It's been over 30 years since Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka) faced off in the finals at the All-Valley Karate Tournament in Karate Kid. While Daniel, under the tutelage of Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), might have been victorious that days, some grudges never die.
YouTube Red is revisiting the world of Karate Kid with its upcoming series Cobra Kai, and the first trailer for the original series is packed with just about everything a Karate Kid fan could want from a revival. Set in present day, the new show follows Johnny as he reopens the evil Cobra Kai dojo. "I just don't know why you'd ever want to bring back Cobra Kai," Daniel tells his old nemesis.
The series is being billed by YouTube Red as a half-hour comedy, though the trailer certainly doesn't match that tone. However, with a story written by Josh Heald (Hot Tub Time Machine), along with Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle), there's bound to be plenty of funny built into the series.
Joining Macchio and Zabka in the series are Courtney Henggeler (Mom), Xolo Maridueña (Parenthood), and Tanner Buchanan (Designated Survivor) as Johnny's son Robby. Ed Asner will appear as a guest star. Cobra Kai will debut later this year on Youtube Red.
This month is looking like an ideal time for PlayStation 4 owners in the market for a PlayStation VR headset to finally pick one up. Sony is bringing back some steep discounts on the standalone headset and various bundles, bringing their respective prices as low as they've ever gone.
These new promotions begin in the United States on February 18 and will see the cheapest option sell for $200, rather than the usual $300. The PlayStation Blog suggests this may just be the standalone headset (which doesn't come with the required PS4 camera). However, the official PlayStation website shows that it may also include the Gran Turismo Sport bundle, which gets you the game and camera, but that will require you actually finding a store that has it in stock.
Next cheapest is Doom VFR's bundle, which will go for $300 (down from $400). This packs in a physical copy of Doom VFR in addition to the headset, camera, and the 2.0 demo disc. Alternatively, Skyrim's bundle drops to $350 (from $450) and gets you Skyrim VR, the headset, camera, 2.0 demo disc, and two PlayStation Move controllers. As with a number of other games, Skyrim VR can be played either with the Move controllers or a standard DualShock 4.
These offers will be available until March 3 at participating retailers; according to Sony, these include Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and GameStop. If you're unsure about buying one, check out our comparison of the different VR headsets. You could also wait and hope Sony does another promotion where it sends PSVR demo units to people's homes.
One thing to be aware of is that Sony introduced a small revamp of PSVR last year, allowing HDR passthrough with the breakout box and making other refinements. For more help in deciding which unit is right for you, check out our Doom VFR review and thoughts on Skyrim VR.
Blizzard is again experimenting with balance changes in Overwatch, and it's launching a new PTR update to enlist players' help in testing them. This latest patch deals with three characters specifically, not including Hanzo or Symmetra, who were recently highlighted as being in line for some adjustments.
In terms of what is in the patch, Mei receives some significant buffs. The duration of her freeze ability has been increased from 1 second to 1.5 seconds, which Blizzard hopes will better provide her with the ability to take on speedy enemies in particular. Additionally, the alt-fire on her weapon is gaining a few additional shots to provide her with more opportunities to pull off a headshot. In the developer video update below, director Jeff Kaplan explains that Blizzard thinks Mei is close to being balanced but believe she "could use some help," hence the buffs.
Next up is Sombra, who will no longer charge up her Ultimate through hacked health packs. She'll now primarily earn her Ultimate by dealing damage, and some unspecified changes have been made to her weapon as a result. Her Translocator's duration has also been extended, giving her more time to act before it expires.
More importantly, her Hack ability now takes less time to use, and it affects enemies in some new ways. This varies from character to character--when hacked, Genji loses the ability to double jump, while Pharah can't use her hover jets. Kaplan describes this as an experiment; it's not confirmed that these effects will make it into the live game, and it's possible that others could also be impacted by Hack.
Finally, Doomfist's weapon will now recover ammo much more quickly than before. This change actually briefly went live as part of the recent live game update by mistake, but it has since been rolled back.
A recent developer update video covered upcoming balance changes to a variety of characters. Two of those--Mercy and Junkrat--are now available in the live game, and we're seeing the Mei changes tested in this new PTR patch. Hanzo was also mentioned during that, but we're still not seeing any adjustments to him. In the new developer update, Kaplan discusses the character and--more specifically--many of the proposed changes that have now been ruled out.
One such proposal involved replacing Scatter Arrow with a new ability that allowed him to shoot a single, sniper-like shot very quickly, even through barriers, but it was found to be too frustrating for players hiding behind barriers who were killed by it. Another change included a new ability being assigned to the reload button that would let him activate certain abilities more frequently. Blizzard also tried making Scatter Arrow only activate when shooting at a wall or ceiling (rather than the floor), but this was deemed to be too much of a nerf, which is not the intention. The studio is now looking at a new ability that lets him rapidly fire a series of arrows, and this is something that could be tested on the PTR in the future. Blizzard is also exploring a horizontal leap that's primarily meant to get Hanzo out of danger's way.
Overwatch players on PC can check out the changes that are currently in testing on the PTR. There's no word on when these changes will make it to the live game on PC, PS4, or Xbox One, but bear in mind that these adjustments could be tweaked further or eliminated altogether. In the meantime, everyone can take part in the new Lunar New Year event, which introduces a variety of new Year of the Dog skins and cosmetics.
Microsoft has again expanded the lineup of backwards compatible games on Xbox One. Two more Xbox 360 titles are now playable on the current-gen console, and they're fairly big-name games.
First up is Mafia II, the 2011 sequel to 2K Games' original Mafia from 2002. It's an open-world action game in the basic mold of Grand Theft Auto, but it's perhaps most notable for its mid-20th century setting. Also now playable is 2006's Prey, not to be confused with last year's game of the same name (which otherwise bears no connection to the 2006 title). It's a first-person shooter that tells the story of a Cherokee who is abducted by aliens.
If you already own a physical copy of these games, you can simply pop it into your Xbox One to initiate a download and start playing. Alternatively, if you own digital copies, you can find them waiting in the Ready to Download area of the My Games and Apps section on the console. They're also both available for purchase on the Xbox Store. As with Splinter Cell: Conviction when it was added to the backwards compatibility library last week, they're also currently discounted as part of this week's Xbox game deals.
The early games in the Spyro the Dragon series are in line for a remaster set to launch later this year, according to a new report. They'll apparently be released exclusively for PS4 at first, with the possibility of other platforms later.
Sources speaking with Kotaku have indicated that the original Spyro trilogy--Spyro the Dragon, Ripto's Rage (known as Gateway to Glimmer in Europe and Australia), and Year of the Dragon--is being remastered by Activision. The site says this project will be in the same vein as last year's Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, with improved visuals (including new assets), a remastered soundtrack, and other enhancements. The same studio that worked on that project, Vicarious Visions, is said to be putting together the Spyro remaster.
It's noted that the trilogy could include content that was cut from the original games. Exactly what form that would take is unclear, but N. Sane Trilogy received the infamous Stormy Ascent level that was previously only accessible with a GameShark or emulator.
According to Kotaku, the project is set to be announced next month and then released during the third quarter of 2018 (which runs from July through September). It'll be available exclusively on PS4 (with PS4 Pro support) before launching on other platforms after that--an arrangement that's said to be the same with N. Sane Trilogy. To date, no ports of that remaster have been announced, though there have been rumors of an Xbox One release. Activision has publicly said that, given N. Sane Trilogy's success, more remasters are likely.
This September marks the 20-year anniversary of the original Spyro's release on PS1. That game, as well as the subsequent two that will be included in this remaster, were developed by Insomniac Games, the studio that would go on to create Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, and Sunset Overdrive. Later entries in the series were handled by other studios, with the biggest recent success being the spin-off Skylanders series.
Those in the market for a new game that won't cost them a penny are in luck, provided they have an Amazon Prime membership. The next free PC game to be offered through Twitch Prime--which is one of the perks of an Amazon Prime membership--is now available, and it's a good one.
Civilization IV: The Complete Edition can currently be had for free on Twitch. It's available from now until February 21 and can be claimed from Civ IV's game page or by clicking the Prime Loot button from the Twitch website's top bar while logged into a Twitch Prime account. Bear in mind, you'll need to redeem this through the Twitch desktop app, rather than simply getting a code to redeem through Steam, but it's yours to keep even after this offer expires.
Although the Civ series is now two numbered entries ahead, Civ IV remains an excellent game that you can easily lose hundreds of hours in. The Complete Edition, which normally retails for $30, packages the base game with its Beyond the Sword, Colonization, and Warlords expansion packs, introducing even more content to a game that already offered a tremendous amount of gameplay.
Free games and DLC packs are periodically given out to members with Twitch Prime. Another is on the way shortly after this Civ IV offer concludes, as the original Devil May Cry will be free beginning on February 27. That precedes the PS4, Xbox One, and PC release of Devil May Cry HD Collection on March 13. PC owners can also nab another free game through EA's On the House promotion, which is currently giving away Dead Space.
The issue of whitewashing is one that's plagued TV and film for years, and yet it never seems to stop. Whether it's Tilda Swinton being cast as the Ancient One--typically portrayed as an Asian man in the comics--in Doctor Strange or Jennifer Lawrence playing Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games--despite the books describing the character as having olive skin and black hair, it's something that's all too common.
However, Altered Carbon executive producer Laeta Kalogridis is preemptively shutting down any notion of whitewashing on her next project. Kalogridis is currently working on a live-action adaptation of the Japanese light novel series Sword Art Online, which will be available via Netflix, and she's planning to cast the series appropriately.
Speaking to Collider, she clears the air immediately. "Well, let's get the obvious bit out of the way, right away. SAO is an essentially Japanese property, in which Kirito and Asuna, who are the two leads, are Japanese. In the television show, Kirito and Asuna will be played by Asian actors," she says. "When I sold it to Netflix, we were all on the same page. They are not interested in whitewashing it, and I am not interested in whitewashing it."
That said, the adaptation will have a global feel, thanks in part to the property it's based on. The original light novels are set in a near future, with most of the story taking place in a virtual reality MMORPG.
"In terms of the secondary characters, because the game is meant to be global, the way it's presented in the anime and in the light novels, there are secondary characters that clearly are from other parts of the world, like Klein and Agil," Kalogridis says. "To me, it's very obvious when you watch it that you're meant to take that this game spans the globe, but Kirito and Asuna are very clearly located as kids from Japan, and Tokyo, if I'm not mistaken. That is what we will be doing because that is the story."
At this point, there is no announced release date for Netflix's take on Sword Art Online. If you want to familiarize yourself with the series, though, in addition to the light novels, there are manga and anime adaptations you can check out. In fact, you can stream the anime on Netflix.
Before the first trailer for the upcoming Incredibles sequel premieres during the Winter Olympics, Disney and Pixar have released a trio of teaser posters to get fans ready. The new images show off the side of superhero life that's rather mundane--laundering your superhero costume to keep it nice and fresh-looking.
The first, which shows the Parr family's superhero costumes in a laundry basket, reads, "Back to work." The second, with the costumes in a washing machine, reads, "Almost ready." Naturally, the third features Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) ironing his costume. That image declares it's time to "suit up."
For Mr. Incredible, it'll be his first time suiting up in quite a while. While most of the details about Incredibles 2 remain a mystery, it was previously revealed that the movie would find the former superhero as a stay-at-home dad, while his wife Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) is the one in the superhero spotlight.
When a new villain emerges, though, it'll be time for the entire Incredible family to spring into action. And this time, based on the short teaser released previously, they'll be joined by baby Jack-Jack, whose superpowers are becoming obvious.
Joining Nelson and Hunter in returning for the new adventure are Sarah Vowell (Violet), Samuel L. Jackson (Frozone), and Brad Bird (Edna Mode). Huck Milner voiced young Dash, with Bob Odenkirk (Winston Deavor), Catherine Keener (Evelyn Deavor), Jonathan Banks (Rick Dicker), Sophia Bush (Voyd), and Isabella Rossellini (Ambassador) also starring.
Incredibles 2, like its predecessor, is directed by Bird and produced by John Walker. It hits theaters on June 15.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lindsey Beer (Barbie) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) have collaborated on the latest script for the Silver & Back film. Gina Prince-Bythewood, who is set to direct the movie, is now doing a polish on their draft before turning it into Sony.
However, Beer and Robertson-Dworet aren't the first to take a stab at the project. Prince-Bythewood previously wrote a script for the movie, as did Lisa Joy (Westworld) and Chris Yost (Thor: Ragnarok).
Silver & Black, like the upcoming Venom film starring Tom Hardy, will not exist in the MCU alongside Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Though a cast has yet to be announced and production is nowhere near starting, Silver & Black was previously announced to have a February 8, 2019 release date. The odds of it actually meeting that release date at this point, though, seem slim. Venom, however, will be in theaters on October 5.
While many look to February as a time for love, thanks to Valentine's Day, the true meaning of the second month of the year is to celebrate a long list of new things to stream on Netflix. The service is adding movie franchises, fan-favorite TV shows, and some highly anticipated originals in February.
Among the originals is likely the biggest arrival of the month in Altered Carbon. The sci-fi series is based on the 2002 Richard K. Morgan novel of the same name and stars Joel Kinnaman, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and James Purefoy. The series follows a man who has been awoken after 250 and placed into a new body, as he solves a murder. You can read more about it in our Altered Carbon review.
Other originals being added include the documentary Seeing Allred, the new talk show The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale, and the latest episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman, which will feature George Clooney. Additionally, the American Pie, Ocean's Eleven, and Kill Bill franchises are all available to stream as of February 1.
Sadly, a new month also means several titles are departing Netflix, Among them are Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas, Project X, all three seasons of An Idiot Abroad, and several series of Top Gear.
You can take a look at everything Netflix is gaining and losing below. You can also look back on everything the service added in January if you aren't caught up.
As with the previous On the House titles, once you download Dead Space it is yours to keep forever. The only catch is that EA doesn't say when On the House titles cycle out, so if you're interested, you may want to grab the game right now instead of putting it off until later.
Dead Space was already in the Origin Access free game library on PC, so if you subscribe to that service you have been able to play the game at no cost for a while now. The game was also released on Xbox 360, and it is playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility. The Xbox 360 edition is in the Xbox One EA Access library.
Dead Space was in fact the very first EA On the House freebie, kicking off the freebie campaign back in 2014. It appears to be the first title to have two runs in the On the House hopper.
In Dead Space, you play as a space engineer named Isaac Clarke who must fight all manner of ghastly creatures on a spaceship. Sequels Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3 were released in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, who now lead Call of Duty studio Sledgehammer Games, worked on Dead Space before starting their own studio.
Since the launch of Fortnite's free-to-play, PUBG-esque Battle Royale mode last year, it's become tremendously popular. If you're among the people playing the PS4 version, you can grab some free cosmetic items right now, provided you're a PlayStation Plus subscriber.
A new PS Plus bonus quietly surfaced on the PlayStation Store today. Dubbed the PlayStation Plus Celebration Pack, it consists of two exclusive items: a glider and an outfit, both of which are pictured below. These are not available for purchase and can only be claimed if you're a PS Plus member. You can grab the pack here.
The pack becomes available ahead of the next Fortnite update. It will only be available for a limited time, but you've got much more time to claim it than the typical PS Plus freebie--the offer expires on February 1, 2019. We've reached out to Epic to find out the exact details of this promotion and whether PC or Xbox One players will also have access to these items.
February's standard lineup of free PS Plus games are still available and include PS4 launch game Knack. Meanwhile, if you were subscribed in the past to PS Plus, a new freebie recently became available thanks to the launch of Mercenary Kings' new Reloaded Edition. Additionally, another smaller perk is out now for Gems of War. And finally, the ongoing PSVR game giveaway continues, with the latest being Starblood Arena.
Although it's coming a bit later than expected, the new update for Fortnite has arrived on all platforms. The version 2.5.0 patch makes some big changes and additions for both Battle Royale and Save the World modes, including the addition of a new weapon to obtain and new areas to explore in the popular PvP mode on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Battle Royale is now home to the Impulse Grenade, a new type of explosive that, after a short delay, sends all nearby players flying a long distance. It's a Blue rarity item, and it can only be found in Treasure Chests and Supply Drops. You can get a glimpse at what it can do in the brief video clip below; it may lead to some hilarious match endings in the final circle.
Among the places you'll now find Treasure Chests in during Battle Royale matches are new "thematic Shrines hidden across the map." One of these is pictured in the gallery below, and they appear to have a Chinese architectural look to them. Meanwhile, Save the World has introduced new heroes and Dragon weapons themed around the Lunar New Year (also pictured below).
Other notable changes to Battle Royale include some technical changes for PS4 and Xbox One players. The standard versions of those consoles now feature dynamic resolution and high quality temporal upsampling; the former seeks to ensure a smooth framerate by decreasing the resolution when necessary. Those on an Xbox One X can now play at "full" 4K, while PS4 players should no longer experience excessively slow Fortnite patch downloads.
In terms of balance, a variety of adjustments have been made, including the temporary removal of the SMG weapon, which was done to create some breathing room for other weapons that have been added to the game. Additionally, several items are now less likely to drop, including the crossbow, minigun, and Chug Jug. There have also been some notable audio improvements, such as the crossbow making a noise when it's ready to fire again. There are also now "above" and "below" versions of footstep sounds when running on wood, stone, or metal.
Save the World--which remains in paid early access but will eventually be for free everyone--also receives some significant additions in this update. In addition to the aforementioned Dragon weapons and Lunar New Year heroes, the Heartbreaker Crossbow is now available. Most importantly, the Spring It On event has begun, introducing new quests and rewards, with more to be added in the coming weeks.
All of this is available now. For a complete rundown on what's new, check out the full patch notes here. And if you're new to Fortnite: Battle Royale or are just looking for some tips, have a look at our Fortnite building guide or our discussion about what makes the mode so popular.
Valentine's Day has come and gone, and a lot of video games are still celebrating the holiday by holding special Valentine's Day-themed events. That includes Pokemon Go, which is set to wrap up its own Valentine's event, meaning players only have a limited time left to capture some very rare pink Pokemon and earn extra bonuses.
For a few more hours today, February 15, Pokemon Go players will encounter increased spawns of the heart-shaped Pokemon Luvdisc, one of the many Gen 3 Pokemon that were recently added to Pokemon Go. Chansey will also appear more frequently for the duration of the event. Players will be rewarded with triple the usual amount of Stardust for each Luvdisc and Chansey that they catch.
Valentine's Day also marked the end of Kyogre's run as a Raid Boss, so players can no longer capture the Legendary Pokemon. However, another Gen 3 Legendary, Rayquaza, is available right now in Pokemon Go; the Dragon-type will appear in Raid Battles until March 16. Rayquaza arrived alongside another batch of Gen 3 monsters, which primarily consisted of Flying- and Dragon-types such as Altaria, Salamence, and Tropius.
Beyond the Valentine's Day event, players also have the next Pokemon Go Community Day event to look forward to this month. That event takes place on February 24. Like the first Community Day in January, players will have a chance to capture a rare Pokemon that knows a move it cannot typically use during the event. Niantic hasn't revealed what that exclusive move is yet, but the Pokemon in question this time is the Dragon-type Dratini.
The first part of Monster Hunter World's Horizon: Zero Dawn crossover event is now over, meaning PS4 players can no longer get the Watcher gear set for their Palico. However, the second part of the event is on the way in a couple of weeks, and now Capcom has shared some more details to help players prepare for it.
The next Horizon-themed Event Quest is called The Proving. While we don't know exactly what the quest will entail, Capcom has revealed that it involves hunting down a giant Anjanath. You'll also need to reach Hunter Rank 11 or higher before you can accept the quest.
The Proving begins on February 28 and runs until March 5. Completing the quest will reward you with materials to craft Aloy's bow and armor, which you can take a look at above. Equipping Aloy's armor will change your appearance to look like the Horizon protagonist, regardless of your hunter's gender.
The Horizon Event Quests and gear are exclusive to the PS4 version of Monster Hunter World, but those aren't the only crossover costumes coming to the game. Capcom also revealed a pair of Street Fighter V armor that turns your hunter into Ryu and Sakura. In addition to that, players will have a chance to get retro Mega Man armor for their Palico.
If you've yet to pick up Blizzard's popular hero shooter Overwatch, you'll soon have another chance to try it out free of charge. Beginning Friday, February 16, Blizzard will hold a free weekend for the game on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
The free trial kicks off at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET and will feature all of Overwatch's 26 heroes and 16 maps. Players will also be able to try "a variety of modes" during the free weekend, including Quick Play, Custom Games, and Arcade. Additionally, players can level up, earn loot boxes, and unlock cosmetic items for the duration of the event.
The free weekend concludes at 11:59 PM PT on February 19. Those who decide to purchase the game after the trial period will retain any progress they made over the weekend; however, players will need to use the same Blizzard, PSN, or Xbox Live account that they used during the trial period to carry their progress over. You can find more details about the upcoming free weekend on the official Overwatch website.
We're halfway through February, which means a few of this month's free Games with Gold will be returning to their normal price very soon. Xbox Live Gold members have a little time left to get a pair of titles for Xbox One and Xbox 360 before they're replaced by the second half of February's freebies.
On Xbox One, a holdover from January's Games with Gold lineup, Ubisoft's survival-horror game Zombi, is still free to download through February 15. Meanwhile, the fast-paced Xbox 360 racer Split/Second is likewise set to return to its normal price on February 15. The latter game is also playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility.
With Zombi and Split/Second on their way out, two more Xbox One and 360 games are slated to take their place. Beginning February 16, Xbox One players can download the Assassin's Creed spin-off, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India, for free until March 15. On 360, the Dreamcast classic Crazy Taxi will be free through the end of the month. Gold members can also still grab the Xbox One first-person shooter Shadow Warrior.
It's the beginning of a new week, which means a new selection of game discounts are now available in the US PlayStation Store. This week's deals are fairly slim compared to the Ubisoft and Play Anime sales available last week, but players can still find discounts on a handful of titles from publisher 2K Games across PS4, PS3, and Vita.
As always, the biggest selection of deals is reserved for PS4 owners. The critically acclaimed strategy game XCOM 2 is $19.79, while its War of the Chosen expansion is $26. In addition to that, NBA 2K18 is $39, WWE 2K18 is $30, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection is $19.79, BioShock: The Collection is $19.79, Mafia III is $16, Evolve is $7.49, and Battleborn is $7.49. PS4 owners can also find discounts on the deluxe versions for many of the aforementioned titles.
Most of the above deals will only be available until February 20, giving you a week to pick up any titles you may be interested in. You can find all of this week's game discounts on the PlayStation Store.
Rockstar is continuing its weekly support of Grand Theft Auto V with a new batch of content for GTA Online on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Along with another assortment of bonuses and discounts, players can now add a fiery new car to their collections, just in time for Valentine's Day.
This week's new vehicle is the Vapid Hustler, which is available to purchase from Legendary Motorsport. Here's how Rockstar describes the car: "When you see that running board swooping low over the front wheels, that high-set radiator grill and the holder for your cigarette holder, you'll feel like you're back in the 1920s. But then you see the carbon steel reinforcements to the chassis, the turbo charger and the bullbar, and you realize you're somewhere else altogether."
In addition to that, players can earn double GTA$ and RP from a variety of modes from now until February 19. The playlist is very loosely themed around Valentine's Day and includes Till Death Do Us Part, Slasher, Resurrection, Deadline, and Lost vs. Damned.
This week's batch of in-game deals are likewise loosely themed around Valentine's Day, offering discounts on "love nests," Valentine's clothing, and other items. Players can get 25% off of all of the following through February 19:
Vehicles
Albany Roosevelt (Sports Classic)
Albany Roosevelt Valor (Sports Classic)
Nagasaki Shotaro (Motorcycle - available for purchase after completing a round of Deadline)
Ocelot Stromberg (Sports Classic/Weaponized)
Nagasaki Buzzard (Attack Helicopter)
Dynasty8
All 10-car Properties (including High-End Apartments, Garages and Stilt Houses)
Executive Offices
Clothing and Accessories
All Valentine's clothing
Doomsday Heist Tattoos
Smuggler's Run clothing
The Premium Race this week is Turbine, which is locked to off-road class vehicles. Everyone who participates in the race will earn triple RP, while those who finish in the top three will get a big GTA$ payout. This week's Time Trial is LSIA, which will reward players with GTA$ and RP if they manage to beat the target time. You can read more about this week's new GTA Online content on Rockstar's website.
Sea of Thieves, the upcoming multiplayer pirate game from Rare, will have another beta this weekend. Those that had access to the first closed beta will be able to set sail again from February 16 at 10 AM GMT / 2 AM PST until February 18 at 10 AM GMT / 2 AM PST.
According to Rare, this second beta "is to test a lot of the work we've done since the closed beta, and to try and hit a higher concurrent players number than we've ever seen before." As a result, it has said players should expect to see sessions being interrupted, difficulty joining games at peak times over the weekend, and issues with using the in-game shop. Of course, this is all in service of ironing out the problems for its eventual full launch.
The content available in this beta will be the same as that included in the previous beta. Rare said it will "purposefully be a similar feature set ... restricted to the Gold Hoarders trading company and accompanying Voyages," so it can "drive scale and test issues at a high scale of player concurrency."
For those that haven't been able to get into the beta yet, Rare plans on running another one closer to the launch of the game. This will provide "a taste of the wider Sea of Thieves experience."
What began as a Minecraft-inspired tower defense title has become one of the most popular games in the blossoming battle royale genre.
Before its servers crashed last weekend, Fortnite reached 3.4 million concurrent users, according to Epic Games. As it stands now, the game's transformation has only helped its popularity. In the video above, Michael Higham, Aaron Sampson, and Mike Mahardy discuss the highs and lows of Fortnite: Battle Royale, and how it pulled them back into a game some of them had given up on.
February has been a busy month for Nintendo Switch owners so far, and that only continues this week with the release of Bayonetta 2. Platinum Games' acclaimed action game arrives on Switch nearly four years after it originally debuted on Wii U back in 2014, and it has the distinction of being one of the few games to earn a rare 10 out of 10 from GameSpot.
"Bayonetta 2 never strives to be anything less than the purest, rarest kind of action-game experience, one that values skill, reaction times, and sheer spectacle over all else--realism and storytelling be damned," critic Mark Walton wrote in GameSpot's original Bayonetta 2 review. "Sure, you can feel the influence of the likes of Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden in Bayonetta 2's combat, and see it in its wonderfully outlandish visuals. But neither of those games, nor the many that followed in their footsteps, come close to the brilliance of Bayonetta 2."
Ahead of its release, other outlets have begun publishing reviews of Bayonetta 2. As always, we've rounded up a sample of them below to give you an idea of what critics have to say about the action game. For a broader look at Bayonetta 2's reception, be sure to check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Alongside Bayonetta 2, the original Bayonetta also arrives on Switch this week, and it likewise remains one of the most highly regarded action games ever released, as you can read about in our original Bayonetta review. Both titles are available individually on the Switch Eshop, but those who pick up a physical copy of Bayonetta 2 will also receive a download code for the original Bayonetta, giving fans a chance to catch up on the series before Bayonetta 3 launches exclusively for the console.
Game: Bayonetta 2
Developer: Platinum Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: February 16
Price: $60
GameSpot -- 10/10
"Bayonetta 2 arrives on Switch with everything intact from the Wii U version, but with the added convenience of portability and a more consistent frame rate, making it the definitive version of the game. Thanks to the confident execution of seemingly unbridled creativity, Bayonetta 2 remains a game that shouldn't be missed, just as it was when we first reviewed the game on Wii U." -- Peter Brown [Full review]
IGN -- 9/10
"Playing through Bayonetta 2 on Nintendo Switch allowed me to relive some of the most exhilarating, action-packed, hack-and-slash moments from the last decade of gaming. The framerate improvements alone make it a better experience than the Wii U version, and the Amiibo-activated costumes at least put a fun spin on it even if there's no substantial new content for returning players. It's disappointing that the Switch version can't manage more than 720p on a big screen, but with that said, Bayonetta 2's fantastic art style holds up well." -- Filip Miucin [Full review]
Trusted Reviews -- 4.5/5
"Bayonetta 1 and 2 remain a fantastic duo of action titles that feel perfectly at home on Nintendo Switch. Being able to play two of Platinum Games' finest efforts whenever you like is hugely appealing, and the abundance of content on offer here only makes it even better." -- Jordan King [Full review]
We Got This Covered -- 4.5/5
"Although many have experienced Bayonetta in some form or another, whether it be the amazing PC port from last year, or the abysmal PlayStation 3 release, it feels more than at home on Switch. The inclusion of Bayonetta 2 seals the deal, as many didn't own a Wii U, and I certainly can't blame them. Packing them together for $60 is frankly a steal, as we've seen much worse ports at higher prices. A 720p docked resolution will be a deterrent for some, but maintaining a solid framerate is crucial for an action game, and on that front, Bayonetta 1 + 2 (mostly) hits the mark. If you're at all a fan of Bayonetta or action games in general, do yourself a favor and give these two games a go." -- David Morgan [Full review]
Vooks -- 5/5
"There's a reason Bayonetta is revered amongst fans of character action games. While Bayonetta as a character might deter some people from giving the franchise a chance, there's an incredible set of action games in this collection. As I said right at the beginning, after playing both Bayonetta games for the first time on Switch I was kicking myself for not trying them sooner. The characters and utter spectacle of the environments and encounters are impressive, and the flow of combat is immensely satisfying whether you keep it to basic dodges and ripostes or get experimental with combining techniques. Both games are adjustable to your preferences as far as difficulty, game speed, and complexity--even if you've been intimidated by similar games in the past, you can get in on the action here." -- Steven Impson [Full review]
A new trailer for The Incredibles 2 premiered tonight during the Olympics. It provides one of the best looks so far at the much-anticipated animated movie from Pixar. In this timeline, superheroes are outlawed, but Helen (Holly Hunter) gets pulled back in. Bob (Craig T. Nelson) is a stay-at-home dad, and that's no walk in the park either.
This trailer also shows of Bob Odenkirk's character, while it teases out some more of the story, which will center around a "new villain [who] emerges with a brilliant and dangerous plot that threatens everything." As you'll see, Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) is also back.
This new trailer comes not long after Disney released a set of posters for The Incredibles 2--you can see them all here.
Incredibles 2, like its predecessor, is directed by Bird and produced by John Walker. It hits theaters on June 15. The original came out in 2004, so it's been a long time coming for the sequel. What do you think of the new trailer? Let us know in the comments below!
The Call of Duty movie is progressing and has potentially found a director. Sources told Hollywood news site Variety that Sicario 2: Soldado director Stefano Sollima is currently in talks to direct the untitled Call of Duty movie. Importantly, it sounds like no deal has been struck as of yet, and, in Hollywood, nothing is certain.
The site goes on to say that Snowden writer Kieran Fitzgerald wrote the script for the Call of Duty movie, with Coco Francini (The Hateful Eight, Skylanders Academy) producing alongside Sollima. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by Variety.
A scene from Call of Duty: WWII
There is no word for what the plot might be for the Call of Duty film, but it could be part of a Marvel-style cinematic universe with multiple connecting stories.
"We have plotted out many years," Sher explained. "We put together this group of writers to talk about where we were going. There'll be a film that feels more like Black Ops, the story behind the story. The Modern Warfare series looks at what it's like to fight a war with the eyes of the world on you. And then maybe something that is more of a hybrid, where you are looking at private, covert operations, while a public operation is going on."
"It's going to have the same sort of high-adrenaline, high-energy aesthetic as the game, but it's not a literal adaptation," added van Dyk. "It's a much more broad and inclusive, global in scope ... a big, tentpole, Marvel-esque movie."
Sicario 2 comes to theatres in June, but there is no word as of yet regarding when the Call of Duty movie might start shooting, who will star in it, and when it will be released.
What would you like to see from the Call of Duty movie? Let us know in the comments below!
Season 3 of Fortnite's free-to-play Battle Royale mode is quickly approaching, and with it will come a new Battle Pass for players to purchase. After the release of the Season 2 Battle Pass, Epic had said that all future passes would have to be purchased directly with real money, but it appears that is now no longer the case.
On the official Fortnite Twitter account, Epic announced that the Season 3 Battle Pass for Battle Royale mode will cost 950 V-Bucks (Fortnite's in-game currency)--the same price as the previous Battle Pass. Moreover, the developer confirmed, "We will not be offering the Season 3 Battle Pass as a real money purchase."
V-Bucks are acquired primarily by purchasing them through Fortnite's in-game store, but there are other ways to earn the currency, such as by leveling up your Battle Pass or by playing Fortnite's PvE Save the World mode, which is still currently in paid early access. The decision to only sell the next Battle Pass for V-Bucks is good news for players who've been regularly playing Save the World or have saved up a lot of V-Bucks from their current Battle Pass, but those who opted to spend their currency after hearing the Battle Pass would cost real money may not be quite as pleased.
United States Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) is taking aim at microtransactions in video games, asking the ESRB to review things like loot boxes and decide whether or not use of loot boxes needs to be displayed on a game box. In a letter to ESRB president Patricia Vance, Hassan started off by saying the issue was brought to her attention by a constituent.
With the changes to technology that come in a field as dynamic as video games, the ESRB "must work to keep pace with new gaming trends, including the in-game microtransactions and predatory gaming tactics, particularly as they are deployed on minors," Hassan wrote, according to Glixel.
The former governor of New Hampshire added that loot boxes raise "several concerns" regarding the "use of psychological principles and enticing mechanics that closely mirror those often found in casinos and games of chance.
"The potential for harm is real."
Hassan went on to point out that the World Health Organisation recently announced that "gaming disorder" has been classified as a medical condition on the group's latest Classification of Diseases document. She added that what makes loot boxes more problematic is that they can be targeted at children.
"While there is robust debate over whether loot boxes should be considered gambling, the fact that they are both expensive habits and use similar psychological principles suggest loot boxes should be treated with extra scrutiny," she said. "At minimum, the rating system should denote when loot boxes are utilized in physical copies of electronic games."
Hassasn added that she is urging the ESRB to review its policies around loot boxes and, in future ratings, take the "potential harm" that loot boxes could have on children into consideration. She went on to say that the ESRB should look into whether or not the marketing of loot boxes in video games aimed at children is being done in an "ethical and transparent way that adequately protects the developing minds of young children from predatory practices."
What's more, Hassan said the ESRB should work with "relevant stakeholders" to put together and ultimately publish data regarding how video games use loot boxes, how commonplace they are, and how much money is spent on them. Lastly, Hassan said the ESRB should put together a "best practices" document that developers can look at in an effort to make loot boxes "less essential to core gameplay."
Hassan asked the four FTC commissioner nominees about loot boxes in a hearing this week. You can see a video of that embedded above.
[UPDATE] A spokesperson for the Entertainment Software Association told GI.biz that providing "greater awareness and transparency about the wide range of in-game experiences" is a never-ending job. The organisation added that it believes self-regulation is the right way forward as opposed to regulations from the government.
"We strongly believe that the industry's robust, self-regulatory efforts remain the most effective way to address these important issues, and that system has a proven and long record of doing so," the representative said.
"Some consumers and parents may have questions about how loot boxes work, and ESA has demonstrated a commitment to providing information to guide consumers, especially parents, in their purchase decisions."
The original story is below.
Lawmakers in Hawaii have put forth a pair of bills that, if enacted, would limit the sale of video games with "gambling mechanisms" to minors and require that loot box odds be disclosed. The bills were introduced into Hawaii's legislature recently by Democrat Chris Lee, who you may remember was the politician who called out Star Wars: Battlefront II for being "predatory."
The first bill is HB2686. It states that video game publishers have recently begun to use "predatory mechanisms" in their games that are "designed to exploit human psychology to compel players to keep spending money in the same way casino games are designed." It goes on to say that things like loot boxes--which are popular and prevalent in games today--are similar to slot machines because they let users pay money for a chance at winning something.
"One common variety of this type of predatory mechanism, known as a loot box, can present the same psychology, addictive, and financial risks as gambling," reads a line from the bill. The document goes on to note that digital stores exist where players can sell the items they acquired through loot boxes and other "gambling-like mechanisms." In turn, this gives players the ability to "effectively cash out their winnings," as they might in a casino, the author wrote.
HB2686 goes on to reference the World Health Organisation's recent announcement that "gaming disorder" is a real mental condition that requires more clinical research. "Mental health experts have raised particular concern about the exposure of youth and young adults to gambling-like mechanisms, which can affect cognitive development and lead to addiction, and to which youth and young adults are particularly vulnerable," reads a line from the bill.
This bill's main focus is to prohibit the sale of video games that include a "system of further purchasing, including randomised reward or a virtual item that can be redeemed to directly or indirectly receive a randomised reward," to people under the age of 21.
The other bill, HB2727, includes much of the same text as HB2686, but it goes further to say that video games with loot boxes should be required to making "certain disclosure[s]" about the odds that players will receive a certain item. More, specifically, this disclosure must be featured "prominently" at the time of purchase and in the game itself when loot boxes appear. If this bill becomes a law, Hawaii's Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, potentially in conjunction with a third-party, may conduct audits on video games sold in Hawaii to ensure that accurate probability rates are disclosed clearly and transparently.
Both bills note that it is not uncommon for video games to get frequent updates after release. However, HB2727 states that "no video game publisher shall at any time modify a game to contain or otherwise permit the inclusion of additional content for which the game was not appropriately labeled at the time of original sale."
In the United States and most other parts of the world, video games generally do not disclose things like loot box odds, though regulators in China recently started enforcing this.
Bear in mind that these bills, if they become law, would only apply to games and gamers in Hawaii, whose population is only around 1.4 million. That being said, lawmakers from other states, such as Washington, have also put forth bills with similar language. Lee told GameSpot in an interview that it will be a combined effort to enact the kind of change he wants to see. Already, Lee tells us that he has seen bipartisan support for these efforts. More significantly, he said other elected officials across the country, including US Senators and members of Congress, have reached out to voice their support.
If the new bills introduced in Hawaii and Washington, as well as other parts of the country and world, become law, it could significantly impact the world's biggest publishers such as EA, Activision, Take-Two, and others. Just recently, we learned that Activision Blizzard made $4 billion from microtransactions in 2017, while Ubisoft makes lots of money from add-on content as well. Not all of this money comes from loot boxes or what Lee and others might call "predatory" mechanics, but a portion does. So it stands to reason that these companies, and organisations that represent them in Washington--such as the ESA--would want to protect their interests. This is all to say, this is a story that we don't imagine will fade away anytime soon, but will rather pick up steam and debate in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
We will have more from our interview with Lee in the days ahead. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
It says a lot about the state of video card prices when it's a big deal to see one in stock for around the normal suggested retail price. In this instance, the MSI GeForce GTX 1060 OCV1 (6GB) with a single-fan cooler is available on Ebay via Newegg for $320 USD. MSRP for the 6GB model of the GTX 1060 is $300, so a few extra bucks for an overclocked version doesn't seem so bad today.
MSI's OCV1 model sports 1280 CUDA cores, a core clock speed of 1544MHz, and a boost clock of 1759MHz. This version packs 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM and has an effective memory clock of 8008MHz. Potential buyers should note that this particular card has one HDMI 2.0 port, one port for DisplayPort 1.4, and a DVI-D port. It's recommended that you have at least a 400-watt power supply.
MSI GeForce GTX 1060 OCV1 (6GB)
This MSI OCV1 GTX 1060 is more compact than typical models as it's only 7.4 inches long, although it's still a dual slot card due to the fan height. Again, if you're interested in getting one of these cards at a fairly decent price, this might be a good opportunity. In our review of the GTX 1060, the card was able to handle modern PC games with maximum graphics settings at 1080p quite well.
The good Xbox One X deals just keep coming. American retailer Walmart has rolled out a pretty sweet deal where you can get a system and three games for $500.
Included in the bundle is the standard black 1 TB Xbox One X system, along with copies of Destiny 2, Star Wars: Battlefront II, and Grand Theft Auto V. It is not immediately clear, but it appears you are getting physical copies instead of digital ones.
Given that the Xbox One X sells for $500 by itself, this is a pretty good deal, especially if you're also interested in the included games. Go to Walmart's website to learn more and place an order; note that this deal is only good in the United States.
Destiny 2, Battlefront II, and GTA V were all generally well-received and continue to receive new content updates on a regular basis. That is expected for Destiny 2 and Battlefront II, given they were only just released in 2017. But GTA V has been an enduring powerhouse, shipping 90 million copies, and still getting updates for its GTA Online mode years after release.
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