It was 2001 when the first Halo game launched on the original Xbox and since then, fans have often wondered how long it would take before the franchise was adapted to TV or film. To this day, however, it hasn't come to pass.
Speaking to TV Guide at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, Showtime president David Nevins promises, "[It's] still in very active development." It's worth noting those same words were used in 2015. He wouldn't elaborate beyond that, except to say he's seen scripts from the proposed series.
Showtime president of programming Gary Levine echoed that sentiment, adding that Halo "is absolutely still in development, still moving forward and I'm encouraged by what we've seen so far." He also confirms the adaptation is a live-action series that he believes "will definitely satisfy the fans of Halo and I think also satisfy the drama audiences of Showtime." There's still no word on when it will actually happen, though.
It's promising that Showtime is still pursuing the series, given how other attempts have fallen apart in the end. In 2005, Microsoft famously tried to get a film version of Halo off the ground by sending men dressed as Master Chief to various studios in Hollywood, armed with scripts to show movie executives.
While that may not have worked out in the end--and was, honestly, a little over-the-top for trying to get any movie made--Halo still remains a viable franchise. Should Showtime want an epic sci-fi series to become a cornerstone of their programming, Master Chief may be the answer. After all, with five main games and a series of spin-offs to its name, there is still plenty of life left in Halo.
PC gaming monitors offer a range of features that you just can't find in a TV set, which is problematic if you want those options and a larger-sized display. Nvidia is looking to solve that issue with what it calls big format gaming displays, or BFGDs, which it formally unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show this week.
Nvidia has collaborated with several hardware manufacturers, including Asus, HP, and Acer, to produce the new 65-inch displays. These pack in almost everything you could want: 4K, HDR, and 120 Hz support with 1,000-nit peak luminance and DCI-P3 color gamut. It also offers two of Nvidia's other proprietary technologies. This includes G-Sync, which, like AMD's FreeSync, aims to eliminate screen tearing.
Additionally, Nvidia's streaming tech, Shield, is built right into the display without the need for a separate unit. You'll also get both the Shield remote and game controller, allowing you to stream games (or media through services like Netflix) directly to the display.
The first BFGDs are on display at CES this week, but unfortunately we don't know exactly when you'll be able to get your hands on them--or, more importantly, how much they'll cost. Nvidia said BFGDs will go on sale sometime this summer, with specs and other details being announced closer to launch.
Last time we saw Jennifer Lawrence, she was slowly going mad in a freaky house in Darren Aronofsky's highly divisive arthouse horror allegory, Mother! Lawrence's next movie is something very different--it's an espionage thriller titled Red Sparrow in which she plays a deadly Russian assassin.
A new trailer for the movie has now been released. Unlike the first teaser, which focused on the movie's tone and style, this reveals more of its plot. Lawrence plays Dominikia Egorova, a young woman who is recruited into Russia's secretive Sparrow spy school and forced to undergo a brutal training regime, from which she emerges as a ruthless agent. Check it out above.
Red Sparrow also stars Joel Edgerton (Bright, Black Mass), Matthias Schoenaerts (The Danish Girl), Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds), and Ciarán Hinds (Justice League). It's directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously directed Jennifer Lawrence in the last three Hunger Games movies, and also helmed the Will Smith sci-fi blockbuster I Am Legend. The film hits theaters on March 2, 2018.
In an interview with Inquirer.Net last year, the director spoke about working with Lawrence for the fourth time. "As I read the book, I pictured Jennifer in the role," he said. "Actually, before we even started working on the script, while we were in post for [final Hunger Games movie] Mockingjay, I was already talking to her about the character and picking her brain to see if she would be interested. To see her transform in a brave way and truly push herself into a new territory has been one of the most exciting things about this project."
This patch, like the Xbox One update that released just before Christmas, brings general "quality-of-life" improvements, as well as a few gameplay tweaks. The first of those is an increase in how much damage players can deal to vehicles--though PUBG Corp. says it will continue to monitor player feedback and adjust this as necessary in the future.
