The first details about Santa Clarita Diet Season 2 have arrived and they point to a much more populated world in Season 2. The Drew Barrymore-starring zombie horror-comedy first premiered in February 2017 and will return in the spring with some new faces.
Netflix has announced that Joel McHale, Maggie Lawson, Gerald McRaney, and Zachary Knighton will all guest star in the new season. McHale and Lawson play married realtors that happen to be more successful than Sheila (Barrymore) and Joel (Timothy Olyphant). Meanwhile, McRaney will play a retired army colonel named Ed Thune, who intimidates Joel. Knighton will appear as Paul, who has been tasked with finding out the truth about the undead.
Naturally, that could cause some serious problems for neighborhood zombie Sheila. Then again, all of these new additions could also be tasty treats for the flesh-eating realtor.
A synopsis for the show's return reads, "Picking up right where we left off, Season 2 of Santa Clarita Diet finds the Hammonds trying to adapt to Sheila's now-advanced undead state--even though she's desperately working to hold on to her suburban lifestyle and not be defined as just another monster. Unfortunately--while the family has become markedly better at murder--the number of missing people in Santa Clarita is starting to pile up and it's no longer going unnoticed. Meanwhile, the Hammonds are chasing the source of the virus so they can stop it from spreading and save humanity--which seems important. Through it all, Sheila and Joel are grounded by their unconditional love for one another. Sure, being undead--or loving someone who is--isn't always easy, but don't all relationships have their challenges?"
Returning alongside Barrymore and Olyphant will be Liv Hewson, who plays the couple's daughter Abby, and Skyler Gisondo in the role of Eric--the boy next door that also happens to have a crush on Abby. Santa Clarita Diet's Season 2 premiere date has yet to be announced by Netflix, but you can check out the first photos from the new episodes above.
The quirky crossover costumes continue in Monster Hunter: World, but unlike the previous Horizon Zero Dawn armor--which was an understandable fit for Monster Hunter--this new Street Fighter V set is a bit of a surprise. Have you always wanted to hunt monsters as Ryu? Your wish has been granted. The quest to unlock the Ryu gear is relatively simple, but if you're curious about how the process works, we've outlined the timing and quests below to access the extras. It's worth noting that the Street Fighter V gear is only available on PS4 currently, and will be available on Xbox One later.
Ryu is the first of two Street Fighter V armor skins available now for the game; Sakura is the second and will be available at a later date. Like the Aloy gear, you'll have to wear the entire Ryu set together--you can't just wear the pants or chest alone. And the set will also alter your appearance so that your character looks like the legendary wandering shotokan fighter.
To unlock the Ryu armor, you must complete a quest called "Down the Dark, Muddy Path," which you can find at the Arena Quest Board in the Gathering Hub. The quest is a three-star mission that requires a Hunter Rank of 3 or higher. It's also important to note that the quest is only available for a limited time, until March 1.
The quest objective is to slay a Barroth. When you complete the quest, you earn a Street Fighter V Ticket, a special currency used to unlock the Street Fighter costumes. However, you need to defeat Barroth seven separate times in order to earn enough Street Fighter V Tickets to unlock the Ryu gear.
Since the quest battle is in an arena, slaying Barroth has been scaled up to fit the space. As a result, its hit boxes are much larger, so make sure to dodge accordingly. In addition, avoid hitting its head, as that's where its armor is the thickest. Once you've defeated Barroth seven times, simply take all the Street Fighter V tickets you've earned to the Smithy to craft the Ryu gear. Check out the screens above for a more visual break-down of where to find everything.
Monster Hunter World's second Horizon event begins on February 28. Like the previous quest, it will be exclusive to PS4 players. The mission this time around will be to hunt a giant Anjanath, and the reward will be materials to craft Aloy's bow and armor. Equipping the armor will change your appearance to look like Aloy, regardless of your hunter's gender.
The countdown to Thanos's arrival in the MCU with Avengers: Infinity War has officially started thanks to today's release of Black Panther, the final solo lead-up film before Infinity War. The landscape of the shared cinematic universe now includes the astronomically cool and hyper advanced Wakanda, and not a moment too soon, with the armies of Thanos's Black Order quite literally knocking at Earth's gates.
There's just one problem: we're still, officially, down one Infinity Stone. For all Black Panther gave us, the location of the Soul Stone wasn't a box that got checked off--unless, of course, it was. There's a chance that the Soul Stone was actually hiding in plain sight for the duration of Black Panther--did you catch it?
If not, don't worry. The MCU has been playing fast and loose with not only the colors of the Gems, but the forms they take onscreen too, for the six years they've been in play. After all, the Space Stone isn't a stone at all, but a glowing blue box called the Tesseract. The Reality Stone is glittering red dust called the Aether. The Mind Stone was blue for the better part of two movies before it was cracked open, turned yellow, and put in Vision's forehead. You get the idea--these things are tricky, and Marvel hasn't been making it easy to pin them down.
Bearing that in mind, there's a decent chance that the Soul Stone is actually somehow connected back to Wakanda's mysterious and powerful "heart-shaped herb."
The herb, if you remember, is the source of the Black Panther's power both in the film and in the comics, but its movie incarnation had the distinction of being neon purple and glowing on top of being mystically and spiritually empowering. Of course, the purple color might have been more of a distraction than a flag. Currently, the MCU's Power Stone is sitting pretty in purple on the color spectrum. However, like the Mind Stone, the actual color of the herb itself may have nothing to do with the Soul Stone's ultimate orange destiny.
Simply being neon and glowing does not an Infinity Stone make, but the rules established in the MCU over the last six years certainly throw a flag on that play. Wakanda has some strange properties, just inherently, thanks to its abundance of vibranium and its technological advancement, so there's always the chance that the heart-shaped herd really is just a naturally occuring phenomena born of any combination of those two things.
It does have some strange characteristics, though. For example: Vibranium is a powerful metal, yes, but since when does it have anything resembling the mystical properties exhibited by the heart-shaped herb? And if the heart-shaped herb really is just the product of vibranium in the soil and the right atmospheric conditions, why would it only grow in one tiny cave? We know that the heart-shaped herb is a limited commodity--and one that's presumably now extinct, thanks to events in Black Panther--but what about that specific plot of land made it so special and so powerful?
One possible explanation is that the heart-shape herb garden is, in fact, centered around or constructed on top of whatever vessel is containing the Soul Stone. That would explain the power-imbuing properties of the herb, as well as its ability to send those that consume it on rather on-the-nose soul-searching journeys that may or may not involve actually, genuinely contacting the dead.
That last part is important. In the comics canon, the Soul Stone's (rather esoteric) powers include being able to send people's souls into an idyllic alternate dimension, an offshoot of its endless desire to collect and consume souls. It really didn't get its name for nothing. Another of its abilities is the "cold light of truth," which enables it to reveal the deepest, most hidden parts of a person--another very pointed part of the transformative Black Panther dream state.
Obviously, for a human to be consuming parts of, or organisms created by, an Infinity Stone, it had to be diluted down in some way--we've seen what the Stones can do when they come into contact with people. It's generally pretty gruesome. But another one of the Soul Stone's properties is the fact that it's actually sentient, and has a conscious will to collect souls. So really, it's far from a stretch to believe that, if the Soul Stone really did wind up on Earth, it could have (consciously or otherwise) begun crafting ways for human beings to interact with it safely as part of its ultimate soul harvesting goal.
After all, the Black Panther transformation does seem to involve coming precariously close to death--so maybe the properties of the herb have been diluted enough over the generations to allow the Panthers to gain the net positive effects without experiencing the negatives. It's also worth noting that the Wakandans have devised a way to reverse the heart-shaped herb's effects which, if the herb's power is really cosmic in origin, might be something important for the coming battles in Infinity War.
The Soul Stone being in Wakanda would also explain why we're seeing Thanos's invasion force on the ground, storming the city in the Infinity War trailer. It seems like overkill, even for the Black Order, to send a full on invasion force to an an otherwise isolated nation if they weren't also on an extremely important, and specific, mission. Maybe that mission is to attack the Avengers currently calling Wakanda home, or maybe it's something else entirely.
There's always the chance that we just haven't seen the Soul Stone at all yet. In the comics, it has some lengthy and deep ties to Adam Warlock, who very recently received an MCU wink, care of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 post-credits stinger. So in the interest of not putting every egg in one hypothetical basket, it's worthwhile to note that the Soul Stone might honestly just be light years away from Earth, joining its siblings Reality (currently with the Nova Corps), Space (with Loki on the Asgardian refugee ship), and Power (with the Collector) out there in the cosmos.
No matter where the Soul Stone is, we'll find out May 4 when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters.
As it so often does, Sony has kicked off another impromptu flash sale on the PlayStation Store. In addition to this week's regular selection of PSN deals, players can now find a big assortment of new discounts on PS4, PS3, and Vita games for the next couple of days.
As usual, the biggest selection of deals is for PS4, and it includes some steep discounts on a number of deluxe and complete editions. Players can get Final Fantasy XV Digital Premium Edition for $30, Overwatch Game of the Year Edition for $30, Dragon Age: Inquisition Game of the Year Edition for $10, Titanfall 2 Ultimate Edition for $10, Battlefield 4 Premium Edition for $15, Injustice 2 Ultimate Edition for $32, and Minecraft: Story Mode Bundle for $14.
The flash sale ends at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on February 19, giving you only a couple of days to take advantage of these discounts. You can find the full list of deals available right now on the PlayStation Store. In addition to the flash sale, publisher 2K Games is also holding a sale on some of its own titles, which runs until February 20. That encompasses discounts on XCOM 2, NBA 2K18, BioShock: The Collection, Mafia III, and more titles.
Bungie is preparing to launch the next Season 2 instance of Faction Rally in Destiny 2, and it's right around the corner. Along with an opportunity to earn the armor and other items offered during previous Faction Rallies, this one will also introduce a number of new weapons to obtain.
In its latest blog post, Bungie showcased the weapons coming soon. Some of these are brand-new additions to the pool of possible rewards for taking part in the event. Others you may recognize from January's Faction Rally--the exclusive auto rifles that would only be available if their corresponding Faction won the event will now be obtainable as standard Faction Rally rewards. This will mark the first time that two of these (those belonging to Future War Cult and Dead Orbit) will be available to players; New Monarchy won last month's event, so only its Winner's Offering weapon went up for sale.
This Faction Rally will operate similarly: members of the three Factions will all compete to acquire the most rewards packages during the week-long event. A new weapon belonging to that faction will then be sold to all players for 50,000 Glimmer, though members of the faction will get it for just 1,000. Both Dead Orbit and New Monarchy will offer a pulse rifle, while Future War Cult will have a scout rifle. You can see all of these, along with the other new reward weapons and the returning armor, in the gallery below.
Destiny 2's next Faction Rally begins with the weekly reset on February 20. It will run for one week, as always, and be followed by Victory Week, during which time you can cash in any remaining Faction Tokens and buy the Winner's Offering. You may want to save your Tokens, however, as not all of the new Season 2 Faction Rally items will have been introduced--more are still to come in the subsequent event. Following some confusion about how new items would be rolled out, Bungie clarified last month that not all Faction Rally weapons would be available right away.
Black Panther, the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has officially been released and already it's making a massive impact. The first box office numbers for the movie are starting to roll in and it seems like they might be higher than originally expected.
According to Variety, the film earned $25.2 million from Thursday night screenings, just edging out the $25 million Captain America: Civil War took in during its opening night in 2016. It's the second-highest opening for a movie in the MCU, only falling short of the $27.6 million haul that 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron wound up with.
All told, Variety reports that Black Panther could end up making $170 million in its opening weekend alone, which would put it in the top five films of the franchise, just behind Iron Man 3's $174 million. It's worth noting that it would also be the highest opening for a Marvel superhero's first standalone movie.
While the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) was part of Captain America: Civil War, this is his first solo film. The other recent first-time standalone movie in the MCU is Spider-Man: Homecoming, which earned $117 million in its first weekend.
Looking outside of the MCU, Black Panthernearly doubled Deadpool's opening night ($12.7 million) and slightly trails the $27.7 million bow forBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice--the highest opening for a film in the DC Extended Universe. No matter how you look at it, Black Panther is going to reign supreme at the box office this weekend--and likely for the next couple of weeks.
After that, fans luckily won't have to wait long before the next MCU adventure. Avengers: Infinity War arrives in theaters on May 4.
As it does occasionally, Rockstar is providing a welcome freebie to players of Grand Theft Auto V. Players will be able to get some free money in GTA Online for a limited time, and in a roundabout way, everything available for sale will be discounted.
Attributing this to a move by the fictional San Andreas Treasury Department, Rockstar has announced a stimulus package for all players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. By logging into GTA Online between now and February 26, you'll qualify for $250,000 of in-game cash. This won't be handed over immediately--you can expect it to reach your Maze Bank account sometime between February 27 and March 6.
In addition to that, Rockstar has kicked off a promotion that requires you to have GTA money now but will save you some in the long haul. Any in-game cash you spend from now until February 26 will get you a 10% refund (for example, spend $500,000, and you'll get $50,000 back in the bank.) The most you can earn back through this promotion is $1 million, though that'd require you to spend a whopping $10 million. The refund will be delivered on February 27.
You can stack this offer with this week's new sales, which include 25% off Executive Offices, all 10-car properties, and the Nagasaki Buzzard attack helicopter, among other vehicles. It's also not too late to take advantage of some of the other bonuses going on in GTA 5 this week, which coincided with the release of a new vehicle, the Vapid Hustler.
It's the beginning of a new week, which means a new selection of game discounts are now available in the US PlayStation Store. This week's deals are fairly slim compared to the Ubisoft and Play Anime sales available last week, but players can still find discounts on a handful of titles from publisher 2K Games across PS4, PS3, and Vita.
As always, the biggest selection of deals is reserved for PS4 owners. The critically acclaimed strategy game XCOM 2 is $19.79, while its War of the Chosen expansion is $26. In addition to that, NBA 2K18 is $39, WWE 2K18 is $30, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is $19.79, BioShock: The Collection is $19.79, Mafia III is $16, Evolve is $7.49, and Battleborn is $7.49. PS4 owners can also find discounts on the deluxe versions for many of the aforementioned titles.
Most of the above deals will only be available until February 20, giving you a week to pick up any titles you may be interested in. You can find all of this week's game discounts on the PlayStation Store.
If you only watched the first few minutes of Netflix's newest original show, Everything Sucks, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a Freaks and Geeks rip-off that exists to pander and peddle nostalgia to millennials. But you'd be wrong.
The '90s references in the first few episodes verge on excruciating. Everyone drinks Surge, obsesses over Tori Amos and Oasis, and enthusiastically impersonates Ace Ventura. The nerdy kids argue over whether the still forthcoming Star Wars remasters will be a ruin of messy CG or a revelation.
We get it. This show is set in the '90s. Its target demographic of navel-gazing millennials suffer pangs of nostalgia whenever we see a snap bracelet or a Jonathan Taylor Thomas poster. But you can't hang an entire 10-episode series on that alone, which is exactly what it seems like Everything Sucks is trying to do--at first.
The show follows a handful of high schoolers, including the geeks Luke (Jahi Di'Allo Winston), McQuaid (Rio Mangini), and Tyler (Quinn Liebling), as well as the the freaks/theater kids, primarily Emaline (Sydney Sweeney) and Oliver (Elijah Stevenson), on their various quests to fit in, find love, get high, and stand out. In the opening episode, the freshman year nerds join A.V. club in the hopes of meeting girls, and Luke quickly falls for sophomore Kate Messner (Peyton Kennedy), the principal's daughter.
That's boilerplate, Degrassi-level high school schlock. And despite some likable actors and the charming locale in '90s small town Oregon (the town is literally named Boring; their morning announcements close with the sign-off "Have a Boring day"), it's hard to get into Everything Sucks' first episode. But there's a hint of something more interesting at the end of that premiere, when Kate--Luke's crush in the A.V. club--gingerly turns the pages of a cheesy porno rag, her breath quickening, apparently experiencing a sexual awakening right before our eyes.
That's not exactly the turning point--more a hint of where the show ultimately heads. Unfortunately, the next few episodes are almost unbearably uncomfortable as we cringe through Luke's long, doomed courtship. He uses his A.V. skills to lip sync Oasis's "Wonderwall" and recreate music videos by artists like Nirvana and Alanis Morissette (again, we get it), asking Kate out in front of the entire school. He gets her tickets to a Tori Amos concert (oh my god, please stop). All the while, she wrestles with the cruel, casual homophobia of Emeline's little high school gang, who suspect (but don't yet know) that Kate is gay. It's hard to watch.
But then, things slowly start to turn around. Kate witnesses two women kissing at the Tori Amos concert and realizes for the first time that there might be a place in the world where she can be herself. Suddenly the '90s setting is actually relevant as more than cheap set dressing, as a time when youth culture hadn't yet fully shifted into the mainstream acceptance widely seen today. Kate rejects Luke once and for all, tears down her JTT poster, and pierces her nose (in her room, with a safety pin).
As Luke and the other characters who were initially presented as the protagonists fade further into the background, the real story emerges. And before you know it, Kate is the main character.
Everything Sucks is actually less a Freaks and Geeks rip-off, and more an adorable gay high school romance. It's not really about the nerds finding love, or the theater kids and the geeks coming together to make an awesomely hacky homemade sci-fi movie, or the cliques and social castes of high school at all. It's about Kate Messner, a gay teenager in 1996 small town Oregon, learning how to be herself and find acceptance among her friends and family.
Throughout the season, a B-plot brews involving sparks between Luke's mom, a flight attendant estranged from her deadbeat husband, and Kate's dad, the corny, kindhearted school principal. Their romance is sweet and mostly simple, a stark contrast with the high schoolers' emotional complexities. As the season goes on, the adults' lack of malice begins to trickle down into the rest of the show, until it all builds to a cathartic, sweet, hopeful, satisfying conclusion.
Everything Sucks won't be for everyone, and it's far from perfect. But for those who can get past the cringey assault of forced '90s references and discover what the show is actually about, the prospect of a second season--which the final scene sets up in the most obvious way possible--won't seem so bad.
Following an earlier giveaway to coincide with the launch of its Chinese New Year sale, GOG has now kicked off another. For a limited time, you can grab a free PC game--and not a bad one at that.
Offering something a bit more recent than last time around, Dungeons 2 is currently free on GOG. You can claim it from either its game page or GOG's homepage; either way, you'll have a DRM-free copy of the game to play permanently--it doesn't require the use of Steam or GOG's (optional) Galaxy client. It's only available for a total of 48 hours, expiring on February 18. GOG's sale runs until February 20 and includes Dungeons 2's DLC, among many other things.
The 2015 strategy game is in the mold of the classic Dungeon Keeper, putting you in the role of an evil Dungeon Lord who has to establish a complex dungeon that keeps out any heroes and protects his precious gold. Where the game attempts to distinguish itself from other Dungeon Keeper-esque games is in its overworld portion, which plays out like a real-time strategy game as you go on the offensive. You can read more about the game in our Dungeons 2 review. A sequel, Dungeons 3, was released last year.
