Less than a week after it first arrived, Fortnite's controversial new weapon, the Infinity Blade, has been removed. Developer Epic Games announced that it is vaulting the sword across all modes due to its notable impact on the game's balance and the lack of any reliable counters to it.
"We messed up and rolled out the Infinity Blade overpowered / without good counters, especially in the end game," Epic wrote. "The Infinity Blade has been Vaulted and we are re-evaluating our approach to Mythic items. Thanks for calling us out on this!"
The Infinity Blade arrived in Fortnite earlier this week as part of the game's 7.01 update. Unlike other weapons you can pick up in the game, only one sword spawns per match, and it appears in the same location each time: in a pedestal atop Polar Peak, which makes the start of every round a mad dash to get the sword.
Much like the Infinity Gauntlet from the short-lived Thanos LTM, the Infinity Blade grants its wielder incredible powers, including increased max health and shields, increased movement speed, and more. While it's still possible to kill the player wielding the sword, it's clear that the first person who manages to pick it up is at a big advantage. Epic's decision to remove it completely from the game comes shortly after the developer had said that it would reduce the Infinity Blade's effectiveness.
It's unclear if or when Epic plans to reintroduce the Infinity Blade to Fortnite, but the developer mentioned that it is "re-evaluating [its] approach to Mythic items," suggesting that other special types of weapons may be in the works for the game.
Over the next few days, we will reveal what we believe are the 10 best games of 2018, organized by release date. Then on December 19, we will reveal which of the nominees gets to take home the coveted title of GameSpot's Game of the Year. So be sure to come back then for the big announcement, and in the meantime, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best of 2018 hub.
Marvel's Spider-Man is special, if for no other reason than that it's the closest a video game has come to capturing what it feels like to be everyone's favorite friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. It's exhilarating to step off a skyscraper and hear the orchestral score begin to swell, only to crescendo and level out as you start swinging towards your next objective; there's never a moment in the game's 20-hour run-time where you don't want to be flying through the air. You're constantly unlocking or discovering tricks that Spidey is known for pulling off in the comics--like firing out a web from both shooters to slingshot yourself through a hanging pipe--that make traveling from point A to point B the most thrilling part of the game.
The game knows what it's good at too, and wastes no time throwing you straight into its traversal system after a brief opening cutscene leaves you hovering over a city street. Pulling the right trigger on your controller fires out a web from Spidey's shooters with a satisfying thwip, and web-zipping, vaulting, cornering, and wall-running add stylish flair to your journeys across New York. All of the web-slinging mechanics are very easy to grasp, and it won't be long before you're careening over traffic and leaping off buildings with all the natural grace of the Spider-Man from the comics.
This same level of accessibility extends to the game's acrobatic combat, which utilizes a collection of dodges, punches, kicks, and throws to create an enjoyable zen-like flow of counters and strikes. Unlocking new skills and gadgets, such as web throws and electric webbing, allows Spider-Man to be more versatile. Spidey can be stealthy too, and it's fun to quickly zip through the rafters of a building or between the shadows of a warehouse while taking out enemies with trip mines and impact webbing. And regardless of whether you sneak or swing into a situation, Spider-Man is always ready with a collection of clever quips to liven things up.
All of this isn't to say that the game is solely good for being a Spider-Man simulator. Far from it. There's a well-written story in this game too, and it delivers a compelling retelling of the origin of one of Spider-Man's lesser-known enemies, Mister Negative, before transitioning into its own take on the formation of the more notorious Sinister Six. Side missions flesh out other characters from Spider-Man's rogues gallery as well, from familiar faces like Tombstone to relatively unknown ones like Screwball.
Much like the comics, Marvel's Spider-Man is as much a story about Spidey's villains as it is about the wall-crawler. Some people might recognize the names of several of Peter Parker's acquaintances, from his boss at work to his ally on the police force, as supervillains and murderous vigilantes from the comics. One of the game's greatest strengths is how it lays the groundwork for these characters without actually giving away if those you begin to care about are doomed to their fate, because the story leaves you guessing right up until the end whether they're going to follow their comic book origins or not.
An unforeseen, but no less welcome, surprise is the amount of agency the game gives to several of the women in Peter's life, something that's not really been done in other Spider-Man games. Aunt May runs a business that a male antagonist dumps into her lap, while Mary Jane gets her own campaign missions where we see her ingenuity at work. Unfortunately, in the main storyline, Silver Sable is just annoyingly evil, Black Cat is heard but never seen, and Yuri Watanabe is mostly dependent on Spider-Man's help. However, the latter two are fleshed out and have more prominent roles in The Heist and Turf Wars post-launch expansions.
The cookie-cutter nature of Marvel's Spider-Man's crime activities that randomly pop up around the map can get tiresome--especially since you need to tackle dozens of them in order to fully complete the game. But even these side missions fulfill an important purpose, as their inclusion allows you to immerse yourself in Peter's life.
The game makes you feel bad for not being there for the citizens of New York, as they'll rage against you or express their feelings of betrayal on J. Jonah Jameson's podcast if you fail to stop crimes. Their words push you to try and be greater--even if it's 2AM and you should really be going to bed because you have work in the morning. But it's that nagging feeling that you should be trying to do more, even if it's stopping a store robbery for nearly the dozenth time, that defines Peter's life. The inclusion of these activities captures an important part of the fantasy of being Spider-Man, a role which frankly shouldn't be fun all the time, and the entire experience of playing the game is made better as a result.
Marvel's Spider-Man isn't just one of our favorite PS4 games of 2018, it's one of the best titles to come out this year. Between the traversal mechanics, acrobatic combat, and story about a young man trying to shoulder a city's worth of responsibility, Insomniac's newest game captures the essence of what it's like to be Spider-Man.
Over the next few days, we will reveal what we believe are the 10 best games of 2018, organized by release date. Then on December 19, we will reveal which of the nominees gets to take home the coveted title of GameSpot's Game of the Year. So be sure to come back then for the big announcement, and in the meantime, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best of 2018 hub.
Best known for 2013's Papers, Please, developer Lucas Pope has a knack for crafting memorable and evocative games that engage your deductive reasoning. His latest game, Return of the Obra Dinn, once again puts you in an administrative role--you're an insurance adjuster for the East India Company in the early 19th century--and tasks you with identifying who or what a person is based on limited information. In this case, you have to discover the fates of all 60 crew members and passengers aboard the Obra Dinn, which was lost at sea only to drift back to harbor several years later with no one on board alive.
