Xenoblade Chronicles 2 offers a deep combat system with multiple interconnected mechanics. It's gratifying once you get the hang of it all, but that can be easier said than done. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 throws lots of tutorials at you that are lost once you click past them, with only meager reference material available from merchants after the fact.
To...combat this issue, we've compiled a breakdown of combat terminology and mechanics that will hopefully help you master the possibilities available to you early on. Let's get started.
Your battle party consists of two types of characters, Drivers and Blades. Drivers are traditional characters that you control--though you can only command one out of three in your party, while the rest of your allies are driven by AI, with one notable exception that we'll get to soon.
Blades are characters that provide powers to Drivers. They determine what weapon and abilities you have access to, and are imbued with a particular element--yet another important detail that we'll return to when discussing Blade Combos and Chain Attacks.
During combat, you can swap between your active Driver's equipped Blades (either two or three, depending on the in-game chapter.) This can't be done freely at any time, however; Blades have accompanying meters that fill automatically over time. Unlike Drivers, Blades do not have a health bar and cannot be damaged by enemies.
Party Gauge
In the top-left corner of the screen is the Party Gauge. This fills up as you damage enemies and execute advanced attacks. Divided into three sections, you can spend one portion of the meter at a time to revive a fallen ally. You can also use up the entire meter (only when it's full) to execute a Chain Attack. For more info on Chain Attacks, scroll further down the page.
Basic Attacks
When you're close enough to an enemy, Drivers will auto-attack. Proximity is the only requirement to trigger this action. Auto-attacking will fill meters surrounding ability icons that represent various Arts.
Arts
When an Art meter fills up from auto-attacks, you can execute it. Arts can be direct attacks, defensive moves, or healing spells, and each typically comes with a secondary condition attached to it, say, toppling an enemy (more on that in a minute) or spawning healing potions upon impact.
The Arts you have access to are dictated by the weapon of the Blade you're currently cooperating with. That means different Blades will offer the same selection of Arts if they are assigned the same weapon, which are predetermined and static. Each Blade offers four Arts, but you can only equip three at a time.
Cancels
Similar to fighting games, you can stop one action to begin another (with an added advantage) in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Put simply, the moment after landing a blow on an enemy, you can initiate an Art with a bonus effect if your timing is on point.
Specials
Specials are like Arts, but deal more damage and are little more involved, asking you to engage with quick time events mid-animation. Specials come in four levels. Levels one through three are made available by cancelling an auto-attack into an Art, which fills up a meter surrounding the Special icon. Level four Specials are earned after filling up the meter enough to reach level three, and then by standing close enough to your active Blade on the battlefield for a few seconds. Specials tie into the element of the Blade in question, and will generate a meter above the enemy's health bar that will slowly deplete in roughly 20-30 seconds.
As mentioned, you can't fully direct all of your party members, but you can heed the call from fellow Drivers when they are ready to activate a Special. Why would they wait for your command? I'm glad you asked!
Blade Combos
After you or one of your allies activates a Special, a chart will pop up on the top-right corner of the UI illustrating a number of options for you to consider as you prepare to execute your next Special. These options are represented by elements, and if you activate a Special with the appropriate element before the meter generated by the previously cast Special runs out, you can create a Blade Combo. Complete three steps within the provided options, and you will not only deal lots of damage, but also seal away one of your opponent's abilities. The final Special of a Blade Combo will also leave an orb surrounding the enemy, based on that Special's specific element. These orbs/seals serve an additional purpose as well.
Chain Attacks
When you've got a full Party Gauge, you can press the + button to initiate a Chain Attack, which is an opportunity for each character in your party to deal a strong attack with an equipped Blade of your choice. These deal a lot of damage, but if you have previously executed Blade Combos (on the same enemy that you're targeting with your Chain Attack) you can do far more.
Remember the orb/seal generated by a Blade Combo? Chain Attacking with elements opposite of any orbs that may be attached to an enemy can burst the orb, which not only inflicts a lot morie damage, but also extends your Chain Attack for another round.
These are the basic concepts of Xenoblade Chronicles 2's combat system, but when you factor in various types of equipment, abilities, and mechanics unique to specific characters, things get even trickier. If you've got any questions, or any advanced tips to share with other players, throw them in the comments below!
