After more than 15 years with the company, longtime Nintendo of America president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime is officially stepping down from the role as of today, April 15. Fils-Aime's retirement means he'll no longer serve as the face of the company's North American operations, as he has for the past decade. But while his presence will sorely be missed at events and in Nintendo Directs, fans have a new way to follow the Regginator's adventures.
Fils-Aime has opened a personal Twitter account. His first and only tweet thus far is simply an image of the Reggie doll from Nintendo's E3 2014 presentation holding a card with his Twitter handle written on it. Despite only being live for less than two hours, the account has already garnered more than 85,000 followers at the time of this writing.
Nintendo announced Fils-Aime's retirement back in February. Shortly after the news, the company shared a heartfelt video message from him thanking fans for their support over the years. "Thank you for your never-ending support, and for your passionate love of Nintendo. And personally, for giving me a Mushroom Kingdom full of incredible memories that I will never forget, ever," Fils-Aime said.
"From the first time I saw the nickname 'Regginator,' I realized that Nintendo fans share a unique sense of community, a bond that goes beyond just a love of video games. For these past 15 years, I've been honored to be included as part of your family."
Fils-Aime's successor as Nintendo of America president is Doug Bowser, who previously served as the company's senior VP of sales and marketing. In his farewell message, Fils-Aime called Bowser "a passionate and powerful leader, and a guy who in his youth probably spent too much time in front of a Donkey Kong arcade machine."
A few weeks ago, Gearbox announced Borderlands 3 at its PAX East panel, and the developer also confirmed that a remastered Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition was coming soon. That enhanced edition of the acclaimed role-playing shooter became available early this month. If you already owned the Game of the Year Edition on Steam, you should have received a free update with the remastered version already--but if you don't own the game on Steam and want to try out the new enhanced edition, Amazon is offering a PC download of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition for only $7 right now. The game normally sells for $30, so you're getting it for 77% off.
The digital Steam key will be available to use immediately after purchase. Unfortunately, this deal is only limited to North America.
Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition initially launched in 2010 and, in addition to the base game, contains all four DLC packs: The Zombie Island of Doctor Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution. The enhanced GOTY edition, which is described as the "brand new definitive edition," adds gameplay tweaks, new guns, more character customization options, and, of course, visual improvements in terms of lighting, textures, and character models. The enhancements apply to both the base game and DLC.
For many fans, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was the best thing about 2017's Suicide Squad, and she will return to the big screen in next year's Birds of Prey. The movie has now wrapped production and a new behind-the-scenes image has been released.
The picture was posted to Instagram by Robbie's production company, Lucky Chap Entertainment. It shows Robbie in costume as Harley, sitting in a chair. Most interestingly, it reveals the movie's current logo, which features its long, full title: Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. Of course, the logo could change between now and the movie's release early next year, but it's still cool to see it. Check it out below.
Birds of Prey also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress, Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary, Rosie Perez as Renee Montoya, Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain, Ewan McGregor as Black Mask, and Chris Messina as Victor Zsasz. It's directed by Cathy Yan, and releases on February 7, 2020.
The first teaser for the movie was released in January. In addition, attendees at the recent industry convention CinemaCon got to see more of the movie. Slashfilm described the footage shown as "bright, bold, and bursting with neon colors," and it included a shot of Harley Quinn roller skating behind a moving vehicle.
As well as Birds of Prey, there is much anticipation of DC's Joker, which releases in October. The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role and also features Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, and Marc Maron. Check out the recent first Joker trailer.
The Division 2 is top of the UK physical sales chart for the second week running. Ubisoft's game was the best-selling physical title in the UK for the week ending April 13.
Immediately below the looter-shooter lies FIFA 19, which remains at No.2, according to sales monitor Chart-Track. That's followed by Red Dead Redemption 2, which is up three places to No.3.
It's been a relatively quiet week for new releases, with only one new game in the chart. That game is Dangerous Driving, which enters at No.34. The two new Nintendo Labo Toy-Con kits miss out on the top 40 altogether.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart for this week below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
If you've been running out of storage space on any of your consoles or other electronic devices, today's flash deal will help end your struggles. Amazon US is running a one-day sale on SanDisk products, including memory cards, flash drives, hard drives, and SSDs. The sale ends after today, so browse the deals and pick up whatever you need ASAP.
Notable deals include the SanDisk Extreme microSD cards, which have data transfer speeds of up to 160 MB per second, a helpful feature if you're working with high-res image and 4K UHD videos. The 64 GB, 128 GB, and even 400 GB Extreme cards are all marked down. On the other hand, if you haven't upgraded your Nintendo Switch yet and are starting to feel the pain of its 32 GB internal storage limitations, SanDisk's 256 GB Ultra microSD memory card is your best bet, and it's only $31 right now.
There are quite a few external storage devices to pick from as well, including the 1 TB portable external SSD, which is drastically marked down to just $143 from $350. The WD 2 TB My Passport X for Xbox One hard drive is also discounted to $63 and provides a ton of extra, portable storage for Xbox One and Xbox 360 so you can keep all your games in one place. And if you need to pick up a reliable flash drive for storing photos, videos, and music, the SanDisk Cruzer 128 GB USB 2.0 flash drive is only $15 right now.
The PvE Storm Rising story mission for Overwatch is ready to go live starting April 16, and a story trailer sets the stage for the conflict. In it we see the strike team composed of Tracer, Winston, Mercy, and Genji going after the dangerous Talon criminal Maximilien. We also get the closest look yet at Max himself, who suggests that everyone and everything has a price.
In the lead-up to the Storm Rising event, Blizzard has regularly been revealing the new cosmetic skins you can earn. Some, like Talon Baptiste or Formal 76, are clearly story-inspired outfits informed by the lore of the world and its characters. Others, like Hammond's High Roller Wrecking Ball or Racer Zarya, seem more light-hearted.
The story of this mission is anything but light, however. The Overwatch team has been dispatched to bring in the notoriously elusive Max before he can use the cover of an impending storm to escape yet again. The narration in the new story trailer suggests that opportunities to capture him don't often appear, so the team has one chance to get it right. "No pressure, then!" Tracer chirps.
The Overwatch Archives series of events feature PvE co-op missions with an emphasis on story material. They often focus on younger iterations of the characters before Overwatch (the organization, not the game) was forced to disband. Alongside Storm Rising, the past Archives missions Uprising and Retribution will be playable. The event will run April 16-May 6.
A new Lego Star Wars game is seemingly in the works. That's according to Skywalker Sound's Matt Wood, who let the news slip during an interview at Star Wars Celebration over the weekend. You can see part of the interview below.
No new Lego Star Wars game has yet been announced. However, Skywalker Sound is the audio company behind the Star Wars franchise and is owned by the brand's parent companies, Lucasfilm and Disney, so you'd expect it to know about upcoming projects in the series.
Eurogamer reports it has independently heard word of a new Lego Star Wars project. GameSpot has contacted Warner Bros., the Lego game publisher, for comment.
Another Star Wars game was revealed over the weekend. Named Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, it's a new melee combat game from Titanfall studio Respawn. It's coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 15.
DC's Shazam retained the No.1 slot on the US box office chart this weekend, in its second week on release. The movie has secured the studio some its best reviews, and audiences have similarly responded by bringing its US total to $94 million to date. Worldwide, the film has made $221 million so far. While it won't reach the amazing heights of Aquaman, these numbers show that a lesser known DC hero can still bring in impressive box office results.
The weekend's highest new entry was the comedy Little. The film opened with an estimated $15.4 million, which is a solid opening given the modest $20 million production budget. Less impressive was the debut of the Hellboy reboot. The movie sees Stranger Things star David Harbour take over the title role, but negative reviews and reports of behind-the-scenes problems were followed by an unimpressive estimated weekend debut of $12 million.
The next few films all dropped a few places from last week. The Stephen King adaptation Pet Semetary fell to No.4, with Dumbo, Captain Marvel, and the horror hit Us just below it. The week's other two entries were at No.8 and No.9. The romantic drama After opened with $6 million, while the animated movie Missing Link finished ninth and could only manage a weekend total of $5.8 million. This is the lowest ever opening for a film from the Laika studio, which previously scored hits with films such as Boxtrolls and Kubo and the Two Strings. The period drama The Best of Enemies rounded off the chart, falling four places to No.10.
You can see the full Top 10 list for the April 12-14 US box office below, as compiled by Box Office Mojo.
The Game of Thrones's Season 8 premiere has arrived, and to celebrate the beloved show's return, Sony is giving away some free Thrones content for US PS4 owners. You can grab two avatars and a theme; all you need to do is follow the steps below.
Firstly, visit Sony's website and sign in to your PSN account. You'll be presented with three videos, each of which awards you one of the three free gifts once you've watched them. You'll be given a code to redeem on the PlayStation Store in order to grab the gifts. Note this offer is unfortunately only available to users with US PSN accounts.
Seemingly confirming the long-running rumours and reports, images of the supposed "All-Digital" Xbox One that has no disc drive have emerged online. The German website WinFuture.de obtained the images, which appear to be from a European retailer.
Based on the sales art, it appears Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 3 might come pre-installed on this console, with a 1 TB hard drive. Bear in mind that this may only be one version of an all-digital Xbox One SKU that Microsoft is planning. Pricing hasn't been announced, and bundles tend to vary greatly by region.
Whatever the case, given that what appear to be official images for the console are showing up online, it might not be long until Microsoft officially announces it. As it happens, Microsoft's next Inside Xbox event is coming up on April 16. In addition to news about Microsoft's plans for E3, the company might announce this console during the show.
Pre-orders for the All-Digital Xbox One console are said to open in April, with the system then scheduled to go on sale in May around the world.
The disc-free Xbox One might not be the last console Microsoft announces in the coming months. Microsoft is rumoured to reveal at least one next-gen console at E3 in June. And importantly, if Microsoft does make a disc-free Xbox One, it doesn't necessarily mean the company will stop making Xbox One consoles with disc drives. Internet availability and speed vary by region, and all-digital consoles won't work everywhere at this stage. It appears Microsoft will be providing the option to go all-digital for those who want to.
Would you be interested in a disc-free Xbox One? Let us know in the comments below!
HBO has released a teaser for next week's Game of Thrones episode--and it looks dramatic. In the teaser, we hear Daenerys talking about wanting to do terrible things to Jaime.
"When I was a child, my brother would tell me a bedtime story about the man who murdered our father -- about all the things we would do to that man," she says to a council. It appears they are deciding Jaime. He also pushed Bran Stark out of a window and he might finally have to pay for that act as well. Jaime looks frightened as he stands before the group.
After that, the teaser moves to Daenerys talking with Sansa about Cersei and how she's led them astray and betrayed their trust. We also learn in the teaser that the White Walkers are closing in, and they don't have much time to prepare.
The Game of Thrones Season 8 premiere not only started to provide clues about how the show will wrap up, but it also revealed what probably happened to Ed Sheeran's character.
SPOILERS FOLLOW BELOW
A scene in the episode shows Bronn "enjoying the attentions" of three women. One of them talks about how a Lannister soldier with ginger hair named "Eddie" met his fate at the battle when Daenerys scorched the Lannister soldiers with her dragons.
"That boy Eddie came back with his face burned right off. He's got no eyelids now," one of the women said, according to Polygon.
Sheeran appeared in the Season 7 Game of Thrones premiere, but that was the only episode he was in. He made his way into Game of Thrones thanks in part to Arya Stark actress Maisie Williams' fondness for the "Shape of You" singer.
Sheeran himself told BuzzFeed that he thought his character was just "chillin'" after the battle. "It was fun being in Game of Thrones, but I definitely think they should've killed me off in the episode. I reckon that probably would've been the redemption for people that didn't like it," he said. So it turns out fans got what they wanted in a way.
Sheeran was not the first musician to have a cameo Game of Thrones. Sigur Ros, the drummer from Coldplay, and members of the metal band Mastodon have all been on the show in the past.
Game of Thrones is finally back. Episode 1 aired tonight on HBO, and it served as a setup of sorts to dramatic events to come in the show's eighth and final season. Now that the episode has ended, HBO has released a nice behind-the-scenes video where showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss break down the episode's biggest moments and key scenes.
Obviously this video is stuffed with spoilers, so be sure to watch the episode first before checking out this breakdown. With that out of the way, here you go:
For lots more on Episode 1, you can check out GameSpot's review of the episode here. You can also read the stories below to learn more about Game of Thrones and the first episode; we've put spoiler tags on two of them because even the titles might be spoiler-y:
Game of Thrones is approaching its end in Season 8, and some of the elements that have been in play since the beginning are finally starting to wrap up. Among the biggest are the secret of Jon Snow's true identity, the prophecy that Daenerys heard in her travels across the Narrow Sea, and other mystical things that look to be important to the final battle of the Night King--they're all related, and they're all going to have major implications for the war with the White Walkers.
One giant hanging thread is the question of the Prince That Was Promised, a longstanding prophecy about the hero who will appear to kill the Night King with the help of the Lord of Light. Also known as Azor Ahai, the question of who will fill the role of the Prince That Was Promised has been teased since Season 2 and the introduction of the Red Witch Melisandre and Stannis Baratheon. The premiere of Season 8 might have given a new hint as to who Azor Ahai is, and could be answering a question fans of both the show and the books on which they're based have had for years.
It starts in Season 7, when Jon had a bonding moment with Drogon, touching the dragon and seemingly gaining his trust. In the Season 8 premiere, Jon actually rides Rhaegal, Daenerys' other surviving dragon. It's an extension of that moment Season 7, solidifying Jon's bond with both Daenerys and the dragons. We saw in Season 7 what might be the reason for Drogon trusting Jon: he's actually the son of Daenerys' brother, Prince Rhaegar. He's member of the royal family of dragon riders who consider themselves to be "blood of the dragon." (It's also worth noting that Rhaegal is named for Rhaegar, Jon's father--a fact Jon will likely find very meaningful.)
Jon riding a dragon seemingly answers a question fans have been wondering about for years, thanks to a prophecy that doesn't appear in the show, but is in George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books on which Game of Thrones is based. In that book, Daenerys had a vision of Rhaegar when she was in the House of the Undying in Qarth, in which Rhaegar said his son Aegon was the Prince That Was Promised. He also told Daenerys "the dragon has three heads." (In the show, Daenerys sees the Red Keep in ruins and the Iron Throne frozen, and is visited briefly by the ghosts of her husband Drogo and their baby, Rhaego.)
First off, we now know that Jon is, in fact, Rhaegar's son Aegon. That might mean that he's the returned Azor Ahai--the hero the red priests of the Lord of Light have been expecting to show up and defeat the Night King, using a flaming sword called Lightbringer.
The second part of the vision is still an open question, though, if the show is going to address it. Fans have interpreted "the dragon has three heads" to suggest there will be three key people who will ride Daenerys' dragons--and maybe even three Targaryens. That tracks with the revelation that Jon is a Targaryen, and now seeing him riding a dragon.
The question is whether "the dragon has three heads" will actually be born out by the show now that the Night King has turned Daenerys' third dragon, Viserion, into an undead wight. Fans have been expecting a third dragon rider, but now the third dragon rider is the Night King himself.
But there's still room for another hidden Targaryen to appear. As fans have theorized who might be the third of the dragon's three heads, a lot of speculation has fallen to Tyrion Lannister. There's a rumor in Westeros that Tyrion isn't really the son of Tywin Lannister, but that the Mad King Aerys Targaryen raped Tyrion's mother, Joanna Lannister. That might be part of the reason why Tywin was so awful to Tyrion his whole life, and fulfill Daenerys' vision. Tyrion also had his moment with the dragons under the pyramid of Meereen, which makes him one of the few people they seem cool with.
In any event, it seems the dragon has two heads, at least. And if Game of Thrones doesn't address Rhaegar's words through the rest of Season 8, it seems there might still be a few tidbits for fans of the novels to look forward to--if Martin ever finishes the series.
Things are pretty rough House Lannister in Season 8 of Game of Thrones. Cersei holds the Iron Throne, but she's paid dearly for it--her three children have died in her pursuit of power, and she's been at war for pretty much her entire reign. Through it all, though, she's had her twin brother Jaime at her side, and their relationship justified many of her sacrifices and most ruthless instincts.
That changed at the end of Season 7. After Jaime and Cersei met with Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion, the Lannisters pledged to help with the war against the White Walkers. But once everyone had left King's Landing, Cersei revealed that she planned to double-cross everybody else and leave them to get wiped out by the White Walkers. Jaime wasn't happy about Cersei forcing him to break his promise, so at the end of the season, he struck off north alone, leaving his sister behind.
Cersei had already threatened Jaime about betraying her, and it's well known that she hates her other brother, Tyrion. In the premiere of Season 8, we see how Cersei plans to deal with Jaime and Tyrion--she's sending Bronn to kill both of them with a crossbow. Cersei likes to make a statement with her murders, though--which is why the weapon Qyburn gave to Bronn to use on the traitorous Lannisters is a significant one.
It's the same crossbow Tyrion wielded way back in Season 4, and used to kill his father, Tywin Lannister. That was after Tyrion was tried and convicted of poisoning King Joffrey, and Tywin sentenced Tyrion to death, even though he was innocent. Jaime helped Tyrion escape, but before he did, Tyrion went to Tywin's room. There, Tyrion found Shae, his former lover who testified against him, and killed her. After that, Tyrion found Tywin on the toilet, and finished him off with a crossbow decorated with gold. (There's even more Lannister history with the crossbow--it's the one Joffrey used to cradle while torturing women, and eventually used to kill Varys' spy, Ros.)
Cersei sending Bronn with that same crossbow is a reminder of Tyrion's betrayal of the Lannister family. She blames Tyrion for the deaths of her children--since Joffrey's death, she's maintained that Tyrion was responsible, but even learning from Jaime that Lady Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg) poisoned her son hasn't changed her mind. She also blames him for the deaths of Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free) and Tommen--as Cersei said in Season 7, when Tyrion killed Tywin, it left the Lannisters exposed.
"Do you have any idea what you did when you fired that crossbow?" Cersei asks Tyrion. "You left us open. You laid us bare for the vultures and the vultures came and tore us apart. You may not have killed Joffrey, but you killed Myrcella, you killed Tommen. No one would have touched them if Father was here--no one would have dared."
Making sure that the same crossbow Tyrion used to kill Tywin is used against him is exactly the kind of poetic message-sending Cersei loves. Like playing "The Rains of Castamere," it's a power move that builds her reputation, shows her spite for her enemies, and strikes fear in others. The question now is whether Bronn will actually try to kill his two former employers.
The final season of Game of Thrones is here. The premiere episode aired on HBO tonight, marking the beginning of the end. There are just five more episodes left to go now, and Game of Thrones has a lot to fit in before the finale if the show wants to wrap up every loose end created over the last eight years. For now, though, Season 8 Episode 1 was focused on one thing above all others: setup.
Events in Winterfell set up the battle to come, as well as the interpersonal conflicts that will ultimately help determine the outcome of that battle. The characters in King's Landing continued to maneuver for the inevitable conclusion of the war of Westeros's Great Houses, and offscreen, the White Walkers struck their first blow south of the Wall.
There were some monumental events in this episode--which will hopefully be the case for every episode of the final season. But from Jon finally riding a dragon to his finding out that he's the true heir to the Iron Throne, even these long-awaited, emotionally charged moments are really just setup for conflicts to come.
Jon learning that he's a Targaryen is something book readers have been waiting for ever since the first book was published back in 1996 and fans originally theorized about his true parentage (the books are so far behind at this point that the theory still hasn't been confirmed officially in the source material). Jon and Daenerys being related doesn't necessarily spell doom for their blooming relationship--Targaryens of old frequently married within their own family to keep their Valyrian bloodline going strong. But as Jon replied to Sam in this premiere, voicing the revelation is akin to treason. Dany, on the other hand, has been self-assured regarding her right to the Throne since the beginning--and come to think of it, she probably won't take well to this news. Based on this episode, it's shaping up to be one of the major conflicts of the final season.
The sight of Dany's Unsullied marching through the streets of Winter Town was enough to stir any Game of Thrones fan's blood, whether you started with the TV show or have been reading the books for 23 years. Old school Game of Thrones fans are much more comfortable in the in-between, perpetually waiting for the next book to come out or the next season to premiere. To be so close to the end is actually slightly uncomfortable, but for better or worse, here we are.
One thing that will always feel good is watching long-separated Starks finally reunite. And this was an episode of reunions. From Jon and Arya to Sansa and Tyrion, these are conversations fans have speculated about, theorized on, and dreamt of for years. And by and large, they delivered exactly what we wanted: Arya flirted with Gendry and was vaguely threatening toward Sandor, while Sansa and Tyrion showed something approaching a mutual understanding. If nothing else, it's simply fun to see these characters come back together after so very long apart.
For books fans, though, the show still can't help but feel a bit like fan fiction. Some characters, like the Hound, were so far removed from the story the last time we glimpsed them in the books that it seems unlikely they'll ever actually re-enter the books' events. Others, like Cersei, have changed so much from the source material that they're barely recognizable. I'm not saying whether that's good or bad--it just is. Since author George R.R. Martin hasn't been able to finish a book in eight years, this is the situation we're in.
In King's Landing, events progressed pretty much as you'd expect. Euron arrived with the Golden Company, and Cersei continued to deride everyone around her, which will hopefully be her ultimate downfall. Euron finally getting in her pants may have been a big event for him--and no doubt Jaime wouldn't be thrilled if he were around--but for Cersei, using her sexuality to control the people around her isn't anything new. She's up to the same old tricks, but as this war comes to an end, old tricks might not cut it anymore. That said, we wanted to see those elephants as badly as you did, Cersei.
There are only five episodes left of Game of Thrones. For longtime fans, it's bittersweet to get the ending from HBO's series instead of the books that we've loved for decades. But despite some ups and downs, HBO has done a fine job finishing what George R.R. Martin apparently can't. And I'm excited to see exactly how they do it over the next five weeks.
The Star Wars MMO The Old Republic launched all the way back in 2011, and it continues to get new content. The game's seventh expansion and its first since 2016's Knights of the Eternal Throne, has been announced. Called Onslaught, the expansion is coming this September.
"Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught puts you at the center of the reignited war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire," reads a line from its announcement. "Will you remain loyal to your faction or work to undermine and sabotage their war efforts? The choice is yours."
Onslaught adds two new planets, a new Flashpoint, and a new Operation, and more abilities, while the level cap increases with the expansion as well.
Players will travel to places like Onderon and Mek-Sha in search of new adventures and opportunities. The new Flashpoint, which is The Old Republic's version of a dungeon, is set on Corellia, while the new Operation (or raid) takes place on Onderon's biggest moon, Dxun.
"Our philosophy for this expansion is, play your way," the developer said. "Items have always been an important part of your character's identity, but for the first time we are offering true depth and choice with exciting new items that let you decide how to play in the upcoming battle."
There is a new type of gear slot available in the update in the form of Tactical items. "These build-defining items directly alter your abilities and playstyle. Taking these new items, players will be able to pair them with numerous new set bonuses to choose from, including general sets that can be used by everyone," BioWare said.
Players can acquire the new sets through PvE, PvP, Galactic Command, or Crafting.
Onslaught is free for The Old Republic subscribers, but a price point was not mentioned for those who are playing without a subscription.
Onslaught is The Old Republic's seventh expansion; it follows Rise of the Hutt Cartel (2013), Galactic Starfighter (2014), Galactic Strongholds (2014), Shadow Revan (2014), Knights of the Fallen Empire (2015), and Knights of the Eternal Throne (2016).
Despite its commercial and critical success, Sony's PlayStation 4 action game God of War will not receive an expansion. This much has already been confirmed. And now game director Cory Barlog confirmed it again.
"There is no DLC coming for the game. Sorry," Barlog said on Twitter. His tweet came in response to another tweet where he seemingly teased something new for God of War. But as it stands, he was only referring to more reveals coming this week for God of War's anniversary celebration.
Just so no one gets the wrong idea - there is no DLC coming for the game. Sorry.
We already know about the free dynamic theme and avatar set, and Barlog teased that even more is coming. But it won't be an announcement of God of War DLC.
"I had a really fun idea for a DLC that I only regret because I would love to have done that," Barlog told Kinda Funny. "But it was too ambitious."
It would have been similar to The Last of Us 1's Left Behind or Uncharted Lost Legacy releases, which were big enough to warrant their own standalone releases. "It would [have] ended up being its own thing," Barlog said of the God of War expansion we'll never see. "Rightfully so, everybody said, 'Dude, this is crazy, this isn't DLC, this is a little too big."
Sony's beloved PS4 action game God of War came out one year ago this week, and to celebrate the birthday, the company is holding a week-long party of sorts. It kicks off with the release of new dynamic theme for PS4 that you can get right now. It shows a nice scene with Kratos and Atreus in the Lake of Nine. The theme is free for everyone.
Then on Wednesday (April 17), Sony will release a new PS4 avatar set for God of War. It is also free. You don't need to have purchased God of War for PS4 to get the freebies. You can see images of the avatar sets and dynamic theme here on the PlayStation Blog.
Shannon Studstill, the head of God of War developer Sony Santa Monica, penned a nice blog post about the game's anniversary. She said she was excited by the idea that game director Cory Barlog brought to the table years ago, but acknowledged it was no easy road.
"Change to a longstanding franchise comes with immeasurable doubt, a studio-defining risk, and a huge leap of faith," she said. "Thank you to our entire worldwide team; the Sony PlayStation family and you, the millions of God of War fans around the world who embraced that leap with us, on a journey we never expected. We made this journey together."
God of War won multiple Game of the Year awards, including most recently at the BAFTAs. After such high praise for God of War, Studstill said she's enthusiastic about Sony Santa Monica's future games.
"If I had to predict the next 20 years of Santa Monica Studio, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, we will continue to create games whose art reflects life, life reflects art, with stories we want to resonate for years to come," she said. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for embracing the new God of War and for helping Santa Monica Studio rise up to a new beginning as well. From our whole team to you, that has meant everything to us. Now, we have a long journey ahead."
Mortal Kombat 11 developer NetherRealm has clarified its stance on microtransactions and loot boxes in the soon-to-launch fighting game. As was already confirmed, the game does not feature any loot boxes, but like with many other AAA games, Mortal Kombat 11 will feature optional microtransactions that players can use to buy cosmetic items.
In the latest Kombat Kast, producer Shaun Himmerick confirmed that Mortal Kombat 11 will have Time Crystals as its form of virtual currency. Players can spend these Crystals to acquire various cosmetic items such as skins, intros, easy fatalities, and gear, among other things. There is "nothing pay-to-win" with Mortal Kombat 11's microtransactions, Himmerick said. Regarding the gear, Himmerick said NetherRealm learned from Injustice 2--which let you buy gear with stats that impacted gameplay--and it won't repeat that with Mortal Kombat 11. The gear you can buy with real money has no gameplay impact on its own. Players will need to acquire stat augments from gameplay to improve their gearsets.
Nothing in Mortal Kombat 11 requires Time Crystals, Himmerick said. "We don't want to have any competitive advantage for money," he said. Himmerick went on to say that NetherRealm will give players allotments of Time Crystals in the game as a means to give players a look at some of the content they can buy should they decide to spend real money.
NetherRealm has yet to provide any details on specific price points for Mortal Kombat 11's microtransactions, but those details should become available soon as they game's launch is right around the corner.
Regarding loot boxes, Ed Boon already confirmed Mortal Kombat 11 will not have them, and Himmerick offered more details. "There's no loot boxes. We don't want that. We've heard the community doesn't want that. We've seen the reaction to other games that have it. We don't want that reaction. There are no loot boxes in this game whatsoever," he said.
Mortal Kombat 11 launches on April 23 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. You can see all of GameSpot's written and video coverage here.
The new James Bond movie has brought on a new writer who will reportedly help add a further dimension of humour to the spy film. The Guardian reports that Fleabag creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been hired to "liven up" the script for Bond 25.
007 actor Daniel Craig reportedly specifically requested that Waller-Bridge come aboard to "bring her wit and quirkiness to the screenplay." Craig reportedly said the movie needed further "polishing," specifically in the area of additional humour and other elements.
Waller-Bridge is the Bond franchise's second female writer. The first was Johanna Harwood, who worked on the very first Bond movie, Dr. No, along with From Russia With Love.
Bond 25 has seen a number of writers over the years. Original director Danny Boyle wrote an initial script with John Hodge, but Boyle ultimately exited the project due to "creative differences." True Detective's Cary Joji Fukunaga was later hired to direct, with veteran Bond writers Neil Purvis and Robert Wade coming aboard to adjust Hodge's script. Later, The Bourne Ultimatum writer Scott Z Burns joined Bond 25's writing team. And now Waller-Bridge is working on the script as well.
As you might have imagined, all this changed led to production and release delays. The film was originally expected to hit theatres in October 2019, but it was later delayed to February 2020 and then further out to April 2020 where it currently sits on the release schedule.
According to The Guardian, Bond 25 has done some location shoots in Italy, Norway, and Jamaica, along with sound stages at Pinewood Studios in the UK. However, the "proper" filming of the movie, as it's described in the report, reportedly hasn't begun yet.
Craig returns to play 007 for the last time in Bond 25, while Ben Whishaw is expected to come back as Q. Ralph Fiennes will play M again and Naomie Harris is expected to reprise her role as Miss Moneypenny. Rami Malek is reportedly going to play the main villain.
The Winds Of Winter: George R.R. Martin Says Writing On Next GoT Book "Going Very Well Lately"If you take the events of the last few seasons of Game of Thrones at face value, the question "Who is the Night King?" seems easy to answer: He's an evil ice demon leading his forces south to annihilate the residents of Westeros with icy magic, rotting zombies, and even an undead dragon. That's pretty cut and dried.
But this is Game of Thrones, and in this complex fantasy world, explanations are rarely that simple. Who is the Night King, really--and what does he want? Why is he marching south? And is the Night King really evil?
Not Bran
Let's get this out of the way: The Night King is not, as one popular theory posits, Bran. Bran is not the Night King, and the Night King is not Bran. It's a stupid theory, and I would like to be done with it.
The entire purpose of the Three-Eyed Raven, which Bran has become, is to stop the Night King. If Bran was the Night King, why would the original TER have put so much effort into luring Bran into his cave and teaching him? If Bran is the Night King, his entire arc for the past seven previous seasons is completely meaningless and void.
That's not to say Bran is a hero in this story, as we've been led to believe. Bran could wind up being on the wrong side of this ultimate conflict, with his detached nature and the Three-Eyed Raven's dubious origins (the show made zero effort to explore the figure's backstory, so we have no idea who he actually is). But that doesn't mean he's going to go back in time, be transformed by ice magic, do nothing for thousands of years, and become a completely different person.
And just in case you're not convinced, Bran actor Isaac Hempstead-Wright shot it down personally, telling Radio Times the theory is too "obvious," "cheesy," and lacking in dramatic weight. So, yeah. Please stop with this.
Good or Bad?
Even once we accept that the Night King isn't Bran, we still know practically nothing about the character. Clearly he's a thinking, sentient being, and the White Walkers around him have a society and hierarchy all their own. They make armor and weapons, and they have their own culture and, presumably, language (we've never actually heard one speak).
So what is the Night King's true purpose? The stories passed down by humanity suggest that the White Walkers are a force of evil who arrive with the Long Night to murder everyone they can. But why? What are their goals? Why are they so hell-bent on traveling south?
We learned during Bran's scenes in Season 6 that the Children of the Forest created the White Walkers in the first place to help them defend against the First Men, who were cutting down their forests as they settled Westeros. The White Walkers turned on the Children, who then joined forces with the Men to drive them back to the far north. So the story goes, but that doesn't really answer the question of "why." Hopefully the show elaborates on the White Walkers' background and goals more in Season 8, because if not, they'll be the first truly boring bad guys on a show otherwise filled with great and complex villains.
Book Origins
There's one other thing you need to understand about the Night King: He's an invention of the show. In other words, there is no "Night King" in the books. There's a "Night's King," who is actually completely different from the show's Night King; while if the White Walkers have a leader in the books, we've yet to meet him.
It's unclear whether the story of the Night's King in the books will have any bearing on the show's Night King, but it may be worth going over just in case.
In the books, the Night's King is a figure from legend and myth who is said to have lived thousands of years before the series' events. He was the 13th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch (for reference, Jon Snow is the 998th Lord Commander, so yes, a lot of time has passed). Legend has it the Night's King fell in love with a White Walker woman, took her as his bride, and ruled over one of the Watch's castles (the Nightfort) as a rebel of sorts, until an alliance of Northerners and Wildlings defeated him.
Author George R.R. Martin actually addressed the relationship between the show's Night King and the book's Night's King in a blog post in 2015: "As for the Night's King (the form I prefer), in the books he is a legendary figure, akin to Lann the Clever and Brandon the Builder, and no more likely to have survived to the present day than they have."
So yeah, according to Martin's own words, the Night King is an invention of the show, as the book's version is a figure from history who is no longer around in the present day. Whether the White Walkers in the books (or the "Others," as they're more commonly called) have a leader at all is something we might find out if George ever finishes the books.
And as for the Night King in the show? Hopefully we'll know more about him by the end of Season 8.
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