Destiny 2's latest reset has brought two big new quest lines: the allegiance quest, which has players choosing between the Drifter and the Vanguard to advance the story, and the quest to retrieve Thorn, an Exotic hand cannon of Destiny 1 legend. Here's how you can get started on obtaining Thorn for yourself.
There's a ton of story surrounding Thorn, as well as The Last Word, and the two men who wielded those guns. They're both related to the Drifter and his story, which is central to Joker's Wild, the latest content expansion with Destiny 2's Annual Pass. We know the quest is in the game, but up until now, the start of it wasn't especially clear. Our speculation right now is that finishing the allegiance quest line leads to the start of Thorn--but thanks to the smart (or quick) Redditor arcxschxll, you can find the start of the quest immediately. Hopefully it doesn't break the quest line.
Warning: Probable spoilers beyond, so read on (and start the quest) at your own risk.
To start the Thorn quest, you need to find the camp of Shin Malphur, the Man With The Golden Gun. He's the former owner of The Last Word, and if you completed that quest last season, you read some correspondence with him that illuminated his quest to stop former associates of the Drifter called the Shadows of Yor. During the allegiance quest, the Drifter notes that Shin is in the EDZ, and a datamined piece of lore describes a meeting between Shin and Aunor, a Vanguard Warlock who's also hunting the Shadows. The lore item says that Shin's confrontation with a few Shadows happens in the EDZ's Salt Mines area, and if you head there, you can find the location where it all went down.
The video above can show you how to get there. Spawn in at the Trostland location on the map and head north to the tunnel at the end of the area to reach the Salt Mines. Continue forward until you hit the elevator that was part of the early story mission here to reach the top of the mines and meet up with Hawthorne. There's a small teleporter beside the elevator that will take you to the top of the mountain, back outside.
Once there, continue up the path until you see a Fallen forcefield to your right. Look up at the cliff wall ahead to spot a small cave with a light inside. Climb up and through to find Shin's camp on the far side, complete with the dead body of a Guardian. Head to the camp fire and you'll be prompted to "Sift through the ashes."
That'll uncover "A Melted Hunk of Metal," a twisted piece of Thorn. Take it to Banshee-44 in the Tower to start the Thorn quest.
Keep in mind that we don't know if this breaks the end of the allegiance quest line, so cheat your way to Thorn at your own risk. And speaking of possible bugs with the allegiance quest, apparently if you try to pick up the start of the quest with your Pursuits inventory full, it might disappear. Bungie says it's investigating the issue, but be sure to check your inventory before you start it--and before you go track down the Melted Hunk of Metal.
Blizzard has outlined post-launch plans for World of Warcraft Classic, which includes regular content drops. New content will come to the MMORPG over the course of six phases.
"Our focus is still primarily on player power-progression, but we're also aiming to capture what it felt like to play in a realm community in original WoW," Blizzard community manager Randy Jordan wrote in a forum post. "To do that, we're planning to mirror the approach taken by original WoW, with patches paired together. We'll launch Classic with content from original WoW through patch 1.2.x, then the second update will include content that was in original WoW 1.3 and 1.4, the third Classic update will have 1.5 and 1.6 content, and so on."
Blizzard hasn't announced an exact launch date for phases two through six. Also, PvP content is currently not listed in any of the phases, as Blizzard is "still evaluating" all of the options for how PvP rewards might work. For now, phase one--which is the launch of WoW Classic alongside its Molten Core, Onyxia, and Maraudon updates--is scheduled for Summer 2019. The list of all six phases and what's included in each are outlined below.
World of Warcraft Classic Content Drop Schedule
Phase 1 (Classic Launch)
Molten Core
Onyxia
Maraudon
Phase 2
Dire Maul
Azuregos
Kazzak
Phase 3
Blackwing Lair
Darkmoon Faire
Darkmoon deck drops begin
Phase 4
Zul'Gurub
Green Dragons
Phase 5
Ahn'Qiraj War Effort begins
Ahn'Qiraj raids open when the war effort dictates
Dungeon loot reconfiguration: Tier 0.5 Dungeon gear, Relics, drop rates and location changes
Phase 6
Naxxramas
Scourge Invasion
WoW Classic allows you to experience the original World of Warcraft game as it was from the very beginning, with the added benefit of quality of life changes. "[We] don't want to ruin the experience," WoW Classic production director John Hight told GameSpot. "It has to be an authentic experience. But by the same token, people don't want some of the funky bugs that we had back then."
If you're an avid fan of WWE programming, then you know there is eight hours of week of wrestling to watch between Raw, Smackdown, 205 Live, NXT, and NXT UK. That's a lot of in-ring action. Sometimes, you don't have time to watch a full episode, and that's why we're summing up the biggest points from WWE's biggest shows.
The three-hour long Raw is filled with numerous superstars and storylines, and many of these stories are leading towards Wrestlemania, WWE's biggest PPV of the year. Here are the biggest moments from the March 11 episode of Raw, all of which will lead into the show of shows this April.
The Shield Is Done, Or Maybe Not
Dean Ambrose is supposedly not resigning with WWE, but with how much of a big deal commentators and Roman Reigns made about this, it feels like a work. Reigns made an announcement to kick off Raw that was essentially telling everyone that the Shield is going their own way now.
However, later on in the program, Reigns was attacked brutally by Drew McIntyre. Ambrose was livid and demanded a falls count anywhere match. Ambrose ended up losing, but it's apparent the Shield will reunite for Wrestlemania.
Paul Heyman and Shelton Benjamin
During Paul Heyman's segment with Seth Rollins, Shelton Benjamin came out and attacked Rollins, giving him multiple German suplexes. It seems as though Heyman could be the advocate for Benjamin after Brock Lesnar is gone, and frankly, it's a good fit if it happens. Benjamin even set Rollins up for what looked like was going to be an F-5.
Harlem Heat Heads To The Hall of Fame
It was revealed that the WCW tag team--frankly, the most prolific WCW tag team--Harlem Heat will be headed to this year's Hall of Fame. The team was made up of Booker T and Stevie Ray, and they won the tag team championships on multiple occasions. If only they were being inducted with Sensational Sherri, who was their valet for three years.
2019 Hall of Fame inductees, so far:
D-Generation X (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac)
Honky Tonk Man
Torrie Wilson
Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T)
Wrestlemania 35 Host
On Raw's show within a show, "A Moment of Bliss," Alexa Bliss announced the host of this year's Wrestlemania in a video package. It's none other than Alexa Bliss. It's great to see she's being given something to do while she takes time off from the ring.
Batista vs. Triple H
Batista showed up to Raw, with a bunch of security, and during a segment with Triple H, demanded a match at Wrestlemania against him. Triple H granted it, and Batista made it clear it would be his final match. The Wrestlemania bout will be No Holds Barred. Essentially, it's just an extreme rules match.
Kurt Angle Announces Retirement
Kurt Angle came to the ring and dropped a bombshell. He will have his final match at Wrestlemania. A short time later, Angle had his final match in Pittsburgh--his hometown--against Apollo Crews. At this point, it's unclear who it will be against at this point, a backstage WWE video had Angle throw out of few names, like John Cena and AJ Styles, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
However, on Tuesday morning, John Cena Intsagrammed a photo of a young Kurt Angle. The Olympic gold medalist was Cena's first match in the WWE, on an episode of Smackdown, and it's pretty fitting for Angle's last match to be against the man formerly known as "The Prototype." There's no reasoning behind me using Cena's OVW name. I actually kind of like it.
The latest twist in Destiny 2's Joker's Wild content expansion is a new Exotic quest to retrieve Thorn, one of the most-loved and most-hated guns of Destiny 1. What seems to be the opening portion of the quest finds players meeting with the enigmatic Drifter, the guy at the center of the story relating to Thorn, last season's Exotic quest for The Last Word, and all the stuff going on in Joker's Wild.
After the latest weekly reset, speaking with the Drifter will ask you to make a choice: side with him, or with the Vanguard, the military leadership of the Guardians. Once you've done that, the Drifter sends you to the Spider, the Tangled Shore crime lord players met in the Forsaken expansion, to purchase some illicit goods.
The Spider has more than just "The Jerky," the item you're after. His Black Market Goods list, which we've never seen before this, includes a bunch of nods to the past of Destiny 2 and Destiny 1. Among those wares is a callback to everyone's favorite Destiny 1 weapon: Gjallarhorn, a seriously powerful Exotic rocket launcher.
In the Spider's store, you'll have to recognize the Gjallarhorn by its icon, which will look familiar to longtime players. It's known as the Midnight Special to the Spider, and as the description notes, it's not actually an authentic version of the heavy weapon, but a non-functional replica. It's also impossible to purchase, like all of these items--but even if you could, the price of 20 Exotic engrams, the rarest drops in the game, wouldn't be worth it.
There are other goofy items in the Spider's offerings. They include an imprisoned Ghost (the Spider apparently likes to eat them); a "seedmind," which is apparently the start of a Warmind like Rasputin; maps with coordinates outside of the solar system; a key to the quarters of Executor Hideo, the Faction representative for New Monarchy in the Tower; and Hadium Flakes, an old Destiny 1 material. Just about all of the items also require you to pay in currencies that no longer exist in Destiny 2 or are impossible to come by.
So unfortunately, Gjallarhorn's return to Destiny is just a gag--but it's a pretty good one. With Bungie greatly expanding the story of Destiny 2 in its second year, and with the return of several guns from Destiny 1 including Thorn and The Last Word, though, it's probably a good idea not to rule out Gjallarhorn ever making it back into the game.
Apex Legends will be introducing its first battle pass soon, but we may have gotten an early look at one of its characters by mistake. A purported leak appears to show a new character named Octane, along with some other details about what's coming in the battle pass.
A user on Reddit and Twitter noted that the Origin landing page had changed to include a look at Octane. The update featured text describing the first battle pass:
"Survive the the [sic] arena, meet the Apex Games' latest Legend, Octane, wield new weapons, and score unique loot. The Season 01 Battle Pass is here, purchase it at the in-game store for 950 Apex Coins."
The update is no longer visible on the Origin homepage, but the background image showing Octane himself is still live on the Origin site. That lends credence to the leak, regardless of the typo in the initial text.
Respawn has been relatively quiet so far about exactly what to expect from its first battle pass, so if this leak holds up it's the most detail we've heard yet. A price of 950 coins would make a battle pass cost roughly $10, similar to Apex's chief competition, Fortnite. Respawn has said there will be new weapons, legends, and loot with each battle pass. The first is set to launch anytime, while the second is scheduled for June.
The studio just banned 355,000 cheaters on PC, and explained its plans for dealing with cheaters going forward. One feature we shouldn't expect, though, is the ability to reconnect to a match. Respawn feels that's too exploitable and the energy would be better spent elsewhere.
Rockstar has rolled out a new batch of content for Red Dead Redemption 2's online component, Red Dead Online. This week's update introduces a new assortment of clothing and accessories, but the biggest addition is a new Showdown mode: Spoils of War.
Rockstar describes Spoils of War as "a frontier take on capture-style multiplayer." The mode supports two to 16 players and has teams vying to steal loot from the opposing side while defending their own supply. The team that's able to pilfer the most loot by the end of the match will be declared the winner.
Spoils of War is playable on "a variety of locations," including Valentine and Fort Mercer. As an added incentive to try the new mode, Rockstar is rewarding players with eight Dynamite Arrows for winning one Spoils of War match. Additionally, the developer is doling out a 20% XP boost in all Showdown modes this week.
Alongside Spoils of War, Rockstar has introduced an assortment of rare clothing items to Red Dead Online. These articles can be purchased from the Wheeler, Rawson & Co Catalogue beginning today, March 12, but they'll only be available for a limited time. The new clothes include:
The Tasman Outfit (Male only)
The Danube Outfit (Female only)
Tied Pants
Hitched Skirt (Female only)
Winter Shotgun Coat
Gardenia Hat
Squat Stovepipe Top Hat
Last week's Red Dead Online update introduced the Fool's Gold Free Roam event, while future updates will bring additional Showdown modes called Up in Smoke and Plunder. Also on the way to the game are Target Races, which have players racing on horseback and shooting at targets, fishing challenges, and more.
The Season of the Drifter is here, which means the Power level has been raised once again, this time to 700. You'll need lots of Powerful gear to push up to the new Power level cap--luckily, each week brings a shuffling of content to Destiny 2, and this week that includes the new Exotic weapon quest to reclaim the Destiny 1 hand cannon, Thorn. The Ascendant Challenge, on the other hand, is not actually new; we're actually back to the fourth week of the cycle of challenges. But whether you've done it before or not, there's good reason to give it a shot, as Powerful gear awaits you as a reward. Here's where to go and what to do to complete the current Ascendant Challenge.
Before you try to tackle the Ascendant Challenge, the same requirements as always hold true; most notably, you need a Tincture of Queensfoil. This is a consumable item that you'll happen upon while playing in the Dreaming City, although you can also buy them. Using a Tincture gives you the Ascendance buff, which allows you to see a Taken portal. It's this portal you must go through to complete the Ascendant Challenge. Along with a Tincture, you have to grab the Ascendant Challenge bounty from Petra in the Dreaming City; it's through this that you actually get your Powerful gear.
For the current challenge, the portal is located in Rheasilvia. In the northeast corner, head inside a building and go straight as far as you can. Turn right, and then go left in the next area to reach Harbinger's Seclude. Go up a set of stairs and out the doorway on the right. Head straight through this area, through another doorway, and continue straight in the next zone. At the end of a bridge you'll see a statue covered in Taken Blight balls; look for hidden Ascendant platforms to appear in the big open area in front of the statue starting on the right side of the room that will take you to the top, or jump up the blights themselves to reach the portal on top of the statue's head. Check out the video above for a walkthrough. If you struggle to get up, take out your ghost and you'll see some invisible platforms just off the slide of the area that can help you get up.
Going through the portal transports you to the Keep of Honed Edges in the Ascendant Plane. Platform your way across a series of rocks and you'll find an area with three knights who are immune to damage. Kill all of the other enemies and the barrier protecting a sword will go away, allowing you to pick up the relic.
At this point, more enemies spawn in and one knight will begin attacking you. Kill the knight, and the other two will join the fray along with additional enemies. Take them all out, and you'll again have to platform across a series of rocks, now with enemies to make things more challenging. There is debris moving through the area, and at least certain things you step on will disappear after a short period of time, so make sure not to linger. Make your way toward a platform with a large blue object on it to complete the challenge.
As in previous weeks, the chest you receive at the end of the Ascendant Challenge isn't anything special. But the bounty you get from Petra offers Powerful gear for completing it; this can help to boost your Power level, so ensuring you have the bounty is essential.
Meanwhile, the quest for Thorn should keep players busy for a bit. It also represents another step forward in one of the biggest, most interesting running stories in all of Destiny lore--check out our lore catch-up guide for everything you need to know about the famous gun, its famous wielder, and what's going on with the Drifter as the Season of the Drifter continues.
It's been many months since there was any news about the impending purchase of Fox's entertainment assets by Disney, but it seems the deal is nearly done. It has been reported that it will be finalized on Wednesday, March 20.
The date was included in a press release from Disney that stated the studio had received the last piece of approval required from regulators. Fox shareholders have until Thursday this week to decide how much cash and Disney stock they wish to receive, and the acquisition will become effective on the 20th.
Most notably for film fans is the fact that the deal includes a variety of high-profile movie properties formally owned by Fox. Most notably, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four could finally become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while the likes of Avatar, Alien, and the Predator will also be controlled by Disney.
While Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger have both been reluctant to talk in detail about the future of these characters in the MCU, both have strongly hinted it will happen. In January Feige described the availability of the X-Men and Fantastic Four as "very exciting," while Iger previously confirmed that Fox's Marvel properties would all be under the control of Feige and Marvel Studios.
The Fox deal followed a tense bidding war between Disney and Comcast. Ultimately, Comcast did not match Disney's $71.3 billion bid and the deal was agreed by shareholders last July. The deal also includes FX, Nat Geo, Star India, and Fox's 30% stake in Hulu and 39% stake in Sky.
Apex Legends is off to a running start, but one often-requested feature isn't in the works. Respawn has confirmed that it isn't developing any ability to reconnect to a match after you've been disconnected, and explained its reasoning why.
In a post on Reddit, community manager Jay Frechette said the team isn't pursuing it for two key reasons. The first is that a reconnect feature is very easy for unscrupulous players to abuse, presumably by intentionally disconnecting to avoid a death and then reconnecting to the match right afterwards. The second reason is simply that implementing the feature would be resource-intensive, and Respawn feels that energy is better spent on stability improvements to avoid disconnects in the first place.
This came alongside an announcement that Respawn had banned 355,000 cheaters on PC. It said that for the time being it uses the pre-made Easy-Anti-Cheat toolset, but it's working on its own custom solutions to address cheating as well. It's keeping these cards close to its vest, however, as it doesn't want the cheaters to use any public information to help them circumvent the new measures.
Meanwhile, the studio has released a new weapon balance patch to make adjustments to Peacekeeper and Wingman, primarily. Another upcoming update will address concerns of unequal hitboxes. We're also expecting details on the battle pass sometime in the near future, which will add new cosmetic options and other additions to earn through play, for a fee. The first battle pass is set to launch sometime in March.
Microsoft announced a large round of indie games coming through its ID@Xbox. The 13 newly announced games will join others for a grand total of 30 indie games being shown at Microsoft's GDC booth.
The new additions on Xbox One include Beholder 2, CrossCode, Dead Static Drive, Door Kickers: Action Squad, Mowin' & Throwin', Starcrossed, and Totem Teller. Another handful were announced for both Xbox One and PC: Boomerang Fu, Hyperdot, Stela, The Forgotten City, UnderMine, and Unrailed. You can check out a full list of all 30 games being shown at GDC at the Xbox blog.
On top of its ongoing indie support through the ID@Xbox program, Microsoft has been shoring up studio acquisitions. It's also one of the few remaining big publishers planning a big showcase at E3. A host of rumors and reports have begun circulating, including word of a disc-less Xbox option and a reveal of its next-generation console.
The Game Developers Conference runs March 18 through March 22. It will include a keynote presentation from Google, which may debut its own entry into video games.
The first full trailer for Aladdin is here. The movie is one of three live-action adaptations of classic animated Disney movies due in 2019 and it's set to hit theaters in May. While a short teaser was screened during the Super Bowl in January, this is the first proper look we've had at the movie.
The new trailer lays out the plot, which will be familiar to anyone who has seen the 1992 original. A street boy named Aladdin (Mena Massoud) discovers a magical lamp, which conjures a singing, dancing, wise-cracking genie (Will Smith). The genie grants him three wishes, with which he sets about wooing Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and avoiding the evil Jafar (Marwan Kenzari). It's packed with action, romance, and classic Aladdin songs--check it out above.
The movie is directed by Sherlock Holmes's Guy Ritchie and releases on May 24. When the first trailer screened in January, the response to Smith's muscular all-blue genie definitely caused a mixed reaction. However, this new trailer suggests that it might be kept a minimum, with Smith appearing in many scenes in a more 'human' guise.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Smith talked about taking on the role of the Genie, which was famously played by Robin Williams in the classic 1992 animated movie. "Whenever you're doing things that are iconic, it's always terrifying," he said. "The question is always: Where was there meat left on the bone? Robin didn't leave a lot of meat on the bone with the character.
"[But] I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different. Just the flavor of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete."
Aladdin is just one of several classic fairy tale remakes that Disney has on the way. Tim Burton's reimagining of Dumbo hits theaters later this month, while a new version of The Lion King arrives in July. Beyond that, the remake of Mulan is scheduled for 2020, plus movies based on Cruella De Ville (101 Dalmations) and Tinker Bell (Peter Pan) are reportedly also in development.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 continues to evolve, and this week the game will change once again with the addition of some delicious free content. A new map variant, mode, and event are all on the way, as well as some changes to Battle Royale game mode Blackout.
First up, a Hurricane variant of the Contraband map is coming, along with a new multiplayer game mode named Stockpile--developer Treyarch says this is a reimagining of the Black Ops 3 mode Fracture in which players must defeat opponents and deliver their dog-tags to a deposit site. Black Ops 4's multiplayer portion is also getting a St. Patrick's Day event named Shamrock & Awe, though it remains to be seen what this entails.
Blackout will see its map updated for spring this week, while a Hardcore game mode is also on the way. This removes armor, vehicles, zombies, and players' HUD for a more punishing experience.
Finally, Zombies will also be updated with a new Gauntlet named Hellcatraz. The Zombies portion of Black Ops 4 will also boast host migration, which will hopefully reduce instances of games dropping out due to one player's poor connection.
Many of the changes will go live in the next few hours, though some are exclusive to PlayStation 4 for the time being; check out the graphic above for more details on platform availability.
Black Ops 4's Operation Grand Heist started just recently, adding a new Specialist and three weapons. Blackout gained a spooky Ghost Town area, while another Gauntlet came to Zombies.
Fortnite's latest update, version 8.10, is live now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. The patch adds a new vehicle named The Baller, overhauls Vending Machines, brings back The Getaway limited-time mode, and makes a few other tweaks, too. Read on for a full breakdown of what's new and get a look at the full patch notes.
The Baller is a hamster ball-like vehicle that comes equipped with a Boost and a Grappler for rapid mobility--Epic describes using these two abilities to "to pull yourself up cliffs or swing through the trees." While inside this single-seat ball, you're protected from damage, but the vehicle itself can see its 300 health depleted by enemy fire. Find The Baller at Expedition Outposts and around pirate camp loot stashes.
Vending Machines now work slightly differently since the 8.10 update; they no longer cost anything to activate, but they will self-destruct after one use. They are also rarer now, as common and uncommon Vending Machines have been removed from the game. Previously, Vending Machines required depositing a large amount of building materials in order to receive a corresponding reward.
Heavy Assault Rifles have also had their rarities adjusted: they can now be found in common, uncommon, and rare varieties--the epic and legendary editions are no more.
A new LTM named The Getaway is now live, which involves locating a jewel and then delivering it to a getaway vehicle before anyone else can. Four jewels and as many as four vans are on the map at a time. Notably, with most of Fortnite's vehicles having been vaulted at the start of Season 8, this mode brings back the All-Terrain Kart, or ATK, due to the fact that it's the only vehicle that can carry four people.
Also of note is a change to cross-play matchmaking, provided you opt in to it. PS4 and Xbox One players are now put together in one pool, while Nintendo Switch players have been moved from that group to one with players on mobile.
"We expect an on-average better per-game experience for both Mobile and Switch players," Epic explained. "Motivating factor is unlocking optimization potential allowing us to run more playlists during more hours of the day while supporting more data center locations. Please provide us with feedback on your experience!"
You can see all the details about this and the rest of the changes to Fortnite's Battle Royale portion at the bottom of this story; for the full patch notes of other modes, check out the Fortnite blog.
Fortnite's Season 8 started just recently, introducing new skins and other cosmetics. A subsequent update has also introduced buried treasure maps. The new vehicle doesn't exactly fit in with the current season's pirate theme, although Epic tends to release a wide variety of skins and items, regardless of the general theme.
This single seat vehicle is found at Expedition Outposts and around pirate camp loot stashes
Use the attached Grappler and Boost functionality to pull yourself up cliffs or swing through the trees
The driver is protected from damage, but The Baller is vulnerable to enemy weapon fire.
300 Health
Infantry Rifle
Removed Common rarity
Heavy Assault Rifle
Adjusted rarity from Rare/Epic/Legendary to Common/Uncommon/Rare
Base damage scaling for Common/Uncommon/Rare 36/38/40
Clingers
Reduced max stack size from 10 to 6.
Vending Machines
Removed the material cost.
Each Vending Machine will be destroyed after claiming an item.
Common and Uncommon Vending Machines have been removed.
Removed Mounted Turret from Legendary Vending Machine
Reduced availability of Treasure Maps from floor loot .53% to .27%.
Reduced availability of Treasure Maps from chest loot 3.25% to 1.65%.
Bug Fixes
Fixed rocket smoke trails disappearing instantly on explosion.
Fixed an issue where the popping audio for Balloons would continue to play after using Balloons to get to max build height while using a vehicle.
Fixed an issue where Buried Treasure would not auto pickup when the Auto Pickup Weapons setting was enabled.
Fixed an issue where Buried Treasure chests could be placed on the Starting Island.
Fixed an issue where using an Impulse Grenade or a Shockwave Grenade while jumping on a Hoverboard causes the player to rapidly rotate.
Gameplay
Battle Royale Crossplay Matchmaking
Combined Xbox One and PS4 pools.
This requires you to opt-in to cross-play.
Players opt-ing out are restricted to Creative Mode and Playgrounds.
Combined Mobile and Switch pools.
Before, Switch players were combined with Xbox One and PS4 cross-play parties.
We expect an on-average better per-game experience for both Mobile and Switch players.
Motivating factor is unlocking optimization potential allowing us to run more playlists during more hours of the day while supporting more data center locations. Please provide us with feedback on your experience!
Reduced infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 11 hours in the front end
Just kidding, Increased Infinite dab duration from 12 hours to 13 hours in the front end
Elimination credit is now awarded to last damager in cases of logging out, self-elimination, and eliminations due to Storm damage. Current threshold timer is 15 seconds.
Added visual effects for the siphon on elimination.
Players can now build as soon as they impact anything after being launched by a Pirate Cannon
Players can dance while holding a balloon
Added Pirate Cannon's audio visualizer HUD icon to be a cannon.
Players automatically enter the driver seat when entering an empty vehicle.
Added custom consume animations for the following items:
Bandages
Medkit
Small Shield Potion
Shield Potion
Slurp Juice
Chug Jug
Bug Fixes
Fixed Pirate Cannon collision that would block bullets for a passenger inside of the cannon
Fixed Pirate Cannon not being able to shoot when moving backwards
Fixed an issue where a player may lose functionality when shooting themselves out of a Pirate Cannon.
Fixed Pirate Cannon player impact explosion effects sometimes being delayed
Fixed an issue where Pirate Cannons flipped onto their side, sliding across the ground for too long
Fixed Pirate Cannons dealing damage to itself if fired in close quarters
Fixed an issue where players wouldn't break through structures when fired from Pirate Cannons at close range
Traps are no longer triggered by vehicles that are empty or carrying only friendly players.
Fixed an issue in extreme camera flicking situations that would cause an incorrect first shot when firing weapons.
Fixed an issue with the Conga emote not respecting environmental surfaces like Lava
Fixed an issue where a player may briefly stop their skydiving animation unexpectedly
Fixed an issue allowing emote-cancelling during door open/close animations.
Fixed players holding Buried Treasure map upside down
Fixed an issue where pressing Build and Edit buttons in quick succession would enter edit mode on the blueprint piece instead of build the structure.
Driftboards no longer explode when exiting one near a Mounted Turret.
Fixed PS4 players being unable to adjust mouse sensitivity.
LTM: The Getaway
Summary
Welcome to The Getaway! In this mode, players will race to find a Jewel and take it to a getaway van before everyone else to win the match!
Mode Details
Jewels can be found in special supply drop safes, located along the edge of the first storm circle. The safes take a long time to open, so make sure the area is clear before attempting to claim a Jewel!
Four Jewels will be in play on the map at all times. If a player escapes with a Jewel or one is lost in the Storm, a new Supply Drop will bring a replacement.
Four total getaway vans will be on the map, three that arrive early in the match and one more that shows up near the end.
The goal is to find or steal a Jewel and take it to one of the vans in order to secure a Victory Royale.
Once they arrive, Safe drops and getaway vans will be visible on the map at all times.
When a Jewel is picked up, it will be visible on the map to everyone for 30 seconds.
Carrying a Jewel will give players health & shields over time, but also slow them down by 10%.
Getaway vans float in mid-air, Jewel carriers must build up and then interact with them in order to complete a Getaway.
10 red "Pursuit" supply drops land at the very beginning of the match. These carry a variety of longer-range weapons and other items, and are the only way to obtain the new Grappler in this mode.
Only Rare weapons or better will be found in this mode.
Rifts, Rift-to-Go and Launchpads have been removed to reduce mobility for healthier Getaway Van engagements.
Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode, but Umbrellas are not awarded for wins
The ATK has been temporarily brought back in this mode as it is the only 4 person ground vehicle.
Events
Tournament Update: Gauntlet Solo Test Event & Gauntlet Duo Test Event
Added another extended session, which will run 24 hours a day and concludes on March 19 at 12 AM ET.
Matchmaking:
Matchmaking will no longer wait to create a match with closest scoring players available after 8 minutes, and will now require enough players with similar scores to start.
Adjusted matchmaking point expansion to increase likelihood for high scoring players to be matched against other high scoring players.
Note: Due to the playlist featuring matchmaking based on your score, the quality or availability of matches may differ at certain times of day.
Updated Scoring:
Solo
+2 Points will now be awarded after reaching 15th Place (previously 10th Place).
Duo
Increased Bus Fare from -2 Points to -3 Points.
This is a temporary solution for the Duo event granting too many points to players due to eliminations, causing an inflation of points over the course of the event.
+2 Points will now be awarded after reaching 7th Place (previously 5th Place).
New Tournament: Scallywag Duos Cup (March 16th & 17th) [$100,000 in Cash Prizes!]
As a test of our prize payment systems leading into the Fortnite World Cup, we'll be holding a $100,000 Duos tournament on March 16th and 17th. The prize pool will be distributed across all server regions, with official rules and details released later this week.
Participation in this event requires players to be in the Top 3% (global) of either the Solo or Duo Gauntlet Test Event as of 12 AM ET on March 16th.
Format:
Round One: All Eligible Players
Round Two: Top 3000 Players from Round One
Performance
Fixed some instances of packet loss that could occur with certain ISPs that are prone to re-ordering UDP network packets.
Find more context in the Reddit Post we made last week.
Improved file I/O performance for Xbox One. This reduces the occurrence of late streaming meshes.
Fixed a regression in hitches on Switch due to GPU timing
Improved performance on Switch by reducing the likelihood of particles triggering when the day changes phases
Optimized the Ship Cannon
Optimized UI elements for large team modes
Improved performance for the Quick Bar
Fixed hitches that occur on the Match Stats screen due to synchronously loading assets
Audio
Added new audio for Balloons while in-air.
Reduced volume of small prop destruction sounds (chairs, beds, fences, etc).
Removed reverb from pickaxe swings.
Removed outdoor ambient sounds when gliding.
Bug Fixes
The Glider deploy sound no longer plays twice when using Glider Redeploy.
Fixed Glider land/open sounds ducking the Victory Royale music.
Improved music volume when previewing Gliders with music while in the lobby.
Pirate Cannon movement sound no longer stops after sprinting for over 10 seconds.
Fixed looping Balloon pop sound after going through a Rift.
UI
Key Bindings - The keyboard bindings are now categorized to make finding actions you want to rebind a lot easier.
Marker System:
Added hover details for in-world markers, actions a player may take on a marker will appear in these details. Marker details will appear when the reticule is placed over the marker.
You can now mark vehicles and found consumables such as apples.
Reworked display of Item markers to increase readability across all platforms.
Items will display as a large icon for a short time when first marked, and will reduce in size when a player aims near their location.
Markers are now sorted by distance.
Reduced screen size of squad waypoint markers to reduce view obstruction.
Minimap markers updated to match in-world markers.
On keyboards there is now a keybind option to specify a dedicated key for placing a danger marker.
Double-Clicking the ping button to place a danger marker, is no longer blocked by items on the ground.
You can now ping while riding in a vehicle reliably.
You can now Mark While Bush.
Please continue to let us know what improvements you would like to see for the marker system!
Squad nameplates and team arrows now become more transparent when aiming down sights.
Restored the ability to view all of your current Challenges while in a match.
Wrap things up in a hurry! You can now apply a wrap to all slots by choosing "Apply To All" when picking a wrap in the Locker.
Enabled camera control on some reward types when viewing Challenges
Challenge Info panel in the lobby now defaults to Party Assist while you are in a Party.
Bug Fixes
The Luxe bundle is now displayed in the Challenge Screen along with the Blackheart and Hybrid bundles.
Wraps are now previewed on the highest resolution version of the vehicle or weapon in the lobby.
Fixed an issue on consoles where you couldn't select "Party Assist" for the last challenge in a bundle.
Fixed an issue where the next Stage of a Challenge was not automatically set to "Party Assist".
Fixed an issue where the animation and sound effects would play twice when selecting Challenges on a controller.
Fixed an issue where scrolling with the mouse in the Challenge Screen would sometimes jump around unexpectedly.
Replay
Added bus paths to the minimap.
Mobile
Introduced an Auto Fire tuning feature to allow adjustments per weapon. This was done previously for other weapons, but we've now added this for pistols.
Added occlusion to footsteps on Android.
Improve the quality of some sound effects on Mobile/Switch.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue with the shoot button getting stuck in a continuous fire loop or being unable to fire without being able to reset.
Fixed an issue that caused touch players to need a more specific crosshair location to interact with the Use button.
Fixed turbo build not starting when going from edit to build mode with the input held.
Fixed Left Trigger action getting stuck when using a Bluetooth controller
Fixed weapon stats on the inventory panel for mobile
Fixed autorun not fully sprinting if "Sprint by Default for Controller" is set to 'OFF' on mobile
Fixed build mode being exited if a build piece is selected before releasing the build/combat mode button
Fixed dragging an item off the hotbar triggering use actions on mobile.
Fixed Throwable items' trajectory line persisting when a player is driving different vehicles on Mobile
The new Microsoft game development studio, The Initiative, has released a hype video that begins to explain what the company is all about. Based in Santa Monica, the studio aims to bring in talent from other nearby industries like TV, film, and music, according to studio head Darrell Gallagher, who himself is a veteran of Square Enix and Activision.
As you'll see in the video, The Initiative really is a new studio that only just recently moved into an office. People often talk about joining a company at the ground floor, and it appears that's where The Initiative's at right now. The video also clarifies some of the positions its employees hold. God of War veteran Brian Westergaard is the director of production, Drew Murray (Sunset Overdrive, Resistance 3) is a lead designer, William Archbell (343 Industries) is the technical director, and Blake Fischer (Xbox) is director of world and narrative. Daniel Neuburger, who worked on Rise of the Tomb Raider, is The Initiative's game director. He says in the video that The Initiative plans to stay "small," but it remains to be seen what that means in practice. Others developers in the video talk about how The Initiative plans to "push boundaries," "challenge convention," and take risks as they make something "spectacular and unique."
The Initiative's website shows the company has more than a dozen open positions across a number of disciplines including art, designer, engineering, production, and operations.
The Initiative was announced at E3 2018 as part of Microsoft's wider announcement of new studios and acquisitions. The company, which is based in Santa Monica, says its ambition is "about craft, creating story, innovating, and looking ahead to the next big thing." While the company is owned by Microsoft, it claims to operate independently.
The Initiative is just one of seven studios that Microsoft either set up or acquired in the past year. At E3, Microsoft announced that it acquired Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Compulsion Games (We Happy Few), Ninja Theory (Hellblade), and Undead Labs (State of Decay). At Microsoft's X018 event in Mexico City, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Obsidian Entertainment (Fallout: New Vegas) and inXile Entertainment (Wasteland 3).
Out of nowhere, Netflix has announced a number of new anime series--and one of them is a show based on Capcom's Dragon's Dogma franchise. Here is the official synopsis for the Dragon's Dogma anime series, which is being produced by animation studio Sublimation:
"Based on a world-famous action RPG set in an open world, Dragon's Dogma from Capcom will be brought to life as a Netflix original anime series. The story follows a man's journey seeking revenge on a dragon who stole his heart. On his way, the man is brought back to life as an 'Arisen.' An action adventure about a man challenged by demons who represent the seven deadly sins of humans."
Sublimation representative director Atsushi Koishikawa said in a statement that the studio has for a long time dreamed about working on its own project, and now it's finally happening.
"We have oftentimes worked with partner studios to create partial CGI portions within a given title, so we feel very fortunate to work with Netflix through this production line deal," Koishikawa said. "We're excited to bring our unique cel shaded animation that carries hand-drawn textures to anime fans around the world."
One of the other anime series announced by Netflix is one based on the network's sci-fi series, Altered Carbon, called Altered Carbon: Resleeved. The other new one is Spriggan, which is based on the manga series. These shows join the previously announced new Netflix anime series including Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 and Vampire in the Garden.
"Netflix aims to be the most compelling and attractive home for anime fans, creators, and production studios," Netflix's director of content for Japan, John Derderian, said in a statement. "We are creating an environment where production houses can do their best work, and deliver their shows on a service where we connect anime fans from over 190 countries to content they love."
Apple has set a date for its next big reveal event, and this one might be a bit different.
The company has sent out invitations for a March 25 event in San Francisco with the intriguing tagline, "It's show time." An accompanying graphic shows the "4... 3... 2..." countdown that is traditionally shown before the start of films and TV shows.
Apple is rumoured to be launching a video streaming service to potentially rival Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others. As GameSpot sister site CNET points out, Apple has in recent months inked content deals for new projects from M. Night Shyamalan, Steven Spielberg, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah.
We'll report back with all the big news from Apple's March 25 event as it unfolds. One of the next big new streaming services in the works is Disney+, which is slated to arrive last this year.
GameSpot's parent company, CBS, recently launched its own streaming service in CBS All-Access. The next original show for CBS All-Access is the new Twilight Zone, which comes to the service on April 1.
Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for the Tale of a Timeless Tome DLC for Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom. The DLC is scheduled to release on March 19, and the new trailer details what the expansion will add to the game. The trailer can be watched below.
Tale of a Timeless Tome adds a new character to Ni no Kuni II: a mysterious rabbit who's wearing a suit. According to the trailer, protagonist Evan and his allies encounter this new character in "a curious place where people's memories mix and mingle." The trailer gives off a fantastical Alice in Wonderland vibe, before taking a darker turn and introducing The Nightmares, which are the enemies threatening to destroy this charming world.
To fight this threat, Evan gains access to several new magical abilities that he learns through The Wizard's Companion. The trailer also showcases him relying on Pikman-like creatures in combat, a new method of fighting called spritecraft that Evan learns through Martha's Methods. The Nightmares aren't the only new threat Evan encounters either, as the trailer also showcases an arena called Solosseum Slog where the young king and his allies must battle through waves of challenging enemies.
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is available for PS4 and PC, and Tale of a Timeless Tome is coming to both systems. Tale of a Timeless Tome is the second and final piece of content included in the Season Pass for Ni no Kuni II. The first piece of content, titled The Lair of the Lost Lord, came out in December 2018. Like Tale of a Timeless Tome, The Lair of the Lost Lord introduced a brand-new world into Ni no Kuni II, and also continued the game's story, added more items, and implemented additional combat mechanics.
In our Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom review, Peter Brown gave the game an 8/10, writing, "Ni No Kuni 2 is a robust game that offers ample ways to spend your time, and even if they aren't all up to the same level of quality, it's easy to appreciate how they collectively contribute to the bigger picture. It's chock full of excellent battles and surprising moments that make for a far more memorable experience than you initially expect and leaves you impressed by your own accomplishments. If you didn't play the first game, don't let this one pass you by too."
Avengers directors Joe and Anthony Russo have announced the first details on their first non-MCU film. According to Variety, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is in discussions to have a starring role in the new Russo brothers movie, Cherry.
The brothers are directing the movie, with Jessica Goldberg (Hulu's The Path) serving as the writer.
The movie is based on the 2018 book "Cherry" by Nico Walker; it tells the story of a former Army medic who comes home addicted to opiates and starts robbing banks to help pay for his habit. The book is based on Walker's real life but it contains many fictional elements. In real life, Walker was captured after executing multiple heists, and is currently serving 11 years in federal prison; he's scheduled to get out in November 2020. Walker wrote the book on a typewriter in prison. Holland is presumably being eyed to play him.
Holland will be seen next as Spider-Man in April's Avengers: Endgame. He's also coming back to play Spider-Man again in this year's Spider-Man: Far From Home. Outside of superhero films, Holland will play a young Nathan Drake in the Uncharted movie.
As for Avengers: Endgame, the Russo brothers recently finished editing the film, which is one of the final stages of production. The movie hits theatres on April 26.
Bethesda has announced the first piece of its three-part 2019 roadmap for Fallout 76 is delayed. Don't worry, though, it's only been delayed by a day.
"We are moving the release of Wild Appalachia back one day on all platforms," Bethesda tweeted. "We just need a little more time to brew. Experience the new quest, crafting station & much more starting now on March 13." Wild Appalachia was first announced on Fallout 76's 100 day anniversary, alongside the game's two other major follow-up expansions for 2019, Nuclear Winter and Wastelanders.
Wild Appalachia includes two new quests and a game mode, as well as several features. The two quests, titled Shear Terror and Ever Upwards, offer new stories for you to pursue, with the former focusing on mythical monsters and the latter having you join the Pioneer Scouts and earning merit badges. The new game mode, called Survival, is a PvP variation of Fallout 76's Adventure mode. Of all the new features, brewing and distilling your own Nukashine recipes is the most notable, but the expansion also includes a means for exchanging unwanted legendary gear for new legendaries and setting up your own store for you to sell items to other players.
Fallout 76's two other 2019 expansions are scheduled for much later in the year, with Nuclear Winter launching in the summer and Wastelanders in the fall. Nuclear Winter unlocks a new Legendary status and abilities for players who are level 50, and opens up Vaults 94 and 96 as challenging Raids for you to tackle with your friends. Wastelanders introduces "a tale with true choice and consequences" that includes a new main quest, factions, events, and features.
In our Fallout 76 review, Edmond Tran wrote, "Bethesda has stated it intends to continue supporting the game for a long time, but at launch, Fallout 76 is a poor experience. There are echoes of the series' admirable qualities, but look past that facade, past the cute Vault Boy animations, past the familiar radio tracks, and you'll find no heart--just an inconsequential wasteland doomed to be nuked over and over again."
Nintendo is holding a new Splatfest event in Splatoon 2 this weekend. The 24-hour competition kicks off on Friday, March 15 at 9 PM PT (12 AM ET on March 16), and as usual, it asks players to represent one of two opposing teams in Turf War. This time, however, you'll be able to face off in special outfits.
The theme for this month's Splatfest is knights vs. wizards. As always, players will choose one of the two sides from the Splatfest terminal in the game's main plaza and try to rack up as many wins for their team as possible during the event. However, unlike previous events, you'll be able to dress like your team of choice if you have the appropriate gear.
During each Splatfest, once you've chosen a side you'll receive a special in-game t-shirt representing your team. You're able to equip any headgear or footwear you own during the event, but you typically cannot change your t-shirt until the Splatfest has concluded.
This time, however, if you wear headgear and boots from the Steel or Enchanted lines--which are unlocked via the Octoling Boy and Octoling Girl Amiibo figures, respectively--your Splatfest shirt will automatically change to match, letting you battle it out in full knight or wizard regalia.
Ahead of the Splatfest, Nintendo recently rolled out Splatoon 2's 4.5.0 update. This patch primarily makes balance adjustments to a range of weapons, most notably nerfing several Sloshers and buffing a handful of Blasters. You can read the full patch notes for the 4.5.0 update on Nintendo's support website.
A former Activision creative higher-up pitched the company on a new IP, but the Call of Duty publisher didn't go for it. Glen Schofield, the Dead Space co-creator who later established Call of Duty: WWII studio Sledgehammer Games, spoke about this in a new interview for what appears to be the first time.
"Did a little prototype for them--they didn't go for it, but they should have," Schofield told Game Informer.
Schofield pitched this new game--which he didn't share any more details on--after he left Sledgehammer to take a position at Activision HQ. Sledgehammer's other founder, Michael Condrey, moved to Activision corporate as well. Schofield teased that Condrey was working on "something" for Activision, while he was spending his own time working on "new game ideas."
Schofield didn't say why Activision vetoed his new game idea, and we've reached out to the company for comment but haven't heard back. Whatever the case, Schofield talked about how making new IP is a challenging task. Activision Publishing, which is a part of Activision Blizzard, publishes franchises like Call of Duty, Spyro, and Crash. One of its highest profile new IPs was Bungie's Destiny, which it published until the companies broke up but never owned outright as Bungie always held the IP rights.
With new IP, companies basically start from the bottom, with the the likelihood of strong return-on-investment potential seemingly not as high as it would be for an established series.
"It's hard to get a great new IP going, and you've got to put time and money and effort into these things," Schofield said. "We put time and effort into it, and some money, and it just didn't work out."
Schofield announced in December 2018 that he was leaving Activision. He left the company with no new job lined up, and that's something he never thought he'd do. But with Activision not greenlighting his new IP, he said it was the right time to try something new.
"Not seeing the project greenlit--it was time [to leave Activision]," Schofield said. "There's nothing bitter; everything about my years there were really good. I really enjoyed them. I never thought that [I'd] leave a place without a gig, right? I never thought about that. But nowadays I see why."
Schofield is now taking meetings for new jobs, and he said he plans to do more networking at the Game Developers Conference later this month in San Francisco. As for Condrey, he landed a high-profile job heading up a new 2K development studio in Silicon Valley.
Control, an upcoming game by developer Remedy, is scheduled to come out this year, more specifically this summer. The tease was included in an interview for the cover story in the most recent issue of Game Informer magazine, with the rest of the article detailing the abilities that Control's protagonist has at her disposal.
In Control, you play as Jesse Faden, a woman with supernatural abilities. At the game's start, Jesse breaks into the Federal Bureau of Control--a fictional government agency that researches ways to explain and exploit paranormal phenomenon--in order to discover the truth about the origin of her powers. Her infiltration, however, runs into a snag, and she's suddenly thrust into a fight to protect the Bureau as its new director.
Gameplay wise, it looks as if you'll have plenty of tools at your disposal in Control. Jesse's powerful supernatural abilities allow her to wield telekinesis to rip apart the environment, or lift herself up and fly through the air. She can also seize the minds of others, bending them to her will and forcing them to fight alongside her. Defensively, Jesse can use her powers to create a forcefield in front of her or instantly propel herself in any direction to dodge out of the way. When powers aren't enough, Jesse also has access to a powerful firearm that can be upgraded in a variety of ways, giving it new forms that allow it to fire different types of bullets.
Whether you're already deep into Devil May Cry 5, which just released on March 8, or haven't had a chance to pick up the latest game, you may find this news exciting: Devil May Cry: The Animated Series is currently available for free from the PlayStation Store.
If you're thinking, I didn't even know Devil May Cry had an anime, here's a quick catch-up: The DMC anime released in Japan in 2007 and consists of 12 episodes. Set between the events of Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2, the anime follows devil hunter Dante, who's running his business and taking odd jobs while struggling with crippling debt. The show also introduces two regular characters: J.D. Morrison, Dante's agent who brings him job requests, and Patty Lowell, an orphan girl Dante rescues who becomes like a daughter to him. Morrison makes his first appearance in the video game series with Devil May Cry 5, so you'll have to watch the anime to understand his full backstory with Dante.
How to watch Devil May Cry: The Animated Series on PSN
The DMC anime is available to purchase and watch for free in the PlayStation store right now, but you can only access it through your PS4, rather than the web store. The deal also appears to be limited to the North American store (although some people on Reddit have commented that it's not free for them in Canada).
To access the series, head to the PlayStation Store on your PS4 and search "Devil May Cry." The anime should pop up alongside the games. If you're not seeing it there, try searching under Movies and TV -> TV Genres -> Anime, and then sort A to Z to find Devil May Cry. Normally, the series is $25 to purchase, and it's unclear how long it'll be listed as free, so don't wait long if you're interested in watching.
Agent Coulson is a bit of an anomaly in the MCU as one of the few characters who straddle the line between the movie and TV sides of the universe--two worlds that don't always play well with one another. Captain Marvel gives us a chance to see the SHIELD back on the big screen for the first time since his "death" in The Avengers back in 2012.
The death thing is a little complicated, though. While Coulson did genuinely die on screen in 2012's Avengers, he was resurrected by Fury over on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, where he began leading a team of SHIELD agents in secret for five-plus seasons, all of which tangentially relate to the movies but never really intersect. Now, thanks to Captain Marvel, we know that not only did the core Avengers team know Coulson during his big screen days, but Carol Danvers did as well, if only briefly--which, begs the question, who on the film side of MCU actually knows Coulson is still alive?
Well, Clark Gregg had some thoughts on the matter when we sat down with him to chat at the Captain Marvel press junket in Beverly Hills this March. "In my mind, Captain America doesn't know he's alive. It's bittersweet to me," he laughed. "We know that Nick Fury knows, obviously, we've seen him. And I feel like Tony Stark knows things--he just finds a way to know things--but I think the two of them have had a blunt conversation about it and decided not to share it further. And then we had Lady Sif promise not to tell Thor--but I don't know how much I believe that. And Maria Hill knows, she's spent time with him--but I think everyone else is just keeping it a secret."
If this revelation ever did make the jump from Gregg's imagination into MCU canon somewhere down the line, it certainly wouldn't help Tony and Steve Rogers repair the burned bridges of their relationship, that much is for sure. And it would be interesting (and, let's be honest, hilarious) for Thor--a character who traditionally has struggled with knowing when and how to say things tactfully--to be brought into the conspiracy as well.
Gregg's ideas about his character didn't stop there. With Coulson's appearance as a junior agent in SHIELD back in 1995, we were left wondering: how did he actually end up involved in the organization in the first place? What was his life like before?
"Well we know his interest in superheroes started really young, with his Cap cards, and we know from his story on Agents of SHIELD that his father passed away early. [...] But, I like to think that before SHIELD, he worked in an elite, very secret branch of the Post Office," Gregg playfully explained. "I think his secret origin is getting a very serious package in the mail, and it all spiraled out from there--I mean, I just made that up, but it would be fun."
Top secret postal service gig or no, it's clear that Coulson's story is anything but over. Since his debut back in the post credits scene of 2008's Iron Man, he's become one of the most beloved and recognized characters of the modern Marvel era, branching throughout the comics and live action adaptations--something which Gregg himself is very proud of, if a bit intimidated by. "Obviously, I feel a lot of ownership for the character. It's very porous between the two of us. When he's upset I get upset, but at the same time I am a little bit of passenger on a bus where the drivers change very often. I've tried to just keep the core thing that I like about him, which is his love of the game. He's got this love of humans and this love of the game. I would say he believes in the idea of SHIELD and heroes, which is a choice. He's come across a lot of people who don't, who haven't committed to a belief like that, and it doesn't seem to go so well for their soul. That's what I hope people recognize about him."
You can catch Coulson's big screen return in Captain Marvel, and his modern day story on Agents of SHIELD as it head into its eighth season.
Update: The downtime has conclude, and Fortnite's 8.10 update is now live across all platforms. It adds the recently teased Baller vehicle along with a new limited-time mode and some bug fixes; you can see what's new in the full 8.10 patch notes. The original story follows.
Like clockwork, Epic is rolling out another update for Fortnite. The developer has confirmed the game's 8.10 patch will drop on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices on Tuesday, March 12, with downtime set to begin at 2 AM PT / 5 AM ET / 9 AM GMT.
As usual, Epic hasn't detailed what's coming in this week's update, although we did get a look at a new vehicle on the way to the game: the Baller. The vehicle was recently spotted in Fortnite's in-game News feed and bears a strong resemblance to a hamster ball, with what looks like a Grappler mounted to the front.
Beyond that, details about the Baller are scarce at the moment, but its description teases that players will be able to use it to "roll through the competition." What makes the Baller particular notable, however, is that it marks the first new vehicle to arrive in Season 8.
While Epic rolls out new weapons on a near-weekly basis, vehicles are a much more infrequent addition to the game, and they're typically not around for very long; the Stormwing plane, for instance, arrived at the start of Season 7 but has since been vaulted. The long-delayed Driftboards are still available, however, although it's not yet clear if they'll likewise be vaulted soon.
Epic will share the full patch notes for Fortnite's 8.10 update on March 12, and a new set of weekly challenges is expected to arrive on March 14. In the meantime, you can find tips for the tasks that are already available in our complete Season 8 challenges guide.
A new trailer for From Software's upcoming game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, has been released. The video showcases more of the abilities the protagonist, The Wolf, will have at his disposal, as well as the fierce enemies and bosses he'll encounter. You can watch it above.
The trailer begins with The Wolf facing off against a massive bull-like creature--its horns are a log tied to its head, and both ends are on fire. The bull crashes through and destroys every bit of the environment in its path, but just before it can crush The Wolf, his prey transforms into feathers swirling within a cloud of shadow and teleports out of the way. From there, the hunter becomes the hunted.
The rest of the trailer depicts The Wolf's ongoing battle with the more human enemies found in Sekiro, and the shinobi takes them on with a mixture of stealth kills and acrobatic counters. The video also showcases some of the environments in the game, such as dilapidated fortresses and icy mountains. The trailer ends with an amazing sequence as The Wolf battles against a yeti-like creature, only to finally wear the beast down and decapitate it. Sekiro may not be another Dark Souls or Bloodborne, but From Software's new game is certainly going to be just as bloody and violent as the developer's previous titles.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice may be From Software's most punishing take on death ever, with some of the most brutal dying mechanics the Dark Souls developer has ever made. That said, in Sekiro, unlike From Software's Soulsborne games, death is both an enemy and an ally. That's not the only difference, though. Unlike the protagonists of From Software's Soulsborne games, Sekiro's The Wolf will actually have a voice, allowing his story to be more of a Japanese drama. Bosses and minibosses are also quite different, with many needing strategies other than slashing and dodging to beat them. Sekiro's world--including the hub--is also a series of connected areas, so you won't need to fast travel to reach every part of the game. The game doesn't support multiplayer either, but as a result From Software is able to include a pause function in the upcoming title.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC on March 22. The required PC specs for the game are actually quite low, so you won't need a high-end machine to run it. There are two editions of the game, both of which are available for pre-order.
Valve has laid off a number of designers from its Artifact team, including Skaff Elias and lead designer Richard Garfield. Both were considered contractors under their consulting firm Three Donkeys. In an email exchange with Artifact fan site Artibuff, Garfield said the decision made sense.
"We weren't surprised by the layoff considering how rocky the launch was, the team was enthusiastic about the game and were confident that they had a good product but it became clear it wasn't going to be easy to get the game to where we wanted it," he said. "The layoff makes sense for a number of reasons."
Garfield said that now that the game has released, a smaller team may be able to respond to feedback more nimbly, and the expertise from his own consulting firm is less valuable after having already been on the project for so long. But, he also said both he and Skaff have offered to continue giving feedback as the game goes forward.
"We enjoyed working with Valve and I was impressed with their relentless focus on the quality of the game and experience being offered to the player," he said.
These layoffs do not necessarily mean that Valve's outlook for Artifact has changed in any significant way. Garfield's contracting company was brought on for its expertise in making collectible card games, as he's also the creator of the extremely popular Magic: The Gathering card game. Since the game is now released, Valve may have simply felt that he fulfilled his role. Still, Garfield openly mentioning the game's rocky launch, paired with its relatively low player count, could mean trouble for the game. GameSpot has contacted Valve, but has not received comment as of time of publishing.
Artifact was conceptualized as a CCG set in the Dota 2 universe, so it borrows mechanics from that genre including distinct lanes of battle. Our review praised its unique take on card game mechanics, while warning that its pricing structure might turn off some players.
"Artifact is a capable reimagining of modern trading card games," critic Daniel Starkey wrote. "It plays quite a bit differently than just about any of its contemporaries--digital or not--and while the marketplace is volatile to say the least, there's little evidence that the pricing is straight-up predatory. Just note, however, that the game is not free-to-play and be prepared to spend some additional bit of money coming in. It would be nice to see some more extensive options for those wanting to play by themselves or in non-competitive settings, but beyond that, Artifact is a great showing."
Epic has been the target of numerous lawsuits recently over its massively popular battle royale game, Fortnite. Last year, Backpack Kid, rapper 2 Milly, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro all filed suits against the company alleging it stole their signature dance moves for the game's emotes, and now all three plaintiffs have dropped their claims--at least, temporarily.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ribeiro has dropped his suit against Epic after the US Supreme Court unanimously decided in a separate case that a person cannot file a copyright infringement claim until the US Copyright Office has granted or rejected a copyright application.
Ribeiro attempted to copyright his famous Carlton dance after first bringing a suit against Epic back in December. However, the US Copyright Office declined to grant him one back in February because it was "a simple routine that is not registrable as a choreographic work."
2 Milly, Backpack Kid, and "Orange Shirt Kid" all likewise dropped their suits against the company, although these dismals were similarly for "procedural" reasons. Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht, the firm that represents the plaintiffs, told THR, "We will continue to vigorously fight for our clients' rights against those who wrongly take their creations without permission and without compensation."
Last month, Epic released a memorandum seeking to dismiss at least 2 Milly's lawsuit on the grounds that "no one can own a dance step." Epic's letter stated, "Copyright law is clear that individual dance steps and simple dance routines are not protected by copyright."
Despite its ongoing litigation, Epic hasn't slowed down its content updates for Fortnite. The developer recently released the game's 8.01 update, which introduced new Buried Treasure maps, and it appears a strange new type of vehicle is coming to the game this week.
For a brief period on Friday, March 8, a bug in Anthem was causing players to receive above average amounts of Masterwork and Legendary items. However, the issue was quickly rectified with a rather large update, Patch 1.0.3, which reinstated Anthem's grind. As you can probably surmise, Anthem's playerbase is not happy about the bug being patched.
According to Kotaku, when the bug was first discovered, players went to Reddit to ask BioWare to keep the changes in the game. The bug might have stuck around for a bit longer too, but Patch 1.0.3--which was originally scheduled to go live March 9--surprisingly went up a day early. "We're dropping the new [Anthem] patch ahead of schedule so you can all benefit from the updates and fixes, including improved stability on all platforms," EA said in a tweet. And unfortunately for those who were enjoying the increased drop rate for Masterwork and Legendary items, the update just happened to patch the bug as well.
Patch 1.0.3 was not created to address the bug, though, and actually fixes many notable problems in Anthem. The update removes respawn restrictions in the game, allowing you to return to the fight in Critical Path, Agents, and non-end game missions after 10 seconds, and to Legendary contracts and other end game missions after 30 seconds. Common and Uncommon items drops also no longer appear for players who are level 30. Audio improvements have been implemented as well, which should fix instances where the game's audio randomly cuts out completely. Patch 1.0.3 improves stability across all platforms too--designed to address any possible console crashing issues like the one that was plaguing PS4.
Neither BioWare nor EA have followed up on whether the loot drop rate will again be increased to the same level as it was on March 8. The full patch notes for Anthem's most recent update can be found on EA's website. The highlights are outlined below.
Anthem 1.0.3 Patch Notes
General Fixes and Improvements
Fixed a number of issues that were blocking players from accessing the Forge
All missions should now properly end when all conditions have been met
The inbox now properly displays information on PC (the inbox is found in the newsfeed)
Fixed an issue that would cause players to be unable to interact with NPCs in Fort Tarsis
The vault is no longer accessible from the Forge. This change was made to improve performance
Fixed an issue that would cause the game to hang when entering menus while on an expedition
Titans will no longer respawn on missions after they are defeated. Example: if players defeat 2 out of 3 titans and then wipe on the third, the first two will not reappear when players respawn during a mission
Server shutdown messages should now appear less often
The ability to Quickplay into a Stronghold has been added back to the game
Mouse button 4 is no longer bound to the back button for PC players
Crashes that occurred while selecting certain conversation options when interacting with an NPC have been fixed
Players should no longer get stuck at the end of the Tomb of General Tarsis mission
Players should now run into less issues during Quickplay missions. Additional improvements to Quickplay will be coming in future updates
Players should no longer get stuck behind fogwalls on missions or in strongholds as often
Players should now receive credit for the There Be Giants challenge when they are downed and when the event is active
Improved the audio when defeating creatures to provide better feedback
Changed wording for server shutdown messaging to better indicate that it is just the players server shutting down, not the entire game server
Players may now launch an expedition from anywhere within the launch bay and Fort Tarsis.
PS4 led lights will now change based on the javelin being used
It should now be harder for players to get stun locked by certain enemy compositions
The values on max flight time inscriptions have been increased
The appearance of the N7 vinyl on Legion of Dawn armor has been improved
Haluk will now properly face players during certain dialogue scenes
The message "Open the Cortex to track the legionnaire Challenges" will no longer pop up after completing the appropriate challenges
Strongholds
The quality of loot from Stronghold chests has been improved, no more common and uncommon drops
Fixed an issue that would cause players to get stuck at the entrance to the sewers in the Temple of the Scar Stronghold
Creature Updates
Titans: We have made several balance changes to all variations of Titans
Reduced overall damage mitigation from 100% to between 70% and 75% depending on the damage type.
Increased the time that weakpoints are exposed.
Fixed an issue that prevented effects from applying and thus preventing combos.
Increased the damage the Titan takes from weakpoint hits.
Lesser Titan's weakpoint's have been changed to always be active.
Improved the collision on the ring and seeking projectile attacks. This should make them easier to dodge.
Decreased the radius of the seeking projectile attack.
Decreased the damage done by the self-destruct ability.
Frozen Scar Enforcers and Scrappers can no longer move or attack while frozen
The Monitor's health has been greatly reduced in the Heart of Rage Stronghold.
Force
Players will be less likely to be repeatedly staggered by heavy attacks.
Adjusted the force applied by some creature attacks down which will lower the frequency of player's being staggered.
Damage and Item Scaling Changes
Adjusted the damage scaling of secondary damage sources. These now scale with Average Item Power. This will allow these damage sources to better scale in the Grandmaster Difficulties. This will increase the scaling of the following:
Melee Damage
Combo Damage
Ultimate Damage
Status Effects
Item Procs (e.g. Proc from Yvenia's Thunder)
Item Power scaling has changed to better reflect the actual power of the item based on its rarity. This is applied to all items retroactively. Players will see the Power of their items go up.
Gameplay Bug Fixes
The Ultimate ability bar will no longer appear full at the start of a mission when it isn't actually full
Weapon recoil will now stop once an exo is looking straight up
Fixed a number of animation issues that could occur when the Colossus was using its shield.
It should no longer be possible for the Interceptor to become Frozen while starting up their ultimate
Interceptor Aura damage will now deal the correct type of damage based on the active aura
Players can no longer equip abilities from one javelin to another
The Colossus can now use gear faster after being attacked by a heavy hit from enemies
The Colossus can now shield charge through destructible objects such as explosive canisters or harvest nodes
The Colossus now recovers faster after crashing into walls
Item Balance Updates
Increased the base health of Wind Wall and Bulwark Point to provide better scaling in higher difficulties. The duration of these has been reduced to 20 seconds, down from 60 seconds
Burst Mortar's damage has been increased to 300, up from 145 and its cooldown has been reduced to 6 seconds, down from 10 seconds. Its description has also been fixed.
Flak Cannon's damage has been increased to 42, up from 30
Battle Cry's description has been updated to explain that it also reduces the resistances of affected targets
Wraith Strike's damage has been increased to 250, up from 200 and it will now apply elemental effect to targets based on the active aura
Note: Description text for Wraith Strike will be updated in 1.0.4.
Item Bug Fixes
Wind Wall should no longer block or interfere with other player abilities
Ranger Grenadier Component will now correctly lower the cooldown of grenade abilities
Fixed an issue where certain weapons were not firing where the crosshairs were aimed
The Ice Blast ability for the Storm javelin now has the primer icon correctly displayed
Inscription Bug Fixes
The Thruster Delay Recovery Inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
The Overheat Delay Recovery Inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
The Weapon Reload Bonus Inscription is now correctly applying a bonus
Note: These will have non-updated text values until the next patch (1.0.4)
Masterwork Item Balance Updates
Increased the base damage of the following Masterwork Weapons.
Ralner's Blaze
Rolling Carnage
Cycle of Pain
The Last Stand
Glorious Result
Insult and Injury
Sentinel Vengeance
Gnosta's Balm
Vassa's Surprise
Soothing Touch
Renewed Courage
Artinia's Gambit
Masterwork Item Bug Fixes
Ralner's Blaze - Will no longer roll with incorrect inscriptions
Ablative Shielding now provides the proper boost in shield and armor
Badge of Devastation will now generate more ultimate charge when triggered
It should no longer be possible to stack the effect from Gunslinger's Mark more than once
When it comes to the Netflix release of new movies that have had theatrical releases, the streaming service typically adds them right at the beginning of the month. So what about the rest of March 2019? Well, this is when Netflix drops its original series and movies, and there are a few you'll want to check out. Here's a rundown on what's coming this week (March 10-16).
As of today, March 12, part six of Terrace House: Opening New Doors comes to the service. Japan's reality TV series is completely different than any reality show that is made in America. Terrace House is soothing, relaxing, and there aren't your traditional reality show staples like fights, loud arguments, or delusional singers. It's a group of people living in a house, going to work and school, and creating relationships with each other--and no, they're not all sexual in nature. Then, a group of famous Japanese folks comment on what's going on, and everything about this series is the best. You have a lot to catch up before you get to the latest installment, so get cracking.
When Arrested Development was first announced to come to Netflix, we were all excited. Then, Season 4 came out, and it was not great--although the recut of that season was much better. When Season 5 rolled around, it was a course correction, but the magic of the Bluth family had worn off a bit. The second part of Season 5 hits the service on March 15, and more than likely, it will still continue to be a solid series, distancing itself from that weird Season 4 debacle. Hopefully, Gob has a few new tricks up his sleeve with Season 5B.
Below, you'll find everything coming to Netflix this week. You can also check out everything coming to the service for March.
Avail. 3/12/19
Jimmy Carr: The Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 6-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 3/13/19
Triple Frontier-- NETFLIX FILM
Avail. 3/15/19
A Separation
Arrested Development: Season 5 B-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Burn Out (FR)-- NETFLIX FILM
Dry Martina (AR)-- NETFLIX FILM
Girl (BE)-- NETFLIX FILM
If I Hadn't Met You-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Kung Fu Hustle
Las muñecas de la mafia: Season 2-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Love, Death & Robots-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Paskal (MY)-- NETFLIX FILM
Queer Eye: Season 3-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Robozuna: Season 2-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Lives of Others
Turn Up Charlie-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
YooHoo to the Rescue-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Avail. 3/16/19
Green Door-- NETFLIX ORIGINAL
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