Elsewhere, the in-game options menu has added a new variable that lets you tweak aim acceleration, a change that will hopefully help players who have found PUBG more difficult to play with a controller than on PC's mouse and keyboard setup. You can also now turn music on or off via the same menu. Finally, PUBG Corp. says both server and player frame rates have been "slightly increased," and a number of crashes have been addressed. Take a look at the full patch notes below, via PUBG Corp.
Aim acceleration can now be adjusted by players via in-game option
Player weapon damage has been increased against vehicles. We will continue to monitor player feedback and telemetry and make further balancing adjustments as needed in future updates
FPP Solo matchmaking queue will be made available for NA / EU / Oceanic servers. We will open other modes within those regions as concurrency allows
Fixed an issue that caused indoor lighting and shadows to appear too dark and blueish
Analog stick acceleration added while exiting the plane and while parachuting
Optimization
PhysX performance enhancements
Server FPS slightly increased
Client FPS slightly increased
Some VFX received slight optimizations
Option
Music on/off option added
Bug Fixes
Addressed a number of known crashes
Fixed a UI issue that occurred when multiple players attempted to loot from the same source
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.
The Xbox One X is about two months old now, which means there hasn't been much time for deals involving the system. Those in the market for one right now have some good options to choose from, as a pair of retailers have promotions centered around Microsoft's powerful console.
First and foremost is one on Ebay being offered by highly rated seller Antonline. It drops the usual $500 price of the system down to $460 and throws in a free copy of Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition. That's the version of the game that includes everything from the earlier Origins Edition along with some free loot boxes. This Xbox One X bundle is new and unopened, with free shipping available in the US, though it can also ship to other countries. A limited quantity is available; there's no telling when this will sell out, so you should act quickly if you're interested.
Alternatively, Antonline is also offering a nice deal through Newegg. Over there, you can pick up the console for $499 and receive a free $50 gift card to Newegg, which can be spent on games, controllers, or anything else the site sells. Free shipping is also available with this offer, which runs through Saturday, January 13. Through Newegg, Antonline also sells an Xbox One X bundle with PUBG and Ghost Recon: Wildlands for $519, or PUBG and Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition for $530.
The Xbox One X is at its best when paired with an HDR-capable 4K display, but even those with 1080p TVs stand to benefit from its additional horsepower. For an idea of what to expect, check out our Xbox One X review.
Despite being an obvious prospect, we've yet to see any kind of Game of the Year-style edition of Final Fantasy XV. However, it now looks as if Square Enix may have such a version on the way in the near future, if a newly published ratings board listing is any indication.
The ESRB has published a rating for something called Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition, which is coming to both Xbox One and PS4. The rating itself doesn't provide any information about what this is, instead largely re-stating what the original game's ESRB rating explained (albeit with some further specificity about the types of firearms you'll use). However, it's not hard to guess what this might be.
With all of the announced DLC episodes now available, it seems likely that Royal Edition will bundle the base game with the content released to date. XV director Hajime Tabata said recently that he hopes to release more DLC packs for the game in 2018, but with expansions focused on party members Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto having already been released, Square Enix looks to be ready to re-package the game. Given that Royal Edition has already received an ESRB rating, such a release is likely not too far off.
As a result, there were a variety of references to these issues made from the stage. Host Seth Meyers confronted them head on from the start. "There's a new era under way, and I can tell because it's been years since a white man was this nervous in Hollywood," he said, before making explicit reference to disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. "Don't worry, [Weinstein] will be back in 20 years when he becomes the first person ever booed during the In Memoriam [section of the ceremony]."
Meyers also took shots at another two famous figures who have been caught up in the scandals--Kevin Spacey and Woody Allen. "I was happy to hear they're going to do another season of House of Cards," he said. "Is Christopher Plummer available for that, too? I hope he can do a Southern accent, because Kevin Spacey sure couldn't."
As for Allen, Meyer made reference to Guillermo Del Toro's acclaimed fantasy The Shape of Water. "I have to admit, when I first heard it was a movie about a naive young woman falling in love with a disgusting sea creature. I thought, Man, not another Woody Allen movie."
Natalie Portman made a veiled criticism of the fact that although the drama Lady Bird won Best Comedy or Musical and Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical (for Saoirse Ronan), the film's director, Greta Gerwig, was not nominated. "Here are the all male nominees," the actress said before reading the names of the five men who were up for the award. In addition, many of the female stars and nominees present wore black gowns to stand in solidarity with victims of sexual assault and harassment.
But the evening's most powerful speech came from Oprah Winfrey, who received the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award. "I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon," she told the audience. "And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say 'Me too' again."
In terms of the awards themselves, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Big Little Lies were among the big winners. Three Billboard's wins included Best Picture, Drama, along with acting awards for Best Actress (Frances McDormand) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell).
HBO's limited series Big Little Lies was also a big winner, taking home wins for Best TV Limited series, Best Performance by an Actress in a TV series (Laura Dern), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a TV show (Alexander Skarsgard), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series (Nicole Kidman). Click here to see the full rundown of Golden Globe winners and nominees.
Microsoft's big end-of-year sale on the Xbox Store has wrapped 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. [Update: It's Monday, making today your last chance to take advantage of these sale prices before they're replaced by the next set of deals.]
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.
The Humble Monthly Bundle for February has been revealed. It includes Civilization VI and two DLC packs--the Australia Civilization and Scenario Pack and the Vikings Scenario Pack--for only $12.
Each Humble Monthly Bundle gets you a mystery assortment of games. Paying the $12 subscription fee early grants you access to Civ 6 immediately, with six other games to follow on February 2. Civ 6 released in 2016 and normally costs $60.
The February Bundle coincides with the release of Rise and Fall on February 8. Humble also recently tweeted a deal that gets you a $20 store credit when you purchase the Monthly Bundle annual plan. You can check out all the details on the Humble Bundle website.
For the first time in 2018, Destiny 2's mysterious merchant, Xur, has arrived in-game. As always, he has a selection of Exotic gear for sale in return for Legendary Shards, along with two of the other items he recently began selling. Below, we've laid out exactly where to find Xur and what he's offering up this week--and you won't need to own Curse of Osiris to pick up any of it. [Update: It's now Monday, making this your last opportunity to pay Xur a visit before we leaves as part of the weekly reset on Tuesday.]
For this appearance, Xur can be found on Io. To reach him, you'll want to spawn in at the Giant's Scar Landing Zone and jump on your sparrow. Head straight and just to the right, through the opening of the structure in front of you, and then follow the path to the left a short ways. Xur is just up the hill on the left, inside an otherwise nondescript cave.
In terms of what he's selling, as usual he has the Three of Coins, which boosts your likelihood of receiving an Exotic drop for four hours. (Keep in mind, a Three of Coins fix is on the way, as it doesn't currently affect everything that it should.) You can also pick up the pricey Fated Engram, which is guaranteed to net you an Exotic that you don't already own. Alternatively, he has an excellent Exotic fusion rifle, Merciless, which is absolutely worth picking up if you don't already own one. Each class also has one piece of Exotic armor available, all of which, like Merciless, are from the base game, and not Curse of Osiris. Here's the full Xur store lineup:
Young Ahamkara's Spine (Exotic Hunter Gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Mask of the Quiet One (Exotic Titan Helmet) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Wings of Sacred Dawn (Exotic Warlock Chest Armor) -- 23 Legendary Shards
Fated Engram -- 97 Legendary Shards
Three of Coins -- 31 Legendary Shards
This selection of gear will be available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One from now until the weekly reset takes place on January 9. Also available until then is the ongoing Dawning event, which provides some new things to do and new gear to collect. Destiny 2 recently saw the release of a small update which re-opened Iron Banner and Faction Rally events to all players, including non-DLC owners. News is expected soon about the next occurrences of both events.
Capcom has indicated on a number of occasions that it will support Monster Hunter World with free post-release downloadable content. That includes the addition of new monsters to hunt, the first of which we now have some details about.
With World's release coming up in a few weeks, Capcom reiterated today that it has plans for "regular content updates, as well as major title updates for free." What it describes as the "first major title update" will launch at some point this spring. It introduces the Deviljho to the game, a monster we've seen in a number of previous entries that will feature some differences in World.
