As part of its continued effort to expand the amount of content available to non-DLC owners, Bungie has released a new Destiny 2 update on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Rather than address any bugs or exploits, this patch deals exclusively with undoing the studio's previous decision to lock those who haven't purchased Curse of Osiris out of content they had access to previously.
Bungie has shared patch notes for hotfix update 1.1.1.2, which is now available following a batch of server maintenance. It makes good on Bungie's previous announcement to expand both Iron Banner and Faction Rally, which became inaccessible to non-DLC owners after Curse of Osiris's release. The brief, complete patch notes for the new update follow at the bottom of this post, but they boil down to letting everyone access the two events.
Community manager David Dague recently teased that these changes were coming as part of this update. The most recent Faction Rally event, which would have been the first as part of the game's Season 2 that started with Curse of Osiris, was scheduled to take place in mid-December. But Destiny 2 players were outraged over the newly imposed DLC paywall, and Bungie canceled the event "to ensure all of our players can access the activity and the appropriate rewards."
A new date for the next Iron Banner or Faction Rally has not been announced, but Dague said, "Updates to the live calendar [will] come next week." Once they do return, existing Season 1 rewards from the events will still be available to all players. But new seasonal rewards, which will include armor ornaments, will be limited to those who own Curse of Osiris.
Update 1.1.1.2 is now available on all platforms. Unfortunately, it doesn't address the Warlock Super glitch in Crucible's Mayhem mode, but Bungie warned players in December that it would not be able to fix it before The Dawning event comes to an end on January 9.
Destiny 2 Update 1.1.1.2 Patch Notes
Iron Banner
Players who do not own Curse of Osiris may once again access Iron Banner when available
Faction Rallies
Players who do not own Curse of Osiris may once again pledge to Factions during Faction Rally events
While 2017 was packed with an assortment of amazing games, 2018 is primed with its own roster of exciting games, including heavy hitters like Red Dead Redemption 2, Anthem, God of War, Kingdom Hearts III, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and much more. To help you keep track of all the games coming out, we've compiled the release dates of all the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2018 so far.
Be sure to check back often as we update this article with more release dates or any potential changes to any of the dates below. And if you're eager to figure out the release dates from games last year, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2017.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime this year. There are also games listed that we expect to launch in 2018. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
When it comes to Bright, the future seems bright. The Netflix original movie that premiered on December 22 has already been given a sequel with director David Ayer and the cast returning.
If you've paid attention to the critical consensus of Bright, that may come as a bit of a surprise. With a Metacritic score of 29, the film set in a present-day world where humans interact with fantasy creatures has been almost universally panned. "From the director of Suicide Squad and the writer of Victor Frankenstein comes a fresh slice of hell that somehow represents new lows for them both," IndieWire's David Ehrlich says in his review.
Still, even the bad reviews can't slow the film down. According to Netflix, which is notorious for not releasing actual viewing numbers, Bright is the number one movie on the service in every country. It's also "one of the biggest" originals on the streamer. That's as close as Netflix will get in terms of disclosing how many people actually watched the movie, though.
According to Netflix, stars Will Smith and Joel Edgerton are expected to return for the sequel, which has no release date. There will be one major change on the creative side, though. Max Landis, who wrote the first film, will not be back. In his place, Ayer will handle writing duties, in addition to directing. Previously, he's written the scripts for Suicide Squad, End of Watch, and Training Day, among other films. Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless will be returning as producers.
While there's no telling when Bright 2 will arrive on Netflix, the streaming service has already tested its release with a short video of "orc auditions" that you can watch above.
Amazon and Twitch Prime members can now get a new batch of freebies for Call of Duty: WWII. This month, subscribers will be able to receive a pair of supply drops that include some rare items for the WWII shooter.
From January 2-23, Twitch Prime subscribers will receive a Rare supply drop, which includes a trio of items, one of which is guaranteed to be Rare. In addition to that, subscribers will receive an Epic supply drop. This likewise consists of three items, including a guaranteed Epic item. You can claim the supply drop pack on Twitch.
Twitch Prime is one of the services included in Amazon Prime, so everyone who already has a Prime membership will be able to receive free games and bonus items in select titles. Activision will offer a new Call of Duty: WWII freebie for Twitch Prime subscribers every month. Those who choose to sign up for Twitch Prime now will also receive an exclusive Zombies Bomb Voyage weapon camo pack as a bonus.
Overwatch's second anniversary is approaching in May, but Blizzard's support for the hero shooter shows no signs of stopping. With 2017 in the books, the studio has offered a recap of the past year in Overwatch updates and provided some vague sense of what's to come in 2018. Namely, more characters, maps, and events are on the way.
In the video above, game director Jeff Kaplan discussed what the Overwatch team has in the works. An exact schedule for what he talks about was not shared, although he did indicate that the new Blizzard World map launches "very soon." He said that the map--which is a theme park for Blizzard's other franchises--is one of the game's best to date, contains "tons of great Easter eggs," and mixes things up with gameplay in a way that Blizzard hasn't tried before.
Also coming "very soon" is a Lunar New Year event. Whereas last year's celebration was the Year of the Rooster, 2018's event will be the Year of the Dog. More details will be announced in the future, but Kaplan said that it includes some "pretty significant content that players are going to be very happy with." He added that Blizzard also intends to make some changes during the event based on feedback to previous events.
Last year's Uprising event will return in some form, though Blizzard "want[s] to evolve it" in some way. The Anniversary event will also make a comeback, providing players with another chance to earn things like the dance emotes that were available last time around. With the Overwatch League kicking off shortly, skins based around that will be added to the game soon, and short- and a long-term changes to how Competitive Play operates will continue to be considered.
Kaplan teased that "great new maps" are in the works, and a new character, tentatively referred to as Hero 27, is already in internal testing. He didn't give any indication of what to expect from the character, only saying he or she is "very needed." A release date hasn't been determined yet, as Blizzard is more concerned with getting the character right. The studio is also thinking about new heroes to come after this one.
Finally, players can expect to see a "ton of new content" added to the base loot box in the near future. This will provide a variety of new items to obtain without any of the time constraints of the limited-time loot boxes that appear during events. Unfortunately, there's no word on how soon we might see Kaplan again sitting in front of a fireplace.
The first update of 2018 for Fortnite: Battle Royale is out out now across PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. The update's big new addition is the silenced pistol. As explained in this forum post, the silenced pistol can be found in treasure chests, supply drops, or regular loot. You can find it in either Epic or Legendary rarity level.
Today's Fortnite: Battle Royale update also gets ready for a new "limited time mode" called Sneaky Silencers. In this mode, you can only use suppressed SMG and suppressed pistols, so you will have to think ahead and plan accordingly for your stealthy attacks. Additionally, traps are disabled and the Bush item--which you can use to conceal yourself--sees its drop rate "greatly increased." It sounds like this new mode is all about pure stealth.
The Sneaky Silencers mode will be available from January 5 through January 8, so there is only a small window of time to check it out. This mode will replace the previous limited time mode, High Explosives.
Battle Royale is Fortnite's free, PUBG-style survival mode. It's available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Epic recently rolled out a new update for the mode that introduced smoke grenades, two new leaderboards, and Xbox One X support. The update also added new items and content to Fortnite's Save the World mode.
Microsoft had big plans for its motion-sensing Xbox camera, Kinect, but things did not work out exactly as the company wanted. And now, after selling millions across its Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions, Kinect is effectively at the end of its days. Microsoft has confirmed that it is no longer producing the Kinect adapter that is needed to connect the Kinect to an Xbox One S, Xbox One X, or other Windows device.
"After careful consideration, we decided to stop manufacturing the Xbox Kinect Adapter to focus attention on launching new, higher fan-requested gaming accessories across Xbox One and Windows 10," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to Polygon.
The representative declined to say if Microsoft would ever bring Kinect back. However, the company confirmed that the adapter "will no longer be available" to purchase.
Originally launched partway through the Xbox 360's life cycle, Kinect sold millions and opened the platform to new types of games, like Dance Central. Microsoft then decided to make it a mandatory part of the Xbox One package, driving up the price of the system at launch to $500. It would later be made optional, allowing Microsoft to bring the price down and attempt to appeal to those with no interest in voice controls or motion sensors.
Something else to be aware of is that Kinect voice commands work without the camera, as you can use a headset microphone.
Okami is still fantastic. Even in a year like 2017, which had dozens of amazing games and several terrific open-world adventures, the updated Okami HD feels like it could have been a new release. Okami is an ageless classic that, even after 11 years since the last time played it, is somehow even better than I remember.
Loving Okami isn't a new hot take; when the original released back in 2006, it was a critical darling; it's currently 93% on Metacritic, and our own review at the time gave it a 9 out of 10. But publisher Capcom was disappointed by the game's low sales. After developer Clover had another commercial failure in God Hand--along with the departure of key personnel later that same year--the studio was shut down in 2007. And yet despite the game's post-release troubles, Okami still stands out as a significant achievement.
Much of Okami's timelessness is due to the bold, brush-stroke-inspired art style. Okami was gorgeous even on PS2, and Okami HD is a faithful tribute to the game's everlasting beauty. When you're stationary, the screen is a painting. Slight, subtle movements of the air are portrayed with thin flowing lines, and your wolf-form pulses with whirls of energy. In movement, the game runs at a noticeably lower frame-rate, at least on Xbox One and PS4, but Okami's hyper-stylized version of feudal Japan is like seeing a painting come to life.
The game overall is an obvious homage to the Legend of Zelda series, but your ability to use the world as a literal canvas for your god-like brush strokes makes Okami feel inspired and unique rather than just a derivative Zelda clone. The drawings you create on-screen are simple enough that they don't stall the momentum of battle, and the mechanics are generous enough that even for someone as artistically untalented as myself, creating circles and lines makes me feel like I missed my calling as a painter.
But how does the updated Okami HD change the experience? Having not touched the game since it's PS2 release 11 years ago, Okami stays true to my memories, but I'm constantly surprised by how modern it feels. There are no story or gameplay changes for this update. There are some aspect ratio options, and the game has a sharper look than its PS2 predecessor, but otherwise this is a port of the original game. Besides the frame-rate issue, there are a few small issues that could've used a fix. Text speed is inconsistent--sometimes you can quickly speed through dialogue; other times, words crawl slowly along the screen, completely oblivious to your button-mashing attempts to speed them up. And the game oscillates between gently pointing you in the right direction with a map marker, or putting a huge, unmissable arrow in front of you that points the way to your next goal. But these are minor issues that don't detract from what is a sprawling modern masterpiece.
One thing remains blissfully unchanged about the game--there is no voice acting. Oddly, the game was dinged in our original review for its lack of voiceover, and to be fair, it released alongside other cinematic games with great performances such as Final Fantasy XII, Half-Life 2: Episode 1, and Bully. But the lack of voice acting in Okami insulates the game in some ways from its occasionally inconsistent characterizations and the general danger of overacting--which, as we've seen in more recent games like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, can pull down an otherwise solid story.
In remakes and remasters, sometimes games can feel like historical relics compared to current releases--they were great for their time, but they have some element that just doesn't hold up today. Or worse, your memory of a game had glossed over the flaws that stand out in stark relief once you pick up a controller today. But the years have only been more kind to Okami. It's a humorous piece of interactive folklore; a fast and loose take on Japanese mythology that I loved back in 2006 and that feels just as fresh and exciting today.
In his (somehow) directorial debut, the non-fiction poker memoir Molly's Game, Aaron Sorkin manages this all in the same way he did for The Social Network: by flitting nimbly between different timelines and settings, explaining the bits that need explaining (like, more than once, the ins-and-outs of poker), and never letting us get comfortable in one time or place for long. The movie is a little exhausting as a result, but it makes up for that with structure and pacing that make Molly's journey a joy to watch.
The full title of the book is Molly's Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker, a personal memoir by Molly Bloom. Her exploits running occasionally illegal, high stakes poker games in LA and New York made her a tabloid sensation--and got her indicted in federal court when Russian mobsters entered the game.
There's a lot of drama not just in Bloom's story, but in the way it unfolds--like her refusal to name most of the individuals involved in her games (which forced her to take a less lucrative book deal as a result), and the fact that her real trouble with the federal government occurred after she published the book. You don't need to know any of that to enjoy Molly's Game the movie, which does an admirable job laying out exactly what's important at any given point in the story.
The movie opens with Bloom's disastrous Olympic skiing incident, wherein she wipes out spectacularly on the slopes. In the very next scene, years later, FBI agents swarm her apartment building and arrest her in the dark, early hours of the morning. At that point you have no concrete idea what she's being arrested for, what happens in the intervening years, or what the outcome will be. How much of the story you know going in will vary depending how closely you followed Bloom's real life saga over the years, but going in blind makes the whole thing more narratively satisfying.
In the movie's version of events, the skiing accident--a true one-in-a-million fluke--set her on a path that she eventually lost control of. She moved to LA, got a job as some Hollywood douchebag's assistant, and eventually found herself running underground poker games attended by big name actors and executives who dropped tens of thousands a night.
Chastain's smartly deployed voiceover narration is usually what prevents Molly's Game from getting mired in the minutiae of gambling laws, poker rules, or its own complicated story. You absolutely believe that this woman found it simple to wrap powerful men around her little finger.
The rest of the main cast comprises Michael Cera as a mysterious, unnamed actor who sat at Molly's table, Kevin Costner as Molly's demanding, strict father, and Idris Elba as her reluctant attorney. Each has one or two great, memorable scenes, although Chastain steals the film.
Molly's Game is dramatic, fast-paced, and often funny. But the most interesting thing it does is paint a picture of Molly Bloom as a whip-smart, enterprising, confident, powerful woman whose ambition took her to some dark places--but whose heart was always in the right place. It's hard not to wonder how warped this narrative has become over the years, as it passed from real events through tabloids, courts, a memoir, and finally, this movie. Like so much of Sorkin's other work, though, it ultimately doesn't matter, because Molly's Game is a good story told in exactly the right way.
The Good
The Bad
Sorkin's fast, stylish writing and directing
Pacing and Sorkin's signature rapid fire dialogue are slightly exhausting
Unlike recent entries in the series, Monster Hunter World is in development for both consoles and PC. A PS4 and Xbox One release is just weeks away but as we already knew, it'll be a longer wait for the PC version. However, Capcom has now provided some idea of when to expect it.
In a new video shared on Monster Hunter's official Twitter account (below), World producer Ryozo Tsujimoto provided an update on the PC version's status. "We're working hard on it right now and aiming for an Autumn 2018 release. We'll update you with more details later and thank you for your patience."
The tweet itself adds that the PC version is currently being optimized. We don't yet know exactly what will distinguish it from the console versions, if anything; presumably there will be a range of visual options, at the very least. At this point, however, Capcom has not discussed the subject.
As for the console versions, World launches on PS4 and Xbox One on January 26. A pair of beta tests for the game were held on PS4 in December, but there've been no plans announced for a beta on Xbox One or PC. We do know that Capcom has plans for free post-launch content, including new monsters, on all platforms. Those on PS4 can also look forward to exclusive, Horizon: Zero Dawn-themed content.
Following its recent sales, Valve has launched the next big seasonal promotion on Steam. Hundreds of PC games are now discounted through early January, offering an opportunity to expand your backlog and ensure you can fill every moment of free time you have coming up. Coinciding with this, the Steam Awards are officially live, letting you cast your votes on your favorite games. [Update: The Steam sale comes to a close on January 4, making this your last opportunity to pick up games at their current discounts.]
That's just a small sampling of what's on sale right now; you can see everything that's discounted here. Even if you're not interested in spending any money, there's still a reason to check out Steam, as you can now vote for the Steam Awards. These were nominated during a previous sale and are generally in unconventional categories, such as Mom's Spaghetti and Defies Description. A different category will be up for voting each day, and you'll receive a Steam Awards trading card each time you cast a vote. Winners will be announced on January 3.
The holidays may have come and gone, but Pokemon Go players still have one more chance to take part in the game's second annual Christmas event. The in-game event concludes tomorrow, January 4, giving you a few more hours to catch a rare festive Pikachu and take advantage of increased spawns for certain Pokemon.
The holiday event began last month, on December 22. Like the first Pokemon Go Christmas event, it introduced a Santa hat-wearing Pikachu, which can only be encountered during the event. This special Pikachu can evolve into a Santa hat Raichu, and unlike the previous holiday event, you also have a chance to hatch a rare Santa hat Pichu.
In addition to the festive Pikachu, the holiday event introduced 20 more Ice- and Water-type Pokemon originally from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire to the mobile game, including Relicanth, Milotic, Sharpedo, and Wailord. Players also have a chance to encounter Ice-type Pokemon such as Seel, Shellder, and Swinub more frequently for the duration of the event. Finally, Pokemon Go's in-game shop will continue to sell special boxes that contain Super Incubators, Lure Modules, and new Star Pieces until January 4.
While the game's Christmas event may soon be coming to an end, players have a bit more time to capture Pokemon Go's current Legendary Pokemon, Groudon. The powerful Ground-type monster can be encountered as a Raid Battle at certain Gyms until January 15. Groudon is the first Gen 3 Legendary to appear in Pokemon Go, though developer Niantic teased that its Pokemon Sapphire counterpart, Kyogre, may also soon be added to the game.
Niantic recently released a new update for Pokemon Go that added an improved AR+ mode to the game. The mode makes Pokemon appear closer to their actual size in the mobile game, along with making them more aware of their surroundings. Niantic CEO John Hanke also confirmed that Pokemon Go will finally be released in China, though he didn't give any indication as to when the game will roll out in the region.
The first week of January doesn't just usher in a new year. It also means a slew of new movies and TV shows are arriving on Netflix. If you're looking for a post-holiday binge to help ease the pain of returning to the normal world, the streaming service has you covered.
Perhaps the best new additions are the arrival of the Batman films. Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, and Batman Begins are all available for streaming as of January 1. The Lethal Weapon and Bring It On franchises have also joined Netflix's vast library of movies.
Among the other film titles being added this week are Breakfast at Tiffany's, Caddyshack, King Kong, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 30 Days of Night, and National Treasure. On the TV front, new seasons of Eastsiders, Lovesick, and Episodes have come to Netflix.
2018 is here, and so Valve is taking a look back at the year that was on Steam. Much as it did last January, it has revealed a list of the best-selling games on the platform, but it's also provided information on some new categories. While it doesn't provide any specific figures, it does give us a snapshot of what proved to be Steam's most popular games in 2017.
This starts with the list of 2017's top sellers, which is determined based on gross revenue earned during the calendar year. Valve provided a list of the top 100 games, which have been divided into Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels (though the exact distinction between these is not explained). Most of the games to reach Platinum were older titles and included the likes of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, The Witcher III: Wild Hunt, Grand Theft Auto V, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League, and Dota 2. There were some 2017 releases, too, including Divinity: Original Sin II and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, the latter of which we know has proven to be phenomenally popular.
In terms of players, Valve provided a list of the games with the most concurrent users (meaning those that were online and playing at the same time). PUBG, of course, leads the list, having recently eclipsed the 3 million mark. Eight others also topped the 100,000 mark during the year, including Dota 2, Counter-Strike: GO, Rainbow Six Siege, and Grand Theft Auto V.
Valve also shared a breakdown of new titles, offering a look at the top-grossing newly released games of each month. The number of games shown varies from month to month, and again, there's little insight into what allowed them to qualify. Some months have as many as 16, while June had just five, including Dirt 4, Tekken 7, and Cold Waters.
VR-only games got their own top sellers list (again based on revenue during the year and divided into four tiers). Job Simulator, Superhot VR, and Fallout 4 VR were among those to hit Platinum status. There's also a look at the top-grossing games that left early access in 2017, and while the expected ones like PUBG and Original Sin II show up, the Platinum tier also includes The Long Dark, Slime Rancher, and Ark: Survival Evolved, among others.
You can check out all of Steam's 2017 charts here.
As previously announced, the latest round of maintenance has begun for Destiny 2 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Although it will remain playable for a short while longer, most people will be unable to play the game for a period of time today as Bungie prepares to release a new update.
Server maintenance officially began today at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM GMT (2 AM AET on January 4). As is usually the case, those who were already online can continue playing for an hour, at which point everyone will be booted offline. Bungie expects servers to come back up at 12 PM PT, though that may end up happening sooner or later.
Once maintenance concludes, a new update, hotfix 1.1.1.2, will be released on all platforms. Bungie has not yet shared the patch notes or provided much insight into what this will do, but Destiny 2 hotfixes typically involve making small changes or resolving bugs. Community manager David Dague did tease on Twitter, "We'll be restoring game rituals like Iron Banner and Faction Rallies to working order for all. Updates to the live calendar to come next week."
We'll report back with the details of hotfix 1.1.1.2 once we know exactly what it does. Meanwhile, the ongoing Dawning event runs for a short while longer, coming to a close on January 9.
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.
Amidst the holidays, things have been somewhat quiet on the Destiny 2 front. However, we're set to get a small update this week along with a batch of server maintenance that will render the game unplayable for a period of time on Wednesday, Bungie has announced. [Update: Destiny 2's maintenance is officially underway.]
The maintenance period will follow a similar pattern to those we've seen in the past. On Wednesday, January 3, at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET / 3 PM GMT (2 AM AET on January 4), maintenance will begin, at which point players will no longer be able to log in on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. An hour later, everyone who was playing when maintenance began will be booted offline. Bungie expects maintenance to conclude at 12 PM PT, although, as always, that is merely an estimate.
At the same time that Bungie wraps up maintenance, it will release a new update, hotfix 1.1.1.2. The studio has not explained what this update will do, but these hotfixes tend to focus on bug fixes and other minor improvements, so you shouldn't expect any major new features to be introduced. We do know there is a lingering exploit involving the Warlock's Voidwalker Super ability in the Mayhem Crucible mode, but Bungie previously said that would not be fixed before the ongoing Dawning event comes to an end on January 9.
The Dawning has introduced a ton of new items to Destiny 2, though the easiest way to obtain them is through Eververse purchases with real money. For a look at what you can get, you can check out our gallery of all the new Dawning armor and gear. Even if you're not interested in paying for any of the content, there are still some new things to do, such as checking out the aforementioned Mayhem mode.
Platinum Games, the company behind action titles like Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, and Nier: Automata, has a number of projects in the works right now. We already know the company is making Bayonetta 3 for Nintendo Switch and co-developing Lost Order and Granblue Fantasy Project Re: Link for mobile and PlayStation 4, respectively, but it seems there are even more projects on the way.
The company's head of development, Atsushi Inaba, told Game Informer that Platinum is in the initial stages of planning a further two projects: "We've pretty much opened the company up to 'Anybody can pitch a game,' and so over the last year we've gotten about 70 design documents from different people," Inaba said. "So [2017 was] about us basically diluting which stuff we wanted to focus on and not focus on, and drilling down to the point where we now have two designs that we're genuinely focused on."
He continued: "We can't put together a AAA, $10 million-plus game, because we just don't have that sort of cash as an independent developer. However, we don't plan to go the indies route with just a few people on a team making a game, so it'll be somewhere in the middle, looking at probably about 20 people on the staff making the game, so that'll still be a healthy [size]."
Inaba also stated that Platinum is looking to self-publish more of its games going forward--every one of its games so far have been published by other companies. "One of the things Platinum is focused on is we're looking into creating our own IP, creating our own game," he said. "Up until now, obviously we've worked on original IPs for a wide variety of publishers. We've also worked on other Hollywood IPs for other publishers as well. But we're becoming more and more interested in the idea of self-publishing and doing our own title."
However, Inaba says this doesn't mean the end of Platinum working on other companies' franchises: "We will continue to do AAA games for other publishers and that's because, again, we don't have the cash flow to take on the risk to only do self-published games."
Regular updates to Grand Theft Auto V continue in 2018. Although the first weekly update of the year is not a massive one, Rockstar has released a cool new vehicle and announced some new discounts and extended bonuses that may get you to boot up the game on PS4, Xbox One, or PC.
GTA V's newest car is a rally vehicle, the Annis Savestra Sports Classic. It's available now through Legendary Motorsport, and while it looks to be a worthwhile ride on its own, it can get even better. Those with access to an Avenger or Mobile Operations Center have some optional upgrades for the Savestra, including mounted machine guns.
If you don't yet own a MOC, you can pick up the cab for 50% off its regular price from now through January 8. You can get also get 30% off the Coil Cyclone or Grotti Visione, or 25% off the Ocelot Ardent (a weaponized vehicle), the FH-1 Hunter helicopter, P-45 Nokota plane, and HVY APC (another weaponized vehicle). In the case of the latter three, the discount applies to both the buy-it-now and trade prices.
On the bonus side, Adversary modes Slashers and Occupy are awarding players with double GTA$ and RP until January 8. The Premium Stunt Race is Duel, with a restriction to Muscle-class vehicles, while the Time Trail is Up N Atom. The Premium Race hands out big GTA$ payouts to the top three finishers, while everyone gets Triple RP. The Time Trial offers GTA$ and RP for those who can beat the target time.
We're in the last week of Sony's big holiday sale, and the PS Store is also releasing its first set of new weekly PSN deals for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation 3. Most of the sales start today and go until the middle of the month (you should check each specific offer to be sure of its end date).
PS3 players can also pick up the Digital Pro Edition of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare for $36, with the Gold Edition being available for just $20. There are other Call of Duty deals, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for $35 and the Gold Edition of Call of Duty: Ghosts for $20. Meanwhile for PS Vita, you can get Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified for $13.59. You can find the full list of deals available now on the PlayStation Store.
It's the first week of the new year, and we've now gotten the first Destiny 2 weekly reset of 2018. This brings with it a new Nightfall Strike for players to try their hand at, along with a new Flashpoint on Io and a lineup of Eververse items to consider purchasing before The Dawning ends. Here's what to expect from this week's Nightfall, A Garden World, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
In terms of Modifiers, we again see the return of Torrent. While fans of variety may be disappointed, this is a particularly fun one, as it causes your abilities to recharge much faster than usual. Additionally, Timewarp: Zero Hour is active, which means you're unable to extend the Strike's time limit. You'll need to be fast and efficient to make it to the end.
That's especially true if you're hoping to finish the first of this week's Challenges. Speed of Dark is enabled, as always, and requires you to finish the Strike with at least five minutes left on the timer. Unbroken tasks you with making it through with fewer than three deaths. And the Shielded Minotaur Challenge asks you to take out the titular shielded minotaurs in less than 90 seconds during that encounter.
As with any week, completing 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 9 (4 AM AET on January 10).
The Nightfall is available now, but you'll be unable to try it--or anything else--for a period of time on Wednesday, January 3. Bungie has announced Destiny 2 maintenance and a new update will be deployed on that day, which will result in downtime for several hours. Meanwhile, The Dawning event continues and will come to an end on the same day as this Nightfall, January 9.
Microsoft's big end-of-year sale on the Xbox Store wraps up on January 4, but that doesn't mean your last chance to get cheap Xbox games has passed. The latest set of weekly deals has arrived for Xbox Live Gold members, bringing a select number of discounts on Xbox One games and DLC, alongside those on a few Xbox 360 games.
Among the most noteworthy offers on Xbox One is Diablo III: Eternal Collection for $30 / £27.50. This bundles together the base game, the excellent Reaper of Souls expansion, and the Rise of the Necromancer DLC (which adds the very fun Necromancer class). Alternatively, if you already own the game and Reaper of Souls, you can pick up Rise of the Necromancer on its own for $10 / £8.31.
Separately from these deals, the first of January's free Games With Gold titles are now available. Those include The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III; if you're taken with it or want to start with an earlier title in the series, Gold members can pick up the first game in the series for $5 / £3.96. Additionally, if you don't have Gold, there are still a few deals to be had, including Furi for $10 / £8.
All of these offers are available from now through January 8. You can see the full list here.
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.
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)
It's the start of a new month--and a new year--which means more free games are now available for PlayStation Plus subscribers. January's allotment of free PS Plus games are out now on the PlayStation Store, meaning that titles like Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Batman: The Telltale Series have temporarily dropped to the low, low price of free for paying subscribers.
Mankind Divided is the headlining PS4 freebie this month. The dystopian cyberpunk role-playing game casts you as Adam Jensen and tasks you with catching a terrorist group, which you can do by being a stealthy detective or a tech-enhanced killing machine, or some mixture of both.
As for Telltale's Batman game, this is the first season of the story and puts players in tricky situations as both Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego. The decisions you make will have some consequence on the relationships around you, and the overall story.
Other PS4 freebies in January include the wacky and fun party game That's You (if you're outside of North America) and StarBlood Arena (which requires PlayStation VR). Additionally, one of Vita's free games, Uncanny Valley, offers cross-buy with PS4. The other Vita game, Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness, should also offer PS4 cross-buy according to the PlayStation Blog, but at the time of this writing, it looks as if that may be an error. Additionally, PS3 owners get Sacred 3 and The Book of Unwritten Tales 2.
You can see January 2018's full PS Plus lineup--covering PS4, PS3, and Vita--below, or you can claim them on the PlayStation Store.
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.
Gaten Matarazzo, who plays the pudding-loving Dustin on Netflix's Stranger Things, is a great singer. Remember when we heard him sing the national anthem at a MLB game? He crushed it. He's also in a band called Work in Progress, and they performed recently on the Jersey Shore at the Stone Pony near where Matarazzo grew up.
He sang on a number of songs, including covers of Foo Fighter's "Everlong" and "Porch" by Pearl Jam. YouTube user vivalavix was there and recorded Matarazzo and company performing the covers. Also on the setlist was Fall Out Boy's "Sugar We're Going Down," which Matarazzo sang alongside his sister. You can watch that video here on YouTube from user BeccaRaptor94.
Stranger Things Season 2 premiered just before Halloween last year, and it was a huge hit. Incredibly, around one third of the the streamer's US subscribers watched it. So it's no surprise that Netflix greenlit a third season, though we don't know when it'll premiere or what the story will be.
Not that anyone was doubting it would be, but Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a massive hit. The sci-fi epic has now made $531.5 million in the United States, passing another Disney movie, the live-action Beauty and the Beast, to become the top-grossing release domestically this year. The Last Jedi has made $523.3 million from international markets, boosting the film's total global box office haul to an astonishing $1.054 billion after just a few weeks, according to box office numbers posted on Box Office Mojo.
While critics were generally impressed by The Last Jedi, fans reacted in a more mixed manner, at least in some places. The audience rating on the mega movie site Rotten Tomatoes is just 50 percent after more than 165,000 votes.
The Last Jedi opens in China, its final market, on January 5, so the film's box office haul stands to grow much further still before all is said and done.
In addition to The Last Jedi, three other films have surpassed $1 billion worldwide this year, according to Variety, including Beauty and the Beast ($1.26 billion), The Fate of the Furious ($1.24 billion), and Despicable Me 3 ($1.03 billion).
The Last Jedi will surely surpass the $1.056 billion that Rogue One made, though it is not expected to catch up to the hugely successful The Force Awakens ($2.068 billion).
Whatever figure The Last Jedi ends its theatrical run with is just the beginning, as the movie will make even more money from DVD/Blu-ray/digital sales further down the line.
Pokemon Go has finally been confirmed to launch in China. John Hanke, the CEO of developer Niantic, told Financial Times that the game is coming to the gamer-rich country, though he did not give any indication as to when it would be released. Niantic is working with NetEase to launch Pokemon Go in China. NetEase is a Chinese games company that has also worked with Activision Blizzard to bring World of Warcraft and Overwatch to China.
"We absolutely intend to bring our existing games into China," Hanke said. "Beyond that, there are opportunities to build games in China, both for China and for the world."
In addition to Pokemon Go, Niantic continues to operate and support its AR game Ingress. One of its biggest upcoming titles is Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, which is also an AR title.
A year ago this month, Reuters reported that Pokemon Go, and other unspecified augmented reality games, are "unlikely to be rolled out in China anytime soon," due in part to concerns about information security and safety. China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television has decided to work with other branches of the country's government to "evaluate the game's risks," the report said. This decision was motivated by a "high level of responsibility to national security and the safety of people's lives and property," the group said.
Specifically, China's Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association said Pokemon Go's risks include a "threat to geographical information security and the threat to transport and the personal safety of consumers."
It appears whatever issues China had with Pokemon Go have been addressed or resolved. It remains to be seen how the Chinese version of Pokemon Go may differ from the western edition; we'll report back with more information as it's made available.
Pokemon Go has been linked to car crashes around the world, some of them fatal. The game leverages Google Maps to track your location, which makes some people--and governments apparently--uneasy.
The Nintendo 3DS has enjoyed a long lifespan and it's still very much relevant in gaming today. It has a vast library of amazing games at this point and the system itself has had a few iterations. So, if someone on your shopping list has yet to dip into the 2DS/3DS ecosystem, it'd be a good time to gift them a great handheld. Even if they already own one, we have a few pointers for accessories to pair with this Nintendo system. Check out what we rounded up!
New 2DS XL Poke Ball Edition
The Nintendo New 2DS XL launched earlier this year as another revision to the long-lasting handheld system, a non-3D version with the clamshell chassis design. It's still a great system, and if someone you know still hasn't dug into the 3DS's vast library or has one of the older DS models, now would be a good time to get them a New 2DS XL. And if they are a fan of Pokemon, why not spice things up with the Poke Ball Edition? It sports a red, black, and white color scheme and a little button (non-functional) at the center of the Poke Ball design!
New 2DS and 3DS systems come with a 4 GB microSD card, but that's nearly enough to store many of the bigger downloadable games. A 32 GB SanDisk Ultra microSDHC card will do the trick and they're a great value for the amount of storage you get. For reference, Super Smash Bros. For 3DS has a download size of 2.1 GB and and Pokemon Sun / Moon takes up 3.2 GB. That extra space will come in handy.
There's nothing too fancy about the AmazonBasics carrying case for 2DS XL and 3DS XL systems, but it's a semi-hard case that'll keep your handheld in tact. Inside the case are straps to keep the system from moving around and there are three pockets to store a few games. It's a much better option than having your handheld thrown in a bag.
The two screens on the DS systems aren't prone to as many accidents as, say, a Nintendo Switch since both 2DS XL and 3DS XL models feature a clamshell body design. But that doesn't make the displays immune to getting scuffed. A pair of screen protectors can come in handy, and they're pretty cheap. The screen protective filter from Hori fits XL screens just right and comes with a cleaning cloth for application prep.
Long-time owners of any of the 3DS family of systems probably have a ton of games by now, and carrying around a bunch of cartridges gets unwieldy. A simple case for all those carts can be a big help for portability and the one from Hori, which holds 24 carts, is only going to run you $10.
You can always rely on a Nintendo eShop card if you can't decide on a particular 3DS accessory to gift. These act as currency in the eShop store where you can purchase and download digital games. It'd make for a convenient gift that puts the decision-making burden on the recipient, which is great for you! These come in either $10, $20, $35, or $50 amounts with the cast of Mario characters printed on them.
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