Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Gaming

  • RUMOR: New Details on a Possible ‘Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’ Remake Surface

    RUMOR: New Details on a Possible ‘Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’ Remake Surface

    More information is hitting the web hinting at the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic being in development. The original game released in 2003 and was followed by a sequel subtitled The Sith Lords. Sadly, the third entry was scrapped before The Old Republic MMORPG was released in 2011 and is still going strong. The story took place, as the name implies, 4,000 years before the Galactic Empire was formed. It has been a popular franchise that many wanted to see make a grand return even if it was via a Disney+ show. It’s looking more and more realistic.

    We got the first report on it by Cinelinx’s Jordan Maison in January, where he revealed that EA isn’t involved. He also hinted at the game integrating elements from both entries to update it for the current Star Wars canon. Now, another report by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier hinted that the game is further in development than expected. He hinted that it has been kind development since 2019 and that Aspyr Media might be working on the game. There have also been rumors that BioWare is heavily involved, as they created the original.

    Aspyr Media is no stranger to Star Wars, as they’ve been involved with various recent ports of Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Star Wars Racer. The reports seem to imply this will be a remake from the ground up, or if they are simply reworking the original to update it. There is also no word if this might also include a remake of the sequel or if they will rework the story. We could see a similar adaptation to Final Fantasy VII Remake, which split up its story in multiple sequels. We’ll see if we get an official remake in the near future.

    Source: Cinelinx, MinnMax, Aspyr

  • RUMOR: PS5’s ‘Silent Hill’ Game Still in Development at New Studio

    RUMOR: PS5’s ‘Silent Hill’ Game Still in Development at New Studio

    Silent Hill fans have been through a rollercoaster in the last year. Quite a few rumors were pointing to a brand new title being in development for Sony. Around six months ago, a group of well-known insiders leaked various info on a “Project 0” that may be in some form of development at Sony’s Japan Studio. There was mention of a reveal at last year’s The Game Awards that sadly never got realized. The new entry would be a PlayStation 5 exclusive, as Sony had full creative license over the Konami franchise. Keiichiro Toyama, the first game’s director, was returning alongside the second game’s composer Akira Yamaoka. In a way, it seemed almost too perfect before news on it sadly died down.

    New starting piling up that made the rumors seem rather unlikely. Toyama left Sony and founded a new studio at the tail end of last year with Bokeh Game Studio. He is working on a new horror game and wants to keep his creative vision, which may be the reason he left Sony behind. On top of it all, Sony closed down its Japan Studio squashing any potential for the franchise to make a grand return.

     

    Silent Hill wird in Kürze online verfügbar sein. Stimmt, in Dead by Daylight

     

    Well, it seems that there might be some hope after all. Resetera leaker KatharsisT, who brought us the last bit of news on the game, has revealed that the game is still in some stage of development. He claims that the lack of announcement may be tied to the new studio taking over. He is hesitant to reveal which one.

    Japan Studio was only rumored and never confirmed. We’ve seen studios co-operate in networks on games. So, the secondary studio could’ve taken over. Sadly, we still have to take this with a grain of salt, as there is no official word on Konami working closely with Sony or even an announcement of a new Silent Hill game being in development. We’ll hopefully get some kind of information this year if these rumors turn out to be true.

    Source: PC Games Insider, Siliconera, Games Industry, GameRant (Silent Hill), GameRant (MGS)

  • ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Outsold ‘The Last of Us: Part II’ and ‘Ghost of Tsushima’

    ‘Spider-Man: Miles Morales’ Outsold ‘The Last of Us: Part II’ and ‘Ghost of Tsushima’

    Here’s a curious showcase of staying power. The original Spider-Man game from 2018 was a massive success for PlayStation and Insomniac. Sony reported that it had already sold nine million copies worldwide by November after releasing in September of the same year. It beat out Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which held the record at 8.7 million. It didn’t stop there as it managed to continue to grow to sell 20 million copies since. Of course, the pressure is up for their follow-up, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, to perform similarly. Well, it looks like the game has been a mainstay in many people’s shopping lists.

    Initially, the game sold 4.1 million in seven weeks. It wasn’t quite as high as its predecessor, but it saw a considerable boost during Christmas. Now, the game was launched alongside the PlayStation 5’s international launch and there seemed to be a heavy correlation between the two. NPD released sales data for March of 2021, which revealed that the game is still sticking to the top five positions. It has now sold more than other PlayStation exclusives The Last of Us: Part II and Ghost of Tsushima. The fact that PlayStation 5 remains the fast-selling U.S. console helps boost the continuous sales of the Spidey spin-off. Executive Director of the NPD Group, Mat Piscatella, shared their latest numbers on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/MatPiscatella/status/1383042822601777156?s=20

    March has been a great year overall. Newcomers to Monster Hunter: Rise and Outriders, who have seen exceptional sales even with the release on Xbox Games Pass, had a great start into the sales charts. There were some returning champions, such as Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time getting new legs from 65th placement back into the top 15. Marvel’s Avengers also saw a good bump from 16th into the top ten on Xbox. Overall, it looks like Miles Morales won’t be stopping anytime soon and could potentially even surpass the 2018 original sales. It’ll be interesting to see how the sequel to the original will perform once it eventually releases.

    Source: Venture Beat, Essentially Sports, Games Industry, NPD March, Games Industry (NPD), GameRant, Venture Beat (NPD), Twitter

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Offers Updates on Tachyon Anomaly, Red Room Takeover, and More

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Offers Updates on Tachyon Anomaly, Red Room Takeover, and More

    Our weekly tradition returns as Crystal Dynamics offered some new details in the latest developer stream. We’ve got quite a bit of information on how they will expand their weekly blogs, as well as teasing upcoming updates for Loot 2.0. As we are about to start the game’s first event, we got a first glimpse at the rewards you can expect alongside a new neon skin set.

    • We might get a first look at Marvel Cinematic Universe skins in next week’s developer stream.
    • The patch for the Tachyon Anomaly will release on Tuesday, but the event won’t kick off until Thursday. It will also include fixes for the Villain Sector. There will be additional options for the Custom HARM Rooms so you can summon Dreadbots and airborne enemies. They discussed some details on the Tachyon Anomaly that got highlighted in this week’s blog, which you can read up here.
    • We will get a special dev stream next Tuesday. They will get joined by the voice actress Sandra Saad, who voices Kamala Khan, will join. If you have any questions for her, you can check out a Reddit thread to drop some.
    • We got our first reveal of the first set of animated nameplates. CD confirmed that these are just the first they are showing, and we’ll see more animations.

     

     

    • Red Room Takeover will be a temporary event.
    • We got a motivating update for the Omega-Level Threats, as they have gotten it down to a few more bugs that need to get squashed. So, we might get a clearer date soon.
    • We will see a new update to the Weekly Blog posts, such as getting progress updates on projects. They will add ongoing bullet points to keep players updated.
    • Crystal Dynamics confirmed that we are getting additional blogs that will offer an insight into Loot 2.0 and requested features (loadouts got specially mentioned). So, we will get a lot more insight into what they are working on currently.
    • Monotronic suits got revealed as the next skin set. They gave us a glimpse at them for Iron Man and Hulk. We’ll see Captain America’s suit next week.

     

     

    It’ll be interesting to see when they roll out the information on the future updates, but it seems like the developers are at a point that they can get information out at a more reasonable pace. I am excited about next week’s first event and play alongside others as a group of Hulks or Iron Man. We’ll see how the next week develops and what we can expect once the Tachyon Anomaly starts.

    Source: Twitch, Twitter

  • Spin-Off In Development for Netflix’s ‘Castlevania’

    Spin-Off In Development for Netflix’s ‘Castlevania’

    Netflix has been expanding into almost every medium. Recently, they’ve seemed to have a strong liking for adapting anime into live-action. It was recently revealed that Jordan Vogt-Roberts will adapt the iconic anime franchise Gundam. Well, they’ve also been exploring video game adaptations. One of its biggest surprises was the release of the animated adaptation of Castlevania. The series was based on the franchise that started in 1986 on the Nintendo Entertainment System. It follows the story of Trevor Belmont, Alucard, and Sypha Belnades as the unlikely trio comes together to kill Dracula. Sadly, it seems the upcoming fourth season will be the series end.

