Monster Hunter World launched one year ago this month, and Capcom is celebrating the occasion with a special in-game anniversary event. The Appreciation Fest is now underway on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, bringing a new assortment of gear to craft, Event Quests to undertake, and more.
The Appreciation Fest runs until February 21. Throughout the event, the Gathering Hub will be decorated with balloons, confetti, and other party favors. All facilities will also offer discounts on in-game items and services, and a special appreciation platter will be available.
Capcom says "almost all" past Event Quests will return during the Appreciation Fest, giving you another opportunity to obtain special gear you may have missed out on. Additionally, there will be new quests featuring even larger and more fearsome versions of monsters, such as the Greatest Jagras. You can find the full Event Quest schedule on the Monster Hunter World website.
Capcom is also offering daily login bonuses and new limited bounties to complete during the Appreciation Fest. These will get you Appreciation Tickets, which you can use to craft the Gala Suit for your hunter and the Star and Star α gear for your Palico. The Handler and Poogie will also have festive new outfits during the event.
You can find more details about the Appreciation Fest here. There is plenty more new content on the way to Monster Hunter World this year. On February 8, The Witcher 3's Geralt of Rivia will arrive in the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game as a free update (with a PC release set to follow later). Capcom will also release a big Iceborne expansion for the game this fall, which will introduce new monsters, locales, gear, and much more content.
We're giving away free PUBG MOBILE swag packages to three (3) lucky fans. Entering into our Instagram giveaway below is easy -- just like and follow for a chance to win!
NO PURCHASE OR WIRELESS DEVICE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD OR AGE OF MAJORITY, WHICHEVER IS OLDER IN YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE, AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS SWEEPSTAKES VIA YOUR WIRELESS DEVICE, DATA RATES MAY APPLY.
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No purchase, entry fee or use of wireless device is necessary to enter or win. If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smartphone, tablet or other wireless device that allows you access to the Internet, you may also enter the Sweepstakes via any of those devices during the Promotion Period (as defined below). If you chose to access this Sweepstakes via any of those wireless devices, you may be charged message and/or data rates according to the Terms and Conditions of the Service Agreement with your wireless carrier.
2. Eligibility. This Sweepstakes is offered and open to persons who are: (a) Registered Users (as defined below); (b) legal residents of the United States; and (c) at least 18 years old or age of majority, whichever is older in their state of residence, at the date of entry in this Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules, "Registered User(s)" means a person who has successfully completed the registration form, obtained a user identification, an associated password on the social website Instagram. There is no fee associated with becoming an Instagram Registered User. Employees, directors, and the immediate family members of the Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotion agencies and legal and financial advisors are not eligible to participate in this Sweepstakes. For purpose of the foregoing, "immediate family" means parents, spouses, children, siblings or any members of the same households of such employees and directors. This Sweepstakes is void in all U.S. territories and possessions and where prohibited by law.
3. Entering the Sweepstakes: To enter the Sweepstakes, if not already, become a Registered User (as specified above), and enter, during the Promotion Period (as defined below), via any one (1) of, or all three (3) of the ways set forth herein:
1. Follow @GameSpot + @pubgmobile
2. Like the post related to the Sweepstakes
3. Tag your friends in separate comments on the CBSI Service. Participants may receive a maximum of five (5) entries to the Sweepstakes via this entry method; one (1) per each unique friend tagged.
Limit of seven (7) entries per person during the Promotion Period.
4. Promotion Period. The Sweepstakes begins on January 22, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time ("PT") and ends at 12:00 p.m. PT on January 28, 2019 (the "Promotion Period").
5. Prizes. The Sweepstakes will award three (3) prizes (the "Prizes"). Each Prize consists of one (1) PUBG MOBILE swag bag. Each Prize has an approximate retail value ("ARV") of One Hundred Fifty Dollars (US$150.00). Total ARV of all Prizes to be awarded in this Sweepstakes is Four Hundred Fifty Dollars (US$450.00).
