Category: Default

Creative Freedom With Microsoft Is “Not As Hard As People Think,” Says We Happy Few Devs

Published on in Default by Jennifer Stephens

Compulsion Games isn’t worried about losing creative freedom under Microsoft’s banner as part of Xbox Game Studios. The development team behind We Happy Few actually asserts that the Microsoft acquisition has afforded them the chance to more easily focus on the studio’s future.

“That’s actually removed a lot of the focus from finding where we’re going to find the next paycheck to actually concentrating on what is it that we need to make great games,” founder and creative director Guillaume Provost said in The Cost of Joy, a documentary recounting the history of Compulsion Games. “I can be more forward-looking to what we actually need in order to actually succeed. And [there’s] a huge difference from having a big backer like Microsoft that’s allowing us our creative space and our creative freedom, from being an independent developer that’s starving all the time and looking for money. Build the team not just for the next game, but for the next series of games.”

“Trying to maintain creativity inside an organization like Microsoft is not as hard as people think it is,” producer Sam Abbott said. “It’s really just about having a leadership group inside Microsoft that understands the value of creativity and creative games.” Community developer Naila Hadjas added, “We have been told to keep making really weird, just different things. So, on the creative standpoint, it’s just been all positive.”

Microsoft’s decision to acquire Compulsion Games as a first-party studio was one the We Happy Few developers did not anticipate. “I don’t think that ever crossed our mind,” Abbot said. “We’re spending a lot of time figuring out, do we think that we can raise the standards of quality of the games we’re building–can we become a real first-party studio?” Hadjas thinks they are up to the task, citing the team’s history with Gearbox as an example of Compulsion Games efficiently working with a larger studio. “Working with Gearbox prepared us to work with Microsoft in a lot of ways because we let them into our world and we learned to be very concise and precise with our feedback back and forth,” she said.

With the recent release of the We All Fall Down expansion, Compulsion Games has officially wrapped up We Happy Few. The game launched to mixed reviews–including ours here on GameSpot, where Alessandro Barbosa wrote, “[We Happy Few’s] entire gameplay loop is underpinned by boring quests and long stretches of inaction. And even when it forces you to interact with its world beyond just walking to waypoints, combat, stealth, and otherwise fascinating societies fail to impose the right balance of challenge and tension.”

Despite the rough start, Compulsion Games’ continued support for We Happy Few is commendable, and the bug fixes, updates, and DLC expansions have created a much better, more cohesive experience overall. With the game now complete, Compulsion Games is probably hard at work on an upcoming Xbox first-party title–which, based on the timing, is likely to release for Microsoft’s next-gen console, Xbox Series X, which is scheduled to launch during the holiday season in 2020.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – Who Were All Those Jedi Voices?

Published on in Default by Jennifer Stephens

Note: This story includes spoilers for the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Read on at your own risk!

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker finally brings the nine-movie Skywalker Saga to a conclusion, finishing the story of the Jedi Order’s war with the dark Sith. It’s a conflict that has ravaged the galaxy through wars between the Separatists and the Galactic Republic in the prequel movies, the Rebellion and the Galactic Empire in the original trilogy, and the Resistance and the First Order in the sequel trilogy. Though both the Jedi and the Sith have nearly been destroyed, as we saw in The Last Jedi, there are still two warriors for each faction battling for the fate of the galaxy far, far away in The Rise of Skywalker: Rey on the light side, and Kylo Ren on the dark.

During the final conflict of the film, Rey, as the last Jedi, finds herself facing down the might of the Sith once and for all. And though it looks like she’s not up to the task, at the last second, she’s infused with the power of all the Jedi who have come before her. In a poignant moment, the voices of the Jedi of the past ring out in Rey’s mind, granting her the strength and confidence to stand for the Light side.

If you listen close, you might recognize a few of those voices–and there might be plenty you don’t recognize, especially because they come pretty quickly. So who are all the Jedi of the past standing with Rey? Check out the complete list below.

And if you’re looking for more references and callbacks to past Star Wars material, check out our giant list of Rise of Skywalker Easter eggs.

