Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Gaming

  • FanDome: ‘Spider-Man’s Stephen Oyoung Playing Red Hood in ‘Gotham Knights’

    FanDome: ‘Spider-Man’s Stephen Oyoung Playing Red Hood in ‘Gotham Knights’

    Just today, we finally got the reveal for WB Games Montreal’s upcoming Batman game Gotham Knights. Surprisingly, it does not feature the iconic caped crusader as the main protagonist. You actually get to play as a variety of members of the Bat-family including Batwoman, Nightwing, Robin, and Red Hood. They teased that the game would feature co-op, so you’ll get to play alongside friends throughout the teased story. At the end of the trailer, they even confirmed that the Court of Owls will have an important role in moving forward. Shortly after the panel has ended, actor Stephen Oyoung, who many may remember as Martin Li from PlayStation’s Spider-Man, shared a tweet that he will be playing Red Hood.

    https://twitter.com/MrStephenOyoung/status/1297245530213330945

  • FanDome: ‘Gotham Knights’ Gameplay Teases Showdown With Mr. Freeze

    FanDome: ‘Gotham Knights’ Gameplay Teases Showdown With Mr. Freeze

    Alright, information is just coming out of this DC FanDome panel on the next installment in the Batman gaming franchise. We got our first look at the game and the confirmation of the title of Batman: Gotham Knights. This opened up the theory if we will also get the confirmation of the rumored gameplay. Supposedly, this game was going to take inspiration from the Lord of the Rings games. This means that it would include various factions at war throughout Gotham. They did confirm that your actions will influence the characters’ development throughout the game. Now, the DC FanDome panel has not only given us a trailer for the story but also an entire 8 minutes of gameplay.

    We sadly only have the release date of 2021 so the wait will be a painful one once again. Still, these new gameplay mechanics sound like an amazing addition to the game we know and love. This brings a whole new meaning to protecting Gotham from evil. It will be interesting to see how the co-op will function once the game releases.

  • FanDome: Your First Look at ‘GOTHAM KNIGHTS’

    FanDome: Your First Look at ‘GOTHAM KNIGHTS’

    Finally, WB Games Montreal confirmed the title for their next Batman game today. It has been 7 years since they released Batman: Arkham Origins. We haven’t had the chance to play as the titular Batman since 2016 in Batman: Arkham VR. This is the longest wait we had in-between game releases for the franchise. Many of us are just waiting to once again step into the cape and cowl and keep Gotham safe.  After plenty of leaks and cryptic tweets, we finally got our first look at the latest entry in the Batman gaming franchise, Gotham Knights. 

    https://twitter.com/r3dakt3d/status/1297224550040473600

    It has been a long wait for this game. The Batman Arkham franchise has been a massive success for Warner Bros. and kickstarted a new era for video games based on comic characters. We knew that WB Games Montreal was going to be involved as they were behind the Batman: Arkham Origins prequel. They worked closely with Rocksteady, the original creators of the franchise. As they venture out to their new Suicide Squad game. The trailer looks amazing and now I hate that I will have to wait until the game finally releases. It’s going to feel like an eternity but the trailer certainly has me excited. the trailer at first makes us think it is part of the Arkham Knight ending with Batman announced dead but a lot doesn’t match up. This is a separate universe with a unique take on the mythos. That tease at the end has me extremely excited for what the Court of Owls has planned for the Bat-family.

  • Thor Confirmed for ‘Fortnite’ Season 4

    Thor Confirmed for ‘Fortnite’ Season 4

    Fortnite somehow has become the center of all pop culture. The game has just ended it’s fourth season Splash Down. Players got the chance to unlock Aquaman as a skin in the game. He isn’t the first hero to join the free-to-play giant. The game already includes various pop culture icons like Joker, Batman, Catwoman, Deadpool, Captain America and many more.

    They had an event where one person got to play as Thanos. If a player found the Infinity Gauntlet on the map, he would become the mad titan. Just recently, anyone who plays through Marvel’s Avengers beta even can unlock unique weapons from Hulk and the Hulkbuster. Looks like Marvel isn’t quite done yet as they revealed that the God of Thunder will arrive for the game with an announcement coming later this month.

    No matter how one feels about Fortnite, the game has grown at an astounding rate. Personally, never got into it but did love the way it handled world building. Every season leads into the next and is teased throughout the previous one. This announcement also confirms the leaks that Galactus will show up at one point. It is uncertain if he will be a skin or just part of that seasons’ storyline. The reveal of Thor also confirms that he will be wearing his latest design. Will point out though, that there is a still a chance that we get his more iconic costume. Still, this might be a way for Marvel to get more people interested in checking out his latest series. Also, it may have some tie-ins to the upcoming release of Avengers.

    Source: Epic Games, Twitter, Forbes

  • Usman Ally and Jolene Andersen Talk Voicing A.I.M. Villains in ‘Marvel’s Avengers’

    Usman Ally and Jolene Andersen Talk Voicing A.I.M. Villains in ‘Marvel’s Avengers’

    Marvel’s Avengers is building up to its release in around two weeks. We are about to enter the final week of Beta testing. They’ve spent quite a lot of time focusing on A-Day since the reveal at E3 2019. Sadly, it felt like they were holding back. It being a service-based game didn’t quite help the popular consensus online. Let’s not forget the controversy that certainly didn’t help. Still, the game was performing well in top pre-order charts. Now, we also get our official full look at the game’s main antagonist MODOK.

    We also got the reveal that Usman Ally is voicing the iconic brainiac in the game. He actually has some history with Marvel, as he played Vincent on Agents of SHIELD.

    Alongside his tweet he also talked about how George Tarleton slowly turns into the big brained man we see below. It sounds like there is more to the transformation into MODOK than just him being an evil scientist stereotype.

    “In terms of how George becomes this creature, this thing and how so much of it is driven by his ambition to help people, I think there is a genuine belief that what he is doing is for the betterment of human beings and that strong, strong sense of self and his position in society, wanting to do more, is what continues to drive him. I found that to be some of the really fascinating stuff and how that gets blasted with one’s ego or one’s own insecurities coming to the fore. He’s a very complex character.”

    It also gives us our first look at Monica Rappaccini, who was the focus of a Hulk-specific mission in the Beta. She is voiced by Jolene Andersen, who also just recently appeared on SHIELD‘s seventh season as Olga. She also talked about her character in an interview with Comic Book.

    “She has this one-track mind in a way and that’s what I feel is her strongest point, and what makes her so powerful. Also her drive, her ability to manipulate everything around her. She is a perfect specimen of a person which makes her a perfect villain, I like that, and she comes in an unassuming bottle at the same time, I love all of that nuance with her and I don’t know if that’s her in a nutshell, but that’s how I feel about her.”

    An interesting tidbit is that they also provided the voice actors with comics to prepare for their roles. Ally pointed out that they weren’t forced to but were provided with the necessary comics if they asked for them. Makes me want to start working there if I get access to their large library on comics. The team at Crystal Dynamics also offered a short look at AIM in a video on the official Marvel channel.

    Source: Twitter, Comic Book, YouTube

  • ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ Announced

    ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’ Announced

    Call of Duty is quite the giant in the gaming industry. They just recently released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. In addition, they also added a battle royale spin-off subtitled Warzone.  The latter might be one of the largest games ever with 214 GB total download. Modern Warfare just released last year. Yet, that didn’t stop Activision. They are now starting their marketing campaign for the next entry in the Black Ops series. This entry being titled Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Yeah, it’s quite the mouth full. They have released a post that includes key art to confirm that the next entry will once again takes place during the Cold War.

    https://twitter.com/CallofDuty/status/1296504199425884160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1296504199425884160%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gematsu.com%2F2020%2F08%2Fcall-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-key-artwork

    The key art is revealed in the small video above. The ripped newspapers tease the confrontation between Russia and the States. Black Ops always added some rather interesting single-player stories. Sadly, it was left out in Black Ops 4 that focused on solo missions for the character’s backstory. The original Call of Duty: Black Ops was a personal favorite back in the day. This entry is once again in development by Treyarch and Raven Software. Sadly this is all we currently have available but there will be a major reveal on August 26th. Most likely we’ll get a trailer for the story and gameplay. As this returns to this specific franchise’s roots, maybe this will feature a story that ties into that of the original. Hard to believe this is already the seventeenth entry in the Call of Duty franchise. It certainly isn’t going to slow down anytime soon either.

    Source: PC Gamer, Gematsu, Twitter

  • PlayStation 5 Global Ad Teases Immersive DualSense Experience

    PlayStation 5 Global Ad Teases Immersive DualSense Experience

    We are so close to the bran new generation of gaming. It is astounding to think that with only a few more months to go before the Holiday season we know very little about the new consoles. There were some events to tease the new games and consoles’ designs. Yet, we still do not have an official pricing or even release date. While the pandemic did delay things quite a bit, it still seems odd that both consoles are dragging out the price reveal. It makes sense so they don’t end up as the more expensive option by the end of it but it also kept them from really starting their ad campaigns. Well, looks like Sony got tired of waiting an created a global ad to tease the sensual experience their new controller DualSense will offer.

    Sadly, this isn’t a trailer for the VR experience but they still are trying to sell the immersive experience the console will offer. DualSense has programmable triggers that act different depending on what you are playing. The moment the player wants to pull back the string to shoot an arrow, they will feel the tension of it. It’s an intriguing concept to add more connection between player and the game. One isn’t forced to use motion sensors or gimmicks to get that immersion. It’s haptic feedback that just adds to the overall gaming experience.

