By Matt Espineli on Feb 15, 2018 11:50 pm
There's a multitude armor sets to craft and equip in Monster Hunter World. Much of the gear you get is unattainable until you've sunk a significant number of hours into the game honing your skills, taking down challenging enemies, and amassing the necessary resources for crafting. Every armor set you acquire comes in two types: alpha and beta. Alpha sets come with preset skills that enhance its wearer with a series of statistical benefits, while Beta sets allow its wearer to customize what skills each piece has. In addition, each set has an entirely different look depending on the gender you choose. We've already taken a look at how high-end armor looks on male characters, as well as all the high-end Palico armor. Click ahead to check out how each high-end armor set looks like on female characters. Monster Hunter: World is out now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with a PC release to come later in the year. That's notable, as recent entries were limited to 3DS. The additional horsepower has allowed for a game with much larger, more beautiful environments to play in. It also does a better job of introducing newcomers to the flow of playing a Monster Hunter game. You can read more about what to expect in our Monster Hunter World review. And for more impressions of the game, check out our feature detailing 11 ways to make the game even better than it already is. Those playing on PS4 will be able to get their hands on some exclusive gear based on Horizon Zero Dawn. We also know that new Mega Man-themed items are on the way, as well as character skins themed around Street Fighter V--and if past games are any indication, this won't be the last crossover content that Capcom releases.
By Chris Pereira on Feb 15, 2018 03:54 pm
Destiny 2's Crimson Days event is now live, bringing a new activity--a special 2v2 Crucible playlist--to occupy your time. But no matter what you do, you'll be working toward unlocking the real highlight of the new update: new gear. Destiny 2 players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One now have a variety of items to acquire, but only for a limited time. You can take a look at everything that's currently available in the images. The Valentine's Day-themed event includes new Ghosts, Sparrows, armor and weapon shaders, emotes, weapon ornaments (for weapons like scout rifles and auto rifles, but hand cannons and others get no love), and more to acquire--but no new armor. These are primarily included in new Crimson Engrams, which are obtained by playing the aforementioned Crucible mode. Alternatively, if you've reached the level cap (level 20 if you don't own Curse of Osiris, 25 if you do), each level up will reward you a Crimson Engram in addition to the standard Illuminated Engram. No matter how you obtain it, the Crimson Engram is guaranteed to decrypt into an item you don't already own until you've unlocked everything. While the bulk of the new items are obtained through the Engram, there are five others that are obtained through different means. You'll need to fulfill a specific objective in order to unlock the corresponding reward (or to have a chance at earning it, in one case). Here's how to unlock them: - Tirastrella Ghost Shell + Fire of the Crimson Days Emblem: Complete the "Welcome to Crimson Days" milestone (finish five Crimson Days matches, talk to Shaxx)
- Undeterred Exotic Sparrow: Complete Crimson Days Crucible playlist matches for a "chance" to unlock this
- Dieselpunk Exotic Ornament for Wardcliff Coil: Complete the Leviathan Raid or Eater of Worlds Raid Lair to find this in the final chest
- Flaunting Dance Emote: Complete the Nightfall Strike during the event
Crimson Days is now live on all platforms, and it runs until the weekly reset on February 20. Even if you don't plan on playing much, you can get a free Crimson Engram just by logging in and speaking with Tess at The Tower.
Tirastrella Ghost Shell
Undeterred Exotic Sparrow
Dieselpunk Exotic Ornament for Wardcliff Coil
Flaunting Dance Emote
By Chris Pereira on Feb 15, 2018 03:50 pm
Thanks to a variety of factors, Monster Hunter World is likely to be many people's first experience with the franchise. New gear is desirable in any RPG, but it's especially important in Monster Hunter, where your progression is tied not to experience points, but the new armor and weapons you're able to acquire and craft. The armor you collect comes in a variety of different styles, shapes, types, and sizes. Every armor set you acquire comes in two types: alpha and beta. Alpha sets come with preset skills that enhance its wearer with a series of statistical benefits, while Beta sets allow its wearer to customize what skills each piece has. In addition, each set has an entirely different look depending on the gender you choose. To give you an idea of what kind of armor sets you'll be able to use once you've progressed far enough in the game, we've compiled the gallery above. You'll find images of high-end armor for male characters in this gallery. If you're curious about female character gear, check out our high-end female player gear gallery. You can also check out our high-end Palico armor gallery. Monster Hunter World releases on January 26 for Xbox One and PS4, with a PC release to come later in the year. That's notable, as recent entries were limited to 3DS. The additional horsepower has allowed for a game with much larger, more beautiful environments to play in. It also does a better job of introducing newcomers to the flow of playing a Monster Hunter game. You can read more about what to expect in our Monster Hunter World review. Those playing on PS4 will be able to get their hands on some exclusive gear based on Horizon: Zero Dawn. We also know that new Mega Man-themed items are on the way, and if past games are any indications, that won't be the last crossover content that Capcom releases.
By Matt Espineli on Feb 15, 2018 07:31 am
This Year's Exclusives.exe
There's an abundance of great-looking games coming exclusively to PC this year. To help you keep track of everything, we've compiled a list of all the exclusive titles coming to PC this year. Be sure to check back often, as we'll continue to update our placeholder entries with confirmed release dates and information when new announcements are made. Thanks to all the independent developers set to launch their projects, PC platforms like Steam and GOG are set to receive hundreds of exclusive games this year. Since rounding them up would prove unwieldy, we've narrowed the field down to this list of some of the most high-profile exclusives. If you're curious about other platforms, you can check out our features on PS4 exclusives, Switch exclusives, and Xbox One exclusives. There's also a wealth of exciting games coming out in 2018 that aren't necessarily exclusive to one platform or another, so be sure to check out our individual features highlighting the most anticipated PS4 games, Xbox One games, PC games, and Switch games for a broader look at the year ahead.
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a remaster of the iconic history-based real-time strategy game from 1997. Developer: Forgotten Empires | Release Date: February 20
Long Gone Days
Long Gone Days is a 2D RPG that follows the adventures of Rourke, a soldier who decides to abandon his post, which leads him on a journey where he'll collaborate with allies from different parts of the world to overcome the peril of an inescapable war. While a traditional RPG at its core, the game also features elements from visual novels, puzzlers, and shooters. Developer: BURA | Release Date: March 2018 (Early Access)
Agony
Agony is a first-person horror game that forces you to survive the depths of Hell. Developer: Madmind Studio | Release Date: March 30
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Pillars of Eternity II is the successor to the critically acclaimed 2015 original. It features an expansive multiclassing system, which allows players to build unique characters that tie both into personal playstyles and stories. It also gives you access to a ship that you can sail across the game's world and continually upgrade to better survive perilous encounters. Developer: Obsidian Entertainment | Release Date: April 3 | Watch the Trailer
Chuchel
Chuchel is a puzzle game developed by Jaromir Plachy & Amanita Design, the creators of Botanicula, Machinarium, and Samorost. Developer: Amanita Design | Release Date: Early 2018
Griftlands
Griftlands is the latest game by developer Klei Entertainment, the studio behind Don't Starve and Mark of the Ninja. Unlike its previous efforts, Griftlands is an action-RPG that emphasizes player choice and charting your own journey through an in-depth negotiation system. Developer: Klei Entertainment | Release Date: Early 2018
Dauntless
Dauntless is a free-to-play action-RPG that plays similarly to Capcom's popular Monster Hunter series. It takes place in a world where a cataclysmic event has torn the world apart, releasing monster-like Behemoths that prey on the surviving humans. You play as a Slayer, a special warrior tasked with taking down the Behemoths. Developer: Phoenix Labs | Release Date: Q1-Q2 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Total War: Three Kingdoms
Total War: Three Kingdoms takes developer Creative Assembly's long-running real-time strategy series to the turbulent Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. Developer: Creative Assembly | Release Date: Fall 2018
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is the first numbered mainline entry in the once popular mech-sim series to be released in nearly 16 years. In keeping with MechWarrior tradition, you customize and pilot your own personal BattleMech across a new conflict set within the universe of the popular BattleTech franchise. Developer: Piranha Games | Release Date: December 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Anno 1800
Anno 1800 is the latest entry in the long-running real-time strategy Anno series. It takes the series back to the past, allowing you to build and manage metropolises during the industrial revolution. Developer: Ubisoft Blue Byte | Release Date: Winter 2018
Aquanox: Deep Descent
Aquanox: Deep Descent is a first-person shooter where you control a submarine through undersea caverns in the dystopian world of Aqua. Developer: Digital Arrow | Release Date: TBA 2018
Quake Champions
Quake Champions revives the classic Quake style of arena shooter gameplay but with a new character/class system. While not a major factor, these characters do feature their own distinct movement speeds, health pools, and a special ability. Developer: id Software | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is the latest spin-off game in the popular Total War franchise. In contrast to the mainline games, Thrones of Britannia is a turn-based strategy game that takes place in the aftermath of the Viking invasion of Britain. Developer: Creative Assembly | Release Date: TBA 2018
Underworld Ascendant
Underworld Ascendant is an action-RPG made by developers that worked on the Ultima Underworld series. Like those games, it focuses on player choice while taking you on a journey across a fantasy realm packed with danger and intrigue. Developer: Otherside Entertainment | Release Date: TBA 2018
Xenonauts 2
Xenonauts 2 is a strategy game where you command a multinational organization defending Cold War-era Earth from an alien invasion. Developer: Goldhawk Interactive | Release Date: TBA 2018
By Matt Espineli on Feb 15, 2018 07:30 am
A Growing Library Of Exclusives
In 2017, Microsoft managed to enhance its latest and a few pre-existing games with upgraded visuals thanks to the release of Xbox One X. However, the publisher's roster of exclusives last year was small. Fortunately, Microsoft is kicking off this year with a solid array of exclusive triple-A and independent games. With so many great-looking games coming to the console that you won't find anywhere else, we've compiled a list of all the exclusive games coming to Xbox One in the coming months. Make sure to check back often, as we'll continue to update our entries with specific dates and info when new announcements are made. If you're curious about other platforms, you can check out our features on PS4 exclusives, PC exclusives, and Switch exclusives. It's worth noting that there are a few games in this gallery that are also on PC. Given Microsoft's Play Anywhere program and the company's hand in both console and PC gaming, these games have been included. There's also a wealth of exciting games coming out in 2018 that aren't necessarily exclusive to one platform or another, so be sure to check out our individual features highlighting the most anticipated PS4 games, Xbox One games, PC games, and Switch games for a broader look at the year ahead.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves is the first original, non-Kinect game by iconic developer Rare in years. It's a first-person multiplayer action-adventure game that allows you to live out the life of a pirate with your friends. You'll be able to work together to navigate the sea by ship while hunting down treasure and fending off competing players. Developer: Rare | Release Date: March 20 | Watch the Trailer
Ashen
Ashen is an action-RPG where you play a wanderer in search of a place to settle. However, the game's hostile world filled with malicious scavengers and deadly creatures ensures you won't stay in one place for long. Ashen challenges you to explore the world, create settlements, and seek out other adventurers to join you and improve your chances of survival. Developer: Aurora44 | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Black Desert Online
The incredibly popular PC MMORPG Black Desert Online is making its way onto Xbox One this year as a timed-exclusive. Thanks to the power of the Xbox One X, the upcoming console port can be played in 4K. Developer: Pearl Abyss | Release Date: Early 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Crackdown 3
Crackdown 3 is an open-world action-adventure game that has you stopping crime in a futuristic city where everything is destructible. Its main protagonist is voiced by famous actor, Terry Crews (White Chicks, Idiocracy, Brooklyn Nine-Nine). Developer: Sumo Digital, Reagent Games, Ruffian Games, and Cloudgine | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a first-person cooperative sci-fi shooter where up to four players explore procedurally generated, destructible environments to complete a variety of missions. As a team of Dwarven space miners, you work together to blow up cave walls and mow down enemies. Developer: Ghost Ship Games | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
The Darwin Project
The Darwin Project is a third-person competitive multiplayer battle royale game with an emphasis on survival. In order to win, you must endure extreme weather conditions, while tracking opponents and setting up traps. Developer: Scavenger Studio | Release Date: TBA 2018
The Last Night
The Last Night is a 2.5D cinematic platformer where you play as Charlie, a lower-class citizen in a society where computers and machinery have taken over menial work. You explore the city, talk with its various inhabitants, and discover its secrets. Developer: Odd Tales | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
State of Decay 2
State of Decay 2 is a multiplayer zombie survival game featuring an open-world environment and co-op gameplay with up to three other players. Unlike the original, the game allows you to control anyone in your crew of survivors, who each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Developer: Undead Labs | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
By GameSpot Staff on Feb 15, 2018 07:30 am
Nintendo's Newest
After failing to make people fall in love with Wii U, Nintendo is back and Switch is a household name--not to mention the fastest selling console in US history. In 2017, games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey proved that Nintendo understands the strengths of its franchises and the importance of taking risks, but they are only two of the many games that have kept Switch owners entertained since the system's March launch. Already, 2018 looks like another promising year for Switch owners, and there are some great-looking games coming to the system that you won't find anywhere else. But for an overview of all the Switch games we reviewed last year, head over to our Switch review page. We've compiled a list of all the exclusive games coming to Switch in the coming months, and as new announcements are made, we will continue to update our entries with specific dates and info. If you're curious about other platforms, you can check out our features on PS4 exclusives, Xbox One exclusives, and PC exclusives. There's also a wealth of exciting games coming out in 2018 that aren't necessarily exclusive to one platform or another, so be sure to check out our individual features highlighting the most anticipated PS4 games, Xbox One games, PC games, and Switch games for a broader look at the year ahead.
Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2
At the same time that Nintendo revealed Bayonetta 3 at The Game Awards, it also confirmed a popular rumor: Bayonetta 2 and the original Bayonetta are on their way to Switch. The two games are coming early in the year on February 16. The sequel will headline the physical copy of the game, but every copy of Bayonetta 2 will include a download code for the original. Developer: PlatinumGames | Release Date: February 16 | Watch the Trailer
Kirby Star Allies
Kirby's Switch debut is a multiplayer twist on traditional Kirby action, allowing four players to party up and tackle platforming stages and boss battles using powers absorbed from lesser enemies. The game was announced at E3 2017, and was further discussed in a September 2017 Nintendo Direct. It's currently scheduled to release sometime in 2018. Developer: HAL Laboratory | Release Date: March 16 | Watch the Trailer
Runner3
The Bit.Trip games from developer Choice Provisions rank among some of the best throwback experiences of the past decade. Later this year, Nintendo Switch owners will have exclusive access to the series' newest game, Runner3, which continues the tradition of linking rhythmic timing and platforming, with plenty of new tricks promised to surprise returning players. Developer: Choice Provisions | Release Date: April 24 | Watch the Trailer
Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze
Continuing the tradition of updated Wii U games that get Switch ports like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokken Tournament DX, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is due out for Switch on May 4. The game will add a new playable character, Funky Kong, who introduces his own unique twist on the original's platforming gameplay. Developer: Retro Studios, Monster Games | Release Date: May 4
Nintendo Labo
Nintendo Labo is a series of kits that include cardboard cut-outs and other materials that are assembled in combination with the Switch and its Joy-Cons to be played with special game software and vice versa. The series' first two kits--the Variety Kit and the Robo Kit--are set to release in April. Developer: Nintendo | Release Date: April 20
Light Fingers
Light Fingers is a turn-based multiplayer board game where your goal is to gather loot and progress across the board, all while your opponents play cards and manipulate mechanical obstacles in an effort to trip you up. The game is coming to Switch sometime early in 2018. Developer: Numizmatic | Release Date: Early 2018
Mario Tennis Aces
A new Mario Tennis game from developer Camelot--the team behind the GBA game Golden Sun as well as numerous other Mario sports titles--is heading to Switch this spring. It will be the first Mario Tennis game to include a story mode Mario Tennis: Power Tour on GBA. Developer: Camelot | Release Date: Spring 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
The revamped version of Hyrule Warriors for Switch comes with all of the maps, missions, characters, and DLC from both the original Wii U release and the expanded 3DS version, including Yuga and Ravio from A Link Between Worlds. It also introduces some new content in the form of Breath of the Wild-themed costumes for Link and Zelda. Developer: Omega Force | Release Date: Q2 2018
Fire Emblem for Nintendo Switch (working title)
Fire Emblem was born on Nintendo's first console (in Japan) in 1990. But in recent years, it's been an exclusively handheld series (barring Fire Emblem Warriors) since Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn landed on Nintendo Wii almost a decade ago. Nintendo announced that a new Fire Emblem game is in the works for Switch, though little else is known beyond its broad "2018" release date. Developer: Intelligent Systems | Release Date: TBA 2018
Project Octopath Traveler (working title)
Square Enix and developer Acquire are in the home stretch of development on Project Octopath Traveler, a retro RPG that mixes 2D and 3D graphics in an effort to bridge the gap between 16-bit and HD graphics. A demo was released on the Nintendo eShop earlier this year, but the release date is still listed as "2018." Developer: Square Enix, Acquire | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again
The third game in the No More Heroes series from infamous developer, Goichi "SUDA 51" Suda, is scheduled to land on Switch later this year. The debut trailer presents a revenge tale against frontman Travis, who finds himself confronted by Badman, father of Travis' first assassination target, Bad Girl. Before they get into a scuffle, both characters are drawn into a video game system. From within, they will have to confront a handful of fictional video games, supposedly inspired by real-world hits like Hotline Miami. Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Yoshi for Nintendo Switch (working title)
Yoshi's debut standalone adventure on Switch is another platformer, but Nintendo is utilizing a new art style to define the game's distinct gameplay twist. With each stage appearing similar to a diorama, you can view stages from the "front," or look behind the scenes from a new perspective to reveal the inner workings of seemingly one-sided buildings and environments. The new Yoshi game will also support two-player local co-op. Developer: Good-Feel | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Dragon Marked For Death
The latest game from the team behind Mega Man Zero, Mega Man 9 and 10, and Azure Striker Gunvolt is coming exclusively to Switch this year. Dragon Marked for Death looks like another action-packed 2D side-scroller with intricate sprites, but Inti Creates is experimenting by adding in four-player local co-op and progression systems that give the game an action-RPG feel. Developer: Inti Creates | Release Date: TBA 2018
The World Ends With You - Final Remix
The hi-res version of Square Enix's The World Ends With You is coming to Switch, along with a "sizable" new story scenario. It was announced during January's Nintendo Direct Mini, and is due sometime in 2018. Developer: Square-Enix | Release Date: TBA 2018
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy
This new brawler from NIS is heavy on fan service, but should also please fans of the classic SNK fighting series. Battles will focus entirely on the female fighters from SNK's various fighting game series. Developer: NIS/SNK | Release Date: TBA 2018
By Peter Brown on Feb 15, 2018 07:28 am
Only on PlayStation
Last year was an amazing year to be a PlayStation 4 owner. On top of an well-rounded selection of multi-platform games like Nier: Automata, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and What Remains of Edith Finch, you also had access fantastic exclusives like Persona 5, Yakuza 0, and Horizon: Zero Dawn. And for those with any interest in virtual reality, the release of PlayStation VR was the icing on the cake. Looking ahead to 2018, there are plenty of new PlayStation 4 exclusives on the way that are well worth getting excited about. We've compiled every one we know of so far here, and will continue to update this gallery with new games as they get announced. Be sure to check back often as we update this gallery with more exclusives, and if you're curious about other platforms, you can check out our features on Xbox One exclusives, PC exclusives, and Switch exclusives. Of course, there's a wealth of exciting games coming out in 2018 that aren't necessarily exclusive to one platform or another, so be sure to check out our individual features highlighting the most anticipated PS4 games, Xbox One games, PC games, and Switch games for a broader look at the year ahead.
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory
The latest game in the long-running Digimon series presents the mysterious backstory to the events that transpired in the first Cyber Sleuth game, and features 320 Digimon from the animated series. Developer: Media.Vision | Release Date: January 19
The Inpatient
The Inpatient is an unlikely prequel to Supermassive Games' 2015 horror gem, Until Dawn. It's a PSVR experience set 60 years prior to the first game, inside the foreboding halls of Blackwood Sanatorium. Developer: Supermassive Games | Release Date: January 23 | Watch the Latest News
Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT
The Dissidia games found a lot of fans back during the PSP's heyday, and more recently in Japanese arcades. The latest in the series is coming to PlayStation 4 courtesy of Team Ninja, and promises wild mid-air battles between Final Fantasy's most beloved and infamous characters. Developer: Team Ninja | Release Date: January 30 | Watch the Trailer
Shadow of the Colossus
The magical PS2 game Shadow of the Colossus has been given a new lease on life, and the upcoming PS4 remake looks to be in good hands at Bluepoint Games, a team known for top-notch ports and remasters. Developer: Bluepoint Games | Release Date: February 6 | Watch the Trailer
Moss
Moss is a fetching adventure in a magical world starring a daring and capable mouse named Quill. Early footage shows a game with a lot of heart, and its storybook whims can only be experienced through a PSVR headset. Developer: Polyarc | Release Date: February 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Frantics
Frantics hopes to entertain you and a few of your closest friends with 15 oddball mini-games. Designed for PlayLink support, you use your smartphone, rather than a DualShock, to participate. Developer: NapNok Games | Release Date: March 6
Bravo Team
Supermassive's other PSVR game is a tactical shooter designed for two-player co-op, either locally or online; teamwork and communication will be key to your success. Developer: Supermassive Games | Release Date: March 6 | Watch the Trailer
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Sega's serious-meets-slapstick open-world series continues its onslaught on the West with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. It's also the first game to take advantage of the new Dragon Engine, which helps the game's lifelike renditions of Tokyo and famous Japanese actors look more convincing than ever. Developer: Ryu ga Gotoku Studios | Release Date: March 20 | Watch the Trailer
MLB The Show 18
The next game in Sony's annual baseball series is on the way, and this year's cover features the formidable New York Yankee, Aaron Judge. Developer: Sony San Diego Studio | Release Date: March 27
God of War
With the pantheon of Greek gods behind him, Kratos' latest adventure takes him to the frozen Norse wilds. Though the series' familiar action appears to remain intact, Kratos must now also care for his son, Atreus, as the two work together to overcome brutal obstacles and new opponents. Developer: Sony Santa Monica Studio | Release Date: April 20 | Watch the Trailer
Dragon's Crown Pro
The sumptuously illustrated beat-em-up from Vanillaware is making a comeback, and the Pro version of the game will feature new support for 4K (on PS4 Pro) and a newly recorded orchestrated soundtrack. Developer: Vanillaware | Release Date: April 24 | Watch the Trailer
Detroit: Become Human
The next game from David Cage (Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls) aims to examine the potential complications that may arise if artificial lifeforms advance far enough to not just appear human, but to convince us they feel human as well. Expect incredible production values and multiple outcomes based on choices made during calm and heated scenes alike. Developer: Quantic Dream | Release Date: Spring 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Megadimension Neptunia VIIR
Megadimension Neptunia VIIR is essentially a rerelease of Megadimension Neptunia VII, but the new version comes with special-made PSVR sections created in an entirely new engine for VIIR. Developer: Compile Heart | Release Date: Spring 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Days Gone
Days Gone is a sandbox survival game set during a zombie-infested post-apocalypse. Players will have to be resourceful and use clever problem-solving skills to overcome not just zombie-like Freakers, but other ruthless survivors trying to make it in the beautiful-turned-dangerous Pacific Northwest. Developer: Sony Bend Studio | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Star Child
Star Child is a dreamy, narrative-driven platformer from a team of self-admitted sci-fi junkies that's coming to PSVR sometime later this year. Developer Playful Corp. is best known for the two Lucky's Tale games: Lucky's Tale for Oculus Rift and Super Lucky's Tale, an early Xbox One X game. Developer: Playful Corp. | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Spider-Man
Based on its previous projects, Insomniac Games seems like a perfect fit for a new Spider-Man game. Early footage has shown the upcoming PS4 game to be both great looking and action packed, but we'll have to wait until later this year to see if the experience at large delivers the Spider-Man experience Marvel's biggest fans are waiting for. Developer: Insomniac Games | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Golem
Golem is a PSVR game that will give you the power to create and control creatures made of stone. At first, you will be limited to the confines of your virtual bedroom, but as you grow more familiar with your powers you will eventually end up in the middle of an ancient abandoned city controlling massive, 15-foot giants. Developer: Highwire Games | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Blood and Truth
Blood and Truth is a PSVR game poised to build on The London Heist portion of Sony's PlayStation VR Worlds, with more immersive environments and massive shootouts. Developer: Sony London Studios | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
Dreams
Like Little Big Planet before it, Dreams aims to give you the power to create worlds with ease and share them with other players. Media Molecule claims that players, rather than the developers, will define what Dreams ultimately becomes. Developer: Media Molecule | Release Date: TBA 2018 | Watch the Trailer
By Kallie Plagge on Feb 15, 2018 06:30 am
Love is in the air! From comedies to tearjerkers, there's a romance anime out there for (almost) everyone. If you're looking for something to watch with or without a cutie, there are plenty of options. Be sure to check out the video version of this gallery to see these anime in action! And for more on anime, be sure to check out our gallery of the biggest anime to watch in 2018. If you're looking for recommendations of shows to watch right now, see the best anime available on Netflix and our top 10 anime of 2017.
Lovely Complex
Risa Koizumi is the tallest girl in class. Atsushi Ootani is the shortest boy in class. Between the two of them, there's a lot of insecurity about their height and how it affects their love lives. Of course, they're perfect for each other…except for the height thing. Lovely Complex isn't currently streaming legally, but it's worth picking up on DVD for an adorable and funny classic romance anime that takes its time developing its characters and their relationship. Plus, the height problem is incredibly relatable. Available on DVD
My Love Story!!
A lot of couples in romance anime take an entire season to get together, but My Love Story's Takeo and Yamato are not a normal couple. Takeo, the unusual main protagonist, looks like a yakuza boss--so not a teenage girl's typical dream guy--but Yamato falls for him immediately. Of course, all of her friends think she's out of her mind, so the dynamic between the couple and their friends becomes a crucial part of their shared story. Most importantly, My Love Story explores Takeo and Yamato's relationship as it grows and develops--this isn't another will-they, won't-they romance. It's consistently delightful and hits all the favorite tropes, too, without overdoing them--that means beach, Christmas, and Valentine's Day episodes! It also has one of the cutest theme songs in recent years, great for watching with that special someone. Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Toradora!
Ryuuji Takasu has a scary face but a gentle soul, while Taiga Aisaka is a tiny but fiery girl who's always ready for a fight--so much so that she's known around school as the Palm-Top Tiger. Due to Taiga's excessive clumsiness, the two end up talking and discover that they have crushes on each other's best friends. They, of course, decide to wingman each other. That might sound like a pretty standard rom-com setup, but Toradora is anything but basic. Its relatable, unique characters have fantastic chemistry, and it actually avoids the pitfalls of a lot of romantic comedies. And, without spoiling anything, it has one of the best romance scenes in all of anime. Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
Orange
A lot of us wish we could go back in time to fix our high school mistakes. Orange tells the story of Naho Takamiya, a high schooler who receives a letter from her future self. The letter talks of regret, telling her day by day the specific things she needs to change--and it tells her to watch her new classmate and crush, Kakeru Naruse, very closely. The time travel element takes a back seat to a story of loss, friendship, and what it means to truly care about someone. It's mature and incredibly moving, tackling suicide and the pain of regret. It's perfect if you're in the mood for something a little bittersweet, rather than a typical love story. Streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation
Your Lie in April
Your Lie in April is a heartfelt story about Arima Kousei, a prodigal pianist whose career is derailed by a traumatic event. However, a chance encounter with Kaori Miyazono, a free-spirited violinist, reignites a passion he thought had long faded. What makes Your Lie in April interesting is, for the most part, it doesn't focus on the romance between Arima and Kaori. Instead it explores their complicated personal issues and uses these to bring them closer in a way that feels natural and authentic. Arima's destructive relationship with his mother and its lasting impact on his psyche is a dark cloud surrounding him. When his fingers touch ivory keys, the traumatic memories envelop and overcome him to the point where he's unable to hear what he's even playing. Kaori's infectious energy and tenacious drive to see him fight through the darkness becomes his guiding light. Together, they both learn what music really means to them and, in time, what they mean to each other. Your Lie in April is as much about finding what you love, as it is falling in love. - Tamoor Hussain Streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Netflix
Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
When high-schooler Chiyo Sakura tries to ask out her crush, he...gives her his autograph. Turns out, the tall, handsome, and oblivious Nozaki-kun is secretly an insanely popular shoujo mangaka (an author of romantic manga aimed at teen girls) and Chiyo accidentally becomes his assistant. Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun explores shoujo tropes with plenty of humor--seriously, this is a comedy first and foremost, and a good one at that. Of course, its cast of lovable dorks is what makes it both funny and heartfelt. You can also definitely rock out to the theme song and learn a little bit about all the work that goes into being a mangaka, all in a short 12-episode run. Streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu
His and Her Circumstances
His and Her Circumstances, also known as Kare Kano, tells the love story of two seemingly perfect students that are secretly extremely flawed individuals. Yukino Miyazawa thrives on admiration and privately calls herself a queen of vanity. She meets model student Soichiro Arima, who starts to take attention away from her, and is immediately determined to bring him down. Arima finds out her secret and blackmails her, revealing a different side to himself. They form a friendship and eventual romance. Together they learn to be more comfortable with their true selves and accept who they really are, at least with each other. The personalities of the offbeat, two-faced main characters and the unique ways they handle their problems sets His and Her Circumstances apart from other shoujo romances. The romance in this anime also feels realistic and authentic. As a warning, the anime does end abruptly, and you'll have to switch to the Manga to continue the story. But the 26-episode Anime is worth seeking out for the unique, fluctuating animation styles balancing the humor and drama of this character-driven love story. - Chastity Vicencio Available on DVD
Clannad: After Story
Clannad: After Story is the sequel to slice-of-life series Clannad, and it begins after Tomoya and Nagisa from the first series have graduated high school. After Story deals with strong family ties and the couple's individual problems, and if you get through its good but not as good predecessor, you'll be rewarded with a story that's sweet, moving, and infamous for making pretty much everyone cry. Streaming on Hulu
5 Centimeters Per Second
5 Centimeters Per Second is a film broken up into three parts, covering the childhood and young adult life of Takaki Tono. As an elementary schooler, he befriends and falls for a girl named Akari. In addition to being about young love, 5 Centimeters Per Second captures the feeling of distance between two people who either don't connect or cannot, and its animation and direction beautifully capture the melancholy throughout the chapters of Takaki's life. Streaming on Crunchyroll
Yuri on Ice
Yuri on Ice isn't technically a romance anime, but it definitely deserves a spot on this list. It follows Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki, who has all but lost his passion for skating when he meets his long-time idol, Victor Nikiforov. So yeah, this is a sports anime about figure skaters--but it's mostly about a mutually beneficial and supportive relationship. There's a good deal of guy-on-guy fan service if you're into that, but the show's development of Yuri and Victor's relationship is actually incredibly progressive for anime. Beyond that, Yuri on Ice explores friendship and the familiar quarter-life identity crisis that can cause us to question our paths in life. Plus, there's some really great skating and a colorful cast of supporting characters that provide a great backdrop to a wonderful relationship. Streaming on Crunchyroll
By GameSpot Staff on Feb 15, 2018 01:34 am
Hunter's Wishes
Monster Hunter World may be one of the most entertaining and accessible Monster Hunter games to date, but it's far from perfect. More than a few things would have improved its overall quality. Whether these additions are in the form of an update, patch, or a future sequel, here are 11 things that would make Monster Hunter World a better game than it already is. What do you think would make Monster Hunter World a better game? Let us know in the comments below. Monster Hunter World is out now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with a PC release to come later in the year. That's notable, as recent entries were limited to 3DS. The additional horsepower has allowed for a game with much larger, more beautiful environments to play in. It also does a better job of introducing newcomers to the flow of playing a Monster Hunter game. You can read more about what to expect in our Monster Hunter World review. If you're curious about character gear, check out our galleries showcasing high-end gear for male characters and female characters. You can also check out our high-end Palico armor gallery. Those playing on PS4 will be able to get their hands on some exclusive gear based on Horizon: Zero Dawn. We also know that new Mega Man-themed items are on the way, as well as character skins themed around Street Fighter V--and if past games are any indication, this won't be the last crossover content that Capcom releases.
Include Better Tutorials
Monster Hunter World's tutorials usually consist of multiple subsequent walls of text with some accompanying images or videos. They're not great--partially because they often don't actually explain things very well, and partially because they're so boring that many players will feel tempted to skip them entirely and try to figure things out for themselves. The worst example has to be the 14 different weapon types. Yes, you can try them all out in the training area, and go over some rudimentary tutorials and combo examples for each. But the reality of using many of these weapons is so much more complicated than the game ever bothers to tell you, especially the deeply complex ones like the hunting horn and charge blade. Effectively using these weapons--much less mastering them--practically requires you to head online to peruse user-created guides. That active, helpful fan community is part of what makes Monster Hunter World so great, but it would be even better if it could actually teach you what you need to know to play it. -- Mike Rougeau
Improve Organization Of Investigation System
Monster Hunter World's menus have a lot going on. Some of those text-heavy menus make sense, and they allow for complex systems like armor and weapon crafting to grow and evolve over the course of the game. The Investigation menu, however, is in dire need of some help. Investigations are extra quests that allow you to hunt down monsters for increased rewards while under some kind of restraint, like a shorter time limit. But the way you earn and manage those quests is a confusing morass that makes the structure feel like more trouble than it's worth. At the very least, you should be able to sort or search through your list of available investigations by monster type. After that, the game should offer a way to bulk-delete the quests that you don't want anymore. But the biggest improvement that Monster Hunter World needs is a way to manage investigations directly from the quest board. Speaking to the Resource Center, both to access and remove quests, adds an additional unnecessary step to get to the most important part of the game: hunting monsters! -- Justin Haywald
Make The Hub Online, Not Just The Hunter's Gathering
Taking full advantage of the ability to play online can be a ton of fun when your session is filled with players to hang out with. It's therefore a shame that you can only see other players in the Hunter's Gathering, rather then all of Astrea. It somewhat unnecessarily separates multiplayer and single-player--and even though your session may be full, you won't really know unless you and those other players are hanging out in the Gathering. While the Gathering offers its own version of amenities (like the Bounty Board and Canteen), you still need to visit the rest of Astrea regularly for things like the Smithy and Resource Center, which creates frequent inconveniences in your attempts to prepare for hunts. It's time to break down the barriers and open the entire hub to multiplayer activities. -- Jean-Luc Seipke
Add More Flexible Online Features
Monster Hunter World's online systems make sense on paper. To play with your friends, you need to join the same online session; you can matchmake into random sessions, or join your friends via invitations. But the system's many wrinkles make it difficult and counterintuitive to use, especially for newcomers to the series who might expect that they can simply hop into friends' hunts with little forethought. Limitations like not being able to join others' "assigned" (story) missions until they've seen all the cutscenes, or being denied loot if you join too late, add further confusion. Problems arise, for example, if you want to help a friend with a story mission, but they take too long to find the monster... so, by the time you join them, the quest's rewards are no longer available. Joining and posting quests via the job board-style menu could be made easier as well. One possible solution could be to allow you to simply join and invite your friends from a separate menu, independent of sessions, postings, or SOS flares, with a little more flexibility. They could even do away with some of the penalties that might otherwise be present (such as letting you collect rewards no matter how late you join a friend's mission). It would also be nice if the game were more clear about why you can't invite or join someone when it decides you can't--if you're not actually in an online session, for example, or if you're simply too early in a story mission. A little feedback could go a long way. -- Mike Rougeau
Better Load Times
For a game that is out on the current generation of consoles, the load times for Monster Hunter World feel way too long. Sure, breaks between hunts are nice--but the fact of the matter is, we're routinely looking at screens with loading bars and a few tips (you even have to load into your personal living quarters, even though its part of the HQ!). Many games in the last year or so have been revolutionizing how they either hide loading screens, or finding ways to greatly shorten the time between each new area. Monster Hunter World's players would get more done overall if the loading times followed suit. -- Erick Tay
Improve The Item Upgrade Menu
With no traditional experience bar to speak of, gear is the name of the game in Monster Hunter World. The process of building, upgrading, and comparing items should be as pain-free as possible... and yet, it's a challenge. The inherent complexity in the upgrade tree shouldn't necessarily be eliminated, but it's often frustrating that seemingly simple tasks aren't as easy as they could be. At the simplest level, previewing an item from the upgrade tree is a less-than-smooth process if you're exploring the entire tree. Seeing what an item looks like requires tabbing over to stop the menu from blocking your view of your character, while moving back to the tree causes you to lose the spot you were looking at. A button to provide a clearer look at your character (or one that hides the menu) would make checking out a new piece of gear much easier. Crafting upgrades is also not the simple process that it could be. Comparing two possible upgrades--which is not terribly uncommon, given how the upgrade tree branches at certain points--requires jumping back and forth between the two items. And keeping track of costs becomes a manual process, as you can't easily see the combined money and material cost if you want to craft several consecutive upgrades. The complexity of item upgrades can be great; each time the tree expands, it comes with a (pleasantly) overwhelming world of possibilities. It would just be nice if the actual upgrade process were less of a hassle. -- Chris Pereira
Provide Easy Access to Safari Management
The option to stay out in the field following a quest is a welcome feature, but a trip back to Astera is necessary from time to time, to complete the required lap--visit the Ecological Research area, complete and acquire new Bounties, see what the Argosy has for sale, and check on your Safari. It's that last bit that I've come to find tiresome, as it takes you out of the main hub area. The only way to manage a Safari is to head to the Research Base or your room. The latter is accessible straight from Astera... but since it's a separate zone, this makes managing a Safari more cumbersome. While you might not need to do this more than once every five quests (unless you want to end a Safari early), it's still an unnecessary step that feels like it only exists to get you to visit your room more frequently. This also potentially forces you to temporarily abandon a quest you've signed up for, because doing so prevents you from leaving the main area in Astera to visit your room. Your housekeeper works for you, right? Then have them wait outside the door to spare you the unnecessary trip inside! -- Chris Pereira
Show Monster Health Bars
This one seems simple: Large monsters should get health bars. You might disagree, and that's fair--but there's an argument to be made here. Yes, monsters often give some indication when they're injured, whether it's some ruffled feathers or the telltale limp and skull icon that let you know they're almost dead. And the pulse monitor located next to your minimap can be helpful, too. But for less-experienced players, those signs can be hard to pick up on, making the game frustrating early on--which is exactly when it should be at its most welcoming. Monster Hunter World's user interface is already unbelievably cluttered with bars, icons, numbers, buttons, maps, menus, and more... so why not add one more to make the experience just a little bit friendlier? -- Mike Rougeau
Fix Monster Health Pool Scaling
This is a big one, and it should be a relatively easy fix. Currently, Monster Hunter World has two difficulty settings: single-player and multiplayer. Monsters have a certain amount of health if you're hunting solo, and a much larger health pool if you're in a pack. The problem is, said health pool doesn't scale depending on the number of players on your team. This means that Monster Hunter World's ferocious, giant monsters have the same amount of health when you're rolling with two players as they do when you have a full squad of four. Anyone who's played with just a single partner knows how insanely hard it can be to take down monsters, since each player needs to do the work of two. This unfortunately serves to actually discourage you from playing with friends, unless you can get more than two people together. We're assuming that this likely isn't the intended experience. Should playing with two people be harder than playing alone? This game needs to scale the difficulty for the number of players in the game. Full stop. -- Mike Rougeau
Add A Notifications Center
You have countless things to keep track of while playing, particularly as you advance further into the game. Notifications pop up when you first head back to Astera, to inform you of any developments... but the ways these are presented is far from ideal. What Monster Hunter World needs is a more robust notification system. The brief messages that pop up to let you know a Safari has returned are permanently gone within seconds, and given the rarity of crafting materials from Zorah Magdaros, you can easily miss the opportunity to replay the optional Zorah mission. Likewise, the messages about new downloadable content and quests are limited to the Daily Login Bonus screen. All of this would be better suited to a proper notification screen that is readily accessible and also allows you to see the status of other time-sensitive content, such as Limited Bounties. -- Chris Pereira
More Monsters To Fight
While I understand that this is a new game with entirely new assets, and we are eventually getting additional monsters to fight by way of DLC (I am ready for you, Deviljho!), I still can't help but feel a little let down by the fairly meager amount of monsters in Monster Hunter World. I would love to square off against the everyone's favorite ice-cold land shark Zamtrios, the brutal Tigrex, or even my most recent favorite: the Gore Magala. Capcom also did a great job on the designs of the new monsters, and I would love to see more original designs as well! Thankfully, this will probably happen. We already know DLC is on the way, and fans can always hold out hope for the possibility of a Monster Hunter World Ultimate. Get some more monsters in there along with G-rank, and it will make an already fantastic game that much better! -- Ben Janca
By GameSpot Staff on Feb 15, 2018 01:29 am
Pro Tips
Players who are keen on winning have a lot of things to keep in mind if they want to succeed in Fortnite: Battle Royale. The game marries the last-player-standing multiplayer competition of the battle royale genre with resource-gathering and building mechanics, and knowing the ins and outs of both are the only way to win. Not only do you need to outsmart and outgun other players-- you need to effectively use your building capabilities to traverse the map, fortify your positions, and beat out the competition. Players who've been around the block in Fortnite's single-player campaign have no doubt picked up a lot of tactics, strategies, and pieces of information that can help elevate them to multiplayer success. For everyone else, it can be tough to pick up on all of Fortnite's idiosyncrasies and hidden bits of information--especially since the free Battle Royale mode doesn't include a tutorial. Use these 10 tips to get an edge over the other 99 players in your Fortnite: Battle Royale match. If you're new to Fornite: Battle Royale, make sure to read our beginner's tips guide, as well as our guide covering all the things we wish we knew before playing the game. You can also check out our video guide on how to build more effectively. Fortnite: Battle Royale is available as a free download for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The mode supports up to 100 players competing to be the last person (or team) standing as they hunt other players and avoid being killed themselves. For the differences between Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, check out our in-depth feature discussing the two games and what sets them apart from one another. You can also check out more details on Fortnite's recently released Crossbow update.
Use Headphones
It really is tough to overestimate how crucial sound is in Fortnite. You'll use it to catch people sneaking up on you, zero in on enemies who are shooting at you, and track players for ambushes. You're at a disadvantage listening to the game over your computer speakers, TV speakers, or even a sound system, when compared to players who are armed with a quality pair of surround sound headphones. Sound is possibly the best tool in your arsenal in Fortnite, so make sure you're able to use it as effectively as possible.
Speed Is Key Early On
As you get the hang of the map, you'll want to move as fast as you can to find good weapons early. That starts with your jump from the game's flying party bus at the beginning of each match: If you're confident in your fighting abilities, pick a spot with lots of buildings, and dive straight for it. Avoid falling over hills and other high-elevation areas, as these will cause your glider to auto-deploy sooner than if you dive toward lower-elevation spots like water or canyons. The idea is to fall to earth as fast as you can, so that you can beat other players to the guns--and take them down. While it's good for new players to close doors behind them to protect themselves, once you're used to the flow of the game, you don't have to worry about hiding yourself nearly as much. Get into a building, find what's useful, and move on as fast as you can--the ol' "loot and scoot" approach. Acquiring high-quality guns early will set you up for success against players who have weaker gear than you, so get used to moving on to new locations quickly, and looting as much as you can as fast as you can. Just be cautious about it, so that you don't bumble into an ambush.
Don't Pick Up Everything
Among the best habits you can make as you advance your Fortnite career is to be discerning about what you pick up and what you leave behind. It's tempting to snatch up everything you come across--because you never know when you might want to switch between a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun, right? In practice, though, you'll probably use one or two guns for most of a match, unless you've got the rarer and more useful ones like sniper rifles, miniguns, and rocket launchers. Having a handful of white or green pistols that you don't intend to use will just slow you down when it comes time to switch out for better loot. Instead, make quick decisions about what you need and what you don't, and act accordingly. Stopping to manage your inventory can leave you vulnerable, so grab only what you really need, and learn to ignore the less useful loot. Also: While you have to manually pick up weapons and items, ammo gets picked up automatically... so if you're looking at a pile of loot and all you want are the bullets, save time by just running over it to avoid accidentally picking up the wrong stuff.
Double Up Your Guns For Added Damage
While you're being discerning about what guns you pick up, remember that two of the same weapon can actually be pretty useful--particularly when it comes to the pump shotgun and the bolt-action sniper rifle. By having two of these guns in adjacent inventory slots, you can avoid the wait between shotgun pumps or sniper reloads, and instead just switch to your second version of the gun to fire a second shot immediately. The quick switch can be tough to get used to, but with the power that this move affords you, it's worth training yourself to switch rather than wait to reload. It's a great way to maximize your lethality against other players.
Chop Down Trees For More Wood
Where you get your materials matters. Especially early on, you want to grab as much wood as you can manage, as it's highly useful in battles and for protection. You can bash down buildings and break up boxes for wood with your pickaxe--but as it happens, these dispense less wood than trees. Pick the right tree, and you can gather up 40-plus units of wood from a single node, quickly filling up your materials and giving you plenty to use in a pinch. Pine trees whose green portions reach close to the ground tend to be the best, but it's worth experimenting as you play, to learn where on the map you can get the most materials fastest. The same is true with other materials. Brick walls yield some brick, but piles of rocks out in the wilderness are even better. You can also get a decent haul of metal from destroying vehicles, but be wary: Sometimes, smashing up a car will set off its alarm, which can draw other players to your location.
Wood Trumps Metal (In Certain Cases)
Materials in Fortnite have a few little quirks. Generally, wood is the weakest material, while brick is a little stronger, and metal is the strongest. In practice, this means that wood structures can take the least amount of damage before they break altogether, brick structures have more health than wood, and metal structures have the most health. Heavier materials come with drawbacks, though. Brick structures take longer to build (and reach full health) than wood structures do, and metal takes the longest. Wood really shines when it comes to quickly dropping walls in the middle of a firefight. The thing is, a freshly spawned, incomplete wood wall starts with more health than a freshly spawned, incomplete brick or metal wall (100 health points for the wood, 70 for the brick or metal). That means a wood wall can save you from more shots when you're building in the heat of battle than the other two materials. The easiest way to think about it is this: A fresh wood wall will collapse after two close-range shotgun blasts when you first drop it; a brick or metal wall will collapse after only one shotgun blast. Use wood for firefights, and save your brick and metal for stronger fortifications closer to the end of a match.
Take (Or Build) The High Ground
High ground will win you fights in Fortnite, and that doesn't just mean high hills or cliffs--although these offer better vantage points in general. In firefights, practice quickly building upward as you fight enemies. You can drop walls and then ramps to protect yourself as you climb, and shooting down on other players nets you more headshots and damage, while offering you better protection. Quickly making a ramp surrounded by walls means that you can jump up and take potshots at enemies below while also making yourself extremely tough to hit. When you can, build up for the advantage... and if the other player is trying to get above you, try to get higher or force them to change locations, to take their advantage away. Just make sure to quickly pop wood walls in front of your ramps, lest the other player blast them out from under you. Hitting the bottom of a ramp will collapse it, and the damage you take from falling could cost you the fight (and the match).
Watch For (And Mark) Supply Drops
Every so often, the flying bus will drop a supply crate. The crates' drop positions are marked by blue smoke grenades on the ground, and they float down on balloons once they're dropped. These crates contain some of the best loot in the game, including the minigun and rocket launcher, so they're definitely worth your attention--but they're likely to attract other players, too. Supply drops are great places for an ambush, and one way to pin down where the drop will be is to "mark" it. Like just about everything in Fortnite, supply drops are destructible, and you can damage their balloons from afar with your gun. Doing so causes the crate's health bar to pop up, which stays on your screen even if structures or other things obstruct your line of sight to the crate itself. Marking crates means that you can more easily get to them when they hit the ground, but be ready to fight anyone else with the same idea.
Use The Storm To Your Advantage
The ever-advancing storm--the circle that constantly contracts to make the play area smaller and smaller--is a danger that you constantly need to avoid in Fortnite. It also affords some benefits, however. While the storm damages you when you're in it, for much of any given match, that damage is not immediately deadly. You can sometimes use this tactically; the edge of the storm is a great place to catch desperate players as they scramble to get to safety. Conversely, you might be able to duck through the tough-to-see-through edge early in the match to lose anyone in the eye of the storm who's battling you (although that's a tough gamble, and not for everyone). Especially in a match's endgame, the storm can be a tool as much as it is a danger. It lets you ensure that you won't be attacked from behind when you keep close to its edge. If you're more centrally located and can take up a good position, the shrinking circle can help you as it forces players to either take storm damage, or move toward you and open themselves up to attack. It's important to always stay aware of the circle--but as the match draws toward its end, keep thinking about where you can set yourself up to use the storm as a weapon against your enemies.
Complete Daily Challenges To Earn V-Bucks
V-Bucks are Fortnite's premium currency, which can be used to purchase cosmetic items to make your character wear cooler clothes or deploy more fun emotes. The best way to get an effective amount of V-Bucks is to buy them with real money. If you're willing to put in the time, it's also possible to earn a few just by playing the game--but it'll take you a while. Playing Fortnite earns you experience points based on your performance in a match, and each time you earn enough, you level up, which earns you one "Battle Star." After grabbing 10 Battle Stars, you advance to a new "tier," and at certain tiers, you unlock new emotes and other items. It's possible to earn tiers faster by completing Daily Challenges, which are listed on the Lobby screen when you log into Fortnite. Challenges require you to complete special actions, like killing a set number of players with a specific gun. Challenges give you a bunch of experience points and five Battle Stars for completing them, which can help you earn tiers a lot quicker. If you're playing for free, you can earn 100 V-Bucks roughly every 14 tiers (which isn't very much). Your return on investment is slightly better if you pony up the money to purchase the V-Bucks for a "Battle Pass," which will run you 950 V-Bucks--or a little less than $10 ($9.99 buys you 1,000 V-Bucks). The Battle Pass puts you on a different, much more rewarding tier track, allowing you to earn a lot more cosmetic gear as you level up. The Battle Pass track also includes V-Bucks, dishing out 100 V-Bucks once about every seven tiers, but it also comes with experience point boosts that can get you there quicker.
By GameSpot Staff on Feb 15, 2018 01:28 am
What We Wish We Knew
When you first pop into the free, competitive multiplayer Battle Royale version of Fortnite--without first buying its cooperative counterpart--you'll find a lot that doesn't get explained. Fortnite: Battle Royale has no tutorial, so it's up to players to discover its nuances, mostly through trial and error, spectating other players, and dying. The Battle Royale mode also features a whole bunch of guns, materials, structures, and items to learn about and understand, as well as how they interact with each other and the game's systems. Fortnite is full of little tricks and idiosyncrasies that aren't immediately obvious, especially with its emphasis on gathering resources and building structures as part of its combat. Once you know them, however, they'll make you a much more effective player. Here are the 12 things we wish we knew about Fortnite: Battle Royale before we started playing. If you're new to Fornite: Battle Royale, check out our beginner's tips guide, but if you're more advanced, be sure to read our advanced tips guide. You can also check out our video guide on how to build more effectively. Fortnite: Battle Royale is available as a free download for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The mode supports up to 100 players attempting to be the last person or team standing as they hunt other players and avoid being killed themselves. For more on the differences between Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, check out our in-depth feature discussing the two games and what sets them apart from one another. You can also check out details on Fortnite's recent Crossbow update.
Aiming Matters When Gathering Resources
Whenever you start hammering away at a wall, tree, or pile of rocks to gather resources, you'll notice that a weird blue icon appears on the thing you're smacking. That little marker turns gathering resources into something more active than just holding a button down for a few seconds. You want to move your crosshair over each new blue icon with every swing of your pickaxe. This earns you the most resources you can get with each hit, and increases your harvesting efficiency--which means you'll grab more building materials and leave yourself less vulnerable.
The Shotgun Is Highly Effective
It shouldn't always be your main weapon, but it's a pretty good idea for you to have a shotgun on-hand whenever possible--even a weak one. Fortnite's shotguns have decent range and a big spread (at least for the time being), which means they're great catch-all guns for dropping already-injured targets. Time and again, we've seen players use shotguns as the clean-up hitter of their arsenal; they might fire a rocket in the vicinity of an enemy to knock out their shield, or hit them with a rifle as they close the gap, but the shotgun is often the weapon that closes the deal. Don't be afraid to use it at close- to mid-range. And aim high, because headshots can be very painful.
Crouch And Shoot
A lot of the guns in Fortnite aren't quite as accurate as in some other shooters, and that can make for tough fights, especially when you engage players at long-range. It's possible to increase your guns' accuracy in a lot of cases, though. Whenever possible to do so safely, keep still and crouch--it'll increase your accuracy, helping you take down other players more quickly. That doesn't mean you should stop dodging and stand still in the open during a heated battle... but if you spot someone on the move and are thinking about opening fire on them, you'll have an advantage if you get low and keep still.
Build To Save Yourself From Falling
Fall damage is a big deal in Fortnite. High locations are good places to set up and watch for other players, and when you get good at building, going vertical and taking the high ground is a very effective strategy. Falling off those places can be deadly, though, since shields don't absorb fall damage. Always remember that you can save yourself by using the build menu to quickly drop structures beneath you as you fall; so long as you're close enough to the wall of a tower or a cliff, you can instantly build a floor or ramp beneath you that can stop your descent and save you from certain doom. Use this trick to quickly make your escape from fortifications when someone starts shooting at you with rockets, or when you need to descend a cliff in a hurry. It's a lot easier than trying to find items to heal yourself.
Shield Potions Are Essential
Finding good guns is one thing... but really, the best way to make it through any given fight is to find shield potions. Fortnite doesn't effectively explain how its health system works, but the handiest thing to know is that blue shield potions make you more resilient to incoming fire, and they make a world of difference in any given firefight. As you loot in Fortnite, always drink shield potions right away to fire up a shield immediately, and stockpile the potions that you can't use immediately. They're worth carrying around; your character can drink a small shield potion in about two seconds, which is just fast enough to get you back on your feet as you duck around a corner or build a few quick walls to escape from an enemy.
You Have An Inventory Screen
It's not immediately apparent if you haven't played Fortnite's Save the World mode, but you have more than just the small inventory rundown at the bottom of your screen. You can access a much bigger, more detailed inventory menu--find it by pressing Up on the directional pad if you're playing with a controller, or "I" on a keyboard--and it shows everything you're carrying, including how much ammo of each type you have. The inventory menu gives you rundowns of your guns' statistics, including effective range and damage per second, which can help you decide what to hold onto and what to toss. That's the other handy thing about the inventory menu: It offers you the option to drop weapons onto the ground. Use that to hand off guns, items, or ammo to your teammates, or just to organize your inventory so that you always play with guns and items of specific types in the same slots. The repetition of knowing where you keep heals or certain guns can make it a lot easier for you to switch in a hurry.
Use Bushes And Trees For Concealment
Fortnite's cartoonish art style means that player silhouettes are pretty obvious at a distance--especially when you add in the dust trails left by sprinting across open ground. But you can find a few good places to hide, especially if you're smart about it. While many bushes are solid, you can slip inside some of them, which mostly conceals your character and make you tough to spot at a distance. The same is true of many pine trees, which you can generally duck beneath; these offer decent concealment, especially from above. Stealth can take you a long way if you're patient and don't move too much when sneaking up on people. By the same token, don't ignore those light green bushes around you. Smart players treat them like they might always be concealing someone, especially in the endgame of a match. Putting a shot or two into a bush will quickly reveal if anyone is hiding in it: Watch for the blue flash of their shield taking damage.
Throw Up Some Walls To Protect Downed Teammates
Once you hear it, it seems like a no-brainer, but this is one of those things that's easy to forget if you're used to playing other Battle Royale games. In Fortnite, you want to try to think about how you can solve problems by building--and creating a few quick fortifications can buy you precious extra seconds while you heal a teammate who has been knocked down by gunfire. Just remember to use wood if you're currently under fire; it'll build the fastest, and it can take the most punishment from other players immediately after being deployed. If you're in a rough battle situation, though, you might need multiple layers (or you might just need to leave your friend hanging while you take out the attackers).
Open Doors (Usually) Mean A Place Has Been Looted
Savvy players know that doors can tell you a lot. An open door on a building might mean someone's inside; more often, it means that someone has at least been through that building and taken all the good stuff already. By the same token, closing doors behind you is a good way to throw off other players, or to catch the unwary in ambshes. In our experience, not only are the outer doors of untouched buildings always closed in Fortnite, but so are the inner ones. If you step into a structure that you think is full of loot and start seeing open doors between rooms, it should put you on guard--it might mean someone is lying in wait ahead. Open doors are also a good indicator of buildings that you can skip altogether, to avoid wasting time searching places that have little to offer.
Traps Are A Thing
Traps are a holdover from the cooperative campaign version of Fortnite, and they pop up in Battle Royale to change some situations significantly. You'll find them occasionally in loot drops or certain locations (like mines), and you can deploy them on structures. They don't have a ton of uses, since so much of the Battle Royale experience consists of quickly hurrying from one building to the next, looting as fast as you can--but they do come up every now and then. Traps are great for leaving behind in a seemingly unlooted building in order to ruin the day of someone following you, or to place on your towers to dissuade anyone sneaking up below you. When heading into buildings, it's good practice to stand beside the front door and look inside to check for an ambush; when you do that, take a glance upward too, to ensure you're not about to stumble into somebody else's devilish plan.
The Boogie Bomb Is The Best
If you find the elusive grenade known as the Boogie Bomb, grab it. This thing is the goofiest weapon you can add to your arsenal in Fortnite right now, and it's hilarious as well as useful. When it explodes, everyone caught in its radius is forced to start dancing for five seconds, leaving them completely vulnerable to you cruising up and taking them out. It's especially handy for when you find a couple of other players already battling it out--with one bomb and a quick trigger finger, you can humiliate your opponents, eliminate them, and steal all their stuff.
Getting Good At Building Is How You Win
Grappling with all of Fortnite's systems can be tough--especially if you're using a controller. Between switching guns and building structures, the game has a lot of buttons to keep track of, and a lot of items to switch through with the shoulder buttons. But no matter what platform they're using, the best Fortnite players are expert builders. They've trained themselves through repetition to quickly construct walls, towers, bridges, and ramps in order to save their lives in the heat of battle, or give themselves a ridiculous advantage using height and cover. Though Fortnite has a lot in common with other Battle Royale games like PUBG, building is what sets it apart. If you come to this game expecting to play it like PUBG, you're going to get shut down over and over again by players who've learned to love carpentry. Get good at farming resources quickly and erecting structures even faster, if you want to be competitive!
By GameSpot Staff on Feb 15, 2018 01:28 am
Tips To Build Your Chances Of Survival
Though you might be familiar with other games in the battle royale genre--games that tend to stick one player (or a small team) on a map where they fight against others to be the last one standing--Fortnite: Battle Royale is a little different. The game takes the basic premise of the genre and adds its own twist that changes everything: You can instantly construct stuff like walls and stairs, allowing you to build fortifications to protect yourself and create your own tactical advantages. Fortnite drops you onto an island with 99 other players, and the last player (or team) left alive wins. Though it's similar to games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, plenty of small differences make Fortnite into a very distinct experience. Knowing what to carry, when to shoot, and what to build are essential if you're going to be the last person alive on the island. You won't find a tutorial in Fortnite Battle Royale, so when you drop onto its island, all you have are your wits and whatever you can find along the way. Here's everything you need to know to get a strong start--and maybe survive long enough to find yourself a minigun. And if you're already a Fornite: Battle Royale veteran, check out our advanced tips guide, as well as our guide covering all the things that we wish we knew before playing the game. You can also watch our video guide on how to build more effectively. Fortnite: Battle Royale is available as a free download for PlayStation 4, Xbox One. The mode supports up to 100 players competing to be the last person (or team) standing as they hunt other players and avoid being killed themselves. For the differences between Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, check out our in-depth feature discussing the two games and what sets them apart from one another. You can also check out more details on Fortnite's recently released Crossbow update.
Pick Your Landing Zone And Avoid Other Players
Fortnite: Battle Royale starts with 100 players dropping out of a vehicle (in this case, a flying bus) onto an island below that's littered with weapons. Check your map at the outset and watch the flight path carefully--where you land is your first big decision in Fortnite, and it can help you get off to a fighting start. Your first order of business is weapons, and if you're new to the game, you'll also want to try to avoid other players. Weapons are mostly found inside buildings, so pick a drop location with a few structures, but try to avoid major settlements or towns along the flight path early on. Those places have great gear, but also attract a ton of players; you'll want to avoid a fight straight off until you've gotten a little more comfortable with the game. Usually, it's best to hold off jumping for a few seconds to pick your spot and stay away from the largest pack, which usually jumps as soon as the doors open. You can also set waypoints on your map screen, making it easier to locate any structures or settlements you've got in mind for looting. You'll start your jump by skydiving, but at any time, you can follow the onscreen prompt to deploy your glider. Flipping to your glider early will make you fall slower, allowing you to cover much more distance. Use this to get away from other likely drop points that other players might be headed to, but don't take too long--the faster you hit the ground and gear up, the better. Be sure to keep an eye out for other players dropping nearby as you head down, to avoid getting ambushed or falling into a fight. Your goal is to survive, so as you're learning the ropes, it's best to let other players take each other out, rather than go looking for a battle.
The Storm Is Your Greatest Enemy
Like PUBG, Fortnite matches are dictated by "the circle"--or, in this case, "the storm." Near the start of each match, a large circle will appear on the map in a random position, dictating the eye of the storm. Outside of this circle, the approaching clouds will damage and kill you. A timer in the corner of your screen notes when the storm will contract, creating a new, tighter circle. Over the course of the match, the storm will close in more and more, shrinking the play area on the island and forcing everyone closer together until only one (or one team) remains. This means that paying attention to the circle's location and the timer are your top priorities. You can't just run to the center of the first circle that appears in a match and stay there, because smaller circles won't always have the same center point. Often, the movement of the circle means you'll have to make a run for it to escape the storm, leaving you vulnerable to attack. Always keep the circle in mind, and know where you need to be. The best practice is to get there quickly and carefully.
Gather Resources First
When you first land on the island in Fortnite: Battle Royale, you'll be armed only with your melee pickaxe. You can fight people with it... but that's not especially effective, and will get you killed against pretty much any other weapon. The pickaxe's main use is for bashing through structures and gathering resources, the latter of which is one of the first things you want to do--provided you're far enough from other people that it won't immediately draw attention. Breaking up anything causes a commotion; for instance, you might destroy some vehicles to get a decent bounty of metal, but you risk triggering its alarm and broadcasting your location to other players. To start: Smash walls, structures, and (especially) trees, and gather yourself at least 300 units of wood. This will supply you with key materials that can keep you alive. If you switch to the building menu, you'll see that you can cycle through a few structures, like floors, roofs, walls, and stairs. You'll need resources to build those things, so gather materials quickly before taking off toward the circle. It's much safer taking time to gather materials in the early game than it will be later on, and you can smash just about anything to get the wood, brick, and metal necessary to make stuff.
Practice Building (Especially Under Fire)
With your resources in-hand, you'll want to spend your first few matches learning the ways that buildings can help you. Building structures is Fortnite's claim to fame--and using structures creatively will get you out of trouble, help you traverse the map, and provide cover in a firefight. You don't want to be building constantly, but you need to get comfortable with the system, so that you can make whatever you want as fast as possible when things get hairy. The build menu lets you choose a structure, its material, and its location very quickly. Once you click the button to start building something, it constructs itself automatically. This means that even under fire, building is a viable option: If you start to take fire, you can lay down a wall ahead of you to absorb some of the incoming bullets while you use it as cover and shoot back. Ramps get you over otherwise impassable terrain and can help you create instant high ground that give you an advantage over other players. It's a system that you definitely shouldn't sleep on, because it can give you serious advantages. Just note that structures make noise as you're constructing them, and messing around in the build menu can leave you vulnerable. Player structures are also visually very conspicuous. The various materials have their pros and cons, too; brick and metal sound like the stronger materials at first blush, but using them in construction takes longer than wood, and they can be tougher to find. In touch-and-go battle situations when you need immediate cover, wood is usually the right call, while brick and metal are better saved for endgame fortifications when you expect to be in tougher fights.
Gear Up
As soon as you hit the ground, it's time to hunt for weapons, so head into a building and grab whatever's there. All your usable items go into one of five inventory slots, located on the bottom of your screen (that goes for guns, as well as health and support items). You'll want to get armed with whatever you can find straight away--but don't be afraid to drop things in favor of better weapons. Weapons come in several varieties. You'll find close-range shotguns and long-range assault and sniper rifles, as well as pistols, SMGs, and occasionally rocket launchers and more. Weapons also have rarity classifications: Weapons with white auras around them and white icons in your inventory are the most common and also the weakest; green are uncommon and a little better; blue are rare and better still; purple are epic; orange are legendary; and gold are mythic. As a general rule, the higher the tier of the gun--and the better it is. Rarer weapons are often more accurate and more powerful, and come with add-ons like silencers or scopes. Swap out more common guns for rarer ones during the course of the match to increase your firepower. You'll find a lot of these rarer guns in treasure chests, which are hidden in buildings. These are indicated by a glowing gold light and a humming sound, but they're usually hidden behind walls that you might have to destroy (or attics that you'll need to build stairs to reach). Always try to seek out chests, as they have valuable gear--such as bandages and shield potions--as well as guns. You'll definitely need all the supplies you can get if you want to be a contender in a match's late game.
Keep Quiet
The large scope of Fortnite: Battle Royale's island means that players can spread out quite a bit. Finding other people and avoiding detection are two of your main concerns in a given match, because it's easy to get ambushed or taken out from afar. Especially as matches go on and the play area contracts, you'll be closer to players--and they'll be able to hear you moving around, building, and shooting. Sound and silence are essential tools to victory, and good speakers or headphones is highly recommended to help you get a bead on what's happening around you and locating the source of sounds. Running is a noisy way to move around, and sprinting is even louder, and even kicks up some dust behind you. You can reduce your movement sounds by crouching and moving more slowly, but note that even rotating your character creates the sound of footsteps. Doors also make a ton of racket, but in Fortnite, you'll often find it's possible to jump through a window and avoid doors entirely. You'll also want to avoid shooting unless absolutely necessary, as the sound is like raising a flag on your location--although silenced weapons help with that issue a great deal. Finally, gathering resources with your pickaxe and building stuff makes a lot of noise, often for an extended period of time. These are essential to survival at Fortnite, but always be aware that when you smash or build things, you might be giving away your location.
