By Mat Elfring on Mar 28, 2018 11:29 pm
Wrestlemania, WWE's biggest event of the year, is right around the corner. It's coming to the WWE Network and PPV on Sunday, April 8. Fans should get prepared for an all-day affair as 2017's Wrestlemania 33 was six and a half hours long. This year's show will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the city of New Orleans. Aside from the main card, Wrestlemania weekend will also consist of the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday--with both Kid Rock and Mark Henry, among others, being inducted--NXT Takeover on Saturday, and Wrestlemania itself on Sunday. At the time of this writing, a Kickoff Show has not been announced, but you can expect one to start two hours prior to Wrestlemania 34 at 5 PM ET/2 PM PT, much like last year's Mania event. While the match card has not been finalized, the PPV is looking pretty full already, and there are still championships that need to be defended and main event stars that need a place on the card. The newest addition to this year's PPV is the Women's Battle Royal match, which will most likely appear on the Kickoff Show with the Men's Battle Royal. Originally, the women's match was named the Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal, but WWE changed the name due to some controversy. There have been a lot of rumors as to which stars will be on the final card, but as the weeks go on, we will only be discussing matches confirmed by the WWE, including where recently cleared Daniel Bryan fits into all of this. Keep checking back up until Wrestlemania 34 as we'll also have pieces fully discussing each of the matches at the PPV. For now, here are our predictions for the event. - On March 21, Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens was removed from the card, but we expect them to be involved in a match with Daniel Bryan, which should be announced in the upcoming weeks.
Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
As of this writing, only the tag team The Revival have been announced for the Andre The Giant Battle Royal. However, the winners for the past two years have been newer talent in the company. I have a feeling we will see that tradition continue. While this prediction may change as stars gets announced for this match, I'm giving the win to Tye Dillinger, as he's a guy who needs and deserves a push. He's too talented to be on the backburner. Our prediction: Tye Dillinger wins
Women's Battle Royal
Much like the Men's Battle Royal, the newly-named Women's Battle Royal has yet to announce any participants. More than likely, it will also appear on the Kickoff Show as well. There are a lot of women in WWE that are more than deserving of a big push. However, since losing the Smackdown Women's Championship, Becky Lynch has been on the short end of the stick. She's been in the background for most stories she's involved with and endures countless losses in the ring. I'm giving the win to her simply because she deserves to be in the main event picture again. Our prediction: Becky Lynch wins
Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali
(For the Cruiserweight Championship) Finally, the match for the Cruiserweight title has been set, as Cedric Alexander takes on his friend and ally Mustafa Ali at Wrestlemania. No matter who wins, this is going to be an incredible match, as these two men are going to put on a clinic. This is the time for Ali to be in the spotlight. I'm giving the win to Ali but not just because he's a Chicago guy, like myself. He's been consistent in the ring, and his matches are incredibly exciting. Our prediction: Mustafa Ali
Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal vs. Rusev
(For the United States Championship) On the March 27 episode of Smackdown, Rusev entered the battle for the U.S. Championship, which was previously a triple threat. Before Rusev's inclusion, this match was uninteresting, as it was merely a continuation of two mediocre storylines, both of which involved Randy Orton. With Rusev a part of this Wrestlemania match, I see him picking up the win. He's truly over with the crowd, and if WWE wants to elevate this title, it needs to be around Rusev's waist and also needs some new contenders in the picture for the Bulgarian Brute to face. Our prediction: Rusev wins
The Bar (c) vs. Braun Strowman & An Unnamed Partner
(For the Raw Tag Team Championship) While the idea of Braun Strowman being a lone tag team champion is hilarious, there was no way that was going to happen. So now, Strowman will have a yet-to-be-named partner to take on The Bar. Raw's tag team division is a mess, and this match does not help. In order for the Monday night show to save face and get back on track, The Bar needs to win; otherwise, it will be a complete joke. As much as I love everything about Braun Strowman--the walking Looney Tunes character--he should not win this one. Our prediction: The Bar wins
Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Finally, Daniel Bryan's Wrestlemania match has been announced, and it's exactly what fans expected. The build between the four men has been going on for months, and now that Bryan is medically cleared to wrestle, this match can finally happen. The idea of him losing because he's rusty and failing the WWE Universe is just as intriguing, but at the end of the day, I'm giving the win to Bryan. It just makes more sense. Our prediction: Daniel Bryan & Shane McMahon win
The Miz (c) vs. Finn Balor vs. Seth Rollins
(For the Intercontinental Championship) As previously mentioned, Daniel Bryan is cleared to wrestle, and I would love for this match to be replaced by one between The Miz and Bryan. However, until there's an official confirmation to what Bryan's plans are, we have Miz taking on Finn Balor and Seth Rollins, which should be a fantastic battle. However, considering that the Miz is exceptionally close to breaking another Intercontinental Championship reign record, I'm thinking he'll retain the title, only to lose it a couple months later. Our prediction: The Miz wins
The Usos (c) vs. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers
(For the Smackdown Tag Team Championships) Apparently, kayfabe isn't dead as Xavier Woods doesn't have a broken back, even after his beatdown from The Bludgeon Brothers at the Fastlane PPV. Now, the Brothers will take on the Usos and New Day at Wrestlemania for the tag titles. Every part of me wants to go with The Bludgeon Brothers winning this one. However, this match feels like a push towards a longer rivalry between the three teams, so I'm giving the win to The New Day, but it won't be a clean one. Our prediction: The New Day wins
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax
(For the Raw Women's Championship) Things took a turn recently in the relationship between Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss, as the Raw Women's Champion was caught talking smack about her best friend. A title match between the two has been building since Bliss first won the belt, and there will be nothing more satisfying than Jax finally winning the championship. For that reason alone--the sweet taste of revenge--I'm giving the win to Jax. Our prediction: Nia Jax wins
Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns
(For the Universal Championship) Reigns has called out Universal Champion Brock Lesnar for being a part-time wrestler, and that got "The Big Dog" suspended, which later led to Lesnar attacking him. Since Lesnar has been champion, I've unsuccessfully predicted him to lose on numerous occasions. And I'm going to do it again. It's time for the champion to be a full-timer once again, and while Roman Reigns may not be the top dog we want, we strangely need him. Our prediction: Reigns wins If you want to know more about Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, check out our breakdown feature about their match.
Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
Well, I was hoping for Rousey to reteam with The Rock, but I guess Kurt Angle is a good teammate. The newly signed, former MMA fighter takes on Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in her first bout. This is a no-brainer. WWE will not have Rousey lose her first match. Our prediction: Angle & Rousey win
AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
(For the WWE Championship) Sure, Shinsuke Nakamura and AJ Styles had an epic match in New Japan Pro Wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 10, but the average WWE fan didn't see it and more than likely won't go looking to watch it. Just like WWE did with Ultimate Deletion, fans will get WWE's version of the classic Nakamura/Styles match. However, this will be just the start of the war between these two. I suspect this will be a long-running rivalry with the championship getting passed between the wrestlers. For the first battle, I'm giving the win to Nakamura. Our prediction: Nakamura wins
Charlotte vs. Asuka
(For the Smackdown Women's Championship) Charlotte has been a dominant champion and Asuka hasn't lost a singles match since coming to WWE and NXT. These are two of the most dominant superstars on the entire WWE roster, and this is a dream match for wrestling fans. There are very few people that could break Asuka's streak, but Charlotte may be one of them. While I see this match going either way, I don't think it's time for the streak to end, so Asuka will get the win after an intense battle. Our prediction: Asuka wins Secondary prediction: Carmella cashes in her Money in the Bank contract and loses If you want to know more about Charlotte vs. Asuka, check out our breakdown feature about their match.
By GameSpot Staff on Mar 28, 2018 11:20 pm
Happy Birthday, 3DS!
It's been over seven years since the 3DS first launched in North America and Europe. A lot of Nintendo fans have shifted their focus over to the Switch, but the 3DS is still kicking, with Metroid: Samus Returns and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions being some of its standout games in 2017. And there's still more on the way, like the upcoming port of Luigi's Mansion and a remake of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Now, seven years later, we're taking a look through the 3DS's impressive library and picking out some of the best games the handheld has to offer. From Zelda and Pokemon to Picross and Rhythm Heaven, the 3DS has a great game for pretty much everyone. Click ahead to see our picks for some of the best games on 3DS. For more Nintendo, check out our gallery on the biggest 3DS and Switch games to play in 2018. If you missed out on last year's games, see our picks for the best 3DS games of 2017.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing has long been a beloved life simulation series, and with New Leaf, the 3DS has something very special. A lot is the same as the previous games; you still move to a new town populated by cute animals, and you still have to pay off your home debt to Tom Nook. But New Leaf's twists on the formula make your town feel more unique, which makes it even easier to become completely drawn in. In New Leaf, you move to a new town only to find out you're apparently the mayor. As such, you're given greater control over the town than in previous Animal Crossing games, including the placement of town decorations (like benches, clocks, and special buildings) and the overall vibe of the town. You're not just connected to the villagers and the laid-back atmosphere of fishing, bug collecting, and decorating; you're invested in the town on a different level than before, and it's an even more engaging game for it. Plus, the fan-favorite island from the GameCube version is back in New Leaf and ready to be farmed (how else are you going to pay off your loans?).
Azure Striker Gunvolt
After years working on the Mega Man Zero and ZX games, studio Inti Creates put its experience to good use for an original creation on 3DS: Azure Striker Gunvolt. It's another side-scrolling action-platformer, and the main character even controls a little like Mega Man X, with wall jumps and dashes giving him great speed and agility. But Gunvolt is defined not by his similarities to Mega Man, but by the thing that makes him fundamentally different. Instead of blasting enemies with an arm cannon, Gunvolt shoots conductive tags at enemies. Once they are attached, Gunvolt can unleash an electrical storm that channels lightning into his targets. This setup lets him gracefully dash through levels while laying waste to multiple enemies simultaneously. Taking the game's beautiful 2D presentation and catchy soundtrack into consideration, Gunvolt is one of the best side-scrolling action games on the 3DS, and a shining example of what Mega Man could have become.
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan
Atlus' first-person dungeon crawler RPG series made its 3DS debut with the fourth entry, Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan. Many of the gameplay elements Etrian Odyssey has been known for remain intact with some new additions, like an engaging overworld with an airship and powerful enemies that roam the skies. You still get the unique turn-based combat system where commands for each party member are decided upon before anything happens within that turn. Once every command is set, the turn unfolds in order of character agility. It forces you to think ahead and sharpen your planning skills when facing new enemies. Don't be surprised when an enemy knocks down an ally before they get their move in. In the fantastical labyrinths of the Yggdrasil tree are the roots of exploration; the dungeons within the tree are mazes made up of several square blocks on a map that you have to draw yourself. You have to keep track of points of interest and passageways on the bottom 3DS screen, otherwise you'll be lost. Like the previous game in the series can be rather difficult. Powerful boss-like foes known as F.O.E.s roam dungeons and the overworld, and a lot of progress can get lost if you slip up and your party gets wiped out. But if the standard difficulty is still a bit much, there's a casual mode that takes a little pressure off while still providing a challenge. Either way, EOIV provides a deep roleplaying experience in a colorful world where character specialization and customization take precedent.
Fire Emblem Awakening
Fire Emblem Awakening became the coming-out party for Intelligent Systems' niche tactical RPG series. While preserving much of the turn-based challenges the series is known for, Awakening's breadth of accessibility options appeals to newcomers, making it the perfect gateway installment. Chief among these features is the option to avoid permadeath, a key gameplay element that's long appealed to Fire Emblem purists. And its relatively short yet involving battles prove a fit for the popular and portable Nintendo handheld, easily overshadowing the lone Wii installment, Radiant Dawn, in spite of the home console's much larger user base. Awakening's relationship-building component adds a strategic layer of gameplay but also drives players to develop attachments to their favorite characters. Ensemble cast-driven series like Mass Effect popularized the notion of "shipping" potentially amorous characters. Awakening's interpersonal cast relationships rode this social media-enabled trend with memorable warriors like Donnell and Tharja, who would be coveted characters in the mobile-exclusive Fire Emblem Heroes. The introduction of the Pair Up mechanic in combat allows players to create deadly duos of their chosen characters to turn the tide in battle. Playing off the well-known battle triangle by allowing characters to swap to advantageous weapons in a pinch makes short work of previously drawn-out affairs and redistributes some of the series' focus on tactical positioning to how social bonds affect combat. This perfect storm of enthralling features could not have been more well-timed, as Nintendo considered cancelling the series depending on how Awakening was received.
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Intelligent Systems' latest 3DS Fire Emblem game is both a departure for the series and a throwback to the past. Designed as a reimagining of 1992's Fire Emblem Gaiden for the Nintendo Famicom (the Japanese equivalent of the NES), Echoes features free-roaming 3D dungeon exploration to break up the procession of tactical, 2D battles. But it's also remarkable for disregarding the recent trend of incorporating romance mechanics, as seen in Fates and Awakening. Both approaches are good, but Echoes feels especially notable for this contrasting quality. The addition of Mila's Turnwheel, a mechanic that allows you to rewind time, distinguishes Echoes even further. Where you might feel compelled to restart an entire battle after a mistake in other Fire Emblem games, Echoes gives you limited use of the Turnwheel, which is fueled by the very limited Cog items earned at key points in the game. Because you have to earn the items that allow you to change your party's fate, it feels more like an intelligent...system, rather than a cheap concession for iffy tacticians. Differences aside, the Fire Emblem games on 3DS are all great, and Echoes follows suit despite being a bit of a black sheep.
Fire Emblem Fates
Fire Emblem Fates is the first title in the franchise to release as a multi-version affair: It offers players the option of three storylines based around its central protagonist. While the game treads familiar ground in continuing to craft narratives around war, Fates shows players all sides of the story, offering different entry points to the series depending on the difficulty level. Its complex story and structure is a response to the Fire Emblem Awakening's plot, which was criticized for its simplicity. Handily, Fates keeps the accessibility options that were introduced in Awakening, including the option to avoid permadeath and the Pair Up mechanic. Each version carries its own regional classes, and combat differs depending on the version you choose. Birthright and Revelation's campaigns have simple objectives, while Conquest provides a more militaristic experience. Complementing these features is the distinct Japanese and European aesthetics of the story's opposing forces, while also bringing back Yusuke Kozaki's recognizable character designs that made Awakening's cast so memorable. Chief among the improvements in Fates is the variety of things you can do in your downtime. You can go further than the series has ever allowed before when it comes to romantic relationships. Furthermore, base-building elements give players useful ways to interact with their armies, while StreetPass connectivity lets you swap rare items and materials with friends on the fly. For those who are on the fence, Fates' unique marriage of classic Fire Emblem sensibilities and streamlined gameplay is sure to be a hit.
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Diving into Kid Icarus: Uprising for the first time can be a bit of headache. With some rather obtuse and unwieldy controls--even coming packed with a kickstand to prop up your 3DS for extra comfort--this reboot of Nintendo's once-forgotten IP didn't exactly make a good first impression. But in truth, Kid Icarus: Uprising does many surprising and interesting things to revitalize the series and offers some of the most satisfying action gameplay on the 3DS. Developed by Project Sora and led by Masahiro Sakurai (the creator of Super Smash Bros.), this action-brawler brings Pitt back from the proverbial grave to take on the forces of darkness in Ancient Greece. Shifting between on-rails shooting sequences and on-foot third-person action, Uprising also manages to pull in a rather robust loot system to deck Pitt in large arsenal of weapons, and a strange yet compelling take on the standard difficulty system where you could bet resources on making levels harder to earn better rewards. While the game's plot starts out simple, it quickly becomes anything but. Just when you think that Uprising is winding down, the narrative takes a major turn, revealing that you're only about halfway through--and far more challenging monsters await. But in order to see some of the story's great moments, you'll have to learn to work with Uprising's unorthodox control scheme, which is the most difficult part of the game. If you stick with it, taking the time to learn the systems and make your peace with the controls, you'll find that Kid Icarus features some surprisingly dense combat mechanics and a rather clever story that gives a new appreciation for the angelic character--and the series he came from.
Kirby Planet Robobot
Kirby games are often so easy that you could confuse them as products made solely for children, but the series maintains its popularity due to the sheer amount of creativity packed into every moment. Planet Robobot is no different. Its stages are easy to finish and you may reach the end before you realize it. But what Planet Robobot lacks in difficulty it makes up with relentless charm--from its expressive cartoon characters to its catchy soundtrack, there are multiple reasons to fall in love with Kirby all over again. Planet Robobot once again leans into Kirby's unique ability to swallow enemies and acquire their powers, but the addition of mech suits gives him a newfound presence. Between the two forms, there are over twenty transformations to experiment with, and this inherent variety never stops being entertaining. It's not the sort of game that will blow you away with wild innovation or complex level design, but it will make you smile from start to finish, as perfect a reason as any to give Robobot a shot.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
As a sequel to a game released 21 years prior, A Link Between Worlds needed to please two very different crowds: those who played A Link to the Past, and those who have become Zelda fans since. Luckily, it's brilliant, simultaneously harnessing the nostalgia many have for the early games in the series while also accomplishing some completely new things. You can transport yourself between the second and third dimensions, for example, and the ability to do so is the basis for many of the game's ingenious puzzles. You also merely rent the game's arsenal of weapons and tools now, embarking on whichever quest takes your fancy at that time. You'll be spoilt for choice, too, since A Link Between Worlds contains some of the series' best-ever dungeons. The combat is simple but satisfying, and it's kept fresh with a number of different enemies and boss fights throughout the game and its extra-hard Hero Mode. The game amazes at every turn, and it more than earns its place among any 3DS owner's library, regardless of whether this is your first time in Hyrule or if you've been here before.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
When Majora's Mask released on the N64 in 2000, it was praised for its originality. Even in the shadow of Ocarina of Time before it, Majora's Mask stood out for its inventive three-day cycle, markedly darker tone, and mature narrative. Majora's Mask was built using Ocarina of Time's assets and is an impressive reimagining of the first 3D Zelda game, but it's truly special for how it weaves a very Zelda-like story through the ins-and-outs of a town and its inhabitants. The 3DS upgrade includes reworked bosses and quality-of-life improvements. And like Ocarina of Time 3D, it retains so much of what made the original great while updating the presentation and inventory management. The world and characters--which are so central to Majora's Mask and what sets it apart--are more vibrant and detailed, and using the bottom screen to switch weapons (and masks in particular) is a game-changer. All of this makes Majora's Mask even more essential, whether you're playing it for the first time or revisiting it.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Even nearly two decades after it was first released, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remains one of the most beloved video games ever created, but its 3DS remake is the definitive way to experience it. Developer Grezzo took great pains to recreate the adventure as fans remember it, going so far as to include some of the glitches that appeared in the original N64 release. But while the game's foundation remains largely untouched, its presentation has received a dramatic overhaul. Characters and environments have been completely remade and sport more detail than Nintendo could have ever achieved on N64, breathing new life into the familiar world of Hyrule. As stunning as the updated visuals are in Ocarina of Time 3D, just as notable are the gameplay improvements afforded by the 3DS hardware. Inventory management is more intuitive than ever thanks to the handheld's touch screen, allowing players to swap between items with a tap of the stylus. The bottom screen also makes it easier to glance at the map and get your bearings in a dungeon, while the 3DS gyroscope allows for more accurate aiming. However, the best thing about Ocarina of Time 3D remains the adventure, which takes players through some of the most challenging and well-designed dungeons in any Zelda title. Whether you're a newcomer to the series or have already experience Ocarina of Time countless times in its original form, its 3DS remake is a masterpiece that belongs in every 3DS owner's library.
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga was a phenomenal RPG on the GBA, and it's every bit as good on 3DS. Not that it needed it, but the upgraded visuals make its personality-packed world stand out more than ever, with Mario and Luigi's expressions lending Superstar Saga a lighthearted atmosphere that's easy to love. In typical Mario RPG fashion, Superstar Saga gives you a chance to add a bit of activity to the otherwise formal turn-based battle system. You can press a button at the right moment to add damage to your attacks, but you can also (now, only in the 3DS version) press a button to negate a bit of incoming damage from an enemy assault. You may not think of Mario and Luigi as RPG stars, but that might be because you've never given them a chance to convince you. If any game will win you over, it's Superstar Saga.
Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart 7 is an essential purchase for any 3DS owner. It left behind the somewhat sluggish racing of Mario Kart Wii and propelled the long-running series forward into the air and the water. Hang gliders and propellers might seem like standard fare for Mario Kart since the Wii U and Switch editions, but 7 introduced them and uses them to full effect. Mario Kart 7 also eschews the snaking exploit seen in some previous entries, meaning for a fairer (and less annoying) grand prix. In addition, the 3DS entry contains some of the series' best tracks: Wuhu Loop, Mario Circuit, Music Park, and Shy Guy Bazaar are still excellent, while old favorites such as Wii Koopa Kape, DS DK Pass, SNES Rainbow Road, and GCN Daisy Cruiser make a return. Mario Kart 7 might have been superseded by the more recent Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but the seventh entry in the franchise remains a superb game that belongs in any 3DS library.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D
Words cannot even begin to describe how amazing Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is. It's one of the best entries in the long-running franchise by prolific developer Hideo Kojima. As a prequel to the entire Metal Gear series, it's a great place for newcomers to dive in--despite Metal Gear purists probably disagreeing with this notion. Furthermore, its 3DS port is also one of the best versions of the game. For the uninitiated, Snake Eater takes place in 1964 and centers on a special forces operative codenamed Naked Snake as he attempts to rescue a Russian rocket scientist, sabotage an experimental supertank, and assassinate his defected former boss. It's pulpy spy-fiction made even greater by Kojima's keen cinematographic eye, over-the-top characters, and quirky sense of humor. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D makes a series of updates to the original that improve the overall experience. First, it adds the crouch-walk, a navigational innovation not introduced to the series until Metal Gear Solid 4. This completely revamps the experience of sneaking, enhancing its flexibility and overall pacing. Various other additions, like improved over the shoulder third-person view, the ability to create your own camouflage for Snake to wear, and stereoscopic 3D visual effects also help to elevate an already thrilling and entertaining adventure. Unfortunately, some sacrifices were made to the Snake Eater 3D's framerate to get it to run on 3DS, which has it running slightly lower than previous versions of the game. However, this comes as a small sacrifice towards experiencing the improvements on display. Whether you're a fan of the series or a complete newcomer, Snake Eater 3D is a must-have in anyone's 3DS library.
Metroid: Samus Returns
In an unexpected turn of events, Nintendo partnered with Spanish developer Mercury Steam (Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Raiders of the Broken Planet) to recreate Game Boy's Metroid: The Return of Samus for 3DS. Perhaps more surprising: The game is excellent. Mercury Steam has talent, but the last time a third-party studio developed a Metroid game (Team Ninja on Metroid: Other M), the results were rather inconsistent. But here, we see a Metroid game that feels familiar; the classic Metroid formula is intact, albeit with a 2.5D presentation. It's also got new tricks up its sleeve that add to the excitement. Mercury Steam's knack for combat can be seen in the new parry mechanic, which allows Samus to push back against an attacking enemy, leaving them vulnerable to a deathblow. It admittedly takes some getting used to, but once it becomes second nature, Samus feels like a more formidable force than ever. Perhaps the most surprising inclusion that bolsters Samus Returns' reputation is the available lore, which expands our understanding of the events that led to the creation and invasion of the titular Metroids. It also gives us more insight into the Chozo, the race of bird-like creatures that fostered Samus as a child and brought her up to be the legendary bounty hunter we now know. Samus Returns turned out far better than anybody expected, earning it a spot among the best 3DS games around.
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
At the time of its release, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate was the largest leap forward in the series--not just in terms of sheer content, but also in being one of the first portable Monster Hunter games you could play online with your pals. If bringing the total amount of weapons up to 14 wasn't enough to sink your teeth into, one of the most interesting parts of MH4U are the fundamental changes to how the game is played. Unlike previous games, it allows players to climb vertical surfaces and attack monsters from above. This goes hand-in-hand with one of the greatest additions: mounting monsters. A clutch mount can possibly turn the tide of a fight that may not be going well and can lead to massive damage if executed correctly. New monsters, new weapons, new gameplay, and more all help Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate be one of the best in the series and one of the strongest games in the 3DS's entire library. It is still worth going back to, even in a post-Monster Hunter World…world.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
In 2014, fans of both Persona 3 and 4 were treated to an endearing collaboration between the casts of both games with Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. A wacky series of time-bending events bring SEES and Inaba's Investigation Team together, and they join forces to get back home from an alternate dimension. All characters have an adorable chibi redesign which drives home the fun, lighthearted interactions between the two squads. The Twilight Zone-version of Yasogami High School (your base of operations) is stuck in its culture festival event, so outside of battle, it's a non-stop party with your best friends! Persona Q dips into Etrian Odyssey-style first-person dungeon-crawling where you draw up maps manually on the 3DS touch screen as you explore the sprawling labyrinths. The turn-based combat system differs from mainline Persona in that actions are chosen for the entire turn before anything unfolds, changing how you strategize in battle. A bit more forethought is required to survive, especially since this game is more difficult than what you might be used to. Fan service is the root of Persona Q, which means this isn't the place for series newcomers to start. However, it's what makes this game special; imagine Koromaru jumping into Kanji's arms or Chie and Akihiko scarfing down tons of takoyaki together. All these heartfelt moments are perfectly wrapped into an amazing soundtrack. The introduction song "Maze of Life" encapsulates the warm feeling of seeing these characters together and the battle theme "Light the Fire Up in the Night" gives an empowering, upbeat feel to whooping on shadows. If you have love for Persona 3 and 4, Q will constantly bring a smile to your face.
Picross 3D Round 2
A cute little door chime tinkles as you enter the bright cafe. Quaint cups of French coffee fill the room with a strong aroma, presumably, which you mentally breathe in. The romantic accordion music of unknown origin tickles your ears and you sigh contently. Okay. This is good. Now, time to solve some fiendishly hardcore logic puzzles. Picross 3D is an unique reinterpretation of 2D picture logic puzzles developed by Kirby studio HAL Laboratory, and Round 2 represents their second collection of puzzles for Nintendo handhelds. While traditional 2D Picross puzzles ask you to fill in particular blank squares via the process of logical deduction, HAL's take has you chipping away cubes from a more substantial block to sculpt three-dimensional objects like a cute little penguin, or Link riding Epona. It doesn't sound like much, but ask anyone who's dipped their toe into the world of Picross or Picross 3D, and it's likely they'll expound the virtues of the insanely engaging, brain-twisting puzzles that have sucked away countless hours. It's such a treat to deduce precise conclusions and break blocks with your stylus to uncover surprising rewards, and the whole presentation of Picross 3D Round 2 adds such a delightfully charming layer to it all. With nearly 400 puzzles to solve, if you have a 3DS and like to chill, Picross 3D Round 2 is the perfect game to kick back and relax with.
Pokemon Sun/Moon and Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon
Sun and Moon, as well as their updated versions, refine Pokemon's formula for both beginners and veterans. Despite some story hiccups and hand-holding in places, the seventh generation is for everyone, from complete newcomers to serious competitive players, and that's all thanks to small but noticeable upgrades throughout. On the beginner side of things, Sun and Moon add an in-battle indicator for how effective a move will be (so if you try to use a Fire-type move on a Water-type Pokemon, it will tell you ahead of time that it won't be very effective). For competitive battles, on the other hand, there's now an easy way to view a Pokemon's "hidden" stats in the PC box. There are also Alola versions of classic Pokemon, like an Ice-type variant of Vulpix, that make the new region really come alive. As the updated versions, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon come with even more tweaks and are the ones to get if you're looking to jump into Gen 7 for the first time. They add some filler to the already underwhelming story, but they also fix the slow beginning of the originals and add charming details that make the world even more vibrant.
Pokemon X/Y
As the first Pokemon games on 3DS, X and Y carried with them a lot of excitement--and expectation. They catapulted the mainline Pokemon games into the third dimension, and they did so with aplomb. X and Y's Kalos--a pastiche of France--is a diverse and beautiful locale, filled with some of the series' best music and most imaginative towns. The Paris-esque Lumiose City is a grand, sprawling region in itself that highlights one of the best things about X and Y. The move into 3D allows developer Game Freak to use the camera in interesting ways, and the over-the shoulder view seen in Lumiose feels like a leap for a series that, until X and Y, had been restricted to a top-down view only. The pair of games also contain some of the series' best creature designs for many years. Fennekin--a firefox--and Froakie--the cutest frog in existence (sorry, Politoed)--are obvious early favorites, while Flabebe and Xerneas showcase a roster that is as colorful as it is creative.
Pushmo
Intelligent Systems' colorful and clever puzzle game, Pushmo, may be downloadable only, but it's a memorable and often tricky game that's easy to become absorbed in. You progress through a series of Pushmo, structures of blocks you can move, and your goal is to reach and rescue children caught in the structures by shifting the blocks to create platforms. As the levels get harder, you have to put more forethought into how you move the blocks--some might need to fall in exactly the right spot, or you'll need to pull out two blocks before moving a third in order to get the platforms just right. The structures themselves often form cute pictures, too, like a duck or even an 8-bit Link. Solving each puzzle is satisfying, but starting the next is just delightful, which places Pushmo among the ranks of the 3DS's best games.
Rhythm Heaven Megamix
If you like bopping your head to catchy tunes and seeing cute characters in bizarre situations, then the Rhythm Heaven series is right up your alley. Nintendo's take on rhythm-action is a WarioWare-style collection of mini-games that focuses solely on dead-simple mechanical inputs while dialing up the aesthetic charm. In a genre that is characterised by screen-cluttering colors and input prompts, Rhythm Heaven crafts its player cues solely around audio and the use of no more than two buttons, meaning it's easier to both wholly appreciate the great music and fantastic presentation without worrying about messing up your performance. Rhythm Heaven Megamix collects dozens of existing mini-games from the series' releases on the GBA, DS, and Wii on top of a handful of new ones to total around 100 scenarios, while adding in new remix versions and mashup challenges. An overarching Story mode means the game is more bloated than its purer predecessors, but it's nevertheless a fantastic must-own title for the 3DS, a great best-of package for players new and familiar which showcases the kinds of amazingly charming, humorous, and downright fun things Nintendo is capable of.
Shin Megami Tensei IV
In 2013, it seemed an unusual choice to receive the latest sequel to Atlus' mainline Shin Megami Tensei series on 3DS. After all, past games had only appeared on consoles--with the last entry, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, releasing on PS2 in 2004. However, when Shin Megami Tensei IV arrived, it was ultimately a worthy successor that lived up to series standards, offering an intriguing story and a multi-layered combat system that is as satisfying as it is punishing. The game puts you in control of Flynn, a samurai who protects the medieval Kingdom of Mikado from attacks by hostile demons. When a mysterious Black Samurai begins transforming the population into demons, Flynn gets caught in a struggle between angelic and demonic forces within a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. While SMT IV's story is nowhere near as bleak as its predecessor, it still pulls you in with otherworldly thrills and conspiracies. It's also a captivating game with mechanics that instantly command your attention. The ability to raise up an army of demons to fight alongside you is delightful and engrossing--it's sort of like Pokemon, but with bloodthirsty and mischievous demons. Before you know it, you'll be pouring hundreds of hours into the game, simply leveling up your demonic allies or fusing them to create even more powerful ones. All the while, you'll also accumulate rich knowledge of your foes, exploiting their weaknesses and dispatching them without taking a single hit. While SMT IV's future spin-off, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, improved many of its clunkier design choices and narrative shortcomings, the game remains one of 3DS' best RPGs. It's well worth playing, especially you're itching to dive into a demonic war plaguing what remains of a devastated Tokyo (yes, we're looking at all of you edgy '90s anime fans out there).
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei IV is already on this list, but it's also worth considering its parallel, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. Focusing on a new set of characters and introducing numerous enhancements that make your trek through a twisted version of Tokyo, Apocalypse is far from a simple reskinned cash grab. Previously inaccessible demons can be recruited to your team now, and a new element is introduced that adds a layer of complexity to the game's crucial buff and debuff system. Your reward for successfully exploiting an enemy's weakness is the chance to take another turn--as usual--but Apocalypse bolsters this opportunity by letting you imbue a standard attack with an ability of your choice. You can also use partners in battle now--secondary party members that are AI-controlled, invulnerable to certain abilities, and capable of teaming up for a powerful combo attack. Returning players will also appreciate how the opening gets you right into the story without the lengthy prologue that plagued the first game. Instead, you get to jump right into what makes SMT IV great: sinister storylines and challenging turn-based combat.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked and Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker
The Devil Survivor games, both of which originated on the DS and received enhanced re-releases on the 3DS, are great spinoffs of the Shin Megami Tensei RPG series developed specifically for Nintendo handhelds. The series' demon recruitment and combat mechanics remain, as does its typically dark narrative tones. But here, they're married to a satisfying turn-based grid tactics system and an engaging branching story with grey moral choices. When dark forces threaten to destroy Tokyo and greater Japan, it's up to a group of plucky teenagers to tame some demons and stop them, but how they ultimately get to that point is based on your decision making. Devil Survivor incorporates a suspenseful time mechanic, meaning you'll have to make choices in regards to which areas to investigate, who to help, which battles to fight, and where the plot takes you before the overall events draw to a close. These games also incorporate a simpler version of social links from the Persona lineage, where spending your time in various character-driven moments with team members can increase their skillsets and effectiveness in battle. But unlike Persona, it embraces more of the series' infamously challenging combat difficulty. The Devil Survivor games feel almost like a "best of" package that successfully mesh components of various Shin Megami Tensei spinoffs to make something that feels uniquely fresh, and unsurprisingly, they're some best hardcore RPG experiences on the 3DS.
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Mario 3D Land is the only 3D Mario platformer to grace the 3DS, but it remains one of the handheld's best titles. Arriving a little over a year after Mario's Wii swansong, Super Mario Galaxy 2, 3D Land continued the series' trend toward linearity, playing like a hybrid between Mario's 2D and 3D adventures. Mario himself can still move around in all directions, but the stages he explores in 3D Land place a much stronger emphasis on side-scrolling and tricky platforming, making them better suited to portable play. For longtime fans, however, what makes 3D Land especially enjoyable are its many callbacks to Mario's roots. The game resurrects a number of the classical elements that haven't been seen since Mario's 2D days. Each level ends with a flagpole, and touching an enemy will cause Mario to revert to his diminutive "normal" state, just as in his 2D games. Best of all, 3D Land marks the return of the classic power-ups like the Tanooki Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3, which are just as fun to use in a 3D setting. More importantly, 3D Land features a wonderful collection of varied and creative stages, which introduce new gameplay ideas at a rapid pace while being short enough to enjoy in quick bursts. The game also plays around with perspective in some clever ways, making it one of the best showcases for 3DS's stereoscopic capabilities and a true must-have for the handheld.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
Monolith Soft's Xenoblade Chronicles was one of the last great Wii games, but the first 3DS game built exclusively for 2015's New 3DS handhelds. The advanced hardware requirement isn't surprising given the massive scale of Xenoblade's world and the detail that Nintendo sought to maintain during the game's transition to a portable format. And barring a few clumsy UI designs, Xenoblade Chronicles on 3DS is basically on par with the original game, with the small screen masking the effects of the minimal graphical compromises. And what a game it is. Chronicles' story is captivating, punctuated with high drama against a (at the time) unique backdrop that's still impressive to behold. It features a complex real-time combat system that demands your attention, especially given that the world is populated with monsters big and small from the start. The ecosystem feels convincing as a result, which heightens the sense of adventure as you push your party to their limit while crossing dangerous terrain. There's no shortage of great RPGs on 3DS, and Xenoblade Chronicles' ambitious foundation makes it the most technically impressive and epic of them all.
By Michael Rougeau on Mar 28, 2018 08:30 pm
Being an arctic explorer ain't easy.
AMC debuted its new horror show, The Terror, with a two part premiere this week. The crews of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror--two real ships that set out from England in 1845 and disappeared for over 150 years--arrived in the frigid Northern wastes in search of the Northwest Passage. Then a bunch of terrible stuff happened to them, over the course of The Terror's chilling two part premiere. Please don't consider it a spoiler that things won't turn out great for these characters in the end. These real life shipwrecks weren't discovered until 2014 and 2016, respectively, and their crews had died long ago from cold, starvation, disease, lead poisoning, and cannibalism. Anything that happens in The Terror between the start and that foregone conclusion is just embellishment invented by Dan Simmons, the author of the book on which the show is based, or showrunners David Kajganich and Soo Hugh. But what embellishments they are. With that in mind, we're going to keep a running list of all the scariest s*** that goes down in each new episode of The Terror. Don't miss our interview feature on how The Terror embraces horror without resorting to jump scares. Now click through to find out what's new.
1. Man Overboard
Episode 1 Of all the things that are no doubt going to kill these characters over The Terror's ten episodes, you might think falling overboard and drowning would be the least terrible. Then you imagine your whole body going numb, your vision shrinking, and your senses deadening as you slide further into the depths, unable to move or help yourself or do anything but die. Not a great start to this voyage.
2. This Guy
Episode 1 We don't know what it means. We just know that he's terrifying.
3. A Boy Among Men
Episode 1 It's unclear what this poor kid died from, but does it really matter? It's easy to envision these expeditionary crews as ships full of brave, hardened men, big sailors with 5 o'clock shadows and tattoos of mermaids and anchors. Seeing this kid get sick and scared and die is pretty jarring.
4. Hello Again
Episode 1 This trip underwater is filled with so much foreboding that you spend the entire scene just dreading that something awful is going to happen. Ultimately it could have been worse, but it was still a deeply unsettling moment.
5. World of Ice
Episode 1 The final shot of episode 1 is the most chilling of the whole episode: The two ships are completely encased in ice, presumably with no hope of digging out any time soon. This is only the beginning of the doom, though.
Episode 2
6. Crew, Meet Tuunbaq
Because probably starving to death in an Arctic wasteland isn't bad enough, the crew met the Tuunbaq, an Inuit creature of legend, in The Terror Episode 2. It doesn't seem very nice.
7. Bye Dad
Episode 2 Given that they were able to get this woman (who will come to be known by the name Lady Silence) and her dad back to the ship, there was a brief hope that they would save his life. Her frantic cries that he couldn't die below deck were terrible to hear.
8. Lady Silence's Warning
Episode 2 If only Lady Silence knew how right she was when she said they're going to disappear. Was it a prescient prophecy, or is she going to make sure of it? We'll have to keep watching to find out.
By Chris Pereira on Mar 28, 2018 01:52 pm
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds continues to grow. A new update has added a brand-new cosmetic option to further differentiate your character from everyone else on the battlefield. A weapons skin system is being introduced that allows you to obtain new looks for your guns from the newly introduced Triumph and Raider crates. Following a very brief run in an update for the PC version's test server, the weapon skins are now available in the live game. These skins are obtained through two different means. The first route is with Triumph Crates, which are a new type of loot box that can be obtained from the random box option starting at 700 BP each week. These are opened with Weapon Cosmetic keys, which are sold for money on the Steam market. Alternatively, you can get skins through Raider Crates, which have their own purchase option separate from the random crate option and don't require a key to open. They start at 1200 BP. It is possible to get duplicate skins from these crates, even for those that you've paid money in order to open. Test server players are allotted a free batch of keys and crates to open; of the 19 we checked out, we got 14 unique skins. You'll also get a free SCAR-L skin Year One skin to celebrate the game's one-year anniversary, provided you log in before maintenance scheduled during the first week of May. To manage all of this, there's a new area in the Customization menu allowing you to look at each gun and the skins you've acquired, and to let you equip those that you want to use. You can check out all of the ones we've obtained so far above, along with a few that developer PUBG Corp. showed off.
