E3 2019: Nintendo Switch’s Splatoon 2 Gets Final Splatfest, 5.0 Update Next Month

/0 Comments/in /by

Nintendo closed out its pre-E3 Splatoon 2 World Championship with a big announcement: the theme of the game’s final Splatfest. Ahead of Nintendo’s E3 Direct on Tuesday, Splatoon 2 producer Hisashi Nogami took the stage and announced the Final Fest, which will take place over a 72-hour period from July 18-21. Fittingly for the final Splatfest, the competition will carry an apocalyptic theme: chaos vs. order.

Just as in previous Splatfests, a new Shifty Station will be featured during the Final Fest. Not only that, but all 23 Shifty Station stages from previous Splatfests will return for the event as well. The previous Shifty Stations will rotate out for the first 48 hours of the Final Fest, while the new design will be featured for the final 24 hours.

Nintendo also announced four new pieces of headgear to coincide with the Final Fest. The gear will be distributed through the Squid Research Lab channel from the Switch News app closer toward the event. You can take a look at it below.

No Caption ProvidedGallery image 1Gallery image 2Gallery image 3

That wasn’t the only Splatoon 2 announcement. Nogami also revealed that the game’s 5.0 update will arrive in late July, following the Final Fest. The update will add a “Turf War (Splatfest)” option to private battles, which will allow players to play on any of the 24 Shifty Station maps. The Splatfest option will also transform the other stages into their nighttime versions, just as they appeared during actual Splatfests.

Nintendo has more announcements in store on June 11, which it airs its E3 Direct presentation. That will focus on Switch games coming in 2019, including Luigi’s Mansion 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. You can find out when and how to watch Nintendo’s E3 Direct here.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-nintendo-switchs-splatoon-2-gets-final-spl/1100-6467501/

E3 2019: After EA Play, Three New EA Originals Games Announced

/0 Comments/in /by

While they were not featured in E3 2019‘s EA Play livestream, three new indie games were announced during the studio event just after the stream. In a press release, EA announced partnerships with three indie studios to create several new games: Zoink Games (Fe and Flipping Death), Glowmade, and Hazelight Studios (A Way Out). The games that each are working on will be EA Originals.

“We continue to connect innovative and creatively distinct new games from the best and boldest independent game makers to a global audience of players.” EA executive vice president of strategic growth Matt Bilbey said in the press release. “We want to offer our players the broadest, highest quality content possible, with the best access possible.”

Zoink Games is creating Lost in Random, a game that mixes together both action and strategy within a dark fantasy world. Glowmade is developing a co-op RPG called RustHeart, which sees a young hero and their robot sidekick explore an alien multiverse. Hazelight Studios’ game remains unannounced, but EA’s press release describes the title as “a fresh take on the challenges of working together.”

This year, EA Play focused on the publisher’s larger, more mainstream titles. The livestream began with a gameplay reveal of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which saw Cal Kestis cut through Storm and Purge Troopers with his lightsaber in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice-looking, tactical combat and also pull off supernatural feats with his array of Force powers. We were also treated to a familiar face and provided additional hints that Fallen Order takes place a few years before Rogue One.

The rest of EA Play showcased what to expect in Season 2 of Apex Legends (including start date, a new Legend named Wattson, a Titanfall 2 fan-favorite LMG, and a dragon), revealed where BioWare stands on Anthem, announced changes coming to the new FIFA and Madden games, and highlighted a bunch of new content for The Sims 4.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-after-ea-play-three-new-ea-originals-games/1100-6467502/

E3 2019: The Sims 4 “Island Living” Expansion Revealed At EA Play

/0 Comments/in /by

Electronic Arts wrapped up its EA Play presentation at E3 2019 with a showcase of what’s next for The Sims 4. The stream announced a new expansion, Island Living, that releases this summer, as well as a handful of new cosmetic and other packs coming throughout the summer and into the fall. You can see a trailer for the expansion above or watch the entire Sims 4 portion of the presentation below.

The big announcement was Island Living, which launches on June 21 to PC and then to PS4 and Xbox One on July 16. The expansion focuses on the island of Sulani, where you can relax on the beach, help clean up the ocean, play with dolphins, become a lifeguard, build sandcastles, and even build their own mer-person to swim around the island.

The presentation also announced a partnership with the It Gets Better Project to release a series of LGBTQ+ themed cosmetics and in-game items. The items range from It Gets Better and Pride clothing to a gender-neutral bathroom door. The items will roll out in The Sims 4 on PC, as well as FreePlay and Mobile first on June 18, and then expand to consoles in July.

Also new is the Moschino Stuff Pack, which will include items from the real-life capsule collection, as well as the ability to get a job as a fashion photographer. Finally, a Sims 4 Realm of Magic pack is coming later this year, with more details to come on that in the future.

“With Island Living, the development team wanted to give players the chance to escape with their Sims to a peaceful, unique paradise and truly connect with nature,” said senior producer Mike Duke, in an announcement. “This expansion will enable fans and their Sims to find their bliss, whether it is relaxing under a palm tree on the beach, befriending a mermaid along the coral reefs, or protecting the Sulani environment and ensuring that the island becomes more beautiful than ever.”

For more out of EA Play and E3 2019, check out all of our coverage including the full schedule of press conferences.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-the-sims-4-island-living-expansion-reveale/1100-6467499/

E3 2019: Madden NFL 20 Details New Features — X-Factors, Scenario Engine, And More

/0 Comments/in /by

New features coming to the Madden NFL franchise were shown off during the EA Play conference for E3 2019. With Madden NFL 20, you’ll have a new career campaign called that takes over for Longshot mode. Additionally, there will be some tweaks to gameplay that will make superstar players standout even more, and some new challenge scenarios to unlock new stuff and improve stats. EA is also expanding the accessibility options to make the game playable by a wider group of people.

The brand new career campaign is called Face of the Franchise. You’ll create a college player who begins as a star quarterback for the Texas Longhorns and compete in the college football playoffs–this will lead to an NFL Draft sequence. There’s also the Scenario Engine where you can participate in different challenges, and compete in the Pro Bowl as well.

Along with Ultimate Missions, you’ll take part in dynamic challenges and quests to unlock stuff and improve player stats. Additionally, Madden 20 will feature evolving playbooks that updates as teams incorporate new plays in real life. RPOs, or run-pass option plays, are coming to the game as well.

Arguably, the biggest change is in the Superstar X-Factor feature. This acts as a special hero-like perk for star players. For example, running back Alvin Kamara has “Satellite” which makes him even more effective as a receiver out of the backfield with improved run-after-catch ability. JuJu Smith Schuster has the “Double Me” X-Factor which demands additional attention from the defense.

These are always on/available–designed to extend specific specialties of big-name players. Cover star Pat Mahomes has “Bazooka,” which is exclusive to him.

Madden NFL 20 will have a closed beta taking place June 14-16.

Separately from all this, EA detailed new accessibility options that will be available in Madden 20. Many of the features from previous years carry over here, but among the new ones are new text-to-speech and speech-to-text options. EA has greatly expanded things like how menu narration works for something like the depth chart to make it more usable.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-madden-nfl-20-details-new-features-x-facto/1100-6467498/

E3 2019: Anthem Dev Says “We Have Some Work To Do” At EA Play

/0 Comments/in /by

EA surprised Anthem fans by not giving the game an official spot on its EA Play presentation, but it did squeeze some time for the game between its FIFA and Madden NFL spots. Lead producer Ben Irving appeared for a short interview at the E3 event to discuss the game, though this was less about showcasing upcoming content and more about recognizing the game’s weak spots while committing to continuing to work on it.

Irving said that right now the team is working with influencers and getting feedback from players about recent events and the Cataclysm limited-time event, which is now in testing on PC. The idea right now is to gather impressions from the test server and use that to shape content going forward.

“Anthem does have a future. A very bright future, we hope,” Irving said. “We’ve learned a lot these last few months, we really want to make the game better, we believe Anthem can be a really amazing game. We know we have some work to do, we just want to work with the community and build it together and make it the game that everyone wants it to be.”

For more out of E3 2019, check out our full schedule of press conferences.

E3 2019 Press Conference Schedule

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-anthem-dev-says-we-have-some-work-to-do-at/1100-6467497/

E3 2019: Battlefield 5 Chapter 5 Will Go To The Pacific Theater

/0 Comments/in /by

During the EA Play conference around E3 2019, developer DICE outlined new content for its large-scale FPS Battlefield 5. One of the biggest additions is the inclusion of the Pacific theater of World War II in the single-player campaign Tides Of War and in the multiplayer modes. This will be a free update (like all Battlefield 5 content updates) that adds pacific theater missions and maps as Chapter 5 this fall.

DICE outlined that it has three maps planned to incorporate the Pacific theater, one of which will be Iwo Jima. There are also some new elements coming to the game, as DICE said it’s trying to capture the invasion experience and incorporate amphibious warfare with additional vehicles as US and Japanese forces hop from island to island. A classic weapon is also coming to Battlefield 5: the M1 Garand.

No Caption Provided

DICE and EA outlined a content plan for Battlefield 5 leading up to the launch of the game back in November 2018; this included new missions, maps, and modes, like the battle royale mode Firestorm. Support for the game is continuing with three new multiplayer maps: Al-Sahdan in June, Marita in July, and Operation Underground in October. Chapter 5 content is likely to hit in November as it’s designated to roll out this fall.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-battlefield-5-chapter-5-will-go-to-the-pac/1100-6467486/

E3 2019: Apex Legends Season 2 Trailer Teases A Giant Addition To The Battle Royale

/0 Comments/in /by

During EA Play–publisher Electronic Arts’ annual pre-E3 conference–EA announced a lot of new details for its most anticipated titles and upcoming game updates, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Apex Legends: Season 2. Along with some more concrete details like the new character Wattson, new gun, and changes to battle pass progression, developer Respawn had an exciting but vague tease for what could be a Fortnite-like map-changing event.

At the very end of the trailer for Apex Legends: Season 2, there’s a brief shot of what could be a dragon or dinosaur or some other form of Godzilla-like kaiju creature. It’s big, it’s lizard-like, and it’s coming to Apex Legends. Respawn isn’t ready to reveal what it is or when we can expect to see it, but it’s apparently coming as part of Season 2 in July. It also suggested we might learn more about what this is all about over the next month.

No Caption Provided

In terms of the more concrete additions we learned about, first up is the L-Star, another of Titanfall 2‘s most powerful weapons. Dropping into Apex Legends in Season 2, the L-Star is a powerful LMG that decimates enemies and easily demolishes doors. The gun is so powerful, it’s exclusively only found in drops pods. You also can’t find additional ammunition for it; whatever it has when you pick it up is all you’ll get.

Season 2 also sees another playable Legend join the battle royale game. Wattson is a young woman who helped create the battle royale arena seen in the game. She steps into the ring with several electrical-based weapons, utilizing her own tech to electrocute enemies, bombard them with missiles and grenades, and plug chokepoints.

Respawn also teased a buff for Apex’s worst gun, the Mozambique. It didn’t share any specifics, but you can expect it to be slightly less worthless following a future update. Likewise, Respawn has heard the feedback about Season 1’s battle pass and will be going with challenge-based progression that sounds more like what’s in Fortnite.

Apex Legends is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-apex-legends-season-2-trailer-teases-a-gia/1100-6467495/

E3 2019: Apex Legends Season 2 Battle Pass Will Be Challenge-Based, Like Fortnite

/0 Comments/in /by

Following the Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order gameplay reveal, developer Respawn shared the first details about the next season of Apex Legends during Saturday’s pre-E3 EA Play event. Season 2 of the free-to-play battle royale game is dubbed Battle Charge, and it’ll introduce a new weapon, character, and another Battle Pass–and this time, it’ll work more like Fortnite‘s.

During the panel, Apex Legends executive producer Drew McCoy revealed that the Season 2 Battle Pass will be challenge-based, as is the case with Fortnite. Season 1’s Battle Pass was notably XP-based, which many players felt resulted in a slow grind. This time, however, there will be daily and weekly challenges, and they’ll stack, so you’ll be able to complete them throughout the season. As a result, McCoy says players will be able to level their Battle Pass up much faster this season.

That isn’t the only change being made to the Battle Pass for Season 2. This time around, Respawn has removed all of the badges and stat trackers that were “taking up space” in the Battle Pass and replaced them with three “entirely new content types.” Respawn says there will also be “a lot more” skins in the Battle Pass, and players will be able to earn enough crafting metals to craft a Legendary weapon of their choosing by the time they reach level 100.

Season 2 of Apex Legends kicks off on July 2. As previously mentioned, the new season will also introduce another playable Legend, Wattson–a scientific genius and electrical engineer who can place fences down in the field. Respawn says a ranked mode is also coming to the game next season, as well as four new Legendary skins.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-apex-legends-season-2-battle-pass-will-be-/1100-6467490/

Apex Legends’ Worst Gun Is Getting A Buff

/0 Comments/in /by

During the EA Play event at E3 2019, the Apex Legends team teased that a certain weapon named after an African country would be seeing improvements. That of course refers to the Mozambique shotgun, a weapon that has been the subject of many jokes and memes since the battle royale game launched earlier this year.

The Mozambique is widely regarded as a bad–even useless–weapon in Apex Legends, especially as far as shotguns go. The team didn’t detail what kinds of improvements it might be seeing, but we can expect to find out when Season 2 launches on July 2. The Mozambique buff was teased alongside two new hop-ups, which can be attached to weapons to give them specific improvements or features; it’s not clear if the Mozambique improvements would be through a hop-up or other means.

The Apex Legends segment during EA Play also gave more details on Season 2’s Battle Pass and revealed the tenth legend, Wattson. A new gun was also revealed, and it’s a Titanfall 2 classic: the L-Star.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apex-legends-worst-gun-is-getting-a-buff/1100-6467493/

E3 2019: Battlefield 5 Shows Off New Mutliplayer Maps

/0 Comments/in /by

EA Play‘s presentation on Battlefield 5 focused heavily on a series of new maps coming soon to the multiplayer game.

The first map is called Marita, based on the village where the Battle of Greece began. It features a sloping mountain ridge and tight streets, with lots of hills and multi-story buildings for verticality. Allies are in control of the town, while the Axis tries to break their stronghold.

The second new map, Al-Sandan, takes place in an African desert. It’s a large, wide map leaving plenty of room for air battles, and the Axis has established an air base. When you play in Conquest Mode it will have six flags, and campaign players will recognize the map from the mission Under No Flag.

Developing…

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-battlefield-5-shows-off-new-mutliplayer-ma/1100-6467494/