Don't Fight Unless You're (Pretty) Sure You Can Win
Firefights in Fortnite, as in other Battle Royale games, can start out looking like clear victories and quickly become disasters. Your greatest advantage at all times is surprise, but you only have one life to live. This crucial fact means that often, it's better to ignore another player and stay hidden (if you can't get the jump on them), rather than attack them and risk losing it all, even when you have great weapons. Aiming in Fortnite is a little harrowing as well, which can make actually hitting other players tough at any kind of range. First off, you'll want to pick the right gun for the job: Up close, even a fairly common-level shotgun can be devastating with a headshot, while further away, assault rifles and sniper rifles can take people out before they know what hit them. Take your time, line up your shots, and make sure your opponent is within range so that you take them down before they can react. Survival is your most important goal, so use discretion: If you're not confident you'll be able to take down whoever's in your sights quickly and cleanly, you're probably better off letting them go.
Be Careful In The Open
Players used to PUBG know that the game often consists of sprinting across open ground, trying to get to a closing circle. In Fortnite, moving into the open is just as harrowing, because the cartoonish art style makes you more visible at a distance--and you can't get any lower to the ground than a crouch. This means picking your path when you move in the open is an essential skill to learn, and the players who live the longest typically minimize their time in the open or move smartly to different positions to avoid getting caught. First, use structures and cover like cliffs and boulders to your advantage, to protect your back or sides and limit the areas you have to keep an eye on. Next, move quickly while in the open, and carefully and slowly when you're in cover. The human eye is built to detect movement, so you're safest when you're not in motion. You can occasionally hide among pine trees or in bushes to make yourself even tougher to spot. You'll also want to make use of Fortnite's third-person perspective to position your character to peek around corners and through doorways before you enter them, and avoid walking into an ambush (or right into someone hiding in a corner, out of your line of sight). Another quick tip: Close doors behind you. It's an easy way to make it less obvious that you're in a building, and this makes it tougher for other players to track you.
Drink Shield Potions As Soon As You Find Them
Health in Fortnite: Battle Royale is divided into two types: your player health, which is a green bar on the bottom of your screen, and your shield, which is a blue bar--each topping out at 100 points. Shield depletes before health, and when your health is gone, you're dead. You won't start the match with a shield, however, so you'll have to find one. Treasure chests are the places where you'll often find health items--and in particular, blue shield potions. These take up a space in your limited inventory, and since you won't start the match with a shield, it's usually best to drink these as soon as you find them, as your shield lasts until it takes damage. Shield potions come in two types. Larger shield potions give you 50 shield points, and can be stacked twice to double your health; smaller shield potions give you 25 shield. Only the larger potions can push you up to 100, though: If you use two small shield potions, you'll top out at 50 shield points. Note that shields won't protect you from falling damage, so take care of yourself. If you can find health items like bandages and medkits, you'll likely want to hang onto them for later use (bandages give you 15 health to a max of 75, while medkits will heal you fully). A rarer healing item called Slurp Juice--which comes in a purple bottle--replenishes your shield and gives you back health over time at a rate of one point per second for 25 seconds, making it more versatile in a sticky situation. Even rarer Chug Jugs are also extremely useful, fully restoring your health and shield, but requiring 15 seconds of your time to use.
Watch For Player Buildings
As matches wear on, you're likely to start seeing player fortifications. The good news is that player buildings are usually square, blank, obvious towers... so you'll usually see them from a distance. They're great indicators of where players are staked out, so if you ever spot a tower or other fortification, you should absolutely approach it with caution--it usually means someone's waiting with a scoped rifle, hoping to take down passersby. Often, when you're on the ground and spot a tower, it's best to keep clear of it. Usually, fortifications suggest that players are well-stocked and ready for a fight from a distance--and if they're up high, they typically have a line-of-sight advantage. If you're looking to fight someone in a tower or other structure, you're going to want strong weapons. The newly added minigun can chew up materials like wood and brick pretty well, and tough-to-find rocket launchers can absolutely devastate fortifications. You should always try to bring the right tools for the job. Fall damage can play a big part in some of these fights. If you can destroy the bottom of stairs or the supports of a tower, you might be able to collapse it altogether, so pay attention to how you can use the environment and the construction to your advantage.
Never Trust Cover
No cover in Fortnite is foolproof. Just about everything in the game is destructible--not just player-constructed fortifications. Even buildings on the map can all be wrecked with the right weapons; locations that feel safe generally aren't, and every wall can be destroyed in the middle of battle. This means that even when you're hiding out or grabbing cover in a firefight, you should always be prepared to move, strafe, run, and otherwise do your best to avoid fire. Walls won't save you--and especially late in the game, the likelihood of someone bringing along a rocket launcher or minigun to a battle increases tremendously. Those things annihilate cover pretty easily, so learn not to rely on it. Mobility is often your greatest ally, so jump and build to give yourself additional advantages in battle.
Be Careful When Looting Defeated Players
Fights in Battle Royale games are almost always close calls that fill you with adrenaline, and taking down another player always comes with a rush of relief. Don't let your guard down, though; every time you fire your gun, you announce yourself, and the loot that players drop when they die makes those locations targets for other players. Immediately after winning a fight is when you need to be extra-careful. Instead of rushing up to a dead player and going through all their gear (which can leave you very vulnerable), it's often better to take a beat, grab cover, and survey the situation. Other players might be attracted to the gunfire or spot the loot as you're on your way to grab it, allowing them to get the drop on you. Similarly, you might be able to use the dead player's loot to get the drop on them. Being careful is key to survival in Fortnite: Battle Royale--so play smart, and always expect another player lurking nearby. The same goes for the supply drops, which occasionally get ejected into the sky by the party bus as it flies overhead. The drops have great loot, but almost always attract a lot of attention, so approach them carefully.
Use This Time To Learn
Most of these tips are geared toward teaching you how to keep yourself alive in Fortnite, and it can be tempting at the start to hole up inside a building deep in the circle with the first gun you find, trying to outlast everyone else. You might even find yourself getting into the top 10 players in a match without firing a shot. It's worth it to experiment in Fortnite: Battle Royale, especially early on. Learn your capabilities and get a handle on how other people play the game. In other words: Go get yourself killed. Finding good weapon locations, discovering how to use buildings effectively, and getting used to how guns handle in firefights is all part of what it takes to win in Battle Royale games. Fortnite matches pit you against 99 other players, so the likelihood that you're going to lose is extremely high. Embrace it, and use your first matches to build skills rather than hide out in an attempt to win. You'll do better in the long run when you start to learn the ins and outs of the game, as well as what you're comfortable with and how you can best succeed. You can also spectate other players once you're dead, which can clue you in on how more experienced players approach the game--it's a highly useful learning tool.
By Mat Elfring on Feb 15, 2018 01:27 am
Valentine's Day is here, and if you're like me, you've completely forgotten to get your significant other something for the holiday. Don't fret because GameSpot has you covered, as long as you're a wrestling fan. Instead of spending money on flowers and expensive gifts, send them something they're really love: a Valentine's Day image featuring WWE superstars. Presented here are 13 Valentine's Day cards that are sometimes dumb and other times humorous that any WWE fan would love to get on a day that celebrates love. If that isn't enough wrestling fun for you and your lover, sit down by a fire and learn why Braun Strowman is a walking episode of Looney Tunes or why WWE has too many PPVs. Happy Valentine's and Rusev Day from us at GameSpot, to you.
By Matt Espineli on Feb 15, 2018 01:05 am
One of Monster Hunter World's greatest aspects is the variety of adorable armor sets you can get for your Palico companion. The armor you can get them comes in a variety of different styles, shapes, types, and sizes. To give you an idea of what kind of armor sets you'll be able to equip your Palico once you've progressed far enough in the game, we've compiled the gallery above. Click ahead to check out some of the best looking high-end Palico armor sets. And if you're eager to see more armor, check out our galleries showcasing how the game's various armor sets looks on male characters and female characters. Monster Hunter: World is out now for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with a PC release to come later in the year. That's notable, as recent entries were limited to 3DS. The additional horsepower has allowed for a game with much larger, more beautiful environments to play in. It also does a better job of introducing newcomers to the flow of playing a Monster Hunter game. You can read more about what to expect in our Monster Hunter World review. And for more impressions of the game, check out our feature detailing 11 ways to make the game even better than it already is. Those playing on PS4 will be able to get their hands on some exclusive gear based on Horizon Zero Dawn. We also know that new Mega Man-themed items are on the way, as well as character skins themed around Street Fighter V--and if past games are any indication, this won't be the last crossover content that Capcom releases.
By Jimmy Thang on Feb 15, 2018 12:49 am
Halo-Themed PC Case Mod
Modder: Tech Modified/OZ MODZ What makes it cool: Modders Tech Modified/OZ MODZ collaborated to create a Halo-themed mod starring Master Chief. Commissioned by Asus, the team constructed the mod on top of a Cooler Master case. The modders sculpted a metal cage on top of the case to give it the outline of a torso. A hole was cut out in the middle, which shows the Asus ROG motherboard inside. Master Chief is also holding a functional graphics card, which connects to the motherboard via a PCIe riser cable. RGB lights illuminate the inside of the case. You can check out a cool timelapse of the build here.
Ultimate PUBG Gaming PC
Modder: Team Australia (Tech Modified & Designs by IFR) What makes it cool: Tech Modified and IFR worked together to create a PUBG-themed gaming PC. The mod has a very grimy look and even has dirt-colored liquid cooling, which gives it that extra post-apocalyptic aesthetic. PUBG fans may appreciate the loot box in the front coupled with decals like broken glass and doors that have been shot through. In terms of specs, the rig is equipped with an Intel Core-i5 8600K coupled with an MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard and two GeForce GTX 1080s, which are featured on the back. The modders relied heavily on using a dremel, and you can see them put the PC in this time lapse here.
Awesome Build Vol. 2
Modder:la PCJunkie Mods and Blue Horse Studios What makes it cool: It's a Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired PC. The heavily modified Corsair Crystal Series 460X even features a real, functioning 1970's cassette player. The icing on the cake is the fact that the two LED buttons Groot is looking at are the computer's power and reset switches. Asus has created a Make A Wish page for the build, which allows people to donate money to the foundation to get a chance to win the rig.
Aliens
Modder: Ron Lee Christianson of Blue Horse Studios What makes it cool: This mod pays tribute to the Alien films. Ron Lee Christianson actually combined a Cooler Master HAF X case with a Cooler Master 915 chassis for the build. The Facehugger inside makes this the creepiest mod we've ever seen.
Point Blank Barrett Radeon RX 480
Modder: Suchao Modding & Design What makes it cool: Yes, this is a PC that looks like a gun. You can see the Mini-ITX motherboard in the middle of the chassis. The radiator in the front acts as the rifle's "magazine." The red water-cooled tubes surrounding the gun is a really nice aesthetic touch.
Forklift UD Gigabyte
Modder: Suchao Modding & Design What makes it cool: Suchao is definitely one of the more out-of-the-box modders here. As the name suggests, this Gigabyte motherboard is encased in a forklift-like chassis. Its water-cooling pipes act as a tiny chair, and the water-cooling reservoir on the back resembles a fuel tank.
Back to the Mod
Modder: Marc Molella and Bob Stewart ofBSMods What makes it cool: Marc Molella and Bob Stewart worked together to create this Delorean-themed mod to pay tribute to the Back to the Future movies. Molella used brushed stainless steel on Cooler Master's HAF 922 chassis to match the color of the car. Stewart helped create the flux capacitor inside the case by using spark plug wires and a custom LED strip. And, yes, the doors do lift up.
Lancer Unleashed
Modder: Ali Abbas What makes it cool: The Lancer Unleashed features a functioning chainsaw that's modeled after the famed Gears of War weapon. Ali Abbas used a bike chain with a 12 volt motor, and the mod has a battery pack so you can pick it up for a spin. The motherboard is situated within the "magazine" portion of the gun, and it's locked and loaded with a GeForce GTX 1060 GPU.
TPS-L2
Modder: The Blass Brothers of Babetech What makes it cool: The Blass Brothers built this giant Sony Walkman mod to pay tribute to the Guardians of the Galaxy films. The metalwork was done by hand, but many of the other accessories were 3D printed. It also has a built-in functioning MP3 player with components from a Logitech X230 sound system that plays songs from the original movie.
Shiny
Modder: Mnpctech What makes it cool: Mpnpctech modified a Corsair case to pay homage to Joss Whedon's sci-fi show Firefly.
Rebel A
Modder: Andrew Kjos and Mnpctech What makes it cool: Andrew Kjos and Mnpctech created Rebel A as a Star Wars Rebel Alliance tribute.
Silverstone SG03 Case Mod
Modders: Bill Owen and Jeremy Birch What makes it cool: Bill Owen and Jeremy Birch used a Mini-ITX Silverstone SG03 chassis to create something straight out of Fallout's post-apocalyptic universe.
Lanboy Apocalypse
Modder: Mnpctech What makes it cool: Mnpctech used an Antec case and a metallic reservoir to create a PC that seemingly houses radioactive material.
Official Star Trek
Modder: Mnpctech What makes it cool: Mnpctech designed this mod to pay tribute to the original 1960s Star Trek series. You can also see the Starship Enterprise carved out on the side panel.
Medieval
Modder: BS Mods What makes it cool: BS Mods did a lot of machine work on this In Win case to give it a medieval vibe. It's most distinguishing feature is the sword on the side, which comes with functional USB and audio ports on the side. There's also a power button at the end of the sword's hilt.
AR-45
Modder: Suchao Modding & Design What makes it cool: Thai modder Suchao constructed this crazy case for Gigabyte. The middle section houses the motherboard on one side and the GPU on the other. The top and bottom sections feature radiators with RGB fans.
Cutting Edge
Modder: Johan Nyman What makes it cool: Modder Johan Nyman modded Corsair's Spec-Alpha case to evoke a Mirror's Edge Catalyst theme. It features the same red, white, and black motif from the game and has the Mirror's Edge name and logo etched onto its panels.
Rey's Speeder
Modder: Brian Carter of Bods Mods What makes it cool: Brian Carter designed this mod using his 3D printer and modeled it after Rey's speeder bike from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Like Rey's vehicle, it even has a bag for loose scraps dangling on the side.
Verktøy Cu
Modder: Derick Magnusen and Senpai Studios What makes it cool: Modder Derick Magnusen took CaseLabs' massive S8 chassis and added a bunch of copper, leather, and brass to give it a steampunk look. It's equipped with four GTX Titan XPs and is named Verktøy Cu, which loosely translates to "copper work tool" in Norwegian.
Batman
Modder: Xing Kai What makes it cool: This case prominently features Nvidia's GTX 1080 at the front of a futuristic-looking chassis that's spreading its wings. It looks like something Batman would use.
Bulldog GTO
Modder: Lee Harrington of PCJunkieMods What makes it cool: Modder Lee Harrington took Corsair's Bulldog chassis and modified it to look like a late 1960's Pontiac GTO. The classic car it's modeled after is a hot rod, so this case has appropriate flames to match.
Tank PC
Modder: Kensuke Morita What makes it cool: Kensuke Morita's PC is built like a tank...literally. It even has LED fans at the base that act as the vehicle's caterpillar tracks.
The WinBot Project
Modder: Kun Mod Studios What makes it cool: Kun Mod Studios used InWin's spherical Winbot chassis and added a custom loop cooler to it. It looks a lot like Tom Cruise's Bubbleship in the 2013 sci-fi movie Oblivion.
FrostByte
Modder: Jon Hansz What makes it cool: An ice dragon dwells within this mod designed by Jon Hansz. You can see its tail and scales on top of the case, its body dangling from the side, and its heading protruding through the front. Finally, it has blue LED fans inside, which accentuate the mod's icy theme.
Nissan GT-R R35
Modder: Kensuke Morita What makes it cool: Japanese modder Kensuke Morita designed a Nissan GT-R R35-inspired PC using parts from an RC car.
The Andromeda Initiative
Modder: Jon Hansz and Ron Lee Christianson of Rip City Modders What makes it cool: Jon Hansz and Ron Lee Christianson constructed this mod to celebrate the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda. It uses a heavily modified Corsair 240 Air case. The most notable addition is the soldier clad in space armor on the side. And in case you were wondering, yes, you can take the helmet off.
H-Tower Nvidia Edition
Modder: Wei Zheng What makes it cool: Chinese modder Wei Zheng created a PC mod for Nvidia using In Win's H-Tower case. The crazy chassis opens and closes with a press of a button. Zheng painted the innards green, used green ribbon cables, and prominently displayed Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1080 GPU inside.
Titanfall 2 Ion 509
Modder: Lee Harrington of PC Junkie Mods and Ron Lee Christianson of Blue Horse Studios What makes it cool: Lee Harrington of PC Junkie Mods and Ron Lee Christianson of Blue Horse Studios built this mod to commemorate the launch of Titanfall 2. At its core, it uses In Win's 509 chassis, but Harrington and Christianson added a ton of modifications, which include an LCD panel at the bottom. They also added architectural layers to the front of the case to recreate Ion's singular robotic eye.
SkyVue
Modder: Jeffrey Stephenson What makes it cool: If this mod reminds you of the Empire State Building it's because it was designed to look like the Art Deco skyscrapers of the 1930s. Retired high school Chemistry teacher Jeffrey Stephenson built it using Thermaltake's Level 10 PC case.
Gigantea
Modder: David "Insolent Gnome" Cathey What makes it cool: David "Insolent Gnome" Cathey's Gigantea is the centipede of mods. It combines three Mini-ITX Cooler Master Elite 130 cases coupled with acrylic panels to give it a large robotic arthropod look.
World of Tanks Diorama
Modder: Richard "MadeByKier" Keirsgieterr and Vladimir from VW Studio What makes it cool: Richard "MadeByKier" Keirsgieterr and Vladimir from VW Studio constructed a diorama showcasing the war-torn landscape of World of Tanks. No machinery was used and everything was built by hand.
Yoda
Modder: Jon "Pennywise" Hansz What makes it cool: Consider this a tribute to Yoda. Modder Jon "Pennywise" Hansz sculpted him from clay and added a bunch of green accents, tubing, and cables on the inside of the PC to pay homage to the Jedi master. The rest of the chassis has Stormtroopers painted on it.
Vault 111 Decontamination Pod
Modder: Dewayne Carel of Modders Inc. What makes it cool: Dewayne Carel used a Phanteks Enthoo Pro case to recreate the freezing chamber from Fallout 4. It even has a gas canister hanging on one side.
Wasted Lightning
Modder: Craig "TechDaddy" Tate of Modders Inc. What makes it cool: Modder Craig "TechDaddy" Tate wanted to create a Fallout mod that looked like it had been damaged and weathered by the wasteland. He used a Scotchbrite pad to scuff up the paint on a Fractal Arc Midi R2 case and used shades of brown and red paint to recreate the rusty look. Tate also used a hammer, mallet, and heat gun to give it a damaged look. Finally, the large Fallout 4 lightning bolt at the front ties the piece together.
Fallout
Modder: Dewayne Carel What makes it cool: Dewayne Carel's Fallout mod doesn't simply pay tribute to the gaming series, but he wanted it to look like a computer you'd actually encounter in the Wasteland. It has a side window, which makes it look like a terminal you can hack in the game, and it actually uses code taken from Fallout 4. Carel used Thermaltake's Urban S41 case and used a lot of spray paint and hair spray to give it a rusted and worn look. Finally, if you look up at the top, you'll see a Pip-Boy.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Evolvs
Modder: Lee Harrington of PCJunkieMods and Ron Lee Christianson of Blue Horse Studios What makes it cool: Lee Harrington and Ron Lee Christianson worked together and modded three Phanteks Enthoo Evolv cases to evoke a Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain theme. The chassis comes with a tactical harness, ammo pouch, and knife on the side. The three different camo getups are inspired by uniforms in the game.
Heroes of the Storm Mashup
Modder: Xing Kai What makes it cool: Chinese modder Xing Kai is a huge Blizzard fan and says that StarCraft and Diablo were some of the biggest influences in his life, so he decided to build this Heroes of the Storm-themed mod. The design uses two Corsair cases, which is a 780T ATX tower coupled with a 380T Mini-ITX case. He used metal for the StarCraft section of the build and wood for the Warcraft parts. The top of the case features a Terran Marine and the front of the case features orcs.
Assassin's Creed
Modder: PCJunkieMods and Blue Horse Studio What makes it cool: PCJunkieMods and Blue Horse Studio collaborated for three weeks to make an Assassin's Creed-themed mod. Using Corsair's Carbide 300R case, they used wood grain panels to make it look like a pirate's treasure box. They sculpted the lock, skulls, and ornaments out of clay.
Parvum Warfare
Modder: James Walter What makes it cool: James Walter was inspired to craft a Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare mod after he saw Microsoft reveal its Advanced Warfare Xbox controller. He used a Parvum System case and modeled the aesthetics after the controller.
Fallout Vault-Tec
Modder: Bob Stewart, Rod Rosenberg, and Brian Carter of Mod Dudes What makes it cool: The Mod Dudes collaborated to make a Fallout case that was designed to look like it was made by the Vault-Tec Corporation. They took three weeks to paint Rustoleum light yellow on a Corsair Graphite 780T case. The Mod Dudes used diamond plate panels on the front and small iron rails as feet for the chassis on the bottom. The coolest part of the case is the gear-shaped cut-out they did on the side panel with its custom-made hinge.
The Hitman
Modder: Jojoharalds What makes it cool: Icelandic modder Jojoharalds used Fractal Design's Define S case to construct a mod with a suit, white dress shirt, and red tie that's inspired by Agent 47's attire. Hitman is Jojoharalds' favorite game.
Lamborghini Reventon
Modder: Paul Tan What makes it cool: Modder Paul Tan modded Silverstone's Raven RV01 case to evoke the look of a silver Lamborghini Reventon sports car. It even has functional headlights.
Tristellar Mod
Modder: Bill Owen What makes it cool: Bill Owen took Deepcool's crazy Tristellar case and gave it a futuristic sci-fi sheen.
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