Armed with a magical pocket watch that allows you to see and explore each victim's final moment and a mostly empty notebook to fill in--as well as your own detective skills and possibly a real-life notebook--you go from corpse to corpse gleaning what you can from short snippets of voiced-but-not-animated scenes frozen in time. Your notebook includes a passenger manifest with names, jobs, and countries of origin as well as an artist's rendition of life on the ship, and differentiating between one seaman and another is no small feat. Return of the Obra Dinn does not hold your hand, and you have to pay very close attention to keep track of who's who, how they died, and, if they were murdered, who did it.
At first, you won't be able to make sense of much. You might see one man shoot another in a scene but not know either of their names, or you might be unsure whether an attack counts as being "knifed" or being "killed (sword)." But as you uncover more and more memories and explore the ship within each, the pieces will begin to fall into place. There's an incredible amount of detail packed into Obra Dinn's mostly still, hauntingly beautiful world, and the smallest of those details--like who is standing next to whom in a memory--give you insight into relationships and roles aboard the fated ship.
An omniscient, voiceless narrator confirms your conclusions in groups of threes, and as you enter the third fate into your notebook, the screen goes dark, the music changes, and text appears: "Well done." This same narrator warns you from the start that some fates will be clearer than others, and some will require you to more or less guess. But sometimes all you need is one piece of information to start a domino effect of deductions--process of elimination and educated guesses go a long way if you know you have two fates correct--and it's those "aha" moments that make Return of the Obra Dinn so compelling.
As you deduce more and more fates, your investment in the small details gives way to investment in the broader story of the Obra Dinn. Someone's accent might give you a clue as to who they are, but hearing them speak or, in some cases, die, makes them more of a person than a puzzle piece. Understanding relationships helps you determine who's a high-ranking crew member and who's a steward, but seeing those relationships play out over dozens of memories gives life to those nonmoving, disparate scenes. Eerie music and sound design are the final flourishes that bring everything together, and by the end, you'll find that even the right answers don't tell the full story.
As you're told at the beginning of the game, sometimes you won't have all the information you need to confidently draw conclusions--you will, at points, have to guess. Return of the Obra Dinn is brilliant not just because its puzzles are satisfying to solve but because it challenges you to make assumptions rather than flawless deductions, and then it challenges your assumptions in turn.
This is not an instant win. No purchase necessary. Competition ends at 12:00 PM PT on December 19, 2018, in which 30 winners will be chosen at random and emailed a code for the full game (MSRP: $30).
Another weekend is here, and that means another visit from Xur, the strangely tentacle-faced Destiny 2 vendor who offers a chance to buy Exotic weapons and armor each week. The start of the Destiny 2 holiday event called The Dawning means that many of us have been baking special cookies to give to the game's characters, so make sure to give Xur a gift before you get one for yourself.
This week, you'll find Xur hanging out on Io, in the Giant's Scar region. Load into the area and then ride your sparrow north, past the machinery, to find a cave set in the wall of the area. Check out the map below for his exact location. Don't forget to make some Strange Cookies to bring him as part of Eva Levante's baking quest.
As is always the case, Xur is packing Exotics from the Year One collection--sorry, still no Forsaken or Black Armory Exotics for sale. Your option for an Exotic weapon this week is Risky Business, along with one piece of Exotic armor for each of the three classes. If you don't already have it, Risky Business is a great weapon to snag because it's a Primary auto rifle that basically functions as a minigun, picking up firing speed the longer you hold down the trigger. You get increased accuracy when firing from the hip, and the gun will automatically load any ammo pickups from the ground into the magazine while firing, all of which makes it a pretty devastating bullet hose.
On the armor side, Hunters have the Orpheus Rig leg armor, which adds more shots to the Moebius Quiver of your Shadowshot super, and gives you ability energy for every enemy you tether with it, which is great for encounters with tons of enemies, like Escalation Protocol. Warlocks get the Claws of Ahamkara gauntlets, which grant a second melee charge to the user, and Titans can grab the Hallowfire Heart chest armor, which makes solar abilities recharge faster, especially when using a solar super.
Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they'll cost you:
Risky Business (Exotic auto rifle) -- 29 Legendary Shards
Orpheus Rig (Exotic Hunter leg armor) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Claws of Ahamkara (Exotic Warlock gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary Shards
You can also buy a Fated Engram, if you can afford it. Dropping 97 Legendary Shards on the item will grant you one Year One Exotic you don't already have for that character. You can also snag a Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.
We're still waiting for Xur to start offering Exotics from Year Two, although it's not clear when, or even if, he'll start selling the new Exotics from Forsaken and beyond. We do know that Xur will soon start to offer something new, though: weekly bounties. According to Bungie's content map for Destiny 2, annual pass holders will be able to start getting bounties from Xur starting in Season 6, which runs from March through May. What those bounties will entail isn't clear yet, but maybe they'll finally shed some light on what Xur's deal is, and his enigmatic masters, the Nine.
In the meantime, there's plenty to do in The Black Armory expansion that recently dropped, which packs an additional five Exotic weapons. We know that at least one of them will come from an Exotic quest launching later in the season, and it seems a second is part of an Exotic quest hidden in the forges.
Rockstar continues to tweak and refine Red Dead Redemption 2's multiplayer mode, Red Dead Online. A new update for the game is now available on PS4 and Xbox One, and along with making general stability improvements and other fixes, it enables microtransactions.
As Rockstar detailed on its blog, Red Dead Online's in-game store is now live as part of the latest update, giving players the option to purchase gold using real-world money. The gold is sold in various bundles, ranging from 25 bars ($10) to 350 bars ($100). You can see the prices for each bundle below:
25 gold bars -- $10 US / £9 / €10
55 gold bars -- $20 US / £18.49 / €20
150 gold bars -- $50 US / £45 / €50
245 gold bars -- $75 US / £70 / €75
350 gold bars -- $100 US / £90 / €100
In addition to these bundles, Rockstar is offering a special one-time deal on 25 gold bars for $5. The developer is also gifting everyone who has participated in the Red Dead Online beta thus far an additional 15 gold bars. To qualify for this gift, you'll need to play the mode by Thursday, December 20. Rockstar says that all gold bars should be delivered to players by December 24.
That isn't the only freebie Rockstar has for players. As an added bonus, those who pre-ordered Red Dead Redemption 2 or purchased the game's Special or Ultimate editions will receive extra RDO$. Players who picked up the Special edition will receive $100 RDO$, while those who bought the Ultimate edition will get $1,000 RDO$. Finally, everyone who pre-ordered the game will take home an extra $100 RDO$ on top of the other bonuses. Rockstar says the cash will automatically be added to players' accounts starting December 21.
There are plenty more updates on the way for Red Dead Online in the near future. Rockstar says it will continue working to address the community's feedback, noting that new anti-griefing measures and gameplay balance improvements are coming. The developer also says it will introduce new features, modes, and other content for Red Dead Online in the new year.