To call 2017 a "good year" for gaming would be a grave understatement. With Zelda Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 all receiving Essential 10 review scores, and a multitude of amazing games that have captured similar critical accolades, trying to pick just one title to be Game of the Year seems like an almost impossible task. But that's just what we're going to try and do!
Over the course of December, we'll be rolling a out a series of features and videos that look back at 2017, look ahead to 2018, and that list out what we collectively feel are the best games of the year. Check out the list below for our full content schedule for both games and entertainment as we celebrate the Best of 2017!
2017 Year-in-Review
Coming Monday, December 4
Biggest Game News of 2017
Most-Read Stories of 2017
Most-Read Reviews of 2017
Most-Watched Videos of 2017
Console Report Cards
Microsoft Report Card: Xbox One -- Tuesday, December 5
PlayStation Report Card: PS4 and PSVR -- Tuesday, December 5
PC Gaming Report Card -- Wednesday, December 6
Nintendo Report Card: Switch and 3DS -- Wednesday, December 6
VR Report Card -- Thursday, December 7
Console "Best Of" Award Winners
Our unranked list of the five best games for each console. This year we are (obviously) dropping the Wii U category and adding Nintendo Switch.
Best 3DS Games -- Friday, December 8
Best Mobile Games -- Friday, December 8
Best Switch Games -- Monday, December 11
Best VR Games -- Tueday, December 12
Best Xbox One Games -- Wednesday, December 13
Best PS4 Games -- Thursday, December 14
Best PC Games -- Friday, December 15
Best Expansion -- Monday, December 18
Best Reissued/Remastered Games -- Tuesday, December 19
Game of the Year Countdown
Game of the Year #10 -- Monday, December 11
Game of the Year #9 -- Tuesday, December 12
Game of the Year #8 -- Wednesday, December 13
Game of the Year #7 -- Thursday, December 14
Game of the Year #6 -- Friday, December 15
Game of the Year #5 -- Monday, December 18
Game of the Year #4 -- Tuesday, December 19
Game of the Year #3 -- Wednesday, December 20
Game of the Year #2 -- Wednesday, December 20
Game of the Year #1 -- Wednesday, December 20
Editors' Spotlight Awards -- Thursday, December 21
These awards highlight games that we think deserve special recognition, but which didn't earn a spot in our "Best of" or GOTY lists. Looking ahead to 2018, on Thursday December 21 we'll have a host of features looking at the most-anticipated games of next year:
The 20 Biggest Games to Play in 2018
The Biggest PS4 Games to Play in 2018
The Biggest Xbox One Games to Play in 2018
The Biggest Nintendo Games to Play in 2018
The Biggest PC Games to Play in 2018
In the latter half of the month, we'll focus on our favorite movies and TV Shows:
2017 Entertainment Year-in-Review
The Craziest Entertainment News Of 2017 -- Thursday, Dec. 21
Biggest Comic News of 2017 -- Thursday, Dec. 21
Report Card: Marvel -- Thursday, Dec 21
Report Card: DC -- Thursday, Dec 21
Report Card: Star Wars -- Thursday, Dec 21
The Biggest Disappointments In Movies And TV This Year -- Friday, Dec. 22
The Entertainment That Should Have Been More Popular In 2017 -- Friday, Dec. 22
Characters We Loved (And Loved To Hate) In 2017 Movies And TV -- Friday, Dec. 22
Worst Reviewed Movies of 2017 -- Friday, Dec. 22
Game Of Thrones Season 7 Episodes Ranked From Worst To Best -- Tuesday, Dec. 26
Best And Worst Adaptations, Reboots, And Remake -- Tuesday, Dec. 26
The Best And Worst Entertainment Trailers Of The Year -- Tuesday, Dec. 26
The Biggest Moments In WWE This Year -- Tuesday, Dec. 26
Best of Entertainment
The Top 10 Movies of 2017 -- Wed, Dec 27
The Top 10 TV Shows of 2017 -- Wed, Dec 27
The 10 Best Netflix Originals Of 2017 -- Wed, Dec 27
The 10 Best Comics of 2017 -- Wed, Dec 27
The Best Horror Movies And Shows -- Thu, Dec 28
The Best Sci-Fi Movies And Shows -- Thu, Dec 28
The Best Superhero Movies And Shows -- Thu, Dec 28
The Best Anime Of 2017 -- Thu, Dec 28
The Best TV Show Episodes Of 2017 -- Thu, Dec 28
The 10 Best Scenes In 2017 Movies And TV -- Thu, Dec 28
And looking ahead to 2018:
The Biggest Movies to Watch in 2018 -- Friday, Dec. 29
The Biggest TV Shows to Watch in 2018 -- Friday, Dec. 29
The Biggest Comics to Read in 2018 -- Friday, Dec. 29
The Biggest Anime To Look Forward To In 2018 -- Friday, Dec. 29
Razer's phone isn't a gaming phone per se, but it is a device built for gamers. As a result, it breaks unprecedented ground in a few areas but falters in others. Here are the top five things you should know about the Razer phone.
