After weeks of cryptic social media teasing, shark RPG Maneater is breaching the surface at last with the reveal of its new DLC: Truth Quest, which is planned for this summer.In the new trailer above, we get a story-driven context for the coming DLC: investigative journalist Trip Westhaven (reprised by Chris Parnell) is back, and is once again working to uncover the secrets of Port Clovis, including a government conspiracy about what's happening to the marine life in the area, and why there seems to be a coverup about it.
The trailer doesn't show much in the way of actual gameplay, but in an announcement from developer Tripwire we learned a bit more about what to expect in Truth Quest as we once again dive into the fins of the heroine shark. There's a new evolution set of organs, the maximum level cap is being raised to 40, and yes, the shark can get even bigger now.
We'll also see new objective types like time trials and destroying new target objectives. New wildlife will also appear, including a new "Uber" apex predator to fight, and new military forces will appear as a part of the bounty hunter system, sending helicopters and land forces after the shark -- and five new boss bounties will accompany this.
Have you played Maneater?
Maneater launched last year, and at the time we found it lacked the depth we wanted, though playing as "mutant Jaws on steroids" was extremely fun.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
Call of Duty: Warzone appears to finally be getting its much-anticipated map change, but the news seems to have arrived a little earlier than intended: leaked footage of the map is currently circulating online, and Activision is battling to contain it.
The leak was first shared by Twitter account On Thin Ice, showing footage of a work-in-progress TV advert for the new map. According to VGC's sources, the new map is due to arrive in a live event on 22nd April, with nuclear warheads blowing up current-day Verdansk. Although the original video has been removed, multiple mirrors have popped up across social media, showing what appears to be an 80s-themed overhaul of Verdansk rather than an all-new location. It includes changes to various points of interest - adding an under-construction stadium and replacing the dam with a bridge - and generally giving Verdansk more of an '80s look.
Battle pass trailer, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Season Two
While there's been no official confirmation from Activision, the publisher has been cracking down on the leak: at least one video has been taken down from YouTube, and news site Charlie Intel says it has received a DMCA notice from Activision.
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The change to an '80s-themed Verdansk to align with Black Ops Cold War seems a little late, and according to VGC this map change was indeed originally supposed to coincide with Cold War's release in November 2020, but the launch was delayed due to "several factors". Back in August last year, Warzone actually had a Cold War reveal event in which players had to shelter in Stadium to avoid being nuked, but no map changes appeared after the event. Hmm.
The prospect of a nuclear explosion to overhaul Verdansk's map has been the topic of speculation for nearly a year - nuclear warheads were found on the map in May 2020 - and there's a sense that the community is getting a little weary at the lack of change (particularly when held up against other battle royale competitors such as Fortnite). Zombies were introduced to Warzone earlier this year, however, and it feels like Warzone is finally building up to a cataclysmic transition event.
Just as rumors have been floating about a possible rugged Apple Watch, Casio has unveiled its first G-Shock rugged smartwatch using Google's Wear OS platform. The GSW-H1000, part of Casio's rugged G-Squad Pro lineup, has a host of sports features and is also the first G-Shock watch with a color display.
As you'd expect in a G-Shock watch, the GSW-H1000 has a brawny look with a titanium back for extra durability. That's backed by actual toughness, including shock- and water-resistance down to 200 meters of depth. What's new is the Android Wear OS plus the dual-layer display with an always-on LCD screen for time display combined with a color LCD screen that can show maps, notifications, sensor data and other information. That's a first for G-Shock watches, though Casio already uses Wear OS on its Pro Trek smartwatch lineup.
Casio
The watch is also laden with sensors, including a built-in GPS, optical heart rate sensor, compass bearing, altitude, barometric pressure and more. It also includes Casio's app for 24 indoor workout options and 15 activities including running, road biking, and swimming, or more extreme sports like surfing and snowboarding. Meanwhile, the Wear OS platform gives you access to smartphone notifications, numerous apps and Google Assistant access. One big negative is the 1.5-day battery life with the color display, though that stretches out to a month in "multi timepiece mode."
The Casio G-Squad Pro GSW-H1000 comes in red, black and blue colors and will cost $700 in the US and £600 in the UK. It's set to arrive in mid-May, though it's yet to appear on the US G-Shock website. However, you can find it on the UK site and request to be notified when it arrives.
Last year, Control developer Remedy announced it had signed a two-project publishing deal with Epic Games, and then re-introduced its fan favourite hero Alan Wake via Control's excellent second expansion, which wove the story of both games together as part of Remedy's wider narrative universe.
Was Wake being teed up to tease a full sequel to his Xbox 360 cult hit? After Epic's publishing deal was announced - for a big "AAA multiplatform game already in pre-production" and a "new, smaller-scale project set in the same franchise" - fans' hopes were high that Wake would also appear in one of these games.
Now, chatty but reliable Venturebeat journalist Jeff Grubb has announced via his Twitch he had heard "Alan Wake 2" was one of Remedy's Epic-funded projects.
Grubb went on to state that this signified a change in strategy for Epic, which had moved to funding new projects from the ground up, rather than buying exclusivity for projects which had already been announced.
We've asked Remedy for comment.
Alan Wake fans have been waiting for a full sequel to the cult hit Xbox 360 game since 2010. A smaller, downloadable follow-up named Alan Wake's American Nightmare was released in 2012 to bridge the gap between larger releases, but despite various attempts over the years, a sequel has never materialised.
In what has become a tradition for the car industry, April Fools’ Day has been marked with a wave of fake news stories.
The gags are usually harmless fun and do well to lighten the mood, which is no bad thing in the midst of a global pandemic. However, as you may already have read, a certain German manufacturer took things a little too far in its bid to generate headlines this year...
We’ll get to that later. Here we’ve listed the best (and worst) April Fools’ Day jokes from the car industry of 2021. Got a favourite? Let us know in the comments section below.
2021: A Space Chodyssey
Dacia announced its intention to launch the world’s first affordable space programme. Called Dacia Dustar, the budget brand claims the “venture represents a new dawn in value-for-money space travel”.
Speaking at Dustar's secret technical base, head of operations Noel Armstrong said: “We're all about delivering best-value-for-money without compromising on quality. We've achieved this on Earth, so launching a car into space is the obvious next step!
“Going to space is a dream for many, but we want to show that you can make a little go a long way and make it a reality. I’m over the moon that we begin by sending our rugged and robust Dacia Duster to seriously new heights today.”
Skoda has developed new In Tune software that monitors the cabin for singing and automatically corrects the vocal pitch. The corrected audio is then played back through the car’s speakers in real time, masking singalongs that are out of key.
In Tune is available as a free download and is designed to “come to the rescue of drivers and passengers up and down the country, who suffer in silence next to those who believe they are the next Beyoncé or Rick Astley.”
“The UK’s ongoing lockdown situation is straining families and friendships, and with the prospect of kids back at home for the Easter holidays, tensions are likely to run high,” said Skoda’s head of vehicle audio, Carrie O’Key.
“We know music is good for the soul, but caterwauling certainly is not. This software will hopefully add some much-needed lighthearted fun to every essential car journey.”
Something certainly doesn’t sound right.
Electric shocker
On Monday, a leaked press release suggested Volkswagen was on the verge of rebranding as Voltswagen of America in the US, with the aim of drawing attention to its electric vehicles in the market.
The move was initially dismissed as a wind-up until an official statement from Volkswagen confirmed that the rebrand was definitely going ahead.
The ruse lasted a matter of hours, with reports surfacing on Tuesday night that the Voltswagen stunt was exactly that.
It’s still not clear if the whole saga was a joke that got out of hand or a marketing ploy that snowballed, but the fact that Volkswagen has been telling porkies not long after paying out billions in fines for the Dieselgate scandal surely isn't a great look.
It’s the most powerful-ever version of the fearsome and famed AC Cobra, the Anglo-American icon that’s been in and out of production for the best part of 60 years. Packing a 580bhp supercharged V8, this muscle-bound slice of 1960s sports car is the latest arrival from a revitalised AC brand that celebrates its 120th anniversary this year.
Following a naturally aspirated 378 Cobra that made its debut three years ago, this Superblower is the new flagship of a range that also includes a recently revealed, and bang-on trend, all-electric version. Like these versions, the Superblower’s chassis and body are built at the firm’s factory in South Africa, before being shipped to the UK, where the drivetrain is installed, the finishing touches are added and the car is submitted for its individual type approval.
While it looks largely like the ’60s original, there have been some significant changes for this latest iteration. For instance, like all Cobra models, the Superblower’s curvaceous body is actually formed from fibreglass rather than aluminium. Purists may be up in arms about this approach (it adds around 20kg to the kerb weight but saves tens of thousands on the list price), but the finish of the composite body is flawless, with lustrous paint and the sort of tight panel gaps that would shame some series production cars.
Another change that’s likely to have the aficionados reeling is that there’s no Ford engine under the bonnet. Instead, AC has chosen the tried-and-tested LSA V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette, the very car that the Blue Oval was out to beat when it collaborated with AC to create the Cobra all those decades ago. Packing a hefty 580bhp and rippling 555lb ft of torque, it drives the rear wheels through a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential.
As with the bodywork, installation of the engine is superbly done. It’s a tight fit, but the fabrication on display under the bonnet is first rate, while the plumbing and wiring is neatly arranged. Yet the highlight is a pair of hand-crafted and polished manifolds for the side exit exhausts, which have something of a sculptural quality to them.
More familiar is the ladder frame chassis, largely because it's much the same design as that used on the first MkIV models launched in the 1980s. Formed from four-inch steel tubing, it’s fairly basic in its layout but it’s well finished and gets an extensive powder coating treatment to ward off any potential rot.
The suspension is an update of the MkIV’s too, with independent multi-link front and rear axles that feature Bilstein coil spring and damper units and anti-roll bars front and rear. AC says the geometry and spring and damper rates can be tuned to taste, but our car has been set up for fast road use. Finally, nestling behind the gorgeous, period-correct 15in pin drive alloys are race-specification calipers that clamp ventilated discs all round.
AC has also worked hard on the fit and finish of the interior of the Superblower, and it shows. It’s fairly basic inside (although air conditioning is standard), but it has a special look and feel as a result of its hand-stitched leather bucket seats, a gorgeous aluminum three-spoked wheel and a generous smattering of Smiths dials, which are suitably chrome-ringed and feature white-on-black faces. Only the modern Volkswagen stalks spoil the retro vibe, but they’re well integrated and easier to use than their spindly predecessors.
Weather protection runs to a rather fiddly fabric roof with plastic side windows, plus there’s also a tonneau and AC is working on an optional hard top. Today, however, the skies are blue and the sun is shining, so we go al fresco.
No matter what the gear or the revs, the Cobra just goes, carried along on a colossal tidal wave of torque. It’ll happily pull the long-legged sixth gear (40mph per thousand rpm) from as little as 800rpm, accelerating with an energy that would dust most hard-driven hot hatches with access to their full box of cogs. It makes for effortless yet rapid progress.
Of course you can extend the engine, and when you do, you’re in for a treat. This isn’t a unit that spins to the heavens and has a rev counter with a magnetic attraction to the redline, but it responds instantly to the throttle and the way it relentlessly gathers speed is intoxicating. Overtaking slower traffic is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, the Cobra creating gaps that simply don’t exist in most cars. AC reckons the Superblower will comfortably crack the 60mph dash in a touch over four seconds, but such is the muscle on offer I’d put money on it being quicker.
Then there’s that noise, the bellowing thunder of a Daytona 500 winner overlaid with the distant whine from the supercharger. Back off and the exhausts deliver a fusillade of cracks and pops as unburnt excess fuel makes its way down the pipes. It’s a compelling, and 100% natural, aural accompaniment, one that has you constantly dancing on the throttle to change the tone, pitch and volume of the mechanical musical accompaniment.
As much as the Cobra will devour the straights with the voracious appetite of a factory-fresh supercar, you have to keep in mind that it’s essentially a 60-year-old design. There’s no problem with the brakes, which are powerful and connected to a pedal with good weight and feel, but it doesn’t corner with the same control and precision as a modern road-burning roadster.
Surprisingly quick and well-weighted steering means the Superblower turns-in smartly, while the relatively soft suspension and massive 295 section of the balloon-like rear Avons result in impressively strong traction. Of course you can get the wheels spinning, but in the dry at least you really have to mean it.
Yet push harder and the Cobra quickly becomes a bit discombobulated, the combination of a little chassis flex, the relatively soft damping and those squidgy tyre sidewalls resulting in some mid-corner vagueness that’s compounded by assisted steering that offers little in the way of meaningful conversation.
That’s not to say the Cobra isn’t huge fun (because it is), or that it can’t cover ground at an alarming rate. Dial back your commitment, ignore the pursuit of highest apex speed at all costs and adopt instead the old-fashioned slow-in and fast-out approach, and the Superblower can demolish the average B-road at staggering speed.
Yet it’s at its best when you want to take it easy and simply revel in the journey. There’s that epic view ahead, the thin-rimmed windscreen framing the long wings and that striped bonnet with its pop-riveted power bulge that covers the LSA’s intake plenum and supercharger, while in your wake you’ll be trailing that glorious, bellowing exhaust note. And all the time you’re taking in the sounds, smells and sights around you – this is total immersion motoring.
Should I buy one?
At £129,500, the Cobra certainly isn’t cheap, but it’s also not an outrageous sum for a hand-crafted car that’ll be built in button numbers. The quality of the finish certainly goes a long way to justifying the asking price, and that’s before you start looking at the telephone-number amounts you’d need to buy one of the ’60s originals.
Acceleration aside, the Superblower can’t hope to match modern machines for outright ability or usability, but to judge it by those standards is to miss the point. This car is purely and simply an indulgence, one that will make high days and holidays behind the wheel even more memorable. So let’s enjoy cars like the Cobra while we still can.
Eight of the 16 games coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming (Image: Microsoft)
The digital era of gaming should have made video game preservation easier than ever, but as we've slowly been learning over the past decade, it appears to come with a number of setbacks. Some companies aren't interested in reviving older libraries of games, others put odd restrictions and limitations in place, and then you've got entire digital services being terminated.
Microsoft has taken this moment to acknowledge the fact it's now "more important than ever" to ensure "gaming icons and classics" are preserved for both new and old generations. Here's exactly what it had to say on social media:
"As time goes on, it becomes more important than ever that we ensure gaming icons and classics are preserved for new and old players alike. Whether your first time playing Morrowind is from 2002 on your Xbox or 2021 on your phone, we're excited to share these experiences with you!"
It's doing this by essentially doubling-down on its Backward Compatibility program. 16 games, comprised of original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles, will be heading to the cloud very soon - allowing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play these classics on their mobile devices.
Rare's studio head Craig Duncan has even chimed in on how Backward Compatibility is doing a great job preserving video game history, and making accessing older games incredibly easy:
"It’s essential. There are just a bunch of inherent complexities when generations and platforms change and being able to relive games you played previously and fondly remember is important. Those games contain memories and moments you can share with others and being able to do that quickly by just selecting the game in Xbox Game Pass is easy and just works with no fuss."
You can read more about Microsoft preserving the classics over on our sister site, Pure Xbox. There's a great feature up at the moment, reminding us how critical preservation is moving forward.
How do you feel Nintendo is doing with the whole video game preservation thing this generation? Is its Switch Online SNES and NES service enough? Would you like to see something like the Virtual Console make a comeback? Share your thoughts below.