Free SCAR-L Year One skin
By Gajan Kulasingham on Mar 28, 2018 03:31 am
WonderCon is always home to amazing cosplay where fans dress up as their favorite characters from both video game and entertainment properties. And 2018's iteration of the event was no exception. We attended the recent event, which ran March 23-25 in Anaheim, CA. We saw people dressed up as everyone from Spider-Man to X-Men's Colossus to Captain America to Overwatch's Reaper and so many more. Above, we've rounded up many of the best cosplayers we saw over the weekend; be sure to let us know in the comments below which ones were your favorites. And for more amazing cosplay, check out the outfits we saw at New York Comic-Con and BlizzCon. WonderCon is an annual fan convention that celebrates all things comics, movies, and sci-fi. It's been going on for more than 30 years, and we already know it'll be back in 2019. Next year's event will again be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, where it'll run from March 29-31.
@erickloosterman
Bucky - @nathonegiordano ; Spider-Man - @captain.novastar
@mohawkmetalhead
Venom - @comicjohn ; Drax - @biglerfitness ; Colossus - @zipenstien
LoPan - @bananasteve.cosplay ; @paneltopanelpodcast
Reaper - @the_cosplay_knight
Bucky - @stephenvandoom ; Captain America - @captaincosplay
Bombshell Superman - @supermanthony ; Death - @jenasiscosplay ; Bombshell Batwoman - @brookeemelia ; Bombshell Supergirl - @barelynormalfay ; Bombshell Wonder Woman - @pretendprincess ; Bombshell Canary - @theroguesiren
Tsunade - @riotswimbananas
Beast - @damjerry ; Bellepool - @missybeedoesthings
Ciri - @ashm0nstertv
Reno - @possiblei_ ; Vincent - @roc_cosplay ; Yuffie - @justagh0stgirlcosplay ; Tifa - @stephstonecos ; Cloud - @lorentz_iwood
Gladiator She-Hulk - @bbbfineart ; Hela - @nekomuneca
Link - @leonhartcosplay ; Zelda - @tokiaii
Wonder Woman - @msbernadetteb
Chuckie - @without_a_doubt_me
@kaboomalala ; Karolina - @echoscosplay ; Spider-Woman - @jgjenna12
Dumbledore - @starburnercouriers
Jon Snow - @con.snow
Flora - @grannythegrey ; Merryweather - @lollypop588 ; Fauna - @airie86_books
Black Panther - @assassinforte
Jet Girl - @little_ewok ; Tank Girl - @nicholafynn
Joker - @johnniereno
Kira - @smashingleigh ; Han Solo - @bryanmortonart
Night King - @housestarkramsey
Weeping Angel - @zebraangelcosplay
Pharah - @france_scah
@petersenparker ; @jimperial_march
Mercy - @jinxed_techniques
Blankman - @yearofthevet ; Storm - @notoriousarp
Cuphead - @ghoulcosplay, @kiwi_cosplay
Katamari - @mobilesuit101
Alien - @alienmatt
Thirteenth Doctor - @abbytoir
By Chris E. Hayner on Mar 28, 2018 02:07 am
It's nearly time for Ready Player One to hit theaters, giving fans their first chance to see the virtual world first created by author Ernest Cline's novel of the same name in 2011. With Steven Spielberg directing, the movie attempts to fully immerse viewers in this future world that's a mix between dystopian and a dream come true. While there's plenty to look forward to seeing in Ready Player One--including robots, dinosaurs, Master Chief, and so much more--what happens when the technology shown in the film becomes something you can actually use? In recent years, virtual reality has become far more common in gaming--with the PlayStation 4 even getting its own VR add-on. While the Oasis in the film is still far more advanced than anything you can play now, it's not unreasonable to believe something similar could be developed in the next few years. What would you want to see if you could set foot in the Oasis and what would your avatar look like? GameSpot asked these questions and more of the Ready Player One cast at WonderCon. After filming the movie and fully immersing themselves in the nostalgia on display, they're all more than ready to journey into its virtual world. After you check out their answers, take a look at the ridiculous amount of Easter eggs and references in the film's trailer, along with a special collection of posters that take their cues from several classic movies. Ready Player One arrives on the big screen on March 29.
Tye Sherridan (Parzival)
Question: What's your favorite Easter egg in the Oasis? Tye Sheridan: I would have to say my favorite, and I knew he plays a big part in the movie, is the Iron Giant. That's one of my all-time favorite films and I have a strong relationship with that character because I watched it so many times as a kid.
Lena Waithe (Aech)
Question: What's your favorite Easter egg in the Oasis? Lena Waithe: I really liked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! I think I saw Sonic [the Hedgehog] in there, which is one of my personal favorites. Chucky pops up; there's so many things that make you feel nostalgic.
Philip Zhao (Sho)
Question: What's your favorite Easter egg in the Oasis? Phillip Zhao: I choose Iron Giant. Come on, he looks really huggable for some reason. I just want to get in a big hug with him.
Ben Mendelsohn (Sorrento)
Question: What's your favorite Easter egg in the Oasis? Ben Mendelsohn: There's a bunch of them. The music! Blue Monday was a huge maxi single, I was there! But you've even got BioShock, and I'm down for BioShock. I mean, Big Daddy!
Win Morisaki (Daito)
Question: What's your favorite Easter egg in the Oasis? Win Morisaki: Cowboy Bebop! I watched on Netflix the anime and I loved that anime. I saw the plane on the poster, I loved that.
Ernest Cline (author and screenwriter)
Question: What's your favorite Easter egg in the Oasis? Ernest Cline: I love seeing the Street Fighter II characters. My daughter is a huge Sonic the Hedgehog fan. She got really happy when she saw Sonic and Hello Kitty in one scene. I got to sneak the movie marquee from Zak's movie Last Action Hero into a scene and he didn't know about it!
Zak Penn (screenwriter)
Question: What's your favorite Easter egg in the Oasis? Zak Penn: I love that they got the [Ray] Harryhausen characters in there too. There's a Cyclops and the skeletons. I was psyched that Master Chief made it in there. I knew they would be because Steven [Spielberg] likes Halo also. But, to me, seeing those Harryhausen characters alongside all of them.
Lena Waithe (Aech)
Question: What or where would you visit in the Oasis? Lena Waithe: I would want to visit some live music. We could recreate a vintage '90s Whitney Houston concert or Michael Jackson during the bad album, something like that. I'd want to go to those experiences. That, to me, would be really cool.
Philip Zhao (Sho)
Question: What or where would you visit in the Oasis? Phillip Zhao: The Adventures of Tintin! That's my favorite Spielberg movie. I love the comics and I just want to be Tintin. I love dogs and Snowy; he's pretty much invincible. So, you can throw him into any situation and he can do anything.
Ben Mendelsohn (Sorrento)
Question: What or where would you visit in the Oasis? Ben Mendelsohn: I might pop into Alien for a bit, walk around the Nostromo. That'd be pretty cool. No, it'd be f***ing terrifying.
Win Morisaki (Daito)
Question: What or where would you visit in the Oasis? Win Morisaki: I have a list, but I'm going to choose Saving Private Ryan. I love that movie, so I'm going to go inside the movie and try to save Ryan!
Lena Waithe (Aech)
Question: What person or character would you use for avatar inspiration in the Oasis? Lena Waithe: I would want to be a mix of Tupac, Prince, and Pharell. They're all my style icons, so I want to feel like those guys in the Oasis.
Philip Zhao (Sho)
Question: What person or character would you use for avatar inspiration in the Oasis? Phillip Zhao: I'd just be myself. Because Win and I have agreed that I look pretty handsome. So, you don't want to take risks on making it ugly or artificial. You want to play it safe.
Ben Mendelsohn (Sorrento)
Question: What person or character would you use for avatar inspiration in the Oasis? Ben Mendelsohn: I might go for some kind of tank general or something. Maybe I'll be Patton!
Win Morisaki (Daito)
Question: What person or character would you use for avatar inspiration in the Oasis? Win Morisaki: For me, Doraemon. It's a cat robot anime from Japan. It's something that every kid was watching. There are TV and movies. It's like a kid's best friend. I would be him.
By GameSpot Staff on Mar 28, 2018 01:03 am
Pro Tips
Players who are keen on winning have a lot of things to keep in mind if they want to succeed in Fortnite: Battle Royale. The game marries the last-player-standing multiplayer competition of the battle royale genre with resource-gathering and building mechanics, and knowing the ins and outs of both are the only way to win. Not only do you need to outsmart and outgun other players-- you need to effectively use your building capabilities to traverse the map, fortify your positions, and beat out the competition. Players who've been around the block in Fortnite's single-player campaign have no doubt picked up a lot of tactics, strategies, and pieces of information that can help elevate them to multiplayer success. For everyone else, it can be tough to pick up on all of Fortnite's idiosyncrasies and hidden bits of information--especially since the free Battle Royale mode doesn't include a tutorial. Use these 10 tips to get an edge over the other 99 players in your Fortnite: Battle Royale match. If you're new to Fornite: Battle Royale, make sure to read our beginner's tips guide, as well as our guide covering all the things we wish we knew before playing the game. You can also check out our video guide on how to build more effectively. Fortnite: Battle Royale is available as a free download for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The mode supports up to 100 players competing to be the last person (or team) standing as they hunt other players and avoid being killed themselves. For the differences between Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, check out our in-depth feature discussing the two games and what sets them apart from one another. You can also check out details on Fortnite's recent Season 3 update, as well as information regarding Season 3 rewards.
Use Headphones
It really is tough to overestimate how crucial sound is in Fortnite. You'll use it to catch people sneaking up on you, zero in on enemies who are shooting at you, and track players for ambushes. You're at a disadvantage listening to the game over your computer speakers, TV speakers, or even a sound system, when compared to players who are armed with a quality pair of surround sound headphones. Sound is possibly the best tool in your arsenal in Fortnite, so make sure you're able to use it as effectively as possible.
Speed Is Key Early On
As you get the hang of the map, you'll want to move as fast as you can to find good weapons early. That starts with your jump from the game's flying party bus at the beginning of each match: If you're confident in your fighting abilities, pick a spot with lots of buildings, and dive straight for it. Avoid falling over hills and other high-elevation areas, as these will cause your glider to auto-deploy sooner than if you dive toward lower-elevation spots like water or canyons. The idea is to fall to earth as fast as you can, so that you can beat other players to the guns--and take them down. While it's good for new players to close doors behind them to protect themselves, once you're used to the flow of the game, you don't have to worry about hiding yourself nearly as much. Get into a building, find what's useful, and move on as fast as you can--the ol' "loot and scoot" approach. Acquiring high-quality guns early will set you up for success against players who have weaker gear than you, so get used to moving on to new locations quickly, and looting as much as you can as fast as you can. Just be cautious about it, so that you don't bumble into an ambush.
Don't Pick Up Everything
Among the best habits you can make as you advance your Fortnite career is to be discerning about what you pick up and what you leave behind. It's tempting to snatch up everything you come across--because you never know when you might want to switch between a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun, right? In practice, though, you'll probably use one or two guns for most of a match, unless you've got the rarer and more useful ones like sniper rifles, miniguns, and rocket launchers. Having a handful of white or green pistols that you don't intend to use will just slow you down when it comes time to switch out for better loot. Instead, make quick decisions about what you need and what you don't, and act accordingly. Stopping to manage your inventory can leave you vulnerable, so grab only what you really need, and learn to ignore the less useful loot. Also: While you have to manually pick up weapons and items, ammo gets picked up automatically... so if you're looking at a pile of loot and all you want are the bullets, save time by just running over it to avoid accidentally picking up the wrong stuff.
Double Up Your Guns For Added Damage
While you're being discerning about what guns you pick up, remember that two of the same weapon can actually be pretty useful--particularly when it comes to the pump shotgun and the bolt-action sniper rifle. By having two of these guns in adjacent inventory slots, you can avoid the wait between shotgun pumps or sniper reloads, and instead just switch to your second version of the gun to fire a second shot immediately. The quick switch can be tough to get used to, but with the power that this move affords you, it's worth training yourself to switch rather than wait to reload. It's a great way to maximize your lethality against other players.
Chop Down Trees For More Wood
Where you get your materials matters. Especially early on, you want to grab as much wood as you can manage, as it's highly useful in battles and for protection. You can bash down buildings and break up boxes for wood with your pickaxe--but as it happens, these dispense less wood than trees. Pick the right tree, and you can gather up 40-plus units of wood from a single node, quickly filling up your materials and giving you plenty to use in a pinch. Pine trees whose green portions reach close to the ground tend to be the best, but it's worth experimenting as you play, to learn where on the map you can get the most materials fastest. The same is true with other materials. Brick walls yield some brick, but piles of rocks out in the wilderness are even better. You can also get a decent haul of metal from destroying vehicles, but be wary: Sometimes, smashing up a car will set off its alarm, which can draw other players to your location.
Wood Trumps Metal (In Certain Cases)
Materials in Fortnite have a few little quirks. Generally, wood is the weakest material, while brick is a little stronger, and metal is the strongest. In practice, this means that wood structures can take the least amount of damage before they break altogether, brick structures have more health than wood, and metal structures have the most health. Heavier materials come with drawbacks, though. Brick structures take longer to build (and reach full health) than wood structures do, and metal takes the longest. Wood really shines when it comes to quickly dropping walls in the middle of a firefight. The thing is, a freshly spawned, incomplete wood wall starts with more health than a freshly spawned, incomplete brick or metal wall (100 health points for the wood, 70 for the brick or metal). That means a wood wall can save you from more shots when you're building in the heat of battle than the other two materials. The easiest way to think about it is this: A fresh wood wall will collapse after two close-range shotgun blasts when you first drop it; a brick or metal wall will collapse after only one shotgun blast. Use wood for firefights, and save your brick and metal for stronger fortifications closer to the end of a match.
Take (Or Build) The High Ground
High ground will win you fights in Fortnite, and that doesn't just mean high hills or cliffs--although these offer better vantage points in general. In firefights, practice quickly building upward as you fight enemies. You can drop walls and then ramps to protect yourself as you climb, and shooting down on other players nets you more headshots and damage, while offering you better protection. Quickly making a ramp surrounded by walls means that you can jump up and take potshots at enemies below while also making yourself extremely tough to hit. When you can, build up for the advantage... and if the other player is trying to get above you, try to get higher or force them to change locations, to take their advantage away. Just make sure to quickly pop wood walls in front of your ramps, lest the other player blast them out from under you. Hitting the bottom of a ramp will collapse it, and the damage you take from falling could cost you the fight (and the match).
Watch For (And Mark) Supply Drops
Every so often, the flying bus will drop a supply crate. The crates' drop positions are marked by blue smoke grenades on the ground, and they float down on balloons once they're dropped. These crates contain some of the best loot in the game, including the minigun and rocket launcher, so they're definitely worth your attention--but they're likely to attract other players, too. Supply drops are great places for an ambush, and one way to pin down where the drop will be is to "mark" it. Like just about everything in Fortnite, supply drops are destructible, and you can damage their balloons from afar with your gun. Doing so causes the crate's health bar to pop up, which stays on your screen even if structures or other things obstruct your line of sight to the crate itself. Marking crates means that you can more easily get to them when they hit the ground, but be ready to fight anyone else with the same idea.
Use The Storm To Your Advantage
The ever-advancing storm--the circle that constantly contracts to make the play area smaller and smaller--is a danger that you constantly need to avoid in Fortnite. It also affords some benefits, however. While the storm damages you when you're in it, for much of any given match, that damage is not immediately deadly. You can sometimes use this tactically; the edge of the storm is a great place to catch desperate players as they scramble to get to safety. Conversely, you might be able to duck through the tough-to-see-through edge early in the match to lose anyone in the eye of the storm who's battling you (although that's a tough gamble, and not for everyone). Especially in a match's endgame, the storm can be a tool as much as it is a danger. It lets you ensure that you won't be attacked from behind when you keep close to its edge. If you're more centrally located and can take up a good position, the shrinking circle can help you as it forces players to either take storm damage, or move toward you and open themselves up to attack. It's important to always stay aware of the circle--but as the match draws toward its end, keep thinking about where you can set yourself up to use the storm as a weapon against your enemies.
Complete Daily Challenges To Earn V-Bucks
V-Bucks are Fortnite's premium currency, which can be used to purchase cosmetic items to make your character wear cooler clothes or deploy more fun emotes. The best way to get an effective amount of V-Bucks is to buy them with real money. If you're willing to put in the time, it's also possible to earn a few just by playing the game--but it'll take you a while. Playing Fortnite earns you experience points based on your performance in a match, and each time you earn enough, you level up, which earns you one "Battle Star." After grabbing 10 Battle Stars, you advance to a new "tier," and at certain tiers, you unlock new emotes and other items. It's possible to earn tiers faster by completing Daily Challenges, which are listed on the Lobby screen when you log into Fortnite. Challenges require you to complete special actions, like killing a set number of players with a specific gun. Challenges give you a bunch of experience points and five Battle Stars for completing them, which can help you earn tiers a lot quicker. If you're playing for free, you can earn 100 V-Bucks roughly every 14 tiers (which isn't very much). Your return on investment is slightly better if you pony up the money to purchase the V-Bucks for a "Battle Pass," which will run you 950 V-Bucks--or a little less than $10 ($9.99 buys you 1,000 V-Bucks). The Battle Pass puts you on a different, much more rewarding tier track, allowing you to earn a lot more cosmetic gear as you level up. The Battle Pass track also includes V-Bucks, dishing out 100 V-Bucks once about every seven tiers, but it also comes with experience point boosts that can get you there quicker.
By GameSpot Staff on Mar 28, 2018 01:01 am
What We Wish We Knew
When you first pop into the free, competitive multiplayer Battle Royale version of Fortnite--without first buying its cooperative counterpart--you'll find a lot that doesn't get explained. Fortnite: Battle Royale has no tutorial, so it's up to players to discover its nuances, mostly through trial and error, spectating other players, and dying. The Battle Royale mode also features a whole bunch of guns, materials, structures, and items to learn about and understand, as well as how they interact with each other and the game's systems. Fortnite is full of little tricks and idiosyncrasies that aren't immediately obvious, especially with its emphasis on gathering resources and building structures as part of its combat. Once you know them, however, they'll make you a much more effective player. Here are the 12 things we wish we knew about Fortnite: Battle Royale before we started playing. If you're new to Fornite: Battle Royale, check out our beginner's tips guide, but if you're more advanced, be sure to read our advanced tips guide. You can also check out our video guide on how to build more effectively. Fortnite: Battle Royale is available as a free download for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The mode supports up to 100 players attempting to be the last person or team standing as they hunt other players and avoid being killed themselves. For more on the differences between Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, check out our in-depth feature discussing the two games and what sets them apart from one another. You can also check out details on Fortnite's recent Season 3 update, as well as information regarding Season 3 rewards.
Aiming Matters When Gathering Resources
Whenever you start hammering away at a wall, tree, or pile of rocks to gather resources, you'll notice that a weird blue icon appears on the thing you're smacking. That little marker turns gathering resources into something more active than just holding a button down for a few seconds. You want to move your crosshair over each new blue icon with every swing of your pickaxe. This earns you the most resources you can get with each hit, and increases your harvesting efficiency--which means you'll grab more building materials and leave yourself less vulnerable.
The Shotgun Is Highly Effective
It shouldn't always be your main weapon, but it's a pretty good idea for you to have a shotgun on-hand whenever possible--even a weak one. Fortnite's shotguns have decent range and a big spread (at least for the time being), which means they're great catch-all guns for dropping already-injured targets. Time and again, we've seen players use shotguns as the clean-up hitter of their arsenal; they might fire a rocket in the vicinity of an enemy to knock out their shield, or hit them with a rifle as they close the gap, but the shotgun is often the weapon that closes the deal. Don't be afraid to use it at close- to mid-range. And aim high, because headshots can be very painful.
Crouch And Shoot
A lot of the guns in Fortnite aren't quite as accurate as in some other shooters, and that can make for tough fights, especially when you engage players at long-range. It's possible to increase your guns' accuracy in a lot of cases, though. Whenever possible to do so safely, keep still and crouch--it'll increase your accuracy, helping you take down other players more quickly. That doesn't mean you should stop dodging and stand still in the open during a heated battle... but if you spot someone on the move and are thinking about opening fire on them, you'll have an advantage if you get low and keep still.
Build To Save Yourself From Falling
Fall damage is a big deal in Fortnite. High locations are good places to set up and watch for other players, and when you get good at building, going vertical and taking the high ground is a very effective strategy. Falling off those places can be deadly, though, since shields don't absorb fall damage. Always remember that you can save yourself by using the build menu to quickly drop structures beneath you as you fall; so long as you're close enough to the wall of a tower or a cliff, you can instantly build a floor or ramp beneath you that can stop your descent and save you from certain doom. Use this trick to quickly make your escape from fortifications when someone starts shooting at you with rockets, or when you need to descend a cliff in a hurry. It's a lot easier than trying to find items to heal yourself.
Shield Potions Are Essential
Finding good guns is one thing... but really, the best way to make it through any given fight is to find shield potions. Fortnite doesn't effectively explain how its health system works, but the handiest thing to know is that blue shield potions make you more resilient to incoming fire, and they make a world of difference in any given firefight. As you loot in Fortnite, always drink shield potions right away to fire up a shield immediately, and stockpile the potions that you can't use immediately. They're worth carrying around; your character can drink a small shield potion in about two seconds, which is just fast enough to get you back on your feet as you duck around a corner or build a few quick walls to escape from an enemy.
You Have An Inventory Screen
It's not immediately apparent if you haven't played Fortnite's Save the World mode, but you have more than just the small inventory rundown at the bottom of your screen. You can access a much bigger, more detailed inventory menu--find it by pressing Up on the directional pad if you're playing with a controller, or "I" on a keyboard--and it shows everything you're carrying, including how much ammo of each type you have. The inventory menu gives you rundowns of your guns' statistics, including effective range and damage per second, which can help you decide what to hold onto and what to toss. That's the other handy thing about the inventory menu: It offers you the option to drop weapons onto the ground. Use that to hand off guns, items, or ammo to your teammates, or just to organize your inventory so that you always play with guns and items of specific types in the same slots. The repetition of knowing where you keep heals or certain guns can make it a lot easier for you to switch in a hurry.
Use Bushes And Trees For Concealment
Fortnite's cartoonish art style means that player silhouettes are pretty obvious at a distance--especially when you add in the dust trails left by sprinting across open ground. But you can find a few good places to hide, especially if you're smart about it. While many bushes are solid, you can slip inside some of them, which mostly conceals your character and make you tough to spot at a distance. The same is true of many pine trees, which you can generally duck beneath; these offer decent concealment, especially from above. Stealth can take you a long way if you're patient and don't move too much when sneaking up on people. By the same token, don't ignore those light green bushes around you. Smart players treat them like they might always be concealing someone, especially in the endgame of a match. Putting a shot or two into a bush will quickly reveal if anyone is hiding in it: Watch for the blue flash of their shield taking damage.
Throw Up Some Walls To Protect Downed Teammates
Once you hear it, it seems like a no-brainer, but this is one of those things that's easy to forget if you're used to playing other Battle Royale games. In Fortnite, you want to try to think about how you can solve problems by building--and creating a few quick fortifications can buy you precious extra seconds while you heal a teammate who has been knocked down by gunfire. Just remember to use wood if you're currently under fire; it'll build the fastest, and it can take the most punishment from other players immediately after being deployed. If you're in a rough battle situation, though, you might need multiple layers (or you might just need to leave your friend hanging while you take out the attackers).
Open Doors (Usually) Mean A Place Has Been Looted
Savvy players know that doors can tell you a lot. An open door on a building might mean someone's inside; more often, it means that someone has at least been through that building and taken all the good stuff already. By the same token, closing doors behind you is a good way to throw off other players, or to catch the unwary in ambshes. In our experience, not only are the outer doors of untouched buildings always closed in Fortnite, but so are the inner ones. If you step into a structure that you think is full of loot and start seeing open doors between rooms, it should put you on guard--it might mean someone is lying in wait ahead. Open doors are also a good indicator of buildings that you can skip altogether, to avoid wasting time searching places that have little to offer.
Traps Are A Thing
Traps are a holdover from the cooperative campaign version of Fortnite, and they pop up in Battle Royale to change some situations significantly. You'll find them occasionally in loot drops or certain locations (like mines), and you can deploy them on structures. They don't have a ton of uses, since so much of the Battle Royale experience consists of quickly hurrying from one building to the next, looting as fast as you can--but they do come up every now and then. Traps are great for leaving behind in a seemingly unlooted building in order to ruin the day of someone following you, or to place on your towers to dissuade anyone sneaking up below you. When heading into buildings, it's good practice to stand beside the front door and look inside to check for an ambush; when you do that, take a glance upward too, to ensure you're not about to stumble into somebody else's devilish plan.
The Boogie Bomb Is The Best
If you find the elusive grenade known as the Boogie Bomb, grab it. This thing is the goofiest weapon you can add to your arsenal in Fortnite right now, and it's hilarious as well as useful. When it explodes, everyone caught in its radius is forced to start dancing for five seconds, leaving them completely vulnerable to you cruising up and taking them out. It's especially handy for when you find a couple of other players already battling it out--with one bomb and a quick trigger finger, you can humiliate your opponents, eliminate them, and steal all their stuff.
Getting Good At Building Is How You Win
Grappling with all of Fortnite's systems can be tough--especially if you're using a controller. Between switching guns and building structures, the game has a lot of buttons to keep track of, and a lot of items to switch through with the shoulder buttons. But no matter what platform they're using, the best Fortnite players are expert builders. They've trained themselves through repetition to quickly construct walls, towers, bridges, and ramps in order to save their lives in the heat of battle, or give themselves a ridiculous advantage using height and cover. Though Fortnite has a lot in common with other Battle Royale games like PUBG, building is what sets it apart. If you come to this game expecting to play it like PUBG, you're going to get shut down over and over again by players who've learned to love carpentry. Get good at farming resources quickly and erecting structures even faster, if you want to be competitive!
By GameSpot Staff on Mar 28, 2018 12:59 am
Tips To Build Your Chances Of Survival
Though you might be familiar with other games in the battle royale genre--games that tend to stick one player (or a small team) on a map where they fight against others to be the last one standing--Fortnite: Battle Royale is a little different. The game takes the basic premise of the genre and adds its own twist that changes everything: You can instantly construct stuff like walls and stairs, allowing you to build fortifications to protect yourself and create your own tactical advantages. Fortnite drops you onto an island with 99 other players, and the last player (or team) left alive wins. Though it's similar to games like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, plenty of small differences make Fortnite into a very distinct experience. Knowing what to carry, when to shoot, and what to build are essential if you're going to be the last person alive on the island. You won't find a tutorial in Fortnite Battle Royale, so when you drop onto its island, all you have are your wits and whatever you can find along the way. Here's everything you need to know to get a strong start--and maybe survive long enough to find yourself a minigun. And if you're already a Fornite: Battle Royale veteran, check out our advanced tips guide, as well as our guide covering all the things that we wish we knew before playing the game. You can also watch our video guide on how to build more effectively. Fortnite: Battle Royale is available as a free download for PlayStation 4, Xbox One. The mode supports up to 100 players competing to be the last person (or team) standing as they hunt other players and avoid being killed themselves. For the differences between Fortnite: Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, check out our in-depth feature discussing the two games and what sets them apart from one another. You can also check out details on Fortnite's recent Season 3 update, as well as information regarding Season 3 rewards.
Pick Your Landing Zone And Avoid Other Players
Fortnite: Battle Royale starts with 100 players dropping out of a vehicle (in this case, a flying bus) onto an island below that's littered with weapons. Check your map at the outset and watch the flight path carefully--where you land is your first big decision in Fortnite, and it can help you get off to a fighting start. Your first order of business is weapons, and if you're new to the game, you'll also want to try to avoid other players. Weapons are mostly found inside buildings, so pick a drop location with a few structures, but try to avoid major settlements or towns along the flight path early on. Those places have great gear, but also attract a ton of players; you'll want to avoid a fight straight off until you've gotten a little more comfortable with the game. Usually, it's best to hold off jumping for a few seconds to pick your spot and stay away from the largest pack, which usually jumps as soon as the doors open. You can also set waypoints on your map screen, making it easier to locate any structures or settlements you've got in mind for looting. You'll start your jump by skydiving, but at any time, you can follow the onscreen prompt to deploy your glider. Flipping to your glider early will make you fall slower, allowing you to cover much more distance. Use this to get away from other likely drop points that other players might be headed to, but don't take too long--the faster you hit the ground and gear up, the better. Be sure to keep an eye out for other players dropping nearby as you head down, to avoid getting ambushed or falling into a fight. Your goal is to survive, so as you're learning the ropes, it's best to let other players take each other out, rather than go looking for a battle.
The Storm Is Your Greatest Enemy
Like PUBG, Fortnite matches are dictated by "the circle"--or, in this case, "the storm." Near the start of each match, a large circle will appear on the map in a random position, dictating the eye of the storm. Outside of this circle, the approaching clouds will damage and kill you. A timer in the corner of your screen notes when the storm will contract, creating a new, tighter circle. Over the course of the match, the storm will close in more and more, shrinking the play area on the island and forcing everyone closer together until only one (or one team) remains. This means that paying attention to the circle's location and the timer are your top priorities. You can't just run to the center of the first circle that appears in a match and stay there, because smaller circles won't always have the same center point. Often, the movement of the circle means you'll have to make a run for it to escape the storm, leaving you vulnerable to attack. Always keep the circle in mind, and know where you need to be. The best practice is to get there quickly and carefully.
Gather Resources First
When you first land on the island in Fortnite: Battle Royale, you'll be armed only with your melee pickaxe. You can fight people with it... but that's not especially effective, and will get you killed against pretty much any other weapon. The pickaxe's main use is for bashing through structures and gathering resources, the latter of which is one of the first things you want to do--provided you're far enough from other people that it won't immediately draw attention. Breaking up anything causes a commotion; for instance, you might destroy some vehicles to get a decent bounty of metal, but you risk triggering its alarm and broadcasting your location to other players. To start: Smash walls, structures, and (especially) trees, and gather yourself at least 300 units of wood. This will supply you with key materials that can keep you alive. If you switch to the building menu, you'll see that you can cycle through a few structures, like floors, roofs, walls, and stairs. You'll need resources to build those things, so gather materials quickly before taking off toward the circle. It's much safer taking time to gather materials in the early game than it will be later on, and you can smash just about anything to get the wood, brick, and metal necessary to make stuff.
Practice Building (Especially Under Fire)
With your resources in-hand, you'll want to spend your first few matches learning the ways that buildings can help you. Building structures is Fortnite's claim to fame--and using structures creatively will get you out of trouble, help you traverse the map, and provide cover in a firefight. You don't want to be building constantly, but you need to get comfortable with the system, so that you can make whatever you want as fast as possible when things get hairy. The build menu lets you choose a structure, its material, and its location very quickly. Once you click the button to start building something, it constructs itself automatically. This means that even under fire, building is a viable option: If you start to take fire, you can lay down a wall ahead of you to absorb some of the incoming bullets while you use it as cover and shoot back. Ramps get you over otherwise impassable terrain and can help you create instant high ground that give you an advantage over other players. It's a system that you definitely shouldn't sleep on, because it can give you serious advantages. Just note that structures make noise as you're constructing them, and messing around in the build menu can leave you vulnerable. Player structures are also visually very conspicuous. The various materials have their pros and cons, too; brick and metal sound like the stronger materials at first blush, but using them in construction takes longer than wood, and they can be tougher to find. In touch-and-go battle situations when you need immediate cover, wood is usually the right call, while brick and metal are better saved for endgame fortifications when you expect to be in tougher fights.
Gear Up
As soon as you hit the ground, it's time to hunt for weapons, so head into a building and grab whatever's there. All your usable items go into one of five inventory slots, located on the bottom of your screen (that goes for guns, as well as health and support items). You'll want to get armed with whatever you can find straight away--but don't be afraid to drop things in favor of better weapons. Weapons come in several varieties. You'll find close-range shotguns and long-range assault and sniper rifles, as well as pistols, SMGs, and occasionally rocket launchers and more. Weapons also have rarity classifications: Weapons with white auras around them and white icons in your inventory are the most common and also the weakest; green are uncommon and a little better; blue are rare and better still; purple are epic; orange are legendary; and gold are mythic. As a general rule, the higher the tier of the gun--and the better it is. Rarer weapons are often more accurate and more powerful, and come with add-ons like silencers or scopes. Swap out more common guns for rarer ones during the course of the match to increase your firepower. You'll find a lot of these rarer guns in treasure chests, which are hidden in buildings. These are indicated by a glowing gold light and a humming sound, but they're usually hidden behind walls that you might have to destroy (or attics that you'll need to build stairs to reach). Always try to seek out chests, as they have valuable gear--such as bandages and shield potions--as well as guns. You'll definitely need all the supplies you can get if you want to be a contender in a match's late game.
Keep Quiet
The large scope of Fortnite: Battle Royale's island means that players can spread out quite a bit. Finding other people and avoiding detection are two of your main concerns in a given match, because it's easy to get ambushed or taken out from afar. Especially as matches go on and the play area contracts, you'll be closer to players--and they'll be able to hear you moving around, building, and shooting. Sound and silence are essential tools to victory, and good speakers or headphones is highly recommended to help you get a bead on what's happening around you and locating the source of sounds. Running is a noisy way to move around, and sprinting is even louder, and even kicks up some dust behind you. You can reduce your movement sounds by crouching and moving more slowly, but note that even rotating your character creates the sound of footsteps. Doors also make a ton of racket, but in Fortnite, you'll often find it's possible to jump through a window and avoid doors entirely. You'll also want to avoid shooting unless absolutely necessary, as the sound is like raising a flag on your location--although silenced weapons help with that issue a great deal. Finally, gathering resources with your pickaxe and building stuff makes a lot of noise, often for an extended period of time. These are essential to survival at Fortnite, but always be aware that when you smash or build things, you might be giving away your location.
Don't Fight Unless You're (Pretty) Sure You Can Win
Firefights in Fortnite, as in other Battle Royale games, can start out looking like clear victories and quickly become disasters. Your greatest advantage at all times is surprise, but you only have one life to live. This crucial fact means that often, it's better to ignore another player and stay hidden (if you can't get the jump on them), rather than attack them and risk losing it all, even when you have great weapons. Aiming in Fortnite is a little harrowing as well, which can make actually hitting other players tough at any kind of range. First off, you'll want to pick the right gun for the job: Up close, even a fairly common-level shotgun can be devastating with a headshot, while further away, assault rifles and sniper rifles can take people out before they know what hit them. Take your time, line up your shots, and make sure your opponent is within range so that you take them down before they can react. Survival is your most important goal, so use discretion: If you're not confident you'll be able to take down whoever's in your sights quickly and cleanly, you're probably better off letting them go.
Be Careful In The Open
Players used to PUBG know that the game often consists of sprinting across open ground, trying to get to a closing circle. In Fortnite, moving into the open is just as harrowing, because the cartoonish art style makes you more visible at a distance--and you can't get any lower to the ground than a crouch. This means picking your path when you move in the open is an essential skill to learn, and the players who live the longest typically minimize their time in the open or move smartly to different positions to avoid getting caught. First, use structures and cover like cliffs and boulders to your advantage, to protect your back or sides and limit the areas you have to keep an eye on. Next, move quickly while in the open, and carefully and slowly when you're in cover. The human eye is built to detect movement, so you're safest when you're not in motion. You can occasionally hide among pine trees or in bushes to make yourself even tougher to spot. You'll also want to make use of Fortnite's third-person perspective to position your character to peek around corners and through doorways before you enter them, and avoid walking into an ambush (or right into someone hiding in a corner, out of your line of sight). Another quick tip: Close doors behind you. It's an easy way to make it less obvious that you're in a building, and this makes it tougher for other players to track you.
Drink Shield Potions As Soon As You Find Them
Health in Fortnite: Battle Royale is divided into two types: your player health, which is a green bar on the bottom of your screen, and your shield, which is a blue bar--each topping out at 100 points. Shield depletes before health, and when your health is gone, you're dead. You won't start the match with a shield, however, so you'll have to find one. Treasure chests are the places where you'll often find health items--and in particular, blue shield potions. These take up a space in your limited inventory, and since you won't start the match with a shield, it's usually best to drink these as soon as you find them, as your shield lasts until it takes damage. Shield potions come in two types. Larger shield potions give you 50 shield points, and can be stacked twice to double your health; smaller shield potions give you 25 shield. Only the larger potions can push you up to 100, though: If you use two small shield potions, you'll top out at 50 shield points. Note that shields won't protect you from falling damage, so take care of yourself. If you can find health items like bandages and medkits, you'll likely want to hang onto them for later use (bandages give you 15 health to a max of 75, while medkits will heal you fully). A rarer healing item called Slurp Juice--which comes in a purple bottle--replenishes your shield and gives you back health over time at a rate of one point per second for 25 seconds, making it more versatile in a sticky situation. Even rarer Chug Jugs are also extremely useful, fully restoring your health and shield, but requiring 15 seconds of your time to use.
Watch For Player Buildings
As matches wear on, you're likely to start seeing player fortifications. The good news is that player buildings are usually square, blank, obvious towers... so you'll usually see them from a distance. They're great indicators of where players are staked out, so if you ever spot a tower or other fortification, you should absolutely approach it with caution--it usually means someone's waiting with a scoped rifle, hoping to take down passersby. Often, when you're on the ground and spot a tower, it's best to keep clear of it. Usually, fortifications suggest that players are well-stocked and ready for a fight from a distance--and if they're up high, they typically have a line-of-sight advantage. If you're looking to fight someone in a tower or other structure, you're going to want strong weapons. The newly added minigun can chew up materials like wood and brick pretty well, and tough-to-find rocket launchers can absolutely devastate fortifications. You should always try to bring the right tools for the job. Fall damage can play a big part in some of these fights. If you can destroy the bottom of stairs or the supports of a tower, you might be able to collapse it altogether, so pay attention to how you can use the environment and the construction to your advantage.
Never Trust Cover
No cover in Fortnite is foolproof. Just about everything in the game is destructible--not just player-constructed fortifications. Even buildings on the map can all be wrecked with the right weapons; locations that feel safe generally aren't, and every wall can be destroyed in the middle of battle. This means that even when you're hiding out or grabbing cover in a firefight, you should always be prepared to move, strafe, run, and otherwise do your best to avoid fire. Walls won't save you--and especially late in the game, the likelihood of someone bringing along a rocket launcher or minigun to a battle increases tremendously. Those things annihilate cover pretty easily, so learn not to rely on it. Mobility is often your greatest ally, so jump and build to give yourself additional advantages in battle.
Be Careful When Looting Defeated Players
Fights in Battle Royale games are almost always close calls that fill you with adrenaline, and taking down another player always comes with a rush of relief. Don't let your guard down, though; every time you fire your gun, you announce yourself, and the loot that players drop when they die makes those locations targets for other players. Immediately after winning a fight is when you need to be extra-careful. Instead of rushing up to a dead player and going through all their gear (which can leave you very vulnerable), it's often better to take a beat, grab cover, and survey the situation. Other players might be attracted to the gunfire or spot the loot as you're on your way to grab it, allowing them to get the drop on you. Similarly, you might be able to use the dead player's loot to get the drop on them. Being careful is key to survival in Fortnite: Battle Royale--so play smart, and always expect another player lurking nearby. The same goes for the supply drops, which occasionally get ejected into the sky by the party bus as it flies overhead. The drops have great loot, but almost always attract a lot of attention, so approach them carefully.
Use This Time To Learn
Most of these tips are geared toward teaching you how to keep yourself alive in Fortnite, and it can be tempting at the start to hole up inside a building deep in the circle with the first gun you find, trying to outlast everyone else. You might even find yourself getting into the top 10 players in a match without firing a shot. It's worth it to experiment in Fortnite: Battle Royale, especially early on. Learn your capabilities and get a handle on how other people play the game. In other words: Go get yourself killed. Finding good weapon locations, discovering how to use buildings effectively, and getting used to how guns handle in firefights is all part of what it takes to win in Battle Royale games. Fortnite matches pit you against 99 other players, so the likelihood that you're going to lose is extremely high. Embrace it, and use your first matches to build skills rather than hide out in an attempt to win. You'll do better in the long run when you start to learn the ins and outs of the game, as well as what you're comfortable with and how you can best succeed. You can also spectate other players once you're dead, which can clue you in on how more experienced players approach the game--it's a highly useful learning tool.
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