"The Deviljho must feed constantly and will devour anything in its way, even feeding on the largest of monsters with its massive jowls," Capcom explained. "This wild beast really is one for only the bravest of hunters to take on."
Since its launch in November, deals on the Xbox One X have been few and far between. Microsoft launched a promotion giving away PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds with the purchase of the system, but otherwise, there haven't been many offers involving the new, more powerful Xbox One console. A new deal is now available, and while it doesn't make the system any cheaper, it does get you a pair of freebies.
Over on Newegg, the retailer is currently selling the Xbox One X for its usual price of $500, but with two free games thrown in. The first of these is Mass Effect: Andromeda, last year's RPG which was not received quite as warmly as earlier entries in the series but has improved through post-launch patches. The other freebie is Titanfall 2, the excellent 2016 shooter which has received an Xbox One X update, bringing visual enhancements for those playing on an X.
The offer has been available for a few days and will be going away after today, January 8. Shipping is free to most of the United States. However, take note that the bundle is non-returnable. If that free copy of PUBG sounds more desirable, it's still available for a short while longer through select retailers, as outlined here.
HP has announced a recall on batteries in select notebook and mobile workstations sold in recent years. Affected batteries pose a fire threat and could burn users, so if you've bought such an HP device since late 2015, you should check to find out if you're impacted. Here's everything you need to know.
The voluntary safety recall was initiated this month, with HP offering replacements for affected units. "These batteries have the potential to overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to customers," HP said in a statement. "For this reason, it is extremely important to check whether your battery is affected."
These batteries were included with select units sold around the world between December 2015 and December 2017, according to the company. This includes the HP Probook 64x (G2 and G3), HP ProBook 65x (G2 and G3), HP x360 310 G2, HP Envy M6, HP Pavilion x360, HP 11 notebook computers, and HP ZBook (17 G3, 17 G4, and Studio G3) mobile workstations. Batteries for some of these are not replaceable by users, but whatever the case, HP says it will handle getting a safe battery into owners' devices.
HP has set up a recall site and released a BIOS update. This places the system in Battery Safety Mode, which allows the computer to be used by plugging it in. When enabled on an affected system, the battery will be discharged and then can't be charged (at least without disabling the safety mode). HP says it "strongly recommends" using this mode if you're affected.
Those who are impacted can request a no-cost replacement through HP's website. You can download a tool to verify if your battery is susceptible to the issue here.
Capcom has detailed the precise release dates for Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition in Europe, Middle-East, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, revealing that those buying the game for the first time will get it a little later than players upgrading from the existing version.
The confirmed in a Twitter post that both the physical and digital versions of Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will be available to purchase on PlayStation 4 on January 19. However, if you already have Street Fighter V, you'll be able to upgrade to Arcade Edition and begin playing from January 16.
The Steam release of Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, meanwhile, will also launch on January 16 regardless of whether you're buying for the first time or upgrading. Capcom has not yet provided an exact time for when the Arcade Edition upgrade patch will be available or when it will go live on Steam yet.
Capcom has not indicated there will be a similarly staggered launch for Arcade Edition in the US. We have asked the company for confirmation and will update this story when it is provided.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is a new version of Capcom's flagship fighting game that includes all the post-release content from Season 1 and Season 2 of the game, as well as a number of new gameplay changes. It will feature a total of 28 fighters, comprised of the original roster plus the DLC characters.
In terms of gameplay, Arcade Edition introduces a second V-Trigger for every character. This, according to Capcom, "will significantly change their playstyle." Also being added is a new Arcade Mode "ripe with nostalgia," an Extra Battle Mode, a gallery, and a redesigned user-interface. Further information on the new Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition content can be found here.
After reaching nine consecutive weeks at the top of the UK physical sales chart last week--the same number in a row as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 reached after its 2009 launch--Call of Duty: WWII was one more No.1 away from breaking a series record. However, FIFA 18 starts the new year strongly at the chart's summit, meaning the latest Call of Duty must settle for equaling the franchise record.
Below the perennially popular pair lies another long-term favorite, Grand Theft Auto V, which finishes in the top 40 for the 225th consecutive week, according to sales monitor GfK Chart-Track. The open-world game has never finished outside the top 40 since its original launch in 2013, and 85% of its placements have been in the top 10.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Those eager to get their hands on Monster Hunter World will be able to sample it once again as part of a final beta test for the upcoming game. Unlike the second beta that ran in December, this one will introduce some new content, but it'll unfortunately once again be limited to PlayStation 4.
Capcom announced the third and final beta test today, which will run just days before the game's full release. The PS4 beta begins at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on January 18, or 2 AM GMT on January 19. It concludes on January 21 (or 22) at the same time.
Monster Hunter World's first beta was conducted in early December, exclusively for PlayStation Plus subscribers on PS4. A second beta followed later in the month for all PS4 owners consisting of the same two areas and three monsters to hunt: the Great Jagras, Anjanath, and Barroth. All of that will be present in this final beta, but you'll also get to square off against World's flagship monster, the Nergigante.
Nergigante is an Elder Dragon and the monster featured on World's box art. The full game also sees the return of several other Elder Dragons, as well as the introduction of some new ones, which are showcased in World's new trailer.
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.
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.
When Ron Howard took over directorial duties from Chris Miller and Phil Lord on the upcoming Star Wars spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story in June last year, it was reported that there were only a few weeks of principal photography remaining. However, Howard continued to film for another four months, leading to rumors that he was was reshooting the majority of the movie.
Now Lando actor Donald Glover has commented on the issue and stated that despite the lengthy production, little about the film altered after Howard came on board. "It didn't really [change]," he said during the Television Critics Association press tour. "I think we were never faced with anything like that and [Howard] did a good job of coming in and didn't want us to change what we were doing at all. He wanted us to be comfortable with our vision."
Glover also spoke his excitement about being on the Solo set, and hinted at one of the moments that Howard directed him in. "I remember going on set one of the first times. He was like, 'Yeah, I want to follow you onto the Millennium Falcon and do this thing. I was like, 'I don't think I've ever seen the outside go into the inside.' He said, 'Yeah, no one's ever don't that shot.' As a fan I was really excited. I know there's been a lot of talk in the press about this movie, but, for me anyway, it was a dream and also it looks really cool to me."
Glover isn't the first Solo actor to deny that a lot of the movie was reshot. In November, Thandie Newton stated that, "Ninety percent of my stuff is with [Lord and Miller]. And it certainly wasn't about, 'Oh we have to start again and do it all over.'"
Nevertheless, the scale of the reshoots meant that at least one role had to be recast, with Paul Bettany replacing Michael K. Williams. Bettany himself commented in the issue recently, and said that Howard "reshot a lot more than was originally intended."
Last week, Howard tweeted a new image from the movie. As with most of pictures that the director has released it doesn't reveal much, but it does suggest that Han might pilot a new vehicle--possibly some form of speeder.
Solo: A Star WarsStory stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca. Woody Harrelson, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Emilia Clarke also star. It hits theaters on May 25, 2018.
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.
Update: Due to the bug associated with A Garden World Nightfall strike, which prevented some players from gaining certain rewards, Bungie has changed the mission to The Inverted Spire. We have updated the text below to reflect the new mission. But please enjoy the video above of Erick Tay playing through the original Nightfall during our livestream.
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, The Inverted Spire, on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
In terms of Modifiers, we again see the return of Momentum. As a reminder, this particular modifier forces players to keep moving forward to restore health and and shields. Additionally, Timewarp: Rings is active, which means you'll have to jump through several rings scattered around the Strike to gain more time.
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 in addition to those, The Floor Is Lava tasks you and your fireteam to not get hit by Protheon's fiery ground attack before defeating it.
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.
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)
Update: Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is now free on PS4 as well as PS Vita in the US. However, you may have to 'purchase' the game on PS4 and PS Vita separately, since it is not normally part of Sony's Cross-Buy scheme. The below text has been altered to reflect the change. Original story follows.
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, PS Vita's free games, Uncanny Valley and Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness, are both free on PS4, too. You may have to 'purchase' Psycho-Pass on PS4 and PS Vita separately, however, since it is not normally part of Sony's Cross-Buy scheme. Note that in Europe and Australia, Psycho-Pass is only free on PS Vita, not PS4. Finally, PS3 owners get Sacred 3 and The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 for free.
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.
The 75th Golden Globes took place tonight, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Big Little Lies were among the big winners. Three Billboard's wins included Best Picture, Drama, along with acting awards for Best Actress (Frances McDormand) and Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell).
HBO's limited series Big Little Lies was also a big winner, taking home wins for Best TV Limited series, Best Performance by an Actress in a TV series (Laura Dern), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a TV show (Alexander Skarsgard), and Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series (Nicole Kidman).
The coming-of-age drama Lady Bird also netted multiple awards, including Best Picture, Comedy or Musical and Best Performance by an Actress In a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical for star Saoirse Ronan.
You can see a full rundown of tonight's Golden Globe winners and nominees below, as rounded up and compiled by Entertainment Tonight. The year's next major awards show, The Oscars, takes place in early March. The nominees will be announced at the end of the month.
2018 Golden Globe Winners
Best Picture – Drama:
"Call Me by Your Name"
"Dunkirk"
"The Post"
"The Shape of Water"
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama:
At its 2018 tech day event in Las Vegas, AMD announced its Radeon Vega Mobile GPU. In terms of specs, AMD didn't provide very many details about the graphics processor, however, it did say it's designed to compete with Nvidia's mobile offerings in the gaming laptop space.
AMD showed off the bare chip next to its Vega 64 equivalent at the event, and it was noticeably smaller compared to its full-sized graphics card counterpart. The company says that the mobile version is much smaller and only 1.7mm thick, which allows it to fit into ultrathin laptops and small form factors.
In terms of performance, AMD says you should expect high frame rates in modern AAA games, and that it will be fast enough to be VR-ready. The mobile GPU will use high-bandwidth memory 2 (HBM2) and will also support FreeSync and HDMI 2.0 along with a bevy of AMD features including Radeon Relive, Enhanced Sync, Radeon Chill, Radeon Wattman, and more.
The company also announced that its third party graphics card manufacturers will soon release custom versions of its Radeon RX Vega 64 and 56 GPUs for the first time, originally released last year. AMD says that these tweaked designs will run anywhere from five to 12% faster than its reference models.
Finally, AMD confirmed that it is helping longtime competitor Intel create improved integrated graphics with its Vega architecture, but didn't reveal details beyond that.
Due in Japan on March 29, Birthdays the Beginnings will launch on Switch as Happy Birthdays, according to Siliconera. The updated portable version of the title will include fixes to the game's navigation so it's a little easier to play and understand, and new characters.
Birthdays the Beginning launched in North America and Europe in May 2017 on PS4 and PC. Localization has not yet been confirmed for the Switch port of the game, but it may be likely since the original title did come overseas.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi has fallen down the charts for the latest box office report. For the January 5-7 weekend, Disney's sci-fi blockbuster made $23.6 million to finish third. No. 1 in the US and Canada over the weekend was Sony's Jumanji reboot, Welcome to the Jungle, which made $36 million over the three-day period. No. 2 was the horror movie Insidious: The Last Key, which is ahead of the opening-weekend haul for the previous movie, Insidious 3.
Welcome to the Jungle has now made $244.4 million domestically after just 19 days, with a further $275 million coming in from international markets. That puts its global haul to $519.4 million, which is mightily impressive considering it had a $90 million budget.
As for Star Wars, The Last Jedi has now made $572.5 million in the US and Canada, with $632.7 million from overseas markets to push its global total to $1.2 billion. The film opened this weekend in China--the world's second-biggest movie market--and made $28.7 million.
You can see the full Top 10 list for the January 5-7 weekend below, as rounded up and compiled by Entertainment Weekly.
US/Canada Box Office Estimates For January 5-7
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle -- $36 million
Insidious: The Last Key -- $29.3 million
Star Wars: The Last Jedi -- $23.6 million
The Greatest Showman -- $13.8 million
Pitch Perfect 3 -- $10.2 million
Ferdinand -- $7.7 million
Molly's Game -- $7 million
Darkest Hour -- $6.4 million
Coco -- $5.5 million
All the Money in the World -- $3.6 million
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment