A major new update for Fortnite has been released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The 3.0.0 patch kicks off Season 3 for Battle Royale--which includes the release of a Battle Pass with a slate of new rewards--and makes a variety of improvements and additions to both that mode and the PvE Save the World component.
Battle Royale now runs at 60 FPS on consoles, and not just for those with a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X--this is also true of the base PS4 and Xbox One versions. This takes the place of the existing uncapped framerate mode, although developer Epic has added a 30 FPS mode as an option if you'd prefer an improvement to visual quality at the expense of framerate.
Across consoles and PC in Battle Royale and Save the World, Fortnite's building has been improved in a variety of ways; there is now an option to continuously build by holding a button, and another to have the game auto-switch between materials when you run out. Additionally, you can build right through most objects now, which should make the building process even easier. (We've got Fortnite building tips if you still need help.)
Also new in Battle Royale is the Hand Cannon. This weapon uses Heavy ammo and features Epic and Legendary versions, and it can be found in treasure chests or supply drops or as floor loot. It's one of several changes on the weapon front, as grenades lose the ability to do critical hits, an exploit involving the pump shotgun and quickly switching weapons has been removed, and drop rates for various versions of the basic pistol have been changed. Additionally, the recently added crossbow has had its Valentine's Day-themed skin removed.
With this patch kicking off Season 3 of Battle Royale, the new Battle Pass has been introduced. This is purchasable only for 950 V-Bucks, rather than directly with money, and has even more rewards tiers than previous incarnations. Epic says it should still take a similar amount of time to unlock everything--you'll just get more rewards for doing so. Among the items available are the Back Bling cosmetics.
Other small, Battle Royale-specific changes and additions include the ability to see the path of the Battle Bus on the map at the start of the round and 10 seconds of control being given to players after winning a match.
Improvements to building aren't the only things that affect both Battle Royale and Save the World. Epic has introduce a new orchestral score from Marco Beltrami (Logan) and Pinar Toprak (Krypton). This replaces the music in Save the World and plays while in the menus of Battle Royale. Additionally, optional colorblind support has been added, though Epic says it is a work-in-progress and is open to feedback from users. Other visual upgrades have also been made, including those to lighting and shadows.
On the Save the World side, the Hoverboard has been added as a new means of transport; it can be obtained through a tutorial and requires no energy to use, though it takes three seconds to summon and any damage suffered will knock you off. A new chapter of the Spring It On event is also now available, which includes new quests, activities, and the previously announced Dragon weapons.
You might be aware that GPU prices have skyrocketed in recent months. This is due in large part to the rise of cryptocurrencies, to which there are many. Bitcoin is the first and most popular one, but what is Bitcoin? We're here to demystify the topic for you. While Bitcoin and cryptocurrency are incredibly deep and complex topics, in this beginner's guide, we'll not only explain what Bitcoin is, but we'll also dive into how it's created, discuss its use-cases, clear up misconceptions, and much more. Here's everything you should know about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.
What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is the first decentralized digital currency. You can send and receive it to an individual via a peer-to-peer payment system anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You can also purchase goods with it among several online sites and physical stores. Its decentralized design means that it isn't controlled by any one individual, central bank, company, or country. In short, Bitcoin is an open-source international currency.
Who invented Bitcoin? Satoshi Nakamoto wrote the technical whitepaper to Bitcoin in 2008 and the first Bitcoin was produced the following year. It's unclear who Nakamoto is, however, and there are rumors that the alias may represent more than one person.
What is the blockchain? Bitcoins are produced, or "mined", by individuals with high-end computers that solve encrypted math equations over a distributed online database called the blockchain. Whenever a Bitcoin transaction takes place, that data is encrypted and sent across the network for these mining computers to verify. They do so by decrypting the data. This process is known as cryptography and forms the backbone of security for Bitcoin (more on security later).
Once the data has been decrypted, they are publicly stored in one megabyte blocks on the blockchain network. As an added security measure, these blocks are formed every 10 minutes and can not be altered. New transactions are stored on subsequent blocks, which link up to the old blocks in a chronological chain. The blockchain thus acts as a public ledger of Bitcoin transaction history.
Every miner keeps an up-to-date record of the blockchain, which is currently over 157GB, and gets rewarded with a small amount of Bitcoin for doing so.
Can Bitcoin be hacked? The way the blockchain is designed prevents Bitcoins from being spent again after they've already been used. The blockchain also makes it very difficult to create new Bitcoins out of thin air. In conjunction with the cryptographic measures outlined above, the Bitcoin blockchain is based on a consensus proof-of-work model. This means that not only do mining computers have to provide answers to the aforementioned encrypted equations, but in order for data to be added to the blockchain, a majority of the mining computers on the network have to agree that the computations were correct. To overcome this, an attacker would effectively have to hack the majority of computers on the network (to which there are hundreds across the world) at the same time while providing mathematical proof of work. This makes Bitcoin incredibly hard to hack. Security is arguably the cryptocurrency's greatest asset. To date, Bitcoin has not been hacked.
Some exchanges that act as an online meeting grounds for buyers and sellers of cryptocurrency have been hacked, however. The Mt. Gox attack is the most notable one. In 2014, 850,000 Bitcoins were stolen from the Japan-based exchange. Users can mitigate their risk by taking their assets off of these exchanges and storing them in cryptocurrency wallets.
How do cryptocurrency wallets work? There are two major types of cryptocurrency wallets. Perhaps the most accessible are digital wallets that act as an online address for you to store the keys to your Bitcoins/cryptocurrencies. USB-based hardware wallets allow you to store your keys offline and are generally deemed more secure as a result.
One common misconception is that these wallets store your Bitcoins/cryptocurrencies, but they only store the keys (passcodes) that allow you to open up your Bitcoins on the blockchain network so you could transfer them elsewhere.