    Plus, there could be some creative ways of giving new life to gaming moments. Perhaps this way quick time events are given more life. It’s not just pressing a button during a cutscene but actually interacting with it. We will see what Sony has planned with this new DualSense once we can get our hands on the console. Personally, just thinking of swinging between skyscrapers as Miles in Spider-Man: Miles Morales while feeling the tension of the webswing sounds amazing.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Tops US & UK Pre-Order Charts

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Tops US & UK Pre-Order Charts

    Avengers has been quite an interesting game to follow. It has been smeared with controversy since the reveal that Spider-Man would be a PlayStation exclusive character. No matter where one stands on the matter, it paid off as a marketing strategy. Shortly after the announcement, sales on Amazon UK skyrocketed with it shooting up by 188% in sales for the regular edition. It also saw an increase of 133% for the deluxe edition. This placed the game firmly at #10 and #19 respectively a few weeks ago. This is the reason they took this route and the controversy pushes the word-of-mouth even stronger.

    Even after the discussion around the game has calmed down, sales did not slow down for this game. People got a chance to play the game during the Beta and there were theories on how this could affect the sales of the game. Well, looks like the game got another boost. Sadly we can’t see the sales rankings this time. Still, Marvel’s Avengers now sits comfortably at #1 and #6 of the UK sales charts for PlayStation 4.

    amazon

    Those wondering if it crashed over on Xbox One. The game is sitting at a pretty great #3. The ranking leaders FIFA 21 and PGA Tour 2K21 are sports games, which are generally strong sellers. It was commonly the most consistent seller back when I even worked in the gaming retail industry. Only the Deluxe Edition is further down at #19 as of writing this article.

    xbox

    Amazon US is hiding its list but to draw a comparison, the PS4 version of the game sits at #2 over at Best Buy. This is only beaten by another sports entry NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition that releases the same day. Once again, the Deluxe Edition isn’t far behind comfortably placed at #5. As this list includes all versions, the Avengers on the Xbox is also in the top ten. Even locally here in Austria, I interviewed a local electronics retailer and they confirmed that a lot was ordered due to the high demand. No matter where one stands regarding the controversies, Avengers is an interesting prospect for casual fans. Who doesn’t want to play as their favorite character? We are only a few weeks away and I personally cannot wait to experience the game.

    Source: PlayStation, Reddit via WhatCulture, Amazon UK (PS4), Amazon UK (Xbox), Best Buy

  • ‘Minecraft’ Adding ‘Jurassic World’ DLC

    ‘Minecraft’ Adding ‘Jurassic World’ DLC

    No, not that is not a joke title. 2020 is just a year full of surprises. If anyone told me Minecraft would have Jurassic World DLC one day, I’d laugh it off. I mean, I haven’t played it in forever but this actually makes me want to revisit it. The official Twitter account for Jurassic World published a first look at what is included in the DLC. It will include 21 character skins, an entire recreation of the original park, and 60 exclusive dinosaur creatures.

    It’s honestly impressed that they’ve recreated the entire park. They even worked within the limitations of this blocky design to still make the dinosaurs look as authentic as possible. Naturally, you can build and destroy the park however you want. The official site also states that you can drive vehicles and work with NPCs to earn high scores by solving disasters. It adds some more arcade elements to a franchise that usually gives you all the freedom you need. The player takes over the role of park manager, so maybe there are even some elements taken from Jurassic World Evolution. Anyone that actively plays Minecraft and loves dinosaurs shouldn’t miss out on it.

    Source: Twitter, Minecraft

  • ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ Sequel Listed by French Retailer

    ‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ Sequel Listed by French Retailer

    Seems international retailers are accidentally listing some games prematurely. Not too long ago, Austrian retailer GameWar had included the release date for Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory on their site. Now, a French wholesaler has listed the upcoming sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” alongside a collector’s edition. This is the same site that listed the Witcher III  port for the Switch shortly before it was officially announced by Nintendo. So, there is a good chance we might be getting a trailer in the comings weeks for the sequel.

    zelda

    What may also support this release is that the site WTT also lists the Switch version of the previously mentioned Kingdom Hearts game. This was available on the Austrian site with the release date of November 13th. It could be a sign that the sequel to Breath of the Wild might be released for the holiday season around the same time. I do have to point out that Metroid Prime 4 is also listed, which could go against the theory.

    This listing might also just be a placeholder, as there is no official title added. It is just listed as Breath of the Wild 2 and numbering sequels is uncommon for the franchise. We may get some kind of variation on the “Breath of the” concept once it is revealed by Nintendo. This is exciting though, as we haven’t heard anything about this game since its reveal during a Nintendo Direct last year.

    Source: WTT, Switchaboo