March is right around the corner, and with it comes a new selection of titles for Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft is expanding its game subscription service with eight more games next month, including Rare's highly anticipated pirate adventure, Sea of Thieves.
The open-world pirate game makes its Xbox One and PC debut next month, and it serves as the flagship title for Microsoft's new initiative to bring all of its future first-party Xbox One exclusives to Game Pass at launch. Subscribers will be able to play Sea of Thieves beginning March 20, the same day that it releases in retail and digital stores.
Xbox Game Pass is a Netflix-style service for Xbox One. It features a library of more than 100 of Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, with a new batch arriving to the service every month. A Game Pass subscription costs $10 per month, but those who are curious about sampling the service can sign up for a 14-day free trial. You can see the full list of Xbox Game Pass titles here.
A new week means a slew of new arrivals on Netflix. This week, though, brings even more titles than usual. With the arrival of March, tons of new movies, TV shows, and originals are all getting added to the service, giving you plenty of material to binge this week.
Among the movies being added this week are the two original Ghostbusters films, the Cruel Intentions trilogy--yes, a trilogy--300, and Jackass: Number Two. Additionally, Moon, the first film from Mute director Duncan Jones, will become available to stream on March 1. Other titles arriving include Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Am Number Four, Revolutionary Road, and Adventureland.
When it comes to originals, Girls Incarcerated, B: The Beginning, and 21 Thunder will all debut this week. For Voltron fans, Netflix will also premiere the fifth season of Voltron: Legendary Defender, which consists of six episodes.
PC owners eager to finally get their hands on Final Fantasy XV will have an opportunity to try out the game today. As promised, Square Enix will release a demo of the upcoming Windows Edition that offers a taste of the full experience.
The demo will be available through several different platforms--you'll be able to download it from Steam, Origin, and the Microsoft Store. As of this writing, the demo has not yet gone live, but we'll report back once it's available. A download size has not been announced. [Update: The demo is out now and weighs in at 21 GB, and the game's 4K textures are included by default. You can grab it on Steam, Origin, or the Microsoft Store.]
Just how much content is available in the demo is unclear. Square Enix said it consists of the tutorial and the "opening main quests," but just how many are included was not shared. Regardless, it should give you a sense of the game's combat and, perhaps more importantly, provide an ideal method for testing how well it runs on your computer. If you're interested in benchmarking, Square Enix has already released a tool for Final Fantasy XV to let you do just that.
Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition releases on March 6. It consists of the base game and its various DLC expansions, including those themed around each of your party members and the one adding the Comrades multiplayer mode. Additionally, if you purchase the game by May 1, you'll be entitled to Half-Life/Final Fantasy XV crossover content that lets you dress up as Gordon Freeman, complete with crowbar.
Another week has gone by, and that means there is new Monster Hunter World content now available on both PS4 and Xbox One. While the most exciting thing going on right now is limited to PS4, there's something to occupy your time right now regardless of your platform.
PS4 players with a Street Fighter V save file on their hard drive still have early access to a special challenge quest called Down the Dark, Muddy Path. The actual particulars of what you're doing aren't exciting--it's an Arena where you hunt a Barroth--but the rewards include the materials to craft the armor based on Street Fighter's Ryu. Eventually, everyone on PS4 and Xbox One will have access to this quest and the Ryu gear, plus the Sakura-inspired gear still to come. For more on what to expect if you're eligible now, check out our guide on how to unlock Monster Hunter World's Ryu armor. You can see how it looks below--it literally transforms you into Ryu.
In terms of Limited Bounties, there's the usual assortment of additions. You'll need to hunt three bird wyvern-class monsters for one, hunt four Anjanath for another, and slay five tempered monsters for the third. These each offer their own set of rewards comprised of varying amounts of research points, armor spheres, and trade-in items (which are sold for zenny). A fourth limited bounty gives you even more of these rewards if you're able to complete the other three before these bounties reset on March 1/2 (depending on your platform).
There are also a handful of new event quests to take part in. Two of these (Ya-Ku With That? and The Poison Posse) are fairly mundane low-rank quests, asking you to hunt two and three monsters, respectively. Wildspire Bolero is a high-rank, seven-star quest that tasks you with hunting five monsters--including a Diablos, who proves difficult for many players--in under 50 minutes. There's also Snow & Cherry Blossoms, a nine-star quest to hunt a tempered Legiana and Pink Rathian. This also has a time limit of 50 minutes but has the highest Hunter Rank requirement (30) of any event quest so far.
Finally, you still have some time left to complete the current challenge quest, excitingly titled Challenge Quest 1: Intermediate. As before, this places restrictions on the particular weapon types you're able to use, limiting you to those that fall under the umbrella of Sword & Shield, Hunting Horn, Charge Blade, Insect Glaive, or Light Bowgun.
The most memorable segment of Sunday's WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view wasn't the women's Chamber match (which was fantastic) or the men's Chamber match (which was fun, but predictable). Instead, what everyone is talking about this morning is Ronda Rousey's WWE contract signing, which started typically but ended in internet-breaking chaos.
When Rousey made her first WWE appearance at January's Royal Rumble PPV, she took some flack for debuting immediately after the first women's Rumble match, thereby taking some thunder out of Asuka's historic victory. Rousey then spent several awkward minutes pointing at the WrestleMania sign, which became a meme for weeks afterwards. It was petty criticism, but there was no mistaking that the Rousey backlash had begun, from fans who thought that her appearance was an overbaked publicity ploy.
Sunday evening's contract signing segment at WWE Elimination Chamber had to refute this negative conception and accomplish three things:
To show Rousey could meld well into WWE's outsized world.
To show Rousey was taking her professional wrestling career seriously
To quell the rising backlash and get Rousey over as a babyface (hero)
By accomplishing these things, WWE could get the die-hard fans invested. After WrestleMania and once the shock and novelty wear off, Rousey will need them on her side, assuming that she wants a long WWE career.
WWE planted the seeds for this 'legitimizing' narrative on last Monday's Raw, when they released footage of Ronda Rousey training for her debut. They posted it on social media the same day, and they replayed the footage during Elimination Chamber, directly prior to her contract signing.
It's a sizzle reel with lots of cuts and close-ups, but it accomplishes its purpose--it shows that Rousey is training explicitly for in-ring performance. It appears that she's going for a blended style between scripted WWE sports entertainment and legitimate MMA, similar to what Brock Lesnar and Sonya Deville do.
When Rousey finally hit the ring Sunday evening, she had a disarming, sheepish smile on her face, and she received an enthusiastic, though mixed reaction from the crowd. She didn't have a particularly magnetic stage presence. And things got worse during her first promo. She seemed very nervous--her thoughts meandered a bit as she stumbled over her words, and the crowd's competing cheers and boos threw her off focus.
She said the right things. She wanted no special treatment, and she loved WWE (we later found out on Raw Talk that she changed in the same locker room with the rest of the women). She paid tribute to her inspiration, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. But her delivery of that message needed polish.
Then things got interesting. Near the end of the contract signing, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle spilled the beans, claiming that Stephanie referred to Rousey as "washed up" backstage. Some context: Rousey had capped her UFC career with two lopsided losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes. And rather than ignoring the elephant in the room, WWE addressed it head-on. It was a perfect WWE storyline twist, leaving enough real-life events in the script so that fans could suspend their disbelief.
Instantly, Rousey's mood flipped like a switch. She took on a death scowl, and she backed Stephanie against the ropes. Her charisma and star presence, which was absent at the beginning of the segment, was now terrifyingly present.
And then, Rousey put Triple H through a table. Stephanie slapped Rousey across the face. And a red-eyed Rousey fixed her with a glare so hard that Stephanie went scurrying out of the ring. The crowd, now unified, cheered as Rousey signed her WWE contract, threw it on Triple H's body, and sauntered from the ring.
What can WWE learn from this segment? First, that Rousey, like Lesnar, is a purely physical storyteller. She may one day gain the mic skills to carry a feud, but that is not this day, and those skills will not materialize overnight. She needs to keep her words tightly scripted and to a bare minimum. Either that, or pair her with Paul Heyman--who will then have two 'legitimate' fighters under his wing--to do the talking for her.
Second, Rousey needs to stay angry. When she was smiling and laughing during her initial promo, the audience disconnected from her. But that was true in UFC too; Rousey's enduring appeal was based in her physical dominance, her trash talk, and her killer, take-no-prisoners attitude; oftentimes, she wouldn't even touch gloves with her opponents before fights. She was, in other words, willing to play the heel. Now that Rousey knows Stephanie is out to get her, fans shouldn't see Rousey's happy side again until after WrestleMania. She has a game face that could turn an opponent to stone, and she needs to use it more often.
Third, let Rousey show off more moves in the ring. Fans are excited, and they're going to tune in to Raw wanting to see more. Give them little teasers, even if they don't get a full, worked match. Let her do a lariat, chop someone in the corner, or put a Piper-esque sleeper hold on a foe. Keep things nice and simple. By performing basic, but painful-looking moves, she can look dangerous without being exposed as a beginner.
Based on last night's booking, a Triple H & Stephanie McMahon versus Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey mixed tag match appears to be in the cards for WrestleMania 34. And last night's messy contract signing was an excellent start towards building that feud. It's become intriguing. Now, WWE must make it must-see.
The Total War series continues to go strong after nearly 20 years, but it didn't start out as a no-brainer success story. The debut title, Shogun: Total War, was released in 2000 by Creative Assembly, a developer that was not exactly known for its experience with the strategy genre.
Prior to Shogun's release, many of the studio's previous titles had been based on rugby and cricket. And while the past two decades have seen it try its hands at some different types of games--it developed 2014 horror game Alien: Isolation, for instance--it has almost exclusively focused on strategy games with Total War in the title.
In the video above, we dive into the history of the Total War series, which now consists of more than a dozen games. We look primarily at the core entries in the series, which have often been based on historical settings--although recent years have also brought Warhammer-inspired entries, which we also explore. Although the games share a familiar underpinning, Creative Assembly has managed to introduce wrinkles to keep the series fresh across so many titles, thanks in part to shifting between radically different settings.
There's a moment in Kingdom Come: Deliverance where you break into someone's house to steal a ring as part of quest for a group of miller's that, it turns out, are secretly an organization of thieves. We're left thinking, "Wow, this really is a lot like an Elder Scrolls game." Not in a bad way either. While Bethesda's series of open world RPGs have been influential, no one's really tried to straight up make something so close to an Elder Scrolls game. To its credit, for all the parallels in design and visuals, Kingdom Come feels like a vastly different experience from an Elder Scrolls title.
In the video above, GameSpot's own Jean-Luc Seipke talks about how these two games can feel so different despite being so similar, and how Bethesda could actually learn a thing or two from Kingdom Come. While multiple Elder Scrolls games are referenced, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is primarily used due to the visual similarities and also because it's Jean-Luc's personal favorite.
Being a game built with real world history in mind, Kingdom Come: Deliverance is immediately different from the fantasy-based world of Oblivion. Practically everything the game does is meant to simulate and re-imagine medieval Bohemia, which means worrying about things like needing to bathe regularly, managing injuries, and eating food before it spoils.
This makes buying food at a shop or drink at the tavern important because they serve a purpose and are essential for survival. Compare this to Oblivion where food does have small effects but isn't generally really useful on its own, and is better served as ingredients in a potion. You never need to stock up on carrots before making a long trek to the next town, which becomes second nature in Kingdom Come. In fact a lot of objects in Oblivion don't really have much of a gameplay benefit. As a result, taverns and markets end up being window dressing to flesh out the world. Meanwhile every shop in Kingdom Come feels important because they serve as a marketplace for the stuff you need to survive an average day, let alone an action-packed one. The same goes for sleeping; in Oblivion you only need to sleep in order to level up and any bed will do. You'll also recover all your health but the same thing can be accomplished by simply waiting an hour. The only way to regain health in Kingdom Come is to sleep it off or use consumable items.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (left), Kingdom Come: Deliverance (right)
Beds also are arguably Kingdom Come's most contentious feature, as they also function as the save system. There are no autosaves outside of certain quest moments, and you can only manually save by sleeping in a bed you own or by purchasing expensive bottles of Savior Schnapps. It's a radically different approach to Oblivion's save-anywhere-anytime system, and results in two different experiences. In Kingdom Come, saving some poor villager being accosted on the road might not be worth the risk if you die and lose an hour of progress. You're forced to think about every choice you make and what you end up choosing feels more important because of this. This is rarely the case in Oblivion where you can quickly save and load at any time to retry unlocking a door as many times as you want. Don't take this as me saying that being able to save at anytime is bad or anything; after all Oblivion doesn't want you to get stuck or lose hours or progress, it wants you to go on an adventure. Right from the beginning of the game you're able to go wherever you want and find a fun quest to engage in with no worries about save limitations or not having enough food. Kingdom Come simply prefers a more rigorous approach.
And the advantage of Kingdom Come is that it forces you to live in its world and roleplay. When you're making a long trek you need to make sure you've packed enough food and are well rested. And when it's starting to get dark and you're low on energy, there is a sense of relief when you see that inn on the side of the road. In Oblivion, you'd stop at an Inn to fulfill the desire to roleplay or because there's probably a cool quest to get.
Neither approach is inherently right or wrong, but Kingdom Come is aiming to take familiar scenarios and make them more impactful. Take, for example, the Thieves Guild in Oblivion and Kingdom Come's equivalent. In Oblivion, you join the Thieves Guild not out of any real desire for money or financial reasons; you don't really need it. You join because it's a fun quest narrative where you go around stealing a bunch of stuff. The opening hours of Kingdom Come however leave you with little beyond the clothes on your back. Money is necessary to access food and other important items needed to stay alive, so when presented with the faster but more dangerous option of becoming a thief, you take it. The game's systems make a life of crime an appealing means of survival.
That isn't to say Kingdom Come is perfect. Its save system, most notably, can be really frustrating when things go bad. Developer Warhorse Studios seem to be backpedaling on it a bit in an upcoming patch by letting you save when you quit, which is a decent compromise. There's also the lockpicking and pickpocketing minigames that just don't seem to work consistently, which is also frustrating and exacerbated by the save system. But again, Warhorse said it'll address this.
And there are things that Oblivion does much better, such as the playable character. Your character is given the bare bones setup of being in jail but afterward, you're free to come up with the backstory and personality you desire. This works well since there aren't any voiced lines and the dialogue options are minimal, with very little personality, the idea being that you'll fill in that personality yourself. The ability to create your own person to be the avatar in your roleplay wonderfully meshes with the freedom-based design of Oblivion. Kingdom Come's approach is closer to The Witcher, with protagonist Henry having a predetermined personality, which ends up clashing with the rest of the game's do-anything style. Henry may talk about how much he respects honor and appalls thievery, but sometimes it's right after instantly killing a random NPC and ransacking their home. There's a constant dissonance between what what Henry says and what you want Henry to do, a problem Bethesda also faced with Fallout 4's protagonist.
So it's pretty clear that Kingdom Come's more hardcore roleplaying aspects have won me over. However, that's not to say the next Elder Scrolls needs to be a hardcore survival game. Oblivion and Skyrim are lighthearted, and the freedom to approach the world's conflicts and have a good adventure is just what we want sometimes. But with the inevitable (and totally unconfirmed) Elder Scrolls VI, Bethesda should take note on the ways in which Kingdom Come: Deliverance pushes the open-world RPG forward.
As Netflix adds more and more original content every week, the streaming service is also removing a lot of popular titles from its library. March is no different, with dozens of films and TV shows being removed.
Among the most notable departure is the Jaws franchise of films. All four movies will disappear from Netflix on March 1. Likewise, the movies Less Than Zero, Baby's Day Out, and Ferngully: The Last Rainforest will be removed at the beginning of the month. Later in the month, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Good Son, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will go away, as well.
When it comes to TV, seasons of Archer, The Killing, Life In Pieces, The Carmichael Show, and The Finder will no longer be available to stream. You can take a look at everything leaving Netflix in March below. After that, check out every title the service is adding next month. Arrivals on the service include new seasons of Marvel's Jessica Jones and Santa Clarita Diet. Additionally, you can see what both Hulu and Amazon Prime are debuting in March.
Leaving Netflix in March
March 1
A Gang Story
Anastasia
Baby's Day Out
Eyewitness
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
First Response
Forget and Forgive
Hitch
Jaws
Jaws 2
Jaws 3
Jaws: The Revenge
Less Than Zero
Memento
Slums of Beverly Hills
The Chase
The Craft
The Panic in Needle Park
Trigger Point
Two Wrongs
xXx
March 4
Chloe
Safe Haven
March 6
The Finest Hours
March 8
Victoria
March 11
Believe
Glitch
March 12
Standby
Disney's The Santa Clause
Disney's The Santa Clause 2
Disney's The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
March 13
Breakout Kings: Season 1
City of God: 10 Years Later
London Has Fallen
The Killing: Seasons 1-2
March 14
Archer: Seasons 1-7
March 19
V/H/S: Viral
March 20
Zootopia
March 22
Steve Jobs: One Last Thing
March 24
Voltron 84: Season 1
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
March 26
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
March 29
The Gates: Season 1
March 30
Life in Pieces: Season 1
March 31
Awake: Season 1
Bordertown: Season 1
Breakout Kings: Season 2
Brickleberry: Seasons 1-3
Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life: Season 1
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 became available ahead of a recent 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.
The company's board of directors have now issued a statement following the failure of negotiations with an investor group. "While we recognize that this is an extremely unfortunate outcome for our employees, our creditors and any victims, the board has no choice but to pursue the only viable option to maximize the company's remaining value: an orderly bankruptcy process," the statement reads.
The LA Times reports that the failed deal was worth around $500 million and would have given the investment consortium control of the company's entire assets. The site states that the company was set to renamed under a new board of directors, "the majority of which would be composed of women." However, talks collapsed when the New York attorney general's office filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Weinstein company, alleging that senior executives failed to prevent the mistreatment of staff by Harvey Weinstein.
Weinstein was fired from the company in October, following a series of revelations published in the New York Times that he reportedly paid off sexual harassment accusers. Since then, many more former employees and colleagues have come forward with their own stories about Weinstein's alleged abuse.
One of the biggest names in Hollywood, Weinstein won the Best Picture Oscar for 1999's Shakespeare In Love and also picked up a nomination for 2003's Gangs of New York. Among his other producing credits included films like Pulp Fiction, The Aviator, and Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Season 13 of Diablo III is now underway on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and with it comes a host of new rewards, along with many returning Seasonal Conquests. You'll also be able to earn a new Class Set, in the form of Haedrig's Gift, which you can earn by completing certain chapters of the Season Journey.
By progressing through the Season Journey, Season 13 gives you access to the Helm and Shoulder slots of the Conqueror Set, along with new portraits themed around Imperius. There's also a new pet. Blaine's Bear is lovable looking stuffed animal that just so happens to carry sharp objects and be covered in blood. "You may be tempted to ask him why he's covered in blood...We strongly advise against this," said Blizzard.
Completing chapters 2, 3, and 4 in the Season Journey will earn you Haedrig's Gift, which comes in three parts and grants you a new Class Set, depending on the one you're playing at the time. To collect a complete Class Set, make sure you redeem each Haedrig's Gift using the same class. Here are the sets for each class, and you can see the armor in the gallery above.
Barbarian -- Might of the Earth
Crusader -- Thorns of the Invoker
Demon Hunter -- The Shadow's Mantle
Monk -- Monkey King's Garb
Necromancer -- Grace of Inarius
Witch Doctor -- Raiment of the Jade Harvester
Wizard -- Firebird's Finery
Players who haven't unlocked four Stash Tabs by reaching Conqueror in previous Season Journeys will be able to unlock one by completing several tasks at the Conqueror tier in Season 13. Blizzard is also rotating the Seasonal Conquests, and you can see more details in the Season 13 notes.
Sega had some disappointing news to share earlier this year when it delayed Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, but it did make up for that by announcing that it would release a demo of the upcoming PS4 game. It's already begun to launch in some markets around the world where it's already February 27. If you're eager to start playing, you might want to call your ISP and upgrade your internet speed now.
While still dwarfed by the size of full games, for a demo, Yakuza 6's trial is enormous--it weighs in at 36.53 GB. It's available now on Australia's PlayStation Store and should be available as the calendar turns to Tuesday elsewhere around the world. The PSN listing describes the demo as consisting of the game's prologue. As a result, you can probably expect a fair number of cutscenes, which may explain the demo's large size.
Sega previously announced that your save data from the demo version can be carried over into the full game, which is now due out on April 17 in North America and Europe. That's almost a full month later than the previously scheduled March 20 release date. An explanation for the delay was not shared, with Sega simply stating, "This was a tough business decision we didn't make lightly."
Yakuza 6 has been available in Japan since December 2016. Western localizations of Yakuza games have typically taken a long time, as players of Yakuza 5--which released internationally three years after its Japanese launch--can attest. We recently got a good look at Yakuza 6 and its improved visuals, as you can see in the video above. For even more, check out our deep dive into the history of Yakuza.
The download code can be redeemed in any seventh generation Pokemon title, and the Legendary you'll get depends on which version you're playing. Those with a copy of Ultra Sun or Sun will receive Palkia, while Ultra Moon and Moon players will get Dialga. Each Pokemon also comes at a different level and knows a slightly different moveset depending on your version. You can see what moves they'll know in each game at the bottom of this story.
As usual, you'll need to redeem the download code through the Mystery Gift feature from the games' main menu. After selecting Mystery Gift, choose the option to receive your gift via a code/password, and input the code you picked up from GameStop when prompted. After your Pokemon is downloaded into the game, you'll be able to claim it from the deliveryman waiting inside any of Alola's Pokemon Centers. You need to redeem your download code by May 28.
The Pokemon Company is giving away a different Legendary Pokemon every month in 2018 as part of its Year of Legendary Pokemon celebration. Next month, players will be able to receive another pair of Legendaries from Diamond and Pearl, Regigigas and Heatran, in the seventh generation titles. Unlike February's distribution, the code for those Pokemon will be given away in March's Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter, which you'll only receive if you create a free Trainer Club account on the Pokemon website and opt-in for the newsletter by March 1. You can create a Trainer Club account here.
Although these it's not mentioned as often today as some of its contemporaries, Xenogears is nevertheless a cult-classic RPG. Released in 1998 for the original PlayStation by the company then known as Squaresoft, Xenogears set the stage for a series of games that continues today, two decades later.
In the video above, we explore the history of Xenogears, including some behind-the-scenes details and a look at what made it special. With a twist on the Active Time Battle system used in games like Chrono Trigger, it offered a distinct style of combat to go along with an excellent soundtrack.
The video also explores the controversial religious aspects of the game that posed a problem during localization. It also touches on the infamously incomplete nature of the game; rather than cut content entirely, the developers resorted to leaning on exposition-heavy cutscenes comprised of static images.
Despite this, Xenogears remains beloved by many. It never received a direct sequel at Square, and disagreements with the publisher led to director Tetsuya Takahashi leaving the company to found Monolith Soft. That company subsequently went on to establish the Xeno series, first developing the Xenosaga games before moving on to the Xenoblade Chronicles titles, the most recent entry of which, Chronicles 2, debuted late last year on Nintendo Switch.
PS4 owners have two new games to download this month: the PS4 launch title Knack and the Ico-esque adventure game Rime. Additionally, one of last month's freebies, the PSVR shooter Starblood Arena, is also still available at no cost for PS Plus subscribers until March 6.
PS3 owners likewise have two games to choose from this month: the 2D platformer Spelunker HD and the turn-based RPG Mugen Souls Z. Those with a Vita, meanwhile, will be able to download the side-scrolling adventure game Exile's End and the tactical RPG Grand Kingdom for no cost. The latter is also playable on PS4 thanks to Cross-Buy, giving PS4 owners three potential freebies to download this month.
Two of this month's free Games with Gold have now returned to their regular price, but a couple of new titles are still available in their place. Xbox Live Gold members can now grab two more free games on Xbox One and Xbox 360 for the remainder of the month, the end of which is drawing near.
On the current-gen console, Gold members can now download the Assassin's Creed spin-off, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India. Xbox 360 owners, meanwhile, can nab the classic Dreamcast arcade racer, Crazy Taxi. Like all other free Games with Gold, the latter is also playable on Xbox One via backwards compatibility.
Crazy Taxi will be available to download until February 28, while Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India will remain free through the first half of March. Xbox One owners can also still download the first-person shooter Shadow Warrior, which is free for the entirety of February. You can see the full list of this month's free Games with Gold below.
Venom is the first of Sony's upcoming Spider-Man spin-offs, and it hits theaters in October. The second movie is set to be Silver and Black, focusing on the characters of Silver Sable and The Black Cat. Although it was originally scheduled for February 2019 release, the movie has now been delayed.
The news first emerged via The Hashtag Show, which stated that Silver and Black had been "delayed indefinitely." Given it was originally set to begin production next month and no casting announcements have been made, this isn't surprising. Confirmation has now come from director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who replied to The Hashtag Show's tweet by explaining that the script was still being worked on:
Still working on the script. All about the script.
Silver and Black was first announced in March 2017. The movie has already been through several writers; Lindsey Beer (Captain Marvel, Tomb Raider) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Chaos Walking) are currently attached, while Thor: Ragnarok writer Chris Yost and Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy have both worked on previous drafts.
Although Sony made a deal with Disney in 2015 to allow Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the former studio still retains the overall movie rights to characters from the webslinger's comic books. Another Spidey character that also has a movie in development is Morbius: The Living Vampire.
The first trailer for Venom was revealed earlier this month. It stars Tom Hardy as a man who is taken over by the alien symbiote of the title. It also stars Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed and releases on October 4, 2018.
Following the release of its first DLC pack, The Hidden Ones, another Assassin's Creed Origins DLC is on the way, this one called The Curse of the Pharaohs. With its launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC drawing near, we recently got to check it out.
In the video above, you can see about half an hour of gameplay from two different main story missions. These feature totally new locations you won't have ventured through previously, and they're home to some notable encounters. Those include one with some giant scorpions and a boss fight against an undead Nefertiti.
The Curse of the Pharaohs differs from The Hidden Ones in that it introduces a totally new storyline that is separate from that of the main game. You'll take on a variety of Egyptian beasts and famous pharaohs as you try to figure out why the dead are being brought back to life. In addition to the new areas, story, and enemies, you'll be able to acquire new outfits, gear, and weapons. Furthermore, it raises the level cap to 55.
Curse of the Pharaohs is due out on March 6 and is included in the $20 season pass or as a separate purchase. Before its release, everyone will be able to take part in an introductory quest called Lights Among the Dunes, which will be added as part of a free Origins update on February 27. [Update: The DLC itself has been delayed slightly and is now due out on March 13.]
This DLC comes not long after the release of Discovery Tour, a free update that allows you to play through the game without any quests or combat. It effectively transforms the game into a learning experience as you're able to explore ancient Egypt and even take part in guided tours that will teach you about the world. If you'd prefer something different, Ubisoft has also released a New Game Plus mode for Origins.
Since its release in late January, Dragon Ball FighterZ has suffered from issues relating to online multiplayer. These are still present a month later, but Bandai Namco has reassured fans that it's both aware of the problems and working on updates to resolve them--the first of which should be out quite soon.
In a video discussing the upcoming roadmap for FigherZ patches, producer Tomoko Hiroki states, "We've heard all of your feedback since the release, and we're fully aware of the online issues that you're having, such as the matching in Ring Match or being disconnected from the lobby. We're aware of the situation, and keen to resolve them with all our might."
The first step toward fixing the problems will come before the end of February, when a new update is scheduled for release. Hiroki doesn't specify what this will do precisely or which of the problems it will address, nor was a specific release date provided--she only says it'll be out in "late February."
"Please bear in mind that this first patch might not fix everything at once," she continues. "Therefore, we're also planning to release another patch in mid-[to]-late March to gradually resolve the issue. Rest assured that we will not stop until the fix has been completed."
One of the many challenges with creating a hero shooter like Overwatch is ensuring that each character is distinct and unique. Blizzard has done an admirable job in this regard, drawing on different cultures and inspirations to create the members of the roster. Zenyatta is particularly notable in this regard, as he's the only character to never set foot on the ground. Thanks to Blizzard, he's finally done so, and it's unsettling, to say to the least.
Zenyatta is different from all other Overwatch characters in that he floats in a zen-like position in mid-air; he never physically walks anywhere. A fan in attendance at a recent Overwatch League event brought with him a sign that called for Blizzard to finally let him walk, and so the company has obliged, as you can see below.
Now that you've got that image stuck in your brain forever, there is potentially more meaningful news on the Overwatch front. Blizzard has released a teaser in the form of an "after-action report" for something called Operation White Dome. It remains to be seen what this will actually turn out to be, but the speculation is that it could be setting up the reveal for a new Overwatch character. Game director Jeff Kaplan previously said that the game's next hero was already in testing back in January. He didn't offer any specifics but did say the character is "very needed."
We're currently in the midst of the game's new Lunar New Year event. That brought back a revamped CTF mode and introduced a lot of new Year of the Dog skins and cosmetics that you can still get your hands on for a limited time.
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."
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.
With Crimson Days wrapped up, the next event is already live in Destiny 2 and nearing its conclusion. Following its launch last week, the second Faction Rally of Season 2 will wrap up on February 27, but there's still time to 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.
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. We've now close to the end of the month, but there are still some minor additions to come. But this month also brought a variety of movie franchises, fan-favorite TV shows, and some highly anticipated originals to the Netflix streaming library.
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 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.
Unlike Dialga and Palkia, which are being given away at GameStop stores, players will receive a download code for Regigigas or Heatran in March's Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter. You'll need to create a Trainer Club account on the Pokemon website and opt-in for the newsletter by March 1 in order to receive a download code. You can create an account for free here.
You can redeem the download code in any seventh generation Pokemon title--Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, Sun, or Moon--but the Pokemon you receive will depend on which version you're playing: Sun and Ultra Sun players will get Regigigas, while those with Moon or Ultra Moon will receive Heatran. The Pokemon also come with different movesets depending on your version. You can see what moves the Legendaries will know in each game below.
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Regigigas -- Level 100
Crush Grip
Drain Punch
Zen Headbutt
Heavy Slam
Pokemon Sun
Regigigas -- Level 60
Zen Headbutt
Revenge
Dizzy Punch
Confuse Ray
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Heatran -- Level 100
Magma Storm
Heat Wave
Earth Power
Flash Cannon
Pokemon Moon
Heatran -- Level 60
Crunch
Scary Face
Lava Plume
Fire Spin
To download your Legendary Pokemon, choose Mystery Gift from the main menu and select the option to receive your gift via a code/password. Input the download code you received from the newsletter, and you'll be able to claim the Pokemon from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center. You'll need at least one free slot in your party in order to pick up the Pokemon.
Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, the intriguing-looking American folklore game, launches this week, on February 28. One element of that game that caught our attention right away was the music, which covers a century a music including blues, patriotic marches, and more. Today, GameSpot is debuting a new trailer for the game focused on its excellent-sounding music; watch it above.
The music was composed by Ryan Ike, an accomplished musician who earned a BAFTA nomination for the music he wrote for Gunpoint. He said working on Where The Water Tastes Like Wine has been a "dream come true."
"I've always been really interested in how music can change and take on a life of its own as people share it, and getting to explore that idea with WTWTLW's world map theme--which shifts styles and influences depending on where you are in the country--was awesome," Ike explained. "I'm also a big fan of how people from different backgrounds can come together to form one musical culture.
"I think American Folk music is one of the best examples of that, and writing this soundtrack meant I got to work with a ton of amazing performers from all over the country, including many I've been wanting an excuse to hire for a long time. Working on this game really crossed a lot of stuff off my musical bucket list!"
You can listen to a few of the tracks in full right now here on Ike's Bandcamp page. Of the available cuts, my favourite would be "Breathe the Black," a driving acoustic track. The full album will be available alongside the game on February 28, and you'll be able to buy or stream it from all the expected places, including Spotify and iTunes.
Sting, the celebrated singer and bassist of The Police and 16-time Grammy winner, voices a character in Where The Water Tastes Like Wine. He's not the only big name lending his voice to the game. Other cast members include Dave Fennoy (Telltale's Walking Dead), Cissy Jones (Firewatch), and Kimberly Brooks (Mass Effect). Check out the trailer above to hear some of the topline voice actors in the game.
In Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, you adventure through Depression-era America, in what is described as a narrative-driven game. There are sixteeen stories in the game, and all of them are written by different people. The game is developed by Dim Bulb Games and Serenity Forge, and published by Good Shepherd Entertainment.
Microsoft has rolled out a new batch of game discounts in the Xbox Store. In addition to the usual weekly selection of Deals with Gold, Gold and non-Gold members alike will be able to save on a number of EA titles thanks to this week's publisher sale, which offers discounts on a big range of games for both Xbox One and Xbox 360.
On the current-gen console, Xbox Live Gold members can save on various editions of Fortnite, which come with both the Battle Royale and Save the World modes--the latter is currently only available in paid early access, but will be offered for free at a later point. The Standard Founder's Pack is $20 / £17.50, the Deluxe Founder's Pack is $30 / £25, the Super Deluxe Founder's Pack is $45 / £37.50, and the Limited Edition Founder's Pack is $75 / £60. Additionally, Gold members can pick up Halo Wars 2: Complete Edition for $30 / £24.87, Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition for $30 / £25, Final Fantasy XV for $20 / £16, Agents of Mayhem for $10 / £8.75, Shadow Warrior 2 for $20 / £17.50, Human Fall Flat for $7.50 / £6, and Farming Simulator 17 is $13.20 / £10.56.
The above discounts will be available in the Xbox Store until 3 AM PT / 6 AM ET on February 27. You can find the full list of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games on sale this week on Major Nelson's blog.
PSN's limited-time flash sale is now over, but a new batch of deals have taken its place in the US PlayStation Store. This week, PS4 and PS3 owners have a ton of discounts to choose from thanks to several sales that are going on now in the digital store, which offer some big savings, particularly if you're a PS Plus subscriber.
In addition to the EA and PS Plus Specials sales, PS4 and PS3 owners can find deals on the Far Cry series, with all players receiving the same discount, regardless of whether or not you have a Plus subscription. On the newer console, the standard edition of Far Cry 4 is $12, while the standard version of Far Cry Primal is $15. Players can also pick up both together in a bundle for $21. On PS3, Far Cry 4 is $9, Far Cry 3 is $6, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is $4.49, Far Cry 2 is $6, and Far Cry Classic is $3.
Vita owners only have two new discounts to choose from this week. Ethan: Meteor Hunter is $2.49 ($3.49 without PS Plus), while Xenon Valkyrie+ is $9. You can find all of the games currently on sale on the PlayStation Store website. Most of the aforementioned deals are only available until 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on February 27, giving you a week to take advantage of any discounts you might be interested in.
The free service, which is produced in partnership between CBS Sports and CBS Interactive, will offer news, highlights, and analysis around what's happening in sports. This will include "live news and reporting, game previews and post-game analysis, must-see highlights, projections, and in-depth statistical breakdowns." There is also DVR-like functionality that lets you watch segments that already aired and then switch back to live programming.
Today, you can access CBS Sports HQ through the CBS Sports website and via the CBS Sports app on connected devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. You can also watch content on the CBS Sports mobile app for iOS and Android, while it also streams through CBS All Access.
CBS Sports HQ will not replace existing brands such as CBS Sports and CBS Sports Network but will instead live and operate as a complementary service. Some current CBS Sports commentators and reporters will work on content for CBS Sports HQ.
Loaded on CBS Sports HQ website right now are lots of videos about some of the biggest news is sports right now. You can check out videos about the latest news across all major professional sports leagues, including the NFL and NBA, while there is a lot of college sports programming as well in the lead-up to March Madness next month.
Disclosure: As mentioned, CBS is GameSpot's parent company.
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