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After interviewing motherboard manufacturers at Gamescom 2024, ComputerBase reports that AMD's next lineup of mid-range chipsets likely won't begin shipping until next year. B850 and B840 models might appear at CES 2025. Read Entire Article View the full article

Just a few weeks ahead of the launch, I had the chance to visit Ubisoft Toronto to get a look into a bit of the behind-the-scenes of Star Wars Outlaws. The media event featured a series of presentations from the story team, the realization and animation team as well as the performance capture crew. [Hidden Content] During this same event, I got the chance to speak to some of the crew that works on the game including Bogdan Draghici (Realization Director, Massive Entertainment), Jason Cook (Associate Animation Director, Ubisoft Toronto) and Michael Hollenbeck (Associate Realization Director, Ubisoft Toronto). [Hidden Content] Bogdan Draghici has worked in the film, TV and video games industry over the past 20 years. He currently works for Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment (based out of Sweden). He has previously worked for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and worked on films such as Solo: A Star Wars Story, Aladdin (2019), Avengers: Endgame, Ready Player One and more. He’s also worked on previous Ubisoft titles such as The Division 2 and Far Cry 3. Jason Cook has worked at Ubisoft Toronto on several titles including, Watch Dogs: Legion, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Far Cry 6 and more. Michael Hollenbeck has been at Ubisoft Toronto working on titles such as Watch Dogs: Legion, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and Far Cry 6. [Hidden Content] Star Wars Outlaws TheCanadianTechie: Can you please introduce yourselves and your roles? Michael Hollenbeck: I’m Michael Hollenbeck, I’m the Associate Animation Director at Ubisoft Toronto. Bogdan Draghici: I’m Bogdan Draghici, I’m the Realization Director and Animation Director on Star Wars Outlaws. Jason Cook: I’m Jason Cook, I’m the Associate Realization Director at Ubisoft Toronto, working on Star Wars Outlaws as well. [Hidden Content] Star Wars Outlaws CT: What’s your personal history with Star Wars, did you grow up watching the Original Trilogy or the Prequels, watching some of the shows, playing with the toys etc? JC: I started with the original trilogy, I started with Empire when I was probably a little bit too young to watch that, but it sucked me in and I think I wore that VHS tape out watching it over and over and over and over again. And from there, it just kind of branched out into the rest of the trilogy and then, you know, when I was a teenager, I was lining up for the prequels, all that kind of stuff. You know, lifelong fans throughout. BD: Same for me, I mean the original trilogy is a part of my childhood and of course, had an impact on me, which led me to continue watching everything that came out after that. But I also had the opportunity to work on a couple of the films for Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). So I’m pretty familiar with it all. MH: For me, I would say that it started with the original trilogy and then, definitely was in line for at the theatre for the prequels, as those came out in the theatres. And then onto the final series of films and all the supplementary films as well. [Hidden Content] Star Wars Outlaws CT: If you could explain in the simplest terms, what is like does realization director does, and what does that process entail? JC: Realization is all about that connective tissue, the narrative beats that happen between cinematics and gameplay. In that way, we form cohesive and immersive experiences that are totally seamless throughout, in order to better serve the narrative in any way possible. BD: It’s worth mentioning that [realization] from studio to studio may differ a little bit. For me, my role as a realization director is to support the creative with an extensive focus on cinematics, dialogue, scenes or realization of the game and all the unique moments that need to be customized for it. [Hidden Content] Star Wars Outlaws CT: What’s the process of translating the world of Star Wars from film to video games? JC: I think one thing that we mentioned in the presentation is the archives right? That Lucasfilm had made available to us. Then of course we have the films as a source. We have the shows as a source, but being able to access those volumes and volumes of references from Lucasfilm has been really helpful to build out our world in a more accurate way. BD: I would say that the story for us is the most important. We try to focus on the story and deliver an experience that is unique, and grounded in the universe of Star Wars. And we don’t want to break anything that was created before, we want to add to that universe and we want for the player to get a unique experience. [Hidden Content] Star Wars Outlaws CT: For Bogdan, I know you’ve worked in the film industry, how has that helped with your role working on Star Wars Outlaws? BD: It helped in a sense that of course of familiar with the documentation. My familiarity with the approach of the filmmakers who worked on Solo: A Star Wars Story, a project that I worked on. But also, my previous role as a generalist, where I used to create shots by myself. The way I work is that I tend to work with my team as if they are an extension of myself. BD: In theory, I would be able to create the whole cinematic myself but because I don’t have the time, I don’t have the resources. Then I give notes in a way of how I would make it, if I had to create it. Star Wars Outlaws launches on August 30th for Xbox Series X & S, PS5 and PC. View the full article For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The Man-in-Stone is one of ****** Myth: Wukong’s most curious entities, and after some initial shenanigans, they want to sell you various goods—including the Gold Ridge ******. The Gold Ridge ****** seems like a phenomenal, must-own collectible you can keep or trade for something else. It’s one of several Treasures sold by the problematic Man-in-Stone figure, and adding it to the Destined One’s inventory costs a premium in ****** Myth: Wukong. View the full article

Diablo 4 has been on a roll recently with the number of reveals out of Gamescom week. We got our first look at the Mercenaries AI companions, a detailed explanation of the system, more details on the new Nahantau explorable region, and even some details about the features coming to all players with the release of Vessel of Hatred - such as the new Party Finder. Those who opt to pay for the expansion, however, have a couple of endgame additions to look forward to after wrapping up the campaign. Read more View the full article

Genki are returning to their racing roots with a brand new Tokyo Xtreme Racer in the works, due out for release sometime in 2025. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

A Honkai: Star Rail ***** has revealed the banner schedule for version 2.5, suggesting that Topaz & Numby will be promoted instead of Dr. Ratio. Over the past few weeks, dataminers have leaked a number of details about Honkai: Star Rail's version 2.5. They have revealed potential new bosses and changes to endgame modes, claiming players will receive free Stellar Jades, Tears of Dreams, and Fuel. These rewards will be handed out by Feixiao, a five-star character from the path of Hunt. View the full article

Image: shiftBacktick The space adventure is a glimpse into unsighted play. Continue reading… View the full article

Capcom has shared good news for ***** Rising fans eager to see more games and remakes of the series, as the studio says it hopes to expand on the franchise further after the release of ***** Rising Deluxe Remaster. While the ***** Rising franchise has remained somewhat dormant since 2016, Capcom now appears to be revitalizing the franchise, starting with a new remaster in September. View the full article

As Once Human’s first season is ending soon for everyone, the server wipe will force you to pack your bags and get on the bus to Eternaland. Eternaland in Once Human is your paradise. It’s a customizable island that isn’t affected by server wipes. It acts as a steady middle ground where you can store your precious things and take them to your next adventure in Nalcott. So, here’s everything you need to know about transferring items to and from Eternaland in Once Human. View the full article

The headline feature is what Ring calls "Head-to-Toe Video," which expands the vertical field of view by 66% compared to the last-gen Ring Video Doorbell 2. That translates to the new Battery Doorbell capturing a full 150-degree vertical viewing angle to see visitors from head to toe. Read Entire Article View the full article

While I can't find anywhere that Valve actually announced this, they've done another tweak to the user review system on Steam to show who primarily played on Steam Deck. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

On Aug. 17, GeT_RiGhT celebrated the 10th anniversary of winning his only CS:GO Major trophy at ESL One: Cologne 2014. He visited the event a decade later and explained to Dot Esports what makes Counter-Strike so special. A former pro and current streamer, GeT_RiGhT was one of the broadcasters in Cologne covering this year’s playoffs live from a dedicated booth in the Lanxess Arena, with the likes of fl0m. Dot sat down with the Swede at the event, and given it was the 10th anniversary of his Major win, we talked about the changes he’d like to see in the game’s next decade. GeT_RiGhT’s answer was simple—since CS is full of love and dedication, he’d like it to stay the same. View the full article

********* Football returns to gaming with Madden 25, following the hugely successful College Football 25 this summer, which included some of the fastest Quarterbacks to ever play the game. Madden 25 brings many changes from its predecessor, from updates to modes such as Franchise and Ultimate Team to a more slicker presentation. However, the best and fastest players continue to be key to gaining victory on the field. View the full article

The Headless Monk is one of the most fascinating characters in ****** Myth: Wukong, and the game leaves the nature of this figure mysterious for a while. Appearing in Chapter 2, the Headless Monk is true to his name, wandering around with several necklaces around his neck but no head atop of it. The slightly grisly image of the severed neck can take a bit of getting used to, but the character otherwise seems innocuous, even if the nature of his behavior can be cheeky. View the full article

While Ubisoft might love its proprietary launcher Ubisoft Connect, it's not for everyone. There's a reason Steam is the go-to. It's clean and generally smooth. Though although there were other reasons that Skull and Bones struggled on release, isolating it to the Ubisoft launcher probably didn't help. Thankfully, almost six months since its maiden voyage, the swashbuckling sim is releasing on Steam today. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: Skull and Bones is free to play, but not for long How to raise Skull and Bones morale and galvanize your crew Skull and Bones guide View the full article

#DRIVE Rally is an arcade-inspired rally-driving experience set in the golden racing era of the ‘90s, and now there's a new trailer along with a confirmed release date for Early Access of September 25th. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Many of the classic maps from Counter-Strike 1.6 and CS:GO haven’t yet been added to the latest game in the franchise, Counter-Strike 2. Luckily, one of them is getting closer, as its developer shared a new update. FMPONE is the original creator of Cache, a beloved map from CS:GO, and he’s working on bringing the map to CS2. The developer has been hard at work for months, and revealed new screenshots of Cache on X on Aug. 21, sparking excitement among players. View the full article

Atlas Fallen: Reign of Sand, an action RPG developed by Deck13, is the latest game to be added to Xbox Game Pass for subscribers to enjoy. A little over a year after its original launch, the game's open-world experience may attract a new swathe of players, thanks to its introduction to the Xbox Game Pass catalog. View the full article

D.O.T. Defence from Rattleaxe Games plans to launch in 2025 and looks like it will put a nice unique spin on RTS games, with matches you play in short bursts designed for single-player and local multiplayer. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

Valve updated Counter-Strike 2 for the third time in three days, this time focusing on maps. Nine maps saw minor yet quality-of-life tweaks that ought to improve gameplay. On Aug. 21, the developer launched a patch that focuses on fixing specific bugs and minor inconveniences in CS2. In total, six out of seven maps in the active pool were improved, except for Dust2. Additionally, Office, Italy, and a map that was removed from the tournament map pool this year, Overpass, were also updated. View the full article

****** 3 is better than Grand Theft Auto 5. It's smarter, more vicious, boasts a much, much more powerful social commentary, and it has better dialogue, car chases, and gunfights. The historical ****** game series is less a GTA rival than it once was, but they're both open-world gangster games - if I had to choose between the two, I would pick ****** The Old Country, just announced at Gamescom, over GTA 6. Nevertheless, after Hangar 13 revealed its new ****** sequel, questions arose about the in-game language settings, which seemed to offer subtitles or fully recorded dialogue for French, *******, Russian, Czech - but not Italian, despite ****** The Old Country's setting. Now, however, Hangar 13 makes a statement, clarifying the language options in its upcoming epic. Read the rest of the story... RELATED LINKS: ****** The Old Country release date window, trailer, and more ****** The Old Country takes the series back to its roots View the full article

One for sci-fi fans, Aether Collector is a mysterious point and click adventure set inside an anomaly. Read the full article here: [Hidden Content] View the full article

The new season in The First Descendant means a new character joining the ****** against Vulgus. Apart from Ultimate Freyna, season one introduces a new “cool” Descendant, Hailey. Here’s everything you need to know about Hailey and her release date in The First Descendant. View the full article

Starfield finally got its first land vehicle this week, via a free update Bethesda revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live alongside the Shattered Space DLC’s release date. While it almost definitely won’t convert you if you weren’t already interested in playing more of the game, it is at least spawning an inevitable array of interesting vehicle mods. As soon as that teaser for the Rev-8 buggy dropped and we all saw it doing some skids to the kind of tune all ‘cor, would you look at this cool thing’ car montages opt for, this was always going to be the case, but the speed’s still remarkable. Since the buggy update dropped on August 20 and everyone got to work running over half the population of New Atlantis in the kind of hit-and-run spree usually reserved for Trevor Phillips or Homer Simpson, a fairly bustling vehicle mod scene has fired up over on Starfield’s Nexus page. Read more View the full article

We've been waiting for Concord's release for some time now, but apparently not as long as the Concord devs, as lead character designer Jon Weisnewski reveals that the hero shooter had been in development for "around eight years" and that he's been around for five of them... Read more.View the full article