The newest free game being given away on the Epic Game Store is Axiom Verge. First releasing in 2015, Axiom Verge proved popular with fans with its gripping science fiction narrative and Metroidvania-inspired mechanics.
Axiom Verge will be free to download on the Epic Game Store until February 21, but it's yours to keep and play forever once you have. All you need to do is create an Epic account on the company's store page, sign-in, and then you can download the game. It's worth keeping your account around if you want more games, because after Axiom Verge, the Epic Games Store will start offering the excellent Thimbleweed Park for free.
In our Axiom Verge review, Peter Brown gave the game an 8/10, writing, "Axiom Verge is a game that's easy to fall in love with because it hits so many high notes. It takes the Metroidvania model and adds layers of ingenuity that are in a league all of their own, the most notable being the Address Disruptor. Yes it's occasionally drab looking, and some enemies may not fit in with the rest of the world, but when a game is this good, these blemishes quickly fade into the back of your mind. The chilling sci-fi setting, mysterious plot, and a seemingly endless number of abilities keep your mind busy, and your curiosity at fever pitch. It's not a stretch to say that Axiom Verge is better than the games that inspired it, because it's so inventive and thoughtfully crafted. There's no excuse to hold onto the past when the present is this amazing."
The Epic Store is one of the more recent additions to the competition challenging Valve's dominance over the PC gaming market with Steam. Epic has been in the news recently for its habit of securing major exclusives away from Steam, such as Metro Exodus and The Division 2. Valve described Epic's acquisition of the former as "unfair" for players, and the decision to not launch the game on Steam has stirred quite a bit of controversy. Exodus isn't the only major title coming out in the next month that won't launch on Steam, as additional games like Anthem and Crackdown 3 are releasing exclusively on other stores.
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 will still use James Gunn's script, according to star Chris Pratt. Gunn had been primarily responsible for bringing Guardians to the big screen, having written and directed both previous films before being fired from the third.
Pratt, who plays the Guardians leader Star-Lord, confirmed that the project is on and will use Gunn's script in an interview with MTV News. At the same time, he shared mixed emotions about how he feels moving forward with this last installment without Gunn leading the project as director.
"Well, I love James. I'm loyal to James and I love him so much," Pratt said. "We're gonna deliver the movie, we're gonna give the fans what they deserve. I think it's in the nature of the Guardians of the Galaxy to come together and get the job done. And that's what we'll do."
The director isn't short on big-budget superhero projects, though. Marvel's loss was DC's gain, as Warner Bros. brought him on to write the next Suicide Squad film. He may also direct it, though that is unconfirmed as of this time. Bautista has expressed interest in appearing in the Suicide Squad film as well.
Following his guest appearance in SoulCalibur VI, The Witcher 3's Geralt of Rivia is venturing into Capcom's hit action RPG, Monster Hunter World. The White Wolf will arrive as a free update for the PS4 and Xbox One versions today, February 7 (with a PC release to follow later), and he'll come alongside new Witcher-inspired quests.
The update is scheduled to go live at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET (12 AM GMT on February 8). Capcom hasn't shared many details yet on what the new quests will entail, but the publisher says they'll have "a unique flavor, blending the RPG mechanics of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt with Monster Hunter World's game systems."
According to Capcom, the Witcher collaboration event was developed closely with CD Projekt Red, the studio behind the Witcher series and the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077. Geralt's original voice actor was also brought in to provide new voice over work for the collaboration.
Geralt arrives in the midst of Monster Hunter World's first anniversary event, the Appreciation Fest. The event will continue to run on all platforms until February 21, and it brings back most of the game's previous Event Quests alongside some new ones. Players can also craft new anniversary gear sets for their hunters and Palicos.
Monster Hunter World has been a huge critical and commercial success for Capcom since it launched last January. The publisher recently revealed the title has sold more than 11 million copies world. Its positive critical reception also helped Capcom claim the honor of being Metacritic's top publisher of 2018.
Capcom still has a lot more new content planned for Monster Hunter World. This fall, the publisher will release Iceborne, a major paid expansion that will introduce new monsters to hunt, locales to explore, gear to craft, and other content.
The beta for The Division 2 is now live, so you can explore the burned-out wreckage of a post-apocalyptic Washington DC for a limited time. This is a private beta, so you'll need to have gotten in through a pre-order for the game, or having been randomly selected for entry after signing up online.
The beta includes two main missions, five side missions, some open-world activities, and one of the three new Dark Zones. The beta will add an extra piece of endgame content, called an Invaded mission, on February 8 at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 4 PM GMT. The player cap for the beta will be level 30.
The first Division took place in New York City, following the outbreak of a bio-engineered virus. The mastermind behind the biological attack put the infection on dollar bills that circulated during Black Friday and subsequent heavy shopping days, which spread the virus quickly. The city quickly descended into chaos and was quarantined, and a secret cabal of sleeper agents--the titular Division--were dispatched to restore order. This sequel takes place in the nation's capital, which apparently didn't fare much better.
Check out everything we know for more details on the beta and details on how to get in and read up on how Dark Zones have changed. Microsoft recently announced two Xbox One bundles that will come packaged with The Division 2. The full game releases on March 15.
Week 10's challenges for Season 7 of Fortnite are now available, and one of them asks you to visit Expedition Outposts. This tasks may be familiar to you, as it's been used multiple times in the season. However, if you're still not intimately familiar with their locations, we're here to lend a helping hand. Below you'll find a guide on how and where to find the Expedition Outposts--something you'll need to do four times in a single match.
Expedition Outposts can be seen on the map as little red dots. In the actual game they appear as small red bunkers with a little globe icon on them. You can usually spot them by looking for the X-4 Stormwing planes that are often scattered around the outposts.
All you've got to do to complete the challenge is to find the outposts and pass through the area. When you do so, you'll see your progress towards completing the challenge tick up. The tricky part is getting to all of them in a single match. We recommend jumping in a plane and flying between them, as that lowers the chances of being taken out by an enemy player. And you don't have to actually land the plane, as simply flying through the area is enough to count towards the challenge.
To make things easier, we've got a list of bunker locations below, as well as a map to show your their exact locations. You can also watch the video above to see us complete the challenge.
Expedition Outpost Locations
Southeast of Lazy Links (F3)
Northeast of Pleasant Park (D3)
Southwest of Pleasant Park (C4)
West of Dusty Divot (F5)
West of Lonely Lodge (I5)
West of Paradise Palms
South of Shifty Shafts (D8)
According to Fortnite developer Epic's website, Season 7 of Fortnite is set to end on February 28. You don't have much time left to complete all the challenges from the season and unlock the cosmetics, but you can use our complete Season 7 challenges roundup to get it done quicker.
Epic recently launched Fortnite's 7.30 content update, and it introduced a new weapon called the Bottle Rocket, which unleashes a salvo of explosives on structures when thrown. Bottle Rockets can be found in stacks of two in floor loot or chests, Vending Machines, Supply Llamas, and Supply Drops. You can read Fortnite update 7.30's full patch notes to see what else it does.
PES 2019's big data pack 4.0 update is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, adding a bunch of cosmetic options to the sports sim--and making a few gameplay tweaks, too.
Headlining the update is the addition of Celtic Park and Ibrox as new stadiums, along with plenty of player faces for Rangers' and Celtic's squads. More than 70 player faces are included in the update, including some from the biggest leagues around the world. Finally, new boots from Nike, Adidas, Puma, and Umbro have been added, as well as the Thailand national team's official kits.
Before the release of #DP4 tomorrow, take a look at some of the player faces updates from the English League and Eredivisie. #PES2019pic.twitter.com/TTSnjKoDfC
Data Pack 4 launches alongside the announcement of new Legends coming to PES 2019's MyClub mode later this month. Hidetoshi Nakata, Park Ji-Sung, and Francesco Totti will be available in-game as part of MyClub's February campaign.
PES 2019--as with many recent titles in the series--has been a critical success. When it launched in August last year, we awarded it a 9/10 in our PES 2019 review. "For as long as EA continues to develop FIFA and hold a monopoly over official licences, PES will be the scrappy underdog just hoping for a surprise upset, even when it's fielding the likes of London Blue and PV White Red," wrote our critic, Richard Wakeling. "The lack of licences for top-tier leagues remains a disheartening sticking point, but PES continues to make brilliant strides on the pitch, building on what was already an incredibly satisfying game of football to produce one of the greatest playing football games of all time. It might be lacking off the pitch, but put it on the field against the competition and a famous giant killing wouldn't be all that surprising."
We're now in Fortnite Season 7, Week 10, which means there isn't long left until the season comes to a close and a new one begins. While that's sure to include an exciting upheaval on the island following this week's new patch, it also means that time is running out to get the Battle Pass rewards for Season 7. But before you start wrapping up challenges from previous weeks, let's get the latest batch completed.
As always, challenges are split into two categories, with one set available to all players and a second set exclusively for those that have spent money on a Battle Pass. Completing said challenges will reward you with Battle Stars, which in turn level up your free or paid Battle Pass and unlock cosmetic rewards. Easy peasy.
In the free section for Week 10, players will need to place a Mounted Turret or a Damage Trap in three different matches for five Battle Stars. After that it's on to search seven chests at Lazy Links or Dusty Divot for five Battle Stars, and then three Assault Rife eliminations for 10 Battle Stars.
For those with a paid Battle Pass, challenges involve doing 200 points of damage with Scoped Weapons for five Battle Stars, getting a score of five or more at the Shooting Gallery east of Wailing Woods (this is part one of a three-part challenge), visiting four Expedition Outposts in a single match, and hitting three opponents with a Chiller Grenade or Boogie Bomb in different matches.
Free
Place a Mounted Turret or a Damage Trap in different matches (3) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search Chests at Lazy Links or Dusty Divot (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Assault Rifle eliminations (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Deal damage with Scoped Weapons to opponents (200) -- 5 Battle Stars
Get a score of 5 or more at the Shooting Gallery east of Wailing Woods (1) -- 1 Battle Star
Visit Expedition Outposts in a single match (4) -- 10 Battle Stars
Hit an opponent with a Chiller Grenade or Boogie Bomb in different matches (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
It seems the preparations for Fortnite Season 8 have already begun. Players have noticed that earthquakes are occurring in-game, with tremors shaking the island mid-match. Dataminers previous discovered audio files labeled as "small," "med," and "lrg," indicating that these tremors are going to get worse. Presumably this will in turn lead to the type of map-changing event that we've seen kick off the past few seasons.
Season 7 of Fortnite is scheduled to come to a close on February 28, according to Epic's website. That's your deadline on completing challenges from previous weeks, but you can get tips and guides from our complete Season 7 challenges roundup to speed things up.
In recent years, AMD has been in a position to react to Nvidia in the graphics card landscape. The RX Vega 64, which launched in August 2017, was an answer to the high-end GTX 1080 that first hit the market in May 2016. This time around, AMD's schedule isn't as far behind; the new Radeon VII is AMD's answer to Nvidia's RTX 2080 that came out in September 2018. And just like RX Vega, Radeon VII isn't here to blow Nvidia's lineup out of the water, rather, it's a viable option to compete with the newest generation of GeForce cards.
AMD isn't rolling out fancy new graphics technologies like Nvidia did with RTX's real-time ray tracing or AI-powered supersampling (aka DLSS) for gaming, as those technologies are specifically tuned for Nvidia's Turing GPU architecture. But what AMD does offer is a significant improvement over its previous generation with a more efficient version of the Vega architecture, a ton of video memory (VRAM), and improved video encoding for content creators. In this review, however, we'll be measuring performance in eight graphically demanding PC games to see how it stacks against other cards. At $700 USD, the Radeon VII shares the same suggested retail price as the RTX 2080. And as you'll see from our tests below, while AMD's new card stays competitive, its raw performance doesn't quite justify the price point.
A closer look at the Radeon VII card and its sleek silver aluminum shroud with a triple-fan cooling system. See the card from all angles in the gallery below.
Radeon VII is the first consumer-level video card built with the 7nm manufacturing process, which allowed AMD to create the smallest GPU die yet. The shrunken die translates to better efficiency; higher clock speeds, more room for memory on the GPU, and better performance per watt. You can see this in the tech specs alone: Radeon VII sports base GPU clock of 1400MHz and boost clock of 1750MHz, while Vega 64 runs a base and boost clock of 1274MHz and 1546MHz, respectively. When it comes to VRAM, Radeon VII boasts 16GB of HBM2 since it's able to fit two additional stacks, resulting in memory bandwidth of 1TB/s as opposed to Vega 64's 8GB of HBM2 and 483 GB/s memory bandwidth.
A closer look at the GPU die in the new Radeon VII video card (right) compared to the RX Vega 64 (left).
When using RX Vega 64 as a comparison, Radeon VII looks a lot more efficient by offering better clock speeds and memory configuration with a smaller die. But its 300-watt TDP indicates that we're still working with a power-hungry card, especially considering the RTX 2080's 215-watt TDP (225-watt for Founders Edition).
Specs and Methodology
For the purposes of testing the new AMD Radeon VII card, we used a high-end test bench equipped with the following specs:
CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K CPU (6-core/12-thread, 3.7 GHz)
To paint a clearer picture of where the Radeon VII stands against other high-end options, we tested five video cards in total for this this review:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (Founders Edition)
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 (Founders Edition)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti (Founders Edition)
AMD Radeon VII (Reference Card)
AMD RX Vega 64 (Reference Card)
Note: At the time of testing, we used the latest GeForce driver version 418.81 for Nvidia cards and the pre-release Radeon Software version 18.50.15.02 for AMD cards.
The RTX 2080 was included since it's the most direct competitor (and in the same price tier as the Radeon VII), and we brought in the GTX 2080 Ti to see how wide the gap is between AMD's new top-end GPU and Nvidia's best consumer-level card. Also included is nvidia's previous generation powerhouse in the GTX 1080 Ti that still stands strong. And of course AMD's previous flagship card, RX Vega 64, was tested alongside Radeon VII to see just how much of a generational bump the new card has to offer.
For measuring performance, we chose eight games featuring comprehensive in-game benchmark tools that are representative of the more graphically demanding side of PC gaming. Since we're working with high-end video cards, resolutions of 4K and 1440p were tested while using the highest quality settings available in each game. The results can be seen below.
Benchmark Results
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Ubisoft knows how to make a beautiful open world using the latest advanced graphics options that push your hardware, evident with Assassin's Creed Odyssey. To get our results, we used the built-in benchmark test that does a fly-by of the expansive landscape of Ancient Greece. We also used the "Ultra High" graphics preset which includes maxed out character detail, volumetric clouds, environmental quality, temporal anti-aliasing (TAA), and so much more.
At 4K, the Radeon VII performs nearly identically to the RTX 2080 with both cards getting an average of 40 FPS and 41 FPS, respectively. However, AMD's new card trails behind at 1440p with the RTX 2080 managing a seven-frame (or 11.7%) advantage. This also means the Radeon VII performs on par with the GTX 1080 Ti at 1440p, though it does offer a slight bump in 4K. Compared to the RX Vega 64, the Radeon VII offers a 25% and 33.3% performance boost in 4K and 1440p, respectively.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is another visual showcase with robust graphics options and a built-in benchmark tool that takes you through vast, detailed environments. Using the "Highest" graphics preset, we have visual effects like volumetric lighting, HBAO+, tessellation, and great-looking shadows along with TAA to help clean up image quality.
The Radeon VII gets averages of 44 FPS in 4K and 81 FPS in 1440p; this comes close to matching the RTX 2080 in average FPS, as Nvidia's card leads by a handful of frames (6% in 4K and 7% in 1440p). This also means that the Radeon VII beats out the GTX 1080 Ti by just a hair, and outperforms Vega 64 by 25.7% in 4K and 26.6% in 1440p.
Forza Horizon 4
The Forza Horizon series has always had beautiful landscapes in open worlds for you to whip around and race your custom-tuned cars. Horizon 4 is the best example of that, and thankfully it comes with an in-game benchmark that takes you through a full race with crowds, weather effects, and scenic views.
The Radeon VII has some trouble keeping up in 4K as the RTX 2080 overtakes it by 15.7% and GTX 1080 Ti by 13.7%. The gap closes in 1440p since both aforementioned Nvidia cards only lead by 5% each. But between AMD generations, the Radeon VII zooms past the RX Vega 64 by 24.4% in 4K and 19.4% in 1440p.
Final Fantasy XV
Square Enix offers the Final Fantasy XV benchmark tool for free, so those who don't have the game can still see how well their system performs in one of the best-looking RPGs to date. The test itself is lengthy and takes you across Eos in the Regalia, through a few battles, and to a campsite where Ignis cooks up a tasty dish. However, the test itself doesn't give you FPS results or a performance breakdown and instead spits out a total score. A general rule of thumb for this test is to divide the score by 100 to get a rough estimate of the average FPS.
AMD cards don't do particularly well in Final Fantasy XV, evident in the fact that the Radeon VII lags behind the RTX 2080 by 42% at 4K and 45.6% at 1440p. It doesn't come all that close to the GTX 1080 Ti either. Radeon VII does offer a 16.2% and 18.6% bump over the Vega 64 at 4K and 1440p, respectively.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
2017's Middle-earth: Shadow of War offers a variety of graphics options that let you crank up things like ambient occlusion and tessellation; the game also comes with a good benchmark tool that showcases several effects and large crowds in a short camera fly-by. We used the Ultra quality preset and TAA for antialiasing.
Here, the Radeon VII edges out the GTX 1080 Ti ever-so-slightly by one FPS in both resolutions, but gets beaten by the RTX 2080 by 9.6% in 4K and 11.9% in 1440p. As for improvement over last generation, the Radeon VII offers a boost of 23.8% in 4K and 21.7% in 1440p.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a resource-heavy game with all its eye candy cranked up. It offers a ton of options like tessellation, high-quality ambient occlusion, cloth physics, contact hardening shadows and a whole lot more. The in-game benchmark sequence takes you through a marketplace in Golem City where character models, lighting, and shadows come into play, and it gave us our results here.
This is one game where the Radeon VII performs identically to the RTX 2080 in both 4K and 1440p, which means it gets a slight lead on the GTX 1080 Ti by just a few FPS. Compared to its predecessor, the Radeon VII shows a 30% and 23.2% improvement in 4K and 1440p, respectively.
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V doesn't have any presets in the graphics options, so we tinkered with the settings ourselves. We set everything to Very High, used PCSS soft shadows, applied 4x MSAA along with FXAA. Despite being an older game, GTA V can still push high-end systems when running 4K resolution. The in-game benchmark tool runs five different sequences, each with their own average FPS, so took the average of all those sequences for the final result.
At 4K, the Radeon VII almost keeps up with the RTX 2080 and GTX 1080 Ti, only trailing by a few FPS. However, the gap slightly widens at 1440p with the AMD card behind the 1080 Ti by 11.2% and 2080 by 9%. Radeon VII does make a significant jump of 48.5% at 4K and 38.1% at 1440p compared to last gen's Vega 64.
Metro: Last Light
While Metro: Last Light is the oldest game of the bunch, it can still stress powerful PCs when you throw supersampling into the mix at high resolutions. The game's benchmark tool takes you through a slow motion fly-by of the game's final fight sequence that has special effects and many character models all at once.
The Radeon VII trails both the RTX 2080 and GTX 1080 Ti by 14.7% at 4K but closes the gap slightly in 1440p just behind the 1080 Ti by 8.8% and the 2080 by 11.8%. When put against the Vega 64, the Radeon VII pulls ahead by 30.8% at 4K and 28.3% at 1440p.
Temperatures
Of all five cards in our review, the Radeon VII unfortunately takes the cake when it comes to load temperature. When accounting for Radeon VII's high TDP, it would be expected for it to run hot, but with a whopping peak load temperature of 104 C, it surpasses every other card by a longshot. Thankfully, this didn't result in any functional issues, but those who want to run a cool system should take note. Radeon VII's cooling solution may not the best for keeping temperatures down, but its fans stay fairly quiet.
Video Card
Idle Temp (Celsius)
Load Temp (Celsius)
Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti
31 C
78 C
Nvidia RTX 2080
30 C
75 C
Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti
36 C
85 C
AMD Radeon VII
34 C
104 C
AMD RX Vega 64
37 C
84 C
Load temperature measurements were obtained via CPUID HWMonitor when performing the Assassin's Creed Odyssey benchmark.
Verdict
The scope of our tests intended to cover how the card handles graphically demanding games relative to AMD's previous generation and the competition. It's fair to say that the Radeon VII isn't a slouch, as it puts up in-game performance numbers close to the RTX 2080.
Those who want to stay within the AMD ecosystem should be happy to know that the Radeon VII can handle games in 4K at high settings with playable framerates, which shows significant improvement over RX Vega 64. If you have your eyes set on 4K display or high refresh rate 1440p FreeSync monitor, Radeon VII is of course the best option from AMD. Also keep in mind that future AMD drivers may help with optimizations or improved performance, but that's something we have to see develop software matures.
However, the bummer is that at the Radeon VII costs $700, the same as the RTX 2080. So, it's tough to make a compelling case for Radeon VII given the performance metrics, efficiency, and price point of your other option. You can't help but wonder why one would choose to go with AMD's current offering when Nvidia is paving the way for new tech like real-time ray tracing and DLSS, both of which look like promising features as more games adopt them. In addition, support for Nvidia hardware using adaptive sync (or FreeSync) continues to grow, further sweetening the deal for those strictly looking for the best value in a GPU for PC gaming.
If anything, Radeon VII gives AMD an avenue to challenge Nvidia in the high-end graphics card space, and it's a necessary competitor, especially if AMD decides to be more flexible and offer aggressive pricing in the future.
There are few authors whose work has been as consistently and successfully adapted as Stephen King. The huge success of 2017's It proved that movies of King's work are as popular as ever, and the It sequel is due later this year. Ahead of that, we have a new version of his classic 1983 book Pet Sematary, and the latest trailer has now released.
While the first trailer was more interested in establishing a spooky mood, this one sets up the plot. We see the Creed family moving into a new house near some old woods and hearing stories about local kids who buried their dead pets in a makeshift cemetery (with a misspelt sign). A tragedy occurs and soon the family find themselves involved in some very dark supernatural events. Be warned--the trailer gives away some important plot developments. Check it out above.
Pet Sematary stars Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), John Lithgow (The Crown, Dexter), and Amy Seimetz (Alien: Covenant, Stranger Things). It's directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, who previously helmed the acclaimed 2014 indie horror Starry Eyes, and it hits theaters on April 5, 2019. The first adaptation of Pet Sematary was released in 1989.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Clarke spoke about what drew him to the project. "[It's] more than a horror movie," he said. "I was like, 'Where's the horror? I'm disturbed.' That was it for me, I found it insanely disturbing. [King] reaches inside you in some way, he always does. There is great intellect and great subconscious and subtext and thought and reason behind it."
It: Chapter Two, meanwhile, is set to arrive in September. The movie is set 30 years after the first film, and it follows the adult versions of the kids in the original. It's directed by Andy Muschietti once more, who marked the end of shooting last year with this behind-the-scenes image.
Assassin's Creed III: Remastered's release date has finally been announced, but so far it doesn't look like it's coming to Switch--despite those recent rumors. The game launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 29.
Alongside Assassin's Creed III is a remastered edition ofAssassin's Creed III: Liberation--once a PS Vita exclusive--and the Tyranny of King Washington DLC series. Together, the collection features 4K HDR upgrades on PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, and PC, as well as "higher resolution textures, a new graphics engine and several other graphical enhancements." The collection can be bought standalone, but it's also included for no extra cost in the Assassin's Creed Odyssey season pass.
Multiple retailer listings had suggested an Assassin's Creed collection was to launch for Nintendo Switch this month. Ubisoft's press release confirming Assassin's Creed III: Remastered's launch date for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, however, fails to mention a Switch version. GameSpot contacted Ubisoft for clarification on whether the remaster will come to Switch and was again told the publisher would not comment on rumors or speculation.
Assassin's Creed III was first released for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U in 2012. We awarded the game an 8.5/10 in our Assassin's Creed III review; critic Kevin VanOrd said it "expands the series' gameplay in enjoyable and sensible ways."
The legendary private eye John Shaft is back. The latest reboot of the classic '70s Blaxploitation classic features three generations of Shaft--original star Richard Roundtree and the 2000 remake's Samuel L Jackson are joined by newcomer Jessie Usher. The first trailer has now been released.
The trailer see Jackson's John Shaft meeting his son again after what seems to be a long time. Inevitably the pair soon find themselves involved in a dangerous, action-packed adventure, much to the disapproval of the youngest Shaft's mom, played by Regina Hall (Girls' Trip). Roundtree also appears, and he's just as badass as either of the younger Shafts; we'll ignore the fact that Roundtree is actually only six years older than Jackson, and plays his dad. Check the trailer out above.
Shaft is directed by Tim Story, who previously helmed Ride Along and its sequel, Barbershop, and the 2005's Fantastic Four movie. It also stars Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse) and Method Man (Luke Cage, Peppermind). It hits theaters on June 14.
The first Shaft was released in 1971 and was a huge box office success. It was followed by two sequels--Shaft's Big Score and Shaft in Africa--and helped create the popular wave of Blaxploitation movies over the next few years.
Jackson will next be seen as Nick Fury in the upcoming Captain Marvel. The latest MCU movie arrives in March and a new trailer was released this week.
The Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle movie continues to add to its cast. Singer Nick Jonas has confirmed that he's coming back to play Alex a second time in the sequel.
"Guess who's back... Let's go people!" Jonas wrote on Twitter, referencing his character's signature line from the first movie. "The Jumanji sequel is on the way and I couldn't be more excited to bring Alex back to the big screen," he said.
The character Alex is a pilot who's been stuck in Jumanji for 20 years. Jonas is best known for his music career with the Jonas Brothers and then his solo career, and he was a standout success in the 2017 Jumanji movie.
All of the other actors from the 2017 movie are coming back, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. The sequel is adding to its cast with a number of big names, including Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito, while original director Jake Kasdan is also back to direct.
Welcome to the Jungle was an enormous success, banking more than $962 million on its way to becoming the 43rd biggest movie in the history of film. The Jumanji franchise is based on the Chris Van Allsburg book, and it was first made into a movie in 1995 with Robin Williams in the lead role.
Plot details are under wraps for the Jumanji sequel, but The Rock teased that Kasdan gave a "dynamite pitch" for the plot. The film hits theatres in December 2019.
GameSpot and Ubisoft want Australian readers to join us during the private beta for Tom Clancy's Division 2 this weekend! It begins this Friday on February 8 at 8pm AEST.
Two main missions are playable, along with five side missions and additional activities in the open world. One of three new Dark Zones will show off The Division 2's brand of PvPvE action, while you can sample the more organized PvP gameplay in a Conflict game mode named Skirmish.
Additionally, one slice of endgame content is included in the beta: an Invaded mission will unlock on February 9 at 8pm AEST. The test period will cap players' progress at level 30.
To get access to the code, all you need to do is fill out the form below and follow one of our social media accounts! Along with your access rights, you will be able to invite up to 3 Uplay friends to the Beta.
IMPORTANT: This code will only be valid for the first 1000 people who redeem it. Once its allocation is exhausted it will cease to work.
For more info on The Division 2, including how the new Dark Zones work and how Ubisoft is planning on providing a surprising endgame, you can check out our features and articles on here on GameSpot.
Paramount has announced that it's halting preproduction on the sequel to the World War Z movie. The sequel was originally scheduled to go into production this year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film was put on hold over budgetary issues, and it's currently unknown whether the movie will resume development at some point or simply be canned completely. This isn't the first problem the second World War Z movie has faced. Originally directed by J.A. Bayona and scheduled for 2017, the movie lost its director in 2016 and it took a year to secure another one in David Fincher--who Brad Pitt really wanted. Shooting was continuously pushed and rescheduled throughout the following year, before finally settling on a planned production date in spring/early-summer 2019.
2013's World War Z is a movie adaption, starring Brad Pitt, of Max Brooks' 2006 novel of the same name. The novel is a collection of accounts from various people of different social, religious, and political backgrounds that survived a zombie apocalypse that occurred 17 years prior to the narrative's present day events. As opposed to a recollection of past events from multiple perspectives, the World War Z movie takes place during the zombie apocalypse from one perspective, and tells a more action-focused story about one man's efforts to find a means for humanity to survive the plague.
Despite the differences, the movie was mostly well-received. However, it too faced considerable production difficulties. The film went massively over-budget and was consistently behind schedule in terms of development, resulting in the release being delayed by several months. Nevertheless, the movie still managed to made $540 million worldwide, making it the most successful zombie movie of all time.
Lawmakers from Pennsylvania have put forth a bill that proposes a 10% excise tax on violent video games. House Bill 109 seeks to impose the so-called "sin tax" on games sold at retail that are rated by the ESRB as M for Mature or Adults-Only. The money would go into a fund called the "Digital Protection for School Safety Account" that aims to enhance security measures at schools in the wake of the school shootings in Parkland, Florida and Newtown, Connecticut.
State representative Chris Quinn, a republican, initially put forth the bill in 2018, but it never made it out of committee during the 2018 legislative session. The new version is similarly worded.
The 10 percent tax would be in addition to applicable state and local taxes. The sales tax rate in Pennsylvania is 6%, which means a standard $60 game costs around $64. With the extra 10 percent tax on violent games, the cost of an M-rated game like Red Dead Redemption 2 would make the game end up costing about $70.
Explaining the bill last year, Quinn said violent video games might be an element in the rise of school shootings in America. "One factor that may be contributing to the rise in, and intensity of, school violence is the material kids see, and act out, in video games," he said.
Quinn cited the National Center for Health Research's statement that studies demonstrate a link between violent video games and increases in aggressive thoughts and behaviors. Quinn's comments conveniently leave out the same statement's disclaimer that other factors like mental illness, access to weapons, and adverse environments should be considered as other risk factors. Not only that, but the National Center for Health Research's own reporting states that studies have not shown that aggression leads to increased instances of deadly violence or criminal activity.
Expectedly, the Entertainment Software Association, which lobbies on behalf of the video game industry, is taking a hard line against this bill. In a statement to Variety, the ESA the bill is a violation of the US Constitution.
"Numerous authorities--including scientists, medical professionals, government agencies, and the US Supreme Court--found that video games do not cause violence," it said. "We encourage Pennsylvania legislators to work with us to raise awareness about parental controls and the ESRB video game rating system, which are effective tools to ensure parents maintain control over the video games played in their home."
On the same day that The Academy officially confirmed there will be no single host for the Oscars this year, actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has come forward to say he was initially the Academy's first choice to host the awards show. Writing on Twitter, The Rock said he wanted to make this year's Oscars broadcast the "most fun and entertaining Oscars ever."
However, The Rock's busy filming schedule prevented him from being able to be the host. Specifically, he's away filming the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel. "Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road," The Rock said.
Ah mahalo dude, I was their first choice to host this year, and my goal was to make it the most fun and entertaining Oscars ever. We all tried hard, but couldn't make it work since I'm shooting Jumanji. Academy and I were super bummed but maybe one day down the road 🥃 https://t.co/eiiMuBNOzb
In December, The Academy announced comedian/actor and The Rock's Jumanji co-star Kevin Hart would host the 91st Oscars. However, there was controversy around some of his old tweets, and this eventually culminated in Hart stepping down.
Instead of a single host, the Oscars will feature numerous presenters, including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jennifer Lopez, Whoopi Goldberg, and Brie Larson, among others.
The Oscars air on ABC, and the network's entertainment boss, Karey Burke, said at a Television Critics Association event this week that the show will start with a "very exciting opener." As relayed by The Hollywood Reporter, she also confirmed that the goal is to keep the show to three hours, which is good news considering last year's event was almost as long as Gone With The Wind.
The 91st Oscars take place Sunday, February 24. Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody are among the Best Picture nominees; you can see all the categories and nominees here.
The Simpsons, which is already one of the longest-running TV shows in history, will continue to get new episodes for the foreseeable future. Fox has officially renewed the show for Seasons 31 and 32. This will take the show up to an unthinkable 713 episodes.
According to Deadline, Fox also signed deals with the cast members for Seasons 31 and 32, though terms were not disclosed. For its current 30th season, The Simpsons continues to be a ratings success. As of January 20, individual episodes were reaching an audience of 7.5 million viewers on average across all platforms. Fans might agree that the quality of the show has declined in recent years, but it's clear the show and wider franchise remains wildly popular.
The Simpsons' multi-decade run hasn't been without issues and controversy. Comedian Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary, The Problem With Apu, explores Apu as a character and focuses on him as a stereotype. Series creator Matt Groening responded to the controversy by saying "people love to pretend they're offended."
Outside of the TV series, The Simpsons Movie was released in 2007 and there is talk about another one. There are also Simpsons theme park attractions and a multitude of merchandise like Duff beer.
For a long time now, Take-Two has teased an upcoming game from one of 2K's "biggest and most beloved franchises," and it may soon be time that we find out what it is. As part of its earnings report, Take-Two reaffirmed that this unannounced game remains on track to release during the company's fiscal year 2020. More interestingly, Take-Two said 2K will have "more to share" on the game in the coming months.
During the call, an analyst asked about the game, and CEO Strauss Zelnick said the company expects the game to "stay on track" following its previous delay. He added that the company has "very high expectations" for the game, whatever it may be.
This unannounced game was previously scheduled to launch during fiscal year 2019, which runs April 2018 through March 2019. However, it was later delayed to fiscal year 2020, which covers April 2019 through March 2020, so that's when you can expect this new sequel from 2K.
Take-Two CFO Lainie Goldstein said the company has modelled some marketing spend for the new game during the current fiscal year, so that suggests the title may be announced before April 2019.
It's also possible that the delayed game is something else entirely, though it is expected to be a sequel given that Take-Two said it is an instalment in one of its "biggest franchises."
In other Take-Two news, the company recently opened a new 2K studio in Silicon Valley that's headed up by Michael Condrey, who worked on Dead Space and multiple Call of Duty games.
Epic's previously announced account merging system for Fortnite has gone live. Players who have multiple Fortnite accounts across platforms are now able to unify them--and all of their previously earned skins, V-Bucks, and other items--under one Epic Account.
The tool can be found on Epic's website, but the actual process of merging accounts is fairly complex. First, you'll need to designate one account as Primary and the other as Secondary; you can read how to do that here. One of the accounts must also have been used on PS4 and the other on Xbox One or Nintendo Switch before September 28, 2018.
After you've designated a Primary and Secondary account to merge together, your Secondary account will be disabled, and all of the cosmetics and V-Bucks it contained will be held for two weeks before finally being transferred over to your Primary account. You can read additional details about the process on Epic's website.
Epic first announced its plans to let Fortnite players merge their console accounts together last September, after Sony finally allowed the PS4 version of the game to support cross-play with other consoles. The tool was originally scheduled to launch back in November, but Epic ultimately delayed it to early 2019 due to "ongoing technical concerns."
"We want to make sure that this process is thoroughly tested and working properly before releasing it to those of you currently looking to transfer purchases from other accounts to your primary account," the company said at the time.
The account merging system arrives just as Season 7 of Battle Royale is winding down. Ahead of Season 8, players have begun to experience earthquakes in the game during matches, suggesting some big world-changing event will happen before the new season kicks off. In the meantime, you can peruse our complete Season 7 challenges guide for tips on how to finish any remaining challenges you may have.
With Season 7 of Fortnite winding down and a new season on the horizon, strange phenomena have once again begun occurring in the hit battle royale game. Epic Games typically heralds the arrival of each new season with some kind of world-changing event, so this isn't entirely surprising. This time, however, the developer is literally shaking things up, as players have begun to experience earthquakes while playing.
Following the release of game's 7.30 update, dataminers discovered audio files indicating some sort of earthquake event would occur in the game (via Fortnite Insider). It appears the tremors have started, as players on Twitter and Reddit are posting clips of the map spontaneously quaking in the middle of a match.
The aforementioned audio files were labeled as "small," "med," and "lrg," suggesting the tremors players are experiencing in the game will only continue to grow in strength as we approach Season 8. As for what they could mean for the new season, that remains anyone's guess at this point, although it'll likely result in some portion of the map being dramatically transformed.
Season 7 of Fortnite is set to end on February 28 according to Epic's website, which means you only have a little time left to complete any outstanding challenges and unlock this season's skins and other rewards. If you need help mopping up any remaining tasks, you can find tips and guides in our complete Season 7 challenges roundup.
In other Fortnite news, Epic recently rolled out the game's 7.30 content update, which introduced another new item to the game: Bottle Rockets. The developer also tweaked environmental campfires so they can be lit to restore health and kicked off another limited-time mode.
Microsoft has made Crackdown free on the Xbox Live marketplace, allowing you to download the game on Xbox 360 or Xbox One. With Crackdown 3 right around the corner, it's a good opportunity to see how the series originated.
In Microsoft's announcement of the deal, there was no word whether or not the game would be free forever or for a limited time. However, as the deal is to "celebrate the launch of Crackdown 3" it's probably best to act on this offer prior to Crackdown 3's release.
When we got the chance to check out Crackdown 3, we thought it's single-player was a little too much like the original game. Despite the 12 year difference in release dates, Crackdown 3's campaign looks and plays just like the first title in the series. However, Crackdown 3's multiplayer is fantastic, and made an incredible first impression that completely overshadowed the single-player gameplay.
Crackdown 3 is one of three major February PC releases that isn't releasing on Steam. A Microsoft first-party exclusive, Crackdown 3 is releasing on the company's store. Also this month, BioWare's multiplayer-focused shooter Anthem is launching on Origin, while 4A Games' post-apocalyptic RPG Metro Exodus is exclusive to the Epic Games Store. Of the three, Exodus has proven to be the most controversial, with Valve calling the game's move to Epic to be "unfair" for players, and Steam users review bombing both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light in response to the exclusivity.
The original Crackdown is available for Xbox 360, and can be played on Xbox One with X-Enhancement via backwards compatibility--along with a long list of other games. Crackdown 3 is scheduled to launch for Xbox One and PC on February 15.
In our Crackdown review, Jeff Gerstmann gave the game a 7.8/10, writing, "Crackdown feels unfinished. It feels like the developers sat down and crafted a wonderful-looking city and carefully considered how the gameplay and abilities should work, and then they didn't have enough time to plug in enough activities to take advantage of it all. While you'll certainly have a lot of fun playing Crackdown, it's hard not to get the distinct feeling that it was on the cusp of being so much more."
Crackdown 3 is finally actually arriving, but you can try out the Wrecking Zone multiplayer a little early by taking part in a technical test. It will begin on Thursday, February 7 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET.
According to the announcement, the test will be exclusive to Xbox Insiders. Players will try out the Agent Hunter game mode, which involves taking down rival agents and stealing their badges for points. The Blackout Zone map will be the one used for this test. If you're in the program you can begin installing at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Other playtests throughout the weekend will be announced through the Xbox Insider hub, as well as on Discord and on game's Facebook and Twitter.
If you're not an Xbox Insider, membership is free so you can join whenever you'd like. You just have to download the Xbox Insider Hub from the storefront on your Xbox One, and then go to the Insider Content section and download "Wrecking Zone: Technical Test." That will give you access to the test, and Microsoft encourages users to leave feedback.
The company says that the Wrecking Zone multiplayer uses its Azure Cloud service, which is part of why it's putting the mode through its paces this way. We came away impressed by Crackdown 3's multiplayer, finding it overshadowed even its single-player offering. If you're a subscriber to Game Pass, you'll have access to Crackdown 3 on its release day, February 15--along with a raft of other games this month. A new launch trailer (above) shows off some of what's in store.
With no pre-release marketing whatsoever (unless you count the leaks), EA and Respawn both announced and released a brand-new game earlier this week, Apex Legends. It's a battle royale game spin-off of sorts from the Titanfall series, and early impressions of it have been positive. Being free-to-play on PS4, Xbox One, and PC means that most anyone can jump in. But maybe battle royale isn't your thing. Or perhaps using the weapons from Titanfall has, like me, gotten you thinking about that series. Whatever the case, if you've gotten the urge to jump back into a proper Titanfall game, you can do so for awfully cheap right now on Xbox One.
As part of this week's Xbox Live sale, you can pick up Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition for just $4.50/£3.75. That's a steep discount of 85% off the regular price, and a mere pittance for such a terrific game. It'll be available for that price through February 11 with or without Xbox Live Gold (though you'll need it in order to play online multiplayer). This Ultimate Edition comes with some extra perks to give you a head start on progression and some cosmetics in multiplayer.
Titanfall 2 was released back in October 2016 and faced somewhat of an uphill battle to garner attention, due to stiff competition launching that fall. But it was nonetheless a genuinely excellent game, expanding on its predecessor in intelligent ways while still providing the fluid, fast-paced gameplay it was known for. There are few, if any, games that can deliver the same kind of thrills as Titanfall 2. It's not uncommon to parkour through the environment, leap into your titan, and take out an enemy all in one intense sequence, or to rip the pilot out of a titan using your own and then soar through the air as you eject, causing a massive explosion. It's great.
Titanfall 2 also features two notable elements absent from Apex Legends--the titular titans and the ability to wallrun--as well as a surprisingly enjoyable single-player campaign. While short, for just a few bucks, the story mode is worth the price of admission on its own.
This great deal is unfortunately only available on Xbox One, and not PS4 or PC. Bear in mind, Titanfall is 2 is available for free to EA Access subscribers on Xbox One and Origin Access subscribers on PC, so you do potentially have an avenue to play it for relatively cheap on those platforms. An equivalent PS4 service is not yet available, although comments made by EA this week may have teased that a PS4 version of EA Access is finally on the way. And although Respawn has said Titanfall 3 is not currently in the works, a new "premium" Titanfall game of some sort is on the way.
The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is now only two months away, and while we are yet to see a full trailer, a new batch of images has been released by HBO. Unsurprisingly, the photos don't give much away, but it does show all of the main characters and will get fans excited for the upcoming season.
There are 14 images in all, and if nothing else, it's a handy way to remind viewers exactly who is still alive as we go into Season 8. So there's Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), Arya Stark (Maisie Williams), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie), Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright), Samwell Tarly (John Bradley), Varys (Conleth Hill), and Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham). Check them out below:
Although the full trailer for the next season is yet to be released, a cryptic first teaser was released last month. It didn't contain any actual footage, but it did hint at the fates of members of the Stark family. We also know the final battle in the new season is the largest in the entire series, and most brutal as well. It premieres on HBO on April 14.
Although Game of Thrones is nearing the end, there is a prequel spin-off on the way. X-Men: First Class' Jane Goldman will serve as showrunner and has developed the story with George RR Martin, who wrote the original novels. This week it was revealed that the show will start filming early this summer.
While it's yet to receive an official title, Martin suggested last year that it would be called The Long Night. He subsequently walked that back, perhaps due to pressure from HBO that didn't want that name shared yet. In any event, it does provide some insight into what to expect. It is expected to premiere in 2020 or 2021.
Despite being members of the Justice League alongside one another, Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen aren't exactly the characters you'd expect to team up. It's not that they don't have a healthy working relationship--they've saved the world together more times than anyone could really count--but at the end of the day, they're just very different people. Anyone who's seen an episode of The Flash and watched one of the many, many Batman-centric films out there in the universe could tell you that.
But the truth of the matter is, the dynamic between Batman and The Flash over in their comic book incarnations is fraught with a lot more complexity than the boiled down versions we see on screen--and that's exactly what the four-issue mini series, The Price, by Joshua Williamson, Guillem March, and Rafa Sandoval, explores.
"When you think about characters in the League, characters like Bruce and Clark have this relationship that's explored, or Clark and Diana, or Bruce and Diana. Barry has this relationship with Hal Jordan that's well known--but we've never really explored the idea of Bruce and Barry who are like these two guys that are like nerdy science friends. They're detective bros, right?" Writer Josh Williamson explained in an interview with GameSpot. "For a really long time, Barry didn't have someone he could talk about [his forensic work] with. Barry is very much this like, nerdy awkward guy and Bruce is this suave cool guy but underneath that they have this connection. They have this understanding for each other as scientists and as detectives."
That connection is specifically important, since the case currently holding their attention is not only incredibly disturbing--it's deeply personal. In the Heroes In Crisis event series, a mass murderer targeted Sanctuary, a secret mental health facility for superheroes. One of the victims was, unfortunately, Wally West--Barry's protege and close friend of Dick Grayson, Batman's protege. As if the murder itself weren't horrifying enough, the Justice League still has no real idea who was responsible or why which, on top of being grieving friends and guardians, is arguably the worst position a pair of detectives could be in.
Worse yet? Wally's stay at Sanctuary was Bruce's idea. There's a certain amount of unspoken blame floating between the two heroes as Barry forces himself to reconcile Wally's death with Bruce's advice and Bruce is forced to stomach the guilt and responsibility for the part he played.
Yeah, it's messy--and people like Barry and Bruce tend to take messiness to a whole new level. They may be superheroes, but neither of them are well known for their healthy coping mechanisms.
So of course, the pressure of those circumstances--the grief, the frustration, the need to solve the mystery--is starting to weigh on both Barry and Bruce's shoulders. "There's this growing tension between them," Williamson said. "They're two people who are good friends, who understand each other, but they're both feeling so burnt out and worn down by all of this. [...] It's about not only about solving the case, it's about solving the friendship."
That level of interpersonal struggle is where The Price really sets itself apart. It departs, largely, from the formulaic superhero conflict that is ultimately resolved by punching, and digs into the emotional stakes at hand. Is there a place for grief and self-care in the realm of people who have to save the world daily? Can someone like The Flash ever take a break, sort himself out, and come back with fresh eyes? Is Batman ever allowed to stop and refocus?
Obviously, there are no clear right or wrong answers, making the story that much more engaging. Sure, there's a villain--there is an immediate concern. "Stopping [a villain] is obviously the chief concern," Williamson said, "but it becomes about what's after that. The question becomes, okay, if we stop [the villain], what do we do with them? Whose responsibility are they?"
Thankfully, the heaviness of the theme doesn't weigh the story down any more than it needs to--thanks, in part, to artists Sandoval and March alongside colorist Tomeu Morey, who help bring a cohesive energy and life to the forefront. The Price takes place in four issues, alternating between Batman #64 and #65 and The Flash #64 and #65 with March handling the former and Sandoval on the latter. "They make such great storytelling choices," Williamson explained, "by the end of the process, we were actually going through and striking lines of dialogue. The art just worked better to make the point."
The Price is a perfect story for anyone looking to dig a little deeper into the minds of their favorite heroes--whether they're fans of the live action Barry on CW's The Flash looking for more to read between episodes, or long-time fans of the DCU who have lapsed in their reading. It doesn't take much prerequisite work--pick up the trade paperbacks for The Button (conveniently available on Comixology Unlimited), Flash War, and catch up with the currently ongoing Heroes in Crisis event if you're looking to be a completionist; or hop right in with The Price part 1 in Batman #64.
Now that February is upon us, Sony has revealed last month's best-selling PS4 games on PSN in the US and Europe. January saw the release of two of this year's most anticipated titles, Capcom's Resident Evil 2 remake and Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts 3, and each one unsurprisingly charted highly on both sides of the pond.
Kingdom Hearts 3 was the most-downloaded PS4 game in the US in January, with Resident Evil 2 taking the runner-up spot. The survival horror game proved to be even more popular across the Atlantic; it was Europe's best-selling PSN game for January, while Kingdom Hearts debuted at No. 6.
The rest of the chart was made up largely of the usual suspects, including Rockstar's perennial hit Grand Theft Auto V, which continues to sell astoundingly well despite its age; the game was No. 2 and No. 3 in Europe and the US, respectively. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 took the No. 4 spot in the US, while PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which made its PS4 debut in December, was No. 5 in Europe and No. 6 in the US.
Sony also revealed PSN's best-selling PSVR titles of January. The VR rhythm game Beat Saber topped the chart on both sides of the Atlantic, but the remainder of the list was almost entirely different in each region. Job Simulator and PlayStation VR Worlds came in No. 2 and No. 3 in the US, while Astro Bot: Rescue Mission and Creed: Rise to Glory made up the rest of Europe's top three.
You can see PSN's top 10 best-selling PS4 games in the US and Europe for January 2019 below. The full list for each region can be found on the US and European PlayStation Blogs.
In early 2018, Fox announced a deal with WWE to get the TV rights to its Tuesday night programming, Smackdown Live. The agreement, which cost Fox a reported $1 billion for five years, will kick off this October, but one question WWE fans have had was, "Will Smackdown continue to air live?"
There is official confirmation now about the fate of Smackdown in late 2019. "It's live, and what's remarkable [is] these are people that know their audience," Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier explained during the Fox executive session at the Television Critics Association press tour. "They're great storytellers and I think it fits beautifully with what we're doing."
While Smackdown is coming to Fox, there is more WWE content planned for this new partnership, treating wrestling more as a sport than a weekly, episode TV series. "The Fox sports networks, FS1, and others, will have some other wrestling--not live Smackdown, not Raw, but other ties to the WWE world."
As to what programming Fox plans on delving into is a mystery at this point, but considering FS1's current content, it's reasonable to speculate that there will be recap shows as well as talking head series where we get an editorial experience about WWE programming, something the WWE Network has attempted to deliver.
Currently, Smackdown is airing on Tuesday evenings on USA, and the stories are all pointing to the biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania. WWE's premiere PPV will be coming to the WWE Network on Sunday, April 7, as well as through cable and satellite providers.
I adore Crash Team Racing; it was one of my favorite games growing up and it still is to this day. I remember every course, item, and shortcut from the original. And even after all these years, I can still compete against some of my best lap times. I firmly believe that CTR is the best kart racer of all time, and after playing a few hours of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, I can say with most certainty, that there's nothing to worry about about.
Nitro-Fueled's presentation is incredible. The three tracks I got to play--Crash Cove, Polar Pass, and Dingo Canyon--all looked great. There's so much new detail that developer Beenox has packed into the remake, not only on the tracks themselves, but particularly in the backgrounds. In Polar Pass, for example, I noticed bears climbing banners while a train chugged along just above the raceway. Details like this added new life to classic tracks, elevating their presentation past the original.
Each character has their own unique set of animations for jumping and celebrating, too. Some character exclamations and taunts have also been re-recorded, while entirely new ones have been added to the roster. Dr. Neo Cortex has never seemed more like a bumbling maniacal mad scientist than he appears and sounds here. Speaking of which, sound design has also experienced an upgrade; missiles whizzing past my ears to an exhilarating effect, and the potions I threw ahead at my competitors landed with a satisfying splash. And of course, hearing the re-recorded title theme music hit me with a wave of nostalgia.
As for replicating the overall feel, the CTR remaster seems to be honoring the original--for the most part. From the moment I picked up the controller, I was tapping the X button to charge my initial boost out of the gate, and immediately went into lining up the angle to get the perfect powerslide around the next corner. It certainly plays just like it used to: you start sliding, charge your turbo, and hit L1 to boost up to three times. The longer you let it charge, the longer your boost goes. However, the length of time that a boost lasts has been shortened, which is particularly noticeable on long, straight lanes without turns. On Crash Cove, for example, it used to be easy to keep your boost going in the final stretch using the turbo pads, but in Nitro-Fueled, this once useful strategy has been nerfed.
Coming out of your drift also felt a bit off as well as if the turning radius after boosting had been adjusted. I'm not entirely positive if it's a matter of how far or quickly you turn, but it led to a couple of cases where I accidentally boosted off the ledge or into a wall because my angle was off. I'd need to test this mechanic more before confirming it to be an actual issue. What I played was still an early build, so there's always room to fine-tune everything if my suspicions turn out true. Worst case scenario, it just means I need slightly adjust how I approach those turns.
Minor control issues and changes aside, what I played of Nitro-Fueled still exceeded my expectations. I can't wait to pick it up and feel the rush of competition again. The updated visuals and sound were more than enough to trigger a deep yearning in me to jump back in. If Nitro-Fueled meets the high quality met by both Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy, then this just might be one of my favorites this year. However, if Nitrous Oxide is still a dirty cheater after all these years, I'm going to lose it.
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