Star Wars News

  • How Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Ends For Every Major Character
  • Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker – 48 Easter Egg From Past Movies
  • Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Review – A Galactic Disappointment
  • Star Wars Timeline: How To Watch It All In Order On Disney Plus

1. Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor reprises his prequel role as Obi-Wan, at least with his voice, something he also did during The Force Awakens. And like in The Force Awakens, you can hear the voice of the original Obi-Wan, Alec Guinness, as well. For the first movie, the filmmakers used a bit of Guinness’s dialogue from the original film to make it sound like he says “Rey” during her vision after touching Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber at Maz Kanata’s castle. That same clip makes it into the end of The Rise of Skywalker as well.

2. Yoda

The Jedi Master responsible for Luke Skywalker had a brief return as a Force ghost in The Last Jedi, where he gave Luke some useful advice about his interactions with Rey. Yoda’s influence on the Jedi continues one last time as we hear him in the Sith temple, voiced again by Frank Oz.

3. Luke Skywalker

Rey’s mentor might have sacrificed himself to save the Resistance and gone into the Force, but he’s still around to help out here and there. After Rey saw him on Ahch-To, we again hear Mark Hamill’s voice during Rey’s toughest challenge.

4. Anakin Skywalker

Though Kylo Ren hears Darth Vader’s voice in his mind–one that Emperor Palpatine takes responsibility for–the Dark Lord of the Sith’s redemption means that Rey hears him during her final battle. Hayden Christiansen reprises the role from the prequel movies.

5. Qui-Gon Jinn

The Jedi who first saw the potential in Anakin Skywalker and came to believe he was the prophesied Jedi who would bring balance to the Force was also one of Palpatine’s first victims. Qui-Gon, played by Liam Neeson, fell to Palpatine’s first apprentice, Darth Maul, but he also contacted Yoda through the Force in Revenge of the Sith. And now he’s back for the final battle against the Sith Lord who indirectly ended him.

6. Mace Windu

Of everyone who took on Emperor Palpatine during his rise to power, Mace Windu came closest to defeating him. In fact, he only fell because of Anakin’s interference during the Jedi’s fall to become Darth Vader. It makes sense that we’d hear the voice of Samuel L. Jackson at the moment Rey is finally able to defeat Palpatine once and for all.

7. Ahsoka Tano

A longtime character in the Star Wars cartoon series, starting with The Clone Wars, Ahsoka was formerly Anakin’s padawan. Ashley Eckstein returns to Star Wars for Rey’s big moment, although she’s an interesting inclusion, given that as of Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka was still alive. She’s only a few years older than Han Solo, after all.

8. Kanan Jarrus

One of the key Jedi figures in Star Wars Rebels, Kanan Jarrus survived Order 66 during the Clone Wars and went on to mentor Jedi padawan and Rebels protagonist Ezra Bridger before he was killed during the year of the Battle of Yavin. We don’t hear Ezra among the voices of the Jedi of the Path, but you can pick out Kanan, voiced by Freddie Prinze Jr., among the elder Jedi aiding Rey.

9. Aayla Secura

A Jedi from the fall of the Republic who only briefly appeared in Revenge of the Sith, Aayla Sekura was a much more prominent figure in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There, she fought alongside Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano. Jennifer Hale voiced Aayla in the show and she returns for The Rise of Skywalker as well.

10. Luminara Unduli

Another Jedi Master from before the rise of the Empire, Luminara was a major figure in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. She fought alongside Ahsoka against the Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress, but was eventually captured during the events of Revenge of the Sith. Olivia d’Abo reprises the role of Luminara for The Rise of Skywalker.

11. Adi Gallia

Like most of the other Jedi on this list, Adi was present on the Jedi Council throughout Palpatine’s rise. She appeared briefly in the movies, and fought alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars before she was killed by Savage Opress, Darth Maul’s brother. She’s again voiced by Angelique Perrin, as she was in the series, in The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Ending Explained

Published on in Default by Jennifer Stephens

At long last, the Skywalker Saga has reached its conclusion–for now, at least. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters and fans are getting the opportunity to see how director JJ Abrams wrapped up a long-running story that was first started by George Lucas 42 years ago. In GameSpot’s review of The Rise of Skywalker, Michael Rougeau wrote of the movie, “It should never be so clear to audiences that something in the filmmaking process has gone so terribly wrong–that the people who made the first film in a trilogy apparently didn’t bother to sketch out a plan for the second and third, and that the movies’ directors had visions for the series’ future that were so fundamentally at odds.”

But how does it end? With so much at stake–and so many characters to wrap up–The Rise of Skywalker had a lot of ground to cover. Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want any twists, turns, or surprises spoiled for you, do the smart thing and look away now. This is not the story you’re looking for.

If you want to know how each major character in the film ended their individual stories in The Rise of Skywalker, we have you covered. As for the ending of the film itself, there’s quite a bit to unpack. The broad strokes are that the First Order and the Sith were ultimately defeated by Rey, who was revealed to be the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine.

In a final showdown in the Sith temple on the planet Exegol, Rey used both Luke’s lightsaber (his first, which originally belonged to Anakin), as well as Leia’s–because it was revealed she also trained to be a Jedi–to deflect Palpatine’s Force lightning, shooting it right back at him. In destroying him, though, she sacrificed her own life energy and died.

That didn’t last for long, naturally. After shedding his Kylo Ren moniker and the dark side of the Force, Ben Solo came to her aid and used their connection through the Force–which this movie decided is called a “Force dyad”–to give his life energy to her. She woke up long enough to kiss him, before he keeled over and died.

Thus ended the battle of the Jedi and the Sith until the next time a movie about Jedi fighting Sith is released. The Rise of Skywalker didn’t end there, though. Following the death of Palpatine and the destruction of the Sith temple, Poe Dameron commanded the resistance and its allies in eliminating the armada of star destroyers the Emperor had created, bringing an end to the First Order once and for all.

After the Battle of Exegol, the resistance celebrated in their forest camp, as everyone realized they’d somehow actually won the war. This is the last time we see most of the franchise’s major characters. It’s Rey alone who figures into the final scene of the film.

Some time after the battle and celebration, she found herself at the moisture farm Luke Skywalker grew up at on Tatooine. There, in the sand, she buried the lightsabers of Luke and Leia–her mentors–putting their spirits to rest. She also revealed a lightsaber of her own, powered by a yellow Kyber crystal. It’s clear that Rey is not giving up on the way of the Jedi.

At that point, a woman passed by, asking who she was. Rey offered a simple response as the final two words of the Skywalker Saga. “Rey Skywalker,” she told the stranger.

With that moment, Skywalker has officially risen. While Rey’s bloodline may have a strong connection to the dark side of the Force, she chooses to align herself with those who taught her about the Force in the first place–the Skywalker twins.

Now that you’ve been able to watch Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, don’t forget to check out our massive compilation of Easter eggs from the film, as well as a look at the latest episode of The Mandalorian–the live-action Star Wars TV show on Disney+.

The Amazon Lord Of The Rings Show Has Sent Out A Casting Call For Orcs

Published on in Default by Jennifer Stephens

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series is currently seeking members of the New Zealand public to play orcs. Specifically, according to LadBible’s reporting on what casting agents are seeking, they’re after people who have “wonderful noses” or “character faces,” and people who are either over six feet tall or under five feet.

Two casting agencies are reaching out in the hope of finding orcs for the series, and are reportedly looking for people of any background and ethnicity with a lot of freckles and hair. As the Lord of the Rings movie series was also filmed in New Zealand, it’s theoretically feasible that some of the extras who played orcs in the movies could return.

According to LadBible, they’re also seeking “long lithe dancers,” “stocky mean-looking bikers,” and “redheads of all ages, shapes and sizes,” to portray orcs in the series. The idea, they say, is to find people whose inherently interesting faces will require less make-up.

According to stuff.co.nz, the casting calls for Lord of the Rings–for orcs or otherwise–are now “urgent,” as Amazon looks to get moving on their enormous fantasy series.

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings has already been renewed for a second season before the first has been filmed. Morfydd Clark has been cast as a young Galadriel for the show, while Will Poulter has left the show over a scheduling conflict. The show will be set during the Second Age of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy world.

Destiny 2: All Transponder Locations And Where To Find Saint-14’s Ghost

Published on in Default by Jennifer Stephens

Nessus Transponder Locations

Exodus Black – On A Big Rock

Spawn in at the Exodus Black transmat zone and you’ll find yourself right below the Nessus obelisk. Climb up to it, then look for the big rock with the flat top nearby–the highest point in the area. You’ll need to jump up a little higher to reach the top, but it’s not difficult. You’ll find the transponder marked at the top.

The Hallows – Along The Wall, Above The Battle

Head down into the Hallows from the Artifact transmat zone and stick to the left side of the area. You’re looking for another flat rock you can climb to the top of using outcroppings around it, as marked on the map. There’s also a Vex gate you can scan here.

Watchers Grave – Along The Edge

This one’s pretty easy to find. Transmat in at Watcher’s Grave and stick to the left side of the area. Find the curved section of Vex architecture; the transponder spot is on the ground near the wall.

Chamber of Water – Way In The Back

From Watcher’s Grave, head north and take the Vex gate you find there. That’ll zap you to the Chamber of Water, but you’ll have to hike (and shoot some Vex) to reach the transponder spot. Keep moving until you hit the edge of the area, where you can see back outside into the foggy landscape of Nessus. The transponder point is on the ground near the edge.

The Tangle – Path To Insight Terminus

This one’s confusing. On the map, it appears this transponder point is just on the path between The Tangle and Watcher’s Grave, but you won’t find it on the surface. Instead, you need to travel underground. Follow the path toward The Tangle, heading down into the trench as you enter the area. Look for a hole in the wall that leads to an underground cave network–the path you take when you run the Insight Terminus Strike. Keep moving along the path until you reach a big room filled with enemies, with a giant gap across the middle. Leap across and climb up to the right to find the transponder spot, a bit off the beaten path.

Cistern – Vex Milk Lake

The last transponder goes out in the middle of a Radiolarian lake, near a Vex milk waterfall. Land at the transmat zone in the Cistern and follow the path down and to the left. Cross the big white lake toward its edge, where you’ll see some gray Vex stones you can stand on. Hop out and climb up onto the highest point to find the spot to plant the transponder.

Where To Find Saint-14’s Ghost

After you’ve got all the transponders placed, you’ll get a new X on your map leading you to the Vex network so you can find Saint-14’s lost Ghost. Ignore the marker, because it’s not helpful. Instead, read the quest description, which will lead you to the Pools of Luminance near the Cistern. From the transmat zone, head straight down the path but don’t turn. Instead, look at the wall to your right, where you should see an opening.

Head toward the map and follow the path to the right until you reach a cave system filled with glowing Radiolaria, or Vex Milk. Keep moving until you enter a big cavern filled with Vex. Clear them out, then look to the back of the room for a white Vex conflux you can activate. Interacting with it will open a new Vex portal that you can jump through, which will lead you to the Ghost.

Get The Whole Dead Space Trilogy For Less Than $15 On Xbox One

Published on in Default by Jennifer Stephens

Right now, you can nab the entire Dead Space trilogy for less than $15 USD if you have an Xbox Live Gold membership. And since all three games are Xbox One backwards compatible, you don’t have to pull out your Xbox 360 to play them. Additionally, all three will be playable day one on Xbox Series X as well.

Xbox One Dead Space Discounts

  • Dead Space — $3.74 ($5.24)
  • Dead Space 2 — $5 ($7)
  • Dead Space 3 — $5 ($7)

I’ll defend the Dead Space trilogy (including the third entry, warts and all) to my dying breath. Developed by Visceral Games, the Dead Space trilogy pushed the envelope when it came to horror games–providing an over-the-shoulder, more action-focused variation to the survival horror genre that encouraged you to quickly take careful aim and shoot enemies in specific places. All three games are incredibly immersive, utilizing a minimalistic hud and environmental storytelling to bring the player into the life of Isaac Clarke, a simple engineer who’s repeatedly tasked with combating a horrifying, zombie-like threat called the necropmorphs.

Over the years, Dead Space has shared a connection with Resident Evil, first taking inspiration from Capcom’s horror series and then providing some of the blueprints for the format found in 2019’s Resident Evil 2. Though the first game is now over 10 years old, Dead Space is still worth going back to–and if you’re going to play the first game, you might as well see the entire trilogy all the way through.

The Dead Space trilogy isn’t the only collection of games on sale. Thanks to the Xbox Holiday Sale, there are discounts on a wide variety of titles, including GameSpot’s 2019 game of the year (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice) and 2018 game of the year (Red Dead Redemption 2). Other notable games from 2019 are on sale too, such as A Plague Tale: Innocence, Gears 5, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. And unlike the Dead Space trilogy, you don’t need to be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber to take advantage of them.

Below, you can find some of our favorite deals, but be sure to check out the Xbox Games Store if you want the entire list of discounted titles.

Best Xbox One Holiday Sale Game Deals

  • A Plague Tale: Innocence — $30 ($50)
  • Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — $19.79 ($60)
  • Borderlands 3 — $39 ($60)
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — $45 ($60)
  • Dead Cells — $18.74 ($25)
  • The Division 2 — $18 ($60)
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ — $19.79 ($60)
  • Far Cry New Dawn — $20 ($40)
  • FIFA 20 — $36 ($60)
  • Forza Horizon 4 — $36 ($60)
  • Gears 5 — $30 ($60)
  • Generation Zero — $21 ($30)
  • Ghost Recon Breakpoint — $24 ($60)
  • Hitman 2 — $19.79 ($60)
  • Jump Force — $30 ($60)
  • Madden NFL 20 — $36 ($60)
  • Mortal Kombat 11 — $30 ($60)
  • NBA 2K20 — $30 ($60)
  • Need For Speed Heat — $39 ($60)
  • No Man’s Sky — $25 ($50)
  • Overwatch: Legendary Edition — $24 ($60)
  • Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds — $13 ($20)
  • Rage 2 — $24 ($60)
  • Rainbow Six Siege Deluxe Edition — $13.19 ($40)
  • Red Dead Redemption 2 — $36 ($60)
  • Resident Evil 2 — $19.79 ($60)
  • Sea of Thieves: Anniversary Edition — $25 ($50)
  • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice — $45 ($60)
  • Star Wars Battlefront 2 — $15 ($25)
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order — $54 ($60)
  • Trials Rising — $12.50 ($25)
  • Void Bastards — $24 ($30)
  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — $12 ($40)
  • World War Z — $20 ($40)

Stardew Valley’s 1.4 Update Is Live On Switch, PS4, And Xbox One

Published on in Default by Jennifer Stephens

Stardew Valley has received a major update on consoles this week, with the 1.4 patch finally arriving for the Switch, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game. The PC version received update 1.4 on November 26, and has since received additional bug fix patches specific to that release. The patch’s arrival was announced by developer ConcernedApe on Twitter.

Update 1.4, which was talked up a lot in the lead-up to its release, introduces a bevy of changes to the beloved farming game. There’s a huge list of things that have changed, but there are some clear highlights. A new movie theater is unlocked near the end of the game, and there are new 14-heart events for every spouse, plus other events with the rest of the game’s cast. There are also lots of new items and clothes to wear, plus a new co-op map, Four Corners. You can also add fish ponds to your farm now.

New mine content has been added too, including “a quarry mineshaft dungeon with new Haunted Skull and Sludge monsters.” Perhaps the funniest change is that ex-spouses will no longer show up at your wedding, or treat you normally during festivals.

Literally hundreds of other changes have come to the console versions of the game now. These changes are expected to come to the mobile version of the game too; sadly, the PlayStation Vita version will not be receiving additional content.