This year's Star Wars Celebration kicked off in Orlando, Florida with a star-studded look back at 40 years of the blockbuster franchise. The discussion ended with a moving tribute to Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in the series and died in December last year.
Star Wars creator George Lucas and Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy spoke warmly about Fisher's impact on their lives, before Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd introduced a video tribute to her mother. Watch it below:
In his tribute to Fisher, Lucas explained what the actress brought to the character of Leia. "She played a part that was very smart, and she was having to hold her own against two big lugs, goofballs that were screwing everything up," he said. "She was the boss. It was her war and when I cast it, I said I want somebody young to play the part. I want somebody very young.
"When Carrie came in, she was that character. She was very strong, very smart, very funny, very bold, very tough, and there really wasn't much of a question. There are not very many people like her. They are one in a billion. For this particular part, it was absolutely perfect... she wore a dress through the whole thing, but she was the toughest in the group.
"At the same time she was fun to be with. She was very challenging in terms of pointing out that certain pieces of dialogue were a little hard to say. She was brilliant and obviously we will all miss her, but she will always be the princess who took command and never backed down. Never was in jeopardy. She was always helping the other guys get out of the messes they created. We'll all love her forever and ever."
The 40th anniversary panel was hosted by Warwick Davis, who played Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi. The event brought together many stars from the original and prequel trilogies, including Mark Hamill (Luke), Harrison Ford (Han), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Billy Dee Williams (Lando), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine), and Hayden Christensen (Anakin). There were also video messages from Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon Jinn) and Samuel L Jackson (Mace Windu).
GameSpot will be at Star Wars Celebration all weekend, so keep checking back for more coverage of the panels and events.
To celebrate the upcoming release of Prey, you can enter for a chance to wintwo (2) tickets for you and a friend to see Total Recall at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday, April 19th. Five (5) winners, plus their friends, will be chosen on Sunday, April 16th, and contacted via email. Winners will have to travel to the event at their own cost.
Perks: Attendees of the event will be able to play the game Prey, enjoy food/drinks, and get a chance to win a custom Prey Xbox One or PlayStation 4. This event is sponsored by Bethesda Softworks.
Where: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – City Point at House of Wax | 445 Albee Square West Brooklyn, NY 11201
When: Wednesday, April 19, 2017. The event starts at 5:00 pm ET and Total Recall begins at 8:00 pm ET.
The fuck, Fox! You can't play 2 characters in the same universe!! Josh Brolin was in Sicario and I was in Sabrina The Teenage Witch. pic.twitter.com/AQCRp1aWKg
As many fans have pointed out, Brolin is now playing two Marvel characters--Cable, and Thanos in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. However, it seems that Reynolds is less bothered about this, and more concerned with the less famous (but definitely "true") links between Brolin's gritty 2015 thriller Sicario and the 1996 teen comedy Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which co-starred a young Reynolds.
The casting of Cable had been the subject of much speculation over the past few months. Michael Shannon, Stranger Things' David Harbour, and Brad Pitt were all rumored to be in the running.
Rob Liefeld and Louise Simonson created Cable, describing him to The Hollywood Reporter as "the opposite of Deadpool: a man who is a leader and used to being obeyed, who is very controlled but with an aura of simmering violence." X-Men fans know him as the son of Cyclops, and a hero in his own right, and now one that will get his own live-action interpretation.
Bandai Namco, the publisher behind the Souls series and Tekken, is teasing a "new project." The company released a trailer today to show off the game, though save for some interesting art, we have very few clues as to what the title might be. The video ends with the tagline "PrepareToDine," which could be a reference to Dark Souls' oft-used "Prepare to die" slogan.
An official announcement is to follow on April 20, Bandai Namco said in a press release.
However, any potential link is unconfirmed, and it is unclear whether this teased game is to be a new entry in the Dark Souls series, a spinoff, or something else altogether.
Dark Souls III's final DLC chapter, The Ringed City, launched just last month. Our critic, Daniel Starkey, said it "ends a little too quickly … but that's a small knock against what's otherwise an exceptional send-off." Read his thoughts in our full The Ringed City review.
Expendables star Dolph Lundgren is joining the cast of Aquaman. It has been reported that the Swedish action hero will play a key role in the upcoming DC adventure, which is set for a 2018 release.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lundgren will play the role of King Nereus. The character is a relatively new addition to the DC universe, first appearing in a 2013 issue of the Aquaman comic book. Nereus is an exiled Atlantian and is the ruler of the kingdom of Xebel. He believes that Aquaman's bride Mera should be by his side, and wishes to kill the King of Atlantis.
Lundgren is best known for the three Expendables movies, and as well as his role as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. He also starred in the Universal Soldier series, and was the first actor to play the Punisher, in the 1989 movie about the Marvel antihero.
The film is directed by James Wan, who previously made Furious 7 and The Conjuring movies. Wan recently posted images of some spectacular potential locations for the film. It is set to start production in May.
Both Momoa and Heard will feature in this year's Justice League prior to Aquaman. Last month, director Zack Snyder revealed some vfx test footage of Aquaman's underwater lair--check it out here.
Nintendo also confirmed that the Switch version will support both online and local multiplayer. Eight players can play together online, while up to four can craft at once on the TV in split-screen or in tabletop mode.
In addition, Minecraft's Super Mario mash-up pack will also come to Switch, allowing you to explore blocky versions of Mushroom Kingdom-themed worlds alongside characters such as Luigi and Waluigi.
"To celebrate the launch of Nier: Automata, Square Enix would like to reprint the cult RPG Nier, on PS3," reads a message on the product page.
