Reading List
The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.
Xbox Partner Preview Will Feature New Looks At 007 First Light, Tides Of Annihilation, Reanimal, And More This Week
Xbox has announced a Partner Preview for this week, which will feature updates for new and upcoming titles from third-party studios. The presentation will air on Thursday, November 20, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET.
An Xbox Wire post confirms the presentation will feature new trailers for titles such as IO Interactive’s James Bond game 007 First Light, Little Nightmare developer Tarsier Studio’s horror platformer Reanimal, and the dark fantasy action game Tides of Annihilation, which turned heads when it debuted during a PlayStation State of Play in February. Xbox also states the Partner Showcase includes titles from publishers THQ Nordic and Tencent, along with new reveals and Game Pass announcements.
For more recent Xbox news, check out the announcement for Halo: Campaign Evolved, the release date for the long-awaited ID@Xbox title Routine, and our reviews for Xbox-published titles The Outer Worlds 2 and Ninja Gaiden 4.
Nintendo Shares First Images From The Set Of The Live-Action Zelda Movie
Last week, we got the first proper trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, but it seems Nintendo had more movie teasers ready to go for this week. Today, shared on the Nintendo Today App and on social media, we got our first glimpse at the live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, which just started filming in New Zealand. You can take a look at Link and Zelda below.
The images show Link, played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, and Zelda, played by Bo Bragason, in a sprawling green countryside, presumably somewhere in Hyrule. On social media, the images are accompanied by a message from Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto. We know this because he starts the message by saying, "This is Miyamoto." The full statement is as follows.
This is Miyamoto. Filming is underway for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda in a lush, natural setting, with Bo Bragason-san who will play Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san who will play Link. Filming is on track for the film’s release on May 7, 2027. It will take a while until the release, so we would be grateful if you would wait patiently and look forward to it.
We know very little about the movie outside its two main cast members, but this image provides some morsels of context to speculate about. Both Link and Zelda's designs seem to be partially inspired by their most recent iterations on Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, which is unsurprising, given the success of each of those games. Zelda, for example, is wearing blue, which is unlike her typical pink/purple and white attire found in prior games. Link is wearing his traditional green, which is unlike the newer games and is specifically evocative of his Twilight Princess look. Still, his cap-less appearance certainly evokes his newer design. Besides, Link can wear green in the newer games; his iconic Champion's Tunic dominates much of the promotional material, but his attire is more variable than Zelda's.
More notably, Link doesn't appear to have a weapon in these images, which raises many questions about his relationship to Zelda in this scene. He's typically tasked with defending or rescuing her, but when she has a weapon and he has nothing, that dynamic doesn't seem feasible here. Could she be a mentor figure in this scene? Or could this be a version of Link that has to learn to be brave across the course of the film? At this time, it's all unclear, but we're eager to learn more as we approach the game's May 2027 release date.
For more Nintendo news, you can check out a recap of everything from last week's Mario Galaxy Movie Direct right here, or read our review of the latest Zelda spin-off, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment.
Marvel's Deadpool VR Review - Mileage May Vary
Reviewed on:
Quest 3
Platform:
Quest 3
Publisher:
Oculus Studios
Developer:
Twisted Pixel
Release:
Rating:
Mature
The character of Deadpool is divisive. He’s not a hero that many have neutral feelings for. You either appreciate his caustic, perpetual dialogue and complete disrespect for the fourth wall, or his vulgar and violent attitude will never win you over and you’re done giving him the opportunity to try. I am among the small percent who does often tire of Deadpool’s schtick, but am happy to give it up for the jokes that absolutely work on me. His virtual reality video game fares similarly to his appearances in other media. Both the dialogue and gameplay sometimes grated on me, but there are a number of impressive moments and the occasional strong joke that surprised me and made me laugh.
You are, unsurprisingly, inside the head of Deadpool in Deadpool VR. What begins as a freelance job to return the SHIELD Helicarrier to its rightful owners turns into participation in an intergalactic reality show to travel the universe and collect B-tier Marvel villains and make them fight for a different B-tier villain, Mojo. The story is straightforward to the point that Deadpool calls out its predictable nature often, but that’s okay, because Deadpool VR is not about the plot. It’s about personifying the Merc with a Mouth, sometimes to a fault.
The amount of dialogue in Deadpool VR is staggering. And it’s made all the more impressive when you learn that each of the different variant Deadools you can replay the levels as have different lines, even in the primary story sequences. Unfortunately, the majority of Deadpool’s jokes simply do not hit, and Neil Patrick Harris’ performance vacillates between an impression of Ryan Reynolds’ take on the character, indifferent line readings, and the occasional enthusiastic embracing of a good punchline.
The jokes that worked for me were the ones that dug into obscure video game references and ridiculed design, like poking fun at doors inexplicably unlocking when you kill enough bad guys. It’s too bad the game isn’t available on PlayStation VR2 where my constant eye rolling over jokes that did little more than reference pop culture could be tracked. But when Deadpool waxes poetic about how Vanquish was underrated or wonders out loud what Jeff Minter-flavored ice cream might taste like during a level inspired by Llamasoft’s visual aesthetic, I can’t help but admit I was charmed. But the hit rate is overall lower than I’d like.
Actually playing as Deadpool is a matter of using his twin guns or twin swords with the occasional grenade thrown in for good measure. Combat is frantic to the point of me turning up the VR comfort settings a little more than I usually do, but I enjoyed pulling off impressive kills. Jumping in the air to kick off a bad guy’s head and grab his dropped gun out of the air in slow-motion to shoot his cohorts feels good, but it’s a move I pulled off a lot. I also am generally tired of swinging swords in VR. I don’t find the action fun in just about any VR game, and Deadpool VR is no different. Thankfully, gunplay is solid and a totally viable way to tackle most encounters.
The combat highlights come in the boss fights, which aren’t particularly challenging, but are fun exercises in superhero choreography that I always looked forward to. Between the levels where you pursue and defeat bosses, however, are battles intentionally designed to feel like online modes in multiplayer maps played against bots. Playing through those sequences always felt like trudging through the lame parts to get to the fun parts. It made the last act of the game, an extended set of back-to-back battles against the collected bosses on those types of levels, disappointing.
Your mileage in Deadpool VR will really depend on your patience with the character. Developer Twisted Pixel nails the tone and rhythm of Deadpool in what he talks about, how much he talks, and how he can’t be bothered to take anything seriously. It can be annoying, but there are good jokes, and the action mostly stays fresh. The frequent combat rooms get redundant, but there are impressive on-rails sequences and even a handful of fun-but-simple VR puzzles to keep most elements from overstaying their welcome. I just can’t in good conscience say the same for the character himself. And I am sure he will be mad at me for it.
Score: 7.75
The Video Games You Should Play This Weekend – November 14
November is sprinting along at a pace that does not make sense in terms of the way time moves along. I have looked into who I should email to try and slow things down, but I have had no luck. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel for the sprint of major releases at the end of the year, but now the backlog is a mile high, and we need to start making some end of the year best of decisions.
Speaking of which, head here to vote for your favorite games of the year! I recognize it's a little early to choose, but such is the burden of working in print. We don't mind, though. We like magazines.
Anyway, it's Friday and it's time for the weekend and our usual recommendation of games and things you should check out! But before that, here's a recap of the biggest stories of the week:
- Valve Announces Console-Like Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR Headset, And New Steam Controller
- Everything We Learned In Nintendo's Direct For The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
- Metroid Prime 4 Hands-On: The Mouse Controls Are Mind-Bendingly Good
- Red Dead Redemption Is Coming To PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and Mobile Next Month With Free Upgrade Paths
- Horizon Steel Frontiers Is An MMORPG Set In Guerrilla's Horizon Universe, And It's Coming To PC And Mobile
- Best Video Game Soundtrack Grammy Nominations Don't Include Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
The Games You Should Check Out This Weekend
Vampire Survivors VR
In an announcement that was arguably more surprising than Valve sharing details about its upcoming console, VR headset, and new controller, Vampire Survivors is now inexplicably available for Meta Quest. I'm not the biggest VR proponent, but I am a big fan of seeing how familiar games get ported to the platform. I love Resident Evil 4 VR for Meta Quest and am sad that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas VR appears to be dead. Hopefully, I am wrong.
In any case, I quickly downloaded it and played a few rounds and was charmed by it. Expectantly, it offers a new perspective on a game I have dumped a lot of hours into. Seeing the game (which is functionally identical to playing it on a 2D screen) laid out before you with some limited stereoscopic layering to the pixel characters and monsters is neat. It is not the new way that I will play Vampire Survivors moving forward, but I am glad it exists, and I want to see more unexpected games like this get ported to VR. My dream for a VR port? Metal Gear Solid, with its 32-bit visuals intact.
You can see a little bit of gameplay from the VR version here.
Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Imprisonment
I wrote about it last week, as well, but now I have finished it, so I am prepared to recommend it while linking to my review. If you don't like the musou genre (games structured like Dynasty Warriors), then Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment likely won't convince you. But, I can confidently say it is my favorite musou game thanks to some little tweaks that make combat more engaging. I am also a sucker for being back in the world of Tears of the Kingdom. My biggest fear about the game (and my biggest critique of Age of Calamity) was that the story would not take the events of Tears of the Kingdom seriously. Thankfully, it does here.
Marvel Rivals
NetEase's popular superhero team game continues to impress with the pace and breadth of its updates. Today brings the launch of the game's fifth season, along with the new playable hero Gambit. Gambit sweetheart, Rogue, is expected to arrive mid-season. The new content is also a celebration of the game's first anniversary, and includes anniversary-themed rewards for players to acquire with play. Alongside new team-up abilities, a new non-combat social space in Times Square, and plenty of new balance changes on the way, it's a good time to hop in and engage in some good old-fashioned superhero battles.
Winter Burrow
You're a mouse, and you're returning home in the depths of winter to your old cozy burrow, there to knit sweaters, cook foraged mushrooms, and explore the forest. While Winter Burrow is ostensibly a survival game, it's an awfully adorable one, where the pace and tone are both decidedly light and friendly. Your mouse protagonist makes cute squeak noises as they dig in the snow. The gameplay loop mostly involves prioritizing a return to a warm fireplace at the end of every day of gathering. Noodlecake's new game doesn't break a lot of ground in terms of complex gameplay, but it's a clear winner if you're looking for your next zone-out and relax title to cozy up next to over the forthcoming cold months.
Dispatch
Dispatch is now a complete game. Its episodic release schedule has officially concluded which means you can now play (or binge) all eight of its episodes in full. No cliffhangers for you!
I, admittedly, don't usually enjoy these types of experiences. I never really got into any Telltale games despite giving many of them a shot. They're just a bit too passive for me. I like more gameplay. But I have been so enamored with the look and animation of Dispatch that I ended up playing it as new episodes released week to week and saw it to the end. It's good!
Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, And More
Watch the video version here:
Listen to "Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, And More" on Spreaker.Follow our guest and hosts on social media:
- Marcus Stewart (@marcusstewart7)
- Wesley LeBlanc (@wesleyleblanc)
- Kyle Hilliard (@kylehilliard)
- Eric Van Allen (@seamoosi)
Jump to a specific discussion using these timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
04:29 - Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
17:57 - Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
35:36 - Lumines Arise
47:50 - Possessor(s)
1:11:22 - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment