The movie has now crossed $1 billion at the global box office.
The Mario Movie finally made its debut in Nintendo’s homeland last week and it’s got off to an incredibly strong start.
According to a report by 4Gamer.net (via Nintendo Everything), the movie banked around $13.5million in its opening weekend and had made around $16 million in total by Monday (about 2,182,490,230 yen). This apparently makes it the best Illumination movie opening in Japan ever.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns won’t be coming to Nintendo Switch after all.
2K and Firaxis Games have officially confirmed that Midnight Suns won’t be released on Nintendo Switch, despite the game’s impending PS4 and Xbox One release.
“We’re excited to announce that digital versions of Marvel’s Midnight Suns on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are scheduled to launch on Thursday, May 11,” they confirmed. “Note that a Nintendo Switch version of Marvel’s Midnight Suns is no longer planned.”
Obviously, that’s bad news for Nintendo Switch fans. But thankfully, it’s not a long wait for PS4 AND Xbox One players, with Midnight Suns heading to digital on both platforms in just over a week – that includes all 4 DLC instalments, too.
“This coincides with the release of the fourth post-launch DLC for Marvel’s Midnight Suns: Blood Storm, which introduces Storm as a playable hero and new missions in the DLC-spanning vampyre storyline.”
Completing all DLC missions for Deadpool, Venom, Morbius, and Storm will apparently trigger a final showdown against an “age-old monster”. Whoever that might be…
Note that all the current DLC will be available on launch day to PS4 and Xbox One players who buy either the game’s legendary edition or the Midnight Suns season pass.
IGN’s Midnight Suns review gave the game 8/10 and said: “With Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Firaxis has put itself in the league of RPG developers like BioWare, Obsidian, Bethesda, and Larian. Its innovative turn-based hero combat system takes a bit of time to get going, but once it does it makes excellent use of card game mechanics to keep battles fresh, evolving, and unpredictable over the course of an epic-length campaign.”
Titanfall and Titanfall 2 director Steve Fukuda is working on “something new” for Respawn Entertainment.
During an interview with Axios Gaming, Respawn director Vince Zampella revealed that Fukuda is currently leading a “very small” team that’s exploring new IP.
“The mission is to find the fun in something new,” said Zampella.
A small team led by Steve Fukuda (Titanfall series director) is in the early stages of developing an original IP
“The mission is to find the fun in something new”, says Vince Zampella.
Fukuda is perhaps best known for his work on the Titanfall series, as director of the popular FPS franchise. Titanfall began as an online multiplayer game, with Titanfall 2 building upon this with a thoroughly enjoyable solo campaign.
Since the sequel’s release in 2016, fans have been dying to see another installment in the Titanfall franchise. Although, there are apparently no plans to make Titanfall 3 right now.
“It has to be the right thing,” said Zampella in a recent interview. “It’s such a beloved franchise for the fans and also for us. If it is not the right moment in time, the right idea, then it just doesn’t make sense.”
Of course, Titanfall and Titanfall 2 aren’t the only games set in this universe – Respawn’s own battle royale Apex Legends exists there, too. And that might just make things that little more complicated.
“Apex [Legends] is the Titanfall universe, right?” said Zampella. “There’s how do you do something that doesn’t confuse people that are Apex fans, but not necessarily Titanfall fans yet. It’s a hard question to answer, but ultimately I would love to see something.”
Right now, it looks as though Titanfall’s series director is otherwise occupied… but whether or not Fukuda will end up creating a whole new franchise based on his current mission to “find the fun in something new” remains to be seen.
But for now, at least, it looks as though you’ll have to wait for your next titan fix.
With AI technology increasingly in the news, more and more game developers have been examining how much, if at all, they want to integrate artificial intelligence into their development pipelines. And while much of this discussion is taking place amid real fears that AI will replace real human beings in developer jobs, World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas isn’t concerned about that happening to him after a recent encounter with ChatGPT.
Speaking to IGN ahead of the launch of the latest major patch, Embers of Neltharion, Hazzikostas says that one of the first things he did when he first gained access to AI chatbot ChatGPT was ask it what the next World of Warcraft expansion should be. And its answer was uniquely terrible on multiple levels:
“I kid you not, the number one prompt it returned to me…was ‘Return to the Shadowlands.’ So I feel like I have pretty good job security, not too worried about ChatGPT replacing me anytime soon.”
While Hazzikostas is possibly aiming his quip at the fact that Shadowlands was the expansion that directly preceded the current one, thus making it a poor candidate to immediately turn around and go back to, Shadowlands was also quite unpopular with the WoW community. Players disliked the slow cadence of content rollout, multiple time-gated endgame grinds, and above all, its deeply controversial treatment of one of its most beloved characters: Sylvanas Windrunner. So it feels doubly silly that ChatGPT would suggest going back to one of World of Warcraft’s least-loved expansions in recent memory, even though it’s possible it’s only doing so because the internet it’s trained on is stuffed with recent mentions of Shadowlands.
Goofy as that is, Hazzikostas and World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale also offered a more serious explanation of the team’s thoughts on AI. Hazzikostas confirmed that some parts of WoW’s art pipeline use machine learning, but they’ve been doing that for years. It’s “just automating really arduous, painful tasks like fitting helms around Blood Elf ears and so forth, where it’s more just, let’s free up some time so that our really talented artists can make more amazing creative art instead of doing that fiddly work.” It’s nothing new.
Longdale, meanwhile, is looking ahead:
“When we’re talking about living in a world that we want to feel alive, there’s a lot of opportunity there. We are so focused on excellence in the craft in our design that we want to make sure that everything has our human touch. But I do think there’s a lot of opportunity in an interactive space to see what the opportunities are. And we have for quite some time now. AI is…not new to us in our day-to-day. And evolution in AI is certainly going to help us, but it’s always been here.”
We also spoke to Hazzikostas and Longdale about the current World of Warcraft content cadence and future content roadmaps, and threw in some questions about player toxicity and group loot while we were at it – check out our full interview tomorrow. In the meantime, we recently wrapped up a week of articles and video content about AI and how it will impact games, entertainment, and more.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
We’ve been writing about Skywind for nine years. The ambitious modding project aims to import the entirery of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind into the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim engine. To celebrate the 21st anniversary of Morrowind, the Skywind team have released a 21 minute video of a single quest in Skywind.
Each game in the Super Mega Baseball series strips the sport back to its fundamentals: pitching, batting, and making its big-headed players cry. That makes it a baseball series that someone with no understanding of the sport can enjoy – and I would know.
Now Super Mega Baseball 4 has been announced, and for the first time it’s got a roster of pros to play with – or former pros, at least.
No one on RPS having much fun with Redfall so far, but perhaps you want to try Arkane’s open world vampire shooter for yourself. Game Pass would be a good way to do that, particularly if you have a free trial.
As of today, any Game Pass subscriber can offer up to five friends a 14-day free trial to PC Game Pass. So I guess it’s time to bug your friends.
We’ve gushed plenty of times over the stunning-looking Metroidvania Afterimage by developer Aurogon Shanghai. From its beautiful animation style to stunning watercolour backgrounds and hand-drawn characters and world, amidst the bustling genre of Metroidvania, it stands out in the best possible way.
The blend of colourful worlds and tight combat pay homage to some of the best in the genre, but it’s the art style that has long stuck out to us. Afterimage smashed its 2022 Kickstarter with fans falling head over heels in love with the game’s visual identity alone, and that magic has followed through to the final product. And it was one of the standout aspects in our review, where we said the game “offers a lengthy, lovely-looking Metroidvania adventure.”
There are plenty of solo board games and two-player board games, plus and many more that can seat up to four or five people, but a group of three can be an odd number in every sense of the word. Luckily there are board games that play very well with three people and sometimes are even best with that number.
There are cooperative board games that benefit from having a tiebreaker when debating what to do, or where three players will allow you to cover more key roles, and worker-placement games where three players provide more options on each turn than a full table, but stronger competition than a head-to-head match. No one will have to feel like a third wheel when you play these board games.
An asteroid is going to hit the Earth and you have a limited amount of time to prepare to save humanity — but you want to be the one who’s in charge when the dust settles. The complex game lets you gather resources by deploying workers with their own abilities, including some that will be piloting mechs. You can also speed up your progress by using Time Rifts to grab resources from the future so long as you pay them back before time anomalies form. With many paths to victory and different factions to try, there’s plenty of replayability. If you want to add more complexity, you can pick up the Future Imperfect and Fractures of Time expansions.
Azul
Quick and easy to learn, Azul is a great board game to play with your kid or someone you’re introducing to board gaming. Each player is working to form the most beautiful mosaic by drafting tiles from the central market to place on their board, scoring points based on how many you can connect. Full rows, columns and sets of the same type of tile earn big bonus rewards. The beautifully detailed pieces are satisfying to play with as you slide them into place, carefully considering the best move of the moment but also what other players are likely to pick so you don’t lose points from getting stuck with tiles you can’t use.
Cascadia
This soothing family board game challenges players to build a thriving ecosystem based on the Pacific Northwest. Each session is different thanks to the variety of scoring goals, which reward points based on the relative placement of animal tokens. In one game you may try to ensure red tailed hawks are flying solo and in another that they have an unobstructed view to their potential mate. The tiles you draft not only represent where each type of animal can live but different terrain types, and building unbroken expanses of mountains, wetlands and forests can be worth just as much points at the end of the game as having the right animal patterns. Add in pinecones that can be used to mix up the token and tile pairs during drafting and you’ll have plenty to think about each turn.
Cthulhu: Death May Die
Most games based on Lovecraftian horror are about preventing Elder Gods from setting foot on Earth, but it’s already too late for that in Cthulhu: Death May Die. Instead your goal is to arm yourself well enough to be able to shoot the monster in the face. There’s a high level of replayability to the cooperative game thanks to the variety of investigators players can control and the threats of the different Elder Gods and their minions, who are represented through impressively detailed miniatures. Three players gives you a nice variety of character archetypes without making the game take too long, which can happen when there are five people choosing the best way to take their actions. You still need to be careful though, since the game ends if a single investigator is eliminated before the Elder is summoned.
Lords of Waterdeep
Lords of Waterdeep provides an excellent introduction to the worker placement genre and is especially fun for D&D players who will recognize the references to the Forgotten Realms. Players take on the roles of secret Lords of Waterdeep, each with their own strengths, and will try to establish influence over the City of Splendors by recruiting various types of adventurers to send on quests. Some quests provide powerful boosts that will make it easier for you to gain more resources throughout the game while others are worth a huge amount of points, so you’ll have to think carefully about your priorities as the rounds progress. Players can also build new locations on the map that they can use themselves and they’ll rake in rewards when a rival takes advantage of them. If you prefer a more competitive experience or want to play with a bigger group, pick up the Scoundrels of Skullport expansion.
Lost Ruins of Arnak
Fusing worker placement and deckbuilding, Lost Ruins of Arnak tasks each player with learning the secrets of a mysterious island. There are so many ways to earn points that it’s a real challenge to figure out which is best to pursue, especially since you’re directly competing with your opponents to be the first to nab bigger rewards. You can focus on exploring new areas and fighting fearsome guardians, conduct research, try to improve your deck, or recruit assistants that will make your work easier. The game board is tailored based on the number of players so it’s as well balanced for three as it is for two or four. There’s a solo variant if you want to play alone or are looking for a good way to practice strategies.
Raiders of the North Sea
Be a Viking with this worker placement game, where you’ll need to put together a crew and gather enough resources to successfully raid increasingly well-protected settlements. You’ll collect silver to hire crew members, who will help determine your strategy since they can give you bonuses when attacking specific targets. They can also die and become Valkyrie that will earn points you need to win. You also have to take the time to convert your plunder into offerings for the chieftain, though the amount of favor you’ve earned is kept a secret until the end of the game. Choose your actions wisely as the game can end quickly as players rush to make offerings and launch their boats deeper into the territories at the bottom of the board.
Splendor
This fast game is easy enough for kids to learn but satisfying for players of all ages, making it a good board game for families. Compete to build a thriving jewelry business by gathering gem tokens which can be used to purchase developments and win the favor of nobles. You’ll want to try to take actions as efficiently as possible, keeping track of what resources your opponents are gathering and when they are likely to purchase a development so you don’t miss the opportunity or get stuck waiting for them to stop hoarding a key resource. You also should plan long term, looking at the bonus gems needed to attract each noble since you can only pick up one per turn and their high point values can be the difference between winning or losing.
Vienna Connection
Feel like a spy with Vienna Connection, where players work together to uncover a mystery in Cold War Europe. While the game can be played solo or with two players, the difficulty is meant for three or more people putting their heads together to solve puzzles, which can involve cracking codes, remembering details from cards, and even conducting research on the internet into real world history. The game is played over the course of four interconnected missions so you’ll want to have a group that’s committed to seeing the case through to the end. You’ll store your progress with a companion website that also plays audio and video to make the gameplay more immersive.
Viticulture
You’ve inherited an unimpressive Tuscan vineyard and you have to build it up into something to be proud of in this charming strategic game that takes place over a series of seasons. In summer you’ll deploy workers to plant vines, build structures and sell grapes, while in winter you’ll harvest crops and start aging your wines. You can develop more complex and valuable varieties based on the types of grapes you grow and how much work you’ve done in your cellar, which you can then use to fulfill orders and earn more money to make additional improvements to the vineyard. Pop open a bottle of wine and settle in to learn a bit about how it’s produced as you play.
So far, I wouldn’t say Redfall is a “mess”. A mess, to me, implies an excess of things that become a horrible, overwhelming tangle. Having played the vampiric FPS for a clutch of hours now, I’d say it feels more like an “absence”. Arkane’s latest strikes me as an open world shooter with a few simple strands that never seem to go anywhere. Occasionally, there are flashes of a team that – as we all know – are capable of brilliance, but Redfall has me following a path of irritation, and feeling a slight sadness for what might’ve been.
