Rod Fergusson of Gears of War developer The Coalition recently spoke about the Gears of War movie, saying it’s set in an “alternate reality” separate from the game series. Some fans worried that this meant it wouldn’t really be a Gears of War movie, but now Fergusson has spoken up to clear up the confusion. He explained to IGN that the movie exists outside of the game canon, so what happens in the movie doesn’t affect the game series and vice versa.

“I’m not going to say what’s going to happen in the story, all I’m saying is by saying it’s ‘alternate reality’ I’m not saying it doesn’t have game characters in it. I’m just saying it’s not in the game canon,” he explained. “Something that happens in the movie doesn’t affect the games. Something that happens in the games doesn’t affect the movie. Either way.”

Fergusson added that this doesn’t mean Marcus Fenix won’t be in the movie. Officially, plot details for the movie are a secret.

Guardians of the Galaxy actor Dave Bautista has said he wants to play Marcus Fenix, and Fergusson agrees that Bautista would be great for the role. However, casting decisions are out of his hands.

“Dave is great. I think Dave would be awesome in that role. Unfortunately I don’t have casting control of what we do with that and whether we have the character that he would play,” he said.

Whatever the case, Fergusson said it’s exciting that someone of Bautista’s caliber is interested in being in the Gears of War movie. Fergusson went on to say that the movie’s producers have told him that actors have reached out seeking roles in the movie. He teased that people you wouldn’t necessarily think about have inquired about roles.

Also in the interview, Fergusson talked more about how the Gears of War movie has to be a good movie first and a Gears movie second. “I think that’s one of the places where video game movies make the mistake; they try to be so true to fan service and so true to what the game is that they lose the notion of that it actually has to be a really good story with really good characters,” he said.

The Gears of War movie has gone through multiple writers, and a new draft is being worked on now, Fergusson said, though he didn’t say who the writer is. F. Scott Frazier (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) was hired to write a draft of the script in November 2018.

The Gears of War movie has been in various stages of development for 12 years already. The Lord of the Rings studio New Line Cinema purchased the rights to make a movie based on the game originally back in 2007, but in October 2016, Microsoft confirmed that the Gears of War movie was in the works with Universal Pictures.

No director has been announced for the movie. The late Tony Scott, who directed Top Gun and Man On Fire, reportedly wanted to direct the Gears of War movie.

The next game is Gears 5 which launches in September for Xbox One and PC. At E3, Microsoft showed off a brand-new mode called Escape. You can see 10 minutes of gameplay from Escape in the video above.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gears-of-war-boss-clears-up-confusion-about-the-mo/1100-6468040/

The latest mashup pack for Minecraft is out now, and it brings Toy Story to the popular sandbox game.

The Toy Story Mash-Up pack adds a number of character skins from the Pixar franchise, including classics like Woody, Buzz, and Bo Peep, as well as new ones from Toy Story 4 such as Keanu Reeves’ Duke Caboom and Ducky & Bunny.

Some of the new locations in the Toy Story Mash-Up Pack include Andy’s bright and colorful bedroom and Sid’s spooky bedroom of horrors. Everything is scaled down to be seen from the perspective of a toy. That puts a new spin on Minecraft as you’ll need to jump and climb around.

The Toy Story Mash-Up Pack is available now on Xbox and PC for $8 USD. Click through the images in the gallery above to get a closer look at the new character skins.

Toy Story is just the latest mega-franchise to come to Minecraft with a Mash-Up Pack. Some of the other notable ones include The Simpsons, Pirates of the Caribbean, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Minecraft remains immensely popular, and Microsoft continues to expand the franchise with new extensions. While Minecraft 2 may not be happening, a new game called Minecraft Dungeons is on the way. Additionally, a Pokemon Go-style AR game called Minecraft Earth is in development as well.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-adds-toy-story-dlc-including-skin-of-kea/1100-6468038/

The Season of Opulence in Destiny 2 encourages you to get greedy as you fight through the Menagerie. The season also provides new weekly bounties that send you all over the solar system doing jobs for Calus, the Cabal emperor, in order to earn Imperials that can be used to upgrade the Chalice of Opulence. All of those bounties have a second component, though: In addition to racking up kills or gathering items, you also need to track down hidden treasures in order to claim your prizes.