6. Prize Restrictions. No assignment, transfer, conversion to cash or cash redemption or substitution of a Prize is permitted, except Administrator reserves the right to substitute a Prize with a prize of comparable or greater value, should a Prize or part of a Prize become unavailable. Prize is solely for personal use and may not be used in conjunction with any other promotion. All Prize details are at the sole discretion of the Sweepstakes Entities.
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11. Improper Conduct. Administrator, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participation in or use of any or all portions of this Sweepstakes, and refuse to award a Prize, if a Winner engage(s) in any conduct Administrator deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Sweepstakes or detrimental to other entrants of the Sweepstakes. Such improper conduct includes, without limitation, falsifying personal information required during entrant registration or Prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating entries through methods such as automated computer scripts or any other programming techniques, allowing others to use entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating entries, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise tamper with the computer programs in connection with this Sweepstakes. Winners agree that Administrator may void a Prize or any part of a Prize that a Winner may have won and/or require the return of a Prize or any part of a Prize that a Winner may have won as a result of such improper conduct. Winners further acknowledge that any forfeiture of a Prize and/or return of a Prize shall in no way prevent Administrator from pursuing other avenues of recourse, such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct. WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, EACH OF THE SWEEPSTAKES ENTITIES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
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21. Binding Arbitration. The parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes. Any controversy or claim, arising out of, or relating to, these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of New York, in the City of New York and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof.
22. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This promotion is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Administrator in connection with this Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof, and any matters or proceedings which are not subject to arbitration, as set forth in Section 21 of these Official Rules and/or for entering any judgment on an arbitration award, shall take place in the State of New York, in the City of New York.
23. Winner's List/Official Rules. For the name of the Winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope for receipt by February 15, 2019 to "Winner List, PUBG MOBILE Swag Giveaway" 1401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. For Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the above address marked "Official Rules: PUBG MOBILE Swag Giveaway" for receipt by February 15, 2019. Residents of VT may omit postage on the self-addressed envelope. The name of the Winners may be posted, and the Official Rules will be posted on the CBSI Service (i.e. GameSpot.com).
The NPD Group has announced that Call of Duty was the best-selling console game franchise in 2018 in the US, marking the tenth year in a row that the series has earned the title. In celebration, Activision published a blog post that highlighted the best Call of Duty moments from the past decade, as well as thank fans for playing.
"We've been honored over these past 10 years to see the community come together, showcasing some truly incredible moments," Activision wrote. "Whether it's jaw-dropping skills, frenetic clips or just some funny experiences, we're honored to serve the most passionate community around." The blog post ended with promises that there would be more Call of Duty to expect in 2019, but no exact details were shared.
Activision's 10-year streak started in 2009 with Modern Warfare 2, before moving on to Black Ops in 2010 and Modern Warfare 2 in 2011. Each following game's setting would take place in the near- to far future after that, before culminating in battles that take place in space in 2016's Infinite Warfare. 2017's WWII brought the series back to its World War roots, before Black Ops 4 once again moved the franchise back to the near-future. Black Ops 4 is the first Call of Duty game to ditch a traditional single-player campaign. Instead, the game included Blackout, a battle royale mode, that has proven to be very popular.
Again, these games weren't necessarily the top selling games in the US during the year of their release--although some of them could have been. Call of Duty, in general, has just been the best selling franchise on consoles in the US for the past 10 years.
If the established rotation for which developer is assigned for each Call of Duty continues in 2019, then Infinity Ward is up next. Although it has not been confirmed as a Call of Duty teaser, a tweet by Infinity Ward senior communication manager Ashton Williams hints that the next game might be Modern Warfare 4. No concrete details have been announced for 2019's Call of Duty yet, though.
While Resident Evil 2 has all sorts of challenges to face in the multi-scenario campaign, some of the game's toughest encounters come right after completing the main story. After finishing both Leon and Claire's scenarios for the first time, you'll unlock a new bonus mode titled The 4th Survivor--a reimagining of the original game's extra mission. Taking control of fan-favorite U.S.S. operative Hunk, you'll need to fight through a gauntlet of the game's toughest battles to make a clean getaway with the G-Virus sample.