The Razer Phone uses a 5.7 inch 2560x1440p display. This is the same resolution that many high-end gaming monitors use and it looks really sharp. What really makes it unique, though, is the fact that it features a variable refresh rate, that's similar to G-Sync or Freesync, and can scale up to 120Hz. Most other phones are locked to 60. It's really refreshing to see Razer break into a mature market here and disrupt a bunch of leading phone manufacturers like Apple, Google and Samsung. One downside here is that it doesn't use an OLED panel like many other flagships and opts to use an IPS LCD instead. This means that it doesn't feature true black levels that OLED displays offer, which might be a deal breaker to some, but unfortunately they don't make 120Hz OLED panels.
Specs:
The Razer Phone uses top tier Android parts. It's equipped with Qualcomm's leading Snapdragon 835 SOC coupled with a massive 8GB of RAM. To put things into perspective, that's twice as much RAM as Google's flagship Pixel 2 XL. It also has a HUGE 4,000 milliamp hour battery that is more than capable of lasting a typical day. While it comes with 64GB of built-in storage, it thankfully allows you to install a microSD card so you can expand it to 2 terabytes.
Camera:
The Razer Phone has an 8 megapixel f2.0 front-facing camera coupled with 2 cameras on the back. One is a 12mp f.175 wide angle and there's another 12MP f.26 zoom. The bad news is that the cameras are pretty bad. Overall, they make images look much too soft and lack image clarity. In addition, the back cameras oddly shoot almost everything in a forced portrait mode, so that only a certain part of the image will be in focus. Software updates could potentially address some of these issues, but if you're looking for a great camera on your phone, I'd focus elsewhere for now.
Speakers:
The Razer phone has two large bezels at the top and bottom, but I don't really mind them because the company has squeezed in some amazing speakers here. I'd say they are the best phone speakers currently on the market. They're good enough to replace small, cheap bluetooth speakers.
Operating system:
The Razer phone is rocking Android Nougat 7.1.1 with a clean nova launcher skin. It also comes with different Razer themes you can download along with additional settings that allow you to optimize battery life over performance and vice versa. Razer tells me it plans to update the phone to Android 8.0 Oreo in Q1 next year, but hasn't laid out an update roadmap beyond that.
Happy Friday! It's the last GameSpot News Roundup for the week, and Jess McDonell and Dan Crowd are ready to close it out with some hot video game news! Here's what we cover today:
Previously Blocked By Strike, Life Is Strange Voice Actors Return For Bonus Episode
Voice actor Ashly Burch is increasingly become well known for her great performances in a number of recent games, like Aloy in Horizon: Zero Dawn and Chloe in Life Is Strange. However, due the most recent Screen Actor's Guild strike, the follow-up prequel series, Before The Storm, went on to be released without Burch in the role. But now she's back! What's the deal? How does this work with her replacement, Rhianna DeVries? Find out in today's episode!
Nintendo Switch was the hottest product on Black Friday and Cyber Monday — and it wasn't even on sale
This is a pretty amusing story. Even though the Thanksgiving weekend once again had countless great deals on video games and game hardware, the best-selling product during this period was the Nintendo Switch. Hilarious. We explore one analyst's assessment of this strong trend in the video today.
Call of Duty: WW2's Headquarters Social Space Is Back
The infamous multiplayer social space in Call of Duty: WW2, that's the one where you can watch people open loot boxes, is back online after developer Sledgehammer Games disabled it in order to address the sever issues that affected the game at launch. With its return comes a bunch of updates to the game, which nerf the effectiveness of some of the game's more powerful weapons and perks.
