to hype up an announcement on March 28th. Yet, it seems like that was only part of it all, as more tweets arrived teasing even more details such as the upcoming film RED, collectibles, and the manga. Now, it seems that a new duo of photographs has arrived that include a very distinctive visual style similar to One Piece World Seeker. It may be our very first look at the long-rumored One Piece Odyssey game.

    As per usual, the photos are only a glimpse into what is coming, but it looks like something happened to the Thousand Sunny that led to our team getting stranded on a new island. The trademark for Odyssey was first revealed back in June of 2021 but wasn’t officially confirmed until July. Around the same time, it was leaked that Spike Chunsoft was supposedly developing the game.

    What made it interesting is that you can make an original character, who joins Luffy in a war. It seems that the plan is to turn it into a GaaS like game with future expansions, multiple islands, and RPG elements. Battles would work as a 3D Fighter in the vein of Burning Blood with Devil Fruit and Haki abilities. Originally it was supposedly eyeing an early 2022 release, but it still was never officially announced until our first glimpse today. We’ll see if Monday comes with more news on the project.

    Source: Twitter, Play3, AltChar