Welcome to the GR Report, a new round-up of the biggest news stories, features, and other goings-on that have made their way to GameRevolution this week. We’re only four days into 2019, though there have already been some pretty exciting stories to digest, from a Half-Life 2 and Portal writer returning to Valve through to a brand new console launch. Let’s run through everything you need to know in this Friday’s GR Report!
Oh, and before the jump, be sure to follow GameRevolution on Facebook and Twitter to keep on top of the hottest gaming topics every day.
News
Is Half-Life 3 on its way?
No. Of course it isn’t. Half-Life 3 will never happen, and you know it won’t. Half-Life 3 did ensure that you clicked on this edition of the GR Report, though, so at least it’s got that going for it. Valve doesn’t make games anymore, but they do allow us to make clickbait. Praise GabeN, etc. etc.
While Half-Life 3 is literally never, ever, going to happen and you should stop crying about it and move on with your life, Half-Life 2 Episode One, Episode Two, and Portal 2 writer Erik Wolpaw (who is one ‘f’ away from having the best surname) has returned to Valve. He might help write Portal 3. He might be stuck writing Artifact. The beauty of Valve is that no one ever truly knows what is happening over there, aside from the fact that they’re definitely not working on Half-Life 3.
Call of Duty Ghosts 2 isn’t happening
It was recently rumored that one of the dullest Call of Duty games was going to receive a sequel, but fortunately, Infinity Ward has confirmed that it’s going to leave Ghosts in the past. At least for now. Who knows, maybe in a few years time we’ll start getting weirdly nostalgic about the most forgettable CoD game. Or maybe we’ll hit ourselves over the head with a frying pan repeatedly until the memory of it is forcibly removed from our brains. Both are reasonable options.
Activision Blizzard fires its CFO
Activision Blizzard CFO Spencer Neumann was removed from his post at the publisher, with him reportedly moving to Netflix in the very near future. Fortunately, he should know exactly what to do when it comes to scouting new Netflix Original series, as he will already have a lot of experience scouring through garbage with Overwatch‘s community.
A new 4K console has been announced
Slightly Mad Studios announced the Mad Box this week, a new console that is said to support 4K and VR. The company is apparently shopping the console around to various investors, with creator Ian Bell claiming that it will boast a price comparable with current consoles on the market. If this all sounds too good to be true, that’s because it probably is. JUST LIKE HALF-LIFE 3. WHICH, AGAIN, WILL NEVER HAPPEN.
Bethesda accidentally removes nukes from Fallout 76
Bethesda kicked off 2019 by accidentally removing the nukes from Fallout 76, preventing players from performing the actions required for them to launch the bombs in the multiplayer RPG. Given the negative reaction to its new game, Bethesda may wish that it could turn back time and prevent the launch of Fallout 76 altogether.
Persona 5 R confirmed!
The ‘R’ stands for “we Really don’t know what this is, but we’ll find out more in March.” It’s an unwieldy title.
Ninja couldn’t get New Yorkers to floss on New Year’s Eve
The biggest argument for online influencers being disconnected from reality is this video clip of Twitch streamer Ninja believing he could get New Yorkers to floss in the middle of the street.
PS5 and next Xbox to be announced in 2019?
An NPD analyst predicted that the PS5 and next Xbox console would be announced in 2019. Considering that both Sony and Microsoft have announced development on the consoles, we’re looking forward to next week when an analyst predicts that water is wet.
Female Overwatch player quits esports team over harassment
She wanted her private life to stay out of the spotlight, the sad boy gamers threatened to doxx her, she quit the team, and then they said she should’ve had a thicker skin. Ban all video games, IMO.
Features
What Fallout 76 says about Bethesda’s single-player future
Peter Amato discusses how Fallout 76 “represents continuing trends in the studio’s ever-changing design priorities,” and how these changes inform us of the direction Bethesda is heading in for Fallout 5 and beyond.
Great Games With Bad Openings
From Metal Gear Solid V through to Okami, David Lozada breaks down the games we love that nearly made us put our controllers down far too early.
What It’s Like to Lose Touch With Your Online Gaming Friends
The GR team discusses friendships they forged in online games, and how these friendships came to end over time.
Video
GameRevolution Radio: Best and Worst of 2018
We ran through our Best and Worst of 2018 awards on the first edition of GameRevolution Radio. The next episode airs on Thursday, January 10th.
Resident Evil 7 New Year’s Evil Playthrough
GR Senior Editor Jason Faulkner spent the New Year playing through Resident Evil 7. Spooky stuff!