Thanks for tuning into GameSpot News this week! Keep the conversation going by letting us know your thoughts on today's news. We'll see you next week!
Ahead of its debut sometime in 2018, the first look at the upcoming live-action adaptation of Teen Titans has been released and it showcases a major DC universe character. Robin, otherwise known as Dick Grayson, leads the team in Titans, and his vigilante suit is an impressive one.
The first image from the series shows Brenton Thwaites (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) in Robin's suit, complete with his signature staff. The costume was designed by Laura Jean, who is no stranger to superhero looks with costume credits that include both Iron Man and The CW's upcoming Black Lightning.
Titans hails from DC Entertainment and The Berlanti Company, with Akiva Goldsman, Geoff Johns, Greg Berlanti, and Sarah Schecter serving as executive producers. In addition to Robin, Anna Diop stars as Starfire, Teagan Croft as Raven, Ryan Potter as Beast Boy, Alan Ritchson as Hawk, and Minka Kelly as Dove.
An official synopsis for the series reads, "Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven and many others. Titans is a dramatic, live-action adventure series that will explore and celebrate one of the most popular comic book teams ever."
Titans is being produced exclusively for the still-unnamed streaming service DC is planning to launch in 2018. It's one of three programs in the works for the service so far, along with a revival of the animated Young Justice series and a Harley Quinn cartoon geared toward adult audiences..
It's officially December around the world, which means Xbox Live Gold subscribers can now pick up the first of December's free Games With Gold titles. Two more games are now available to download for free if you're an Xbox Live Gold member, with another two set to arrive later in the month.
Also note that one of November's Games With Gold titles, Tales From the Borderlands, will continue to be free on Xbox One through through December 15. You can see the full Games With Gold schedule for December below.
December is here, and that means another batch of free games is on the way for PlayStation Plus members. Six more games are set to be available soon for all subscribers, with PS4, PS3, and Vita owners each getting at least two.
As usual, the main highlight comes on PS4. First up is Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition, the remastered version of the 2012 action game. It includes all DLC released for the original version along with improved graphics and other enhancements. It'll be joined by a more family-friendly game in Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends. The ongoing bonus PS Plus game, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, will continue to be available throughout December, too. If you're in Europe, you can still grab That's You.
PS4 will owners will receive a third game this month, thanks to Cross-Buy: the Metroidvania-style Forma 8, which is officially one of Vita's free games for December, will also be playable on PS4. Vita's other new game in December will be co-op shooter Wanted Corp. Rounding out the month's lineup are two PS3 games: Syberia Collection (which includes adventure game Syberia and Syberia II) and Xblaze Lost: Memories.
These freebies will be available starting next Tuesday, December 5. You have until then to claim November's free PS Plus games, which include Worms Battlegrounds. You can see the full December lineup below.
As previously announced, a beta of the upcoming Monster Hunter World will be available exclusively to PS Plus members. It will run from December 9-12 and features the Ancient Forest and Wildspire Waste levels, where you'll hunt a Great Jagras and Barroth. An additional bonus will also be available during December and into next year in the US. From December 12 through January 9, PS Plus subscribers can claim the Smite PlayStation Plus Pack, which consists of a variety of gods, skins, voice packs, and an announcer pack.
Lionsgate has set an official release date for its upcoming remake of Hellboy. The film, which is not connected to the original two movie, will arrive in theaters on January 11, 2019.
The reboot will star David Harbour (Stranger Things) in the title role, with The Descent and Game of Thrones director Neil Marshall helming the project. The script for the new take on Hellboy comes from Mike Mignola, who created the character, along with Andrew Cosby (Eureka) and Christopher Golden (Ghosts of Albion: Embers).
The first two Hellboy movies starred Ron Perlman as the titular demon who fights supernatural villains, with Guillermo del Toro serving as director. Back in June, comedian Patton Oswalt got Perlman and Harbour to sit down together, at which point the first Hellboy gave his approval to his successor.
"Apparently Patton Oswalt aka balvenieboy thought it was a good idea to host [David Harbour] and yours truly for a detente dinner," Perlman wrote on Facebook. "The result: I gained 3 pounds and ruined my liver. Meanwhile, good luck kid! Signed, the babe."
While details surrounding the new movie are being kept under wraps, Harbour previously teased that it wouldn't be an origin story. "We kind of pick up the movie like we're running and gunning," he explains. "We do have a little bit of stuff where we show stuff, but it really is a story and you just drop in with this guy."
Hellboy also stars Milla Jovovich, Daniel Dae Kim, and Ian McShane.
As we've moved further away from PlayStation VR's launch last year, it's become more difficult to find retailers offering demo units. That effectively means your only chance to try PSVR without purchasing one is to have a friend who owns the headset. That's now changing, with Sony offering to send a demo unit right to the home of select PlayStation 4 owners.
Sony has begun sending out email to select PS Plus members, providing them with the opportunity to take advantage of this promotion. In addition to the headset itself, the trial package includes a PlayStation camera (the other necessary component, besides a PS4), two PlayStation Move controllers, a copy of Skyrim VR, and a demo disc. You'll need to supply the PS4.
These trial units are available essentially as a free, two-week rental. In order to receive one, you'll need to provide Sony with a credit card number, which will be charged $300 if you don't return it after the 14 days. Alternatively, you can opt to keep the package for $300 if you enjoy the experience--an excellent deal, considering this Skyrim bundle costs $450 normally.
According to the official terms and conditions, only a total of 1,400 PSVR units are available, and this promotion will only be around for a portion of December. It's possible Sony could expand these plans and offer it again in the future; we've followed up with the company to find out more about its plans.
PlayStation VR originally debuted in October 2016; you can check out our PSVR review for our thoughts, as well as our impressions of whether you should play Skyrim in VR. Sony delivered an updated version of the PSVR this October, which made some small refinements (such as allowing HDR passthrough with the external processor unit) but otherwise left the overall experience untouched. It's this updated CUH-ZVR2 model that's available through the new promotion.
Black Friday featured some nice discounts on Destiny 2, and those have continued this week. Following a sale earlier this week that beat anything we saw on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, Bungie's shooter has seen its price drop again, and you might be able to get it for its best price yet.
For the first day of its "20 Days of Doorbusters" promotion, Best Buy has dropped the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Destiny 2 to $30 for today, December 1, only. Amazon has likewise matched this price, dropping both console versions to $30 (though we're not sure for how long). Unfortunately, the PC version isn't included, as it was in the Amazon sale earlier this week.
Best Buy also sold Destiny 2 for $30 on Black Friday, but there's an important distinction with today's sale. Gamers Club Unlocked members normally receive 20% off new games, but the discount couldn't be combined with Black Friday prices. That isn't the case today, meaning GCU members can pick up the game for $24, which is the cheapest it's been to date.
Destiny 2 is set to expand dramatically this month through both the upcoming Curse of Osiris DLC and a pair of free updates. The latter will introduce a new class of weapon and a variety of changes to existing systems to make the game more rewarding, particularly for hardcore players. The game has been embroiled in some controversy recently involving an undisclosed system that limited XP earned in certain activities. That has since been disabled, and developer Bungie has addressed both those complaints and others about its communications and the lack of a proper end-game. Changes will begin to be made with a Destiny 2 update releasing on December 5, alongside Curse of Osiris.
For more, you can check out our Destiny 2 review. You can grab the game through the links below.
Following a delay, Destiny 2's scheduled maintenance period is officially underway. The process is expected to last for approximately six hours, and for most of that time, the game will be rendered unplayable as Bungie performs server maintenance ahead of Curse of Osiris's release next week. [Update: Maintenance is now complete and servers are back online, although additional maintenance is coming on Tuesday, December 5.]
Maintenance officially began at 8 AM PT. As of this writing, no one can log in until maintenance is complete, although those who were online when the process began will be able to continue playing for an hour. At 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT (4 AM AET on Saturday), everyone will be booted offline. Bungie expects maintenance to conclude five hours after that, although we've seen previous estimates prove to be wrong, for better and worse.
Bungie has not shared the specific purpose of the maintenance; these periods are sometimes followed by the release of a new patch, but there's been no indication of that happening today. We do know that a major Destiny 2 update is scheduled for release on December 5, alongside Curse of Osiris. The update will make numerous changes to the game, changing existing systems and introducing some new ones. It will be followed a week later, on December 12, with even more changes, including the addition of a new class of weapons, called Masterworks.
