Technology - Google News

Return to Monkey Island Is a New Sequel Coming from the Original Director - IGN - IGN
Apple Watch Series 7 models fall to new all-time lows in one-day Amazon sale - Engadget
Epic brings building back to Fortnite’s casual queue - Engadget

Return to Monkey Island Is a New Sequel Coming from the Original Director - IGN - IGN

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 08:22 AM PDT

Return to Monkey Island is a sequel to the legendary point 'n' click series, coming in 2022 from original writer-director Ron Gilbert.

Designed as a follow-up to the first two games – The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge – the new game is being published by Devolver Digital in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games. It also brings back original co-writer Dave Grossman, and LucasArts composers Michael Land, Michael McConnell and Clint Bajakian. Fellow co-creator Tim Schafer – who runs Microsoft's Double Fine – does not return.

On Twitter, Gilbert said his Terrible Toybox development studio has been working on the game for 2 years "in complete secrecy".

Introducing Return to Monkey Island, a new game by Ron Gilbert that picks up where Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge left off.https://t.co/5E3zi5JkEt pic.twitter.com/frkrN1OLXD
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) April 4, 2022

We don't have any more information on the game than what's included in the short teaser trailer above, but we do have a 2013 blog post from Gilbert in which he laid out his ideas for a new game in the series. At that time, he said he'd want it to be "a retro game that harkened back to Monkey Island 1 and 2", and would specifically ignore the events of every game in the series after the second – and given this game follows LeChuck's Revenge, it seems he may have gotten his wish.

His other ideas at the the time included making it "a hardcore adventure game" with no tutorials, hint systems, "pansy-assed puzzles or catering to the mass-market or modernizing." On top of that, he wanted retro art but powered by modern hardware (to help the team do what Lucasarts couldn't in the 1990s), a "full-on inventory", a physical release, dialog puzzles, and no verbs used for commands. He also said he'd like to rebuild the originals' SCUMM engine, among other points.

Return to Monkey Island follows a number of projects that seem to be returning to classic franchises from Disney's Lucasfilm Games brand – including Indiana Jones, multiple new Star Wars projects, and more. It's not the first time Monkey Island has reared its skeletal head, after it got an extended Easter Egg within Sea of Thieves' Pirates of the Caribbean update.

We spoke to Lucasfilm Games about the project last year, who said the idea was to work with developers to make their dream games with Disney IP. Given that Gilbert has publicly said he'd like to buy the franchise from Disney, it might be that he saw this as the next best option.

Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adblock test (Why?)

Apple Watch Series 7 models fall to new all-time lows in one-day Amazon sale - Engadget

Posted: 04 Apr 2022 01:33 AM PDT

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

If you've been eyeing the latest Apple Watch Series 7 but are waiting for a deal, it may be time to act. No less than four models, including the 41mm and 45mm models with and without cellular, are on sale at Amazon at all-time low prices. Each model (in multiple color choices) is discounted by $69, letting you grab one for as little as $330 for today only.

Buy Watch Series 7 41mm GPS at Amazon - $330 Buy Watch Series 7 45mm GPS at Amazon - $360

The Apple Watch 7 is a moderate evolution over the Series 6, but the larger screen makes it easier to see the time and other info at a quick glance during workouts or if you're on a bad date. It also has faster charging, making it more convenient if you like to use your Watch continuously, even while you sleep. It's also the first Apple Watch to be certified as IP6X for dust resistance, making it more useful for mountain runs, for example. You also great a rich app ecosystem and tight integration with Apple apps like Fitness+, Music and so on.

Buy Watch Series 7 41mm Cellular at Amazon - $430 Buy Watch Series 7 45mm Cellular at Amazon - $460

It does have a few drawbacks, including lackluster sleep tracking, and might not be the best choice for dedicated athletes. It's also designed specifically for iPhones, so Android users need not apply. Finally, battery life is good for a day at best, and not weeks like rival models from Withings and others. That said, the Apple Watch is far and away the best-selling smartwatch for a good reason, because it does everything well and looks great doing it. It's best to act fast, however, as Amazon's deal is available for today only.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Adblock test (Why?)

Epic brings building back to Fortnite’s casual queue - Engadget

Posted: 02 Apr 2022 10:01 AM PDT

Not two weeks after Epic Games removed the feature, Building is back in Fortnite. On Saturday, Epic re-added Fortnite's classic Battle Royale mode to the game's casual queue. It now lives side-by-side with the recently introduced Zero Build mode, and you can queue for both either individually or as part of a group made up of two or more players.

Epic announced it would temporarily remove building from Fortnite at the start of Chapter Three, Season Two on March 20th. The studio's decision to do so was surprising given that the feature was what made the game stand out when Epic eventually decided to release a battle royale mode in 2017 after seeing the success of PUBG. Judging by the response to Saturday's announcement, most people weren't happy about the change, even if it was always intended to be temporary.

Adblock test (Why?)