     

     

    The series embraces the R-rating and tells some truly dark tales. Luckily, it seems that the fourth season may end one series, it is the beginning for another. According to Deadline, Konami and Netflix are already working on a brand new series that will take place in the same universe. The only detail they could reveal is that it’ll focus on a brand new cast of characters. Now, the advantage of the Castlevania franchise lies in its approach to legacy.

    Every entry in the gaming franchise focused on a new member of the Belmont family. So, they could be taking a similar approach. Alucard’s inclusion paid tribute to the PlayStation game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but only loosely. We could get a future season that builds on the stories to adhere by introducing Richter Belmont, who was the focus of Rondo of Blood in 1993. It’ll be interesting to see if the series’ ending might tease what is to come in the future.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Mortal Kombat’: Cole Young was a Studio-Mandated Addition

    ‘Mortal Kombat’: Cole Young was a Studio-Mandated Addition

    The addition of a unique character in this long-running franchise is surprising, but it does allow them Since the trailer dropped for the first Mortal Kombat film, we’ve all wondered who the hell is Cole Young? The character played by Lewis Tan is a new addition to the franchise. We’ve come to expect either Liu Kang or Johnny Cage to take the role of audience surrogate, but they’ve included this new character instead. Cage is noticeably absent in the trailer, which adds another level of confusion on why Cole got included. In an interview with Inverse, the film’s screenwriter, Greg Russo, revealed that this inclusion was a studio mandate.

    It was something the studio wanted. The new protagonist was an idea loaded in prior to my involvement.

    Producer Todd Garner does point out that the character offers a new perspective into the complicated world of Mortal Kombat. Cole’s role as the audience surrogate allows him to ask the questions necessary to explain why the tournament is taking place, where these humanoid creatures come from, and how Liu Kang can summon fire. They also point out that they could add a unique story instead of being held back by the expectations combined with the series’ staples.

    We needed somebody to completely manipulate, so there’s not 30 years of people going ‘You can’t do that.’

    As strange as the appearance of a unique character is in this long-running franchise, it does allow them to take a unique angle with the story. Of course, we’ve theorized that Young could actually have close ties to an existing character that will be revealed later down the line. Inverse’s article does point out that he will definitely tie into the franchise’s overarching universe. We’re very curious to see where the franchise is heading once it releases April 23rd on HBO Max and in theatres.

    Source: Inverse

  • ‘Agents of SHIELD’s Gabriel Luna Joins HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

    ‘Agents of SHIELD’s Gabriel Luna Joins HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’

    The fungal apocalypse just added a new survivor. It’s being reported that Gabriel Luna has officially joined the cast of HBO’s The Last of Us, in a role many fans know to be a key part of the franchise’s story. The actor is set to play Tommy Miller, the younger brother of Pedro Pascal‘s Joel Miller and a former soldier who hasn’t lost his sense of idealism and hope for a better world. Tommy appears in both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, where he is shown to be the leader of a community in Jackson County, Wyoming, alongside his wife Maria.

    He joins a cast that, so far, only includes the aforementioned Pascal and the up-and-coming Bella Ramsey, best known for her work on Game of Thrones. That duo will portray Joel and Ellie, the iconic protagonists of the series, as they journey across the United States two decades after a viral fungus caused society’s collapse. The live-action adaptation will be produced by Neil Druckmann, director and writer of both Naughty Dog video games, and Craig Mazin, who brought the story of Chernobyl to life for HBO in 2019.

    While Luna may be a new face for some, the thespian is no stranger to fans of Marvel Comics. He rose to prominence playing Robbie Reyes during the fourth season of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., becoming only the second actor to bring Ghost Rider to life in live-action. Luna was at one point set to reprise the role in a solo series, but that project never saw the light of day. He went on to receive a starring role in 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate and appear in other hit shows such as True Detective.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: First Details and Release Date Revealed for Tachyon Anomaly Event

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’: First Details and Release Date Revealed for Tachyon Anomaly Event

    Finally, it has been a long-time coming, but Marvel’s Avengers is kicking off its first event. Around a month ago, we got our first glimpse at a roadmap for the upcoming months, and it will kick off with the Tachyon Anomaly. After teasing its release date last week, they have announced that it will begin on April 22nd. The event will last for around two weeks and end on May 3rd. Next week, you’ll be able to play as a group of four Hulks or Iron Man if you’re in the mood for it. Now, they’ve also offered some insight into what to expect from the event.

    As the name implies, the Tachyon Rifts have been growing since AIM keeps tampering with them. The results led to Avengers crossing over from different timelines, and it allows your strike team to consist of whatever mix-up you can imagine. This part of the event is titled Temporal Assault. Interestingly enough, it calls this event the first Tachyon Anomaly. So, we might see this as a recurring event throughout the year. They also shared a comic-inspired image in the official discord:

     

     

    You’ll be able to unlock Hivemind gear sets from this event alongside priority set gear through daily missions. It will also introduce animated nameplates. They are exclusively available during the event and are unlocked when you complete the weekly mission chain for the first time. It’s not restricted to a specific hero, but we can also expect hero-specific ones in the marketplace:

    • April 22 – 29: Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Hulk
    • April 29 – May 6: Iron Man, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop

    That is not all, as we’re also getting multiple Tachyon Rift missions at the same time. They will also be playable for players with a power level up to 100, which will rotate daily with relevant rewards. “And We’re Back” is the title of the newest Tachyon Mission getting added into the game. Crystal Dynamics has pointed out that if this event is popular enough, it might become a mainstay moving forward. So, let’s enjoy what is just the beginning of a lot more content moving forward.

    Source: Play Avengers

  • Chloe Frazer is the Future of Naughty Dog’s ‘UNCHARTED’

    Chloe Frazer is the Future of Naughty Dog’s ‘UNCHARTED’

    Our last adventure in the world of Uncharted was nearly four years ago, but the drought is almost over. Sony is working on a film adaptation starring Tom Holland later this year. It will serve as a sort of prequel to the games. Also, Naughty Dog may be developing a new installment in the franchise, despite previous comments that the series had concluded. While it’s not surprising that Naughty Dog might have lied about putting the kibosh on Uncharted, the ending (and title) of 2016’s A Thief’s End made it pretty clear that protagonist Nathan Drake’s journey had come to a close.

    So, if a new treasure hunting escapade is genuinely on the horizon, it would stand to reason that Drake won’t be at the center of it. Luckily for fans and the developers, the world already has a shining example of what Uncharted could look like without a ruggedly handsome man on the cover. 2017’s DLC-turned-spin-off The Lost Legacy put Nate’s former flame and fellow explorer, Chloe Frazer, on the front lines. Led by a stunning performance from Claudia Black, the character rose to the occasion with such exhilarating independence that one would be forgiven if they forgot Nate existed in the first place. If they want to see the franchise succeed into the future, Naughty Dog should consider Lost Legacy as the blueprint and make Chloe Frazer the new face of Uncharted.

     

    Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Review – Quite Possibly My favourite Uncharted Game – QTX

     

    We first got introduced to Chloe in 2009’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Her character was a bond girl figure in Nathan Drake’s life. She was the sweat-inducing and morally ambiguous foil to Nate’s goody-two-shoes persona. Plus, she was the obvious losing option in a temporary love triangle between her, Drake, and Elena Fisher. Chloe seemed to be a fairly one-dimensional character at the time. Although she appeared to be a one-off character, her immense popularity with fans led to a short return in Uncharted 3, before her lessening importance in Nate’s life caused her exclusion from the series finale. The epilogue of Uncharted 4 revealed that Nate and Elena would eventually have a spirited daughter. Many of us assumed that Cassie Drake could become the franchise’s future focus. Not long after, Lost Legacy flipped everything on its head.

    As it turns out, Chloe is a far more complex character than any of us thought. Much like Nate, she began adventuring to continue the legacy of a deceased parent. Her cocky attitude turned out to be a mask shielding a softer heart that she’s been hiding from the world. As such, her newly-disclosed Indian heritage immediately impacted the tone of the franchise by eliminating the age-old “white savior” factor from play. Instead of a white man entering foreign lands to steal its treasure or even save the indigenous people from the sins of somehow-even-whiter bad guys, we got a woman of color giving her country its property back.

     

    Claudia Black in Uncharted 2017 The Lost Legacy #ClaudiaBlack - YouTube

     

    This direction was a wildly refreshing take on the genre. It was a form of representation sorely needed in an entertainment industry usually dominated by the Nathan Drakes, Indiana Jones, and even Lara Crofts of the world. Luckily, Chloe’s story doesn’t have to end with Lost Legacy, which gave her a new outlook on life and a potentially fruitful partnership with former mercenary Nadine Ross. Naughty Dog would be smart to use this as a soft reboot of Uncharted, re-framing the story as a Robin Hood-inspired tale with Chloe at the heart of it. Should the developers insist on making a Drake part of the story, they could always make Frazer the mentor of a rebellious teenage Cassie or make Sam Drake a recurring partner with a looser moral compass.

    Naughty Dog may want to bring back Nathan Drake to form marketing synergy with the aforementioned upcoming film. There is no doubt a desire at Sony to launch a franchise with the big-budget movie, and with a star like Holland attached to play Nate, it’s obvious the character won’t be disappearing anytime soon. However, Nate isn’t the only protagonist from the games getting translated to live-action. Up-and-coming actress Sophia Ali is reportedly set to bring Chloe Frazer to life in the film. Dialogue from Among Thieves, and a non-canon comic book, indicates a long history between Nate and Chloe dating back several years. We never got a clear timeline on how their relationship developed. So, the writers and Ali have plenty of room to explore the character’s past. It wouldn’t necessarily betray the information presented in the video games.

     

    DiscussingFilm on Twitter: "Sophia Ali and Tati Gabrielle have been cast in Tom Holland's 'UNCHARTED' film. (Source: https://t.co/IqumYLwJvC)… "

     

    Linking what we learn about Chloe as a supporting role in the films with what we uncover about her as the lead in future digital sequels would be an exciting way to keep Holland around while Frazer continues to shine. For example, Tati Gabrielle‘s mystery role could be a romantic or villainous connection to Frazer, who comes back into play in a Lost Legacy follow-up. Ultimately, Sony and Naughty Dog have quite a few options moving forward. They can’t deny the increasing hold Chloe’s exposure is sure to have over the fandom. There isn’t a character in the series’ envelope who deserves it more. So, the companies should lean into the tide and double down on her leading qualities until her journey reaches its natural conclusion, just as Nathan Drake did not that long ago.

    Source: IMDb

  • Job Listings Hinting at an Open World ‘BioShock’ Sequel in Development

    Job Listings Hinting at an Open World ‘BioShock’ Sequel in Development

    It looks like some job listings at the developer studio Cloud Chamber may have given us our first glimpse at the next entry of the BioShock franchise. At the tail-end of 2019, 2K Games founded the studio to tackle the first-person gaming franchise. Kelley Gilmore took over the studio and is spearheading the next project. Bloody Disgusting noticed something rather interesting in their latest job listings that may offer a glimpse at the next entry’s direction.

    They are currently looking for a Senior Writer, who is required to ha e a talent for weaving stories in “an open world setting.” The job details also include the fact that they will be required to brainstorm primary and secondary mission content. Now, the position of Senior World Designer also points to a game concept, where players are encouraged to explore the world rather than the franchise’s usual straightforward storytelling. Cloud Chamber is also actively looking for someone to create an urban crowd.

    This information would also hint at the game moving closer to 2013’s BioShock Infinite, which had a living world throughout specific sections. It is uncertain if we might even be returning to the underwater city of Rapture or the city above the clouds, Columbia. It is likely that the story will be a self-contained story that pays tribute to those that came before. Still, the concept of an open-world BioShock game sounds intriguing.

    Source: Games Industry, Cloud Chamber via Bloody Disgusting