Sega has confirmed it will be releasing its Sega Genesis Classics Collection for PS4 and Xbox One this spring. It'll include more than 50 games from the company's iconic 16-bit system Genesis (or Mega Drive, for those outside North America). Fans can expect Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Shining Force, Virtua Fighter 2, and several games in the Phantasy Star and Streets of Rage series. Check out some of the games coming in the trailer below.
The collection looks to be similar to the existing Sega Genesis Classics Collection currently available for PC on Steam. The collection's new website also has a logo for Steam, so it seems PC players are also in line for the new compilation. Nintendo Switch players, however, won't be receiving their copy of the Collection. That system is notably left off the announcement, even though Sega has recently released other classically inspired titles on the Switch like Sonic Forces.
The Collection will also include some enhanced features, of course, like Rewind and a host of visual filters to keep the games looking authentic. There will be full multiplayer capabilities and Trophies/Achievements, and a special Mirror Mode that allows you play the game with the screen flipped horizontally for extra challenge.
The game's announcement came after the website Seganerds posted a trailer and screenshots from the collection, saying Sega posted them on its website last week. Sega told Game Informer a mistake had been made, and the media was posted before the collection was actually supposed to be announced. Sega Genesis Classics Collection will release for PS4 and Xbox One on May 29, and you can get a fill list of the games it includes below.
The Capital Wasteland Project, a fan project that was attempting to recreate Fallout 3 inside the framework of Fallout 4, has been canceled. The creator says that discussions with Bethesda made them realize that their plan was treading on treacherous legal ground, forcing them to call it off.
The project leader "NafNaf 95" shared a statement on Twitter (via Eurogamer) explaining the decision. "Recently we communicated with Bethesda regarding our planned method to implement the voice acting and other audio from Fallout 3 into the Capital Wasteland. During this conversation it became clear our planned approach would raise serious red flags that we had unfortunately not foreseen."
The letter goes on to state that the team attempted shifting its methods in various ways, including re-recording dialogue, or requiring Fallout 3 to be owned in conjunction with an audio extractor. Ultimately, though, the team came to the conclusion that there was no legal way they could continue the project as envisioned. The dialogue that was performed by the likes of Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman was seen as too crucial to the experience, so re-recording it with fan-actors was dubbed a non-starter.
In a more personal matter, the project head says that if the team were to continue the project, he would personally be held liable for any copyright infringement or piracy claims.
"Projects like this have always existed in a grey area of the law..." the letter read. "If at any point in the future it becomes fully legal for us to continue working with the blessing of Bethesda and Zenimax, we will."
Ubisoft has rolled out another big update for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands. The New Assignment patch is now available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, following a temporarily delay on the latter due to some "last-minute issues."
New Assignment is the fourth big content update for Ghost War thus far. Depending on which version of the game you're playing, you may need up to 15 GB of free memory on consoles to install it, while the Steam and Uplay versions require 4 GB and 15 GB, respectively. New Assignment introduces the usual assortment of new content to the game, most notably three additional classes: Trapper, Stalker, and Guerrilla.
Both the Trapper and Stalker are sniper classes, though each has very distinct abilities. The former is able to use knock-out gas traps from a distance and passively marks down opponents on the HUD and map for your entire team; the latter gives off no sound indicators from a far enough distance, and any enemies who have been marked will not receive a notification. The Guerrilla, meanwhile, is a support class that has a drone capable of shooting smoke grenades.
On top of the new classes, the update adds two more maps for Extraction mode: Refinery and Cliffside. The former is described as the "largest cocaine lab in Bolivia" and features multiple pathways; the latter is a former Rebel stronghold with tall buildings that provide great sniping vantage points.
Ubisoft has also implemented a number of bug fixes and a new map-voting tool that allows players to vote on one of three maps at the start of a match. You can find the full patch notes for the New Assignment update on the official Ghost Recon: Wildlands website.
As previously announced, Final Fantasy XV protagonist Noctis is set to be the next playable DLC character in Tekken 7. The original announcement pegged him for a Spring 2018 release, and it turns out his arrival is right around the corner on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Bandai Namco has announced that the Noctis DLC launches for all three platforms on March 20. It shared the date alongside a new trailer that provides our best look yet at the fighting game version of the character. You can check that out below; it showcases Noctis's arsenal of weapons, which looks to consist primarily of his Royal Arms from FFXV.
The Noctis DLC consists of more than just a new character. As seen in the trailer, it also comes with a new stage, Hammerhead, which is set at the gas station of the same name from FFXV--you can even see Cindy standing around in the background. Noctis also gets several unique costumes, including the Casual Outfit, Royal Raiment, Fighting King's Raiment, and the most ridiculous of the bunch, Choco-Mog Style, which puts him in the same attire as FFXV's Moogle Chocobo Carnival update.
A price for the Noctis DLC was not shared, although the previously released Geese Howard DLC sells for $8/£6.49. One thing to be aware of is that Noctis will not appear in Tekken 7's story mode, though as you can see in the images above, you can go bowling as him.
Hollywood doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to adapting video games into movies. Whether it's Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, or Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, most video game movies are trashed by critics and see little box office success. Is the new take on Tomb Raider, starring Alicia Vikander, the one that will change the tide, though?
The reviews for the new film have arrived and, thus far, they're better than you might expect. While Tomb Raider will definitely not be in contention at the Oscars in 2019, many critics seem to think it's decent action movie fare and better than most video game adaptations. Of course, not everyone loves the movie they saw.
Currently, Tomb Raider is sitting at a score of 46 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Take a look at a sampling of the reviews below to find out whether this is a movie you want to spend your time on.
Movie: Tomb Raider
Studio: Warner Bros.
Release Date: March 16
GameSpot
"To say exactly where the story goes that makes Tomb Raider so unique would be a spoiler, but let's just say it stays surprisingly grounded. That's a word you can apply to more or less the whole movie. Much of the action is heightened to unbelievable proportions, though no more so than in the 2013 Tomb Raider game, which was widely praised for its 'gritty realism.' The movie is a direct adaptation of that game, and it more than does it justice, even surpassing it in many ways." -- Michael Rougeau [Full Review]
The Associated Press
"The film not-so-subtly borrows from a half dozen better films, but even so, there are definitely ways the story of Tomb Raider might have been improved. Lara is for all her gumption, a pretty passive protagonist, for one.
As it stands, though, Tomb Raider is an often fun and visually compelling action pic, that is also sometimes unintentionally silly, with a great actress leading the whole thing." -- Lindsey Barh [Full Review]
Consequences of Sound
"For all the stigma attached to video-game adaptations, it would be a shame for Tomb Raider's many charms to go forgotten. The Tomb Raider games had long ago shorn the elements that made Lara Croft such a gaming punchline, so it's nice to see the films following suit. Vikander is a beautifully effective avatar for the American Ninja Warrior version of Lara Croft. Stripping down the bombast of the original games (and films) allows Uthaug's reboot to feel comparatively grounded and immediate, without dragging itself down with unnecessary pathos." -- Clint Worthington [Full Review]
IGN
"At its best, Tomb Raider is a passable action movie. It has some cool fight scenes and a neat tomb to raid. But this iteration of iconic adventurer Lara Croft misses the mark by reducing her identity to her relationship with her missing father and her physical prowess. This movie may directly lift many elements from the excellent 2013 video game reboot, but it disappointingly chooses not to adapt what made Lara an interesting and deep character." -- Miranda Sanchez [Full Review]
The Wrap
"Since the genre of video games-turned-into-feature films has inflicted some real doozies on audiences, Tomb Raider towers above most of its peers by being merely OK. By any other measure, this is a saga of fits and starts, and we can only hope for smoother sailing if the film inspires the sequels it clearly hopes to engender." -- Alonso Duralde [Full Review]
IndieWire
"Despite a fresher heroine, Tomb Raider still has all sorts of retrograde video game movie tropes. A cheesy voiceover serves as dunderheaded prologue, and all but consumes the narrative motion of the second act; flashbacks get out of hand in their attempts to round out Lara and Richard's relationship." -- Kate Erbland [Full Review]
This week marks the launch of Kirby Star Allies, the pink puffball's debut adventure on Switch and Nintendo's big marquee release of March. Much like other installments in the long-running series, Star Allies is a side-scrolling platformer featuring a variety of colorful stages and bosses, which players must overcome using Kirby's signature Copy powers.
That isn't the only trick in Kirby's repertoire this time, however. Star Allies also introduces the ability to throw hearts at enemies, which allows Kirby to befriend up to three of them (who can be controlled either by the AI or other players) to work alongside him in each stage.
The emphasis on recruiting enemies sets Star Allies apart from other Kirby games. GameSpot critic Peter Brown called the mechanic "a welcome change that keeps the otherwise traditional gameplay fresh" in our Kirby Star Allies review and praised the game as "just relentlessly charismatic."
With its release quickly approaching, other reviews for Kirby Star Allies have begun appearing online, a sample of which you can find below. For a wider look at what critics are saying about the new Kirby Switch game, be sure to check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: Kirby Star Allies
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: March 16
Price: $60 / £50
GameSpot -- 8/10
"Star Allies is yet another Kirby game, but it's up there with some of the best. It's an artistic showcase, and a great opportunity for co-op platforming. The one real complaint you can levy at it is that it gates off its more challenging aspects, but the fact that they are present to begin with will please anyone who's grown weary of the series' painless platforming." -- Peter Brown [Full review]
IGN -- 8.3/10
"The name Kirby Star Allies isn't just for show. Whether you're adventuring through Dream Land with up to three friends or playing with competent AI teammates, Kirby's ever-rotating group of uniquely powered pals are the real stars of the show here. The creative ways you can combine abilities never gets old, which means there's great potential for replayability especially with friends. I just wish the final boss battle hadn't come just as the puzzles were starting to give me a challenge." -- Brendan Graeber [Full review]
Eurogamer -- Recommended
"There are some caveats, of course--after the 60 FPS action of the 3DS outings for Kirby, it's a strangely retrograde experience seeing Star Allies stick to something around 30 FPS for its action, a move that smarts all the more seeing as the game's menus and post-level screens play out at 60 FPS themselves. There's also the fact that many will bounce off Kirby's soft edges, not seeing the point of a game in which you're caressed through and one that never really asks too much of the player. It's kid's stuff, really--but if you've any love left for the kinds of far-fetched wonder we all used to play as kids, then Kirby Star Allies can be pretty sensational." -- Martin Robinson [Full review]
US Gamer -- 4/5
"I suppose Star Allies' biggest compliment is also its most obvious flaw: It's a Kirby game. By now, you ought to know if you love the little guy, or if you can live the rest of your life without touching another one of his games. While anyone who's just not into Kirby should pass on Star Allies, I can confidently say the series' fans are about to make a whole bunch of great new pals. Just try to hold off on eating them until you're really desperate." -- Nadia Oxford [Full review]
Game Informer -- 6.25/10
"Star Allies gets credit for a great soundtrack, great controls, and an epic finale. Even if the visuals are the epitome of generic Kirby, they look sharp. HAL delivers a polished Kirby experience here that plays well, but it ultimately amounts to a forgettable adventure that demands so little from the player that I sometimes felt like I was barely involved at all." -- Kyle Hilliard [Full review]
Polygon -- 7/10
"While it lacks the substance to properly satisfy longtime Kirby fans, Star Allies does at least seem genuinely earnest in its underlying belief in the power of friendship. The game is frequently chaotic and a touch under-baked, but it's hard to be too upset at a game where you can break down long-standing bonds of enmity and heal foes with a kiss. Even if it's on the brief and simple side, Star Allies demonstrates the polish and personality you've come to expect from the series. It's a kid-friendly romp through the franchise's most memorable moments, and the asymmetric gameplay and lively spirit of Kirby's latest journey make it a great way to introduce a new generation of fans to the series." -- Jeremy Parish [Full review]
It's been nearly 15 years since Rob Zombie's first feature film, House of 1000 Corpses, hit theaters in 2003. It was followed in 2005 by the sequel The Devil's Rejects, a film that seemingly wrapped up the demented saga of the Firefly family. Since then, Zombie directed movies like The Lords of Salem, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, and a reboot of the Halloween franchise. Now the musician and director is going back to his filmmaking roots with the return of the Firefly clan in his new movie, Three From Hell.
Zombie announced on Instagram that his latest film is already in production, writing, "It's all true! Day One shooting Three From Hell! The murder and madness continues." Tagged in the photo are Devil's Rejects star Sheri Moon Zombie--Rob's wife--and Bill Moseley, who played Otis Driftwood in previous films.
The bigger question is how a movie involving the Firefly family can even happen. After all, The Devil's Rejects ending with the three surviving members being gunned down by police. Given that Zombie is positioning the film as a sequel to The Devil's Rejects--as evidenced by the official T-shirt he already has for sale--chances are there will be some kind of supernatural explanation behind why they are resurrected.
Given that production is just now getting underway, there is no announced release date or additional cast information for Three From Hell. It's worth noting, though, that Zombie has seemingly been teasing the movie's announcement by posting a variety of behind-the-scenes photos from both House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, which you can see on Instagram.
Ubisoft is getting ready to release the fourth big content update for Ghost Recon Wildlands tomorrow, but one platform will be MIA. The company says that due to some last-minute issues, the PC version has been delayed. The "New Assignment" update is still coming to PS4 and Xbox One as planned. The update adds three new classes for Ghost War, two new maps, and a map-voting tool. [Update: The patch is now available on all platforms.]
The three classes are the Trapper, Stalker, and Guerrilla. The Trapper is a sniper class that can use knock-out traps from a distance and passively marks downed enemies on his teammates' HUD. The Stalker is another sniper type, with the passive ability of giving off no sound indicators from a far enough distance, and not notifying enemies who have been marked. The Guerrilla is a support class with a drone equipped with smoke grenades, which can provide temporary cover or blind an enemy in a pinch.
It will also introduce two new maps for Extraction mode: Refinery and Cliffside. Alongside those is the new map-voting tool, which will allow players to vote on one of three maps at the start of a match. The maps presented will always show three different game modes, as well as time of day and weather settings.
These updates come alongside a cache of tweaks and bug fixes, as well as an in-game t-shirt to celebrate the game's first anniversary. The PC version is still coming, naturally. Ubisoft promised to "let you know as soon as possible when the update will be available for PC," and apologized for the inconvenience.
The new Tomb Raider is a pretty good action movie and a better than average video game adaptation, with a stunning performance from Oscar winner Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. What really elevates it, though, are a couple of extremely specific story and design decisions that set it apart from all its contemporaries, from Indiana Jones and Uncharted to past Tomb Raider games and movies.
To say exactly where the story goes that makes Tomb Raider so unique would be a spoiler, but let's just say it stays surprisingly grounded.
That's a word you can apply to more or less the whole movie. Much of the action is heightened to unbelievable proportions, though no more so than in the 2013 Tomb Raider game, which was widely praised for its "gritty realism." The movie is a direct adaptation of that game, and it more than does it justice, even surpassing it in many ways.
Like the 2013 game (which itself was a major series reboot), the 2018 Tomb Raider movie follows a younger, less experienced Lara Croft in an origin story that sees her transforming by necessity into the skilled adventurer who gamers know and love. The film does a great job providing plausible explanations for Lara's many talents; as a young bicycle courier and amateur MMA fighter in London, Lara has the reflexes and athleticism she'll later use to scale rock walls and parkour her way through ancient tombs. And Vikander totally sells every punch, leap, and plunge, her amazingly chiseled muscles flexing and straining impressively throughout the movie.
Lara's father, Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), has been missing for several years when we catch up with her in the movie. But she hasn't yet signed the papers that would give her control of his vast business empire and wealthy estate, out of a combination of determined independence and a stubborn refusal to admit he really isn't coming back. When she discovers new clues to where he disappeared to, she pawns what little she has (to a very funny Nick Frost) and hurls herself headlong in search of him.
That means heading to coastal Asia, where she tracks down (a little too easily, but whatever) the same boat that her dad chartered seven years earlier. She convinces the captain, Lu Ren (the underused but great Daniel Wu), to take her to the dangerous Devil's Sea, where her father's been stranded alongside the ruthless mercenary Mathias Vogel (the perfectly despicable Walton Goggins).
Tomb Raider suffers slightly from trying to cram too much in. It's stuffed full of action sequences, at least one of which probably should have been cut (the early chase scene where some kids rob her, maybe?). There's a cold open featuring her dad's voiceover explaining the mythology of the deadly Japanese goddess Himiko as maps and etchings scroll by on the screen, a tedious info dump that, incredibly, is then repeated later in the film when she uncovers all his research. And while the movie spends plenty of time establishing Lara as a character, it spends considerably less on the villain, Vogel, who remains fairly two-dimensional despite some quick lines about wanting to get off the island and see his family again.
Any empathy you might have felt for Vogel is derailed when he compares Lara to his daughters while being extremely creepy toward her. Thankfully, Lara is never explicitly threatened with sexual violence in this movie, which you might consider an improvement from some of the game's more ambiguous scenes. On the other hand, when a lone young woman is being hunted and restrained by multiple beefy, exclusively male bad guys, the implication--the possibility it might happen, despite it being unstated--remains. Some viewers might find it disappointing that Tomb Raider doesn't totally overcome that subtext, while others will simply consider it realistic.
But even when this movie threatens to sink in some areas, Vikander buoys the whole thing up admirably. The Ex Machina and The Danish Girl actress clearly put an incredible amount of physical work into making this character believable. It paid off in action scenes that feel just possible enough, even when they verge on unbelievable. Many of these, including a harrowing trip down river rapids toward a towering waterfall, are ripped straight from the game, to which the movie owes a great deal. Seeing them play out onscreen is fun for game fans, but they're not done simply for the sake of lip service, and non-gaming moviegoers should be just as engrossed.
Vikander also brings her considerable emotional range to the role, lending Lara the right amounts of vulnerability and raw feeling when required. Her ability to switch from a young woman who misses her father to a stealthy bow-wielding killing machine--and back again, multiple times--is impressive.
Her general skepticism, too, plays a huge part in grounding this movie in reality. She finds it just as implausible as you or I would that an ancient Queen of Death is going to spring out of her tomb and murder everyone on the planet; Lara isn't there to stop the curse, but to find and/or rescue her father, who she believes is at least partially insane for believing Himiko poses a real threat to the world. That aspect of her character pays off effectively by the movie's end, and it's one of the things that most sets this incarnation of Tomb Raider apart.
Maybe the weirdest thing about this movie--good or bad--is how closely it follows the plot of one predecessor in the "archaeological adventure" genre, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In each movie, a reluctant, skeptical adventurer uses their missing father's research to track him down, inadvertently delivering that research directly into the hands of ruthless foes. They then must temporarily team up with said enemies to ensure their father's safety, using the research to pass a series of booby-trapped trials and reach a mythical something-or-other deep in the bowels of a long lost temple.
Tomb Raider holds up well on its own--and next to the 2013 game on which it's based--but understandably, it can't really compare with the classic movie it copies most heavily. This juxtaposition winds up especially unfavorable for Tomb Raider when you realize that unlike Indiana Jones, Lara Croft has no iconic (or even recognizable) theme music. This movie has plenty of fist pump moments, but you'll eventually realize they're not as impactful without that memorable "dun-dun-dun-duhhh!"
Nevertheless, Tomb Raider is a great video game adaptation and a decent action movie on its own, elevated by smart story choices and a winning performance from Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. Here's hoping she's down for a sequel.
The Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection does a lot to celebrate 30 years of the series' focus on one-on-one fighting action. While Capcom has released other fighting game collections in the past, such as Street Fighter Anniversary Collection and Street Fighter Alpha Anthology, the 30th Anniversary Collection is by far the most robust compilation package ever released for the series. We recently had the chance to check out the upcoming collection ahead of its May release to all of its offerings. In addition to getting hands-on with the Nintendo Switch-exclusive Tournament Mode, we dived a bit further into the collection, and got to see just what makes this particular package so special.
The clear focus in the collection is highlighting the many major milestones of the 2D era. Featuring 12 of Street Fighter's greatest hits, the package includes the original Street Fighter, Street Fighter Alpha 1-3, Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter II: Turbo, all three versions of Street Fighter III (SFIII, 2nd Impact, and 3rd Strike), and much more. As direct ports of the arcade releases, each game retains much of what hardcore fans can expect from the original games as they were in their traditional arcade cabinets.
Speaking of which, the collection also features a selection of filters and options for how you wish to view each game. Along with the old-fashioned normal mode, you can switch over to arcade and TV filters that show CRT-style scanlines and television tube-like curvature to each game, giving a more retro feel. A significant feature added to several of the games is the inclusion of online play for SFII Turbo: Hyper Fighting, Super Turbo, Alpha 3, and Street Fighter III 3rd Strike. With ranked matching and casual play supporting up to four players, you'll be able to dive into online matches against other hardcore SF fans. Unfortunately, only these select titles are online-enabled. According to the developers, they focused on offering online play for the most popular entries in the series, instead of having empty online lobbies for the least active games in the package.
The 30th Anniversary collection will also come to the Nintendo Switch--which will have a console-exclusive mode. Called the Tournament Mode, up to 8 players (across four different Switch consoles connected locally) will be able to compete against one another in Super Street Fighter II Tournament Edition as they fight their way up the ladder. During our session, we started off by picking one character and competed against the opposing player. After one round, the match finish screen instructs each player to move over to a new spot on the connected Switch units, bringing their chosen fighter and current progress with them. It sort of felt like a game of musical chairs, except with quick matches of Street Fighter. Though it felt a bit gimmicky, it's a neat feature for the Switch, and it could be a neat diversion when you have some friends around and some time to kill.
Along with the suite of games, the Anniversary Collection also comes with a special Museum Mode detailing the history and lore of the Street Fighter series. With a viewable Street Fighter Timeline, you can examine entries for each Street Fighter game along with factoids about their respective ports and the resulting impact for the franchise. Moreover, the timeline also details proposed side-games, such as how Street Fighter '89 eventually became Final Fight, along with some developer notes and art about each major milestone in the series. The bonus mode also features detailed information about each member of the roster, along with an incredibly detailed sprite viewer where you can inspect each character's individual animations for various moves across multiple games. Seeing the difference in detail between Chun-li's Hurricane Kick from the original Street Fighter II to 3rd Strike shows how much the series has improved over the years, giving some added respect for the craft that went into each title.
It was fun going through each game and checking out what they had to offer in today's age. Each entry is represented well, even featuring detailed facts about their development along with a showing of each game's arcade specific attract mode during your pre-game selection. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection looks to be the most ambitious compilation the series has seen yet, and a surprisingly educational one as well. The series has been through a lot over the years, and seeing the essential games on display in all their glory offers some neat perspective on how much the series has held up over time, and how it still remains one of the most respected franchises out there.
Microsoft has officially confirmed its plans for E3 2018. Rather than have its usual presence inside the Los Angeles Convention Center, where E3 takes place, Microsoft is moving the bulk of its efforts across the street to the nearby Microsoft Theater in LA Live. The company says this will make for the company's "biggest E3 showing ever."
First up at the Microsoft Theater will be Microsoft's E3 press conference, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 10, at 1 PM PT. Following that, it will host Xbox FanFest events, hands-on demos for E3 attendees, and more. "Not only does the Microsoft Theater allow us to centralize our Xbox presence at E3, but its size enables us to include even more fans and partners in the Xbox E3 2018 Briefing than ever before," said corporate VP Mike Nichols in an Xbox Wire post.
The announcement makes it clear that the move was made in collaboration with the ESA, no doubt to avoid spurring discussions about E3's demise. Microsoft also points out that it won't be absent entirely from the official E3 show floor, as it will have a booth for its streaming service, Mixer.
"These changes--expanding our presence, multiple venues, taking over the Microsoft Theater--give us the opportunity to bring together a variety of Xbox experiences into one primary location and, most importantly, let fans in on what we're up to in 2018 and beyond in a fresh new way," Nichols said.
At this point, we have little idea of what to expect from Microsoft's E3 showing. Whereas last year we knew that Xbox One X (then Project Scorpio) would be a major highlight, this year's show remains more of a mystery. Xbox boss Phil Spencer said in January that there would be some "positive changes" at E3 for Microsoft, which may have been a reference to the just-announced move. One possibility is the announcement of Halo 6, which has been discussed but not formally revealed. Microsoft is also said to be working on a PlayStation Now-like game-streaming service.
Fortnite's newest patch has been delayed. Update 3.3 was supposed to go live on March 14, but developer Epic ran into an unspecified "issue," so the studio is delaying the patch until it can fix it. Epic added that it is currently working on a solution and will announce more details on its progress as information becomes available.
There is no word about everything in the 3.3 update, but the developer did tease that players will be able to come across a Supply Llama in Battle Royale. The update may also include remote explosives, a newly revealed item that players will be able to detonate from a distance.
We discovered an issue that will prevent us from releasing v3.3 tomorrow, March 14. We're working on solving that problem now and will update you once we know more.
Teams of 20 has been available in Fortnite since earlier this month. The mode pits five teams against each other, with each team containing 20 players. You can watch a trailer for the mode in the video embed above.
Developer Epic releases limited-time modes for Fortnite on a semi-regular basis. One of the previous ones was called Solid Gold, which made every item in the game Legendary. We can only imagine what limited-time mode will come next.
Epic recently announced it is bringing Fortnite: Battle Royale to mobile. Those with iOS devices can now sign up for a chance to take part in an exclusive invite event. If you're curious to see how the game runs on mobile, you can check out the first gameplay footage of Fortnite on iOS here.
Capcom has finally detailed the first major free update for Monster Hunter World. It arrives later this month and introduces the much-anticipated Deviljho monster--along with accompanying gear to craft--plus a variety of other changes and additions.
Prior to World's release, Deviljho (a returning monster for the series) was confirmed to be the first big addition through free, post-launch updates. Aside from having a different foe to hunt, you'll be able to use the parts from it to craft two full armor sets, Vangis α and Vangis β. Additionally, there will be a new "entry" for all 14 weapon types, which Capcom says on its blog include brand-new designs for Sword and Shield, Hunting Horn, Bow, Insect Glaive, and Charge Blade. You can see some of this gear below.
Deviljho will be released as part of a broader update launching on March 22 for PS4 (version 2.00) and Xbox One (version 2.0.0.0). The patch will also make balance changes to almost every weapon type, primarily those of the melee variety. For instance, Great Sword will get a buff to damage with Charged Slash abilities, while Gunlance will get an attack damage increase and a reduction to the amount of sharpness lost when shelling.
Capcom is also addressing complaints about online griefing, where players prevent their teammates from carving, thus robbing them of rewards. With this update installed, allies can no longer interrupt the carving animation, and players become immune to all hit reactions while carving after a quest is complete. Additionally, a new option to return to the gathering hub in single-player or to disband and return to the gathering hub in multiplayer have been added to the Return Destination menu after finishing a quest. You can see a full list of announced changes at the bottom of this post; full patch notes will be shared closer to the update's release.
Before the update arrives, Capcom will distribute a free Character Edit Voucher on March 16. This will be available from the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store as a one-use item that lets you modify your character's gender and physical appearance, but not you or your Palico's name or your Palico's appearance. Additional vouchers will be available for purchase "at a later date" if you decide you want to make changes again after using the freebie.
Finally, Capcom unveiled details of the game's Mega Man crossover gear (available through a quest from April 13-27) and the winner of the community's weapon design contest (available starting April 6). These will come during the Spring Blossom event that runs from April 6-20 and offers "daily fun activities" and a new look for the Gathering Hub, as seen in the images below.
Monster Hunter World March 22 Update
Weapon Balance Changes
Great Sword: increased the damage for Charged Slash abilities.
Long Sword: improvements to Foresight Slash input timing and hitbox detection.
Sword & Shield: Roundslash damage increased and improved slinger usability
Dual Blades: adjustments to help maintain Demon Gauge active
Hammer: adjusted the stun values on charged attacks
Hunting Horn: general attack power increase
Lance: Counter-thrust adjustment to increase ease of use
Gunlance: Reduced sharpness loss for shelling, and made some attack power increases
Switch Axe: Zero Sum Discharge adjustments to increase ease of use
Charge Blade: balance adjustments to Impact Phial and Power Element Phial
Insect Glaive: improvements to extract attack power increase and extract effect length
Bow: fixed various bugs
Light Bowgun: no adjustments were made
Heavy Bowgun: no adjustments were made
Other Changes
Attacks from allies no longer interrupt you during the carving animation. Additionally, players are now immune to all hit reactions, including bombs, during carving animations after quest completion.
Added "Return to Gathering Hub" (single player) and "Disband & Return to Gathering Hub" (multiplayer) to the options for "Select Return Destination" after a quest has been completed.
Added the "Text Size" setting for changing subtitle text size, under Start Menu > Options Game Settings.
Now that the digital release of Star Wars: The Last Jedihas arrived, the film's deleted scenes are available for everyone to see. Whether you were a fan of the movie or not, the deleted material provides some interesting insight into director Rian Johnson's original vision for The Last Jedi.
For instance, while the final version of the film didn't show much of Luke Skywalker's (Mark Hamill) reaction to learning that Han Solo was dead, one of the deleted scenes fixes that. The removed moment finds the wayward Jedi sitting in his hut on Ahch-To, crying over what is believed to be the loss of his friend.
Another scene on the planet finds the Caretakers having a celebration in Luke's tiny village, which the elder Jedi uses as a ruse to convince Rey (Daisy Ridley) they're being raided. When she runs to the rescue, he points out her kind of heroism is what the Resistance needs--not an old and dead belief system like the Jedi. This particular piece of film may not seem all that important but would have gone a long way in showing the fracture between Rey and Luke before she finally leaves his planet to return to her friends.
While those two scenes are deeply invested in the movie's plot, others would have injected some silliness into the film--especially one that includes a cameo from Venom star Tom Hardy. It's been reported for over a year that Hardy had filmed a small appearance in the movie before a photo of him in a stormtrooper costume surfaced.
In Hardy's appearance, his stormtrooper recognizes Finn (John Boyega) from their time training together in the First Order while the Resistance member is infiltrating Snoke's (Andy Serkis) ship with Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) and DJ (Benicio del Toro). While they think their cover is blown at first, the rather charismatic stormtrooper instead congratulated Finn on becoming an officer and slaps him on the butt.
It's a very funny scene that would have felt out of place in the final film, but it does hammer home a point made in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Under their intimidating armor, the stormtroopers are people. It's easy to view them as a faceless legion of evil, but this scene and Finn himself show that's just not the case.
You can take a look at all of The Last Jedi's deleted scenes, including an alternate opening to the film, now through digital release. The movie will release on Blu-ray on March 27.
Nintendo has pushed out the newest Nintendo Switch firmware update. Version 5.0.0 was released today, and it includes some welcome changes and more.
In terms of new stuff, the update adds a whopping 24 new Arms and Kirby player icons (you can see some in the embedded tweet below). As for new or improved features, with the update applied, the digital games you buy from Nintendo's website or on your smartphone should begin downloading faster on your console, even if your Switch is in Sleep mode. Additionally, you can now filter news from the feed to only show unread messages or content from a specific channel of your choosing.
Also new in the update is that Captured videos in your Album are now subject to parental controls if you have those set up. Additionally, the Pro Controller grip colours will now show up in the Controllers menu, which is pretty cool. You can see the full patch notes below, as posted on Nintendo's website.
To view your friend suggestions, from the top left of the HOME Menu head to your User Page > Friend Suggestions
You must be 13 or older to use this feature
Select from 24 new ARMS and the Kirby series icons for your user
To edit your user icon, head to your My Page on the top left of the Home Menu > Profile
Digital software purchases made from a PC or smart device will start downloading sooner than previously, even if the Nintendo Switch console is in Sleep Mode
Filter News to view only unread news or news from specific channels
To keep the Parental Controls PIN private, the default method for PIN entry has been changed to entering using the Control Stick and buttons instead of the on-screen number pad
When prompted to enter you Parental Controls PIN, press and hold the + Button to change between input methods
Captured videos in the Album will be restricted by Parental Controls depending on the Restricted Software setting and Software Rating Organization
We're approaching the midway point of the month, which means it's nearly time for the latest Games With Gold shake-up. Some of the current Xbox One and Xbox 360 freebies will be replaced by a new set of free games on March 16, making this your last opportunity to claim several games if you're an Xbox Live Gold member.
On the Xbox One side, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India will be returning to its regular price. This Assassin's Creed spin-off, which takes the form of a 2.5D action-platformer set in the 19th century, was originally one of February's freebies that extended into March. It's one of two free Xbox One games available through Games With Gold in March, though the other--Trials of the Blood Dragon--is free through the end of March.
The other freebie that's expiring this week is Disney's Brave, the video game adaptation of the 2012 animated film. It puts you in the shoes of the movie's star, Merida, in mythical Scotland. Although it's an Xbox 360 game, it's also playable on Xbox One through backwards compatibility, giving owners of that platform two games to make sure they claim.
Once those games cycle out, two new freebies will arrive: Xbox One gets the excellent shooter Superhot, while Xbox 360 (and One through backwards compatibility) gets the puzzle-based first-person game Quantum Conundrum. If that's not enough for you, there are new Xbox One game deals now available on the Xbox Store.
March is now underway, which means players have a slew of new titles to look forward to. In contrast to last month, which was dominated by remasters and re-releases like Shadow of the Colossus and Bayonetta 2, March is filled with some of the year's most anticipated sequels, including Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom and Far Cry 5. On top of those games, players will be able to pick up some intriguing original titles like A Way Out and the crime-solving Pokemon game Detective Pikachu on 3DS this month.
Below, you can find a roundup of the biggest games set to arrive on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and 3DS in March 2018. For a full look at all of the major titles coming to each platform throughout the rest of the year, check out our comprehensive 2018 game release date list.
Kirby Star Allies (Switch) -- March 16
This month's big Switch exclusive is Kirby Star Allies, the first Kirby game developed for Nintendo's hybrid console. Like most of the puffball's previous adventures, Star Allies is a side-scrolling platformer through the colorful world of Dream Land, which is under attack by a dark new force. On top of his signature copy ability, Kirby can now toss hearts at enemies to turn them into allies, who can be controlled by up to three other players for co-op platforming.
EA's innovative co-op game, A Way Out, arrives on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 23. Developed by Hazelight, the studio founded by the creators of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Way Out puts players in the roles of Leo and Vincent, two former convicts on the lam after breaking out of prison. What makes the game unique is that it can only be played cooperatively, either locally or online, as both players need to work in tandem to outrun the police and survive outside of prison.
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4, PC) -- March 23
After several delays, Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is finally slated to arrive on PS4 and PC this month. The sequel to PS3's beloved RPG Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Revenant Kingdom takes place hundreds of years after the first game and follows the story of Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, the deposed boy-king of Ding Dong Dell who sets off to found his own kingdom. The game also features a completely revamped battle system, as well as kingdom-building and real-time strategy elements.
Ubisoft's controversial new Far Cry game, Far Cry 5, arrives near the tail end of March, closing the month out in spectacular fashion. Set in Hope County, Montana, an isolated mountain region overrun by a cult of religious extremists known as Eden's Gate, the ambitious first-person shooter features a vast open world and plenty of over-the-top heroes and villains, including a murderous grizzly bear named Cheeseburger. The game also supports online co-op, allowing you to take down zealots with a friend.
Capcom has unveiled a new crossover costume for Monster Hunter World. Coinciding with the release of Devil May Cry HD Collection, the publisher announced a set of Devil May Cry-inspired gear for the monster-slaying co-op game, which will allow players to dress their hunters like Dante. You can watch the fittingly bizarre announcement trailer for the gear above.
Along with Dante's distinctive leather coat and hair, players can get his sword, the Force Edge. The sword falls under the Charge Blade category in Monster Hunter World, though it functions a bit differently from others of its kind. Where other Charge Blades typically come with a shield that can be combined with the sword into a giant axe, the Force Edge eschews a shield completely (although Capcom says you'll still be able to guard while it's equipped), and it can instead turn into a giant Alastor.
Capcom hasn't detailed when the Dante gear will be available in Monster Hunter World, but players will have to craft it with the materials earned from completing a related Event Quest, as has been the case with the other crossover costumes in the game. Unlike the PS4-exclusive Horizon Zero Dawn gear, the Devil May Cry armor will be available to all Monster Hunter World players on PS4 and Xbox One.
This reveal coincides with the launch of Devil May Cry HD Collection, which is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game is a re-release of the 2012 HD Collection, which assembled the first three Devil May Cry titles together into one package. "The HD Collection is a solid way to experience the original games for those that haven't already," GameSpot critic Alessandro Fillari said of the compilation. You can read more in our Devil May Cry HD Collection impressions.
In addition to the Devil May Cry gear, Capcom has previously announced a set of Street Fighter costumes for Monster Hunter World. PS4 players who had save data for Street Fighter V had a chance to get the Ryu armor early, although it will return again at a later date for all Monster Hunter World players. The second Horizon event quest, meanwhile, is available right now until March 15 exclusively for the PS4 version. You can find out exactly how to unlock Aloy's armor and bow in our guide.
A lot of new content is on the way soon to Monster Hunter World. In addition to the game's first big update next week, which adds the returning monster Deviljho and makes an assortment of balance changes to almost every weapon type, players have a few new events to look forward to in the near future.
Early next month, Capcom will kick off the Spring Blossom Fest, the first seasonal event in Monster Hunter World. The festival begins on April 5 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET (12 AM GMT on April 6) and runs until the same time on April 19.
During the Spring Blossom Fest, the Gathering Hub will be decked out with flowers and other springtime decorations. Players will also be able to participate in "daily fun activities." Capcom will share more details closer to the event, but in the meantime, you can take a look at some screenshots of the made over Gathering Hub below.
Capcom will also hold two new Event Quests during the Spring Blossom Festival. The first is for the Wyvern Ignition Great Sword, the winner of the community Weapon Design Contest. The event coincides with the start of the Spring Blossom Fest on April 6. You can take a look at the concept art and in-game render of the sword below.
Following shortly after the Wyvern Ignition Great Sword, players will be able to take on an Event Quest for the retro Mega Man armor. Capcom hasn't shared any details yet about what the quest will entail, but it will be available from April 13-27 and reward players with tickets to craft the voxel-style gear for their Palico; when equipped, it will play different classic Mega Man tunes depending on what weapon you're using. You can take another look at it in the trailer above.
Capcom is rolling out the first big update for Monster Hunter World on March 22. The publisher also recently announced a set of Devil May Cry-inspired armor and weapons, although there's currently no word on when its corresponding Event Quest will be available in the game. Until then, players have one last chance to get the Horizon Zero Dawn gear and the stylish Shadow Shades α sunglasses.
Grand Theft Auto V has topped the UK physical sales charts once again this week, according to sales monitor Chart-Track. For the week ending March 10, the open-world game was the best-selling game in the UK, and it's the 15th time the game has reached No.1 since its original launch in September 2013.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of UKIE and Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider's release date appears to have been leaked. The official Tomb Raider website is currently displaying a countdown, presumably to a full reveal, but the site's source code shows the game will launch for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on September 14, 2018.
"Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the climactic finale of Lara's origin story," the source code reads. "Available September 14, 2018." Additionally, the code lists PS4, Xbox One, and PC as available platforms, which is interesting given the most recent game in the series, Rise of the Tomb Raider, launched on Xbox One before coming to other systems.
Elsewhere, the code mentions a "reveal date" of April 27. It's possible the game will be officially announced on the date displayed on the website itself--March 15 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 1 PM GMT / 11 PM AEST--before a full gameplay reveal next month, though that remains to be seen.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider hasn't yet been revealed, but Square Enix did say in December that a new game was on the way after rumors had surrounded the third game in the series for a while. "Driven by our goal of putting our fans first, we want you to know that it won't be long between the official reveal and when you can play," read the company's statement. "Our journey will begin with a major event in 2018. We simply can't wait to take you on Lara Croft's defining adventure."
Tropico 6 was revealed back at E3 with a very silly teaser video, and that tone has continued with the latest trailer. It shows a Statue of Liberty stolen and put right in the middle of the tropics, for example, thought it does also give a glimpse into the game's new features.
There's palace customization, additional transportation and infrastructure options, and the ability to steal landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, or the Colosseum. We saw the game at E3 last year, and its "El Presidente" dictator made it clear that Tropico 6 is channeling the absurdity of modern politics.
The most recent game in the series, Tropico 5, launched in 2014, initially for PC only before later coming to Xbox 360, PS4, and Xbox One. We enjoyed that entry in the management sim franchise: our critic, Maxwell McGee, awarded the game an 8/10.
"Whether you're playing alone or with up to three others online, the game strikes a good balance between style and substance that is easy to digest for all types of strategy fans," he wrote. "The constant power struggle between the game's various factions--both internal and abroad--creates an ever-changing challenge for you to manage as El Presidente, whether through force or appeasement. And while the rest of the world tears itself apart with World War-this and Cold War-that, the simple-minded Tropicans are there to kick their feet up and take it easy for all us sinners."
Tropico 6 is not developed by the studio that made the previous game, Haemimont Games, but instead by Might & Magic studio Limbic Entertainment. For more on the upcoming strategy game, watch the trailer above or check out our preview of Tropico 6's new features here.
Shadow is a streaming service that grants you access to a full-on, high-end Windows 10 PC in the cloud. This means that you can stream PC games from a gaming rig located on a remote server to any cruddy old computer you have lying around. While this might sound a little like the now defunct OnLive service, OnLive was marred by issues like heavy compression, latency, and poor game selection. Shadow, developed by the Blade Group, has largely mitigated most of these problems. And since it streams a full-on desktop PC and not just a curated library of games, you could also use it to launch all your Steam games and for productivity tasks like video editing. In addition, you can stream it to numerous devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, MacBooks, and more.
Shadow suggest that the PCs in its server farms are the equivalent to a $2,000 gaming PC. The monthly subscription service starts at $35 per month, and might be a compelling option given the current cost-prohibitive price of GPUs (thanks, cryptocurrency).
Currently, it does have some issues, however. We'll give you our impressions and tell you if Shadow is worth your time and money.
Specs
Shadow's PCs are equipped with Nvidia's Quadro P5000 professional graphics cards. In terms of gaming performance, Shadow asserts that this GPU is roughly as fast as Nvidia's consumer-based GTX 1080. Its systems also have 12GB of RAM, but the lone 256GB hard drive doesn't provide a lot of storage. The company does plan to roll out different storage payment tiers in the near future that will allow you to pay extra per terabyte each month.
Here's one of the Blade Group's servers.
The company's data centers are located in Paris, the UK, and Santa Clara, CA at the moment. In the United States, Shadow is currently only currently available in California, but the company has plans to roll out several more data centers across the country.
Requirements
Since streaming gameplay has to be done in real-time with minimal latency, you don't have the same buffering safety net as you would on a video streaming service like Netflix. Shadow requires an internet connection capable of at least 15 megabits down. For reference, this is three times faster than Netflix's HD tier, which requires a five megabit per second connection. It is less than Netflix's 4K streaming standard, however, which requires 25 megabits per second down. The Blade Group also recommends that subscribers use a wired internet connection for better/consistent performance.
Price
Shadow starts at $35 per month if you commit to a one-year subscription. A three-month contract costs $40 a month, and users can also subscribe month by month for $50. The company will soon allows users to buy a physical "Shadow Box" for $140 or to rent one for $10 per month that you can stream to. The Shadow Box measures 7.5x7.25x4.3 inches and comes with a wide variety of ports that include two DisplayPort, two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, Ethernet, microphone jack, and headphone jack. It also comes with an HDMI adapter and supports 4K streaming.
The Shadow Box
Shadow is certainly more expensive than Netflix, but the Blade Group asserts that it would take subscribers over 4.7 years to pay off its supposed $2,000 cloud-based PC at its cheapest rate. In addition, the company says that it will periodically upgrade its rigs, and users will reap the benefits of these hardware enhancements at no extra cost.
Performance
The company asserts that Shadow's response time is fast enough to fool a CS:GO pro. Because we noticed occasional performance hiccups on our end playing CS:GO and Street Fighter V, we wouldn't say it's that good from what we've tested thus far. But we do think Shadow is responsive enough for most games. A non-competitive single-player game like Rise of the Tomb Raider, for instance, felt nearly indiscernible from playing a locally downloaded copy. We occasionally noticed some slight compression, but it was largely a non-issue.
In terms of graphical performance, when we ran the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark, the PC achieved a 59.1 average FPS on max settings at 1080p. While that's very playable, it isn't on par with an actual GTX 1080, which should be able to hit over 100 FPS pretty consistently.
One counterintuitive benefit that Shadow does offer is access to internet that's probably faster than your own. The company says that its servers are outfitted to reach one gigabit per second; you're essentially getting a mirrored image of a computer that has super fast internet. While we didn't come close to hitting that theoretical max speed, we were able to download games above 40 megabytes per second, which is still quite fast.
While it's not recommended, we ran Shadow on a laptop over Wi-Fi. Your mileage will vary depending on your internet connection and router setup, but we did notice more performance hiccups running on a wireless 25-megabit connection. Games were still largely playable, but we wouldn't couple Shadow and Wi-Fi to play competitive games.
Issues
While there's a lot to like about Shadow, we encountered several little annoying issues during our tests. We came across an instance in which the service said, "We could not reach your Shadow. Please try again later." The company informed me that the computer on the other end encountered an issue with a Windows update, and needed to be restarted. Luckily, the Shadow app does allow you to restart the PC on the other end to mitigate these issues.
We also encountered a problem where our wired Xbox 360 controller wasn't working when we connected it to our PC. The Blade Group tells us they are aware of the issue and are trying to solve it and said that a wireless Xbox One controller that supports Bluetooth should work. While we could get one to work, we still experienced occasional bouts with it, too.
Beyond that, we had problems where the mouse cursor would randomly disappear and reverse issues where it annoyingly wouldn't go away. In addition, one time when we were playing CS:GO, we couldn't get our mouse to look up or down.
We also experienced audio bugs where sound would work on the desktop, but not in-game and vice versa. You can restart the Shadow desktop app or your respective PC in the cloud to mitigate these issues, but all of these issues pile up and make the service feel more like a promising beta rather than a polished, finished product.
In addition to using Shadow on a desktop PC and a laptop, we also tested it on an Android phone. Pairing Microsoft's Bluetooth Xbox One controller to a Pixel 2 XL, we were able to access Steam on our phone and play Rise of the Tomb Raider on it. It was kind of surreal seeing such high quality graphics come from a mobile device. One hurdle that immediately becomes clear here, however, is that the Windows 10 user interface was not designed for a phone-sized screen. We found it cumbersome to navigate the desktop with our fingers, for instance. The company is refining a pinch-to-zoom feature to improve functionality, however.
Lastly, we tried running Shadow on Nvidia's Android TV Shield device. While we were able to install the app from the Google Play store, we weren't able to navigate Windows with the Shield controller. To properly get it working, you effectively have to connect a keyboard and mouse to the set top box.
Conclusion
While Shadow is currently only available in California, the Blade Group has plans to roll it out across the US. In its current state, it feels like a good open beta. While Shadow offers surprisingly good latency and minimal compression, it is marred by a bunch of little technical issues that currently hold it back.
The good news is that the company is aware of all of these issues and are trying to fix them. When Shadow works though, it's great. It's very promising technology that's worth paying attention to, especially given how costly it's become to try and build your own gaming PC.
State of Decay 2 is on the way this spring and will carry a lower-than-expected price tag. Those looking to spend more than the $30 price of the standard edition will have some options for doing so, including the previously announced Ultimate edition and a newly revealed Collector's edition. [Update: As we suspected, Microsoft has confirmed the Collector's edition does not include a copy of the game.]
As shared on the Xbox Wire, the Collector's edition gets you some physical goodies: It comes with a latex zombie mask, a steelbook case, a stand for the case in the shape of a human brain, a 4 GB USB thumb drive in the shape of a severed thumb, and an "exclusive" iron-on patch.
What isn't immediately clear is whether this Collector's Edition, which is priced at $70, includes the game itself. Microsoft's announcement doesn't explicitly state this, and it wouldn't be the first time we've seen such a thing. If it is included, there's no word on which version of the game you get, whether it'll by physical or digital (the case may just be for show), and whether Xbox One and PC versions will both be available. The physical/digital distinction is particularly important, as those who buy the game digitally will benefit from Xbox Play Anywhere support, which grants access to the game on both Xbox One and PC. We've followed up with Microsoft about all of this and will report back with any details we receive.
We know you'll get the game when buying the $30 standard edition or $50 Ultimate edition. The latter provides access to the Independence and Daybreak DLC packs when they release, an Xbox One copy of State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition, and early access to State of Decay 2. As an alternative to purchasing the game outright, you can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, which will grant you access to the game for as long as you remain a subscriber. That comes as part of Microsoft's recent initiative to provide access to first-party exclusives through Game Pass at launch, something that will begin with the upcoming launch of Sea of Thieves.
State of Decay 2 launches on May 22, or May 18 for those picking up the Ultimate edition. Although the budget price of the standard edition may suggest otherwise, the game will not include any microtransactions.
Microsoft has bolstered the Xbox One library once again, adding more games to the backwards compatibility list. A total of three new Xbox 360 titles are all now playable on Xbox One, including a Metal Gear Solid and a Ghost Recon title.
Also now playable is Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, which, as the name suggests, takes the traditionally realism-focused Ghost Recon and sets it in the future with advanced weaponry and technology. Finally, rounding out the list is Axel & Pixel, a point-and-click adventure game with hand-drawn graphics.
As always, physical copies of these games can be popped into the system to initiate a download so they can be played on Xbox One. Alternatively, you'll find digital copies in the the Ready to Download area of the My Games and Apps section on the console. If you don't already own them, all three are also for sale right through the Xbox Store (with the exception of Axel & Pixel, which is only available to those who already own it). You can check out everything that's playable in our full Xbox One backwards compatibility list.
If the notion of a new Jurassic Park simulation game from the makers of Planet Coaster weren't enough to win you over, developer Frontier Developments has now upped the ante. The studio has announced that actor Jeff Goldblum will reprise his film role and be featured in the new game, Jurassic World Evolution.
Yes, Chef Goldblum himself will again star as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Evolution. His exact role remains unclear; in the announcement video below, Goldblum says he'll "be with you the whole game," and an accompanying press release suggests he'll serve as some kind of advisor. "Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm guides players through the moral choices and tactical decisions that will test their building and management skills as they attempt to successfully run their own Jurassic World," Frontier explains.
Evolution allows players to run their own Jurassic Park, taking control of Isla Nublar and the nearby islands. You're able to create new breeds of dinosaur and attractions to show them off, along with the necessary facilities to house them and do research. Frontier has also promised an "an all-new story that touches on key characters and events from across the Jurassic World film franchise." It's slated for release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime this summer.
Jurassic Park has received a new lease on life thanks to the tremendous success of 2015's Jurassic World. A sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is due out on June 22 and will also feature the return of Goldblum to his role as Malcolm.
Twitch has routinely given away free games and in-game content to Twitch Prime subscribers in the past. It was slated to give away a game of fans' choosing this month, but instead, the streaming service is expanding its plans and formalizing its giveaways into the aptly titled Free Games With Prime program.
Just recently, fans were presented with a list of games to vote on as part of the Twitch Prime Indie Amplifier promotion, with the winner being released for free through Twitch Prime this week. Provided you have a Twitch Prime membership--which is one of the free perks for being an Amazon Prime subscriber--you'll actually be getting much more this week than just the winning game, which turned out to be Shadow Tactics.
Another of the Indie Amplifier games, Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation, will join Shadow Tactics in being offered for free starting on March 15. Twitch will also bring back two of its best freebies from previous promotions, Superhot and Oxenfree, and offer one more game it hasn't given away before, Mr. Shifty. All five of these games will be available to Prime members until March 31.
As with previous freebies, the games offered in this manner will be yours to keep permanently, though you'll presumably need to use the Twitch desktop app in order to grab them. Twitch says it'll deliver new free games monthly, and it confirmed with GameSpot that it will be an ongoing program, though new games may not always arrive on the first of the month. In the coming months, you can expect to see the remainder of the Indie Amplifier games, such as Tumblestone and High Hell.
Just because the second season of Marvel's Jessica Jones has arrived doesn't mean Netflix is slowing down with its March releases. The streamer has plenty being added this week, including a number of new originals, a Jackass movie, and some anime for your to devour.
In terms of originals, Netflix is debuting a Benji movie reboot, new seasons of Spirit Riding Free and The Hollywood Masters, as well as the premiere of a new documentary series titled Wild Wild Country. The first season of the documentary series follows an Oregon cult in 1981 as the outside world pushes back.
Another intriguing addition to the streamer's originals is the arrival of the anime series Children of the Whales. After first debuting in late 2017, this manga adaptation makes its way to a global audience with its Netflix premiere on March 13.
Other new titles include Jackass 3.5, the first season of Power Rangers Ninja Steel, and a new comedy special from Ricky Gervais. You can take a look at everything Netflix is adding this week below. You can also see everything coming to and going from the service in March, as well as Hulu and Amazon Prime Video's offerings for the month.
March 12
Kygo: Live at the Hollywood Bowl
Troy: The Odyssey
March 13
Children of the Whales: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Ricky Gervais: Humanity (Netflix Original)
Stretch Armstrong: The Breakout (Netflix Original)
Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 1 (Netflix Original)
March 15
Jackass 3.5: The Unrated Movie
Power Rangers Ninja Steel: Season 1
Tabula Rasa: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
The Hollywood Masters: Season 2
March 16
Benji (Netflix Original)
Edha: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
On My Block: Season 1 (Netflix Original)
Spirit Riding Free: Season 4 (Netflix Original)
Take Your Pills (Netflix Original)
The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (Netflix Original)
Bandai Namco has shared a new trailer for Broly, one of the two DLC characters announced thus far for Dragon Ball FighterZ. This marks our first look at the legendary Super Saiyan in action following a very brief teaser video last month, and he looks to be an exciting addition to the anime fighting game.
Just as in the anime, Broly is one of the most physically imposing characters in Dragon Ball FighterZ, towering over everyone else on the roster. Despite his overwhelming size, however, Broly is also quite light on his feet, and his long reach makes him a challenging foe to deal with. In the video above, you can see him use his incredible power to dominate his rival, Goku.
Broly is one of the eight DLC characters planned for Dragon Ball FighterZ. He was first announced last month in an issue of V-Jump magazine alongside Bardock, the father of Goku. Following their reveal, some brief details and screenshots for each character emerged on the Japanese Dragon Ball FighterZ website. The website confirmed that Broly can unleash his signature attack, "Eraser Cannon," while Bardock can use a move called "Riot Javelin."
Bandai Namco has yet to announce when Broly and Bardock will be available to download or how much either character will cost, but players who've purchased the Dragon Ball FighterZ Fighter Pass will receive them at no additional charge on release. The Fighter Pass runs for $35 and also includes access to all six other as-yet-unrevealed DLC characters when they launch.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. GameSpot critic Peter Brown awarded the title a 9/10 in our Dragon Ball FighterZ review and said, "Even if you think Dragon Ball is old hat, and even if you're intimidated by fighting games, there's a good chance you'll be drawn into the explosive action and personalities that expertly evoke the anime's infectious spirit."
Square Enix has rolled out a new update for Final Fantasy XIV. Patch 4.25 is now available to download on PS4 and PC, and it introduces a variety of additional content to the MMO, including a new area, side quests, mounts, and various bug fixes and gameplay adjustments.
The biggest addition in the update is the Forbidden Land of Eureka, a new instanced area that up to 144 players can explore at the same time. Players will have to "contend with raging aetherial energies and strengthen Eureka weapons and gear in order to progress through this untamed land," Square Enix says.
Eureka is available to those who've purchased the Stormblood expansion and completed its main quest. To reach it, players will need to speak to the NPC Galiena in Rhalgr's Reach. Unlike other instanced areas in Final Fantasy XIV, players can stay in Eureka for up to 180 minutes and use party functions. It also features an exclusive progression system called elemental levels. You can learn more about the area on the developer's blog.
In addition to the new instance, patch 4.25 introduces new minions and bardings for your chocobo, as well as a cool new dinosaur mount, which you can see above. The update also buffs and nerfs a number of PvP actions and resolves a long list of bugs. You can find the full patch notes for update 4.25 on Final Fantasy XIV's official website.
Final Fantasy XIV's next seasonal event, the Easter-themed Hatching-tide, returns on March 20 and runs until April 2. In the meantime, players still have a little more time to take part in the Little Ladies' Day event, which is set to end at 7:59 AM PT on March 14.
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