Though the main story helped you get accustomed to the different threats in RE2, The 4th Survivor ups the challenge considerably, and you more than likely won't make it on the first few attempts. Considering how difficult of a challenge this can be, we've decided to offer up some tips to help you evade the mutants and the undead in this bonus game. Though Hunk is armed with several weapons, there are better ways to clear The 4th Survivor. And if you follow these 4 tips, you'll seldom have to fire a shot.
Learn To Read The Room
The best ways to make it through The 4th Survivor is to not only think ahead, but also to understand what you're dealing with. Despite the faster pace and wealth weapons, it's still a game about survival. As death is more than likely in this mode, you'll gradually learn more about the enemy patterns and layouts with each attempt. These never change, and with this knowledge in mind, you'll be able to better chart out a path through the many groups of zombies and mutated monsters--including anticipating when Mr. X shows up during your first entrance into the 1st floor of the Police Station.
Save Your Bullets
As a standalone mission, Hunk has all that he needs to make it past the many threats in the Sewers and into the Police Station. Though he's armed with a pistol, submachine gun, a magnum, and a shotgun--along with tons of ammo and support items--you're much better off saving them. It might seem inviting to unload into the undead, but you'll actually cover a lot more ground and save yourself some headache if you just stick with avoiding most fights. With that said, there may come a time to use your weapons--particularly the magnum--against the more high-risk enemies, such as the Plant Mutants that can instantly kill you with a grab. Use your best judgement to figure where and when it's best to fire off some quick shots.
Make Your Support Items Count
In addition to a set of weapons, Hunk is also armed with a suite of herbs, gunpowder, and sub-weapons. He's easily more well-armed than either Leon or Claire, however, it's also very easy to run through those items quick. Though the sub-weapons are useful to counterattack against grabs, which can happen a lot if you're not careful, they're far more useful as a tactical tool. One particular instance, the Underground Stairway section--shortly after leaving the Sewers--has eight zombies in close proximity. Running straight in will result in a number of grabs, costing you more time and resources. Situations like this are a great time to toss a flash grenade, stunning all nearby enemies and allowing you the chance to flee during the confusion.
Keep Pushing Forward
Throughout The 4th Survivor, you'll not only encounter every common enemy that appeared in the game, they'll also come in greater frequency. Some locations have 10 different monsters in a single space, which can cut your run short fairly quick. Though many of the monsters you face are extremely dangerous, especially when in packs, they're also very predictable. As stated previously, the encounters will never change, making it easier to learn particular patterns. It's far more preferable to bait common enemies into attacks and run around their blindspot to press forward. For instance, during the first stretch through the tunnel, the smarter thing for you to do is to push through and evade zombies by running behind them. They won't be able to react fast enough to grab, allowing you to make a break for it.
If you're able to stick with these key tips, you should be able to complete The 4th Survivor before you know it. After that's done, now you can attempt the game's hardest mission with The Tofu Survivor. Instead of Hunk, you'll play as Tofu, a giant sentient block of soy who's armed with only a knife. Good luck!
For more info on Resident Evil 2, including our story recap and where to find all the weapon upgrades, be sure to check out our other features on GameSpot.
Detective Pikachu already has a sequel in the works. This announcement is fairly surprising, as the first movie hasn't even released yet.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Legendary has hired Oren Uziel to helm the script for the sequel. Uziel is known for his work on 22 Jump Street and The Cloverfield Paradox. His name has also been seen on a future Supergirl film planned for Warner Bros., as well as the upcoming movies Sonic the Hedgehog and Men in Black International. Uziel has not yet revealed what he has planned for the Detective Pikachu sequel.
Detective Pikachu stars Ryan Reynolds as the coffee-drinking, mystery-solving, yellow Pokemon. The movie focuses on a boy, named Tim, who teams up with a Pikachu to track down his father after he mysteriously disappears. Tim's ability to understand the Pikachu makes them the perfect pair, but their clashing personalities lead to many hilarious hijinks.
The cast also includes Justice Smith (who plays Tim), Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, and Bill Nighy. Detective Pikachu is directed by Rob Letterman, who previously helmed Goosebumps, Captain Underpants, and Shark Tale. The movie hits theaters on May 10, 2019.
The Detective Pikachu movie is loosely based on the 3DS video game of the same name. In our Detective Pikachu review, Kallie Plagge gave the game a 7/10, writing, "There's not much variety to the way you solve cases; the story follows a standard detective formula, and as long as you're thorough, you won't have too much trouble connecting the dots. But [Detective Pikachu is] full of heart, and its silly characters and intentionally campy tone are what make it fun."
Even in Hobbs & Shaw, the Fast & Furious spin-off starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham, the word "family" seems to be what matters most. As he tends to do, Johnson has been documenting the process of filming the movie on Instagram and used the social media tool to reveal some news that should be exciting to WWE fans.
The actor's real-life cousin, WWE superstar Roman Reigns, has been cast to play his brother in the movie. "Good times droppin' sweat and spillin' blood with my family, Roman Reigns who'll be playing my brother in our [Fast & Furious universe]," Johnson wrote. "I'm very proud of his focus, effort and authentic performance in our movie for his very first time on film. I'm also very grateful to spend this quality time with my cousin here in the islands as he takes life one day at a time to recover from leukemia."
Reigns revealed back in October that he was stepping away from WWE to battle leukemia for the second time in his life. "My real name is Joe, and I've been living with leukemia for 11 years," he said while relinquishing the WWE Universal Championship. "And unfortunately, it's back. And because the leukemia is back, I cannot fulfill my that role. I can't be that fighting champion. And I'm going to have to relinquish the Universal Championship."
While there is no announced timetable for a possible return, he's clearly keeping busy with some exciting scenes in Hobbs and Shaw, while he also undergoes treatment. The photos posted by Johnson show the two celebrating their heritage by wearing Samoan garb while unleashing some serious brutality on those around them.
Still, even Johnson is anxious for the day Reigns is able to return to WWE. "Can't wait to see the 'Big Dog' return back to the ring--his positive & focused mindset to return is straight up next level," the actor wrote.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is in theaters on August 2. And for all of your WWE needs, make sure to check out our Royal Rumble coverage, from predictions for every match to everyone set to participate in the massive battle royales.
Wargroove looks to be an homage to classic tactics games like Advance Wars, with the added twist of an online multiplayer element. Developer Chucklefish announced that you can play against your friends cross-platform, but one console is conspicuously missing from the line-up.
In a tweet, the studio said you can play across PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, and an accompanying short video clip shows the cross-play functionality. Notably absent is PlayStation 4, which is also receiving the game alongside the others on February 1.
This is a familiar sight. Sony has counted itself out from cross-play for a long time, only recently reversing course for the mega-hit Fortnite. Even then it was only after Microsoft and Nintendo made a point of teasing Sony about it together. Still, this was posed as a beta to test the functionality, and Sony is still only planning to allow other games on a case-by-case basis. Rocket League, long requested for cross-play, just recently became the second game to use the functionality.
Sometimes your friends aren't in the same faction as you, and that's okay!
No need to start a war, keep your band together with multiplayer cross-platform play on PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, when Wargroove launches on February 1st! pic.twitter.com/Z6svC6MyL7
Given all that, it's unsurprising that Wargroove isn't included, but Chucklefish is still not-too-subtly pointing it out. Though it's targeting several platforms for simultaneous release, it was given a prime spot on Nintendo's "Nindies" presentation earlier this week, where the release date of February 1 was announced.
The VIP demo for Anthem is now officially live, but unfortunately it hasn't been a very smooth launch. Players have already seen messages that servers are full or been stuck on the title screen with extensive loading times, while others have been kicked out of the demo entirely with Origin momentarily going down.
[Update: EA and BioWare reached out with a statement regarding some of these issues: "The main issue impacting the Anthem VIP demo on PC and PS4 has been resolved. Anyone who has had an issue on those platforms should restart the game and attempt to join again. Our team is still working on fixes for some of the issues we're seeing on Xbox One." We're still encountering a few problems on both PS4 and PC, however. Our original article continues below.]