Two of this month's free Games with Gold have now returned to their regular price, but a couple of new titles are available in their place. Xbox Live Gold members can now grab two more free games on Xbox One and Xbox 360 for the remainder of the month.
On the current-gen console, Gold members can now download the Assassin's Creed spin-off, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India. Xbox 360 owners, meanwhile, can nab the classic Dreamcast arcade racer, Crazy Taxi. Like all other free Games with Gold, the latter is also playable on Xbox One via backwards compatibility.
Crazy Taxi will be available to download until February 28, while Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India will remain free through the first half of March. Xbox One owners can also still download the first-person shooter Shadow Warrior, which is free for the entirety of February. You can see the full list of this month's free Games with Gold below.
Bayonetta 2 arrives on Nintendo Switch very soon, and alongside it, Nintendo and Platinum Games are bringing the original Bayonetta to the console as well. Those who pick up a physical copy of Bayonetta 2 will receive a download code for the first title, but the two games will only be sold individually on the Switch Eshop. While it appears it would cost more to buy the games digitally than at retail, getting both together will still work out to the same price, thanks to an offer from Nintendo.
On the Eshop, each game is available for a different price: Bayonetta 2 costs $50, while the original Bayonetta runs for $30. However, purchasing either one of them will entitle you to an automatic discount on the other, bringing the total cost for both games to $59.98 (before tax)--about the same price as the physical release. If you buy Bayonetta 2 first, you can nab the original for about $10; conversely, buying the first Bayonetta will drop the price of Bayonetta 2 to about $30. You also don't need to purchase both games immediately in order to receive the discount.
Nintendo held a similar promotion when Bayonetta 2 first released for Wii U back in 2014. The initial physical run of the game was likewise bundled with the original Bayonetta, but the two titles were only available separately on the Wii U Eshop, and purchasing one from the digital store would give you an automatic discount on the other. Nintendo later released Bayonetta 2 as a standalone physical release, though the company hasn't announced if it will do the same for the new Switch version somewhere down the line.
Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 launch for Switch on February 16, headlining a packed week of new releases for the console. The latter in particular was very well received by critics when it first released, earning a rare 10 out of 10 from GameSpot. Critic Mark Walton called it "a masterclass in pure, unadulterated action-game design" in our Bayonetta 2 review. You can see what other critics are saying about the Switch port in our Bayonetta 2 review roundup.
The two Bayonetta games arrive on Switch ahead of Bayonetta 3, which was one of the many surprises revealed during The Game Awards back in December. Nintendo didn't share any concrete details about the game, except that it will be released exclusively for Switch. You can watch the first Bayonetta 3 trailer here.
The release of the major new Rainbow Six Siege update, Chimera, is drawing near. While we're still waiting for a full reveal of everything it will include, we have now gotten details on what to expect from its two new Operators, Finka and Lion.
Ubisoft's website has released bios on bothcharacters, including fairly extensive (and personal) back stories. More importantly, it also shares their weapon loadouts and what their gadgets do. Finka is an Attacker-class character who "delivers a nanobot shot to each Operator before an operation." During the course of the round, she's then able to activate the nanobots to assist her teammates. Specifically, Operators get "a short boost of health to get them back on their feet, to give them an extra push, and to steady their aim." Finka is rated at two speed and two armor, and her primary weapon choices are the Spear .308, SASG-12, and 6P41.
Chimera's other new Operator is Lion, also an Attacker. His unique gadget is EE-One-D, which "allows Lion to survey hot zones and maintain quarantine protocols on missions." More specifically, it provides him with some kind of notification when movement is detected in an area. He also has two speed and two armor, and his primary weapon options are the V308, 417 Marksman Rifle, and SG-CQB.
With the Rainbow Six Siege Invitational now underway, we should be receiving more details on these two characters and everything else coming in Chimera. The update also includes a new map for PvP and a big, limited-time co-op event mode called Outbreak. That will be playable with only select characters, including both Finka and Lion. This all launches on March 6 to kick off Siege's Year 3, although PC players will get to try much of it out on the Technical Test Server next week.
Pokemon Go's Valentine's Day event may soon be coming to an end, but a new one has now begun in the popular mobile game. Niantic has kicked off a Lunar New Year event in Pokemon Go, which will fittingly reward players with bonuses when they catch certain dog-like Pokemon.
To celebrate the start of the Year of the Dog, Pokemon Go players will earn triple the normal amount of Stardust when they capture Poochyena, Growlithe, Snubble, Eevee, or Electrike. All of the aforementioned Pokemon will also spawn more frequently for the duration of the event. However, like the Valentine's Day celebration, the Lunar New Year event will only be around for a very brief period of time, running from February 15-17.
Pokemon Go players in Taiwan can participate in a separate Lunar New Year event. From February 26 to March 3, Niantic is hosting a Safari Zone event at the Chiayi Lantern Festival. Players will have a chance to encounter Dratini, Mr. Mime, Growlithe, and other Pokemon during the day, while Chinchou and Lanturn will spawn at night when the lanterns begin to glow. You can read more about the Safari Zone even on the Pokemon Go website.
Pokemon Go's Valentine's Day event was scheduled to conclude on February 15; however, due to server issues that prevented many players from logging in to the game, Niantic has extended the event by an additional 24 hours. That gives players another chance to encounter increased spawns of Luvdisc and Chansey and earn triple Stardust for each one they catch.
Niantic recently introduced another batch of Gen 3 Pokemon to Pokemon Go, which consisted primarily of Dragon- and Flying-types like Salamence and Altaria. A new Gen 3 Legendary, Rayquaza, is also now available in the game. The Sky High Pokemon will appear in Raid Battles at Gyms until March 16.
The second Pokemon Go Community Day is still slated to take place later this month, on February 24. Like January's Community Day, which featured a Pikachu that could use Surf, players will have a chance to encounter a Pokemon that knows a special move during the event. Niantic hasn't revealed what that move will be, but the Pokemon this time is the rare Dragon-type Dratini.
Despite sharing a similar premise, Fortnite: Battle Royale differs from PUBG in a number of ways, such as with its building mechanics. But at first blush, the most noticeable difference is Fortnite's cartoonish art style. That less serious vibe extends to other areas of the game, whether it's with the item that allows you to conceal yourself as a friendly little bush or the Boogie Bomb grenade that forces affected enemies to dance. This is also embraced with the game's cosmetics, and one added in Fortnite's new update is especially silly.
As in PUBG, players start out the match in a flying vehicle (in this case, a bus) that passes over the island. When you're ready, you jump out and eventually deploy a parachute to ensure a safe landing. There are various glider options to unlock, and the latest is Bear Force One. This is essentially a giant inflatable Valentine's Day-style teddy bear (standing atop of set of wings) that functions as your glider.
Just like other such replacements, this is purely cosmetic; it doesn't have any impact on gameplay, though--given how big it is--it certainly won't do anything to help make your landing location a secret. But what's a little sacrificed stealth in the name of cuteness?
Enemies will hardly be able to bear 🐻 you dropping into combat. You can acquire this glider in the store right now! pic.twitter.com/bFZ4BN33sb
Of course, this does come at a cost. Bear Force One costs 1,500 V-Bucks. This can be earned to some extent through gameplay (if you own the Battle Pass or have access to Save the World mode), but it's primarily obtained through real-money purchases, and 1,500 V-Bucks is roughly equivalent to $15/£12. It's one of several pricey new Valentine's Day cosmetic options, along with the Tat Axe (800), Cuddle Team Leader (2,000), and Love Ranger (2,000). The latter has already been shown to have some hilariously creative uses, given the right circumstances. You can see all of these in the gallery above.
These items are available only for a limited time, so you'll want to act fast if you're interested. Be aware that V-Bucks will now be the lone way of purchasing the upcoming Season 3 Battle Pass, despite earlier statements saying otherwise. For more on what's been added, check out our rundown on the new 2.5.0 Fortnite update.
February has been a busy month for Nintendo Switch owners so far, but this week in particular is packed with great games to choose from. A total of 18 new titles arrive in the Switch Eshop this week, many of which are worth a download if you're looking for something new to play on the hybrid console.
Headlining this week's releases is Platinum Games' acclaimed action game, Bayonetta 2, which arrives alongside the original Bayonetta today, February 16. Originally released for Wii U back in 2014, Bayonetta 2 is one of the few games to earn a rare 10 out of 10 from GameSpot. Those who pick up the physical version will receive a free download code for the first Bayonetta. Each title will also be available individually on the Eshop, and purchasing one will entitle you to a significant discount on the other.
Fe
Arriving alongside Bayonetta 2 today is Fe, a beautiful adventure game from EA and developer Zoink. The game puts players in control of a cub who explores a dark forest, learning different animal cries that can be used to interact with other animals or plants to solve puzzles. Fe is the first title published under EA's indie-oriented EA Originals program.
Other notable games available for Switch this week include the latest ACA Neo Geo classic, Fatal Fury 3; the touching 2D adventure game Owlboy; the flashback-driven retro RPG The Longest Five Minutes; the Metroid-style platformer Xeodrifter; the classic arcade shoot-'em-up Samurai Aces; and the underwater 2D shooter Aqua Kitty UDX. Switch owners can also now download free demos for Quest of Dungeons, Violett, and Wanderjahr. You can find the full list of this week's new Switch releases below.
On top of all the new title, the Shadow Dragon DLC pack for Fire Emblem Warriors also arrives on Switch this week. This is the second of three DLC packs planned for the game, and it introduces three characters originally from Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon--Navarre, Minerva, and Linde--as well as new History maps, weapons, and costumes. The DLC pack is included in Fire Emblem Warriors' $20 season pass or can be purchased separately for $9.
Bungie has explained its approach to changing Destiny 2's Exotics, offering insight into its goals and what it hopes to achieve in a game update planned for March. In the latest Bungie Weekly Update senior designer Jon Weisnewski said the gameplay tuning pass on Exotic gear is focused on "adding and/or increasing player Power spikes," and although all items are being considered, special attention is being paid to low-usage items. The goal, he says, is to "lean into an item's established gameplay and push it harder" while avoiding "catch-all improvements that dilute item identity."
To show what this means Weisnewski used the Graviton Lance as an example, explaining that the feedback has been that it looks cool, but isn't viable for getting kills in player-versus-player scenarios. Bungie is remedying this by reducing the recoil of the first of the weapon's burst shots. On top of that, it's introducing some aim assist to control recoil and changing it from three shot burst to two shot.
"This still plays into the fantasy of a low-damage gravity-neutralizing round forming a projectile tunnel for the last bullet," he said. "It also allows us to ensure the damage per burst is at a competitive level for PVP engagements. In fact, it gives Graviton a slight mathematical edge against other pulse rifles."
Weisnewski also said that, as a result of feedback, the way an enemy's body now behaves after being hit with a Graviton Lance has changed. "We made it so that rather than violently flying backwards and likely out of range of a potential splash damage opportunity, the defeated opponent floats back and up," he explained. "Then we made the explosion bigger, increased the damage, and added some void field projectiles that seek out any remaining targets."
According to Weisnewski, "this is one of the more exaggerated examples to help describe how we're looking at our goals and applying them to the gear." He went on to name weapons that aren't getting an update: Merciless, Telesto, Wardcliff Coil, MIDA Multi Tool, Colony, Legend of Acrius, and Vigilance Wing. The team decided not to change these as some don't require it, while the others will benefit from other tuning changes included in update 1.1.4.
"We'll be touching a lot of powerful gear with this update and to truly understand the impact for players requires a lot of design iteration and test time," Weisnewski said. "It isn't enough to crank up the damage and run one strike or Crucible match with a gun and helmet and move on. Dialing in the right amount of power, testing in all activities with all types of load outs, finding the bugs, fixing the bugs, updating the perk description text to reflect new behaviour, and then handing that off to localization for translation--it's a ton of work, but we're up to it. We sincerely appreciate your patience. I believe it will be worth the wait."
As previously detailed in the Destiny 2 roadmap, the changes are expected to go into effect on March 27 when the Sandbox & Crucible update will be launched as part of patch 1.1.4.
Crimson Days is now live on all platforms, and it runs until the weekly reset on February 20. Even if you don't plan on playing much, you can get a free Crimson Engram just by logging in and speaking with Tess at The Tower.
Capcom has released a new update for Monster Hunter: World, making a few small tweaks to the Slashberry management and the way squads join multiplayer sessions. Patch 1.06 and 1.0.0.11 are available for PS4 and Xbox One respectively now, and you can see what they do below courtesy of Capcom.
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Fixed an issue that occurred when hunters had 31 or more Slashberries in their item pouch at the time of the last update (PS4 v1.05 / Xbox One v1.0.0.10) where the maximum number of Slashberries a hunter can hold in their item pouch was reduced from 60 to 30. This update will move any Slashberries exceeding 30 in your item pouch to your item box.
Made additional fixes to an issue fixed in the last update (PS4 v1.05 / Xbox One v1.0.0.10) where, rarely, uninvited non-squad members could join a Squad Online Session, or Squad members could not join one of their own.
Xbox One
Readjusted the search algorithm when searching for another player's session to join.
PS4 players who have save data for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition on their consoles can now accept the first Street Fighter V Event Quest, which is called "Down the Dark, Muddy Path." It's a three-star mission that requires a Hunter Rank of 3 or higher, and all it requires you to do is slay a Barroth. Once the mission is complete you'll be rewarded with items to craft the Ryu armor set, which will turn your hunter into the iconic Street Fighter character when equipped. You can take a look at the Ryu armor here.
Monster Hunter World's second Horizon: Zero Dawn event begins on February 28. Like the previous quest, it will be exclusive to PS4 players. The mission this time around will be to hunt a giant Anjanath, and the reward will be materials to craft Aloy's bow and armor. Equipping the armor will change your appearance to look like Aloy, regardless of your hunter's gender.
In GameSpot's Monster Hunter: World review, Ginny Woo said the game is "the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been" and awarded it an 8/10.
"It's not just the comparative depth of the narrative," she continued, "It also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large."
Although it's coming a bit later than expected, the new update for Fortnite has arrived on all platforms. The version 2.5.0 patch makes some big changes and additions for both Battle Royale and Save the World modes, including the addition of a new weapon to obtain and new areas to explore in the popular PvP mode on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Battle Royale is now home to the Impulse Grenade, a new type of explosive that, after a short delay, sends all nearby players flying a long distance. It's a Blue rarity item, and it can only be found in Treasure Chests and Supply Drops. You can get a glimpse at what it can do in the brief video clip below; it may lead to some hilarious match endings in the final circle.
Among the places you'll now find Treasure Chests in during Battle Royale matches are new "thematic Shrines hidden across the map." One of these is pictured in the gallery below, and they appear to have a Chinese architectural look to them. Meanwhile, Save the World has introduced new heroes and Dragon weapons themed around the Lunar New Year (also pictured below).
Other notable changes to Battle Royale include some technical changes for PS4 and Xbox One players. The standard versions of those consoles now feature dynamic resolution and high quality temporal upsampling; the former seeks to ensure a smooth framerate by decreasing the resolution when necessary. Those on an Xbox One X can now play at "full" 4K, while PS4 players should no longer experience excessively slow Fortnite patch downloads.
In terms of balance, a variety of adjustments have been made, including the temporary removal of the SMG weapon, which was done to create some breathing room for other weapons that have been added to the game. Additionally, several items are now less likely to drop, including the crossbow, minigun, and Chug Jug. There have also been some notable audio improvements, such as the crossbow making a noise when it's ready to fire again. There are also now "above" and "below" versions of footstep sounds when running on wood, stone, or metal.
Save the World--which remains in paid early access but will eventually be for free everyone--also receives some significant additions in this update. In addition to the aforementioned Dragon weapons and Lunar New Year heroes, the Heartbreaker Crossbow is now available. Most importantly, the Spring It On event has begun, introducing new quests and rewards, with more to be added in the coming weeks.
All of this is available now. For a complete rundown on what's new, check out the full patch notes here, or look at the silly new cosmetics now available. And if you're new to Fortnite: Battle Royale or are just looking for some tips, have a look at our Fortnite building guide or our discussion about what makes the mode so popular.
THQ Nordic, the Austria-based company currently in possession of the Darksiders, Red Faction, and de Blob properties, has acquired Koch Media, the parent company of Dead Island, Saints Row, and Metro publisher Deep Silver. The deal, which is set for approval later today, was worth €121 million (approximately $149 million).
The acquisition means that THQ Nordic now owns all of Koch Media's assets, which includes its studios, intellectual properties, and licenses, such as the Metro game series. Koch Media's business also includes films, which are created "primarily for German and Italian speaking territories."
Noteworthy studios that are part of the acquisition include Volition, which is responsible for the Saints Row series; Dambuster, which is behind Homefront; and Fishlabs Entertainment, known for the Galaxy on Fire series.
"I strongly believe that THQ Nordic is a great strategic fit with Koch Media," said Klemens Kundratitz, Koch Media CEO, who will continue in his role as chief executive. "In addition to having long experience within games development and publishing, THQ Nordic has the skills, willingness and capital to deliver growth in the future."
Lars Wingefors, CEO THQ Nordic, indicated that Koch's studios will continue to operate as normal, with both Volition and Dambuster working on new, unannounced AAA games, in addition to 4A's Metro Exodus.
"Koch Media has a long history of profitability despite losses incurred from some less successful game releases," he said. "THQ Nordic is convinced that the development studios of Deep Silver as part of THQ Nordic will successfully deliver at least four ongoing AAA game projects including Metro Exodus as well as the next Volition Studio AAA release and the next Dambuster Studio AAA release, together with a number of other game development and publishing titles."
Last year THQ Nordic announced Biomutant, a third-person action game set in a fantasy universe. It is also has Darksiders 3 in the pipeline, which is being developed by Gunfire Games, a studio made up of many ex-Vigil Games employees, all of which worked on the original Darksiders and its sequel.
Sea of Thieves, the upcoming multiplayer pirate game from Rare, will have another beta this weekend. Those that had access to the first closed beta will be able to set sail again from February 16 at 10 AM GMT / 2 AM PST until February 18 at 10 AM GMT / 2 AM PST.
According to Rare, this second beta "is to test a lot of the work we've done since the closed beta, and to try and hit a higher concurrent players number than we've ever seen before." As a result, it has said players should expect to see sessions being interrupted, difficulty joining games at peak times over the weekend, and issues with using the in-game shop. Of course, this is all in service of ironing out the problems for its eventual full launch.
The content available in this beta will be the same as that included in the previous beta. Rare said it will "purposefully be a similar feature set ... restricted to the Gold Hoarders trading company and accompanying Voyages," so it can "drive scale and test issues at a high scale of player concurrency."
For those that haven't been able to get into the beta yet, Rare plans on running another one closer to the launch of the game. This will provide "a taste of the wider Sea of Thieves experience."
The time has finally come. The reviews for the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are out. Black Panther won't be in theaters until February 16, but critics are sharing their thoughts about the movie and, so far, it's very good news.
The film, which follows King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War, has been met with unanimous praise by critics thus far. Reviews are touting everything from its visual design, to its representation of race and gender, to its soundtrack. Thankfully, it seems as though the story and characters explored in the movie are also well-received--save for some minor criticism of T'Challa, himself.
With a score of 88 on GameSpot's sister site Metacritic, the future of Black Panther appears to be bright. Take a look at a sampling of reviews below for a better idea of what critics think.
Movie: Black Panther
Studio: Marvel
Release date: February 16
GameSpot
"[Wakanda] pulses and thrives, colors and structures simultaneously informed by African heritage and an alienness granted by vibranium technology. The original songs by Kendrick Lamar fit perfectly, lending each scene both modernity and an added sense of history. And the characters who live there easily cement themselves in this movie as some of the most fully fleshed out in the whole MCU." -- Michael Rougeau [Full review]
The New York Times
"Race matters in Black Panther and it matters deeply, not in terms of Manichaean good guys and bad but as a means to explore larger human concerns about the past, the present and the uses and abuses of power. That alone makes it more thoughtful about how the world works than a lot of mainstream movies, even if those ideas are interspersed with plenty of comic-book posturing. It wouldn't be a Marvel production without manly skirmishes and digital avatars. Yet in its emphasis on black imagination, creation and liberation, the movie becomes an emblem of a past that was denied and a future that feels very present. And in doing so opens up its world, and yours, beautifully." -- Manohla Dargis [Full review]
Nerdist
"The film does deal head-on with issues of race, subjugation, and oppression in ways both heartbreaking and hilarious. At one point, a young black boy in a rundown apartment in Oakland, California ([director Ryan] Coogler's hometown), dismisses the idea of Wakanda itself: What good is "a kid in Oakland, running around believing in fairy tales"? Coogler answers that question with the film itself: Here is a fairy tale for children who rarely get them, and never like this." -- Marc Bernardin [Full review]
IGN
"For a film that touches on so many very real and very serious topics, you might expect Black Panther to be an entirely solemn affair. Some parts are, but it's also an entertaining adventure film about an action hero with awesome gadgets and a super-suit, a fun film with many laugh-out-loud moments, and a gorgeous movie with a distinctive visual style that can't be mistaken for any other big-budget movie. It's a testament to director/co-writer Ryan Coogler's skill that he juggles all these elements without his film ending up tonally inconsistent." -- Jim Vejvoda [Full review]
Collider
"This movie is a game-changer, and for all the valid critiques you can throw at Marvel, the studio deserves credit for bankrolling Coogler's fearless vision. You have to go back to 1998, back to Blade and Wesley Snipes for the last time Hollywood launched a superhero franchise led by a hero of color. Since then, there's been Catwoman (oof) and supporting roles. Never in our lifetime has there been a superhero blockbuster so intently invested in the black experience, in the importance of identity and heritage, and the tragedy of being denied those things. " -- Haleigh Foutch [Full review]
Variety
"Truth be told, T'Challa is kind of a bore, even if the movie that surrounds him seldom fails to thrill: He's prince of a utopian city with little interest in the fate of the world beyond his borders--until his father, King T'Chaka (John Kani), is assassinated during a bombing at the Vienna International Centre (a flashback to Captain America: Civil War). Though the Black Panther who made his impressive, hyper-acrobatic debut in that film is one and the same as the character seen here, Coogler humanizes him to such a degree that T'Challa doesn't feel like a superhero so much as a deeply conflicted world leader — albeit one who must defend his title via brutal hand-to-hand bloodmatches (in a ritual that suggests a considerably more primordial, and decidedly anti-democratic, form of governance)." -- Peter Deburge [Full review]
Rolling Stone
"If you're thinking you're in for another macho power trip, forget it. The women are more than a match for the men in this game, from the iconic Angela Bassett as Ramonda, T'Challa's widowed mother, to the ready-to-rumble Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia, T'Challa's ex-love and a spy for Wakanda in the outside world. And wait until you see the dynamite Danai Gurira--Michonne on The Walking Dead--fire on all cylinders as Okoye, head of Wakanda's all-female Special Forces known as the Dora Milaje. Her head shaved, her eyes beaming likes lasers and her weapons at the ready, she is the living definition of fierce. And there's no beating the smarts and sass of the wonderous Letitia Wright, who brings scene-stealing to the level of grand larceny as Princess Shuri, T'Challa's kid sister." -- Peter Travers [Full review]
If you don't already have enough to play or are simply looking to mix things up, you've got some options right now on Xbox One. Three different games are hosting free-play weekends, two of which don't require Xbox Live Gold.
Both of those games are playable even if you don't have an Xbox Live Gold membership, which is often a requirement to take part in these free-play events. You will, however, need an active Gold subscription to check out the third game, Blizzard's hero shooter, Overwatch. As with previous free trials, you'll be able to play the majority of the game, including all heroes and maps in Quick Play, Custom Games, and Arcade. As it happens, the game's Lunar New Year event is ongoing, giving you a chance to unlock some cool new Year of the Dog skins.
Progress made during any of these trial periods will carry over to the full versions if you ever decide to purchase them. NBA 2K18 and Siege's free events run from now through February 18, and both games are on sale on the Xbox Store this week; the Overwatch free event runs through February 19.
Although these it's not mentioned as often today as some of its contemporaries, Xenogears is nevertheless a cult-classic RPG. Released in 1998 for the original PlayStation by the company then known as Squaresoft, Xenogears set the stage for a series of games that continues today, two decades later.
In the video above, we explore the history of Xenogears, including some behind-the-scenes details and a look at what made it special. With a twist on the Active Time Battle system used in games like Chrono Trigger, it offered a distinct style of combat to go along with an excellent soundtrack.
The video also explores the controversial religious aspects of the game that posed a problem during localization. It also touches on the infamously incomplete nature of the game; rather than cut content entirely, the developers resorted to leaning on exposition-heavy cutscenes comprised of static images.
Despite this, Xenogears remains beloved by many. It never received a direct sequel at Square, and disagreements with the publisher led to director Tetsuya Takahashi leaving the company to found Monolith Soft. That company subsequently went on to establish the Xeno series, first developing the Xenosaga games before moving on to the Xenoblade Chronicles titles, the most recent entry of which, Chronicles 2, debuted late last year on Nintendo Switch.
Before the second part of Monster Hunter World's Horizon: Zero Dawn crossover event begins later this month, some PS4 players will have a chance to get a different set of crossover armor for their hunter. Beginning at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET today, February 15 (12 AM GMT on February 16), PS4 players who have save data for Street Fighter V on their consoles will be able to accept the first Street Fighter V Event Quest.
The quest is called Down the Dark, Muddy Path, and it's a three-star mission that requires a Hunter Rank of 3 or higher. The objective of the quest is very straightforward: slay a Barroth. Complete the mission and you'll be rewarded with items to craft the Ryu armor set, which will turn your hunter into the iconic Street Fighter character when equipped. You can take a look at the Ryu armor below.
In addition to the Event Quest, Capcom will also offer Hadoken and Shoryuken gestures for your hunter, along with a Street Fighter V sticker set, as paid DLC. A second Street Fighter V Event Quest will follow later and gives players materials to craft the Sakura armor. You can read more about the Street Fighter V event on the official Monster Hunter World website.
While the first Street Fighter V crossover quest is only open to certain PS4 players at the moment, Capcom says it will also be available for everyone on PS4 as well as Xbox One at a later date. Likewise, players on both consoles will be able to get the retro Mega Man armor for their Palico in the future.
Monster Hunter World's second Horizon event begins on February 28. Like the previous quest, it will be exclusive to PS4 players. The mission this time around will be to hunt a giant Anjanath, and the reward will be materials to craft Aloy's bow and armor. Equipping the armor will change your appearance to look like Aloy, regardless of your hunter's gender.
Fantasy games are not in short supply by any means, and it seems almost unavoidable that a game set in a medieval-style setting will be accompanied by magic or other unrealistic elements. Kingdom Come: Deliverance aspires to be the answer to those seeking something a little different, providing a more realistic twist on the medieval RPG.
Released just this week, Kingdom Come is the debut game from developer Warhorse Studios. It's an ambitious single-player RPG that's set in Bohemia during the 15th century. As is to be expected from an open-world game like this, it does have its share of quirks and issues, though it does present an alluring concept with some intriguing mechanics.
In the video above, we play through the opening portion of the game on PC, letting you see how the tutorial unfolds, the tone of the story, and the way your character literally picks items up and places them in his pocket. You'll also get a taste for combat, which strives to go beyond what you get in something like an Elder Scrolls game, tasking you with accounting for the angle of your swings.
Although it's primarily gotten attention in the PC space, Kingdom Come is also available on both PS4 and Xbox One. We'll have a review for the game coming soon, so stay tuned to GameSpot for more on what to expect from the full experience.
Update: Due to persistent server issues today, Niantic has extended the Pokemon Go Valentine's Day event until February 16, giving players an additional 24 hours to take advantage of the increased Luvdisc and Chansey spawns and earn extra Stardust.
The original story follows below.
Valentine's Day has come and gone, and a lot of video games are still celebrating the holiday by holding special Valentine's Day-themed events. That includes Pokemon Go, which is set to wrap up its own Valentine's event, meaning players only have a limited time left to capture some very rare pink Pokemon and earn extra bonuses.
For a few more hours, Pokemon Go players will encounter increased spawns of the heart-shaped Pokemon Luvdisc, one of the many Gen 3 Pokemon that were recently added to Pokemon Go. Chansey will also appear more frequently for the duration of the event. Players will be rewarded with triple the usual amount of Stardust for each Luvdisc and Chansey that they catch.
Valentine's Day also marked the end of Kyogre's run as a Raid Boss, so players can no longer capture the Legendary Pokemon. However, another Gen 3 Legendary, Rayquaza, is available right now in Pokemon Go; the Dragon-type will appear in Raid Battles until March 16. Rayquaza arrived alongside another batch of Gen 3 monsters, which primarily consisted of Flying- and Dragon-types such as Altaria, Salamence, and Tropius.
Beyond the Valentine's Day event, players also have the next Pokemon Go Community Day event to look forward to this month. That event takes place on February 24. Like the first Community Day in January, players will have a chance to capture a rare Pokemon that knows a move it cannot typically use during the event. Niantic hasn't revealed what that exclusive move is yet, but the Pokemon in question this time is the Dragon-type Dratini.
Hangar 13, the studio responsible for 2016's Mafia III, has been hit with a wave of layoffs. Publisher 2K confirmed the news with GameSpot, though the exact scope of the "staff reductions" is unclear at this point.
"2K can confirm that there have been staff reductions at Hangar 13 in order to ensure that the studio's resources are properly aligned with its long-term development plans," a 2K spokesperson said in a statement. "These reductions will not influence 2K's ability to create and deliver its products that are currently in development. We never take these matters lightly, and are working with the affected employees to support them and explore potential opportunities throughout our organization."
The news was originally reported by Kotaku; sources speaking with the site indicated that a "large portion" of the studio's staff have been laid off. At least prior to Mafia III's release, Hangar 13's staff count was in the neighborhood of 150 people.
Mafia III was the debut game from Hangar 13, which was formed in 2014. (The first two titles were developed by Silver Wish Games, now known as 2K Czech.) Its next project had not been officially announced, though Mafia III itself was seemingly a success for the company. It shipped 4.5 million copies to retailers during its launch week, which was a new record for 2K at the time. By the end of March 2017, it had shipped 5 million units.
Although shipment numbers were strong, critics were not as kind--our Mafia III review scored it a 6/10, and the Metacritic average landed in the 60s. Following launch, the CEO of 2K parent company Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick, admitted, "The scores were lower than we would have liked." He highlighted the positive reviews and chalked up others as "some anomalies in the review system."
As promised, Ubisoft has launched a free weekend event for Rainbow Six Siege on all platforms. Those on PS4, Xbox One, and PC can try out the full version of the excellent game, albeit with a caveat in the case of the PS4 version.
Siege's free weekend is active now and available to everyone on PC (through both Uplay and Steam) and Xbox One. The latter is true even if you don't have an Xbox Live Gold membership, which is often a requirement to take part in these events. However, if you want to try Siege out on PS4, you'll need to be a PlayStation Plus member to do so.
Each time a new look at the upcoming Ready Player One movie arrives, it comes loaded with new bits of nostalgia to thrive on. Whether it's the Iron Giant, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, or King Kong and a Tyrannosaurus Rex rampaging through the streets, the Steven Spielberg film looks to be packed with eye candy.
The newest clip takes that idea to an entirely new level, thanks to the song it features. The new teaser is set to a cover of "Pure Imagination," originally performed by Gene Wilder in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
A journey into a world of pure imagination is a perfect way of describing a movie like Ready Player One, which is largely set in a virtual world filled with famous characters and moments from the pop culture landscape, including films, TV, and video games. This latest extended trailer even includes a nod to the Halo franchise, with a group of UNSC Spartans running into battle, which you can see below.
Elsewhere in the new teaser, there is a mention of Super Mario Kart, an appearance by Hello Kitty, and one of the most massive chase sequences you can imagine. Ready Player One stars Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, and Simon Pegg. It races into theaters on March 29.
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment