If you're having a bit of a rough time playing Fortnite on PS4, PC, and Xbox One, it's because the game is going through a spell of login, matchmaking, and social connection issues, according to the game's official Twitter page. These began as a result of a big influx of new players and, in response, developer Epic Games has scaled up to accommodate the new traffic.
The love is strong! Due to an influx of new players, we're experiencing degradation with our matchmaking. We're disabling matchmaking and scaling up to account for this.
Epic has since said login and matchmaking services have recovered, but is monitoring the situation to ensure full recovery. The troubles aren't completely remedied as of yet, based on reports from players, but it's expected that things will smooth fully out soon.
The new influx of players could be due to the launch of the Fortnite Mobile test. Invites for the portable version of the game have gone out on to iOS users. Epic has promised the mobile version delivers the full Battle Royale experience with cross-play.
It could also be because there's a greater interest in the game as a result of the recent stream in which rapper Drake played Fortnite with Twitch streamer Ninja. The stream proved to be incredibly popular, reaching more than 600,000 concurrent viewers at one point. This smashes the previous record of 400,000 for an individual stream. Drake revealed that he played Fortnite a lot while in the studio.
Like its predecessor, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 for PC bears tons of similarities to Left 4 Dead. They're both games about holding off hordes of foul enemies while you head to safety. Survival is the name of the game for you and your party, and the game will throw all sorts of surprises at you to make that goal hard to achieve. But Vermintide 2 is more than a clone of Left 4 Dead; it goes the extra mile to make sure you are always on the edge of seat and that is a very good thing. Check out why in the video above.
Vermintide 2 even looks like Left 4 Dead 2 at times, with its same starting camera angles and chatter between characters. But Vermintide 2 is much less predictable; its AI does its best to continually throw new strategies at you. There is no sense of safety, making winning far more satisfying. Tomes and grimoires, which are rewards for risking rat-induced peril and exploring levels, also change the game considerably, adding extra layers of strategy and difficulty. Meanwhile, the diverse class system adds a huge layer of replayability that keeps things fun and varied.
Vermintide 2 takes place during Warhammer's apocalyptic End Times. Your heroes hack, slash, and shoot their way through 13 levels as you take on the combined forces of the Skaven army and the barbaric Chaos faction. You're given your choice of five characters for each level, and the game allows you to choose four to take with you into battle. Each of your heroes has three careers to choose from, with each career providing them with a set of passive and active abilities, along with a talent tree to advance your characters' abilities.
Despite ending their Resident Evil 7 playthrough on a note of uncertainty, Mary and Mike are back with Resident Kinevil.
Following the first-person mechanics of the series' most recent entry, Code: Veronica marks a return to fixed cameras and tank controls for Mary. It also proves to be one of the more challenging Resident Evil games, especially in the first several minutes. Let's just say: things don't exactly go according to plan.
To get up to date on Mary and Mike's playthrough of the Resident Evil games, you can visit the show page here, or its YouTube channel here. It's been a long road, and as of now, there's no end in sight. Don't say you didn't ask for this.
The new trailer for Avengers: Infinity War is here. The movie will see every major hero from the Marvel Cinematic Universe team up to stop the evil Thanos getting his hands on the Infinity Stones, and causing the end of the world. You can see our Infinity War trailer breakdown for all the small details.
The trailer gives a good indication of just how epic the movie will be, with huge battles between the Marvel heroes and Thanos's armies, and some amazing-looking action. But there's also plenty of humor, as some of the characters meet for the first time. In particular, it looks like Star Lord and Tony Stark might have an enjoyably spikey relationship. Check it out above.
Avengers: Infinity War stars Robert Downey Jr., Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Pratt, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Holland. It hits theaters on April 27. It is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who helmed the last two Captain America movies, and will follow it up with next year's currently untitled Avengers 4.
Star Wars: Battlefront II was heavily criticised for the way it allowed players to pay real money to get loot boxes that could contain items that actually affected gameplay. Some cried out that this represented a pay-to-win situation. It was a lot of bad press for EA. In response to this, EA removed microtransactions from the game completely just before its public launch, with the developer saying it needed more time to adjust them before bringing them back. Today, EA confirmed that microtransactions are coming back in April, though this time around you will only be able to purchase cosmetic items--that is, those that do not affect gameplay. Previously, EA let you pay for an opportunity to get items that gave you a theoretical advantage such as improved grenades or shields.
Before microtransactions return, however, EA is launching an update on March 21 that significantly changes how progression works. Presently, Star Cards and other items that impact gameplay, can be acquired in loot boxes--called Crates in Battlefront II--that you can unlock through normal gameplay progression. But with the new update, the only way to get Star Cards is through standard progression. "If you earn enough experience points to gain a level for that unit, you'll receive one Skill Point that can be used to unlock or upgrade the eligible Star Card you'd like to equip," EA said.
If you already acquired Star Cards, the good news is that you won't lose these when the update comes out. Additionally, all of the extra heroes and weapons you already unlocked will stay with you when the patch arrives.
Regarding Crates specifically, you'll get these in a number of ways, including logging in every day and completing the game's various timed challenges. Crates will only include cosmetic items--such as emotes or poses--as well as Credits.
Then in April, EA will launch a new in-game store where you can buy new character customisation options by spending Credits that you earn by gameplay or by spending Crystals that you can get with real money. As an example, EA said you'll be able to make a Rodian Resistance fighter, which wouldn't happen in the official Star Wars canon.
"If you did a bunch of cosmetic things, you might start to violate the canon," the executive said at the time. "Darth Vader in white probably doesn't make sense, versus in black. Not to mention you probably don't want Darth Vader in pink. No offense to pink, but I don't think that's right in the canon."
It remains to be seen how deep the customisation will go. Indeed, we wouldn't imagine Disney would be OK with the kind of situation Jorgensen offered up. Then again, this happened, so you never know what Disney might be OK with.
Whatever the case, EA said the updates to Battlefront II's progression system are a "major step" in the company's effort to "improve the core of the game and add new content."
In addition to the changes laid out below, EA said it is planning to add new modes to Battlefront II in the future to keep things interesting and fresh. Some of the modes will be "radically different" than anything that's come before. We'll report back with more details as they are announced.
The debate around Battlefront II's initial microtransaction system extended beyond gaming circles. Lawmakers from the United States and around the world launched investigations into loot boxes to, in some cases, try to determine if they constitute a form of gambling. In the wake of the Battlefront II controversy, the ESRB announced that it will put a label on games that will read "In-Game Purchases" to inform people, and in particular parents, that the game they are buying offers the ability to spend extra money. Some are questioning the effectiveness of this and asking if this new system will be effective at all.
Following a day-long delay, Epic Games has released the newest update for Fortnite. The 3.3 patch adds new content to both Battle Royale and Save the World modes, with the former getting several new features.
First up for Battle Royale is a new weapon, remote explosives. These are pretty self-explanatory, allowing you to place a bomb and then detonate it from a distance. These appear to be ideal for dealing with player-built fortresses. They are a Rare-level rarity item and their addition has resulted in Smoke Grenades being "vaulted," meaning those are no longer available in-game for the time being. Remote Explosives come in stacks of four, with a maximum of 10.
Remote explosives can be found in treasure chests or supply drops, as floor loot, or through Supply Llamas, another of this patch's new features. These are essentially treasure chests found in unusual locations that will reward you with good loot.
Also notable is that a new limited-time mode, Blitz, launches on March 19; it consists of more fast-paced matches that feature a 15-minute time limit. Various bugs have also been fixed, and Epic says it's made improvements to the visual effect when you're hit by a bullet that should make it easier to tell which direction it came from.
For Save the World players, a new Spring It On chapter, Luck of the Storm, is now available with new rewards, including St. Patrick's Day-themed heroes. Epic has also made some changes to stat caps and rolled back patch 3.2's adjustments to critical chance.
Patch 3.3 is out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One--maybe Drake will be diving back in to check out its new additions. You can see everything that's changed in the full patch notes on Epic's website.
Geralt of Rivia will be a playable character in SoulCalibur VI, Bandai Namco and CD Projekt Red have announced. In addition, a stage based on The Witcher series, Kaer Morhen, will be available as one of the game's arenas.
The Witcher himself will, according to a statement, keep his "signature fighting style" in his transition from open-world RPG to fighting game. He'll be able to utilize a "combination of swordplay, ability-enhancing potions, and combat magic." In addition to having the character, his English voice actor, and his signature stage--based on the Witchers' training ground--there will also be the "iconic" music track from the series, Hunt or be Hunted.
"We've collaborated with Bandai Namco artists to faithfully recreate Geralt, and shared original Witcher 3: Wild Hunt assets like Geralt's model, animations, and weapons," said CD Projekt Red community lead Marcin Momot. "I think Bandai Namco did an outstanding job of capturing all the details and introducing The Witcher to SoulCalibur in a way fans of both series will enjoy."
Other characters coming to SoulCalibur VI include Ivy and Zasalamel. Ivy Valentine makes her comeback wielding the tricksy Ivy Blade, which has the ability to switch between a solid sword or a barbed whip. Zasalamel and his Kafziel scythe, meanwhile, looks like they're still just as devastating at mid-to-close range.
The last SoulCalibur VI characters to be revealed recently were Kilik, Xianghua, and Nightmare--all series veterans--and Groh, a newcomer. For more, read our hands-on with SoulCalibur 6's new characters to find out what we thought of them. A release date for the upcoming fighting game has not yet been announced; all we know is that it's coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC this year.
After a number of rumors and leaks, Square Enix has finally confirmed that the next Lara Croft game will be Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The company also announced the game's release date as September 14. It will come to PS4, Xbox One, and PC simultaneously, rather than being a timed exclusive to Xbox One like the previous game.
Square Enix says the game will be "Lara Croft's defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider," but few other details are known about the project as yet. A full reveal has been dated for April 27, and fans will be able to try the game out early at one of three events by registering at the Tomb Raider website. A teaser trailer has been released to hold you over in the meantime; take a look at that below.
The new Tomb Raider movie, meanwhile, hits cinemas on March 16. We enjoyed the film here at GameSpot; critic Michael Rougeau called it a "great video game adaptation and a decent action movie on its own." For more, check out our full Tomb Raider movie review or our review roundup.
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.
Street Fighter V has begun its Monster Hunter World crossover event, offering a rad alternate Ken costume in exchange for going on a very Monster-Hunter-like quest for armor pieces. The ultimate result will be a Rathalos Armor set, but you'll have to take part in special events every week through April 12 to unlock it all.
Completing the armor will work much like it does in Monster Hunter World. You'll need to collect each piece to finish the whole set. Each piece will be available in Extra Battle Mode on a rotating basis every week. This week, the boots are available. Next it will be the gauntlets, then chest-piece, and finally, the helmet. Once you've gotten all four pieces you'll unlock the alternate costume.
This is the third and final announced Street Fighter 5 crossover, after Ibuki and R. Mika received similar monster duds. There's a catch: each attempt at one of the challenges costs 2,500 in Fight Money per attempt. Assuming you can finish them all in one try, it will cost you 10,000 FM. If you need to retry some of the challenges, it could be significantly more.
The Monster Hunter series is well known for its crossovers with other famous video game franchises, and World offered a special Horizon: Zero Dawn crossover costume soon after launch. Just recently it detailed plans for its Mega Man crossover event, and announced a Devil May Cry event will be following sometime after. For most of its lifespan these extras seemed like a nice way to reward fans and raise interest in the niche RPG franchise. Now that Monster Hunter World is breaking company sales records, it may just be the other way around.
Grand Theft Auto V can be a visual showpiece on a PC at max settings, thanks to its well-realized world and sheer impressive scope. But what if you took all those standout graphical features and made them awful? What nightmarish body horror would ensue? Unfortunately, we now know the answer.
On this episode of Potato Mode, Joey and Rob intentionally muck up the city of Los Santos. The pair start by turning all the graphical settings down as low as possible, but the result is a surprisingly decent-looking version of the game. Not content to accept defeat in their quest to destroy beautiful things, they start editing background files to manually edit the level-of-detail settings. And that's when things get weird.
From N64-like textures and fog to cars disappearing into the ground to character models becoming faceless clay-beasts, this particular tour of the fair city is not for the faint of heart. It all ends up the only place it could end: at a strip club, where the talent has morphed into vaguely human, vaguely naked blobs.
Avengers: Infinity War dropped its official trailer today, and right on cue movie ticketing sites have flung open their virtual doors to pre-sales. Fandango and AMC have both begun taking ticket orders for the April 27 premiere, with competing tchotchkes for using their services.
Fandango users can choose one of five stylized posters from artist Kaz Oomori, while AMC viewers who catch the first 3D viewing at 6 PM will get a collectible coin displaying the Avengers logo and Infinity Gauntlet. You can check out the range of posters and the collectible coin below.
Infinity War is the culmination of Marvel's years-long cinematic universe. It brings in a veritable gaggle of heroes from across various Marvel cinematic properties into one film to fight their looming big-bad, the space warlord Thanos. The story will be based on the Infinity War comic series from the early 1990s, and Marvel films have been hinting heavily at this ultimate story direction since Thanos appeared in a cameo in the post-credits sequence of the first Avengers film.
The new trailer (above) shows several characters across the Marvel spectrum interacting for the first time, like Spider-Man and Dr. Strange. The comics were similarly chock full of heroes, but it being a large event book against a foe with god-like powers, that also meant some high-profile deaths. We expect the movie to follow suit, so prepare yourselves accordingly. You can check out our trailer breakdown of all the easter eggs while you wait for the big day.
Square Enix is holding a sale on Nintendo's Eshop, offering discounts on several Switch and 3DS games, including a few surprisingly recent ones. The headliner of the group is Lost Sphear, which released less than two months ago. It is discounted to $35 from the usual $50.
We had a lukewarm reaction to Lost Sphear, having enjoyed the strategic combat options but finding it too overstuffed with busywork. It was the second retro throwback from Square's new Tokyo RPG Factory, after I Am Setsuna–which had similar ups and downs. The standout of the group on the GameSpot scale is Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, which we felt was a charming and unique tribute to the series' iconic music.
There was a wealth of amazing games to play in 2017. However, it seems 2018 is primed with its own roster of exciting new games, including big-budget adventures like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Sea of Thieves, Kingdom Hearts III, Crackdown 3, and a whole lot more. To help you keep track of all the games coming out, we've compiled all the release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2018 so far.
Be sure to check back often as we update this article with more release dates or any potential changes to any of the dates below. And if you're eager to figure out the release dates from games last year, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2017.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime this year. There are also games listed that we expect to launch in 2018. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
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.
One of the first Legendary Pokemon to be released in Pokemon Go will soon show up once again in the popular mobile game. Beginning today, March 16, Pokemon Go players will have another opportunity to capture the Gold and Silver Legendary, Lugia, for a limited time.
As before, players will encounter Lugia as a Raid Battle boss at Gyms. This time around, however, Pokemon Go developer Niantic says the Legendary Pokemon will know the "newly improved" Flying move Sky Attack, although Niantic didn't elaborate as to how the attack has been improved.
In order to capture Lugia, players will first have to team up with other trainers at a Gym to battle the powerful Pokemon. Only once Lugia has been defeated will each participant have a chance to catch it. Fortunately, The Pokemon Company has teased that Lugia will be easier to capture than it previously was if players are able to successfully take it down.
Lugia arrives on the same day that another Legendary, Rayquaza, leaves the game. March 16 also marks the day the rewards for Pokemon Go's Legendary Week will expire. As a result of that event, Pokemon that prefer windy weather--such as Salamence's first form, Bagon--have been more likely to hatch from Eggs. Players would also receive double XP as an additional bonus.
Lugia will be available in Pokemon Go until April 2. Shortly after it arrives, Niantic will host the third Community Day event. That takes place on March 25 and runs for three hours, beginning at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET and ending at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. The featured Pokemon during this month's Community Day will be the classic starter Bulbasaur, although Niantic has yet to announce what it's exclusive move will be.
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 made 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)
If you haven't already picked them up, March has brought a new batch of free games for PlayStation Plus members to download. Although this month's lineup is no different from the average one in terms of total games, there are some excellent titles to be had across PS4, PS3, and Vita.
Alongside that, Ratchet & Clank is also free right now. This is the most recent entry in Insomniac's long-running platforming series, although it's technically not an original game. It's based in part on the animated film, which itself was based on the original Ratchet & Clank game.
That's not it for PS4 owners, who will receive a total of five games this month thanks to Cross-Buy. Both games available on Vita, Claire: Extended Cut and Bombing Busters, are free on Plus, as is one of the two PS3 games, Mighty No. 9. PS3 owners also get their hands on Legend of Kay.
It's a new week, and that means Microsoft has rolled out a fresh set of deals on Xbox Live. The lineup of deals this week is not all that extensive, though there are some solid offers to be had across Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Moving to Xbox 360, some of the deals include Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ($20) and Call of Duty: Ghosts ($16), as well as Farming Simulator 15 ($15). A bunch of Farming Simulator 15 DLC is also on sale this week on Xbox Live.
Go to Major Nelson's blog to see a full rundown of this week's Xbox One and Xbox 360 deals, some of which require an Xbox Live Gold membership. The offers expire on March 19.
Twitch users have regularly been treated to free titles and in-game bonuses as a perk for having Amazon Prime, and now a bunch of new freebies are up for grabs. The streaming service has now kicked off its expanded Free Games With Prime program, giving subscribers a chance to snag a total of five titles at no cost.
For a limited time, Twitch Prime members can download the tactical stealth game Shadow Tactics, which was the winner of the fan-selected Twitch Prime Indie Amplifier promotion, for free. Another Indie Amplifier game, Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation, is also available to download right now, as are two returning freebies: Superhot and Oxenfree. Rounding out the selection of this month's free games is Mr. Shifty, which has up until now never been offered through the service.
All five of the aforementioned titles are available to download at no charge until March 31. Like other freebies offered through Twitch Prime, they're all yours to keep permanently, though you'll need to use the Twitch desktop app in order to install them. You can claim each title right from the Prime Loot notification icon next to Twitch's search bar.
In addition to those games, Twitch Prime members have one more freebie to claim this month: the original Devil May Cry, which is available through the service until April 6. Fortnite players can also grab a free Fortnite Twitch Prime Pack that includes exclusive items for both Battle Royale and Save the World modes.
A new Fortnite update is now available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but in addition to checking out the new stuff it has to offer, Battle Royale players have some other things they can now do. Fortnite's week 4 challenges have rolled out for Battle Pass owners, and some of them might prove to be tricky.
The full list of challenges is outlined below; one requires you getting the right weapon and utilizing it efficiently (dealing a specific amount of damage with a sniper rifle), while another has you tracking down chests in the Flush Factory or supply drops around the map. There are two in particular that you might need some help with.
The first of these is not labeled as Hard; you're told to visit five different ice cream trucks. These are scattered around the map--there are more than five in total, with a handful located right inside major locations like Tomato Town, Pleasant Park, and Retail Row. Others are in less obvious locations, though you can track them all down with this map shared by Reddit user imkairu.
What is labeled as Hard is the challenge that reads, "Search between a Vehicle Tower, Rock Sculpture, and a Circle of Hedges." That somewhat vague clue is pointing you toward a point in the southeast corner of the map, in the G9 section. It's just on the edge of some water--you can see it in this screenshot from Reddit user __Kaneda__, or see the map they provided here.
You can check out all of the week 4 challenges below. Keep in mind that, despite being added weekly, you have the entirety of Season 3 to finish these out. That means you can also go back to complete previous weekly challenges.
Weekly challenges are only available to those who own the new Season 3 Battle Pass, which costs 950 V-Bucks. It expands the number of optional tasks you're given in Battle Royale and allows you to unlock more items like outfits, gliders, and emotes. The Season 3 Battle Pass also includes new types of items, such as loading screens and Back Bling. Check out our gallery of Battle Pass rewards for a look at everything you can get.
Fortnite: Battle Royale Week 4 Challenges
Deal damage with Sniper Rifles to opponents (500) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search Chests in Flush Factory (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search Supply Drops (3) -- 5 Battle Stars
Visit different Ice Cream Trucks (5) -- 5 Battle Stars
Hard: Search between a Vehicle Tower, Rock Sculpture, and a Circle of Hedges (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Hard: Trap Eliminations (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Hard: Eliminate opponents in Tomato Town (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
It seems that Fortnite's mobile test is expanding quickly. With the first invites having already gone out on iOS, Epic Games is now allowing select participants to begin bringing their friends into the game--so if you know someone who's in, now is the time to start bugging and/or bribing them.
Some Fortnite mobile players, including one of us here at GameSpot, has received an email informing them that friend invites are now available. "You have new friend invites ready to send!" the email reads. "Share them with your friend to give them instant access to the Fortnite Invite Event on iOS."
At least in our case, we received three invites. These aren't sent through the email itself; instead, you have to open up the game on your mobile device, log in, and send them out from there. As pictured below, if you have invites to send, you'll be alerted by a notification in the upper-right corner of the screen. Click that, and you're presented with links to send out each invite. Once it's accepted, you and the recipient will automatically be added to each other's friends list.
Fortnite mobile is only in beta currently, but as Epic promised, it does essentially deliver the full Battle Royale experience (as you'd expect, because cross-play is set to be offered with other platforms). It does feature some minor changes, such as a new indicator to point out things (like nearby chests) in case you're playing without sound. You can check out some Fortnite mobile gameplay in the video above. An Android version is also in the works and will be released in the coming months, and the ongoing iOS test will continue to expand.
Another Sonic racing game is possibly on the way. Following rumors that a sequel to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was in development, the official Sonic Twitter accounted tweeted out a brief video that seems to confirm the hedgehog is heading back to the race track.
The tweet, which you can see below, only features the words "[TOP SECRET]" along with a brief, 22-second video clip. The video begins with a closeup of a car's headlight, while sounds of a revving engine can be heard in the background. It ends with the silhouette of the game's logo, with only the letter R visible.
The latest Sonic racing game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, was first released back in 2012. Like its predecessor, it's a Mario Kart-style arcade racer that features iconic characters from throughout Sega's history. You can read more about the title in our original Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed review.
This was a big day for Sonic fans. In addition to the above tease, Sega announced Sonic Mania Plus, a physical re-release of last year's acclaimed 2D Sonic game. On top of the existing game, Plus features new content in the form of an Encore mode and two additional playable characters: Mighty and Ray. Sega also announced a partnership with Puma to sell Sonic-inspired sneakers.
Sonic Mania, last year's acclaimed entry in the Sonic series, is finally set to get a physical release. Sega has revealed Sonic Mania Plus, a physical re-release of the existing game that packs in some brand-new content.
Among the new features are two new playable characters, Mighty and Ray. There's also a new Encore mode and an expanded version of the four-player competition mode where you go head-to-head with other players. This was all shared during a Sonic panel at SXSW and then teased on Twitter, so we don't yet know all the details.
Sonic Mania Plus will be available in a physical package this summer for Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. That's notable, as the only physical version of Mania was the Collector's edition (which came with a digital copy of the game itself). This new Plus version includes holographic packaging, a 32-page art book, and a reversible cover that makes the game look like it's for Genesis.
Sonic Mania goes packaged with Sonic Mania Plus! Mighty and Ray join as playable characters, new Encore mode, 4P Competition mode, Holographic packaging, 32-page art book, and more. Summer 2018. pic.twitter.com/4U74kJ7xuG
Other news that is sure to excite Sonic fans is a partnership with PUMA to sell Sonic-inspired sneakers and--more notably--a teaser for something related to Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. Whether this turns out to be a remaster, a full-on sequel, or something else remains to be seen.
The next Pokemon Go Community Day is right around the corner. Ahead of the event, developer Niantic has shared more details about what bonuses players will have a chance to get, including the exclusive move for this month's featured Pokemon.
The next Community Day takes place on Sunday, March 25. As detailed on the official Pokemon Go website, the event will run during a specific three-hour window of time, kicking off at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET and concluding at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. During those hours, players will earn triple the normal amount of XP for capturing Pokemon, and Lure modules will last for three hours.
In addition to those bonuses, players will encounter increased spawns of the Grass-type starter Bulbasaur, which is the featured Pokemon for this month's Community Day. However, as was the case with last month's event, Bulbasaur won't be able to learn the exclusive Community Day move; rather, its final evolution, Venusaur, can, provided you're able to evolve it during the event.
If players manage to evolve Ivysaur into Venusaur before Community Day ends, the Pokemon will learn the powerful Grass-type attack Frenzy Plant. This applies to any Ivysaur you own, even those that were obtained prior to the event. However, the Pokemon will only learn Frenzy Plant if it evolves during the event hours, giving you only a brief window of time to get the exclusive move.
In the meantime, a new Legendary Pokemon is now available in Pokemon Go. From now until April 2, players have another chance to capture Lugia, the Legendary Psychic- and Flying-type originally from Pokemon Gold and Silver. This time, Lugia knows the "newly improved" Flying move Sky Attack, but if players are able to successfully bring it down, it should be much easier to capture than before.
Thanks to a library of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the locations of the Infinity Stones at the heart of the conflict in Avengers: Infinity War are well-known. With six stones needed to complete the Infinity Gauntlet, which the film's latest trailer says will allow Thanos (Josh Brolin) to wipe out half of the universe, five of them are already in play.
What about the sixth, though? The Soul Stone has yet to be discovered in the MCU, but there are several clues to try to figure out exactly where it is. Take a look at the video above to find out everything GameSpot knows about this particular Infinity Stone.
While fans haven't seen this stone appear in a movie, it has been mentioned. In the comic book "Avengers: Infinity War Prelude #2," Wong (Benedict Wong) tells Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) that the Soul Stone could potentially be the most important and dangerous of the six glowing rocks.
GameSpot previously theorized that the stone was responsible for the heart-shaped herb in Wakanda, which give the Black Panther his powers. However, Infinity War co-director Anthony Russo said that's not what brings Thanos to the country. Instead, he's actually hunting Vision, who is powered by the Mind Stone. So while the Soul Stone could be there, it seems unlikely.
Other theories about the stone's location range from Heimdall (Idris Elba) having possession to Adam Warlock--teased during a post-credits scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2--somehow being involved. Then again, it's also possible that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), himself, is the holder of the Soul Stone.
When it comes to this final piece of the Infinity War puzzle, there are a number of outcomes. Of course, the only way you'll find out the answer for sure is when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on April 27.
Update: Skyrim VR's Steam listing has now been updated, and it no longer lists Oculus Rift support. However, it no longer mentions Windows Mixed Reality or even Vive support, so it's unclear what this actually means--we'd expect Vive to be supported for sure. Bethesda has yet to offer any further clarification, but we'll report back as we learn more. The original story follows.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR is coming to PC on April 3. The open-world RPG as made even more immersive is now available for pre-purchase on Steam. It will be available April 3 and includes all three add-ons for $60: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn.
Skyrim VR released on PlayStation VR last year, and while we thought that the the virtual reality aspect certainly helped immersion, we also found it poorly optimized for Move controllers and still laden with the same bugs and technical oddities that have haunted it since its initial release.
Skyrim VR will work with HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, and Oculus Rift. What makes that especially notable is the legal battle and ensuing bad blood between their two parent companies. ZeniMax, parent company of Bethesda, won a suit against Facebook last year alleging that John Carmack had taken code and plans with him when he left the company. That legal feud was interpreted as one possible reason why Fallout VR did not natively support the Rift.
Smackdown's Rusev doesn't have any Wrestlemania plans as of yet, so he took to Twitter to find a celebrity to fight, and many answered the call, including WWE fan and Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin. The two engaged in a delightful Twitter exchange, in which Culkin surely had the upper-hand.
On March 14, Rusev put the challenge out on Twitter, saying, "I need a celebrity to fight me at #WrestleMania34." The next day, former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson replied, "Kevin Hart. He'll put you over but you gotta kayfabe his STD." In addition, Pitch Perfect's Skyler Astin also answered the call as well, while Arrow's Stephen Amell--who has worked with WWE previously--said he's terrified of Rusev.
However, no one answered Rusev's call better than Macaulay Culkin, who has worked with WWE in the past, most notably by pulling pranks of Chavo Guererro.
BREAKING NEWS: I am officially accepting @RusevBUL challenge to wrestle him at this year's Wrestlemania. You heard it here first, folks. Come at me, bro!
WWE has a longstanding tradition of putting celebrities in the ring at Wrestlemania. Mr. T fought in the main events for Wrestlemania 1 and 2, and former NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor fought in the main event of Wrestlemania 11. At Wrestlemania 34, former UFC star Ronda Rousey is involved in a match as well. Celebrities have been a part of WWE's yearly event since its existence, even outside of the main event matches.
At this time, there is no confirmation as to whether this match will take place, or if Rusev will fight anyone at this year's Wrestlemania. However, this is strangely a match that the WWE Universe would love to see. Make sure to keep checking back to GameSpot for the upcoming weeks for more news, features, and predictions about WWE's biggest event of the year.
Nintendo is giving Switch owners another glimpse at some of the many intriguing titles on the way for the console soon. The company announced on Twitter today that it is streaming another presentation next week, this one focusing entirely on indie games coming to Switch.
The Nindies Showcase, as the broadcast is dubbed, airs on Tuesday, March 20, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Nintendo hasn't revealed how long the presentation will run, but it will highlight the "hottest upcoming indie games for Nintendo Switch." You'll be able to stream the Nindies Showcase on Nintendo's website.
Aside from that, we know very little about next week's presentation. Nintendo hasn't specified which games it will showcase during the broadcast, although there are a a few we can reasonably expect to see, such as Runner3; publisher Nicalis recently confirmed that title will launch for Switch (as well as PC) on May 22.
WWE announced a new addition to the Celebrity Wing for its Hall of Fame, which takes place during Wrestlemania 34 weekend: Kid Rock. The musician will be honored for his work with the company, which includes numerous live performances and recording Undertaker's entrance song, "American Badass."
Kid Rock will be inducted to the Hall of Fame on Friday, April 6, and he'll be joining Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim and Warrior Award recipient Jarrius "JJ" Robertson on stage for the night's events. The show will also be broadcast on the WWE network.
He will be the tenth person inducted into the Celebrity Wing of the Hall of Fame, alongside Snoop Dogg, Mr. T, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pete Rose, Mike Tyson, and other celebrities who have had a longstanding relationships with WWE.
In addition to his song "New Orleans" being used for Wrestlemania 34, many of Kid Rock's songs have been used for PPVs and events in the past as well. In addition, he's performed live for many events including WWE's Tribute to the Troops.
Wrestlemania weekend will surely be packed with entertainment for wrestling fans, with the Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday, NXT Takeover: New Orleans on Saturday, and Wrestlemania 34 on Sunday. Make sure to keep checking back to GameSpot for the upcoming weeks for more news, features, and predictions about WWE's biggest event of the year.
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