"We're adding more server capacity to the [Anthem] demo right now. Hang tight while we work to get everyone into the game," EA Help tweeted out Friday morning. That tweet was followed with another, this time addressing the long loading times, about an hour later. "We're looking into the infinite loading issue with the [Anthem] demo. In the meantime, try relaunching the game and rejoining your mission to see if that helps you," EA Help wrote.
BioWare GM Casey Hudson has clarified that servers aren't actually full, tweeting "Turns out to not be a server capacity issue. Seems to be a different issue that didn't come up in previous scale testing." Hudson has confirmed that work is being done to address the issue.
On top of all of this, Origin has temporarily gone down for some players--including for a few of us here at GameSpot--although the connection seems to be slowly coming back. It's possible EA's servers are experiencing a larger influx of players trying to get into the VIP demo than the company originally planned for. Despite this weekend's demo being marketed as an exclusive experience for only those who pre-order Anthem or subscribe to EA or Origin Access, every person who unlocked the demo received friend codes they could use to invite three additional people to also participate.
Whatever the issue, the problem has seemingly extended to other games as well. EA has confirmed FIFA is "experiencing connectivity issues across all platforms" and we've seen examples of this on the Xbox One version of Battlefield V too. According to another EA tweet, there's widespread "login issues" across all of the company's games and services at the moment.
We also ran into an audio issue on both PS4 and PC--the former of which you can see on our stream of the demo--where all sound, both in the game and on the system's menus, was somehow lost.
Regardless, the VIP demo continues until Sunday, January 27 at 6PM PT / 9PM ET, which is January 28 at 2AM in the UK. If you do manage to get into the VIP demo, you'll unlock a cool-looking, exclusive vinyl that you can apply to your Javelins in the main game. If you can't manage to make it into this demo, there is another one scheduled for next weekend that will begin on February 1 at 9AM PT / 12PM ET / 5PM UK. This second demo is open to everyone, but playing it won't unlock anything special for the main game.
We had the chance to play Anthem prior to the VIP demo, if you're curious as to how the game actually plays.
The Monday Night Wars between 1995 and 2001 were a fascinating time for the World Wrestling Federation and professional wrestling in general. For the first time, there was someone else stepping up to challenge the then-WWF on a global scale in WCW, which was victorious in the ratings for over a year.
During that time, though, the WWF launched what it called the "Attitude Era" at the 1997 installment of Survivor Series. It was that show that was the sight of the infamous "Montreal screwjob" that saw Shawn Michaels defeat a departing Bret Hart in the main event. Then, on the December 17 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon made the dawn of the Attitude Era official, for better or worse.
"We here at the WWF think that you, the audience, are, quite frankly, tired of having your intelligence insulted," he said during a pre-taped segment. "We also think that you're tired of the same old simplistic theory of good guys versus bad guys. Surely the era of the superhero who urge you to say your prayers and take your vitamins is definitely, passe. Therefore, we've embarked on a far more innovative and contemporary creative campaign, that is far more invigorating and extemporaneous than ever before."
While he was throwing around words like "invigorating" and "extemporaneous" to sound professional, the message was clear: attitude, whatever that means, was here to stay. With it came breakout superstars like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, D-Generation X, Mankind, and so much more. These characters and WWE's creative direction certainly helped the company rebound in the fight against WCW, but reexamining it, it's hard to have fond memories about the Attitude Era. Why? Well, because it was mostly awful, especially compared to today's professional wrestling standards.
It's easy to look back at the period between 1997 and 2002 as the best in the company's history. It was certainly the most popular, in terms of mainstream acceptance of professional wrestling. In hindsight, though, it's a bit surprising to me what this was the era that helped WWE come out of a downward spiral and reestablish their dominance. After all, someone thought the character Beaver Cleavage--a lewd character based on the TV show Leave it to Beaver that also lusted after his mother--was a good idea. This was before Beaver was rechristened Chaz, by the way, in an equally-stupid attempt to get the former Headbanger Mosh over.
In truth, that's the Attitude Era in a nutshell. For every D-Generation X invasion of WCW Nitro, there were a few horrible moments, like Yamaguchi-san screaming "I choppy choppy your pee pee" before taking a swing at Val Venis with a sword. Those are the types of things nobody ever wants or needs to see. In the Attitude Era, though, they were a fairly common occurrence. From Mae Young giving birth to a hand to the Big Boss Man being hanged by the neck inside the Hell in a Cell cage, the WWF's goal to be "edgy" and, in Vince McMahon's own words, "innovative," instead led to crass and cringe-worthy moments that are a pox on the company's high-profile era of the late '90s.
In 2019, when women have their own Royal Rumble and it seems incredible possible the Raw Women's Championship match will headline Wrestlemania 35, looking back on the Attitude Era is tough. While it slowly got better thanks to the likes of Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, and their peers, so much of the Attitude Era's treatment of female superstars is embarrassing. It's the epitome of programming for a hormonal teenage boy and it has not aged well at all.
It wasn't just the women's division and mid-card talent--raise a hand if you remember Naked Mideon--that were the victim of being driven by such absurd content on Raw and Smackdown, though. The garbage regularly infected the main event. Yes, the Attitude Era gave us memorable moments like Steve Austin's beer bath and the debut of Chris Jericho. However, it also assaulted audiences with the likes of D-Generation X wearing blackface to imitate the Nation of Domination and, perhaps the worst angle of all time: The Katie Vick story.
Oh, you don't remember Katie Vick? The year was 2002, the tail-end of the Attitude Era as Kane and Triple H feuding for no apparent reason. Triple H told the world he knew Kane's "secret," which was that Kane murdered his old girlfriend, Katie Vick. Kane admitted that Katie was killed in a car accident while Kane was driving drunk. He swerved to miss a deer in the rain, and suddenly his definitely fictional girlfriend was dead because the masked half-brother of the Undertaker, whose father was a supernatural mortician because that all makes sense in wrestling.
As if this entire thing wasn't in enough poor taste, the storyline continued when Triple H dressed up as Kane in a pre-taped segment and went to "Katie Vick's funeral," at which point he "had sex" with a mannequin in a casket. This aired on primetime TV in 2002 and was, by far, the lowest WWE ever sunk to tell one if its bizarre stories. Kane, the drunk driving hero of our story, reacted in the only way he could. He had his own pre-taped segment in which someone wore a Triple H mask while getting rectal surgery. I'm not making any of this up.
This entire fiasco somehow lasted a month and is the absolute worst angle in WWE history. And it sums up the Attitude Era well. Two incredibly gifted performers like Triple H and Kane were saddled with what was a truly disgusting story to tell. Thankfully, both men would go onto bigger and better, but the Katie Vick story is a massive stain on their careers and one that longtime fans will never forget.
That's the problem with the Attitude Era. It's hard to forget the worst aspects of it. The thing about wrestling fans, though, is the rose-colored glasses are strong. So many look back on that period of time in the WWE as cutting-edge and revolutionary. I defy those same fans to jump on the WWE Network and sit through a few weeks of Raw from 1998. While there are moments that are thrilling, they're all bogged down by convoluted storylines, 90-second matches, and likes of "Marvelous" Marc Mero and the "Real Man's Man" Steven Regal. Though, if I'm being honest, The Oddities' theme song remains a total jam.
Listen, the Attitude Era was a product of a different time and while '90s "extreme" culture may excuse some of it, it doesn't do any good to look back on it as professional wrestling or sports entertainment at its peak. I, for one, would much rather have insanely competitive matches between the likes of Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and whatever member of The Shield is being pushed at the moment, as opposed to a Kennel from Hell match. I'd rather watch Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch tear down the house, than see them rolling around in an inflatable swimming pool filled with mud.
Today's wrestling product, not just in WWE but in companies like Ring of Honor and the newly-announced All Elite Wrestling, flies high above what fans were given on a weekly basis during the Attitude Era. And while certain aspects of modern pro wrestling has clearly looked to that period of time for inspiration--What's the Bullet Club without a Too Sweet and a Monday Night Raw "invasion"?--the athleticism and talent on display every single night on any given wrestling show from any major company is hard to compete with. Even Impact Wrestling is putting on entertaining shows with wildly talented rosters, if you can figure out what the hell the Pursuit Channel is.
To put it simply, I'd rather watch just about any era of WWE than live through the Attitude Era again. Except for The Brood's entrance. Who do I have to talk to about getting that whole ring-of-fire elevator thing back on TV?
Facebook reportedly allowed developers to obscure real-money transactions, while profiting millions from minors who made purchases without permission from their parents.
CBS News reports that just-released documents from a 2012 lawsuit show that Facebook was aware of the problem of kids making purchases through its games and apps without their parents' consent. In part, the suit alleges, this was because Facebook allowed developers to obscure the transactions in which a credit card would be charged.
The suit was filed by Glynnis Bohannan, whose 12-year-old son racked up almost $1,000 playing Ninja Saga. When she discovered the charges and asked her son about them, he showed her that the stack of in-game currency would blink when it depleted, and he would click to make the coins replenish--all without any indication that it was charging real money.
The practice is called "friendly fraud," a common anti-fraud term to differentiate it from a hostile theft. Depositions from the suit show that Facebook employees hesitated to address the issue because it would reduce profits. The company calculated that minors made purchases totaling $34 million in the six year period between 2008 and 2014. It also calculated refund requests from Angry Birds, finding that more than 90% were because of friendly fraud.
In a statement, Facebook said, "we routinely examine our own practices, and in 2016 agreed to update our terms and provide dedicated resources for refund requests related to purchases made by minors on Facebook."
PUBG Corp. has released a new trailer for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds that teases a location on the game's new Vikendi map. The location is a secret cave that's hidden on the snow map.
Players discovered the secret location a few days ago, according to VG247, after Patch 25 went live on PUBG's PC Test Server. The mysterious spot is difficult to find, and this new trailer is the first time PUBG Corp. has even acknowledged that it exists. The cave is hidden inside some rock formations between Peshkova and Podvosta; it's located west of the former and northeast of the latter. You can only find it on the PC Test Server for now.
To enter the cave, you'll have to use explosives or a rapidly moving vehicle and strike a specific spot, which will cause the illusionary wall to fall away. If you happen to find the cave, your efforts will be rewarded with the discovery of several airdrop loot crates, which are typically filled with the rarest, most powerful weapons and gear you can find in PUBG.
Not much is known about this hidden cave, other than that the process for how it was secretly released by PUBG Corp. and eventually discovered by players is a first for the game. There hasn't ever been anything like this in PUBG before. Although, according to an interview with Newsweek in December, additions like this might not be the last.
"There is a [lore to PUBG], but we all prescribe to a show don't tell mentality," PUBG art director and team lead David Curd said. "In the environmental set dress we offer little clues, and, because this is an online game that's constantly updated, we're always leaking, adjusting art, and adding more lore details and story stuff. We do have stories we're excited to tell." Based on the nature of this cave, and how it received its very own trailer, it could be the first of one of these lore details planned for the game.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and a mobile. A free-to-play version with reduced graphics, titled PUBG Lite, is scheduled to launch in southeast Asia.
We may not have gotten a new assortment of PSN deals on Tuesday, but Sony has made up for it by kicking off another surprise sale in the US PlayStation Store. The PS Essentials sale is underway until February 5, offering some enticing deals on dozens of recent and popular PS4, PS3, and Vita games. And if you're a PS Plus member, you'll save an additional percentage off on all of the discounted items.
The sale encompasses some of 2018's biggest PS4 releases. Sony Santa Monica's critically acclaimed God of War reboot is on sale for $26 ($28 without PS Plus), and the special edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 is discounted to $60. Both Battlefield V and Destiny 2's well-received Forsaken expansion are $30 apiece, while Hitman 2 is $36. Just Cause 4 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider are also on sale; the former is $42, while the latter is $30.
If sports games are more your speed, the latest entries in many of EA's most popular sports franchises are on sale. Both FIFA 19 and NHL 19 are down to $24 each. NBA Live 19: The One Edition is $10, while UFC 3 is $24. PS Plus members can also get the intense off-road racing game Onrush for $12.
You can see some other good deals below; the full list can be found on the PlayStation Store. The sale is scheduled to end at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on February 5.
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