How much is Bitcoin right now? In relation to the US dollar, the current value of Bitcoin is:
Can you exchange Bitcoin back to your local fiat currency (Dollars, Pounds, Euros, etc.)? Yes. Similar to purchasing stocks from investment banks online, many cryptocurrency exchanges allow you to purchase Bitcoin for fiat and vice versa.
What determines the price of Bitcoin? Similar to stocks, the price of Bitcoin is determined by consumer trust. This is manifested by how much people are willing to invest in the currency.
Do you have to buy a whole Bitcoin? No. As a matter of fact, Bitcoins are divisible up to eight decimal places. The smallest denomination (.00000001 Bitcoin) is called a Satoshi.
How many Bitcoin are there? Currently, there are over 16.8 million Bitcoins. Nakamoto designed Bitcoin to max out at 21 million by the year 2140. Beyond then, no Bitcoins will be mined or created. The cap was implemented to prevent currency inflation. Beyond 2140, miners will reap transaction fees for maintaining the Bitcoin blockchain.
What is an altcoin? Altcoins are alternative cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin. Like Bitcoin, most of them are designed around decentralized blockchain technologies that typically involve miners working together on a network. Currently, there are over 1,000 altcoins. Many of them are attempting to offer unique use-cases. Ethereum, for instance, has its own unique blockchain that enables "smart contracts."
Smart contracts attempt to open up new avenues for conditional automations where trust is a key variable. For instance, in a future where self-driving cars can deliver packages to your house, a smart contract coupled with the blockchain can ensure that you won't be charged until the package has arrived at your house. This is a transaction that can occur without any human interaction.
Some altcoins are tying blockchain technologies to radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags so people can scan a product with their smartphone to validate the authenticity of moving goods in markets with high amounts of counterfeiting.
Proponents assert that there are many use-cases for blockchain technologies. One general appeal of altcoins is that many of them are attempting to better facilitate automation in business and between emerging smart devices.
Can I use my gaming PC to mine Bitcoin? You used to be able to mine Bitcoin with gaming GPUs, but Nakamoto designed Bitcoin to be harder to mine over time. This was done to mimic the scarcity and difficulty of mining gold. As such, application-specific integrated circuit chips (ASICs) were designed specifically to mine Bitcoin. You can use modern gaming graphics cards to mine altcoins, however. This is the reason why GPU prices have skyrocketed in recent months.
Why are GPUs used to mine cryptocurrency? Because mining cryptocurrency involves solving numerous encrypted equations, GPUs with their highly parallel architecture are inherently very efficient at powering through these computations. While the best modern consumer CPUs may have 4, 8, or even 16 cores to do the job, modern GPUs have hundreds of compute cores working in parallel, which makes them orders of magnitudes more effective.
How can I use my gaming PC to mine cryptocurrency? To mine cryptocurrency, you'll first need to set up a cryptocurrency wallet so you can deposit your earnings.
The easiest way for beginners to start mining is to join a crypto-mining marketplace. Nicehash is the largest one, and the company makes its money by taking a cut of mined coins. Nicehash also offers a benchmark that suggests what your specific PC should mine.
How successful a PC is at mining is largely determined by the speed at which it can compute an operation in the Bitcoin code. This is known as the hash rate and is measured in megahashes per second. Since mining cryptocurrency is very GPU-intensive, it can consume a lot of power. Thus, the ideal balance is to maximize your hash rate while minimizing power consumption.
Many retail outlets are selling six pack of GPUs for cryptocurrency mining.
What are some of the risks to mining? Cryptocurrency mining can significantly raise your power bill and be detrimental to your hardware, since you would have to run them under heavy workloads for long periods of time. This can also cause heating issues. Furthermore, while mining a particular altcoin may be profitable one day, if the coin takes a financial crash the next, you could potentially lose money. Finally, while joining a crypto-mining marketplace is the easiest way to start mining, like exchanges, these marketplaces act as centralized hubs for cryptocurrency, and are more susceptible to hacks. NiceHash, in particular, was recently hacked towards the tail end of 2017 when 4,000 Bitcoins were stolen.
What are the best GPUs to mine cryptocurrency? This will vary depending on the altcoins you want to mine, but popular GPUs for mining on Nvidia's side at the moment include the Titan X, GTX 1080 Ti, and GTX 1070. On AMD's side, current popular picks include the RX 580, RX 570, RX Vega 64, and RX Vega 56. Many miners will also set up rigs with multiple GPUs working in parallel to bolster hash rates.
Where can you spend Bitcoin? There are many companies that accept Bitcoin. Some notable ones include Overstock.com, Expedia, and Newegg. More can be found here.
Where can I buy Bitcoin? The most common way is to purchase them from online exchanges.
What obstacles does Bitcoin face? The Bitcoin market is highly speculative and volatile. Regulations and tax rules are also currently in a state of flux. In addition, there is concern that certain countries may attempt to ban cryptocurrencies.
Pokemon Go's second Community Day is right around the corner. The real-world event takes place this Saturday, February 24, and will give players around the world another opportunity to earn in-game bonuses and obtain a rare Pokemon with a special move.
Unlike past real-world events for Pokemon Go, Community Day isn't localized at a specific venue; rather, the event takes place during a set window of time, which will differ depending upon your region. In the US, the Community Day kicks off at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET and runs until 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET, while Europe's event begins at 10 AM GMT and concludes at 1 PM GMT.
During the event hours, players will earn triple the normal amount of Stardust for any Pokemon they capture, while Lure Modules will last for three hours. Additionally, each Community Day features a particular rare Pokemon, which will spawn in greater numbers and is capable of learning an exclusive move that it can't normally use in Pokemon Go. This time around, the featured Pokemon is the Dragon-type Dratini.
For the duration of the Community Day, players will encounter increased swarms of Dratini. If you manage to evolve its evolution, Dragonair, into a Dragonite during the event, the Pokemon will learn the powerful Dragon-type attack Draco Meteor. This applies to any Dragonair you own, even ones that were obtained prior to this month's Community Day. However, the Pokemon will only learn Draco Meteor if it evolves during the event hours.
In addition to this month's Community Day, players still have an opportunity to capture Pokemon Go's latest Legendary Pokemon, Rayquaza. The powerful Gen 3 Dragon-type will appear in Raid Battles at Gyms until March 16. Rayquaza arrived earlier this month alongside a new batch of Gen 3 Pokemon, which also included Salamence, Metagross, and Altaria.
Burnout Paradise is getting a current-gen remaster, publisher EA has confirmed. The racing game has been given a PS4 and Xbox One release date of March 16, while the PC version is coming "later this year."
Burnout Paradise Remastered will include the base game and eight add-on packs--including the open-world expansion Big Surf Island--as well as the Legendary Cars pack, which brought vehicles based on those from movies such as Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. EA says this new edition includes technical enhancements that include "high resolution textures" and 4K / 60 FPS support for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. It will cost US $40 / £35 / AU $48.
Season 3 of Fortnite's Battle Royale mode is underway on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, which means players can now pick up a new Battle Pass. As before, the Season 3 Battle Pass can only be purchased for 950 V-Bucks and lets players unlock items the more they play the game, including a slew of new outfits, gliders, emotes, and more.
For this season, Epic has added 30 more tiers to the Battle Pass, bringing the total number of tiers to 100. Despite this sizable increase, the studio says that players will still be able to unlock everything in the same amount of time it took to complete the Season 2 Battle Pass--roughly 75-150 hours of playtime by Epic's estimates. Players can also purchase tiers using V-Bucks to unlock items faster, and those who own the Season 2 Battle Pass will unlock five free tiers as a bonus in Season 3.
The Season 3 Battle Pass includes 76 items to unlock in all. Among the new one that players can earn this season are Back Blings--customization items for your character's back. Epic has also introduced new loading screens, skydiving effects trails, pickaxes, and more.
Those who purchase the Season 3 Battle Pass will automatically gain access to a batch of free items, including the Mission Specialist Outfit. Epic is also offering a Battle Bundle, which includes the Season 3 Battle Pass and 25 tiers' worth of items, for 2,800 V-Bucks. Individual tiers, meanwhile, can be purchased for 150 V-Bucks each. You can read more about the Season 3 Battle Pass on the official Fortnite website.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is free to download and play on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while the Save the World mode is currently still in paid early access. If you've yet to give the game a try, Xbox Live Gold members can purchase Fornite's various Founders Packs at a discount on the Xbox Store as part of this week's Deals with Gold.
Rather than being a part of E3 proper, Electronic Arts will once again host its own dedicated event just prior to the start of the gaming industry's major event in June. EA has confirmed the first details about EA Play 2018, including the fact that the next Battlefield will be playable there.
As you'd expect, there are virtually no details on what the game will be; EA simply says that EA Play attendees will "have a chance to play the next Battlefield experience." The publisher had previously confirmed the next entry in the series would release later this year, so we'd expect to have learned the first details by the time June rolls around. However, we've learned nothing yet about what to expect from the game, including what era it will take place in after Battlefield 1 went to World War I.
EA Play 2018 will take place in Los Angeles' Hollywood Palladium from June 9-11; E3 begins the following day, on June 12, also in LA. A press conference will take place on June 9 and will be streamed online.
Aside from Battlefield, EA teases that the upcoming slate of EA Sports games will be playable. Attendees will also "get an inside look" at BioWare's new game, Anthem, though it's unclear if it will be playable. Although EA claims it's not a delay, the publisher recently moved its release date from this year to early 2019.
Tickets to EA Play will be distributed for free, though you'll obviously need to be able to make it to LA if you secure one. You'll be able to get a ticket sometime this spring through a new system intended "to give players better hands-on access to their favorite games." Further specifics on tickets and the event's schedule will be shared in the "coming weeks."
To coincide with the launch of the Overwatch League in January, Blizzard released a big update for Overwatch that introduced a ton of new League-themed skins. But unlike any other skin in the game, these could only be obtained by purchasing them, an arrangement meant to generate revenue that could be shared with teams. Soon, however, you'll have a new route to get your hands on skins.
Twitch, which owns the broadcast rights to Overwatch League, has partnered with Blizzard to reward League viewers with Overwatch Tokens. This is the new type of currency introduced alongside the League skins, which each cost 100 Tokens (or about $5, if you buy the smallest bundle available). Watching Overwatch League won't get you any skins in a hurry--you'll receive one Token for each "live map finish" you view--but it's a free bonus for those already watching, and a small incentive for others to give the burgeoning esports league a chance.
Although that one-Token-per-match reward may not be huge, there's also the potential for something more. Watching the end of the final match during a live broadcast will enter you in the running to win 100 Tokens. Twitch only says that a "percentage" of viewers will randomly win this prize, leaving the specifics unclear.
At least at first, Token rewards will only be available to PC, PS4, and Xbox One players in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan. To qualify, you'll need to connect your Battle.net account with Twitch, MLG.com, OverwatchLeague.com, all of which allow you to watch live matches.
Twitch also announced Overwatch League Cheering, which allows viewers to spend Bits purchased with real-world money to support teams and players. This, in turn, can unlock "in-game hero skins that will be exclusive for a period of time, as well as emotes and team-branded items," which are pictured above.
With Crimson Days now wrapped up, the next event is already live in Destiny 2. Bungie has kicked off the second Faction Rally of Season 2, giving you the opportunity to get your hands on some exclusive, faction-only gear--including some new weapons.
New rewards have been added to the special Engrams you receive for cashing in Faction Tokens. This includes the weapons that would have been sold as the Winner's Offering had Dead Orbit or Future War Cult won the previous Faction Rally event. Those weapons are now available for the first time and can be obtained like any other Faction reward.
In their place, there's also a new batch of Winner's Offerings for this Faction Rally. Each faction has one weapon that it will sell during Victory Week if it comes out on top during the Faction Rally. Dead Orbit and New Monarchy will each offer up their own pulse rifle, while Future War Cult will have a scout rifle. The winning faction will sell its gun for 50,000 Glimmer to all players, while members of the group will be able to buy it for only 1,000. The two losers won't offer their gun at all until it's added to the Engram lineup during a subsequent event. You can see these along with some of the other Faction Rally rewards below.
New rewards aside, this Faction Rally will operate like any previous one. You pledge your allegiance to one of the three factions, and by playing the game normally, you'll earn Faction Tokens. These can then be cashed in for the aforementioned Engrams, with the faction that earns the most Engrams being declared the winner. What is notable about this Faction Rally is that it's the first since the most recent patch, which paved the way for farming Lost Sectors. Doing so, however, will require you to kill the boss located inside each time.
The Faction Rally event runs from now until the weekly reset on February 27. That will then see the start of Victory Week, during which time you can cash in any of your remaining Tokens and purchase the Winner's Offering. Alternatively, you can save those Tokens for the next Faction Rally event, when even more new weapons will be up for grabs.
The last full week of February brings a bunch of new shows and movies to watch on Netflix. From talk shows to original movies to animate adaptations, there's more than enough to binge if you've got the time.
Likely the biggest addition of the week is the live-action movie adaptation of FullMetal Alchemist. The film, based on the popular anime, was released in Japan back in December. In lieu of a theatrical release in the United States, it will instead stream on Netflix.
Joining it are new seasons of Netflix originals Marseille, Seven Seconds, and Ugly Delicious. Additionally, February 18 saw the premiere of the streamer's new weekly talk show, The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale. Based on what's been revealed about the series thus far, it sounds like a hybrid of a traditional talk show and McHale's former E! series The Soup.
Rounding out the week is Mute, the new film from Moon and World of Warcraft director Duncan Jones. The sci-fi movie stars Alexander Skarsgard as a mute bartender searching for his missing girlfriend in the near-future. Joining Skarsgard on the project are Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, and Sam Rockwell.
You can take a look at what is coming to Netflix this week below. After that, go ahead and take a look everything added in February.
February 18
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale (Netflix Original)
February 19
Dismissed
FullMetal Alchemist (Netflix Original)
February 20
Bates Motel: Season 5
The Frankenstein Chronicles: Season 1 and Season 2 (Netflix Original)
The excruciating wait for a new Half-Life game carries on with no end in sight. If all you care about is seeing protagonist Gordon Freeman in a new setting, Final Fantasy XV may be just the ticket, as Square Enix has announced a new limited-time promotion involving the upcoming PC version.
Players who purchase Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition, the RPG's PC version, through Steam by the end of April will receive the Half-Life Pack. This will be distributed through the Steam Workshop and allows you to dress up as Freeman. There are three different components to this: the HEV suit itself, Freeman's glasses, and his signature crowbar, which can be used as a weapon.
These items can be equipped in both the single-player campaign--letting you deal with the bizarre sight of seeing Final Fantasy XV star Noctis cosplaying as Gordon Freeman--or in Comrades, the game's online multiplayer mode. You can see what the latter looks like in the gallery below.
Square Enix has already released a benchmark tool to help you evaluate your PC's ability to run the game and announced the pre-order bonuses that are available. You'll be able to try out the game itself with a demo releasing for free to everyone on February 26, though the specifics of what that entails have not been shared.
Bandai Namco has revealed Ivy and Zasalamel will be playable characters in SoulCalibur VI and released short gameplay trailers for them both. The two characters have been in previous entries, so their returns to the new PS4, Xbox One, and PC game will certainly be welcome news to long-time fans of the weapon-based fighting series.
Ivy Valentine makes her comeback wielding the tricksy Ivy Blade, which has the ability to switch between a solid sword or a barbed whip. She's still on a quest for revenge and hopes to destroy the evil sword at the centre of the game's story.
"Ivy's father was driven mad and finally died while researching the history of Soul Edge with her mother following not long after," Bandai Namco explains in a press release. "Since then, she thirsts for revenge and wants to destroy the cursed sword that took the lives of her parents, using her alchemy skills to craft a weapon tailored to her needs. She combines Western European sword with Eastern European whip techniques, making her attacks graceful and absolutely deadly at the same time."
The gameplay trailer for her (above) shows she's still got plenty of big combo opportunities and is handy at controlling space thanks to the two forms her weapon can take. She's also got a pretty cool ethereal bow and arrow.
Zasalamel, meanwhile, made his debut in SoulCalibur III and, based on the gameplay trailer, his Kafziel scythe looks like it's still just as devastating at mid-to-close range. As with Ivy, Bandai Namco has opted to provide a brief overview of his story as a whole, instead of his motivations in the new game.
"[Zasalamel] was born into a clan called Guardians of the Spirit Sword charged with protecting the legendary swords Soul Calibur and Soul Edge. While he was exiled from the clan for breaking their sacred laws, Zasalamel nonetheless managed to discover the secret of reincarnation, making him a mighty magician and dangerous foe."
The last SoulCalibur VI characters to be revealed were Kilik, Xianghua, and Nightmare--all series veterans--and Groh, a newcomer. You can read our hands-on with SoulCalibur 6's new characters to find out what we thought of them.
Update: Epic has apologized for the downtime and announced that Fortnite's servers are back online. Along with that, you can now check out the new Season 3 content, including the latest Battle Pass, details of which are outlined below. The original story follows.
Following the launch of Fortnite's Season 3 update, servers for the game have been taken offline. According to the official Fortnite Twitter account, developer Epic Games is "currently investigating issues with this release" and needed to turn off servers as part of this. Since then, Epic has said it expects servers to be back at around 3 PM UK / 7 AM PST.
As part of the launch of Season 3 of Fortnite, a new Battle Pass will be available for the Battle Royale mode. This includes access to new cosmetic items such as emotes, loading screens, outfits, and Back Blings. The Season 3 Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks, which is about $10/£10. It comes with 76 items in total, provided you play enough to unlock them all.
We expect the servers to be back up in approximately 2 hours.
Alternatively, you can purchase the Battle Bundle, which has the Battle Pass and the first 25 tiers of unlocks for 2,800 V-Bucks (this currency also be acquired through normal gameplay progression). The Battle Bundle costs around $25 USD.
As you progress during the new season, you unlock reward tiers that come with even more items. There's 30 additional tiers in Season 3's Battle Pass and, according to Epic, it'll take around 75-150 hours to get through all of that.
According to Deadline, Boyle is working on a script for Bond 25 with John Hodge, who wrote the screenplays for several of the director's movies, including Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, and 2017 sequel T2 Trainspotting. Boyle had an idea for "a very specific 007 movie," and that this script is separate from the one by veteran Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
The site states that Hodge's script won't be complete for a couple of months, at which point it will be delivered to MGM. The studio will then make a decision about which script to go with; if the Hodge script is chosen, then Boyle will direct it. If not, he will step away and a new director will be hired to direct Purvis and Wade's screenplay.
Earlier this week, Christopher Nolan ruled himself out of directing the next 007 film. Despite meeting with producers last year, the Dunkirk and Dark Knight director stated: "I won't be the man. No, categorically. I think every time they hire a new director I'm rumored to be doing it. They don't particularly need me. But I've always been very inspired by the films and would love to do one someday."
2008 was an all around stellar year for games. With exciting releases such as Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Fallout 3, and Grand Theft Auto IV, the year managed to check off a number of titles on fans' most anticipated list of games. However, there were others that caught people by surprise, showcasing new ways to scare, excite, and empower its players. While 2008 may not be as well regarded as the previous year, it still managed to hold its own as a standout and remarkable time for games.
GameSpot has put together a quick digest video of games--in order of their respective releases--that made 2008 a year to remember. Check out the above video to see what game has already celebrated its 10th anniversary, and which ones are still coming up. For more info on these games, check out our gallery showcasing all the key games, and along with our thoughts on each of them.
Prolific video game performance actor Troy Baker has joined the cast of Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding, along with Emily O'Brien, another well known actor that has been featured in a number of big games.
O'Brien made the announcement on Instagram by posting a picture of herself with Baker and Norman Reedus, who has already been confirmed as one of the main characters in Death Stranding. "Honored to be working alongside these two fine lads on Hideo Kojima's new project Death Stranding," reads the caption. "I'm a lucky gal ;)"
As of yet there hasn't been a confirmed Death Stranding release date, but Kojima hinted that it might launch in 2018. It also stars Mads Mikkelson (Hannibal), director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead).
If you were watching TV in 2004, chances are you or someone else you knew was completely and utterly obsessed with Lost. ABC's drama series took the world by storm, creating a passionate fanbase that took to the internet to discuss each episode and theorize about what it all means.
In 2018 that might not sound like anything special, but it's important to note that this was the very first show to capture the hearts and minds of TV audiences living in the internet age. It wasn't easy to congregate on places like Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube because, well, they didn't exist in any meaningful way.
But part of being a Lost fan was engaging with others, and it was undoubtedly a show that gave its audience plenty of material to work with. Lost was filled with characters to love--and hate--mysteries to consider, and wild twists that shocked us. Regardless of whether you love it or hate it, the fact that it was a cultural phenomenon is undeniable.
And now, it's available to stream in its entirety on Hulu. To celebrate its arrival on the streaming service we decided to put together a video looking back at what made Lost so unique. If you'd like to read instead of watch, you can check out our gallery on the 8 Ways Lost Changed TV.
Bandai Namco has released a couple of very short teasers for Broly and Bardock, the first DLC fighters for Dragon Ball FighterZ. There's no combat gameplay but we do see the legendary Super Saiyan and the father of Goku gearing up for a fight. These short animations look to be pre-fight intros which have been edited down.
For fans of Dragon Ball Z the inclusion of Broly is exciting, as he's incredibly powerful and, in the series' lore, is believed to be a mythical warrior that only appears once every 1000 years. No doubt there will be some awe-inspiring combo videos made with him. It'll be interesting to see his fighting style as, despite his overwhelming size, Broly manages to remain quite light on his feet.
Bardock, meanwhile, is the father of Dragon Ball Z protagonist Goku, but hasn't had as many opportunities to show off his fighting ability. In Dragon Ball FighterZ, however, not only will he be able to take on some the series' most iconic fighters, but he'll also be able to transform into a Super Saiyan.
Images of both characters as well as some brief details (below) have also appeared on the Japanese Dragon Ball FighterZ website. Broly is described as being super powerful with long reach and has his signature energy attack: "Eraser Cannon." Bardock, meanwhile, is a rush character that combines speed and power. He excels in close distances and has a move called "Riot Javelin," which is likely similar to his Final Spirit Cannon from the series.
Broly and Bardock are included in Dragon Ball FighterZ's season pass, along with the other six yet-to-be-revealed DLC characters coming to the fighting game. Bandai Namco hasn't announced individual pricing for the two fighters, but the season pass costs $35 USD / £29 / $52.95 AU.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Critic Peter Brown awarded the title a 9/10 in GameSpot's Dragon Ball FighterZ review and said, "Even if you think Dragon Ball is old hat, and even if you're intimidated by fighting games, there's a good chance you'll be drawn into the explosive action and personalities that expertly evoke the anime's infectious spirit."
Nintendo has released a free update for Super Mario Odyssey, bringing a new mini-game called "Balloon World" to the critically acclaimed Nintendo Switch title. Along with the new mode, there's also two new filters to use when taking screenshots in the Snapshot Mode.
Balloon World becomes available once the main game is completed and, to get started, players need to find Luigi in each Kingdom and talk to him. Balloon World's "Hide It" mode lets you hide balloons within stages that other players race to find. Conversely, "Find It" mode let's you track down other balloons hidden by players from across the globe.
"Whether players are hiding balloons or finding them, their Rank will go up based on their score," Nintendo explains in a press release. "While playing Balloon World, the atmosphere will change for each kingdom: for example, players will see it rain in New Donk City during the day and watch the sunset in Tostarena."
Also in the update are "a range of new outfits", including The Sunshine, Musician, and Knight Armor outfits, all of which become available in the shop after the main story is finished. The two new Snapshot filters, meanwhile, are Coin and Neon.
While Marvel is not in business of making movie flops, the huge commercial success of Black Panther has surpassed many expectations. The movie made $202 million in its opening weekend, setting a new record for a film released in February, and has now made more than DC's Justice League did in its entire run. Director Ryan Coogler has now released an emotional letter thanking fans of their support of the film.
Coogler explains that he never expected audiences to turn out in the volume they have, and stated that the overwhelming response "moved me and my wife to tears." Check out his tweet below:
Cooger writes: "I am struggling to find the words to express my gratitude at this moment but I will try. Filmmaking is a team sport. And our team was made up of amazing people from all over the world who believed in this story. Deep down we all hoped that people would come see a film about a fictional country on the continent of Africa, made up of people of African descent.
"Never in a million years did we imagine that you all would come out this strong. It still humbles me to think that people care enough to spend their money and time watching our film--but to see people of all backgrounds wearing clothing that celebrates their heritage, taking pictures next to our posters with their friends and family, and sometimes dancing in the lobbies of theaters--moved me and my wife to tears.
"For all the people who bought out theaters, who posted on social about how lit the film would be, bragged about our awesome cast, picked out outfits to wear, and who stood in line in theaters all over the world--all before even seeing the film. To the press who wrote about the film for the folks who hadn't seen it, and encouraged audiences to come out.
"And to the young ones who came out with their parents, with their mentors, and with their friends... thank you for giving our team of filmmakers the greatest gift: The opportunity to share this film, that we poured our hearts and souls into, with you."
In related news, Captain American star Chris Evans this week seemed to confirm that the rumored Black Widow movie is in development at Marvel. Evans was asked about the success of Black Panther, and said, "There's nothing they can't do, man," he said. "I'm sure it's going to have the exact same effect when Captain Marvel comes out, and then the Black Widow movie comes out. Marvel just has the winning recipe."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, McKay is in negotiations with the studio to helm the film. McKay was the animation director on the hugely successful The Lego Movie, and was a producer on last year's Lego Ninjago Movie. He is also developing a Nightwing movie at DC.
The Dungeons & Dragons reboot currently has a release date of July 23, 2021. Baby Driver lead Ansel Elgort has reportedly been in talks to star, but beyond that, no further news is known about the project. An earlier Dungeons & Dragons movie was released in 2001, but it was a commercial failure and poorly received by critics.
McKay's Nightwing movie hasn't currently got a release date, but the director has previously spoken about his plans for it. In December he explained why he was drawn to the character. "I think that [Nightwing] is so unique in the history of comics, because no other character really grows up," he said.
"Spider-Man kind of perpetually stays within an age range. All these other characters--Reed Richards' greying temples are always that. Robin grew up from being a kid and working with Batman, and then leaving Batman, and then going off and becoming his own thing and several versions of his own things."
Movies based on Naughty Dog's Uncharted and The Last of Us franchises are in the works, but, as is often the case in Hollywood, they aren't progressing very quickly. Naughty Dog's creative lead Neil Druckmann sat down with 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg at the D.I.C.E. Summit today in Las Vegas for a conversation about storytelling. Naturally, the question came up about how the Uncharted and Last of Us movies are coming along.
Druckmann said Naughty Dog has had "some conversations" with director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Night at the Museum), a person who Druckmann says really "gets it" and "understands where we're at." Druckmann went on to say that Naughty Dog's feelings towards a film adaptation of Uncharted has "evolved" over years.
"We used to just be excited--oh my god, movies are looking at us! There could be an Uncharted movie on the screen, and then as more time passes on, we're not excited by a direct adaptation of the story we told, because we feel we've already told that story very well cinematically, so I don't know what else you could bring to it."
Whatever the case, Druckmann said an Uncharted movie will feel strange to him and some fans because with different actors, it might not feel right. "For me--and I know for Naughty Dog and for a lot of our fans--Nolan North is Nathan Drake. Ashley Johnson is Ellie. Troy Baker is Joel. It would be very disorienting to see someone else in that role."
As an example, Druckmann said if they were to make a Breaking Bad movie and someone other than Bryan Cranston played Walter White, well, it just "doesn't make sense" and would "feel so wrong on so many levels."
Trachtenberg then mentioned the well-received TV show adaptation of the beloved movie Fargo as an example of how do it right. The two agreed that this is different because it has new characters instead of existing ones. "It captured the tone, it captured the world, it expanded up; I love that show. I think that's the way to do it."
Also during the talk, Druckmann spoke briefly of the Last of Us film. The script that he worked on at one point was a direct adaptation of the game--and it wasn't great. "Now, having some separation from it, I look back like--I don't want that movie to be made," he said.
The next big video game movie is March's Tomb Raider, which stars Oscar winner Alicia Vikander in the role of Lara Croft. You can watch the newest trailer here.
Actress Maisie Williams, who plays Arya, apparently knows how it'll all go down. She appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week where she claimed to have read the script for the final episode. Kimmel jumped in to say that he's heard that to protect the secret, HBO is shooting multiple endings so that even the cast is unaware of how it ends. However, Williams sounded confident that she knows what will happen in the very last episode. And she added that she doesn't believe HBO has the budge to shoot so many different endings.
"I do--I know the end of Game of Thrones," Williams said, recalling that she read the script while in bed. "It's just surreal, to be honest; being with this show for so long and then also it having the following that it does. It's just--everyone is waiting for this moment, and then you read it, and it's just incredible."
Williams went on to suggest, with facial expressions, that the ending might on paper sound underwhelming, but when you see it, you'll understand why it's so moving. She added that her mom knows the ending, too, because she sent the scripts to her. She broke a rule in doing so, apparently, as she noted that she was told: "Don't give [the scripts] to anyone."
Indeed, HBO's security for Game of Thrones is reportedly substantial, making use of things like scripts written in code and even keeping watch for drones on outdoor sets. And regarding the multiple endings, HBO president Casey Bloys sounded pretty confident that multiple endings would be shot, though of course plans can change. "I know in Game of Thrones the ending, they're going to shoot multiple versions so that nobody really know what happens," Bloys said back in September.
Also in the interview, Williams said she still has a lot of shooting left to do on the final season. "A lot, endless amounts," she said about what's left of her shooting schedule. "It's a mammoth task this year. It's huge."
Kimmel smartly jumped in to ask if this means her character, Arya, will survive. Williams deftly danced around the question, saying, "No, not necessarily, because some of the episodes take a really long time to shoot."
Australians spent more than $3 billion on video game software and hardware in 2017, the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) announced today. Sales from physical retailers amounted to $1.176 billion, while digital sales hit $2.054 billion. Those are increases of 11 percent and 9 percent respectively. In all, that comes to $3.23 billion for the year, which represents an increase of nine percent.
For home consoles specifically, sales jumped by 36 percent during the year. The Nintendo Switch had a "strong debut" following its launch in March, the IGEA said, while Nintendo's SNES and NES systems also "performed well." On the games side, and in a clear sign of the times, full-game digital sales jumped 17 percent compared to 2016's figures. Additionally, "digital extras," which we imagine to be things like DLC packs and microtransactions, rose by 12 percent compared to last year.
According to research company Telsyte, subscription revenue was also a bright spot, rising 14 percent, thanks in part to growth in PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live subscriptions. For digital games specifically, mobile games dominated of course, bringing in more than $1 billion in revenue in Australia during the year.
"Despite the huge amount of entertainment options available to Australians, the appetite for games shows no signs of waning, evidenced by growth across the entire industry," IGEA CEO Ron Curry said in a statement. "In 2017, we saw gamers embrace new and updated consoles. At the same time, there was lots of love shown and nostalgia for old favourites – both hardware and games. Australians enjoy buying products in-store, where they can seek out hands-on experiences and advice from retail staff, and similarly they are very comfortable downloading full games and additional content."
By comparison, US video game industry revenue came out to $36 billion in 2017. Like Australia, the US saw year-over-year increases in revenue from game and hardware sales. Australia's population is around 24 million, as compared to more than 320 million in the US.
Fortnite's servers will be offline for period of time tomorrow across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, as developer Epic Games launches a new patch. The v.3.0.0 patch will be deployed at 4 AM EST on February 22, though Battle Royale's matchmaking will go down at 3:35 AM.
Patch notes for v.3.0.0 will be published tomorrow when the downtime begins. Epic's post on Reddit does not say when the servers will be back online, but we'll report back with those details as they're announced.
You may notice the countdown clock in Battle Royale currently shows that Season 2 ends at 11 AM ET on February 22, but this is an error on Epic's part. As mentioned, it's actually sooner than that.
Epic Games has been adding a bunch of new content to Fortnite, especially as the game's popularity has continued to rise. In the Season 3 Battle Pass for the Battle Royale mode, for example, the developer is releasing some new cosmetic items, such as emotes, loading screens, outfits--and Back Blings.
You read that right: Epic is adding a new customization option for your Hero that modifies the appearance of its back. Basically, anything that a character holds on its back is now part of this option, so you'll be able to change out previously permanent characteristics like the Love Ranger's wings or the Knights' shields.
Any character can use Back Bling, and there are three new Blings being added in the Battle Pass. This new option will probably enable some pretty wild combinations with the different Heroes and their skins.
Since its release, Rocket League has gotten several tie-in DLC packs that add various well-known vehicles, like the DeLorean from Back to the Future. Soon, another pair of iconic cars will be usable in the game: two Batmobiles.
The vehicles headline the DC Super Heroes DLC pack, which also comes with a variety of cosmetic items. You'll be able to drive the 1989 version of the Batmobile as well as the Tumbler, the tank-like vehicle from The Dark Knight. These will be the second and third Batmobiles added to the game; back in 2016, developer Psyonix also released the Batmobile from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. You can check the new ones out in action in the video below.
Alongside the Batmobiles, you'll also get access to a bunch of DC cosmetic items themed after various heroes. There'll be decals and banners for Aquaman, Batman, Cyborg, Wonder Woman, and several other characters. You can check out the full list below.
The DLC will run you $4, and it'll launch on March 5 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. In other news, the game is still extremely popular--back in January, it passed 40 million total players. In spite of its success, don't expect Rocket League 2 soon. Psyonix plans on continuing to support the first game with more DLC.
All Cosmetic Items
Aquaman--Decal (Breakout), and Player Banner
Batman--Decal (Paladin), and Player Banner
Cyborg--Decal (Roadhog), and Player Banner
Flash--Speed Force Boost, Wheels, Decal (Venom), and Player Banner
Green Arrow--Decal (Hotshot), and Player Banner
Green Lantern--Decal (Merc), and Player Banner
Superman--Decal (Octane), and Player Banner
Wonder Woman--Wheels, Decal (X-Devil), and Player Banner
The NPD Group today released its report for January 2018 video game sales in the United States, covering games and hardware. In terms of game sales, Monster Hunter: World was the top-selling title of the month on the all-platforms chart. Rounding out the top five were Dragon Ball: Fighter Z, Call of Duty: WWII, PUBG, and Grand Theft Auto V.
You can see the full chart below, along with platform-specific charts for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, along with another one for the best-selling games on a trailing 12-month period. Note that while these NPD reports now factor in some digital sales, not every publisher shares this information, as you'll see in the charts below.
Monster Hunter: World also topped the Xbox One and PS4 charts, while the game overall enjoyed the best launch month ever for the Monster Hunter series in the US. The No. 2 game, Dragon Ball: Fighter Z, had the franchise's best launch-month sales since 2002's Dragon Ball Z: Budokai.
Total video game sales in the US during January amounted to $517 million, which is up significantly (51 percent) compared to last year. In fact, January game sales were the highest since January 2011 ($549 million).
On the hardware side, spending on consoles reached $278 million for January 2018, which is an increase of an incredible 119 percent. The NPD Group said the uptick in sales was driven by the gains that Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4 posted during the month. The $278 million spend on hardware in the US during the month was the highest since January 2011 ($323 million).
All three systems "performed well," the NPD Group said. It was a tight race, as the gap between the top-selling platform (which was not disclosed) and third place was just 3 percent based on dollar sales.
Overall, covering games and hardware, total video game spending in the US for January 2018 came to $1.1 billion. That represents an impressive 59 percent surge compared to January 2017.
January 2018 Top 20 All Platforms
*Titles marked with an asterisk do not include digital sales*
Monster Hunter World
Dragon Ball: Fighter Z
Call of Duty: WWII
PUBG*
GTA V
NBA 2K18
Super Mario Odyssey*
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
Mario Kart 8*
Madden NFL 18
Star Wars: Battlefront II*
Assassin's Creed: Origins
EA Sports UFC 3
Rainbow Six Siege
FIFA 18*
Dragon Ball: Xenoverse
The Sims 4*
Splatoon 2*
Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT
Need for Speed: Payback*
January 2018 Top 10 Xbox One Games
Monster Hunter: World
PUBG
Call of Duty: WWII
Dragon Ball: Fighter Z
GTA V
Star Wars: Battlefront II
NBA 2K18
Madden NFL 18
Assassin's Creed Origins
EA Sports UFC 3
January 2018 Top 10 PS4 Games
Monster Hunter: World
Dragon Ball: Fighter Z
Call of Duty: WWII
GTA V
NBA 2K18
Madden NFL 18
Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT
Star Wars: Battlefront II
EA Sports UFC 3
FIFA 18
January 2018 Top 10 Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Odyssey*
Mario Kart 8*
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
Splatoon 2*
Pokken Tournament DX*
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim*
Xenoblade Chronicles 2*
Arms*
Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle*
Doom*
January 2018 Top 10 3DS Games
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Mario Kart 7
Mario Party: The Top 100
Minecraft
Super Mario Maker
Super Smash Bros.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
New Super Mario Bros. 2
Kirby: Battle Royale
Top 10 Selling Games for the trailing 12-Month Period
A big Destiny 2 update is scheduled for release next week which will add several new features and change some systems in the game. However, Bungie announced today that it has had to delay a few of these features until future updates.
Specifically, Bungie has pushed back the release date for reducing duplicate Exotic drop rates, unique rewards for Nightfall Strikes, and viewing vendors in the companion app. In a blog post, Bungie specifically addressed the delay for unique Nightfall rewards, explaining that new weapons and gear will require more time for the artists to design than originally anticipated. All of these features are now scheduled for release on March 27 in the 1.1.4 patch.
Tweaks to Exotic gear were originally planned to roll out with the 1.1.4 patch. However, due to the other delays, Bungie now plans on implementing the Exotic changes in the big 1.2.0 patch coming with the launch of Season 3. This update will also bring a Prestige Mode for Eater of Worlds, an increase to Vault space, and private matches, among other new features.
Update 1.1.3, meanwhile, is slated for release on Tuesday, February 27, and it will come with a bunch of new emblem variants. It will also add Nightfall scoring, the ability to see Fireteam Members on the destination map, and public text chat on PC.
Destiny 2's latest Faction Rally is happening now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. There are a few new weapons available, one for each faction. A faction's gun will be made available if that faction emerges victorious from the event. You can see the new Faction Rally weapons here.
A new weapon is coming to Fortnite: Battle Royale soon. The "Hand Cannon," as developer Epic Games is calling it, looks like a beast. From the looks of the teaser video below, the weapon is capable of bringing down a structure with just a single shot.
Surely, it will be devastatingly powerful in other battle scenarios as well. We do not know the Hand Cannon's specific stats just yet, but if it's like other, similar weapons in other games, you can expect its powerful punch to be balanced out with heavy recoil.
Epic did not specify when exactly the Hand Cannon will come to Fortnite: Battle Royale, only saying its arrival will be "soon." When you boot up the game, you'll see a teaser for the gun. Epic also teased some kind of a new, action hero-looking skin that bears some resemblance to James Bond or John Wick. This skin was modeled in a teaser image that shows what appears to be the new Hand Cannon. Check it out below:
This image suggests the new skin will come to Fortnite: Battle Royale through the game's soon-to-launch Season 3 Battle Pass. This will include a total of 76 items, including skins, emotes, and a lot more--here are some of the first details. The Battle Pass is expected to launch this week, so keep checking back for more.
A new patch for Fortnite launched recently on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Among other things, it adds the Impulse Grenade, that, after a short delay, sends all nearby players flying a long distance. It also introduces "thematic shrines" across the map that appear to have a Chinese architectural look to them, which is potentially a tie-in for the Lunar New Year.
This week, Sony released a new platform for engaging with the social features on PS4. Called My PlayStation, it allows you to view, manage, and message your friends and see your Trophies.
My PlayStation is now accessible on PC, phones, and tablets through a web browser, and it essentially looks like a streamlined version of your PS4 profile. From it, you can access your friends list, message your friends, and accept requests. You can also edit your profile and view the Trophies you've earned. You can also check whether or not your friends are online and what they're playing.
There've been ways to access aspects of your profile from a computer or phone before, but My PlayStation is meant to streamline and consolidate it. To get to My PlayStation, go to this website and sign in with your profile.
Sony stated in a blog post that it would also continue to add features, although it didn't give any specifics. Who knows--maybe one day you'll be able to join a PS4 party from your phone while you're away from your console, or even change your PSN ID. After all, recent reports suggest that, in the near future, Sony may allow PSN ID changes at last.
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment