Making the Witcher Explores the Shows Production and Is Now Available on Netflix

Geralt the witcher netflix

If you're a big fan of CD Projekt Red's The Witcher video game series, you're probably also a fan of the live-action Netflix adaption that's based on the books with inspiration from the games. And if you're like me, you probably like behind the scenes videos that show, and explain the making of process. Announced today, Making The Witcher is now streaming on Netflix.

The behind the scenes video looks into the production of the live-action adaption of The Witcher and features cast and crew detailing numerous aspects of production. Henry Cavil, who plays Geralt, features alongside others such as Freya Allan (Ciri), Anya Chalotra (Yennefer), Joey Batey (Jaskier), and more. You'll see them discussing their experience in filming the first series of the show, explaining scenes, lore, and more.

There also looks to be a segment that focuses on the 10-day training session for the famous fight scene between Geralt and Renfri that featured in the very first episode of the series. One clip teased in the trailer that you can watch below shows a CGI construction of one of the major cities that features in the show.

The Witcher launched on Netflix last year and was received incredibly well. In addition, the show's arrival saw CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt reach an all-new concurrent player count on Steam, and Orbit Books, the publisher of the books had to reprint 500,000 copies following the increased demand.

A second season was in the works earlier this year, but due to the coronavirus, production was halted. It has however picked up again, and we've already seen Henry Cavill teasing some make-up photos and sharing videos of the horses featured in the show. Making The Witcher is available on Netflix now, the second series is in development, and there's an animated film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf heading to the streaming service at some point.

The post Making the Witcher Explores the Shows Production and Is Now Available on Netflix by Ben Bayliss appeared first on DualShockers.

Toshihiro Kondo On Hajimari no Kiseki, Its Sequel, The New Falcom Engine, Spinoffs, And More

Hajimari no Kiseki C team Swin Nadia Lapis Fruits Head DLC feature

Game news site a9vg published in early August an interview with Toshihiro Kondo, most notably talking about Hajimari no Kiseki, its sequel, and a bunch of other Nihon Falcom related subjects. The interview was translated by Japanese blog Hokanko, which in turn allowed me to read it. We've got a summary below. Let's take a look.

Hajimari no Kiseki has over 50 playable characters, and nearly all of them have been introduced now by Falcom, on the game's official site, or through Dengeki Online (each time with exclusive comments from Kondo). Most of them are returning characters from past Kiseki games. However, Kevin wasn't introduced. He won't be appearing much in Hajimari, if at all. Kondo already mentioned in the past that the Septian Church is one of the only organizations who know the secrets of Zemuria. And starting the games after Hajimari no Kiseki, the Septian Church and its knights like Kevin will play a bigger role. That's why we won't really see Kevin in Hajimari.

Balancing all the characters' strength in Hajimari no Kiseki was difficult. The game features playable characters that are extremely strong according to the story, so they were made strong in gameplay too, and you might feel overpowered in the early parts of the game. However, it doesn't mean that the characters other than these are weak though, and you can freely make your favorites stronger with items.

Characters from Akatsuki no Kiseki don't appear in Hajimari no Kiseki. It's possible popular Akatsuki characters will appear in future games though.

Toshihiro Kondo already mentioned in the past Falcom is working on an in-house new game engine. Hajimari no Kiseki is the final game running on Sony's PhyreEngine, which was also used for Trails of Cold Steel IV.

Falcom will start using the new engine with the game following Hajimari. This new engine will make the games look much more beautiful than they are now. There are actually a few scenes in Hajimari no Kiseki which use the new engine as well. When PS5 launches, Hajimari no Kiseki will also receive an update that adds PS5 support.

Kondo said if Falcom ever develops remakes for the Trails in the Sky trilogy, or Zero and Ao no Kiseki, it'll be on this new engine.

The Ys team proposed adding a distinct Photo Mode for future Ys games. The Kiseki team didn't show interest at first but now they're considering it too. Future Kiseki games after Hajimari will probably include a Photo Mode. (It's funny how a lot of Japanese games already did Photo Modes in the past, but now that western AAA do it too it became cool.)

Right now, Falcom doesn't have the leeway to make spinoff games like a new Ys Vs Kiseki game. The developers are focusing on switching to the new engine.

Toshihiro Kondo also reiterated what any person into Falcom games knows. The company doesn't have the leeway to make PC and Switch ports itself for now. So these will only keep happening through collaborations with other companies. Hajimari no Kiseki is a PS4 game and there are no plans for ports. Though it could happen in the future thanks to other companies.

Kondo was also asked about how the Kiseki series is too long and complicated which makes it hard to get in. He explained Falcom tries to make each beginning of a new arc an entry point, and try to bring in new players. This allows to grow the fanbase. And now they have middle-aged fans who started since Trails in the Sky, a bit younger fans who're playing since Zero Ao, and younger players who got in with Cold Steel. This means the game after Hajimari, which will start a new arc, will similarly be a new entry point in the series.

Lastly, Toshihiro Kondo praised the work of Clouded Leopard, who made possible the simultaneous releases of the Traditional Chinese and Hangul versions of Hajimari no Kiseki . He also stressed out JRPGs since the last 5-6 years got a renewed popularity and sell pretty well now in Asia and Europe.

The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki is launching on August 27 in Japanese, Chinese and Korean, exclusively on PS4. You can read additional details on the game, most notably how it'll include DLC VR scenes, with our past coverage. We also translated Toshihiro Kondo's first video interview on the game.

Time didn't permit me to cover the details Falcom recently revealed about the game. However, we'll soon be publishing a guide compiling all the information Falcom published on Hajimari no Kiseki prior release. In order to help those who are importing the game. Or simply for those who are curious and don't mind spoilers regarding Cold Steel 4.

A live stream will also be held on August 26 at 2100 JST, to celebrate the release of Hajimari no Kiseki. We'll be covering it as soon as we can.

The Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki was first teased by Falcom in March 2019, alongside its sequel which will start a new arc. It was furthermore teased with screenshots and story hints in June 2019, at the Kiseki Series 15th Anniversary Event. Lastly, Falcom mentioned in November 2019 that a new Kiseki game would launch by September 2020.

Western releases of the 2020 PS4 remasters of Zero and Ao no Kiseki were teased multiple times, but nothing was officially announced yet. Zero no Kiseki also recently got a new fan patch.

Lastly, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV will launch on PS4 in the west on October 27, 2020. Switch and PC version will also launch in 2021. You can preorder Trails of Cold Steel IV on Amazon to support DualShockers. (Be sure to select the correct platform).

The post Toshihiro Kondo On Hajimari no Kiseki, Its Sequel, The New Falcom Engine, Spinoffs, And More by Iyane Agossah appeared first on DualShockers.

Xbox Reveals Three Wonder Woman 1984 Inspired One X Consoles

Xbox Wonder Woman

DC FanDome was the most recent virtual event to take place, with plenty being revealed last Saturday. Within the realm of gaming we got the first look at two new titles from DC. We got a glimpse at Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which is the latest game from developers Rocksteady and Batman: Gotham Knights from WB Montreal.

Alongside those two trailers, we got the official main trailer for Wonder Woman 1984. To celebrate that Microsoft has unveiled three Xbox One X consoles inspired by the movie, one of which can be won by fans.

Xbox Wonder Woman

The first of three consoles is made from 24-carat gold leaf and is inspired by the golden armour Wonder Woman wears in the film. The striking gold console was completely handcrafted and contains a golden eagle crest and 3D printed Wonder Woman 1984 logo. The one of a kind console will be auctioned off for charity with Microsoft saying:

"This gold console will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to Together for Her, an initiative launched by the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, leading humanitarian organization CARE, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation to stand in solidarity with women and girls around the world deploying funds and supporting the global response against domestic violence during the time of COVID-19."

The second of the consoles is probably the most garish of the lot. The Xbox itself has a snakeskin pattern and comes wrapped in faux leopard fur. It's very much inspired by Barbara Minerva, or Cheetah, the main villain from the upcoming film.

The third and final Xbox is a bright orange colour and comes with a version of Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth laying across the console. The Wonder Woman logo is emblazoned on top of the console and is once again incredibly brightly coloured. This Xbox is probably the most exciting of the three as fans have a chance to win it.

All that needs to be done to be in with a chance of winning is liking or retweeting the tweet above. Microsoft add an extra note on the bottom of their T's&C's saying: "Please note, that all the Xbox is for display ONLY, not gameplay. Prize and the successful bidder will also get a standard Xbox One X."

Xbox Wonder Woman

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Game Dev Tycoon Comes to Nintendo Switch October 8

Game Dev Tycoon, Greenheart Games

When Game Dev Tycoon first launched on PC in 2012, it felt almost too much like a Game Dev Story copycat. That's not to say the game wasn't good at launch. It just seemed like everything in it had already been done by Kairosoft. However, the team at Greenheart Games and a dedicated community of modders have really blown the game out into its own thing. Soon, Nintendo Switch owners will have a chance to check it out. Give the new announcement trailer a watch below.

If you've yet to see Game Dev Tycoon in action, it's a management sim that has you trying to create video games. You start working out of your basement in the 1980s. Over time, you work your way through parody versions of each real-world console. Along the way, you'll develop your own engine, deal with marketing, and fight back against pirates if you choose to play on harder difficulties.

As someone who has already played the game on three other consoles, I'm not sure if I'll get this. The Switch version does support cross-save, but it's not completely clear if mods can come over. Without those, the prospect of playing again is a little less tempting for me.

That said, if you haven't played it yet, Game Dev Tycoon is absolutely worth a try. The game is a joy to play and getting to try your hand at creating the next great game developer is tons of fun.

Game Dev Tycoon launches on Nintendo Switch on October 8. If you just can't wait, the game is currently out on Android, iOS, and PC.

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Halo Infinite Community Manager Reaffirms Release for Xbox One in 2021

Master Chief

In recent days, rumors have started swirling that, in the wake of its recent delay, 343 Industries could opt to outright cancel the Xbox One iteration of Halo Infinite. Supporting rumors have also gone on to say that the game could be outright pushed out of its new 2021 release window, as well. Fortunately, it seems as though neither of these rumors will be coming to fruition.

343 Industries community manager John Junyszek recently took to Twitter to shut down all of the talk that has been transpiring over the past couple of days. Responding to a message from professional Halo player Eric "Snip3down" Wrona who mentioned the possibility of Infinite being pushed back to 2022, Junyszek reaffirmed that the studio is still aiming to launch next year for all previously-confirmed platforms. "There are no plans to change our 2021 release or the devices and platforms we'll be supporting," Junyszek said clearly.

In all honesty, it's not surprising to see Junyszek shut down these rumors pretty quickly given how widespread they have become this week. I figured it would only be a matter of time until someone at Microsoft or 343 commented on this speculation publicly and Junyszek didn't let me down in that regard.

While things could obviously still change between now and release, Halo Infinite is still set to arrive across Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC at an undetermined date next year.

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Next Avengers War Table Stream to Air September 1

September 4, Marvel's Avengers' release date, is rapidly approaching. Since its initial reveal at Square Enix's E3 press conference in 2019, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix have shared a multitude of trailers that debut everything from gameplay to new playable characters in various online and in-person digital events, but since the dawn of COVID-19, they've relied on their own form of digital event dedicated specifically for the game, called Avengers' War Table.

So far, Crystal Dynamics has shown off new characters, gameplay features and cinematic trailers at the past two War Table events, which means it's a pretty safe bet to expect more of that in the upcoming event. Earlier today, the official Marvel's Avengers Twitter account announced that they would be debuting one final War Table on September 1, just over a week before the game's launch on September 4.

The announcement makes it clear that they have a few big reveals in store for this event. Since datamines of the game's beta found references to multiple unannounced characters, like Winter Soldier or Black Panther, it's safe to say that we'll see at least one new character reveal. While the leaks from the datamine have yet to be confirmed by any official sources related to Square Enix or Crystal Dynamics.

The game has had its beta throughout the past few weekends and so far, it's garnered a mixed response from fans and critics alike, with some major criticisms being about the game's overall look and controls. That hasn't been the game's only source of criticism either. Since the first War Table, the companies behind the game have received criticism about platform-exclusive characters, like Spider-Man.

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Blaseball Returns for Season 4

Blaseball, The Game Band

After taking an "extended siesta" due to the unexpected viral popularity the game received this month, Blaseball is back for a fourth season. Season 4 threw its first pitch yesterday allowing players to get right back into the insanity of the game.

Blaseball is not a traditional sports simulation game. Instead of controlling players from the real world, like in games such as MLB The Show or Fifa, players watch fictional teams play games in real-time through text descriptions of what's happening play by play. Players bet in-game currency on matches to acquire more currency to buy items such as 1,000 peanuts or a squirrel to help you eat your 1,000 peanuts.

In addition to being able to buy humorous items with their coins, Blaseball players can buy and spend "votes" that act as a currency that influence and add to the absurdity of the game. At the end of each season, which each last one week, the votes are tallied up and the actions that received the most votes are implemented for the next season. For example, some of the items to vote on for next season include a modifier that gives the worst-performing teams advantages, complete stat changes for a team's best pitchers, and improved team defense.

The game's absurdist moments aren't initially apparent, however, until you watch a few games. Incinerations, rogue umpires, and other unpredictable and random events take place when players are least expecting it. The unpredictability adds to part of the fun though because players understand that if their player spontaneously combusts today, maybe it'll be someone on the other team tomorrow.

Season 4 of Blaseball will last until Saturday and at that point, the postseason will start. The game moves pretty quickly so if you're looking for where to start make sure to check out the Blaseball website to get into the action.

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Cobra Kai Goes Digital With Upcoming Beat-'em-Up

Cobra kai, GameMill

When it launched a few years ago, the Cobra Kai series was met with nearly universal praise. The series became a hit on YouTube, but is soon scheduled to move to Netflix. Along with the move, is a third season that is set to launch sometime in 2021. Fortunately for fans, the team is also partnering with GameMill for a new game. Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues was revealed today over at IGN. Check out the trailer below.

From the reveal trailer, we can see that Cobra Kai appears to be something of a mixed bag. It is, without a doubt, awesome that Ralph Macchio and William Zabka are providing the voices for Daniel and Johnny respectively. Having those two iconic roles actually voiced by the people that made them famous is an important step to giving fans the game they want.

The team also seems to have plenty of content on the table. You'll have to play through two separate campaigns, centered around the two stars, to unlock the final ending. And, each fighter comes complete with their own host of abilities and upgrades.

Personally, all of this sounds great. Variable characters in beat-'em-ups are always a good look and I will forever be interested in new Karate Kid content. That said, the game fails to impress visually, which has me a little worried about how it will feel. Of course, I'll hold judgment until the game is in my hands. But, I've already been hurt deeply by Fast & Furious Crossroads this year. I'm just not ready to trust licensed games again.

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues launches on October 27 for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Outriders Technomancer Class Hands-on Preview — Heavy-Weapon Heals

At a recent press event, People Can Fly showed off the final class in their upcoming science-fiction looter shooter, Outriders. Fellow DualShockers writer Ricky Frech and I were able to try this new class, the Technomancer, in a hands-on demo. After a few hours of playing the game, I came away from the event more excited about Outriders overall than I did going in, but I still have some reservations.

The Technomancer rounds out the four classes that players can choose from in the upcoming RPG, joining the likes of the Devastator, Pyromancer, and Trickster that have been previously shown. Serving as more of a support role, the skills that a Technomancer can bring with them into combat include various turrets, freeze grenades, a minigun, and most importantly, a group-wide heal.

We began the demo in a camp-like area, where we could speak to villagers, check or craft our gear, and assign our skill points to our tech-trees before setting off. Our characters were fairly beefy, starting at level 30 with our characters kitted out with full epic gear, a ton of skill points, all skills unlocked. The events we played take place roughly 15 hours into the campaign. Our team of three was ready to take on the world, or so we thought.

Loading up a quest, we had to clear an enemy-infested roadway to allow transports to get through safely. This is a reasonably standard request in these sorts of games and so we began our mission. To keep things brief, we died… a lot. Wave after wave of the standard enemies kept spawning, taking us down one-by-one until our revives were gone, and we were left to reload, each time getting a bit further, but still getting routed in the end. It wasn't until I held back for a moment and looked at what other skills I could swap in that we were able to begin to turn the tide.

The real MVP of our demo ended up being a group heal that the Technomancer gains. With the heals in tow, our survivability skyrocketed, and we managed to complete the mission at long last. Though things still did get hairy when the teleporting elite units were dropped in and the angry fire tornadoes appeared to try and end us. Our time with the rest of the missions we played in the demo progressed far smoother after we got that first mission out of the way, and we had a better grasp of the new class.

MMO players who like to run as support will find a lot to love with the Technomancer. The class has options to contend with close, mid, and long-range threats with a couple of handy abilities that can help with crowd control and enemy mobs. With their freeze grenades, they can stop any enemies in their track, while their various turrets can dish out the pain with missiles and poison. The Technomancer's skill tree has options that allow them to do additional damage using sniper rifles, too, if you prefer to stay in the back. When the going gets tough, and the Technomancer finds themselves in a pickle, they can pull out the big guns using a skill that generates either a minigun or a rocket launcher. Having a summonable minigun on a cooldown was a blast, and it came in handy a bunch of times towards the end of missions when the elite enemies would begin to spawn.

For anyone curious how Outriders feels to play, the best way I can describe the gameplay is to say that it feels like a combination of Gears of War and Anthem. The shooting and cover mechanics reminded me distinctly of the Gears of War games, just with less muscly and gruff characters. You will be running and gunning, ducking, and diving behind cover as you take out enemy soldiers and monsters of the wild. The Anthem influence, thankfully, comes more from the bit of story and setting that I got from the demo. You are an Altered One, a particular soldier that is capable of using special element-based powers. The world of Outriders is currently dealing with a strange storm that has odd properties that are affecting the world at large. Luckily though, Outriders is an all-inclusive game and not being touted as a game as a service, which is a big plus in my book.

What I was instantly surprised by was how RPG-heavy Outriders is. I wasn't expecting an expansive and rich skill tree to play around with the right mix of options to let me specialize in various gun and element types or provide bonuses to specific special attacks. I focused on going down the poisonous pestilence route and prioritizing damage done by my assault rifles, which made me and my poison turret quite formidable.

Each enemy I killed more often than not would litter the ground with a new gun, piece of armor, or other various pieces of loot to scavenge through. As a big Diablo fan, I felt right at home in the piles of goodies I was finding. As a sucker for armor that appears on your character when you equip it, I am happy to report that all the armor pieces you pick up and equip will change the appearance of your avatar.

For all the good things I found during my time in the demo, there is one aspect that leaves me a bit concerned: missions. The missions we played all felt very similar, tasking us to fight waves of enemies to progress to another area only to run into the same sort of enemies in even more waves. The foes we encountered lacked much personality and were a bit too bullet-spongy. With the large number of enemies you contend with at once, after a time, it just gets redundant. I'm hoping my concerns of uninspired, repetitive quests and lack of enemy variety prove to be unfounded, and that my experience with this is due simply because I only had a chance to play a sliver of the game.

Getting some time with Outriders left me excited to see and play more when the game releases. It is a far more in-depth RPG experience than I expected, and I can't wait to check the other three classes. You can also check out what Ricky thought of Outriders when he tried it back earlier this year, too. Hopefully, the retail release will be able to provide more variety with missions when it comes out later this year.

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Dragon's Dogma Netflix Series Gets New Trailer Prior to September Release

Did you remember that there is a new animated series based on Capcom's Dragon's Dogma franchise coming to Netflix next month? I wouldn't blame you if had forgotten about it, given that it was sort of announced out of nowhere last month. Well, now, Netflix has released the first major trailer for the series, and it actually looks pretty good.

The new trailer for Dragon's Dogma was just shared by Netflix recently and it gives us a better idea of the story of the series. The show will follow the character of Ethan in the wake of his town being destroyed by a monstrous dragon. In the wake of this event, Ethan then sets out to get revenge on the beats the destroyed his home. In the process, he also comes across a litany of other monsters that must be taken down.

You can check out the full trailer right here:

Dragon's Dogma is just one of a number of different animated series that are currently on Netflix or are planned to come down the road. For Capcom specifically, this marks the third animated series that the publisher is currently tied to, with the others being related to Castlevania and Devil May Cry. In the case of DMC, however, additional news on the series hasn't been heard from in quite some time.

So what do you think of Dragon's Dogma? Is this something you'll be tuning in for next month when it hits Netflix on September 17? Or would you just prefer that Capcom make Dragon's Dogma 2 already above all else? Let me know down in the comments.

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