A new pair of Joy-Con controllers for Nintendo Switch will soon be available. On Twitter, Nintendo announced it is finally bringing the Splatoon 2-themed neon pink and green Joy-Cons to North America this month.
While the Splatoon 2 controllers have been available in Japan since the online shooter launched last summer, the only way Switch owners could purchase them in the US was as part of the Splatoon 2 Switch bundle. This marks the first time the Joy-Cons will be available as a standalone release. You can take a look at their packaging below.
Nintendo hasn't announced an exact release date for the Splatoon 2 Joy-Cons, but they'll be available in stores "later this month." Likewise, the company hasn't confirmed how much the controllers will cost, but they'll presumably carry the same price tag as other Joy-Con sets, which retail for $80. A Splatoon 2 Switch Pro Controller was also available for a limited time, though that has since been discontinued.
Nintendo has released several different Joy-Con colors for Switch since the console launched. Along with the standard grey and neon red and blue Joy-Cons, a neon yellow controller was released alongside the colorful fighting game Arms last June. Nintendo also released a pair of red Joy-Cons with Super Mario Odyssey back in October, though as was the case with the Splatoon 2 Joy-Cons, they have thus far only been available in the US as part of the Mario Odyssey Switch bundle. With any luck, they'll also get a standalone release sometime soon.
Even before Sons of Anarchy ended in 2014, creator Kurt Sutter talked about potential future shows set in that motorcycle-fueled universe. Now, one of those shows is actually becoming a reality.
Spoilers for the end of Sons of Anarchy follow.
Mayans MC, which is set after the death of Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) in the Sons of Anarchy timeline, has been ordered to series with a debut later in 2018. The new series will follow Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes (JD Pardo) as a prospect in the Mayans, a rival club to the Sons. The original show's cast is not expected to play a major rol--if any role at all.
According to a press release from FX, EZ has just been released from prison and now "must carve out his new outlaw identity in a town where he once was the golden boy who had the American Dream within his grasp." The series will be set on the border between California and Mexico.
Joining Pardo in the cast will be Edward James Olmos, Sarah Bolger, Clayton Cardenas, Richard Cabral, Michael Irby, Raoul Trujillo, Antonio Jaramillo, and Carla Baratta. Sutter will return to the universe as an executive producer on the series. He will be joined by Elgin James (Lowriders) and Norberto Barba (Preacher), who also directs the pilot--which was reshot in July.
"Kurt Sutter is a master storyteller and Mayans MC has the raw energy and intensity that are hallmarks of his signature style," FX President of Original Programming Nick Grad says in a statement. "Thanks to Kurt, co-creator Elgin James, and this amazing cast, Mayans MC builds on the legacy of Sons of Anarchy, taking it in a thrilling new direction that we can't wait for the world to see."
Though a specific release date has yet to be announced for Mayans MC, chances are the new series will debut in the fall.
For the first time in 2018, Destiny 2's mysterious merchant, Xur, has arrived in-game. As always, he has a selection of Exotic gear for sale in return for Legendary Shards, along with two of the other items he recently began selling. Below, we've laid out exactly where to find Xur and what he's offering up this week--and you won't need to own Curse of Osiris to pick up any of it.
For this appearance, Xur can be found on Io. To reach him, you'll want to spawn in at the Giant's Scar Landing Zone and jump on your sparrow. Head straight and just to the right, through the opening of the structure in front of you, and then follow the path to the left a short ways. Xur is just up the hill on the left, inside an otherwise nondescript cave.
In terms of what he's selling, as usual he has the Three of Coins, which boosts your likelihood of receiving an Exotic drop for four hours. (Keep in mind, a Three of Coins fix is on the way, as it doesn't currently affect everything that it should.) You can also pick up the pricey Fated Engram, which is guaranteed to net you an Exotic that you don't already own. Alternatively, he has an excellent Exotic fusion rifle, Merciless, which is absolutely worth picking up if you don't already own one. Each class also has one piece of Exotic armor available, all of which, like Merciless, are from the base game, and not Curse of Osiris. Here's the full Xur store lineup:
Young Ahamkara's Spine (Exotic Hunter Gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Mask of the Quiet One (Exotic Titan Helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Wings of Sacred Dawn (Exotic Warlock Chest Armor) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Fated Engram -- 97 Legendary Shards
Three of Coins -- 31 Legendary Shards
This selection of gear will be available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One from now until the weekly reset takes place on January 9. Also available until then is the ongoing Dawning event, which provides some new things to do and new gear to collect. Destiny 2 recently saw the release of a small update which re-opened Iron Banner and Faction Rally events to all players, including non-DLC owners. News is expected soon about the next occurrences of both events.
Along with revealing new details about Monster Hunter World during a Japanese livestream today, Capcom announced a slate of new accessories and merchandise themed around the upcoming game. These include a special Monster Hunter PlayStation 4 controller and console bundles--though sadly, they've only been confirmed for Japan thus far.
Coinciding with the launch of Monster Hunter World later this month, Capcom is releasing a special Rathalos Edition DualShock 4 controller for PS4. The limited-edition controller costs 6,480 yen (roughly $57) and comes in red with a Rathalos wing pattern on its grips. You can take a look at images of the Rathalos Edition DualShock 4 below.
In addition to the limited-edition controller, Capcom has announced a pair of Monster Hunter World PS4 bundles, which will likewise launch alongside the game later this month. The Monster Hunter World Starter Packs include either a black or white 500 GB PS4, as well as a copy of the game. Each Starter Pack bundle retails for 35,980 yen (about $318).
Capcom revealed many new details about Monster Hunter World during today's livestream. The publisher shared a new trailer (above) for the game showcasing the returning Elder Dragons and other new monsters that players will encounter. Additionally, Capcom announced a third PS4 beta for Monster Hunter World will take place later this month, on January 18. It will feature the same two environments and three monsters as the previous two PS4 betas, along with one new monster to hunt: the Nergigante.
Capcom has indicated on a number of occasions that it will support Monster Hunter World with free post-release downloadable content. That includes the addition of new monsters to hunt, the first of which we now have some details about.
With World's release coming up in a few weeks, Capcom reiterated today that it has plans for "regular content updates, as well as major title updates for free." What it describes as the "first major title update" will launch at some point this spring. It introduces the Deviljho to the game, a monster we've seen in a number of previous entries that will feature some differences in World.
"The Deviljho must feed constantly and will devour anything in its way, even feeding on the largest of monsters with its massive jowls," Capcom explained. "This wild beast really is one for only the bravest of hunters to take on."
Those eager to get their hands on Monster Hunter World will be able to sample it once again as part of a final beta test for the upcoming game. Unlike the second beta that ran in December, this one will introduce some new content, but it'll unfortunately once again be limited to PlayStation 4.
Capcom announced the third and final beta test today, which will run just days before the game's full release. The PS4 beta begins at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on January 18, or 2 AM GMT on January 19. It concludes on January 21 (or 22) at the same time.
Monster Hunter World's first beta was conducted in early December, exclusively for PlayStation Plus subscribers on PS4. A second beta followed later in the month for all PS4 owners consisting of the same two areas and three monsters to hunt: the Great Jagras, Anjanath, and Barroth. All of that will be present in this final beta, but you'll also get to square off against World's flagship monster, the Nergigante.
Nergigante is an Elder Dragon and the monster featured on World's box art. The full game also sees the return of several other Elder Dragons, as well as the introduction of some new ones, which are showcased in World's new trailer.
With Monster Hunter World's console launch quickly approaching, Capcom continues to announce new details about the anticipated action game. During a Japanese livestream today, the publisher shared a new trailer that showcased some of the monsters that players will encounter in the game, including the fearsome Elder Dragons.
The trailer, which you can watch above, provides a glimpse at two particularly intimidating Elder Dragons that will return in Monster Hunter World: Kushala Daora and Teostra, both of which originally appeared in Monster Hunter 2. Kushala Daora is a steel dragon whose body is covered in metal plates; it can create windstorms to ward hunters off. Teostra, meanwhile, is known as the flame king dragon; it lives in volcanic areas and can spew blazing fire.
In addition to the Elder Dragons, the new trailer provides a look at a new monster called the Dodogama. This wyvern-like creature spits explosive rocks at hunters thanks to its unique saliva. The trailer also showcases many of the monsters Capcom has already revealed, including the Barroth and Anjanath (both of which were featured in Monster Hunter World's recent beta), as well as the game's flagship monster, the Nergigante.
Wonder Woman was one of 2017's most successful movies, achieving strong reviews and huge box office results. It ended the year with a global gross of $821.8 million, and the sequel is set for a 2019 release. There was, however, one person who wasn't happy with the film--Avatar and Terminator director James Cameron. In August, Cameron criticised the movie, calling it a "step backwards" for strong female movie characters. Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot has now spoken about Cameron's comments, and explained why she didn't address them at the time.
"I didn't want to give him the stage," she told Entertainment Weekly. "First of all, I'm a big fan of his work. His movies are great. He was very innovative in many things that he did, and I've got nothing but great things to say about the creative and professional side of his work. When it happened, the timing of when it happened, he was promoting another movie of his. It was like he was looking for publicity and I just didn't want to give him the stage."
As Gadot states, Cameron's comments coincided with the announcement that he is producing the next Terminator movie, which will see the return of Linda Hamilton in the role as Sarah Connor. "All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood's been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided," he said. "She's an objectified icon, and it's just male Hollywood doing the same old thing. I'm not saying I didn't like the movie but, to me, it's a step backwards.
"Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!"
Although Gadot was reluctant to comment at the time, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins did offer a strong rebuttal to Cameron's criticism. "James Cameron's inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as, though he is a great filmmaker, he is not a woman," she said. "There is no right or wrong kind of powerful woman."
In related news, Jenkins recently hinted at what fans can expect from Wonder Woman 2 when it arrives in November 2019. She described it as a "funny and a great love story again [with] a couple of new unbelievable characters who I'm so excited about, who are very different than were in the last movie."
A very irritating Rainbow Six Siege exploit is finally getting fixed soon. The glitch allows players to become much harder to kill by equipping a ballistic shield onto Jager's head if they perform a series of button presses, and it has plagued the shooter for months.
Thankfully, Ubisoft has now said its internal tests of a fix for the bug have been successful, and it is "in the process of preparing a build to be deployed next week." The company said it did not yet have an exact date for the patch, but that it was targeting "earlier in the week."
However, this update will seemingly only come to PC players for the time being. Regarding a PS4 and Xbox One fix, the company stated, "There are aspects outside of our control that prevent us from being able to deploy a patch at this point in the year. As a result, we have included the fix in our next scheduled patch (mid-season reinforcements)." The latest season of Rainbow Six Siege DLC, Operation White Noise, launched in December, meaning the mid-season reinforcements update could be expected within the next couple of months.
After that, a third year of DLC for the multiplayer game will begin to roll out. Lots more content will arrive throughout the year, including new characters, maps, co-op events, and more. You can already buy the Year 3 season pass--it's available now for $30 / £25 / AU $45. Purchasers can expect a bunch of VIP benefits such as extra credits, customization options, and shop discounts. If you grab the pass before March 5, you'll also get a special Damascus Steel weapon skin, and if you owned the Year 2 pass, you'll receive an extra 600 credits. For more on the Tom Clancy game, meanwhile, check out our in-depth look at Rainbow Six Siege's astonishing comeback.
Overwatch's Mercy has been the subject of many changes over the past few months, and now developer Blizzard is changing her yet again. In the latest Public Test Realm update, the company has tweaked her Ultimate, Valkyrie, so it no longer makes her Resurrect ability instant, and it no longer gives a bonus Resurrect charge. In addition, Valkyrie's duration has been reduced from 20 seconds to 15 seconds, and the speed boost that the Ult grants to Guardian Angel has been cut in half.
Mercy has been subject to a number of changes recently, but Blizzard thought the hero's Valkyrie and Resurrect combination was still too strong. "Mercy's recent Resurrect changes have helped in allowing enemies to have more counter-play in dealing with her, but she was able to use Resurrect through Valkyrie enough to largely mitigate the impact of the previous changes," the company said in a forum post. "Additionally, we're toning back the amount of mobility Valkyrie provides through Guardian Angel and reducing its duration to overall reduce the power of this ability." The developer concluded by saying it will "likely be iterating on these changes in the coming weeks."
Elsewhere in the new update, Junkrat's Concussion Mine will now deal less damage to enemies far away from the explosion's center. Blizzard argues it had become "a bit too easy to throw out huge bursts damage in a large area," and that this tweak will still allow players to use his mines effectively, but also force them to be more accurate.
These changes are live now on the PTR, which you can check out if you own Overwatch on PC. However, be aware that these latest changes have not yet come to the live game (and may never arrive there), as Blizzard wants to continue experimenting before implementing anything.
Outside of the PTR, Overwatch has a new map and event coming "very soon," while a new hero is already in testing. The game's esports event also starts next week, and you can read more about that in our primer for everything you need to know about the Overwatch League.
With the success of Fox's X-Men movie franchise, it was only a matter of time before the Marvel mutants moved to the small screen. 2017 saw the premiere of two acclaimed shows, Legion and The Gifted. It has now been announced at the Television Press Association winter press tour that the latter will return for a second season.
The show's first season has enjoyed solid viewing figures, with an average of 8.3 million viewers across all platforms. However, Disney's recent $52 billion deal to acquire Fox's entertainment assets had cast some doubt over the future of Marvel-related shows such as The Gifted, as Fox's Marvel movie properties like X-Men and The Fantastic Four are expected to be integrated into Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition, Disney plans to launch its own streaming service in 2019 and it is likely that its Marvel properties will have a heavy presence there.
Despite this, The Gifted is remaining on Fox's broadcast network for at least one more season. It is also worth noting that unlike the X-Men movies, Marvel was involved with development of the TV show, as it retains some of the TV rights to the characters.
The Gifted stars Stephen Moyer, Amy Acker, Natalie Alyn Lind and Percy Hynes White, and focuses on a suburban couple who are forced to go on the run from government agents when they discover that their children are mutants. The showrunner is Matt Nix, who previously produced Burn Notice.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in September, Nix spoke about juggling the different creative forces involved with the show. "It's weirdly much better than you think and much worse than you think," he said. "My feeling truly about everyone involved in the process is that they all really care about this, and nobody's stupid. They have all been down this road and know how to deal with it. The thing for me is that everybody gives really smart input, so it's my job to square, like, four different kinds of notes.
"Fox, for example, is very respectful of the source material. It's incredibly important to them, and they are conscious of wanting to make a show for everybody. You don't want to just service one fandom. At the same time, Marvel very rightly is protecting their property, so they're saying, 'This is the way this works, this is how these powers work, this is who this character is historically in the comic books.'"
If you hadn't noticed, it is no longer 2017. And you know what that means: cheap video games! To celebrate the new year, Nintendo UK is discounting a number of Eshop titles on both Switch and 3DS.
Some big Switch games are included in the Happy New Year sale, including Nintendo's fighting game, Arms, which is 20% off at £40. 1-2-Switch, meanwhile, is down to £28--a 30% reduction on the standard Eshop price. More Switch games on offer include NBA 2K18 (£35.74), Flip Wars (£6.29), LA Noire (£33.74), WWE 2K18 (£33), and SteamWorld Dig 2 (£11). Plenty more titles are discounted in the sale; take a look at the full list here.
We check out the new Desert map and try to win some chicken dinners in Playerunknown's Battleground.
Find out what our friend Xur is selling this week in Destiny 2.
The demonic sorceress Enchantress joins the Injustice 2 roster.
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