These details were shared in an extensive blog post earlier this week, in lieu of a planned livestream dedicated to Curse of Osiris. The post was intended to address mounting complaints from hardcore players, particularly in light of a recent controversy when it was discovered Destiny 2 throttles XP earned from certain activities. That system has been disabled, and further changes are planned. Bungie continues to face pressure regarding certain design choices and the studio's admitted communication problems, though it says it will attempt to be more open with fans.
With just two weeks before Star Wars: The Last Jedi debuts in theaters, new behind-the-scenes footage has been released. The training featurette finds the movie's cast learning the choreography and fighting skills needed to pull off the epic battle scenes that will be featured in the film.
From Daisy Ridley picking up new lightsaber tricks for her role as Rey to Gwendoline Christie figuring out the easiest ways to move around in a battle while wearing her restrictive Captain Phasma armor, the Star Wars cast is going out of their way to make the movie's fights as authentic as possible. They are also looking to use stunt doubles as little as possible when it comes to the movie's showdowns.
"Finn and Phasma end up face-to-face, which results in a major fight," John Boyega (Finn) explains. "One thing I do want to do is do the whole fight by myself."
Even new addition Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Rose in The Last Jedi, is getting in on the fun with her own training. "What was cool was learning different types of fighting," she says. "It was intense and fun, but it was really hard."
The training can also hurt. In the featurette, as she prepares for a scene with Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Ridley strikes herself in the head with her own weapon. "It's just rigorous in a great way," Driver says.
If this short look at the making of the movie shows anything, it's that Star Wars: The Last Jedi is taking its fights to an entirely new level. You'll be able to see the next chapter in the Star Wars saga when it lands in theaters on December 15.
Nintendo and Kellogg's are making it official: Super Mario is getting a cereal and yes it will score you some in-game rewards for Super Mario Odyssey on Nintendo Switch. You won't have to wait long for it, either.
The cereal comes in a collectable Super Mario Odyssey box with, of course, a maze on the back. The cereal itself will be mixed berry flavor, complete with colorful power-up marshmallows. Confirming the rumors, the box itself functions as an Amiibo. You tap the box on your Nintendo Switch to receive gold coins or a heart in the game. Check out the confirmed box art below.
The limited-edition cereal is coming soon; it will hit store shelves in the US as early as December 11. It's not the first time Nintendo has put its characters on a cereal box, with a Mario and Zelda-themed cereal being released back in the 1980s. In September this year, Nintendo also announced a partnership with Post to put Mario branding on cereals like Honey Bunches of Oats, Honeycomb, Golden Crisp, and more.
Last year, Nintendo's president said licensing deals and branded goods were key to the company's survival, as fewer younger players are discovering Nintendo's games through games-specific advertising. This includes things like Mario toothbrushes and a line of Converse Mario shoes. The company said we can expect more of these kinds of deals in the future. In related news, Nintendo is reportedly close to a deal with a the studio behind Minions to make a new Super Mario movie.
Humble Bundle is offering some free Cold War intrigue for a limited time. Right now, you can get The Bureau: XCOM Declassified on PC for free over at the Humble Store, but the deal will end in less than two days.
The Bureau is a third-person tactical shooter set in 1962, at the end of the Cold War. John F. Kennedy is president and the U.S. public at large is afraid of a nuclear war with Russia. At the same time, the US government is establishing a secret organization to combat this threat. As it turns out, it's not the Russians who invade, it's aliens.
In GameSpot's The Bureau: XCOM Declassified review, Kevin Van Ord celebrated the game's retro-futuristic period atmosphere and plot developments, while calling out some of squad management issues and storytelling. You can check out the video review above, and then try the game yourself for free.
This free version of The Bureau, normally $20, is available for Steam (you will need an account to play). Anyone who picks up the game gets a coupon for 10% off a Humble Monthly subscription, which gives you a selection of mystery games every month. You also get a free copy of H1Z1 for signing up.
Two PUBG mobile games have been announced, but they're only going to be available in China. Chinese internet giant Tencent is behind both of the games, with its Timi Studio making one that adds naval battles. The other game is being made by Lightspeed & Quantum Studio, and it looks like it's closer to the standard PC version.