The treasure for the Gaze Into Death’s Eyes bounty takes you to Mars. The bounty itself encourages you to get in the face of your enemies, racking up 200 close-range kills with shotguns, SMGs, sidearms, or swords. Once you’ve done that, you’ll unlock a Treasure Map directing you to Alton Dynamo on Mars.

Where To Find The Treasure

Start at the Braytech Futurescape landing zone on Mars, then hop on your sparrow and head west toward Alton’s Dynamo. You’ll power through Dynamo Approach and into the facility by passing through the cave tunnel. Fight through the Cabal you find there until you go through a door and enter a hallway. You’ll find two paths ahead: one to the left and one to the right.

Take the right hallway and you’ll enter a big server room. Like most of the facility, this room is laid out in the shape of a big diamond, and you’re going to want to go toward the back wall to your left, around the back of the raised central platform. Watch out for Hive enemies as you head toward the back of the room.

When you find the stairs on the left side of the platform, keep going past them around the side to find the glowing chest nearby.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-treasure-map-guide-gaze-into-deaths-eyes/1100-6468035/

The second major update for World of Warcraft‘s Battle for Azeroth expansion has arrived. Rise of Azshara is now live, and it introduces a wealth of new content and features to the long-running MMO, including new locations, Heritage armor, a mount equipment system, and much more.

Among the biggest additions to the game are two new zones to explore. The first is Nazjatar, the capital city of the naga and the home of the eponymous Azshara, who serves as the final foe in a new eight-boss raid called Azshara’s Eternal Palace. The second new zone is the city of Mechagon. Here you’ll be able to take on a new Mythic-difficulty dungeon called Operation Mechagon, which culminates with a battle against the city’s mad king.

Rise of Azshara also introduces a new type equipment known as Benthic gear, which will help you during your exploits in Nazjatar. As you explore the naga capital, you’ll acquire a new kind of soulbound currency called Prismatic Manapearls. These can be traded for a piece of Benthic gear, which can be further upgraded all the way to to ilvl 425. On top of that, Gnomes and Taurens can now embark on special quests to earn their own Heritage armor.

Another significant change the update brings is a new mount equipment system. This gives you the ability to customize any mount with abilities; for instance, you can now outfit any mount with the ability to walk on water. There are also new Pathfinder achievements to complete; clearing these will allow your mount to fly through Kul Tiras, Zandalar, Mechagon, and Nazjatar.

Beyond that, the Heart of Azeroth system features a new customization option, Essences, which can give your character a variety of different buffs and other abilities. There’s also a new pet battle dungeon named Stratholme and a variety of other changes. You can read more details about the Rise of Azshara update on the official World of Warcraft website.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of World of Warcraft’s launch, and to commemorate the milestone, Blizzard is releasing a 15th Anniversary Edition of the game that comes with a variety of physical and in-game goodies. World of Warcraft Classic is also coming this summer; here’s how Blizzard aims to make the world of Azeroth feel dangerous again.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-of-warcrafts-huge-rise-of-azshara-update-now/1100-6468029/

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is still a wildly-popular game despite having “fallen short” in some areas. Developer PUBG Corporation looks to address some of these areas, announcing a new console patch that introduces a new progression system called weapon mastery, an auto-equip attachments feature, an additional controller preset, and more.

The news comes via a tweet posted by the official PUBG Support team. The update, headed to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, will arrive on Thursday, June 27. Server maintenance will be conducted from Wednesday, June 26 at 10 PM PT to Thursday, June 27 at 4 AM PT.

The headlining feature of the patch is the weapon mastery system, which allows players to increase weapon levels by gaining experience with that weapon. Weapon mastery and its rewards–such as charms and medals–operate independently of seasons, and there are 100 levels per weapon to be achieved.

A new controller preset will be included in the new update. The preset is suited more for a thumb-index finger-middle finger style of controller handling, and it’s for players that heavily rely on leaning and combat strategies.

Further, PUBG Corp includes a new auto-equip feature that allows players to automatically stack their weapon with whatever attachments found in the world. The new patch also addresses a number of bug fixes, including issues with picking up items, bullets not puncturing wire fences, and more.

You can read the full patch notes below.

New Progression System

• New Progression System:
  • Weapon Mastery is a new progression system where players can increase levels by gaining weapon XP based on players’ weapon use.
  • It operates all the time without being affected by seasons.
  • Weapon Mastery offers 100 levels for players to achieve per weapon.
  • In the lobby, players can check their weapon use information, last match results, and the rewards they acquired thus far through the newly created Mastery tab.
• Weapon Mastery Rewards:
  • There are three types of Weapon Mastery rewards. These rewards can only be acquired through Mastery achievement.
  • Charms:
    • Charms are accessories that can be equipped to weapons.
    • New charm can achieved at every five levels of progression per weapon.
    • Charms can be used with any weapon skins.
      • Acquired charms can be equipped/unlocked in the rewards page. Equipped charms can be seen in-game.
• Medals:
  • Medals highlight awesome accomplishments players perform with their weapons.
  • Each medal can be earned multiple times. There is even a counter that tracks how many medals have been achieved.
• Tier Emblems:
  • Players can earn emblems equivalent to their level brackets achieved per each weapon.
  • Up to 10 tiers can be achieved.
• How to earn Weapon XP:
  • Weapon XP is earned when one or more of the following elements is satisfied during a match.
  • Damage
  • Headshots
  • Defeats
    • Defeats is a new term used for tracking actions that includes knockdowns, killing the last member of a team and killing solo players.
    • You can acquire extra weapon XP based on distance of defeats.
  • When earning Weapon XP, the amount received will increase based on how long you survived.
  • Defeats follow the existing judgment rules for DBNO/Kills currently used in the game.
  • Additional information:
    • Weapon Mastery does not count friendly fire/team damage.
    • Weapon Mastery does not count downs caused by road kills or environmental factors (blue zone, red zone, fall damage, or drowning).
    • Weapon Mastery does not count throwables or melee damage.
    • Total defeats for each weapon can be found on the Weapons tab under Mastery.
• There is a maximum limit on each weapon that can be getting weapon XP.

Controller Preset: Type C

• Added a new Controller preset, Type C
  • Preset settings can be changed in the menus labeled Configuration – Control – Controller Preset
  • The new preset is more suitable for thumb – index finger – middle finger control
  • Compared to Preset A or B, Preset C is for players that utilize leaning and combat strategies heavily
    • Preset C does not have the Aim (over the shoulder) key
    • Leaning can be used by pressing L1 or R1 key
      • Leaning was separated from the analog sticks to avoid disrupting the aim or movement
    • The key to equip sidearm has been changed to double tap Triangle for a quicker change in dynamic battles
  • For other changes, please see the in-game Controller Guide
  • A word from our dev team:
    • Controller preset C is designed to make a battle focused preset, so players would have minimum difficulty when moving, aiming, leaning or firing during combat by making them all independent.
    • Preset C omitted the less commonly used key (in this case, AIM down the shoulder) and tried to avoid the loss in response time of ADS or distraction to combat.
    • We will be adding customization options to all presets (A, B and C) allowing some key settings to be added/altered. We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback.

Auto Equip Attachments

• Added Auto Equip Attachments options to Configuration – Gameplay
  • Three options available: Auto Equip Attachments, Auto Equip Scope and Auto Replace Attachments
  • Auto Equip Attachments:
    • An attachment will be automatically equipped on an active weapon upon pick up, if equipable
    • If unequipable, the attachment will be equipped to the next available weapon (Primary 1 → Primary 2 → Sidearm order)
    • If none of the weapons can equip the picked up attachment it will go into the inventory
      • Attachments cannot be picked up if there is no free space in the inventory
  • Auto Equip Scope:
    • Scope type attachments are given three different settings to reduce unexpected situations during combat
    • Setting – Off:
      • Scope type attachments will not automatically equip and will go into the inventory instead
      • Attachments cannot be picked up if there is no free space in the inventory
  • Setting – Sight Only:
    • Only sight type attachments (Red Dot, Hologram Sight, and Canted Sight) will be automatically equipped
    • Attachments cannot be picked up if there is no free space in the inventory
  • Setting – All:
    • All scopes will be automatically equipped
    • Attachments cannot be picked up if there is no free space in the inventory
  • Setting – Auto Replace Attachments:
    • When replacing the weapon you are holding onto a different weapon by holding Square key, compatible attachments will automatically be equipped onto a new weapon
    • Incompatible ones will go into the inventory
      • Attachments will be dropped if there is no free space in the inventory

Gameplay

• The Featured map has been rotated from Sanhok to Erangel.

Erangel 2nd Loot Rebalance

• The total amount of items spawned in Erangel has been increased by approximately 28%.
• Increased the overall amount of items spawned, especially the spawn rates of those higher priority items.
  • Spawn rate of AR has been increased by approx 64%.
  • Spawn rate of DMR has been increased by approx 114%.
  • Spawn rate of SR has been increased by approx 177%.
  • Spawn rates of equipment and armor have been slightly increased, especially level 2.
  • Spawn rates of healing items have been slightly increased.

Open/Close Doors Animation Improvement

• Improved the algorithm to determine when vehicles are blocking doors, preventing them from opening or closing.

Mission List

• You can no longer check your mission list while in the starting area or in the plane using L1.
• You can still check the mission list from the System Menu.

New Parachute Gauge

• The parachute UI has been improved with more visibility and divided into two gauges, one for current speed and the other a more detailed altitude reading.
• Improved teammate status UI:
  • An icon has been added to show when teammates are freefalling from the plane.
  • Teammates’ status icons during the parachuting phase which were previously only shown on the map, are now also shown at the bottom left of the screen alongside the other teammate UI.

Tactical Map Marker

• Added new Tactical Map Markers with 6 different marker types for different situations (Attack, Danger, Defend, Loot, Regroup, Vehicle).
  • To use the markers, open the world map and hold R3 to reveal the Tactical Map Marker wheel, then move to the desired icon then click R3.
    • Clicking R3 without selecting any marker type will place a standard marker.
  • Each player can only place one Tactical Map Marker or Standard marker at a time.
  • Tactical Map Markers will be shown on the world map, minimap, and compass in the same way as the existing map markers.

Throwable Crosshair Improvement

• Added new crosshair when using throwables to easily identify the use of overarm or underarm throwing stance.

Vikendi 2nd Loot Rebalance

• Blue zone adjustments
  • To support a wider variety of gameplay experiences around Vikendi, the initial safe zone will now be placed in more varied locations and the waiting time between certain blue zone phases has been reduced.
    • Phase 1 safe zone now spawns in more varied locations.
    • Waiting time between early and late blue zone phases has been decreased slightly.
    • Overall match duration subsequently reduced by 1 minute and 30 seconds.
  • Vehicle spawn rate adjustment:
    • Vehicle spawn rate has been changed to facilitate the new blue zone settings.
      • Increased four-wheel drive vehicle spawn ratio in relation to Snowbikes and Snowmobiles.
  • Item spawn rate adjustment:
  • We have adjusted weapon spawn rates to help facilitate more medium and long-range engagements. Adjustments to available attachments have also been made to offer players more options.
    • Adjustments to item spawns on Vikendi:
      • AR spawns increased by 1.4x
      • DMR spawns increased by 2x
      • SR spawns increased by 7x
    • SMG, Shotgun, Pistol Crossbow and spawns have been decreased slightly.
    • Attachment spawns have been increased slightly.
    • High powered scope spawns have been increased slightly.
  • Cave balance adjustment:
  • Since the Secret Cave is no longer much of a secret, we have adjusted the loot within to balance it more closely to other areas of Vikendi to improve the gameplay experience, while still offering good loot.
    • Care Packages will no-longer spawn in the cave.
      • High quality non-crate loot will still spawn in this location.
    • Increased variety of items spawned in the cave.
  • Item pool changes:
    • Added MK47 Mutant, Halfgrip, Thumbgrip and Laser Sight.
    • Removed Win94 and R45.
  • Increased Moonlight weather condition percentage.

UI/UX

Team UI Overhaul

• Teammates boost gauges are now in the team UI visible while playing to enhance team play.

Font Style Improvement

• Changed the font style to make capital letters ‘I’ and ‘L’ more distinguishable.

Flare Gun UI Improvement

• Changed the Flare Gun crosshair to display as a circle when aiming at the correct position to successfully call in a Special Care Package or Armored UAZ.
  • Adjusted the Flare Gun status UI displayed after calling in a Special Care Package or Armored UAZ.
    • The green flashing light is now removed once the drop leaves the plane.
    • Previously, it would remain until the drop had been on the ground for 30 seconds.

Minimap Improvements

• Teammates outside of your immediate minimap area will now have their icon and status shown at the at the edge of the minimap. This will help more easily identify the direction and status of your teammates.

Weapon Preview Improvement

• Improved the weapon preview animation in the lobby.

UI Improvement to Prevent Potential Unfair Advantage while Spectating

• If houses and other map objects aren’t completely loaded when spectating teammates, additional UI will now cover the screen to prevent seeing players that wouldn’t otherwise be seen.
  • Once loading is complete, the additional UI will be removed.

Spectator Screen Improvement

• You can now report the spectating player by pressing Triangle/Y button while on the spectator screen.
• Added instructions to the Key Guide that you can leave the match by pressing O/B button.

Network Latency HUD

• Added a Network Information function that can display Ping, connection speed, packets, and packet loss.
• This will be located in the top left of the screen.
• You can change the settings to On/Off at Settings > Gameplay > UI > Network debug statistics.

Performance

• Optimized performance to decrease the time it takes to load into matches.

Sound

Sound Improvements

• We’ve now added more sounds for item interactions.
  • Previously items were looted, dropped, equipped and unequipped, some items had the same sound effects regardless of the characteristics of each item. Sounds will now vary more between items.
• Added vehicle suspension sounds.
  • Sounds of moving vehicles’ suspension working can now be heard.
  • Different sounds will be played in different situations. Vehicles moving on rough terrain or when landing from a jump will make unique sounds.
  • Suspension sound volume is different between TPP and FPP.

Bug Fixes

World

• Fixed an issue with some barbed wire fences blocking bullets.
• Fixed an issue where players are unable to pick up items that are placed under broken barbed wire fences.
• Fixed an issue where items spawned in inaccessible locations of Docks on Sanhok.
• Fixed an issue where the player camera could pass through a specific wall at Paradise Resort on Sanhok while standing close to it.
• Fixed an issue which allowed grenades to be thrown through the underside of the parasols at Paradise Resort on Sanhok.
• Fixed an issue which prevented players from standing up after being prone under certain hut boardwalks on Sanhok.
• Fixed an issue where lighting effects could change abruptly on stone buildings with curved roofs on Sanhok.

General

• Fixed the issue with center screen DBNO and kill messages being delayed.
• Fixed the issue with interaction UI remaining in spectator screen when is killed during interaction UI activated.
• Fixed the issue with certain maneuver could prevent motorcycles from flipping.
• Fixed the issue where the character would continue moving when system menu was opened while driving or freefalling.
• Fixed an issue with different UAZ model variants having different maximum speeds.
• Fixed the issue with a frag grenade ground burn mark textures overlapping the player character’s model.
• Fixed an issue where only one side of footsteps is output in certain situations.
• Fixed an issue which would remove player’s hair completely when equipping caps.
• Fixed a visual issue when punk knuckle gloves were equipped.
• Fixed a visual issue preventing belts from being visible when wearing a fur coat.
• Fixed an issue where character’s hair and face overlap when a female character equips specific hair styles and caps.
• Fixed a visual issue with shadows displaying incorrectly when swimming in FPP.
• Fixed an issue where players are unable to revive their teammates if casting UI freezes at 0 while reviving.
• Fixed an issue when using a scope and the character moves backward, the scope shakes.
• Fixed certain limb animations not playing while vaulting.
• Fixed an issue preventing the correct crosshair from being displayed after holstering a sidearm.
• Fixed an issue with Shirt (Plaid) icon not matching the in-game asset.
• Fixed a bug which prevented footsteps from being heard while walking over mud or water while wearing Harley Quinn Daddy’s Lil’ Monster Outfit.
• Fixed an issue where weapons could sometimes become unusable after reconnecting to a game.
• Fixed a visual issue after reloading an M249 which could cause the magazine to float mid-air.
• Fixed an issue preventing vehicle missions from being completed with the Zima.
• Fixed an issue where players could take excessive damage or die when landing at specific locations.
• Fixed an issue where the screen would shake when ADS and leaning against a wall or the corner of objects.
• Fixed an issue where the game mode would sometimes change when making a team.
• Fixed an issue where some bullets could pass through a wall when firing in specific conditions.
• Fixed an issue with a vehicle that slipped more than intended while driving.
• Fixed an issue which prevented healing items from being used when holding a weapon and performing an emote.
• Fixed an issue which allowed some unintended weapon types to be used from the back seat of an Aquarail.
• Fixed an issue where an error message is output when attempting to replace a cooked throwable with a throwable in the inventory.
• Grenades can no-longer be thrown through wire mesh (most notably, wire fences).
• Fixed an issue where players would sometimes appear to be moving in a falling motion.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-pubg-ps4xbox-one-patch-includes-revamped-progr/1100-6468032/