Developer DICE has announced that Prise de Tahure--a Battlefield 1 map previously exclusive to owners of the Premium Pass or the They Shall Not Pass expansion--is going free for everyone. The map brings a tense, night-time urban setting and will be going free on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 16.
Starting the same day and ending January 22, base game owners will be able to sample some of the content from the They Shall Not Pass and In the Name of the Tsar expansions as part of the Turning Tides DLC's Gallipoli Trial. The event also grants access to some of the new content coming in Turning Tides, the second half of which launches this month.
Turning Tides is the third major DLC pack for Battlefield 1 to date, with the Apocalypse expansion coming "early" this year. EA and DICE say Apocalypse will include "the most infamous battles of WWI" and introduce the "brutal tools and unique weapons born out of desperation and deadlock."
AMC's zombie drama The Walking Dead is changing showrunners. It has been reported that Scott Gimple will leave the role he has occupied since 2013, and will be replaced by Angela Kang, who has previously worked on the show as a writer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gimple will now serve as chief content officer for the Walking Dead media franchise, which also includes the spin-off show Fear the Walking Dead, as well as "gaming and future brand extensions on a variety of platforms." Kang has worked on the show since 2011, and has written over 20 episodes. She will take over at the start of Season 9, which is expected to premiere in the fall.
This change of personnel comes at a time of falling ratings for The Walking Dead. The 7.9 million broadcast viewers of the mid-season finale last month was the lowest number since Season 2's in 2011. This is in comparison to the 10.58 million viewers that watched the mid-season of Season 7 in 2016, and nearly half of what the equivalent episode achieved for Season 5 in 2014.
Last month, producer David Alpert defended the show in light of its decline in viewers. He explained that looking at the figures for the show's live broadcast was misleading as to how popular it really is. "I don't think in any way the brand has lost its relevance in general," he said. "I think we're just seeing a decline in urgency across all media to consume something at a specific time. I still get people coming up to me at conventions talking about, they're in the middle of season six. They can't believe what's going on."
You can see the full January 2018 Games With Gold lineup below. February's games have not been announced as of yet, but we'll report back as soon as they are.
January 2018 Games With Gold
Xbox One
Back to the Future: The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition (December 16 - January 15)
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III (January 1-31)
A number of former Motorstorm and Driveclub developers have established a studio in Liverpool, England to work on a new science fiction-themed game. Called Wushu Studios, the team is headed up by Alan McDermott, with Nigel Kershaw serving as design director, and Stuart Trevor taking up the position of art director. The three have each worked on Motorstorm and Driveclub titles for Sony, as well as other projects for Deep Silver and Revolution Software.
Wushu has also been working with former BioWare concept artist Alex Figini, who contributed to Mass Effect 3. The studio is currently made up of 11 people and is "expanding ... with a goal of moving away from the AAA grind to create games with interesting mechanics, unique concepts, and to deliver fun, refreshing gameplay experiences."
As of yet, Wushu hasn't revealed its first game, but it has said it began prototyping the project in September 2017 using Unreal Engine 4. It said the game will provide a "tantalizing and unexpected take" on the sci-fi genre.
"Our core team at Wushu have worked together closely on numerous projects over the years so there was no downtime in figuring out how to work together, we just fell straight into a groove kicking around game ideas that appealed to us as players and developers," explained McDermott.
"We firmly believed in the idea that our initial concepts needed to be gamepad experiences as quickly as possible, so we turned to Unreal Engine for its amazing, rapid prototyping capabilities. This approach has helped us figure out which of our concepts would allow us to flex our creative muscle most. It's definitely not what people will be expecting to see from us; it's absolutely not a racing game!"
The Xbox One X--the most powerful console to date--is upon us, and Microsoft has released a full list of games that will feature Xbox One X enhancements. Aaron Greenberg first alluded to the list during a livestream at Gamescom 2017 and mentioned Quantum Break and Halo 5: Guardians as key games to receive optimizations, but there are many more.
Every game that receives Xbox One X enhancements will do so through free updates, which can include--but are not limited to--4K resolution (checkerboard or native), anisotropic filtering, HDR, and high-resolution textures. However, developers decide how their games take advantage of the more powerful hardware, so results may vary dramatically.
As of right now, more than 100 Xbox One games have Enhanced updates; check out the entire list of confirmed enhanced games below, from what's available now, to what's coming, and what's still in development.
Xbox One X promised to bring even more beautiful graphics to your favorite games, and it's been delivering. With over 100 titles and counting, Forza Horizon 3's update has joined the ranks, and is available now.
Microsoft says the update allows you to play Horizon 3 in "native 4K," including the Hot Wheels and Blizzard Mountain expansions. The patch contains a bunch of visual enhancements for Xbox One X, from "improved car reflections and shadow resolutions" to "improved texture detail for road and terrain surfaces" and more.
"These enhancements are all about the visuals," said developer Playground's creative director, Ralph Fulton. "We know that our fans really value great image quality, so we've taken this opportunity to deliver that to them with this update on Xbox One X. On top of the obvious enhancement to native 4K, there are a number of other improvements we've made which really take advantage of the added definition 4K brings. Reflections are sharper and clearer, environment shadows are crisper and better defined, the quality of motion blur has been increased to make the driving experience significantly smoother, and better anisotropic filtering improves the detail visible in environment textures, particularly on the roads themselves.
"For me, the biggest improvement is in the combination of 4K and HDR though, especially in Forza Horizon 3's dynamic time-lapse skies. The sky is such a huge part of nearly every scene in the game that it affects the feel of the game a great deal, and the improvements we've made to reflections and shadows really complement it."
For more on Xbox One X Enhanced updates, check out all the Xbox One X Enhanced games confirmed so far. This master list includes all the games with updates available right now, which ones are coming soon, and which titles have updates in development.
Although Marvel has traditionally announced release dates for its movies several years in advance, it has been more secretive about its plans for the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the current Phase 3 ends. Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 is the only movie with an official release date after Phase 3 closes with 2019's Avengers 4, but we now know that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 will be released in 2020.
The news comes via director James Gunn, who helmed the first two Guardians movies and will direct Vol. 3. Gunn was asked by a fan on Twitter about a third film in the space fantasy series, to which he replied "coming in 2020."
Gunn first confirmed that he would return for another Guardians movie in April last year. "There is a history in Hollywood of haphazard endings to trilogies, and I didn't want to become a part of that dishonorable tradition of pretending the third one doesn't exist," he explained. "I couldn't do it for the money, and I couldn't do it because it was what other people wanted me to do. I needed to do it because it was what I needed to do. So, yes, I'm returning to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."
In a subsequent Facebook Q&A Gunn hinted at what fans might see in Vol. 3, including the intergalactic police agent Nova. "Nova comes up occasionally as someone we might use," he said. "We're going to be setting up new characters. It's going to really expand the cosmic universe [and] will be the last movie of this version of Guardians of the Galaxy."
Rockstar Games' perennially popular Grand Theft Auto V takes the top spot on the UK sales chart for the week ending January 13. According to sales monitor Chart-Track, this is the first time GTA V has reached No.1 since June 2017.
In total, GTA V has spent 14 weeks at No.1 since its launch, bringing it a little closer to the 18 week all-time all formats No.1 record currently held by Square Enix's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Chart-Track also states that GTA V has never been out of the top 40 in the UK sales chart.
At No.2 is Call of Duty: WWII, which holds on to the runner-up spot from last week while FIFA 18 drops to No.3. Following it is Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Origins at No.4 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch at No.5.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, currently exclusive to Xbox One on consoles, spends its fifth week at No.6, ahead of EA's Star Wars Battlefront II at No.7. Rounding off the top 10 are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Forza Motorsport 7, and Super Mario Odyssey at No.8, No.9, and No.10 respectively.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of UKIE and Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Just a few months after the big 5.0 PlayStation 4 system update, Sony is preparing to release its next major firmware patch. Furthermore, you could get the included improvements early, as Sony has announced it is holding a beta for the update.
"You can register to be a beta tester anytime between today and the start of the beta expected in February," Sony stated. There's no word yet on what's included in the update, but the company did call it a "major" one. North American players can sign up here, while Europeans can click here to register. You can also opt in to automatically take part in future update betas, and those in North America will receive an exclusive avatar for doing so.
To be eligible you'll need to own a PS4, be connected to the internet, and hold a PSN master account, and those in North America must be at least 18 years old. Bear in mind registering doesn't guarantee you access, and if selected you can always roll back to the previous live system version at any point. Finally, this is the first time players from Canada are eligible to take part in a PS4 update beta.
The most recent PS4 update brought the console to version 5.03, while the most recent major update, 5.0, included new features based around the console's in-built streaming capabilities, as well as an enhanced Friends List, more versatile Quick Menu, and overhauled parental control features.
Although DC's live-action superhero universe has had some ups-and-downs over the past few years, the studio's stable of animated features is going strong. The latest title to be released will be Batman: Gotham By Gaslight. It arrives on home entertainment formats later this month, and a new clip has been released.
The feature is based on Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola's classic 1989 graphic novel, and is set in an alternative DC universe. In a Victorian-era Gotham City, Bruce Wayne has been falsely blamed for the crimes of Jack the Ripper, and, as Batman, hunts the real Ripper. In this clip, three young street thieves come to face-to-face with the Dark Knight. Check it out below:
This clip follows the first Gotham By Gaslight trailer, which was released in November. Like 2016's animated adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke, it carries an R-rating. And as with The Killing Joke, this latest release takes some liberties with the source material. While the graphic novel only featured a few other characters from the Batman universe, the movie introduces a host of classic villains, including Selina Kyle, Poison Ivy, Harvey Dent, Harvey Bullock, Leslie Tompkins, Hugo Strange, and Solomon Grundy.
Bruce Greenwood (Gerald's Game) reprises his Young Justice role as Bruce Wayne. He's joined by Dexter alum Jennifer Carpenter, who voices Selina Kyle, Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls) as James Gordon, and Anthony Head (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer) as Alfred Pennyworth.
Gotham By Gaslight is released digitally on January 23, 2018, with Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Packs, Blu-ray Combo Packs, and DVDs hitting stores on February 6. Digital copies, as well as the combo packs, will include an audio commentary, along with a featurette that goes behind the scenes of creating a 19th century gothic-inspired Gotham City.
After a cryptic tweet on Wednesday, January 10, the internet guessed Nintendo had something going on, and it turns out they were right. A surprise Nintendo Direct presentation has gone live, and you can watch it in its entirety below. The focus is primarily on Nintendo Switch games due out in the first half of the year, and if you want a rundown of all the news and the big reveals, you're in the right place. Here's everything Nintendo revealed during today's presentation.
The World Ends With You | 2018
Stretching into the Nintendo DS' back catalog, the cult hit The World Ends With You is getting a re-release on Switch. The game will let you choose from either touchscreen or traditional controls, and it will include a "sizeable new scenario." No specific release date was announced, but the game will be available sometime this year.
Pokken Tournament DX DLC | January 31, March 23
Pokken Tournament DX is getting some new DLC characters. The Deluxe Battle Pack paid DLC is available for purchase now and will have content release in two waves. On January 31, Wave 1 will bring the new battle character Aegislash along with the support set Mega Rayquaza and Mimikyu. The second wave, due on March 23, will introduce the battle character Blastoise along with a support set of Mew and Celebi. And if you purchase the battle pack now, you'll have immediate access to a new set of avatar items.
Kirby Star Allies | March 16
Kirby Star Allies was announced back at E3, but a new trailer for the game showed off a slew of new abilities. Artist and Spider change-up Kirby's available moveset, and there will also be a way to mix and match abilities when playing with friends in the Kirby's co-op mode. The game is set to release on March 16.
Dragon Quest Builders Demo | Out Now
A demo for the Mincraft-meets-DQ RPG is available on Nintendo Switch now. The game is set to release at the end of this month.
Hyrule Warriors Ultimate Edition | Spring 2018
If you'd been holding off on trying out the Zelda-themed Musou game Hyrule Warriors (or if you were just looking for another reason to jump back in), you're in luck: Nintendo Switch is getting a definitive edition of the game this spring. Hyrule Warriors Ultimate Edition will include all of the DLC content from both the 3DS and Wii U releases, including every map, mission, and character. And new additions to the game include the ability to play co-op on the same screen as well as Breath of the Wild-themed costumes for Link and Zelda.
Mario Tennis Aces | Spring 2018
A new Mario Tennis game from developer Camelot--the team behind the GBA game Golden Sun as well as numerous other Mario sports titles--is heading to Switch this spring. It will be the first Mario Tennis game to include a story mode Mario Tennis: Power Tour on GBA.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana | Summer 2018
The PS4/Vita/PC RPG from 2017 will make its way to Switch sometime this summer.
Super Mario Odyssey Update | February 2018
After the main story of Super Mario Odyssey ends, you'll be able to continue your adventures in Mario's epic new world with the help of Luigi. Mario's brother will open up access to a competitive Balloon World mode where you can work to asynchronously hide balloons for other players to find, or search for balloons hidden by other players. You'll be able to move up in a global leaderboard by both being good at putting balloons in hard-to-find spots and by quickly finding hidden balloons.
In addition, the free update will introduce several new snapshot filters as well as three new outfits:
Musician Hat + Outfit (to look like one of the New Donk City musicians)
Knight Armor + Helmet
SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy | Summer 2018
This new brawler from NIS is heavy on the fan service, but should also please fans of the classic SNK fighting series. Battles will focus entirely on the female fighters from SNK's various fighting game series. In addition, the Neo Geo game Art of Fighting 2 is available today as a port on Nintendo Switch.
The EA Originals is an incubator for the types of indie games you don't typically see from a publisher like EA, and this year the company is highlighting Fe. Announced last year, the game now has a February 16 release date. And Celeste, from developer Matt Makes Games, will head to Switch on January 25.
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze | May 4
Continuing the tradition of updated Wii U games that get Switch ports like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokken Tournament DX, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is due out for Switch on May 4. The game will add a new playable character, Funky Kong, who introduces his own unique twist on the original's platforming gameplay.
Following this week's PC update to Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, the developer has now addressed a number of specific issues in the Xbox One version of the game. On the game's official forums, a community coordinator noted that the team is pushing the fix to address "an in-game issue that was undermining the core experience for some players." And while addressing that more serious bug, today's patch also fixes some smaller issues.
But bugs haven't slowed down the growth of PUBG's userbase; despite some prevalent issues, the game has surpassed 3 million players on Xbox One. The game is still included in Xbox One's Game Preview program, with no specific word on when it will go into its full retail release on console.
The full patch notes are listed below:
Gameplay
Pistols have been removed from Y button's weapon rotation and grouped with the melee weapon.
Players can now equip pistols by pressing 'up' on the D pad.
Optimization
Continued improvements related to player "rubber banding."
Enhanced server performance while parachuting.
Option
Added a new controller preset to options menu.
Type B (new preset) now supports:
Holding LT to aim down sight.
Holding LB to use 3rd person perspective aim sight.
Controller guide has been updated to include the new controller preset.
Bug fixes
Fixed an issue where players repositioned out of the battleground after certain actions and remained invulnerable until the end of the match.
Additional memory and non-memory related crash fixes.
Fixed the inability to join duo/squad through invites outside of game.
The update also highlighted two things that will be addressed in the games next patch:
Dropping objects causes the player to switch weapons.
User is unable to switch grenade types when tapping right on the D-Pad.
The weekend has arrived, and that means Xur has made his latest appearance in Destiny 2. As always, he has a selection of Exotic gear for sale along with some other recent additions to his inventory. This particular lineup of items is a tad unusual, however, as all four pieces of gear he has for sale are from the Curse of Osiris DLC, which is a situation we have not seen before (and means you'll need the DLC to buy much). Here's where to find Xur and what he's selling from now until the weekly reset on Tuesday, January 16.
With this week's Flashpoint being in the EDZ, that's also where you'll find Xur. Specifically, he's located in the Winding Cove. To find him, fast travel to that area's Landing Zone, and head straight up the road in front of you. Xur is camped out next to a crashed ship up on the hillside, which you can reach by scaling the rocks just to his right.
As for what he's selling, his newer items are again available. You can pick up a Three of Coins to boost your chances of securing an Exotic, or the expensive Fated Engram, which is guaranteed to decrypt into an Exotic you don't already own. Otherwise, your options are four pieces of Curse of Osiris gear, including the Exotic grenade launcher The Colony. Here's everything Xur has this week:
The Colony (Exotic grenade launcher) -- 29 Legendary Shards
Mk. 44 Stand Asides (Exotic Titan leg armor) -- 23 Legendary Shards
The Stag (Exotic Warlock helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Fated Engram -- 97 Legendary Shards
Three of Coins -- 31 Legendary Shards
Before picking up the Three of Coins, you'll want to be aware that there have been complaints about how it works. Players have expressed frustration with the boost to Exotic drops that it provides, as well as lack of clear communication about what it's supposed to do. Bungie addressed how the Three of Coins works last month and admitted there is a problem with their use in Heroic Strikes. A fix for that is on the way.
Rockstar has rolled out the latest weekly update for Grand Theft Auto V. As was the case last week, the developer hasn't introduced any major new features with this update, though players can find another cool new vehicle and an assortment of deals and bonuses in GTA Online.
The aforementioned vehicle is the stylish Lampadati Viseris, which is available now at Legendary Motorsport. Players with access to a Mobile Operations Center or an Avenger will also be able to trick it out with some optional upgrades such as front-facing machine guns. You can take a look at the Lampadati Viseris below.
Additionally, Rockstar is offering double GTA$ and RP rewards on all Lester Contact Missions for a limited time. You'll be able to take advantage of these bonuses until January 15. You can also get a 25% discount off of the following items until that day:
Nagasaki Ultralight
Aircraft Weapons
Vehicle Armor
Headlights & Neons
Skirts
Spoilers
Suspension
Turbos
This week's Premium Stunt Race is Island Hopping, which is restricted to the Blazer Aqua. As always, everyone who participates in the Stunt Race will receive triple RP, while those who finish within the top three will earn a big GTA$ payout. The Time Trial this week is Maze Bank Arena. Players who are able to beat the target time will be rewarded with GTA$ and RP.
In a much-anticipated blog post, Destiny 2 game director Christopher Barrett talked abut what's coming to the sci-fi shooter in the time ahead. Things kick off on January 30 with an update that will expand the Masterwork system to include armor for the first time.
This armor offers better damage reduction when you're using your Super ability. Additionally, you can re-roll your Masterwork armor stat type, and it can be upgraded as well using Cores and Shards tied to Masterworks. The January 30 update also changes how Raid rewards work with the aim of making them "more unique and interesting."
"They will now feature mods with Raid-specific perks, and we are adjusting the rewards to ensure a Raid item drops from each major encounter," Barrett explained in a blog post. "The Raid vendor will also directly sell Leviathan and Eater of Worlds armor and weapons for purchase with Raid tokens and Legendary Shards."
What's more, there will be new perks that can drop from the final encounters in the Leviathan and Eater of Worlds raids. Barrett added that Bungie is working on other rewards specific to some raids and some activities are coming in the future.
An update coming in February, meanwhile, will add scoring and high score tracking to Nightfall Strikes, which will replace the existing time-limit mechanic. "The scoring is similar to the Destiny 1 system but with adjustments to emphasize competitive execution of Strike objectives and support for player selectable score modifiers," Barrett said. "In February, Nightfall High Scores will be exposed in-game via new emblems and will unlock rewards. We also have plans for Clan and Community High Scores in the works."
Destiny 2's February update will also add a 2.0 version of mods, which is described as a "full rework" of how mods work for armor and weapons. "This will focus on reducing redundant mods, more unique theming, and greatly increasing their impact on your power," Barrett said. "We are aiming for a February release, but the scope of the rework could push parts or all of it out to early spring. We will be evaluating how Mods play into the Bright Engram economy as a result, because we're sensitive to pay-to-win outcomes."
Here are some of the other changes coming to Destiny 2 in the February update, with descriptions written by Bungie:
Quickplay Improvements
We are adjusting game mode rules to increase the pace of gameplay and power ammo acquisition in Quickplay.
PC Tower Chat
We are adding text chat to the Tower for the PC version of the game.
Exotic Repetition Reduction
This will prevent players from receiving the same Exotic twice in a row. You may still receive duplicates, just not consecutively.
Fireteam Members on Destination Map
You will finally be able to see the other members of your fireteam on the destination map. No more having to ask your fireteam where they went when they fast travel to another landing zone.
Then in Spring 2018, Bungie will launch Destiny 2's next paid expansion following last year's Curse of Osiris. While some of the content will of course be locked behind the paywall, everyone is getting new updates to other parts of the game. For Crucible, Barrett said Bungie is hoping to give players "new reasons to play, more variety, and balance improvements." One part of this is a new ranking system; starting with Season 3, there will be seasonal Crucible ranks, broken into two categories: Valor and Glory. Here is a rundown of the two:
Valor – A progression rank that goes up as you complete matches. Winning helps you move up faster, but there are no loss penalties.
Glory – A progression rank that goes up when you win and down when you lose. Performance is how you move up here.
Also new in the update will be private matches for everyone, which you can invite friends to and choose a map and mode. Bungie is also launching a 6v6 playlist (an increase from some of the current 4v4 modes), a "Mayhem event" for a limited time, and some behind-the-scenes improvements and fixes to improve the experience overall.
That's not all that's coming and changing in the spring update; the following are some "highlights" that Barrett called out in his blog post, including increasing the vault space, support for multiple emotes, and more:
Additional Highlights
Weapon and Ability Balance Pass
Sandbox adjustments based on player feedback and data from the live game. The Sandbox team will share specific changes as we lead up to Season 3.
Exotic Weapon and Armor Balance Pass
Exotic weapons and armor are receiving a comprehensive design pass to ensure they stand out from the rest of the gear and offer new, exciting, powerful ways to play.
Seasonal Reputation
Specific vendors will now display a Seasonal ranking. Earning reputation will unlock unique Seasonal rewards and will reset each Season.
Improved Iron Banner and Faction Rallies
In addition to the changes that you will see when Iron Banner and Faction Rallies return this month, we will continue iterating on these to make them unique, exciting experiences that you all look forward to.
Playlist Repetition Reduction
This feature solves the problem of experiencing the same playlist entry multiple times in consecutive or frequent succession for both Crucible and Strikes.
End Game Player Pursuits
We agree with your feedback on the imbalance between Achievement and Bright Engram rewards, and we will be making adjustments to shift more rewards into specific endgame pursuits instead of generic XP grinding for Bright Engrams. We are excited to share the details as soon as we have them worked out.
Multi-Emote
When multi-emote launches, you will be able to choose which emote you have equipped to each of your four emote slots.
Vault space
We are targeting an additional 50 slots to player vaults. We don't believe just adding more space is a complete solution and are actively working on other changes to reduce load on your vault space.
We are adding an Exotic accessory tab to Vault collections so you will no longer need to spend Vault space on Exotic Ships, Sparrows, and Ghosts.
PC Clan Chat
In addition to the Tower chat that is targeted for February, we are adding clan chat to the PC version of the game.
Heroic Strike Changes
We'll be introducing modifiers to add more gameplay variety to the experience.
Then in Fall 2018, or potentially sooner according to Bungie, there will be "a lot more" in terms of updates and changes. However, Barrett said Bungie is "not quite ready" to talk about these things with any specificity, though he did provide an outline of what players can expect:
Back in December, Bungie had plans to launch Destiny 2's first Faction Rally event of Season 2 following Curse of Osiris's release. It ultimately canceled the event as the developer shifted courses on what content would be available to those with and without purchasing the DLC. Along with Iron Banner, Faction Rally will now be open to all players whether you own the DLC or not--and after the delay, the first Season 2 Faction Rally is nearly here.
Following an upcoming hotfix, the new Faction Rally event will begin on January 16 and run until January 23. (Iron Banner returns on January 30.) Factions will return to the Tower and allow players to pledge their allegiance, with their activities then contributing progress toward unlocking Faction-specific gear. New items, including armor ornaments and base gear, will be available from the Faction of your choosing, a selection of which you can see in the images below.
Aside from those rewards that players will earn from their Faction, the three groups will also be competing with each other. The Faction that obtains the most rewards packages will be deemed the winner, and that group's exclusive weapon will then be sold for one week. Assuming prices remain consistent with those earlier events, members of the winning Faction will be able to purchase the weapon for 1,000 Glimmer, while everyone else can buy it for 50,000. Unlike in the past, though, all three will sell a weapon of the same type--this time around, it's an auto rifle. You can also see those in the gallery above.
As promised, Bungie has made a wide variety of announcements about changes on the way to Destiny 2. The developer has pledged to be more open about its development plans for the future, and among those are significant adjustments to Eververse and the items that are distributed through the microtransaction-based store.
Bungie acknowledged that "the scales are tipped too far towards Tess at the moment," referencing the in-game shopkeeper who runs Eververse. The store "was never intended to be a substitute for end-game content and rewards," which is what has become for dedicated players. To address this, Bungie outlined a number of changes in a new blog post.
For starters, Bungie says it's "shifting the balance of new content in favor of activity rewards over Bright Engrams," which are currently obtained by leveling up or purchasing them with real money. Activity rewards will now include things like Ghosts, Sparrows, and ships, which Bungie noted were only acquired through Bright Engrams recently. And while they'll no longer be the exclusive home for those items, there will be a "gameplay path" to obtaining Bright Engrams and their rewards. That change also applies to event-specific Engrams, like those offered during The Dawning, something that was a major criticism of the recently concluded event. Furthermore, Bungie intends to provide more ways of directly purchasing the items players want, rather than having to blindly purchase Bright Engrams in the hopes of getting what you're looking for.
More changes will be introduced with the start of Season 3, but some will be in place for the start of the next seasonal event, Crimson Days, on February 13. Completing certain milestones during the event will earn you rewards, including a Legendary emote (for the Nightfall milestone), weapon skin (Raid milestone), and Exotic Sparrow (Crimson Days milestone). When leveling up, you'll earn both a Crimson Engram (for the event) and an Illuminated Engram during the event. Crimson Engrams can also be earned through drops in the Crimson Days match and finishing the aforementioned Crimson Days milestone with each of your characters. This Engram is "very strongly weighted to new rewards when decrypted until all new event items have been obtained."
As noted above, outside of real-money purchases, Engrams are earned by leveling up. Given the value of the rewards inside, that's part of what made last year's XP controversy so significant (the other component being the lack of communication from Bungie). The studio said it's continuing to look at how quickly XP is earned, but it agrees that the current setup is not ideal.
"Right now, it's too slow in general and lopsided towards grinding specific activities (which is not a fun grind) and we want to fix that without making those activities low value to players who aren't grinding them (fairness is cool)," Bungie explained. "Our first attempt turned out to be unworkably buggy so we're having to investigate other angles. We will continue to update you as we move forward."
Likewise, 2018 is shaping up to be a great year for the hybrid console, too. In the video feature above, we run through the year's most anticipated games. There are those that we already know well, like Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2; sequels to beloved niche games, such as No More Heroes follow-up Travis Strikes Again; and those that we know virtually nothing about, like Fire Emblem, which is an exciting question mark given the franchise's pedigree. We also have a gallery looking at these games, as well as dives into the most anticipated PS4 games, Xbox One games, and PC games of the year.
Like other digital storefronts, the Nintendo Switch Eshop is ringing in 2018 with a limited-time sale. The Nindies New Year Sale is going on from now until January 15, and it offers discounts on a handful of great games for Nintendo's hybrid console.
Unlike the separate first-party Eshop sale going on in Europe, the Nindies sale is available in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand, featuring commensurate discounts across all regions. Switch owners can get the acclaimed rhythm/action game Thumper for $13.39 (£10.71), the retro-inspired adventure game Thimbleweed Park for $15 (£11.24), and the stylish hack-and-slash game Severed for $10 (£9). Other great titles on sale as part of the promotion include:
Those aren't the only games currently on sale in the Eshop. Switch owners in the US can also pick up a handful of retro action games from Inti Create games at a discount, including Blaster Master Zero ($7), Mighty Gunvolt Burst ($7), and the Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack ($32). Those titles will be on sale until January 14. Additionally, the co-op action-RPG Nine Parchments is $18, the supernatural adventure game Oxenfree is $5, and the logic puzzle game The Bridge is $4.49.
You can find the full list of games on sale right now in the US Eshop on Nintendo's website. Those in Europe, meanwhile, have access to a different selection of discounted titles, including Arms, 1-2-Switch, Flip Wars, and Romancing SaGa 2. You can find the list of Europe's Eshop sales here.
Another weekly reset has occurred in Destiny 2, bringing with it a new slate of activities for players to take part in. The Dawning has officially concluded, and the Eververse item lineup has rotated once again. The weekly Flashpoint has shifted to the EDZ and new Meditations are now available, as is the next Nightfall Strike. Here's what to expect from the new Nightfall, The Arms Dealer.
In terms of Challenges, there are no big surprises. Speed of Dark is active, as always, and calls for players to complete the Strike with at least five minutes left on the timer. Unbroken requires finishing the Strike with fewer than three total deaths. Finally, Trash the Thresher entails shooting down a Thresher (the flying Cabal ship) during the fight with Bracus Zahn.
On the Modifier side, Timewarp: Killing Time is active, which allows you to extend the Strike's time limit with each enemy you kill--up to a certain point. Prism is also in effect. With this, the game routinely rotates through the three elements, with the chosen element doing more damage than usual, and the other two doing less. You'll want to match your weapon to the current element to maximize your damage or opt for a kinetic weapon if you don't have that element available.
As is usually the case, successfully finishing the Nightfall rewards you with Powerful Gear. The Nightfall is one of the only ways to obtain that level of gear, which is a reliable way to boost your Power level. This Nightfall will be available until the next weekly reset, which occurs at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT on Tuesday, January 16 (4 AM AET on January 17).
It's a new week, which means Microsoft has rolled out a fresh set of weekly game deals on Xbox Live. Covering Xbox One and Xbox 360, the sales this week are not all that extensive, though there are some solid offers to be had depending on what you are looking for. Here's a rundown on what you can get for cheap on the Xbox Store right now.
With the release of Dragon Ball FighterZ drawing closer, Bandai Namco Games took to Twitter to release info about the required specs needed for the game's PC version. The game will release for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on January 25. Developed by Arc System Works, the same team behind the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series, Dragon Ball FighterZ possesses a visual style that mimics the popular anime.
In addition to the specs listed below, the publisher offered more details about pre-order bonuses for the game, which include early access to Goku and Vegeta's Super Saiyan Blue forms, along with exclusive avatars to use in the in-game lobby. Moreover, pre-ordering the game will give you access to the pre-launch beta. The game is currently available to pre-order on Steam.
The PC specs are surprisingly modest, potentially allowing older machines to run the game well. And the game's Unreal 4 graphics engine is also used by other notable fighting games, including Tekken 7 and Street Fighter V, which are all well-optimized on PC.
For more info on Dragon Ball FighterZ, stay up to date with us on GameSpot, where we'll have our full review later this month. And be sure to check out the opening cinematic, and how you can play the pre-launch beta.
Looking for a way to ring in the new year that involves little more than your couch and a TV? Luckily for you, the start of a new month means new movies and TV shows added to several streaming services--including Hulu.
In terms of movies, there are a number of standout titles being added to the streamer, but none quite as excellent as both films in the Bill & Ted series. Both Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey arrive on January 1, along with movies like Zodiac, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Karate Kid 1-4, and Grizzly Man.
For TV, new seasons of Fear the Walking Dead, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Homeland all arrive. January will also see the addition of many cooking shows, with new episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, Cupcake Wars, and Great Food Truck Race among the titles arriving.
2018 is here, and January is bringing with a variety of new content to streaming services. Amazon has announced all of the movies and TV shows coming to Prime Video this month--and there is some great content coming to kick off the New Year. [Update: Due to the shutdown of Anime Strike, Amazon Prime Video is also now home to some of its anime content.]
The 10th season of the BBC's sci-fi show Doctor Who arrived on January 1, along with Darren Aronofsky's chilling drama Requiem for a Dream. Also now out is Sam Mendes' Oscar-nominated (and very sad) movie Revolutionary Road and David Fincher's thriller Zodiac. Quentin Tarantino's first movie, Reservoir Dogs, also came to Amazon Prime on January 1.
Coming on January 12 is the first season of the Amazon Original show Electric Dreams, which stars Bryan Cranston, Anna Paquin, Timothy Spall, and Steve Buscemi. At the end of the month, you'll be able to see the new 2017 entry in Vin Diesel's xXx franchise, The Return of Xander Cage. You can see Amazon Prime's full lineup below, as rounded up and compiled by GameSpot sister site CNET.
New to Amazon Prime, January 2018
January 1
The 2018 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord & Tish (Amazon original)
All is Lost
American Ninja
Assassination
Avenging Force
Babel
Baby Mama's Club
Black Rain
Brothers
Burning Blue
But I'm a Cheerleader
Capote
Coming Soon
Cool World
Cross Bronx
Dangerous Curves
Drop Dead Sexy
Doctor Who, season 10
Evolution
Flawless
Freedom Writers
Hamlet
Highway
Horsemen
Hustle & Flow
Invaders from Mars
Love and Death
Love Story
Murphy's Law
Platoon Leader
Pretty Bird
Primitive
Requiem for a Dream
Reservoir Dogs
Revenge of the Ninja
Revolutionary Road
Richard the Lionheart
Show of Force
Six Degrees of Separation
Step Into Liquid
Street Smart
The Perfect Weapon
The Presidio
The Wraith
Thelma & Louise
Uncommon Valor
Words and Pictures
Zodiac
January 5
The Devil's Double
January 6
Grimm, season 6
January 7
A Ghost Story
January 9
Prime Suspect: Tennison, season 1
January 12
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, season 1 (Amazon original)
The first of January 2018's free Games With Gold titles for Xbox One and Xbox 360 are now available for subscribers. On Xbox One, the action RPG The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III is completely free all month long. You play as the famous monster hunter on a journey to take down one of your toughest foes yet.
On Xbox 360, Square Enix's Tomb Raider Underworld is now available for the low, low price of $0.00. Note that this game plays on Xbox One through backwards compatibility, so Xbox One owners can pick it up as well. One of December 2017's free Xbox One Games With Gold titles, Back to the Future: The Game, remains free until January 15.
Then on January 16, a new set of free Xbox One and Xbox 360 games will be available, including Zombi (Xbox One) and Army of Two (Xbox 360). You can see the full Games With Gold lineup for January 2018 down below. You need to have an Xbox Live Gold membership to get these games, but claiming them will allow you to continue playing for as long as you are a subscriber.
January 2018 Games With Gold
Xbox One
Back to the Future: The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition (December 16 - January 15)
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III (January 1-31)
A new year means a new selection of movies and TV shows arriving on Netflix. January is here, and this month, a number of films, shows, and specials will debut on the streaming service, including several Netflix Originals.
The most notable arrival is the Batman series of films. Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin are all now available to stream, having been added on January 1. Additionally, Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins will also debut. They were joined by all four movies in the Lethal Weapon series, National Treasure, and The Godfather trilogy.
When it comes to TV, January will bring new seasons of originals One Day at a Time, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Grace and Frankie, and The Adventures of Puss in Boots. Among other arrivals are all five seasons of Showtime's Episodes, the second season of Colony, and a new batch of Eastsiders episodes.
Sadly, along with the arrivals come the months departures. Leaving Netflix in January are seven Saw movies, several Pokemon animated films, and The Addams Family, for starters. Perhaps most importantly, all six seasons of Lost will disappear from the streamer on January 4. So if you've been meaning to revisit that cursed island, it's time to clear out your schedule.
The regular season of the inaugural year of the Overwatch League is officially underway this week. As the premiere esports circuit for the game, it's a massive undertaking by Blizzard, an entire year in the making. It'll feature over 100 players from around the world, with 12 areas playing host to them: Boston, Dallas, Florida, Houston, London, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, and two in Los Angeles. Whether you're an avid Overwatch fan or a curious onlooker who has never escorted a payload, our explainer provides essential facts, from how the season will flow to how you can watch the matches in person. We also have a guide on how to watch Overwatch League online.
How is the season structured? The regular season, which has now begun, consists of four stages. Each stage lasts five weeks, with the final one ending on June 16. Incidentally, this end date is the Saturday after the E3 Expo. The first part of the Overwatch League schedule kicked off on January 10.
What are the big prizes? The prize pool awarded at the end of each stage is $125,000. The Overwatch League champions will be awarded $1,000,000.
Where is the tournament held? Blizzard opened an arena in Burbank, where all the Overwatch League matches will be held. This state-of-the-art facility features multiple sound stages, control rooms, player lounges, and even a Blizzard merchandise store. The arena already played host to the Overwatch Contenders matches and the Hearthstone Championship Tour.
$20 for the weekday (half day) events; begins at 4PM
$30 for the weekend (full day) events; begins at 11AM
The first day of regular season is sold out.
How can I track the season progress outside of overwatchleague.com? You track your favorite teams, keep up with league news, and set alerts using the Overwatch League app. You can even customize spoiler settings so you can watch completed matches without knowing the outcome in advance.
Are there new skins? Blizzard has released a new Overwatch update which, among other things, adds new skins. A lot of skins. There are 312 in all, with each character getting one for each of the League teams. You can see all of the new skins in our gallery, and you'll be able to snag one for free. You'll have to purchase others; you can read more about how you get the new skins here.
How many teams and divisions are there? There are 12 teams, split evenly into two divisions. They're made up predominantly of American teams, although the players come from all over the world. Mirroring the NFL, there are two Los Angeles teams, the Gladiators and Valiant. There also three international teams, the London Spitfire, the Seoul Dynasty, and the Shanghai Dragons.
Atlantic Division
Boston Uprising
Florida Mayhem
Houston Outlaws
London Spitfire
New York Excelsior
Philadelphia Fusion
Pacific Division
Dallas Fuel
Los Angeles Gladiators
Los Angeles Valiant
San Francisco Shock
Seoul Dynasty
Shanghai Dragons
Check out our gallery where you can learn about the teams' backgrounds, ownership info, and other fun facts.
The eighth and final season of Game of Thrones is now confirmed for 2019, but HBO has no intention of saying goodbye to its hugely popular fantasy show. Last year it was reported that the channel was developing five spin-off shows simultaneously. Now programming president Casey Bloys has confirmed that they are all still in the works, but that fans shouldn't necessarily expect to see all of them reach the screen.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Bloys revealed that it would be 2020 at the earliest before we saw anything more from the Game of Thrones universe. "If we do a pilot and series, nothing is going to air on HBO until at least a year after the final season," he said. "We're not doing a final season and then, 'Following it at 11 pm...'"
"I've seen some exciting material," he continued. "We have really great writers working on these. But there's no timetable. Not everybody is on the same schedule, so I've seen different versions of different things. But there's no timetable about when a decision would be made about any of them. I'll do anywhere from zero to five, though probably more likely one. We'll see."
In November, it was reported that all five potential series would be prequels. Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin is writing one with the main show's co-executive producer Bryan Cogman, and updated fans about its progress on Tumblr.
"I can say that, like the other pilots, it will be a prequel rather than sequel, a successor rather than a spin-off," Martin said. "Bryan's series will be an adaptation, and one that will thrill most fans of the books, I think, set during a very exciting period of Westerosi history. And I'll be working with him every step of the way; we're going to be co-creating the show."
Earlier this month it was confirmed that the final season of Game of Thrones will be just six episodes long. Although we know it will arrive in 2019, a premiere date is yet to be announced. Seasons 1-6 all premiered in March or April on HBO, while Season 7 debuted this past July. If HBO follows either of those premiere windows, that will mark over a year-and-a-half since the previous season ended, which will be the longest gap between seasons in the show's entire run.
The inaugural season of the Overwatch League has officially begun 12 teams split into 2 divisions will play for the next six months to see who is the ultimate Overwatch champion, while competing for a prize pool totaling $3.5 million. Unless you're fortunate enough to make it to Blizzard Arena in Burbank, California, you're going to have to watch the matches online.
Here are the details on where, when, and how you can keep up and follow your favorite teams during this first week of the Overwatch League regular season. In the meantime, you can start getting your hands on new Overwatch League skins in-game.
How and Where: Simply go to overwatchleague.com where live matches play out through an embedded Twitch livestream. Past matches will be archived under the site's Videos tab. You can also catch the matches directly on Twitch.com and at mlg.tv, or through the embed below.
You can also track your favorite teams, keep up with league news, and set alerts using the Overwatch League app. You can even customize spoiler settings so you can watch completed matches without knowing the outcome in advance.
The Overwatch League and Twitch are also developing innovative rewards and other programs for fans, which will bestow the league's most steadfast viewers with unique Overwatch League in-game items with exclusives. More details about insider content and additional rewards for the biggest fans, as well as Cheering with Overwatch League Cheermotes, will be announced as they become available. The matches will be broadcast on multiple channels with three different languages: English, French, and Korean.
When: Here is the schedule for the first week of the first stage, which runs from January 10 to January 13 (times are in PST).
January 10, Wednesday
4PM - San Francisco Shock versus Los Angeles Valiant
6PM - Shanghai Dragons versus Los Angeles Gladiators
8PM - Dallas Fuel versus Seoul Dynasty
January 11, Thursday
2PM - London Spitfire versus Florida Mayhem
4PM - Philadelphia Fusion versus Houston Outlaws
6PM - Boston Uprising versus New York Excelsior
January 12, Friday
4PM - Los Angeles Valiant versus Dallas Fuel
6PM - Florida Mayhem versus Boston Uprising
8PM - San Francisco Shock versus Shanghai Dragons
January 13, Saturday
11AM - London Spitfire versus Philadelphia Fusion
1PM - New York Excelsior versus Houston Outlaws
3PM - Seoul Dynasty versus Los Angeles Gladiators
Click here to learn more about Overwatch League including facts about the season structure, how to buy tickets, and what apps you can download.
Sony's new Jumanji movie, Welcome to the Jungle, is still doing really well at the box office. Entertainment Weekly reports that the movie is expected to bring in $27 million this weekend at US and Canadia theatres, making it No. 1 for two weeks in a row.
Welcome to the Jungle has now made $283.2 million domestically after just four weeks. It has made around $383 million from international markets, pushing its total haul to about $666.2 million. That's quite impressive, given the movie had a reported budget of $90 million.
Welcome to the Jungle was directed by Jake Kasdan, the son of Star Wars writer/director Lawrence Kasdan. It was released some 22 years after the original Jumanji, which starred Robin Williams and Kirstin Dunst. For the new movie, Jumanji is a video game that teenagers get sucked into, becoming avatars in the game world. The film stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas.
Rounding out the top five movies at the US box office this week were Steven Spielberg's newest movie The Post ($18.6 million), Liam Neeson's next thriller The Commuter, the horror flick Insidious: The Last Key, and the Hugh Jackman musical The Greatest Showman.
You can see the full Top 10 report for the January 12-14 weekend below, while a full breakdown of the weekend's box office performance can be seen here at EW.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle -- $27 million
The Post -- $18.6 million
The Commuter -- $13.5 million
Insidious: The Last Key -- $12.1 million
The Greatest Showman -- $11.8 million
Star Wars: The Last Jedi -- $11.3 million
Paddington 2 -- $10.6 million
Proud Mary -- $10 million
Pitch Perfect 3 -- $5.7 million
Darkest Hour -- $4.5 million
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