According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, both games are being made using Epic's Unreal Engine 4. You can watch the trailers above and below, and learn more about both games on their websites here and here. There is no word yet as to when or if these games may come to other parts of the world. And since the websites are in Chinese, we're not exactly clear on all the specifics; but keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
PUBG is still in Early Access and is due to officially launch on PC in late December. Meanwhile, the Xbox One version of the game has an Early Access release date of December 12. We've learned about some of the updates coming in the 1.0 launch, including vaulting, climbing, and new vehicles.
It's less than a month until Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle stampedes into theaters, but is the wait still just too long for you? Well, if you happen to be a member of Amazon Prime, you might be in luck.
Amazon's subscription service is offering members the chance to get their hands on tickets to early screenings of the movie being held around the United States. The screenings will be held at over 1,000 theaters on December 8, nearly two weeks before Jumanji's proper release.
Prime subscribers can check out Amazon's site for the movie to see if any of the screenings are happening in their area. They can also use the site to purchase the tickets. That's right, these aren't free screenings: If you want to take part in the special screenings, you'll still pay full price for your ticket. Based on early Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle reviews, though, it just might be worth it if the movie is as good as critics say it is.
If you still want to have some jungle fun but aren't interested in an early screening, there's also the movie's virtual reality experience, which was created by Facebook and Oculus. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle will be in theaters on December 20.
When Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hit theaters, the introduction of Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald came shortly after allegations of domestic abuse against the actor by his now-ex-wife Amber Heard. With the focus on the next movie in the Harry Potter series centering on Grindelwald, some fans thought Warner Bros. might recast the role, rather than moving forward with Depp.
However, when key art for the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released, Depp featured prominently. Now the movie's director is speaking out and defending the decision to keep Depp in the role. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, David Yates says, "Honestly there's an issue at the moment where there's a lot of people being accused of things, they're being accused by multiple victims, and it's compelling and frightening. With Johnny, it seems to me there was one person who took a pop at him and claimed something. I can only tell you about the man I see every day: He's full of decency and kindness, and that's all I see. Whatever accusation was out there doesn't tally with the kind of human being I've been working with."
The claims Yates speaks of included verbal and physical abuse Heard alleges the actor put her through. As their divorce proceedings went on, images of injuries Heard claimed she received from Depp were published in People. The two eventually settled their divorce, releasing a joint statement in which they declared "neither party had made false accusations for financial gain."
Yates considers the matter a "dead issue," continuing, "By testament, some of the women in [Depp's] life have said the same thing--that's not the human being we know. It's very different [than cases] where there are multiple accusers over many years that need to be examined and we need to reflect on our industry that allows that to roll on year in and year out. Johnny isn't in that category in any shape or form. So to me, it doesn't bear any more analysis."
The news comes from Entertainment Weekly, which reports the producer was officially let go after an internal investigation into claims from 15 women and four men that alleged sexual harassment and misconduct. As part of the termination, Kreisberg's name will be removed from the shows. "We remain committed to providing a safe working environment for our employees and everyone involved in our productions," WBTV says in a statement.
While he was listed as a producer on all four of The CW's DC universe shows, he was most involved with the production of The Flash and Supergirl. In his absence, co-showrunners Todd Helbing (The Flash) and Robert Rovner and Jessica Queller (Supergirl) will continue working on the shows. Additionally, WBTV says executive producer Greg Berlanti, whose company Berlanti Productions is behind The CW's DC universe, will assume "additional responsibilities" on the two series.
The claims made against Kreisberg were first published by Variety in an expose that alleged he made sexualized comments about women, asked for massages from female staff, and touched or kissed people without permission. At the time, the producer denied the allegations. "I have made comments on women's appearances and clothes in my capacity as an executive producer, but they were not sexualized," he said in a statement. "Like many people, I have given someone a non-sexual hug or kiss on the cheek."
Shortly after the Variety piece was posted, several cast members from the various superhero shows, including Melissa Benoist (Supergirl), Emily Bett Rickards (Arrow), Stephen Amell (Arrow), and Caity Lotz (DC's Legends of Tomorrow) spoke out against harassment and sexual misconduct on social media.
The news of Kreisberg's termination comes one day after the conclusion of the Crisis on Earth-X crossover event, which saw the casts of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow unite in a two-night event to fight Nazis from another dimension.
The career of director Guillermo del Toro is an incredibly impressive one, especially if you're as big of a fanboy as del Toro is himself. With movies like Hellboy, Pacific Rim, Pan's Labyrinth, Cronos, and the upcoming The Shape of Water under his belt--not to mention The Strain novel series and its TV adaptation--he essentially gets to create his own geeky franchises, while also playing with his favorite properties.
"I've said no to things that are enormous and I've never looked back. The only time I repent I didn't do something was in 2007, when Universal in an incredibly gentle and beautiful manner said, 'Do you want to take over the Monster Universe?'" the director remembers. "And they gave me the reins of several properties, and I didn't do it. That I repent. So this is a confessional moment, I repent. That's the only thing."
Given how what's been seen of the Dark Universe has turned out, it's not hard to blame del Toro for that particular regret. With his adoration of the horror genre and unique style of storytelling, the possibility of a franchise of monster movies with del Toro as the architect sounds like a dream.
Sadly, it never came to pass. Then again, given how the current universe has turned out, who's to say they can't reboot the movies again and try to correct the course? If Spider-Man can start over several times, so can Count Dracula.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope has been remastered and re-released on PS4 and PC, receiving overhauled high-definition graphics and 4K support. What comes as a surprise, though, is the level to which you can customize those graphics on the PlayStation 4 to obtain the best performance; the Star Ocean remaster offers the same level of graphics customization on console as it does on PC.
As noted by Digital Foundry, developer Tri-Ace now lets you toggle graphic choices like self-shadowing, camera blur, character detail distance, texture detail, and multiple anti-aliasing types. All of this can be done in an attempt to reach the remaster's target of 60FPS across all aspects of the game. Players can tweak their settings to make that happen, and Digital Foundry says, "The jump to 60 FPS across the board greatly improves the experience."
Base PS4 users can select between 720p and 1080p resolution, while PS4 Pro users can target 1440p or full 4K. It's a big jump from the Xbox 360 and PS3 days. Eurogamer says that extra clarity has a transformative effect on the game and results in a much more pristine image. Check out the game's remastered graphics in the video above.
The Star Ocean series has set itself apart from most other JRPGs with its sci-fi plot and real-time battles. In GameSpot's 2009 review of the The Last Hope for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, reviewer Lark Anderson said it was that addictive space combat system that made the game worth playing. Now, with this remaster and its custom settings, those battles should look even better.
The streaming service made the announcement on Twitter with a poll, asking fans if it should continue with another year. Minutes later, Netflix followed with a new tweet, writing, "FOR THE LOVE OF STEVE, DUH! So hold tight baby darts--season 3 is officially happening."
FOR THE LOVE OF STEVE, DUH! So hold tight baby darts — season 3 is officially happening.
Given how Season 2 ended, with the revelation that not only did the Shadow Monster survive, but was growing stronger, it should be a no-brainer that the series would continue. The Duffer brothers, who created Stranger Things, have been very clear about their having a story in mind for the next two seasons, ET Online reports.
That said, should the popularity of Stranger Things continue to skyrocket--and those involved continue to be interested--it's possible the series could run beyond four seasons. Whether that would be a good idea remains to be seen. There's a long list of great shows that fans loved until the quality--and popularity--started to decline. It's best for a show to not wear out its welcome by staying past its expiration date.
Then again, The CW's Supernatural is currently on its 13th season and shows no signs of slowing down. Anything is possible. There is no announced return date for Stranger Things. However, with a little over a year between the first two seasons, there's a chance fans could see the next season before the end of 2018.
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Mega Man series. While it's been quite a while since the Blue Bomber has starred in a new title, Capcom will commemorate the occasion with a special Mega Man Anniversary livestream.
The stream takes place this coming Monday, December 4, and begins at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. One hour prior to the stream, Capcom will air a "Streamer Showdown" pre-show that will feature trivia and guest appearances by streamer ProJared, speedrunner Usedpizza, and rapper Mega Ran. Viewers will also have a chance to win Mega Man prizes by tuning in.
Capcom hasn't divulged any details on what it will show during the livestream, aside from that it runs for an hour and fans "won't want to miss this celebration of the Blue Bomber's birthday." You can watch the stream on Capcom's Twitch channel.
Mega Man isn't the only Capcom franchise celebrating a big anniversary this year. The Street Fighter series also turned 30 in 2017. Capcom commemorated that milestone by releasing special DLC costumes for Street Fighter V. A set of nostalgic DLC outfits were also added to the fighting game recently.
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