As Christmas approaches, your opportunity to buy gifts for friends, family, and--perhaps most importantly--yourself, shrinks by the day. To help encourage people to finish their holiday shopping, many retailers are running sales right now. And one of the best gaming deals we've seen is at Walmart, where you can save $100 on Xbox One S and X console bundles. That means you can pick up an Xbox One S with a game for just $200, or an even more powerful Xbox One X and a game for $400. It's unclear when this deal will end, so don't delay.
Xbox One S consoles are available with a wide array of pack-in games, ranging from Battlefield V and Fallout 76 to Minecraft and NBA 2K19. That's perfect for anyone who hasn't upgraded to a 4K television set and doesn't plan to anytime soon. Here are the Xbox One S bundles available now for $200.
If you or the person you're buying for has a 4K television, you'll probably want to get an Xbox One X instead. The most powerful video game console on the market, the Xbox One X can push true 4K graphics, which means you'll get the most out of your TV and the console. Here are the discounted bundles available at Walmart right now.
If you need help choosing which model to get, check out our Xbox One S and X console comparison, which goes over the differences between the two hardware configurations in detail. And if you'd like some help picking which bundle to buy, you can read our reviews of the games below.
Discord has announced that in 2019, the launcher will offer 90 percent of the revenue share made off of game sales to developers. That deal undercuts every offer on other major online PC game stores.
"Players really want to have one library --one place to manage their games," wrote Discord CEO and founder Jason Citron. "Unfortunately, because existing stores charge 30 percent per sale, developers are creating their own platforms to avoid this fee. We totally understand that developers are tired of sharing profits."
Steam is one of those stores that Citron references, taking 20-30 percent from developers on a tiered earning structure. Discord's announcement comes in the same month that Epic undercut Steam with the reveal that its store would only take 12 percent of a game's revenue share and have no tiers to the profit-sharing. Certain PC games are also being offered exclusively through Epic's store--like Hades and Journey, and Discord has a 90-day exclusivity on some titles through the "First on Discord" program as well. For the first time in a while, Steam has some serious competition.
Citron cites Discord Nitro's growing success as the reason for why Discord doesn't need to compete with developers for revenue. Nitro is a Netflix-like service for PC games, offering players a library of 60+ titles for $10 USD. Although the service mostly offers indie games, such as Inside and Wasteland 2: Director's Cut, there are triple-A titles like Metro: Last Light Redux and Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition as well. Discord has plans of adding more games to the service in the coming months.
Discord did not provide a specific date for when its store will start offering developers 90 percent of their game's revenue share.
Rockstar has launched its online store for Red Dead Online, the multiplayer mode in Red Dead Redemption 2. Now that you can purchase gold bars, the studio is thanking anyone who has toyed with the online mode early by gifting them some free gold bars. A separate reward awaits players who pre-ordered or bought the Special and Ultimate Editions.
Anyone who has played the Red Dead Online beta through Thursday, December 20 will get 15 gold bars, or a little more than $5 worth of in-game currency. Those gifts will be rolling out as early as today for some users, and all of them will be delivered by Monday, December 24.
In addition, players who pre-ordered Red Dead Redemption 2, and who bought the Special or Ultimate Editions, will get some extra RDO$ deposited into their accounts. Special Edition owners will get $100, while Ultimate Edition owners will get $1,000. Any pre-orders will get $100, and for Special and Ultimate Editions that stacks on top of their other rewards.
Rockstar previously gifted 15 gold bars as a make-good for some bugs and balance issues with the initial launch experience. Between the two, you could have racked up 30 gold bars. That initial apology came paired with a patch to rebalance the game, which is still in a beta period. Rockstar set expectations by launching in beta a month after the single-player game launched, which was altogether similar to how it treated the launch of Grand Theft Auto Online. That game also had some rough patches near the beginning but has been an ongoing success in the years since.
The end of the year is almost upon us, and Google has released its annual "Year in Search" data to provide a look back at the trends that defined 2018. In the realm of video games, at least, it's not terribly surprising which ones made the list.
The top video game search term of 2018 was Fortnite, which exploded in popularity this year. Rounding out the rest of the top five were Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout 76, Far Cry 5, and God of War. Expanding to the top ten includes a handful of other popular games, along with some surprising inclusions like Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Zombs Royale, the browser-based game.
Fortnite's popularity actually transcended the video games category, and was the most popular gif search as well. Presumably lots of people wanted to learn how to floss this year.
This is all according to the US data, whereas the global search data contains fewer and mostly broader categories. That list includes search queries like actors, movies, and bands, along with celebrities who have passed away in the last year like comics legend Stan Lee. Last year's global data also had a category for consumer tech, which showed the Switch beating Xbox One X.
Shooter fans, if you've been holding off for a discount before picking up this year's Call of Duty, now is probably the time to pull the trigger (please excuse the pun). As part of Best Buy's Nick of Time sale, which runs through December 17, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is down to $30 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Better yet, Amazon is matching the price on most platforms. We probably don't have to tell you that getting one of the biggest games of the year for half off just two months after it launched is a remarkable deal.
This discount arrives during a string of massive sales that seem to represent one final push to sell as many video games as possible in the lead-up to Christmas. You can find other killer deals at GameStop, PlayStation Store, GOG, and other retailers.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is this year's installment in the annual franchise. Developed by Treyarch, it comes with the traditional multiplayer and Zombies modes, but no single-player campaign. Instead, it has Blackout, a battle royale mode similar to PUBG and Fortnite that finds around 100 players dropping onto an island as a deadly storm shrinks the playing area, pushing everyone together. The last person or team standing wins the round.
In GameSpot's Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 review, critic Kallie Plagge wrote, "Black Ops 4 isn't short on content, and its three main modes are substantial. Multiplayer introduces more tactical mechanics without forcing you into them, and it largely strikes a good balance. Zombies has multiple deep, secret-filled maps to explore, though its returning characters don't hold up and prove distracting. Finally, Blackout pushes Call of Duty in an entirely new direction, making use of aspects from both multiplayer and Zombies for a take on the battle royale genre that stands on its own."
Star Wars Battlefront II is now available in the EA Access vault, publisher EA has announced. That means EA / Origin Access members can play the game at no extra cost for as long as they're subscribed.
The full game is included in the Vault version, though paid DLC is sold separately. Otherwise, you can play both the single-player campaign and the extensive multiplayer portion to your heart's content.
Battlefront II's launch was marred with microtransaction controversy after some fans labeled the game as "pay-to-win." Developer DICE has since revamped the game's progression system and continued to add more content.
We awarded the shooter a 6/10 at launch. Critic Alessandro Fillari wrote: "While its main narrative feels unresolved, and the general loop of the multiplayer carries a number of issues, Battlefront II still manages to evoke that same sense of joy and excitement found in the core of what the series is all about." Read more in our full Star Wars Battlefront II review.
EA Access members can play a number of games for no extra cost, in addition to receiving discounts and free trials for other EA titles. The service costs $5 / £4 per month or $30 / £20 per year, and is exclusive to Xbox One and PC.
The NES and SNES Classic consoles will end production in the Americas soon, Nintendo has confirmed. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Nintendo of America president reggie Fils-Aime stated no more of the mini-consoles will be produced, and that those already on store shelves will be the last ones sold.
"We've been clear that, at least from an Americas perspective, these products are going to be available through the holiday season and once they sell out, they're gone," the executive said. "And that's it."
It's unclear what this means for the two devices in other territories, since Nintendo of America, Nintendo of Europe, and Nintendo of Japan do not always necessarily operate together. It's also worth noting that Nintendo did discontinue the NES Classic once before, only to bring it back into production this year.
Elsewhere in the interview, Fils-Aime claims Nintendo currently has no plans to make Classic versions of other consoles, such as the Nintendo 64. Responding to a question to that effect, he stated: "We've said that the current systems are the extent of our classic program." Finally, Fils-Aime said he'd "absolutely love" Red Dead Redemption 2 on Nintendo Switch, but explained it's probably unlikely to happen.
The SNES and NES Classic were hugely successful, and Sony followed suit this year with the PlayStation Classic. We didn't think Sony's attempt was as good as Nintendo's two efforts, however--read our thoughts on that mini-console in our PlayStation Classic review.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 developer Treyarch has rolled out Holiday events and promotions across the game. These include a seasonal makeover for Blackout, the game's battle royale mode, which has had environments spruced up with lighting and decorations. There's also snowballs in the game now and Supply Stashes are holiday themed too.
Blackout players also have a new limited-time mode to check out called Close Quarters Frenzy. "Fight to outlast a faster Collapse using close-quarters weapons--shotguns, SMGs, pistols, and melee are your only means of survival," Treyarch said, describing the mode.
In the Black Market, meanwhile, there's a large selection of new themed items to unlock. Since Activision has a timed exclusivity deal for Black Ops 4 with Sony, these items are currently only available on PS4, but will arrive on Xbox One and PC on December 20. In Zombies, meanwhile, there's the Winter Calling event, which gives players a unique set of challenges to complete, in exchange for special unlocks.
Players on PS4, Xbox One, and PC will also get double experience points in multiplayer and Zombies, starting December 14 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM EST / 6 PM GMT / 5 AM December 15 AEDT, and lasting throughout the weekend. If you're playing Blackout during this period you'll get double merits.
Treyarch has also detailed various changes it has made to all versions of the game in the latest Black Ops 4 update. The patch notes are fairly lengthy, containing information on how its addressed various exploits, improved stability in multiplayer, mixed up playlists, and tweaked Operators. You can see the full patch notes here.
Black Ops 4 takes some big departures from the traditional Call of Duty formula. Not only did it drop the single-player campaign in favour of a more robust multiplayer offering, but it also introduced the new Blackout mode in response to the popularity of the battle royale genre. In her review, Kallie Plagge gave Black Ops 4 an 8/10.
"Black Ops 4 isn't short on content, and its three main modes are substantial," she said. "Multiplayer introduces more tactical mechanics without forcing you into them, and it largely strikes a good balance. Zombies has multiple deep, secret-filled maps to explore, though its returning characters don't hold up and prove distracting. Finally, Blackout pushes Call of Duty in an entirely new direction, making use of aspects from both multiplayer and Zombies for a take on the battle royale genre that stands on its own. Sure, there isn't a traditional single-player campaign, but with the depth and breadth of what is there, Black Ops 4 doesn't need it." Read GameSpot's full Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 review for a deeper analysis of the game.
Epic Games has addressed feedback for Fortnite's newly released Infinity Blade. This Mythic weapon has the privilege of being the first sword in the wildly popular battle royale title, but its arrival has impacted the game in a way many Fortnite fans haven't appreciated. Not only is it incredibly powerful, but most players are now entirely focused on getting it, which in turn disrupts the competitive nature of the game.
Responding to the feedback on Reddit, Epic explained that Mythical items like the Infinity Blade, and the Infinity Gauntlet that turned players into Marvel villain Thanos, deliver a unique kind of interaction in the game.
"The presence of Mythic items in gameplay is to provide an interaction a step above the Legendary item functionality and something you'll continue to see," the studio said. "To us, that means changing the way the game is played for those who interact with that item. The addition of items in this tier provide new and flavorful ways to interact with the map and generally shake up normal play across default modes."
Discussing the Infinity Blade specifically, Epic said it is planning to reduce the effectiveness of the weapon by stopping anyone who wields it from building structures and harvesting resources. "When designing the Infinity Blade the goal was to provide a weapon with inherent risk to balance out the great capability it provides--the ability to harvest/build removes a great deal of that risk," Epic explained. "By taking away the ability to harvest/build we hope to tune the Infinity Blade to where it feels risky to have, but still satisfying to wield."
As of yet there's no word on when this change will be implemented, but Epic has promised to continue monitoring how the Blade functions in-game and make further adjustments as required. It has also said it plans to provide more information on its competitive philosophy as it relates to new items, updates, and seasons in Fortnite early next week.
Fortnite is now in the second week of Season 7, which means there's new challenges to complete. While the majority of the new challenges are straightforward, there are a couple of tricky ones too. You can use our Fortnite Season 7 challenge guide to get help with them, as well as the challenges from week one.
Nintendo has released a patch for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Switch entry in its star-studded brawler series. Patch 1.2.0 makes some adjustments to the difficulty of challengers that appear in the offline mode, but the more impactful tweaks are to its online offerings.
First up, Quickplay will now keep the ruleset you prefer in mind a little more when searching for opponents. However, as noted by Nintendo in the patch notes, matchmaking could take a little more time because of this, and there's no guarantee that the match you get will use the ruleset.
Nintendo has also improved the stability of the connection in Battle Arenas and, hopefully, this should improve the shaky connectivity issues many Smash players have reported since the game's launch. Take a look at the full patch notes below, courtesy of Nintendo.
Offline Gameplay
Adjusted difficulty of approaching challengers
Online Gameplay
When matching in Quickplay, the Format setting of your Preferred Rules will be more highly prioritized. This may cause matchmaking to take more time, and there's still no guarantee that you'll find a match that has your exact Preferred Rules.
Increased the stability of the synchronous connection within Battle Arenas.
Note: Online features requite a Nintendo Switch Online Membership
Misc.
Game balance adjustments
Various gameplay fixes
Specific Fighter Adjustments to Donkey Kong, Link, Kirby, Luigi, Ice Climbers, Young Link, Olimar, Villager, Greninja, Pac-Man, Duck Hunt, and Isabelle.
In GameSpot's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate review, Edmond Tran awarded the game a 9/10, saying "an inconsistent online mode and situational downers don't stop Super Smash Bros. Ultimate from shining as a flexible multiplayer game that can be as freewheeling or as firm as you want it to be.
"Its entertaining single-player content helps keep the game rich with interesting things to do, as well as bolstering its spirit of loving homage to the games that have graced Nintendo consoles. Ultimate's diverse content is compelling, its strong mechanics are refined, and the encompassing collection is simply superb."
Blizzard's MOBA Heroes of the Storm is undergoing some big changes. The developer announced today that it is moving some developers on the game to other projects, while the game's major competitive tournaments are coming to an end.
In a blog post, Blizzard's J. Allen Brack and Ray Gresko said the developer is making the "tough choice" to move developers from Heroes of the Storm to other projects.
"We need to take some of our talented developers and bring their skills to other projects," Blizzard said. "As a result, we've made the difficult decision to shift some developers from Heroes of the Storm to other teams, and we're excited to see the passion, knowledge, and experience that they'll bring to those projects."
Brack and Gresko added that this is nothing new for Blizzard. As part of its ongoing evaluation of its own development processes, it regularly makes "hard decisions" like this that can pay dividends down the road.
"We now have more live games and unannounced projects than at any point in the company's history," they said, adding that games like World of Warcraft and Overwatch "would not exist" were in not for Blizzard's decision to scale back other projects.
Even though Blizzard is scaling back development on Heroes of the Storm, the game will still be "actively" supported with more heroes, special events, and "other" new content. However, Blizzard acknowledged that updates might be slower than in the past. The overall goal is for the game to be available over the "long-term" but Blizzard didn't put any specific dates on how long it plans to support the game.
Another part of the announcement was around Heroes of the Storm competitive tournaments. Blizzard is shutting down the Heroes Global Championship and Heroes of the Dorm tournament series; they won't be back in 2019.
"This was another very difficult decision for us to make," Brack and Gresko said. "The love that the community has for these programs is deeply felt by everyone who works on them, but we ultimately feel this is the right decision versus moving forward in a way that would not meet the standards that players and fans have come to expect."
It is unclear if there were any layoffs at Blizzard related to these changes with Heroes of the Storm. We spoke with a Blizzard representative, but they said Blizzard does not discuss personnel-related matters. You can read a quick Q&A with Blizzard below.
An in-depth report from Kotaku claims Blizzard management is trying to cut costs and ship more games. Some said they believe that Blizzard's culture is changing. Blizzard founder and CEO Mike Morhaime left the company in October.
Heroes of thee Storm was released in 2015. The free-to-play multiplayer game features characters from across Blizzard's suite of series. A 2.0 edition of the game came out in 2017, containing a number of changes. GameSpot's Heroes of the Storm review scored the game a 9/10, with writer Tyler Hicks saying the game is a "must-play" for MOBA players and Blizzard enthusiasts.
GameSpot: What led to this decision?
Blizzard: With more live games and unannounced projects than ever before, we're at a point where we need to focus more of our resources in areas that could benefit greatly from the additional support. As a result, we made the difficult decision to transition some of the extremely talented developers from Heroes to other teams at Blizzard. We've had to make decisions like this in the past, and it's never easy, but it's one of the factors that's enabled us to continue developing games that our players love.
GameSpot: How many people are working on Heroes?
Blizzard: We generally don't disclose specifics about team size. However, the Heroes team will continue to have a smaller but dedicated development team that will continue supporting the game with new content.
GameSpot: When you say you'll actively support the game with new content, how will that compare to before this change?
Blizzard: Heroes players can continue to look forward to new content in the future, including new heroes and themed events, but at a different cadence. We'll be sharing more specifics in the future, so keep an eye out for updates from the Heroes team.
GameSpot: Were there any layoffs related to this shift?
Blizzard: While we don't publicly discuss personnel-related matters, this change was made at a time when we have more live games and unannounced projects than ever before, and we felt we needed to focus more of our resources in areas that could benefit greatly from the additional support.
The launch of Destiny 2's new expansion, The Black Armory, was a bit of a rocky one. After players complained, Bungie dropped the character Power level requirements on its new Forge activities, but with the unlocking of the second of four forges, players discovered another bug where Black Armory weapon quests disappeared. And then there was the start of The Dawning, Destiny 2's holiday event, where server issues made it so players couldn't access the game for its first couple of hours.
As Bungie noted in its latest blog post, it's working on fixes for some of its most recent bugs. Developers have figured out why having two weapon frames from Ada-1 at the same time can delete one, for instance, and they're dealing with that issue. Other troubles it's aware of include Dawning Triumphs not triggering correctly, new cosmetic items showing up as already claimed even though players haven't found them yet, and the One Thousand Voices Exotic weapon not dealing the correct amount of damage. We'll likely see fixes for those issues and more coming pretty soon.
There's also a small update coming with the December 18 weekly reset that's going to fix a few other problems. The big change is the amping up of Prime Engrams for characters under Power level 600, to help speed up the grind for players trying to catch up to the new Black Armory endgame content. The update includes a few little fixes, too, like one that deals with an issue in which the forges don't drop rewards if you join them midway through a run.
The post also notes that the next round of Iron Banner multiplayer matches starts on December 25 and runs until January 1, which is also the end of the Dawning event.
Check out Bungie's blog for a full list of everything the developers are currently investigating in Destiny 2.
The holidays are just around the corner, and in keeping with the spirit of giving, developer IO Interactive has a lot of free content in store for Hitman 2 this month. Every week in December, the studio will roll out something new to do in the game, from another Escalation Contract to a new Elusive Target and more.
Beginning today, December 13, players can take on The Aelwin Augment, the second Escalation Contract to hit the game thus far. This one takes Agent 47 to the Isle of Sgail and "is sure to be a memorable visit," IO teases. You can watch us try out hand at the Contract in the video above.
Following that, IO will release a "holiday surprise" in Hitman 2 next week, on December 18. The developer didn't share any further details about what the "surprise" will entail, but it notes the event will only be available for a limited time.
Later that same week will see the arrival of the game's second Elusive Target, after Sean Bean: The Revolutionary. He'll be available in Santa Fortuna for 10 days beginning December 21. Finally, rounding out the month is another new Escalation Contract, The Turms Infatuation, which is scheduled to arrive on December 27. You can read more about this month's free Hitman 2 content on IO's website.
Hitman 2 is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. GameSpot awarded it an 8/10 in our Hitman 2 review. Critic Edmond Tran wrote, "The addition of other minor mechanical changes--like concussive weapons, a picture-in-picture enemy activity alert, and visible security camera sightlines--help to improve Hitman 2 overall as a dense and accessible stealth assassination game. But the new locations are the real stars, impressive and inventive sandboxes ripe for picking apart with exciting experiments."
Microsoft isn't ready yet to talk specifics about Halo Infinite, but now one of the developers has offered a tease about what to expect in terms of Master Chief's look.
Halo Infinite's narrative experience director Dan Chosich appeared on the latest 343 Social Stream for a deep-dive on how Infinite's E3 trailer came to be, and one segment of the broadcast was focused on Master Chief's new look.
At around 53 minutes in this video, Chosich and community manager Brian Jarrard discuss and show off Chief's new look. Chosich says the version of Master Chief 343 created for Halo Infinite is the "coolest" ever, spanning both Bungie and 343 titles.
"It is by far the coolest Master Chief we have ever done, or that anybody's ever really done," Chosich said.
The new Master Chief design took inspiration from his look in Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo 5, but he'll look "a little different" in Infinite, Chosich explained. From what we've seen so far, Master Chief's Halo Infinite design looks pretty similar to his previous appearance, but Chosich teased that his final character model has yet to be revealed.
Skip to 53 minutes in the Mixer video to see the segment on Master Chief's new look. The segment includes a number of close-ups and 360-degree shots of his new helmet.
The entire video is well worth a watch, as it goes into ridiculous depth on how 343 planned and executed on creating the Halo Infinite reveal trailer. Over the course of about an hour, Chosich brings up 114 slides about different parts of the trailer.
There are other segments dedicated to how 343 designed the Space Rhino, along with some cool behind-the-scenes looks at work-in-progress versions of the trailer. Another slide goes over the "experiential escalation" of the Halo Infinite trailer. The trailer opened in a mysterious fashion, and it was only at the end that it was confirmed that it was for the new Halo game. This was all by design, and the chart above shows what 343 wanted you to think and feel and each stage of the trailer.
What you won't see, however, is any gameplay. The trailer itself was only for the Slipspace Engine, not the game itself. Jarrad said he understands people want to see gameplay, but it's not time yet.
Jarrard also spoke briefly about 343's plan to release Halo Infinite early in "flighting" tests, where people will get to try the game before it's done to give feedback to 343. The studio conducted public testing periods for Halo: The Master Chief Collection's latest updates, and Jarrard said you can expect something similar with Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite places more of an emphasis on Master Chief, which is good to hear after Halo 5 controversially strayed away from him. It's also apparently a very big game, as Halo franchise manager Frank O'Connor said the game will have "capacious" missions/levels.
Jordan Peele was already a big name before he made the acclaimed Get Out, for which he won an Oscar, but he's entered a new stratosphere of fame now with projects like Candyman (which he's producing), the new Twilight Zone that he's writing and narrating, and his next original movie, Us.
The first poster for the movie has now arrived, and it's mysterious. It shows a red robe-wearing figure with a glove clasping gold scissors. What does it all mean? Probably something, but for now it's too soon to say. The poster also confirms the release date for Us, which is March 15, 2019.
Us stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke as a mother and father who bring their children to a beach house with the aim of unplugging and taking some time off to relax and unwind. Of course, things do not go to plan.
"As night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited," reads a line from the movie's description.
Are you looking forward to Us? Let us know in the comments below!
The new Twilight Zone TV show will air on CBS All Access. GameSpot is owned by CBS Interactive.
Over the summer, the DC Universe experienced a dramatic influx of, well, evil Batmen--which are exactly what they sound like--care of the massive Dark Nights: Metal crossover event helmed by writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo. Spiraling out of the extremely comic book-y Dark Multiverse--a brand new parallel to the regular and antimatter DC multiverses already in play--the evil Batmen were alternate reality representations of Bruce Wayne's worst nightmares, fused with different members of the Justice League. They had over-the-top codenames like the Red Death, an evil Bruce who siphoned the Speed Force from Barry Allen, or The Dawnbreaker, the Batman and Green Lantern combo with a half-torn face and an endless supply of battery-charging willpower, but were mostly support characters for the ringleader of entourage: The Batman Who Laughs, a fusion of Batman and The Joker.
Don't worry if that all sounds like a lot to take in--the events of Metal were as full bore on the superhero absurdity as any crossover event could be--but the concept itself is actually fairly simple. The Dark Multiverse represents a limitless amount of nightmare scenarios, and The Batman Who Laughs represents one of the very worst, a reality in which Bruce killed The Joker and then became The Joker, thanks to a toxic chemical that exists deep within Joker's heart. Basically, whoever does Joker in is "infected" and transformed into the next Joker and so on and so on. Even Batman. All of which is to say The Batman Who Laughs is simultaneously The Joker and Batman, making him, arguably, the most dangerous thing to ever exist in the DC Universe--because, well, these are the things that happen in superhero comics.
Now, after his introduction in Metal, The Batman Who Laughs has been given his very own breakout solo series--and he's not alone. Another evil, alternate Batman has been introduced to the mix--one that didn't make it into Metal but is no less horrifying. The Grim Knight, a Batman who uses guns, sort of like a Punisher hybrid, has entered the fray here in The Batman Who Laughs #1 and things are just getting even more chaotic now that they've both got Bruce--real Bruce, our Bruce--in their sights.
The question then becomes: is there a risk of going too dark with broken Batmen, when you're introducing hybrids like this into the mix? Not according to Snyder and artist Jock, who explained plainly in an interview with GameSpot that they're not concerned about going too far.
"I'm of the mindset that there shouldn't be anything you're afraid to do, as long as the story supports it emotionally," Snyder said. "We're never trying to do anything just because it's salacious or sensational. Here, when you see violence, it's not meant to be like 'oh yay!' It's meant to really terrorize Bruce. It's meant to have a real impact."
"Exactly," Jock added. "There's a sort of internal barometer we use for these things. We don't want to be introducing things or doing things for the wrong reasons."
The reasons, in the case of The Batman Who Laughs #1, are to show all the ways in which a character like Batman can be thoroughly and irreparably broken when his moral codes and ethical compass are stripped away. Snyder assured there's nothing celebratory about The Grim Knight and his arsenal of deadly weapons or The Batman Who Laughs and his rictus grin--these are cautionary tales.
"I had the idea for the toxin in Joker's heart back when I was working on Batman, but it was kind of a back pocket thing at that point," Snyder said. "It didn't really come up again until Metal. This whole story is really centered around the idea of happiness and laughter--there's a moment in issue two where Bruce monologues about how some cultures have the belief that happiness lives in the heart, and then he talks about his memory of his parents being killed and how that memory lives in his heart, how he can remember his father's hand coming over his ribs, protecting his heart. So when The Batman Who Laughs confronts Bruce, he explains that he remembers that night too--but he understands the memory differently. He tells Bruce that that's what he's always been to Gotham, just a weak old man's hand trying to protect a heart from a bullet. That mentality is what makes him so scary to me--he doesn't have any of Bruce's weak spots, he's so deeply nihilistic, he truly believes there's nothing that matters except winning."
Meanwhile, the heat-packing Grim Knight breaks Batman from a different angle. Rather than nihilism, he takes his brutality with a relentless efficiency. "He's like the Punisher, but he's not broke," Snyder laughed. "He's got all of Bruce Wayne's resources so he can just remotely tamper with your car's GPS and you'd be dead in an accident without ever knowing who did it. We wanted to show how absolutely terrifying that would be."
The Batman Who Laughs #1 is on sale now, continuing for six issues from DC Comics.
Two Legendary Pokemon are returning to Pokemon Go for a very limited time. Niantic is bringing the cover monsters from Pokemon Gold and Silver, Ho-Oh and Lugia, back to the mobile game as part of a special Raid weekend event, which kicks off this Friday, December 14, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET.
All through the weekend, players will be able to encounter the two Johto Legendaries once again as Raid Battles at Gyms. Moreover, Niantic says that Shiny variants of the two Pokemon will also have a chance of appearing. The Legendaries will be available until Monday, December 17, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET.
Ho-Oh and Lugia aren't the only Legendaries appearing again in Pokemon Go. As part of December's Field Research, players have another chance to capture Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Raikou, Entei, or Suicune. Each time they achieve a Research Breakthrough this month, they'll be rewarded with another encounter with one of the six aforementioned Legendaries.
Meanwhile, Pokemon Go's latest Gen 4 Legendary, Cresselia, is set to leave the game soon. The Legendary Psychic Pokemon will only appear in Raid Battles until December 18, making this your last opportunity to capture one if you haven't already.
Niantic recently rolled out a new update for Pokemon Go, introducing the newly announced PvP Trainer Battle system to the game. Now, all Pokemon Go users who have reached at least level 10 can challenge other players directly to three-on-three Pokemon battles. You can learn more about the new feature in our Pokemon Go PvP guide.
There's never a bad time to be a PC gamer, but right now is a particularly good time for anyone who likes saving money. Not only can you pick up a free copy of Full Throttle Remastered from GOG, but Humble is giving away copies of Lego The Hobbit just for signing up for its newsletter. If you're already signed up, perhaps from a similar previous promotion, you can just click a button and receive your free copy of Tolkien's fantasy novel adapted in a way he never could have anticipated. Get your copy here.
The deal is live "while supplies last" between now and December 15 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. After clicking the link, your copy of Lego The Hobbit is delivered in the form of a Steam key you'll need to redeem by December 20. Just do that, and the game is yours to keep and play forever.
Lego The Hobbit launched in 2014, several months before the final installment of Peter Jackson's trilogy hit theaters. As such, it only covers the events of the first two films, but that's plenty of content for a Lego action game.
The game is "immediately charming," Carolyn Petit wrote in GameSpot's Lego The Hobbit review. "The title screen shows Bilbo puttering around in his cozy hobbit hole of Bag End, and the wizard Gandalf poking his head in the window... And from these quaint beginnings, Lego The Hobbit whisks you off on a journey across Middle-earth, getting all the visual details right to transport you to the world of Peter Jackson's films."
It's not all good news, though. The game received a score of 5/10, mostly because, "Lego The Hobbit proves that having plenty of variety in terms of objectives and gameplay mechanics doesn't make much difference if none of those objectives and mechanics are much fun."
But hey, it's free. If you want to give it a shot despite what the critics think, grab it before it goes back to full price.
Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward was reportedly evacuated this morning following a bomb threat. Kotaku reports that police presented themselves at the studio and alerted staff to the threat, and employees evacuated without incident.
Meanwhile, a large-scale extortion scam has threatened bombs across multiple financial institutions, according to Krebs On Security. The scam seeks a large ransom of bitcoin, and warns victims not to alert the police. The spam email claims to have a "mercenary" staking out the building in control of the bomb, who will only withdraw after having received payment. It's unclear if the threat at Infinity Ward was related to this spate of bomb threats.
Activision did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
As usual, completing these missions will net you Battle Stars, which in turn will level your Battle Pass up and unlock the new Season 7 skins and rewards. Finishing all of the challenges from a given week has an added benefit as well, as it'll complete one of the new Snowfall challenges--this season's equivalent to the Hunting Party challenges from Season 6.
Just as before, clearing a Snowfall challenge will reward you with a special loading screen that contains a clue pointing you to a free item hidden somewhere around the map. Last season, the item in question alternated each week between a free Battle Star (good for leveling your Battle Pass up by one tier) or a free Banner (which can be used as a profile icon), and it looks like Epic is continuing that trend in Season 7.
If you complete two full weekly sets of Season 7 challenges, you'll unlock the loading screen below. It showcases Lynx--one of the new progressive skins you'll unlock by purchasing the Season 7 Battle Pass--sitting at a work station. This time, the clue to the free Banner is fairly easy to spot; it can be seen displayed on the screen in the upper right-hand corner of the image.
The work station depicted in the loading screen is located inside a building in Frosty Flights, one of the new areas added to Fortnite's map this season. Head there at the start of the match, find the right building (we've denoted it on the map below), and the Banner will appear. Collect it as you would any other item, and you'll be able to use it as your profile icon after finishing the match.
As with previous Snowfall and Hunting Party challenges, you won't be able to get this free Banner if you haven't first completed the required steps. The item won't appear on the map unless you've finished two weeks' sets of challenges and unlocked the aforementioned loading screen, so you can't simply go to the right area and expect to find it unless you've put in the necessary work.
Epic is releasing a new set of challenges in Fortnite every week in Season 7. If you need help completing them, you can find tips in our complete Season 7 challenges roundup. You can also see our guides on where to find every free Battle Star and Banner so far this season below.
The year may be winding down, but the video game discounts show no signs of following suit. A flurry of winter and holiday sales is now live, including a big one on PC games at GOG. Between now and January 3, you can save money on a wide assortment of titles, including some you can get for free. Let's dive in and look at the details.
One game, Full Throttle Remastered, is free for everyone, with no strings attached, through December 15. If you spend even one cent during the sale, you'll also get a free copy of the turn-based strategy game Fantasy General. Spend $15, and they'll throw in Everspace for free--a $30 value.
As for what you can spend that money on, you have plenty of choices. One good starting point would be the GameSpot Collection, where you'll find a list of discounted games that was hand-picked by our editors and producers.
Another place to start would be on some of the best PC games of the year, including the roguelike Metroidvania-style Dead Cells, which is a one of GameSpot top games of the year in addition to being on sale for $20. Into the Breach, also a top game of the year, is a unique strategy game from the makers of FTL (which is also on sale), that's discounted to $10. Then there's The Messenger, which bears more than a little resemblance to the Ninja Gaiden NES games, is down to $14.
Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina won't return for its second season until 2019, but the streaming service has a holiday surprise for fans of the witchy series. "A Midwinter's Tale," a special holiday-themed episode of the series arrives on December 13. Unfortunately, for those hoping for a nice and relaxing Christmas with the Spellman family, you're out of luck.
"Although people think that the holiday season is like, a fun time and all that, but for witches it is kind of a perilous time, because it's a time when they kind of need extra protection," Miranda Otto (Zelda) explained during a visit to the show's set. "They have to keep the yule log burning so to protect themselves from spirits that could come into the house."
Of course, as Lucy Davis (Hilda) added, there's still some holiday joy to be found mixed in with the Sabrina creepiness fans have some to love. "It's really nice, because it's very--it's nice and warm, it's typical Sabrina stuff and some horror stuff, but you also learn a lot about Sabrina's mom," she said.
While the episode promises some information about Sabrina's mother, along with the addition of The Haunting of Hill House alum McKenna Grace playing a young Sabrina, star Kiernan Shipka warned that the special might not have a lot of the answers you're looking for after the conclusion of Season 1.
"It's in so many ways, a standalone episode," Shipka explained. "It doesn't get too crazy on plot or this or that. It really just kind of focuses in on the characters, and it takes its time. It's super perfect for the holidays."
There will be one lingering story that gets some serious attention in the special, though. You might remember that at the conclusion of Season 1, it was revealed that Zelda (Otto) kidnapped a baby. That's a plot that simply can't be ignored.
"For Zelda, the story is very much about the baby, and having a baby in the house, and her attachment to the baby," Otti teased. "And Zelda is particularly worried because of the baby in the house, and indeed someone does come to try to steal the baby."
As for who's coming to take the baby, that's anyone's guess. When it comes to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, though, nothing is off the table--especially where evil is concerned.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina winter special debuts on Netflix on Friday, December 14. Meanwhile, Season 2 of the series premieres on April 5.
Ring of Honor World Champion Jay Lethal has quite the task ahead of him on Friday, December 14 when he defends his title against The Elite member Cody at the Final Battle PPV. It's been a crazy year for Lethal. He beat Dalton Castle for the ROH title and defended it at All In, where he, once again, channeled his old character Black Machismo, his version of Macho Man Randy Savage.
What made Lethal's appearance at the gigantic wrestling event in Chicago so important was that not only did he step back into the role of Black Machismo, but he came to the ring accompanied by Lanny Poffo, Macho Man's brother. Although the Macho Man passed away in 2011, he still heard Lethal's spot-on impression of him, and the two spoke over the phone about it.
Photo credit: Ring of Honor
"The first time I spoke with [Macho Man Randy Savage], now I'm gonna be honest, I didn't believe it was him because I can do a pretty good Macho Man impression, and I'm sure other people could too," Lethal told GameSpot. "I'm sure that I know a couple people who can do one. So, when I was talking to him on the phone, deep down inside, I thought this could be somebody else playing a trick on me. Until Lanny actually confirmed that it was his brother. But he loved it. He said he didn't watch it on TV but he did watch some of the stuff, he pulled my stuff up on YouTube and he absolutely loved it."
When it came to the All In PPV this past summer, Lethal and Lanny Poffo teamed up for Lethal's title defense against Flip Gordon. And Lanny was a huge fan of Lethal's work impersonating his late brother. "He loved it so much that at the All In pay-per-view, the days before Starrcast, big signing, there was so much to do," explained Lethal. "Well I had a signing with Lanny, we were at the same table and he told me, 'One of the things that I miss the most about my brother is, just sometimes at random times he would just yell at me. So if you could, just at random times throughout this signing just find a reason to yell at me I would love it.'
"And of course, I thought it was hilarious and weird, but brotherly love is always something that's weird. I just think about the way that I interact with my brother it could be weird to other people. So I got a huge kick out of it. So of course every five minutes or so, if he was talking to a fan I would yell at him, 'Get back over here! We're trying to work!' He absolutely loved it. So I think he enjoys the impression more than anybody."
You can see more of Lethal at Ring of Honor's Final Battle, which airs LIVE from New York City on Friday, December 14 at a new start time of 8 PM ET on PPV, free for HonorClub VIP, at a 50% discount for HonorClub Standard, and on FITE TV. Please visit ROHWrestling or the ROH App for more information. Also, the ROH World Champ has some sweet Pokemon Go tips for you to stay competitive.
Forza Horizon 4 has launched its first big expansion, Fortune Island. It's now available on PC or Xbox One and adds a new area of the northern British Isles with rocky mountain curves and dangerous weather patterns. The extreme weather has its beautiful side too, as you can witness the northern lights while driving through the area.
This being a driving game, it also comes with new cars. The expansion will grant you 10 new cars in all, including the 2019 Lamborghini Urus, 2017 Ram Rebel TRX Concept, and the 2018 BMW M5. Fortune Island is an entirely separate area from the main game, and true to the name it includes clues to hunt down hidden treasures. This expansion is in addition to the steady stream of weekly content that has been adding new cars and season-specific events.
Fortune Island can be purchased separately for $20, or as part of the expansion bundle for $35. If you're a Game Pass subscriber, you get a 10% discount off the standalone or expansion bundle, and the Game Pass itself entitles you to the base game. If you own the Ultimate Edition, of course, you already have the bundle at no additional cost.
"Everything you do in Horizon feels valuable, no matter how big or small--from the basic thrills of speeding a fast car down a gorgeous mountain highway to spending time tinkering with your favorite ride to manage seasonal road conditions to just hanging out with friends and strangers online and goofing off in friendly games," critic Edmond Tran wrote in GameSpot's Forza Horizon 4 review. "The charm of the Horizon series is as palpable as ever, a winning, all-inclusive recipe that celebrates the joy of driving above all else."
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