Square Enix is likely waiting to hit a certain number of orders before actually reprinting the title.
Nier proved to be somewhat divisive when it was launched for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010. While many criticized it for its bland visuals, it garnered some praise for its gameplay variety. Nier's soundtrack, story, and world proved to be its most memorable aspects, and a cult fandom has grown around them.
Its sequel, Nier: Automata, which was developed by Square Enix in partnership with Bayonetta studio Platinum Games, has been received much more favourably. In GameSpot's review it was awarded a 9/10, with Miguel Concepcion saying it "showcases Platinum Games' and Yoko Taro's unique blend of genius."
He continues: "Thanks to Platinum Games' knack for riveting and gratifying combat, Automata is Yoko Taro's most exciting game to date. The combat mechanics click after hurdling a low learning curve, and the end result is a skillful dance where balletic dodges complement wushu-inspired aggression.
"Moreover, this multi-ending trip is generously peppered with surprises and revelations, as well as easter eggs that call back to the first game and the Drakengard series from which Nier spun off."
Build-A-Bear announced today that the popular Charmander toy is coming back in stock at US stores this weekend. The plush toy was originally made available in December 2016.
The Charmander Build-A-Bear is in stock (with limited availability) on the retailer's website, while the make-your-own toy will arrive in US stores beginning this weekend.
The $61 online Charmander set comes with the plush itself, as well as a sound chip, a Great Ball hoodie, and a Lucario hoodie. Additionally, you get a Build-A-Bear-exclusive Pokemon trading card for Charmander. One thing to note is that the Lucario hoodie and sound chip are not sold in stores.
The make-your-own Charmander plush costs $28, while the Great Ball hoodie will go for $12.50. Click through the images in the gallery above to get a closer look at the Charmander Build-A-Bear.
The Charmander Build-A-Bear is the company's third Pokemon; the others are Pikachu and Eevee.
PlayStation has posted a pretty cool video interview in which Uncharted director Neil Druckmann speaks to Guerrilla Games managing director Hermen Hulst about Horizon: Zero Dawn.
Among other things, Hulst talks about how close Zero Dawn's final product is to the studio's original vision. The game stayed true for the most part, Hulst said, though early on Guerrilla played with the idea of the combat sticking more true to Killzone. "The very first prototype we did had Killzone M82 guns in it and you were firing your machine gun at these robotic dinosaurs," he says. Very quickly, this felt "weird," and Guerrilla changed directions in terms of combat.
Also in the interview, Druckmann himself mentions the fact that the Uncharted series actually started with more of a steampunk, open-world feel, which is pretty cool to think about.
The full interview is fascinating and eye-opening, with the two developers each offering nice, frank insight into the production of their games. Druckmann also shares his thoughts on Zero Dawn, praising in particular the game's gorgeous graphics. "You better believe I'm going to my team and saying, 'OK, [Zero Dawn] is the bar now. We have to top this,'" Druckmann said.
According to a Facebook post from an unofficial Powercolor page, the next series of AMD video cards--the RX 500 lineup--will be released on April 18. The post also showed a picture of Powercolor's "Red Devil" version of a new card. Several sites such as Videocardz.com and Wccftech have reported on this release date, and previously leaked the specifications of the new RX 500 series of cards. Photos of the cards from other vendors such as XFX and Gigabyte/Aorus have been revealed as well.
These reports also indicate that the RX 500 line will consist of four different versions: the RX 580, RX 570, RX 560, and RX 550. All cards are said to be based on the current Polaris architecture used in the RX 400 series. The RX 500 series will not feature the much anticipated Vega architecture, which is expected to come out later this year.
The following chart details the expected specifications--derived from the Wccftech report--of AMD's new cards:
Video Card
Boost Clock Speed
VRAM
Bus / Bandwidth
Estimated Price
RX 580
1340 MHz
4GB or 8GB
256-bit / 256 GB/s
$229 to $279 USD
RX 570
1244 MHz
4GB or 8GB
256-bit / 224 GB/s
$169 to $229 USD
RX 560
1287 MHz
2GB or 4GB
128-bit / 112 GB/s
$110 to $120 USD
RX 550
1300 MHz
2GB
64-bit / 56 GB/s
$99 USD
We reached out to AMD for comment on the release date and specifications, and will update this story with more details.
With Diablo III's latest playable character class, Necromancer, now available for beta testers, Blizzard has posted a roundup of all of his skills and abilities.
One thing to know up front is that Necromancer is still in beta, so Blizzard continues to make changes, some of which could be "substantial," the studio said in a blog post. Also, Legendary items specific to the Necromancer are not available for testers but are coming later.
Overall, the Necromancer has a "huge variety of skills," according to Blizzard. Some of the primary skills include Bone Spikes (can summon spikes from the ground), Siphon Blood (drains blood from an enemy), and Grim Scythe (slashes an enemy with a scythe to deal damage).
There is also a skill called Army of the Dead, which, as its name suggests, lets you enlist a skeletal army to fight alongside you, dealing 3000% weapon damage.
One of the Necromancer's passive abilities is called Swift Harvesting, and it increases the attack speed of Bone Spikes, Siphon Blood, and Grim Scythe by 15 percent. Another passive, Commander of the Dead, reduces the Essence cost of Command Skeletons and the cooldown for the Command Golem by 30 percent.
You can see a full rundown of the Necromancer's skills and abilities below, as posted by Blizzard.
The Necromancer class has been in development for "many months," Blizzard said. As mentioned, testers can try Necromancer now, but there is no date set yet for the full release.
PRIMARY
Bone Spikes
Base Skill (Physical)
Generate: 24 Essence.
Summon bone spikes from the ground dealing 150% weapon damage per second.
Sudden Impact (Physical)
Bone spikes stun enemies for 1 second.
Path of Bones (Physical)
Now unleashes a line of spikes that deals 100% weapon damage. Damage is increased by up to 100% for those further away.
Bone Pillars (Poison)
Instead strikes the target and up to two nearby enemies with large bone pillars for 150% weapon damage.
Frost Spikes (Cold)
Leaves a frost patch that reduces the movement speed by 60% for 2 seconds.
Blood Spikes (Physical)
Enemies bleed for 50% weapon damage over 2 seconds and heal you for 0.5% of your total life over the duration.
Siphon Blood
Base Skill (Physical)
Generate: 15 Essence each time damage is dealt.
Siphon the blood from the targeted enemy dealing 300% weapon damage.
Siphon Blood heals you for 2% of your total health every second while channeled.
Suppress (Cold)
Enemies are also slowed by 75%.
Purity of Essence (Physical)
Essence gained is increased to 20 while you are at full health.
Drain Life (Physical)
Increases the amount of health restored to 6% but no longer restores Essence.
Power Shift (Poison)
Damage is increased by 10% each time damage is dealt. Max 10 stacks.
Blood Sucker (Physical)
You pull in all health globes within 40 yards while siphoning.
Grim Scythe
Base Skill (Physical)
Generate: 12 Essence per enemy hit
Slash with a summoned Scythe in front of you dealing 150% weapon damage as Physical.
Blood Scythe (Physical)
Heal for 1% of your health per enemy hit.
Execution (Physical)
Enemies below 20% health have a 5% chance to be decapitated and instantly killed.
Frost Scythe (Cold)
Each enemy hit increases your attack speed by 1% for 5 seconds. Max 15 stacks.
Dual Scythes (Physical)
Slash with two summoned Scythes in front of you dealing 150% weapon damage as Physical and push enemies together.
Cursed Scythe (Poison)
Enemies hit by the scythe have a 15% chance to be inflicted with a random curse.
SECONDARY
Death Nova
Base Skill (Poison)
Cost: 20 Essence
Unleash a Nova that deals 350% weapon damage to all enemies within 25 yards.
Tendril Nova (Physical)
Now heals you for 1% of your health per target hit and reduces damage dealt to 225%.
Bone Nova (Physical)
Spines radiate outward and deal 475% weapon damage within 12 yards.
Blood Nova (Physical)
Spend 10% health to unleash a Blood Nova that deals 450% weapon damage to all nearby enemies within 25 yards.
Blight (Poison)
Leave a lingering patch of blight on the ground slowing enemies by 60% and causing them to deal 15% less damage for 1 second.
Unstable Compound (Poison)
Each cast increases the radius of your next Nova by 5 yards up to 2 times.
Bone Spear
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 20 Essence
Summon a piercing bone projectile that causes 450% weapon damage to all enemies it passes through.
Crystallization (Cold)
Each enemy hit has their attack speed reduced by 20% and your attack speed is increased by 3% for 3 seconds stacking up to 10 times.
Shatter (Physical)
Instead of piercing now detonates on the first enemy hit dealing 450% to all enemies within 15 yards.
Blighted Marrow (Poison)
Damage is increased by 15% for each enemy Bone Spear passes through.
Blood Spear (Physical)
Bone Spear turns into Blood Spear. Damage is increased to 518% weapon damage at the cost of 10% health.
Teeth (Physical)
Launches 5 razor sharp teeth that deal 300% weapon damage.
Skeleton Mage
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 40 Essence
Raise a skeleton from the ground to attack your foes dealing 400% weapon damage per attack. Lasts 6 seconds.
Gift of Death (Physical)
Risen Skeletons leave a corpse behind when they die or expire.
Singularity (Physical)
Consumes all Essence to summon a powerful minion. The minion's damage is increased by 3% for every point of Essence consumed.
Life Support (Physical)
Risen Mages cost 10% health to cast but lasts an additional 2 seconds.
Contamination (Poison)
Raise a contaminated mage that channels an aura of decay for 175% weapon damage for its duration.
Skeleton Archer (Cold)
Raise a Skeleton Archer that deals 400% weapon damage.
Skeleton Archers increase your attack speed by 3% for 5 seconds each time they deal damage. Max 10 stacks.
BLOOD & BONE
Bone Armor
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 10 Essence
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Rip bones from nearby enemies, dealing 150% weapon damage, and create armor that reduces damage taken by 3% per enemy hit up to a maximum of 10 enemies. Bone Armor lasts 60 seconds.
[Placeholder] Increased Damage (Physical)
Damage dealt to enemies is increased by 200%.
[Placeholder] Immunity (Physical)
Your armor absorbs all incoming damage for 5 seconds and grants immunity to all control impairing effects.
Dislocation (Physical)
Enemies hit are also stunned for 2 seconds.
Thy Flesh Sustained (Physical)
Cost: 20% Health
Increases your Life per Second by 10% per target hit.
Reap of Anguish (Physical)
Bone Armor also increases your movement speed by 1% for each enemy hit.
Bone Spirit
Base Skill (Physical)
Launch a Bone Spirit that will seek enemies. Deals 4000% damage on impact.
You gain a charge every 15 seconds and can store up to 3 charges. Recharge time is reduced by 1 second for each corpse you consume.
Possession (Physical)
Bone Spirit will now charm the target for 10 seconds at the cost of 10% health.
Panic Attack (Poison)
Enemies within 10 yards are feared for 2 seconds when Bone Spirit detonates.
Poltergeist (Cold)
Increases the maximum number of charges to 4.
Unfinished Business (Cold)
Bone Spirit explodes dealing 1250% weapon damage to all enemies within 10 yards on detonation.
Astral Projection (Cold)
Damage is increased by 15% for each enemy that Bone Spirit passes through while seeking its target.
Blood Rush
Base Skill (Physical)
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Cost: 5% Health
Shed your mortal flesh and reappear up to 50 yards away.
Transfusion (Physical)
Heals for 2% of your maximum health for every enemy passed through.
Hemostasis (Physical)
Removes the health cost.
Metabolism (Physical)
Blood Rush now has 2 charges, but its health cost is doubled.
Potency (Physical)
Increases your armor by 100% for 2 seconds after casting.
Molting (Physical)
Leaves a corpse at your original location when used.
Simulacrum
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 50% Health
Cooldown: 120 seconds
Create a Simulacrum made of blood that will duplicate your Essence Spenders for 15 seconds.
Reservoir (Physical)
Your maximum Essence is increased by 100% while your Simulacrum is active.
Cursed Form (Physical)
While active, your curse skills now apply all three curses.
[Placeholder] Blood Debt (Physical)
Life costs for skills are reduced by 75% while Simulacrum is active.
Blood and Bone (Physical)
Now also creates a Simulacrum of Bone, but the duration is reduced to 10 seconds.
Self Sacrifice (Physical)
If you would die with a Simulacrum active, instead the Simulacrum is destroyed and you are fully healed.
REANIMATION
Land of the Dead
Base Skill (Physical)
Cooldown: 120 seconds
All corpse skills can be used at will for 5 seconds.
Invigoration (Physical)
Your skills do not cost Essence while Land of the Dead is active.
Frozen Lands (Cold)
Enemies in the Land of the Dead are periodically frozen.
Plaguelands (Poison)
Land of the Dead deals up to 5,000% weapon damage to enemies over its duration.
Land of Plenty (Physical)
You are healed for 2% of your maximum life whenever you kill an enemy while Land of the Dead is active.
Shallow Graves (Physical)
Every 10 enemies killed extends the duration by 1 second up to a maximum of 2 seconds.
Command Skeletons
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 50 Essence
Active: Command your skeletal minions to attack the target and increase their damage by 50% for 5 seconds.
Passive: Raise skeletons from the ground every 2 seconds to a max of 7 skeletons. Skeletal minions deal 50% weapon damage per attack.
Enforcer (Physical)
Reduces the active Essence cost to 25.
Dark Mending (Physical)
Skeletal minions will heal you for 0.5% of your total health per hit while being commanded.
Freezing Grasp (Cold)
The target of your command is frozen for 3 seconds.
Kill Command (Poison)
Now commands your skeletons to explode, dealing 80% weapon damage to enemies within 15 yards.
Frenzy (Physical)
Commanded skeletons go into a frenzy, gaining 25% increased attack speed for the duration.
Command Golem
Base Skill (Poison)
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Active: Command the Golem to the targeted location where it collapses into a pile of 5 corpses.
Passive: Raise a Flesh Golem to fight for you. Flesh Golem deals 450% weapon damage per attack.
Bone Golem (Physical)
Active: The Golem becomes a tornado of bone carrying all nearby enemies to the targeted location and rooting them in place for 2 seconds.
Blood Golem (Physical)
Active: The Golem sacrifices itself healing you for 25% of your health and reconstructs at the targeted location. As the Golem reconstructs, veiny tendrils damage nearby enemies for 450% weapon damage.
Flesh Consuming Golem (Poison)
Active: The Golem consumes corpses at the targeted location increasing its damage by 30% per corpse.
Decay Golem (Poison)
Active: Command the Golem to the targeted location where it collapses into a pile of 8 corpses.
Ice Golem (Cold)
Active: Command the Golem to the targeted location where it freezes enemies for 3 seconds and increases their chance to be critically struck by 10% for 10 seconds.
Army of the Dead
Base Skill (Physical)
Cooldown: 120 seconds
Raise a massive skeletal army to pummel the targeted location dealing 3000% weapon damage in a 15 yard radius.
Catatonic Grasp (Poison)
Hands raise from the ground and immobilize enemies in place for 5 seconds.
Frozen Army (Cold)
Weapon damage increased to 3600% and they attack all enemies in a line.
Unconventional Warfare (Physical)
Skeletons will rise from the ground and attack random targets for 4 seconds.
[Placeholder] Death Valley (Physical)
The skeletal army knocks all effected enemies towards the center.
Dead Storm (Physical)
Raise a storm of the dead that surround you damaging enemies for 2000% weapon damage over 5 seconds.
CURSES
Decrepify
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 10 Essence
A crippling curse that reduces the enemy units' movement speed by 75% and reduces damage done by 20% for 30 seconds.
Opportunist (Physical)
Gain a 3% movement speed increase for every enemy cursed.
Borrowed Time (Physical)
Gain 1% cooldown reduction for every enemy cursed.
Wither (Physical)
Damage reduction increased to 30%, but no longer reduces movement speed.
Dizzying Curse (Physical)
Cursed enemies have a 10% chance to be stunned for 2 seconds when hit.
Enfeeblement (Physical)
Increase the potency of the movement speed reduction for the first 5 seconds.
Frailty
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 10 Essence
A crippling curse that kills enemies with less than 15% health. Lasts 30 seconds.
[Placeholder] Essence Return (Physical)
Gain 2 essence when a cursed enemy dies.
Volatile Death (Physical)
Cursed enemies explode for 100% weapon damage on death.
Scent of Blood (Physical)
Cursed enemies take 15% increased damage from your minions.
Aura of Frailty (Physical)
Becomes an aura that curses all enemies within 15 yards.
The range of this effect is increased by 50% of your gold pickup radius.
Early Grave (Physical)
Triggers at 18% life but costs 10% of your life.
Leech
Base Skill (Physical)
Cost: 10 Essence
Curse the target area. Cursed enemies have a chance to heal the attacker when they are struck for 1% of their total health. Lasts 30 seconds.
Transmittable (Physical)
Enemies that die while cursed will spread the curse to a nearby unaffected target.
Sanguine End (Physical)
Whenever a cursed enemy dies, you are healed for 200% of your Life per Kill.
Cursed Ground (Physical)
Now curses the ground, healing you for 0.5% of your maximum life every second for each enemy in the cursed area.
Blood Flask (Physical)
Whenever a cursed enemy dies your potion cooldown is reduced by 1 second.
Osmosis (Physical)
Each cursed enemy increases your life regeneration by 751 per second.
CORPSES
Corpse Explosion
Base Skill (Physical)
Target an area exploding all corpses within 11 yards dealing 150% weapon damage to enemies within 20 yards.
Final Embrace (Physical)
Corpses pull themselves towards the nearest enemy before exploding, but Corpse Explosion now costs 3% life per corpse.
Close Quarters (Poison)
Now explodes corpses close to you, dealing 200% weapon damage to enemies within 20 yards.
Bloody Mess (Physical)
Explosion radius is increased to 25 yards.
Dead Cold (Cold)
Freeze all enemies caught in the explosion for 2 seconds.
Shrapnel (Poison)
Corpses now explode away from you, hitting all targets in a cone.
Corpse Lance
Base Skill (Physical)
Target an enemy to summon projectiles from nearby corpses that cause 750% weapon damage to the target.
Brittle Touch (Cold)
Enemies become brittle increasing their chance to be crit by 5% for 5 seconds each time they are hit with Corpse Lance.
Blood Lance (Physical)
Spend 5% of your total health to launch an additional lance from yourself towards the target that deals 250% weapon damage.
Visceral Impact (Physical)
Stuns the target for 3 seconds.
Shredding Splinters (Poison)
Each lance slows the target by 10% and reduces its damage by 6% for 10 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times.
Ricochet (Physical)
Corpse Lance has a 20% chance to ricochet to one additional target.
Devour
Base Skill (Physical)
Consume corpses within 60 yards to restore 10 Essence per corpse.
Ruthless (Physical)
Additionally consumes your minions for 10 Essence per minion killed.
Voracious (Physical)
Reduces all Essence costs by 2% for each corpse consumed for 5 seconds.
Devouring Aura (Physical)
Becomes an aura that consumes all corpses within 15 yards to restore 11 Essence per corpse.
The range of this effect is increased by 50% of your gold pickup radius.
Satiated (Physical)
Increases maximum life by 2% for 2 seconds for each corpse devoured.
Cannibalize (Physical)
Each corpse consumed also restores 3% health.
Revive
Base Skill (Physical)
Target an area reviving up to 10 corpses within 20 yards for 15 seconds.
Oblation (Physical)
Increases the damage of revived creatures by 20% but each Revive now costs 3% health.
Personal Army (Physical)
Damage taken is reduced by 1% for each revived minion active.
Recklessness (Cold)
Revived minions deal an additional 150% damage but last 6 seconds. Damage dealt is turned into Cold.
[Placeholder] Horrific Return (Poison)
When you revive a corpse, enemies within 20 yards run in fear for 3 seconds.
Purgatory (Physical)
Revived minions degenerate back into a usable corpse at the end of their duration.
PASSIVES
Fueled by Death
Consuming a corpse increases your run speed by 3% for 5 seconds.
Life from Death
Consuming a corpse has a 20% chance to spawn a Health Globe.
Stand Alone
Increase Armor by 100%, reduced by 10% for each active minion.
Bone Prison
Bone Spear, Bone Spikes, and Bone Spirit have a 10% chance to trap enemies in a Bone Prison for 3 seconds.
Commander of the Dead
The Essence cost of Command Skeletons and the cooldown of Command Golem are reduced by 30%.
Swift Harvesting
Increase the attack speed of Bone Spikes, Siphon Blood, and Grim Scythe by 15%.
Aberrant Animator
Your minions gain 200% of your Thorns.
Eternal Torment
Your curses cost 50% less Essence and last forever.
Blood for Blood
Picking up a health globe removes the health cost of the next Blood spell. This effect can stack up to 3 times.
Blood is Power
Every 5% health lost will reduce all remaining cooldowns by 1%.
Draw Life
Increases your Health Regen by 10% for each enemy within 20 yards.
Extended Servitude
Increase the duration of your Skeletal Mage and Revive minions by 25%.
Final Service
If you would take lethal damage instead all minions are consumed and heal you for 10% of your health. This effect cannot occur more than once every 60 seconds.
Grisly Tribute
You are healed for 10% of your Life on Hit when one of your minions hits an enemy.
Overwhelming Essence
Increase your maximum Essence by 40.
Rathma's Shield
You cannot lose life for 4 seconds after using Land of the Dead, Army of the Dead, and Simulacrum.
Reaping
While using a scythe gain 1% Essence and Life per kill.
Rigor Mortis
Blight abilities also slow enemies by 30% and reduce their attack speed by 15% for 5 seconds.
Serration
Bone Spikes, Bone Spear, and Bone Spirit deal 1% increased damage for every 2 yards between you, up to a maximum of 15%.
This was spotted by Reddit user Lord_Daenar (via DualShockers). The art for the supposed bundle has raised some eyebrows, considering its box shows a Switch with grey Joy-Cons on the front and neon controllers on the side. GameSpot has contacted Nintendo in an attempt to get more details.
The Russian store page says the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe bundle will cost 24,999 RUB, which comes out to around $440 USD. Bear in mind that this bundle is only rumored for now, and if it is real, it could be limited to a particular region. We'll report back with more details as they're made available.
Given that Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's biggest, most recognizable brands, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Nintendo put it into a bundle to help sell Nintendo Switch units. The were Mario Kart bundles for the Wii and Wii U as well, featuring the games Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8.
In other Nintendo news, the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast was held today. You can see a roundup of all the game release date announcements and other news right here.
Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan has responded to concerns about "smurfing," which is when a high-level player creates a secondary account for the purpose of steamrolling new players.
In a forum thread titled "Smurfing is cheating. Stop downplaying it," Kaplan shared what he thought would be an unpopular opinion. "Smurfing--and I know this isn't what you want to hear--isn't really that big of an issue," he said (via PC Gamer).
To back up his point, Kaplan said a professional Overwatch player created a "smurf" account a few weeks ago and used that second account for livesteams. Blizzard watched this player's internal matchmaking rating (MMR) and compared it against his "main" account. What Blizzard found was that this player needed just 15 matches to reach the MMR for their main account.
"I know there is a very bad perception of Smurfing. But the reality is, skilled players are moved rapidly out of lower skill situations," Kaplan said.
The director went on to say that not every instance of perceived smurfing is in fact genuine.
"I've also personally witnessed a few cases of players assuming someone is smurfing when they are not," Kaplan said. "One of the people I play with is highly skilled. He played a ton in the beta. He works on the Heroes of the Storm team and plays Heroes most nights. But occasionally he comes and plays Overwatch with us because he really enjoys the game. As a result, he is way lower level than we are. Most of us are 3-5 stars... and he is about level 30. Every time we group with him, someone accuses him of being a smurf. But he's not."
Kaplan's forum post also covers "boosting," which is when, in Competitive Play, one highly skilled player tries to "carry" their lower-skilled partner player to help them hit a higher skill rank. This is a real issue, and Blizzard is looking into ways to address it, Kaplan said.
"Boosting is bad and we are very actively working on preventing and punishing this behavior," he explained. "Rules like the 500 SR differential in Comp above Diamond exist because of Boosting. There is nothing about Boosting that is acceptable and we want you to know that we are taking great efforts to minimize the impact on 'fair' players."
Finally, Kaplan assured Overwatch players that Blizzard is constantly looking for "deviant behavior," and stressed that the studio will take action in situations that call for it.
It sounds like it's in the vein of Supercell's Clash Royale, as Brawl of Ages aims is a card-battling game that aims to combine the "quick competitiveness and on-the-fly strategy of the collectible card arena genre with the customization and personalization only possible in a PC game."
Brawl of Ages offers "simple core gameplay," though S2 Games stresses that it also includes "endless strategic options."
"As we developed Brawl of Ages and took feedback from the closed beta, we were inspired by several RTS, MOBA, RPG, and Tower Defense games as we wanted to hit the key features of these games with none of the drawbacks typically found in these genres," S2 Games CEO Marc DeForest said. "Brawl of Ages was designed with casual and competitive gamers in mind so players can quickly enjoy an intense action-strategy game or dig deeper and create unique decks and strategies as they rank up over time."
Like Blizzard's massively popular Hearthstone, Brawl of Ages lets you build a deck of cards from across a "broad selection of unique card types." After putting a deck of 10 cards together, two players go head-to-head in battles where each player tries to take down their opponent's base.
There are three modes available in Brawl of Ages, including Ladder, Conquest, and Brawl Club. You can learn more about these and more items at the Brawl of Ages Steam page.
Like other free-to-play games, Brawl of Ages features microtransactions. The full launch is scheduled for later this year, and there will be new "features, modes, and other content" in the final edition.
Microsoft's deal with Porsche, as announced on Xbox Wire, is good for six years. Microsoft and Porsche will "collaborate on a suite of co-branded initiatives for Porsche and the Forza franchise."
This begins with the Forza Horizon 3 Porsche Car Pack, which launches today on Xbox One and PC. It includes a series of Porsches, including classics like the 1960 718 RS 60 and newer ones like the 2017 Panamera.
Additionally, Microsoft has announced the Forza Racing Championship Season 3: The Porsche Cup, which is an esports event. Anyone can register here at this registration page.
"We entered this premium partnership with Porsche as a result of their shared passion for sports cars and motorsport," Turn 10 studio head Alan Hartman said in a statement. "Porsche has a rich history of motorsport which combined with Turn 10's unrivaled position in digital racing entertainment has formed the basis for a new and exciting form of seamlessly integrated racing entertainment.
"The partners are working to develop and launch new ways to combine driving experiences, racing schools, and dominant motorsport successes with Forza's regular cadence of high-quality game experiences, content, and events. Our six-year partnership is starting off strong with ForzaRC, and we can't wait to show everyone what else we have planned."
Also in the announcement, Microsoft revealed a stat that speaks to how big the Forza series continues to be. According to Microsoft, "over four million players race in Forza each month."
The developer said it is aware that some players may be concerned about how players on one platform might have an advantage of those on the other. It seems pretty clear that people using a keyboard and mouse setup would have the upper hand.
Thankfully for console players, cross-play for ranked matches won't be forced. On Xbox One, players can choose to play with or without Windows 10 players in Core and Competitive playlists. On Windows 10, there won't be a toggle available, however. "As we want to make sure Windows 10 players can experience any Ranked Playlist, the toggle will not be available on Windows 10," The Coalition said.
The Social, Competitive War Up, and Special Events playlists always support crossplay for Xbox One and PC.
The new ranked crossplay toggle on Xbox One will be available later this year, though a specific date has not been announced yet.
Also in the post, The Coalition said Windows 10 players have reported that it's been "increasingly difficult" to find matches in the Core and Competitive playlists. Not only should the new cross-play with Xbox One feature help improve this, but more immediately, The Coalition has changed up some of its playlists to improve the situation. This is the playlists as of today:
Social (Crossplay)
Core
TDM or KOTH (Rotates Weekly)
Competitive
Competitive Warm Up (Crossplay)
Escalation
Given that there are fewer playlists for Gears of War 4 on Windows 10 now, the Ranked And Filed and Seriously 4.0 achievements can't be earned (you need to place in all playlists to get them). The Coalition is addressing this in the game's May update, as "both of these achievements will be updated for players on both platforms to only require placement in one Core and one Competitive playlist."
The first round of the Quake Champions closed beta has come to an end, but the wait to play again won't be long. Bethesda has confirmed that the second round begins tomorrow, April 13. An email sent to testers confirms the specific start time tomorrow: 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET.
Players who got into the first wave of the beta automatically get access to this second one and all future tests. If you haven't received a code yet, you may want to check your email, as another wave of beta codes have now been sent out. You can sign up for the beta right here.
Champions! We've just sent a new batch of invites for Closed Beta -- the next test event begins tomorrow. Please check your email! #Quakepic.twitter.com/poMbAGU9ef
Progress from the first Quake Champions beta test does not move with you to the second one. To ease the transition, Bethesda is giving players 500 Platinum for the second beta.
The beta requires players to agree to a non-disclosure agreement, meaning they cannot post gameplay or images from it or talk about it anywhere outside of the forums designated for testers.
During today's Nintendo Direct presentation, the developer revealed the fast-approaching release date for Splatoon 2: July 21
The full gameplay breakout is at the top of this story, but Nintendo also showed off a few more details about the game. Splatoon 2 will include a "horde mode"-like arena called Salmon Run. In this mode, you'll team up with friends to take down waves of enemies and try to collect salmon eggs.
In addition, Splatoon 2 will launch alongside three new Amiibo variatons. The new Inkling Boy, Inkling Girl, and Squid will allow you to save outfits and quickly swap your loadout when you join a friend on someone else's system.
In light of the Windows 10 Creators Update, AMD released a new version of its graphics driver and software suite: Radeon Crimson ReLive 17.4.2.
The Windows 10 Creators Update includes Game Mode, which focuses the system's resources on the game that it's running. In theory, this should help in-game performance and improve frames per second. AMD claims that Game Mode and the new Radeon drivers should provide a two to five percent boost in performance.
According to AMD, high dynamic range (HDR) can now be enabled in all applications along with the Creators Update, as long as the monitor in use supports HDR. This is also implemented in anticipation of AMD FreeSync 2 monitors that will be available in the near future. As for games, AMD stated, "If a game now supports HDR, the game will now benefit from these enhanced visuals, even in fullscreen, borderless fullscreen and windowed mode."
Another perk of the Creators Update is built-in streaming through Beam, increasing its ease-of-use. Beam is accessed through the Game Bar by pressing the Windows key + G and activating the program. One of the advantages of Beam is its low latency, making interaction between streamers and an audience easier.
According to AMD's release notes, Crimson ReLive 17.4.2 addresses the following issues:
SteamVR Asynchronous Reprojection feature may not function or enable correctly on supported hardware.
Battlefield 1 may experience poor scaling in Multi GPU mode using DirectX 11 API.
Radeon ReLive may experience flickering when recording with an extended display connected on Windows 7 system configurations.
Application profiles in Radeon Settings may fail to retain after system log off or reboot for some gaming applications.
Windows Security popup may be experienced after install and reboot on some Hybrid Graphics system configurations.
AMD also made note of known issues, which include the following:
Radeon WattMan may fail to apply settings on some Radeon R9 390 series graphics products.
Radeon Settings may crash on switching Windows® user after toggling AMD CrossFire technology mode.
A small amount of apps may still experience issues with Borderless Fullscreen mode and AMD FreeSync technology if other applications or game launchers are running on the primary screen in the background.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and World of Warcraft may experience flickering or performance issues the first time the game is launched on a system boot with AMD FreeSync technology enabled. Workarounds include exiting and restarting the application or task switching (alt+tab) in and out of the game to fix the issue.
During today's Nintendo Direct, in addition to the promised new details about Arms and Splatoon 2, we also received a downpour of new information about game release dates and details for the Nintendo Swtich.
Here's a quick recap:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | April 28 -- Nintendo says this will have more characters, carts, and tracks unlocked from the beginning than any other Mario Kart game (which is a good idea, given this is a re-release).
Ultra Street Fighter II | May 26 -- Will include an HD graphics mode as well as an original pixelated graphics setting.
Includes two new fighters: Evil Ryu and Violent Ken
Minecraft | May 11
More Neo Geo games on the way, Samurai Shodown on the way to Switch next.
Sonic Forces | Holiday 2017
Sonic Mania | Summer
Project Mekkura | Summer 2017 (via the Nintendo eshop)
Fate/Extella | July 25
Disgaea 5 Complete | May 23
Puyo Puyo Tetris | Demo for the game is available on the Nintendo eshop now.
NetherRealm has released a new trailer for Injustice 2, this one focusing on the frightening fighter Scarecrow. He uses "chemistry and psychology to spread and study fear," according to his official description. The menacing monster also "plays on the fears of the unknown to inflict terror on his victims."
Scarecrow appeared in the first Injustice in a cameo role, but this time, he's a playable character (via Niche Gamer). Watch the trailer below and let us know in the comments what you think.
Nintendo promised new details about Arms during today's Direct presentation, and the developer delivered. The full Arms breakout is above, which details both a new character for the game (Minmin) as well as an in-depth explanation of how combat will work.
In addition to the Arms gameplay details, Nintendo also revealed that the game will launch on June 16. On that same day, we'll get two new Nintendo peripherals: a Neon Yellow joycon controller, and a Joycon battery pack adaptor (to give the handheld controllers a little more juice on the go. The name of the peripheral is apparently: AA Battery Pack.
Today's Nintendo Direct promised new details on Splatoon and Arms, but we also learned the release dates for a whole host of upcoming Nintendo 3DS games. Here's the full list:
Hey, Pikmin! | July 28 (A new Pikmin Amiibo will release the same day.)
Ever Oasis | June 23
Monster Hunter Stories | Fall 2017
Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Spectres -- Fall 2017 (Nintendo described this as the "definitive edition" of the game.)
Culdecept Revolot | August 29
RPG Maker FES | June 27 (The game will include Disgaea crossover characters and will allow other players to try out your gaming creations whether or not they own the full game.)
Miitopia | "Later this year"
Kirby Clash Deluxe | Available now
Kirby's Blowout Blast | Summer 2017
Bye-Bye Box Boy | Available now
We already knew Fire Emblem Echoes was going to come out on May 19, but Nintendo confirmed that the game will also have both free and paid DLC.
Previously announced Amiibo Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta are still on the way, and due out on July 21, but Nintendo also dropped details about new Zelda-themed Amiibo coming even earlier during today's Nintendo Direct.
On June 23, Nintendo will launch three versions of Link modeled after different The Legend of Zelda games: Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. While the presentation didn't include any further details about about what use the figures will have, it's likely that they'll unlock the final Zelda-themed costumes in Breath of the Wild.
Today's Nintendo Direct presentation will primarily focused on the upcoming titles Splatoon and Arms, and here's a breakdown of all the biggest announcements.
If you'd like to watch the entire US presentation yourself and experience if first-hand, just check out the embedded video above!
While Nintendo had a lot of announcements, this does leave a lot for E3 2017. What do you most want to see revealed this June? Let us know in the comments below!
Microsoft will offer refunds for digital game purchases through Xbox Live across Xbox One and PC, according to an image of an upcoming update posted on Reddit.
Information on the refund program was issued to those participating in the Xbox Insider Program, which allows members to test new features before they are made available to the wider Xbox community.
"You've spoken; we've listened," reads the message. "In support of offering gamers the freedom of choice, we're making changes to the Microsoft Store purchase experience by offering customers a simple way to instantly return digital products like games and apps through account.microsoft.com.
"When a game or app leaves you wanting more, we're here to help. Self-service refunds on Xbox One and Windows 10 provide a quick, simple way of returning a digital product."
Source: Reddit
Further details on the specifics of what content can be refunded and when were posted on NeoGAF. According to a second image, games are "eligible for self-service refunds within 14 days of purchase if you have less than 2 hours of play time across all accounts." However, "DLC, season passes, and add-ons are not eligible for self-service refunds."
Additionally, "the game or app must be downloaded and launched before requesting a self-service refund" and "you must wait for at least 1 day after the game or app's release before requesting a self-service refund."
Microsoft also states that "certain Windows 10 apps may not be eligible for self-service refunds" and it "reserves the right to block access for users who abuse self-service refunds."
Source: NeoGAF
This self-service approach to refunding digitally purchase content is uncommon on consoles. Neither Sony nor Nintendo currently offer a similar feature on their current consoles. On PC, however, Valve introduced a similar refund policy for Steam games in 2015, allowing users to return games and DLC within two weeks of purchase provided they haven't played the content for more than two hours.
Microsoft has steadily been introducing and tweaking Xbox Live features to make it a more robust gaming platform. In March it detailed Arena, which allows Xbox Live users to participate in tournaments together. Features such as Clubs and LFG have also been added to make it easier for communities to form around games and for people to find multiplayer groups.
Michael Shannon, Stranger Things' David Harbour, even Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt were rumored to be in the running, but now it looks like the role of Cable in Deadpool 2 will go to Josh Brolin.
The Oscar-nominated actor is no stranger to superhero movies; he's played the voice of Thanos in many Marvel Cinematic Universe films and will return again in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, due out next year. Now, The Hollywood Reporter says he is the official pick to play opposite Ryan Reynolds as he reprises his role in Deadpool's sequel.
Rob Liefeld and Louise Simonson created Cable, describing him to The Hollywood Reporter as "the opposite of Deadpool: a man who is a leader and used to being obeyed, who is very controlled but with an aura of simmering violence." X-Men fans know him as the son of Cyclops, and a hero in his own right, and now one that will get his own live-action interpretation.
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