In recent years, French media conglomerate Vivendi has acquired more and more stock in Ubisoft, fueling concerns that the company would eventually attempt a hostile takeover of the games publisher. Ubisoft and CEO Yves Guillemot have made it clear they oppose the moves, and now they've gotten precisely what they were seeking--a complete sell-off of Vivendi's Ubisoft stock.
The news was shared today, with Ubisoft saying it has reached an agreement for Vivendi to sell its entire stake in the publisher. The shares being sold will go to multiple sources; the Guillemot brothers will acquire some, Ubisoft will initiate a buy-back for some, and the company will get two new "long-term investors:" the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and Tencent. The latter is the massive Chinese company that also owns stakes in a variety of game companies, including Fortnite maker Epic. This acquisition by Tencent (which amounts to 5% of the company) is part of a new partnership meant to "significantly accelerate the reach of Ubisoft franchises in China in the coming years," according to a press release.
"The evolution in our shareholding is great news for Ubisoft," Guillemot said in a statement. "It was made possible thanks to the outstanding execution of our strategy and the decisive support of Ubisoft talents, players and shareholders. I would like to warmly thank them all. The investment from new long-term shareholders in Ubisoft demonstrates their trust in our future value creation potential, and Ubisoft's share buy-back will be accretive to all shareholders. Finally, the new strategic partnership agreement we signed will enable Ubisoft to accelerate its development in China in the coming years and fully leverage a market with great potential."
To all our passionate players, fantastic partners and amazing teams around the world, thanks for all your support! 🎉 #WeAreUbisoftpic.twitter.com/WGmmIDOweY
"Today, Ubisoft is fully reaping the benefits of our long-term strategy and the successful transformation towards a more recurring and profitable business. Ubisoft is perfectly positioned to capture the numerous video game growth drivers in the coming years. We are focused more than ever on delivering on our strategic plan."
Vivendi said on more than one occasion that it did not plan a hostile takeover of Ubisoft, at least on a short-term basis. In November, it announced that it didn't intend to make such a move in the next six months--a window that was coming up in the near future. Despite this, Vivendi's 27.3% stake in the company meant it was approaching a threshold where it would be legally required to pursue a controlling interest in the company.
It's no secret that Ubisoft wanted Vivendi out of the picture. Guillemot argued that Vivendi threatened Ubisoft's ability to innovate and be agile--a convincing argument given how successful the publisher has been in recent years. With Vivendi out of the way, one hurdle is out of the way for the company.
The stream begins today, March 20, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 4 PM GMT. In advance of the event, we don't know how long it will be or exactly which games will show up--Nintendo only said it will consist of the "hottest upcoming indie games for Nintendo Switch." You can find out what those are through the YouTube embed below.
We're not expecting major news from this event, as Nintendo packed many of its own announcements into the earlier Nintendo Direct. The biggest reveal during that was of course Super Smash Bros. for Switch, but we also learned about a ton of other games on the way for both Switch and 3DS.
Whatever we do end up learning about, we'll report back with all of the details. Previous Nindies events have unveiled some excellent-looking games, so while this may not be home to any of Nintendo's own big franchises, we may still get a peek at some exciting games that are just around the corner.
Each month, Netflix's original programming library grows by leaps and bounds. However, with the good comes the bad. As streaming agreements end, a long list of movies and TV shows is pulled from the service every month.
April is no different, and some of these movies leaving Netflix are going to hurt. The most notable titles departing the service are Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin. Though the four films encapsulate the law of diminishing returns perfectly--with 1997's Batman & Robin widely considered the worst film adventure for the Caped Crusader yet--having them all in one place for a massive binge is comforting. Instead, you'll just have to make due watching Tommy Wiseau's Joker audition tape several dozen times.
Other titles leaving Netflix include 30 Days of Night, American Pie, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Pursuit of Happyness. Additionally, the comedy special John Mulaney: New in Town will be departing on April 1, with the Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop disappearing on April 22.
Nintendo today hosted a video livestream event to reveal new games for Nintendo Switch. Whereas it highlighted many of its own games during the big Nintendo Direct recently, this event--the Nindies Showcase Spring 2018--focused exclusively on indie games coming to the system in 2018. Although it ran for only about 10 minutes, it was an event packed with announcements for a lot of new games.
Many of these games are ports or remasters of existing titles--something that many of us have been asking for, given that games can feel like new experiences on the portable Switch. Others are brand-new games that have yet to be released. In all, there were more than a dozen games featured, and we've rounded up the basic details on all of them below.
Mark of the Ninja Remastered -- Fall 2018
Nintendo started out the event with news that Klei Entertainment's stellar 2D stealth-platformer, Mark of the Ninja, is being remastered for Switch. Few details were shared, but it's getting a "high-definition remaster" for its release on Switch.
Fantasy Strike -- Summer 2018
Next up is a fighting game from Sirlin Games called Fantasy Strike. Despite having the appearance of a standard 2D fighting game--albeit with a cel-shaded look--it features an unusually wide variety of weapons. The brief glimpse we got showed wind, paint, and even a slot machine all being utilized in the middle of the fight.
Just Shapes & Beats -- Summer 2018
Launching on Switch before other consoles, Just Shapes & Beats is described as a "musical bullet hell" game. Bullet hell might be a stretch--we didn't quite see the screen completely flooded with enemy fire--but the game does feature a pleasantly minimalist visual style. It also features a story mode that can be played solo or with friends and music from 20 different chiptune artists (though none were called out by name).
Garage -- Spring 2018
Another game launching on Switch before other platforms, Garage is a top-down shooter from TinyBuild that Nintendo says was inspired by VHS B-movies. You'll deal with zombie-like enemies as you shoot your way through levels using a variety of weapons.
Pool Panic -- 2018
From Adult Swim Games comes Pool Panic, where you're effectively playing pool through a wide variety of unusual locations like the top of a rocking pirate ship. You'll knock around a cue ball and have to deal with a wide variety of other types of balls that don't conform to what you're used to seeing in billiards. There are more than 100 levels in the game and support for four-player local co-op. Pool Panic launches first on Switch.
Bomb Chicken -- Summer 2018
The aptly titled Bomb Chicken is a 2D platformer where you play as a chicken who can lay bombs, rather than eggs. Those bombs can then be used to destroy parts of the environment, block incoming fire, or push you up to hard-to-reach places. It launches on Switch before other platforms.
Lumines Remastered -- Spring 2018
Another of the remasters announced during the event was for Lumines, the classic puzzle game from Q Entertainment. It's described as an "HD remake" and features the involvement of Tetsuya Mizuguchi. It includes HD rumble support that matches up with both the beat of the music and the action on-screen, as well as local multiplayer support.
Reigns: Kings and Queens -- Spring 2018
Reigns: Kings and Queens packages together the two existing Reigns games (Reigns and Reigns: Her Majesty). Like the original versions, this humorous Tinder-inspired RPG has you swiping left or right on various cards to make decisions on how you'll rule. New for this Switch collection is a local co-op mode that allows you to make decisions with a friend.
Light Fall -- Spring 2018
Light Fall is a gorgeous 2D platformer set in Numbra, a "forgotten world." You'll use a magical box called the Shadow Core to navigate the environment. It'll be a timed console exclusive when it releases on Switch.
West of Loathing -- Spring 2018
West of Loathing is a comical RPG where you and everyone in the world is a stick figure. You'll solve puzzles and take part in traditional turn-based combat as one of several classes. It launches as a console exclusive on Switch.
Pode -- Spring 2018
Pode is a puzzle/adventure game inspired by Norwegian art that can be played with a single Joy-Con. Each of the two characters has special abilities they can use to help the duo navigate the world. Although it appears to primarily be a two-player co-op game, it can also be played solo.
The Messenger -- Summer 2018
The Messenger is an old-school 2D action-platformer where you play as a ninja who acquires a variety of abilities over the course of the game. What distinguishes it more than anything else is the ability to transition from an 8-bit-style game to a 16-bit "time-traveling adventure."
Bad North -- Summer 2018
A blend of real-time strategy and roguelikes, Bad North tasks you with defending small islands. Whenever you lose one of your commanders, they're gone permanently, and the game ends completely if you lose them all. It launches first on Switch.
The Banner Saga 3 -- Summer 2018 / The Banner Saga 1 + 2 -- "soon"
The upcoming conclusion to the Banner Saga series, The Banner Saga 3, is coming to Switch in addition to other platforms. This tactics game has a strong emphasis on story and allows progress to be carried over from one game to the next. To ensure players get the full experience, both The Banner Saga 1 and 2 will also be released on Switch "soon."
PUBG Corp. and Tencent surprised everyone when they decided to suddenly release PUBG Mobile in the US and other regions this week. After being beaten to consoles by the free-to-play Fortnite: Battle Royale, it looked as if Fortnite would again be the first of the two big-name games to hit mobile in the West when an iOS test began recently. Instead, PUBG has beaten Fortnite to the punch, as the former is now available free on iOS and Android. If you've already been playing, however, you might want to temper your excitement over any wins you picked up in the early going.
When you first open the game, you're presented with the option to take part in a tutorial, or you can just jump straight into a match (in Squad mode, by default). From there, things basically play out like PUBG on PC and Xbox One: you wait in the lobby, parachute out of a plane onto the island, and try to survive. What's seemingly different is everyone's success rate--the game's subreddit has been flooded with posts from people who have never won on other platforms yet managed to rack up a chicken dinner in their first game on mobile.
The quick assumption is that these are players who understand PUBG's mechanics and have a leg up on new players, or that the less precise touch controls have flattened the skill curve, giving everyone a better chance to take out other players. Yet it appears what's causing this is instead the presence of bots, which apparently fill in matches and serve to ease players into the experience. It's a clever way to ease people into what can be a difficult game, but it also means the bloated egos of those who claimed victory in their first match are looking a little silly now (ahem).
Whatever the competition might be, PUBG works surprisingly well on mobile, although the controls can be a challenge. The game scales its visuals to one of several settings depending on what device you're using to play, and some changes have been made. For instance, there is an auto pick-up option that eases the amount of inventory management you have to do. There are also daily login bonuses to keep players coming back, as is typical for a mobile game. If you haven't already downloaded it, you can grab it from the iOS App Store or Google Play.
CD Projekt Red has opened a new studio in its native Poland, to help the workload of development on its upcoming game Cyberpunk 2077. The new studio, called CD Projekt Red Wroclaw, is located in the city of the same name. It joins similar studios in Warsaw and Cracow.
The new studio is 18 members strong. Strange New Things, a studio made up of Dying Light, Hitman, and Call of Juarez vets, will become the core of the Wroclaw studio.
"Aside from their immense technological knowledge and artistic flair, the core team of CD Projekt Red Wroclaw are just great people," said Cyberpunk director Adam Badowski in the announcement. "We put gamers, creative freedom and quality games above making business. These guys not only share this approach, but, much like the rest of the team, think that this attitude is essential to creating epic video games."
This is the latest sign that CD Projekt is preparing Cyberpunk for its big debut. In January the Twitter account, which had laid dormant for years, came back to life with a single beep. The studio also appeared on a list of participating companies for E3 2018, which the studio then acknowledged with a coy tease. All this means we're likely to see and hear more about Cyberpunk this year, but there's been no indication if it will actually release in 2018. Maybe don't get your hopes up.
As promised, the latest addition to Overwatch's roster of heroes has now arrived. Brigitte, the newest Support character, is now available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One as part of Blizzard's next update for the game. In addition to her, there are also some other changes and fixes made, as outlined in the patch notes.
Before Brigitte's reveal, game director Jeff Kaplan had described the new character as someone who was "very needed." She carries the Rocket Flail, which she swings in an arc in front of her and can hit multiple enemies. She can heal nearby allies over time (as she deals damage) and knock back distant enemies, and she carries a shield that protects her and teammates located behind her. Brigitte also has a charge ability that can stun enemies, and her Ultimate--Rally--allows her to move faster and provide armor to her nearby allies.
In short, Brigitte is essentially a mixture of Reinhardt and Torbjorn (her father) with the ability to heal. She's been available on the PTR in recent weeks but will now get into the hands of everyone for the first time. She launches with a variety of alternate looks; you can see all the Brigitte skins in our gallery.
The other big change in this update involves Sombra, who's being nerfed. As recently announced, Blizzard is addressing frustrations with her by putting Hack on a two-second cooldown when it's interrupted by damage. Additionally, the game should now deal with her line-of-sight being broken while casting Hack.
"We're also removing the 0.1 second window of time during a hack where it couldn't be canceled via line of sight or with other abilities including Tracer's Recall and Zarya's Particle Barrier, which was originally put in place so the hack wouldn't be interrupted by small objects such as light posts. We've implemented a separate fix for that issue, so she should still be unaffected by those small objects."
The free update is out now on all platforms. Aside from what's outlined above, Blizzard primarily makes a round of bug fixes, although one small feature is that the team info screen will show how close teammates are to having their Ultimate. The full patch notes can be seen on Blizzard's website.
Nintendo showcased more than a dozen games during today's indie-focused Switch presentation. Along with a number of brand-new titles that have yet to be released, the stream revealed a handful of acclaimed games that are being ported or remade for Switch in 2018.
Nintendo kicked off the presentation by announcing a Switch release of Mark of the Ninja, the critically acclaimed 2012 stealth-action platformer. Few details were shared about the title, but the game is slated to arrive for the hybrid console sometime this fall and will be a "high definition remaster."
In addition to that, the classic puzzle game Lumines is also being remastered for Switch. This "HD remake" will release for the system in spring and features new HD rumble support, which will match up with both the beat of the music and the action on-screen, as well as local multiplayer.
Switch will also receive the humorous RPG West of Loathing and Reigns: Kings and Queens this spring. The former is a quirky stick-figure western that features traditional turn-based battles, while the latter is a compilation of Reigns and Reigns: Her Majesty, two Tinder-inspired RPGs in which players swipe left or right on various cards to make decisions on how to rule their kingdom.
The presentation ended with a look at The Banner Saga 3, which will arrive on Switch (and other platforms) sometime this summer. Before then, however, players will be able to experience the entire trilogy from the beginning with the Switch release of Banner Saga 1 and 2. Those two games are slated to launch for the hybrid console "soon" and carry progress and decisions over from one title to the next.
April showers bring lots of new programming on Netflix. From classic--and not so classic--movies to new original TV shows and films, the streamer is making sure you have more than enough to binge for the beginning of spring.
Among the films being added to the service are the so-bad-it's-good video game adaptation Mortal Kombat, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, The Iron Giant, The Lost Boys, and the first two Cabin Fever movies. You'll also be able to stream Scarface, Sin City, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
On the originals front, April 13 will see the premiere of Netflix's Lost in Space reboot, as well as new seasons of The Magic School Bus Rides Again, Money Heist, and Wakfu. Each Sunday will also bring new episodes of The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale. If documentaries are more your speed, Bill Nye: Science Guy will debut on April 25.
It's not all good news, though. There are a number of films leaving Netflix in April. Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin will all disappear on April 1. Additionally, both Ace Ventura movies, the first two American Pies, 30 Days of Night, and Small Soldiers will also all be gone at the beginning of the month.
In Pacific Rim: Uprising's climax, Tokyo and Mount Fuji appear a mere few miles apart, which they most certainly are not. It makes for an exciting battle that falls apart when you stop to examine it. That may sound like a nitpick, but it's a good metaphor for the rest of the film.
There was something magical about the original Pacific Rim's giant monster battles, glossy, rain-slicked colors, and seemingly effortless world-building. It's possible the sequel never stood a chance at living up to that, especially since visionary director Guillermo del Toro chose to focus on The Shape of Water, which won the best picture Oscar for 2017, instead of returning to direct Pacific Rim Uprising. Sure enough, Uprising is a disappointing, if bold, sequel.
Uprising takes place 10 years after the original and follows new and returning characters as they battle yet another Kaiju threat. There hasn't been a new attack since Idris Elba's character, Stacker Pentecost, helped close the "breach" in the original, and the sequel can't seem to decide whether we've grown complacent since then or doubled down on our defenses. The first movie did a great job communicating the status of Jaegers all around the world, and you felt the stakes heighten as they were one-by-one destroyed; this time around, it's unclear where humanity's defenses stand, or why the Jaegers and pilots we do see are the only ones the movie focuses on.
At the start, John Boyega's Jake Pentecost, Stacker's estranged son, parties in the wreckage of Malibu, giant Kaiju skeletons draped across nearby hillsides. He's a dropout of the Jaeger pilot program, which for the purposes of this movie is composed of half-trained teenage cadets at a base in China. There may be more pilots at other sites around the world, but Uprising lacks the original's deftness at worldbuilding, so as far as we're shown, this is it.
Into that program comes Cailee Spaeny's Amara Namani, an orphan who somehow built her own (albeit comparatively pint-sized) Jaeger from stolen and scavenged parts. Meanwhile Jing Tian's new character, the ingenious and cold Liwen Shao, threatens to make the government Jaeger program obsolete with her patented remote drone-operated Jaeger technology, developed with help from Charlie Day's returning character Dr. Newt Geiszler.
There's a massively fumbled late-game twist that derails the plot into goofy fan fiction territory that doesn't feel true to this world (though it is, at least, unpredictable). And naturally, the Kaiju return.
When they do, some vague shenanigans leave the entirety of the world's defense to a handful of characters: Pentecost, Scott Eastwood's pilot Nate Lambert, and Spaeny's Namani, with her fellow cadets. Only four Jaegers remain standing between the Kaiju and global annihilation, and three of them are piloted by half-trained kids. Luckily, they're aided by some heavy-handed deus ex machina in the form of a secret project Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (the returning Burn Gorman) has been working on.
Spaeny is a breakout star, although Uprising focuses overall too much on the young characters. There's a cheesy thematic through-line about the kids needing to step up and save the world, giving it all an unfortunate Spy Kids vibe. It's pretty surprising coming from director Steven DeKnight, whose previous work includes well-received and mature series Daredevil and Spartacus. But Uprising feels deliberately and conspicuously family friendly. Kids are probably going to love it, but fans of the original's darker tone might find the new vibe disappointing.
There are more than just tonal and direction problems. The writing and plotting are all over the place, with unsatisfying character deaths and some actors playing surprisingly against type--albeit seeming to have fun in the process, but with mixed results. One returning character in particular has their role in the movie flipped in a way that just doesn't work. Certain other plot elements are way too convenient, and Uprising does a poor job retconning events from the first film.
For example, Jake is the son of Stacker Pentecost, a major character from the first movie. This would have worked if, say, Stacker hadn't known about Jake, or Jake was too young to have been involved in the first movie's events. Instead, Uprising wedges in a backstory for Jake that has him dropping out of the Jaeger pilot program while his dad was still alive. Given Stacker's well-explored relationship in the original with his adopted daughter, Mako (the great Rinko Kikuchi), it stretches plausibility that Jake wouldn't have been mentioned before now. This is a clumsy way to shoehorn in a new character.
Kikuchi, by the way, does return in Uprising, but her talents are completely wasted. Adria Arjona's character, the mechanic Jules Reyes, also has very little to do, besides provide another point of competition for Boyega and Eastwood's characters.
Boyega possesses ample swagger, his character here a transplant of Moses from 2011's Attack the Block, filtered through the confidence Boyega's gained since then as a global superstar thanks to Star Wars. But his cocky demeanor often feels out of place in the movie, like they let the actor improvise too much; too many scenes end with yet another crack from Jake about how good-looking he is, like the script kept getting cut off at the end and Boyega was left to wing it with a joke. He's as charming as ever, but it gets stale.
The new Jaegers, on the other hand, are definitely cool. Wielding house-sized weapons like a giant morningstar equipped with multiple spinning blades, or a crackling laser whip, they dominate the movie, as you'd expect. If all you really care about is watching giant robots wail on giant aliens--and occasionally, one another--Uprising will satisfy, although the action this time around feels slightly less weighty than the original. Bashing giant aliens with a humongous lightning whip or spinning ball of death is awesome on paper, but too many of the Jaegers' attacks just seem to glance harmlessly off until the plot demands otherwise.
Most of all, Pacific Rim: Uprising is just confusing. If you haven't seen the original, it's unlikely much in this sequel will make sense. Concepts like Drift--the way Jaeger pilots mentally link with one another--are poorly explained, despite this movie spending plenty of time attempting to recap and revisit past events. And if you did like the first Pacific Rim, you'll likely wonder what happened to all the distinctive side characters, the stylish action, and the flashy aesthetic. Pacific Rim: Uprising might have seemed like a pretty good giant monster movie if it didn't have to live up to the gigantically cool original, but unfortunately, it simply can't escape its predecessor's massive shadow.
The Good
The Bad
Stars Cailee Spaeny and John Boyega do a good job
Too much retconning that doesn't make sense with the original
New Jaegers and Kaiju are fun
Plot is fumbled with out of place twists and deus ex machina
Fun to return to this world
Struggles to establish the state of the world after 10 year gap
Action feels flightier, with less attention to detail
On the March 19 episode of Raw, WWE debuted the "Ultimate Deletion," a pre-recorded (final?) confrontation between "Woken" Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt. After a wide variety of missteps while booking this feud, the WWE, in a rare instance of humility, allowed Matt Hardy to do whatever he wanted for his latest short film. The result was that #UltimateDELETION was the #1 worldwide trend on Twitter on Monday evening. WWE allowed something outside of its comfort zone to simply "be" and thus reaped the rewards.
I grew up during WWE's New Generation Era, which meant that every Saturday, I'd cheer as pig farmers, circus clowns, psychotic dentists, and fitness gurus squared off in the ring. It was an age of outlandish gimmicks, when you could wrestle as a Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown survivor, and people would nod their heads and say, "Sure! That sounds reasonable." It was done with a wink and a smile--an acknowledgement that this was fun, escapist entertainment and not an accurate reflection of the real world.
WWE has lost some of this fanciful, farcical "fun" over the years. Nearly every current superstar portrays an outsized version of himself, rather than a different character entirely. And that's why left-field characters like Bray Wyatt, a backwoods cult leader who follows the teachings of Sister Abigail--and Woken Matt Hardy, who believes he is an immortal spirit trapped in a human vessel--stand out from the rest of the pack. They hearken back to the sort of free-wheeling, throw-it-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks ethos that WWE used to indulge.
It made sense for Hardy and Wyatt to feud with one another, especially leading into Wrestlemania 34. But over the course of several weeks, WWE killed their momentum with a series of lackluster, unimaginative matches accompanied by repetitive promos, where Hardy and Wyatt would trade off laughing at each other. That got stale in a hurry. Fans love Hardy's Broken/Woken gimmick, which began in TNA, for its variety, randomness, and go-for-broke creativity. And this was not that.
So when Matt Hardy announced that there would be a pre-recorded Ultimate Deletion, even Hardy fans were skeptical, especially if WWE had final say and final cut. But thankfully, the Ultimate Deletion that aired this Monday was fun, weird, and oddly personal; WWE fans will put up with a lot of outlandish BS if the underlying intent behind it is sincere.
The little touches throughout the film, which lasted a little over 15 minutes, were nice; Reby Hardy played Bray Wyatt's theme on her piano as he made his way to the ring. Hardy alluded to all his signature catchphrases--"I knew you'd come," "Prepare the battlefield for annihilation," "Skarsgard, my dilapidated friend!"--without harping on them. The Ultimate Deletion featured both the indoor ring and the outdoor ring from the previous films. Hardy used "boomsticks," although (probably because WWE is PG) the two men didn't launch the fireworks directly at each other. There was even a quick glimpse of Matt's partner-in-crime Brother Nero, who was recently arrested for a DWI.
At its core, despite all the bells and whistles, the Ultimate Deletion was a falls count anywhere, no disqualification wrestling match, which added to its absurdity. And the match itself was very physical and well-worked, featuring stiff lariats and a painful looking apron spot. The straight-faced, official WWE referee, who's keeping his veneer of professionalism while everything goes to hell around him, was a perfectly underplayed joke.
But most importantly, there was a sense of humor around the whole affair. It was silly and dumb, and rather than playing it straight-faced and selling the segment as a legitimate life-or-death scenario, the Ultimate Deletion let us in on the joke. And in doing so, it respected the audience. No one wants to be talked down to.
Compare the Ultimate Deletion to the Wyatt vs. Orton House of Horrors match, or to the Wyatt Family vs. New Day brawl at the Wyatt Family compound. Both were obvious attempts to rip off the Hardys' films. Both of those pre-recorded segments had higher production values, slicker editing, and better effects than the Ultimate Deletion. But what they didn't have was self-awareness. They took themselves too seriously, which is a fool's errand in this type of narrative framework. Fans don't care about production values when they can see honest effort--the sort of do-it-yourself scrappiness that the Ultimate Deletion had in spades.
The WWE brass now knows, thanks to social media, how popular these types of segments are. And hopefully, they also know to leave well enough alone, should Hardy want to film another one. In a company so preoccupied with image, polish, and branding, this rare sort of individual, messy creativity deserved the chance to stand on its own. And the Ultimate Deletion did.
Rockstar is continuing its weekly support of Grand Theft Auto V with another update for GTA Online. This week marks the start of the Southern San Andreas Super Sports Series, a "massive" multi-week series of updates that will introduce new racing modes, vehicles, and more to GTA Online.
The Super Sports Series kicks off with the debut of Hotring Circuit, a new racing mode that Rockstar describes as "an homage to Vice City's classic Hotring mixed with the Cunning Stunts of GTA Online." Hotring Circuit is a multi-lap race that up to 30 players can participate in. To celebrate its launch, Rockstar is offering double GTA$ and RP for playing the new mode from now until March 26.
Hotring Circuit is tailor-made for one of the five new cars arriving in GTA Online this week: the Declasse Hotring Sabre. That vehicle is available for purchase now from Legendary Motorsport alongside two new Super-class cars--the Overflod Entity XXR and Cheval Taipan--as well as the Vulcar Fagaloa and Vapid GB200. You can take a look at all of this week's new vehicles in the gallery below.
If you need more space to store all of your new cars, this week's selection of deals features discounts on vehicle storage. Players can also save on car upgrades this week, with discounts on engines, brakes, spoilers, and other customization options. You can find the full list of this week's GTA Online deals below.
The Premium Race this week is Threading the Needle. As always, everyone who participates in the race will earn triple RP, while the players who finish in the top three will receive a big GTA$ payout. This week's Time Trial is Down Chiliad. Players who manage to beat the target time will be rewarded with a nice GTA$ and RP bonus.
This is only the first part of Southern San Andreas Super Sports Series. On April 3, Rockstar will introduce Target Assault mode to GTA Online, in which eight teams of two players race around a track and shoot at targets. Beyond that, the developer plans to roll out 10 new Special Vehicle Races and two new Adversary Modes. You can learn more about some of the content coming soon to GTA V on Rockstar's official website.
When Yakuza 6 was delayed, the sting was eased somewhat by news that we'd be getting a demo to play in the meantime. This would allow players to check out the upcoming game's prologue and then transfer their progress to the full game. It turns out that, through a glitch, players could access and play the entire game through the demo, forcing Sega to pull it from the PlayStation Store.
The demo has now been fixed and is back on the store for PS4 owners to download--grab it here. It's still a huge download--36.53 GB--and allows you to carry your save game file into the final version of Yakuza 6 once it's released. You just won't be able to play past the opening stages using this demo.
In addition to the demo, there's also a free PS4 theme for users to pick up on PSN here. This is not directly related to the demo, so if you are planning to wait for the full release to play, you can still grab the theme. It's called a "locations" theme and is a dynamic one that showcases--you guessed it--various spots you'll visit in Yakuza 6.
Yakuza 6 originally released in Japan back in December 2016 and is finally due out in the West on April 17. In our Yakuza 6 review, Edmond Tran says the game "reins in its scope, but doubles down on what has made the series great. It's a unique and fascinating representation of the modern Japanese experience, worth playing even if you're a newcomer." Next up for the series beyond this is Yakuza Kiwami 2, a PS4 remake of Yakuza 2 that releases in August.
Rainbow Six Siege received a major update, Chimera, in early March to kick off Year 3 of the game. The first patch since then is now rolling out on PC, with a PS4 and Xbox One release to come later this week. Unlike the Chimera update, however, this one deals primarily with fixing things, rather than introducing new content.
Ubisoft has reset its patch numbers for the start of Year 3, making this patch 1.1. It makes changes to both the standard game and the ongoing limited-time Outbreak mode. Many of the adjustments don't directly impact gameplay, such as overlapping text in the shop menu and equipped cosmetics resetting to the default options when your connection is lost. Others are just funny, like Ash's eyes not being aligned correctly on the MVP screen while wearing the Sidewinder Elite uniform.
Other, more serious problems are addressed. That includes characters being invisible when a last-minute Operator change is made and the missing revive icon and timer when a hostage is in the DBNO state before being escorted. R6 Credits not showing up after they're purchased has also been resolved.
On the Outbreak side, the bugs addressed are not terribly serious for the most part, although turrets will no longer be rendered unusable (and unable to be picked up) when they run out of ammo. Additionally, Buck will be able to refill the ammo for his Skeleton Key while his secondary weapon is equipped.
Fixed - The operator can be invisible for all users or have a different BDU equipped instead of the selected one when switching operator at the last moment.
Fixed - All equipped weapon skins, charms, uniforms and headgear (except those awarded by the Season Pass) are reset to default after losing connectivity.
Fixed - R6 Credits are not received after buying them from Shop.
Fixed - The Starter Pack discount pop up for Blitz cannot be closed.
Fixed - Player lose access to Operator from Starter Edition bundles when purchasing Standard Edition.
Fixed - The play ranked button can be selected for a second after a user below clearance level 20 join the squad.
Fixed - The Gold Skin for Hibana's P229 is corrupted.
Fixed - Text overlaps the preview Operator image in Highlights tab from the Shop Menu.
Fixed - While wearing the Sidewinder Elite uniform, Ash's eyes will be slightly misaligned in the MVP screen.
Fixed - When the Hostage is DBNO before escort, there is no "revive" icon or timer.
Fixed - Occasionally, in poor network conditions, Hostage can remain stuck if it enters DBNO while being pick up by a player.
Fixed - He Grunt Chibi is stuck to the magazine while reloading.
Fixed - Drone can be placed inside walls of plane from 3F cockpit stairs on Plane.
Outbreak
Fixed - During the intro cinematic, the hands of the right-most operator will be misaligned with the weapon.
Fixed - If a player leaves the sessions during the transition from Part A to Part B, shaders do not load properly
Fixed - Buck cannot refill his Skeleton Key while holding the secondary weapon.
Fixed - Outbreak Collection icon is missing from Ash's Operator Card when equipping the Black Viper Elite.
Fixed - Incorrect victory pose model is shown for the Ash Black Viper Elite in the Collection menu.
Fixed - Some operators have the Outbreak load out in the Operator screen.
Fixed - The Outbreak Collection button does not work.
Fixed - Operator's voice lines are not heard, nor subtitles displayed, when starting the game in a language different from English.
Fixed - After using all the ammo on the turret, it can't be picked up or interacted with, losing all of its functionality.
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