With Black Panther now in theaters, Marvel fans are looking forward to the next movie in the MCU--Avengers: Infinity War. The third Avengers film will bring together every major hero from the past decade of Marvel movies, as they team up to fight the evil Thanos. Studio boss Kevin Feige has been talking for some time about how this film and next year's untitled fourth Avengers will be the end of an era for the MCU, and he has now provided further details about the future of Marvel universe.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Feige again emphasised how things were going to change after Avengers 4. "You start to think differently about how the characters are interacting, what character's stories are coming to a close, and what character's stories are only just beginning," he said. "Those stories will continue. I think they'll continue in surprisingly different and unexpected ways after these two Avengers films."
There have been rumors for some time that at least one major character will be killed off in one of the next two Avengers movies. While Feige didn't give any details away, he did confirm that any death would be final for that character. "People always will jump to that," he said. "That's not necessarily what we're talking about. I mean, I could always list off the characters that we've killed in our movies that haven't come back, but the big ones, which I know they're looking at? I would just say, yes. People need to be careful what they wish for."
Beyond Avengers 4, Feige gave some details about next year's Captain Marvel and the Black Panther sequel. Captain Marvel, which stars Brie Larson and will be the studio's first female-led superhero movie, is set in the 1990s, and Feige stated that it will take inspiration from the movies of that era.
"It also got us talking about different genres, exploring this notion of sort of the '90s action film," he revealed. "We hadn't necessarily done anything like that before either, so there are definitely homages to our favorite '90s action films within Captain Marvel."
As for Black Panther, Feige confirmed that a sequel will happen, which isn't exactly surprising given the huge success of the first movie. "[There's] nothing specific to reveal, other than to say we absolutely will do that," he said. "One of the favorite pastimes at Marvel Studios is sitting around on a part one and talking and dreaming about what we would do in a part two. There have been plenty of those conversations as we were putting together the first Black Panther. We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one."
Change is afoot at Uncharted and The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog, though it all appears to be positive news. Naughty Dog has announced new roles for several individuals at the company, including new co-directors for the upcoming Last of Us Part II.
In a post on Naughty Dog's website, president Evan Wells shared news that was announced during a recent in-house meeting. Neil Druckmann, who played key roles in the development of the first two Uncharted games and served as creative director on both The Last of Us and Uncharted 4, has been promoted to vice president.
"In recognition of his expanded role, contributing on critical, studio level decisions, Neil Druckmann is now Vice President of Naughty Dog," reads the post. "He's been a vital part of the management team for some time now, and we're proud to formally acknowledge his involvement."
Despite the lofty new title, Druckmann will still serve as Last of Us Part II's creative director. Meanwhile, its game directors have been named as Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau, both of whom were lead game designers on Uncharted 4 and worked on the first Last of Us. "Both Kurt and Anthony joined Naughty Dog during Uncharted 2 and have been instrumental in leading the design department, and have been key contributors on our subsequent games," Wells said.
Finally, Emilia Schatz and Richard Cambier will serve as the lead designers for Part II. They, too, have worked on multiple Naughty Dog games, including Uncharted 4 and The Last Of Us.
The Last of Us Part II is currently without an exact release date, and there's still a lot we don't know about it. Druckmann has teased that "no one is safe" and promised more details on the PS4 game are coming at this year's E3.
If you're still in the market for a Nintendo Switch, you have a chance to pick one up at a nice discount, but only for a very limited time. Ebay has kicked off a pre-Daylight Savings Time promotion today, March 9, that lets you take 20% off of a ton of eligible items, including Nintendo's hybrid console. [Update: The Nintendo Switch deal below has already sold out, but the Ebay coupon is still available for use on other items, including a PS4 Pro bundle that includes Star Wars Battlefront II and Dynasty Warriors 9.]
Wario64 pointed out that highly rated seller manhattanproducts is selling a Nintendo Switch console with grey Joy-Cons for $280. That's a slight discount from the console's typical retail price of $300, but you can bring its cost down even further to $224 using the aforementioned 20% off coupon. Shipping is free, although it's limited to the United States.
To get the discount, enter the code PSPRING20 in the code redemption field on checkout. The coupon code is only valid until 8 PM PT / 11 PM ET tonight, giving you a few hours to take advantage of the offer. You can read more details and exclusions for the offer on Ebay.
If you've been thinking about upgrading to a PS4 Pro, you can now pick one up with two games at a very nice price, but you need to act fast. Newegg is selling a Star Wars Battlefront II PS4 Pro bundle along with Koei Tecmo's recently released Dynasty Warriors 9 on Ebay (via Wario64), and you can take an additional percentage off of it thanks to a limited-time coupon.
The bundle includes a 1 TB Star Wars-themed PS4 Pro console and matching controller, as well as a copy of Star Wars Battlefront II (plus the aforementioned Dynasty Warriors 9). The entire set on sale for $400 (down from its typical list price of $460), but you can snag an additional 20% off via the Pre-Daylight Savings Time coupon to bring the price down to $320.
To receive the discount, enter the code PSPRING20 in the redemption field when you're checking out. However, the coupon is only valid today, March 9, and expires at 8 PM PT / 11 PM ET, giving you only a few hours to take advantage of this offer. You can find additional details and exclusions for on Ebay.
Fortnite: Battle Royale is coming to mobile devices, Epic has announced. Most intriguingly, this is apparently the same 100-player experience, and it will support cross-play for some systems. Thanks to a partnership with Sony, the game will support cross-play and cross-progression between PS4, PC, Mac, iOS, and (eventually) Android. The Xbox One edition does not support cross-play, presumably due to Epic's partnership with Sony.
"Same gameplay, same map, same content, same weekly updates," Epic said in a forum post about Fortnite: Battle Royale's mobile edition. "We believe this is the future of games. The same game on all platforms. Console quality graphics and action. Play when you want, where you want."
As for the cross-play support, Epic said you'll be able to join a squad and play together with friends on different platforms. That sounds pretty cool, and it'll be interesting to see how it works in practice. You'd have to imagine that console/PC players would have an advantage.
Sign-ups will open on Monday for an invite-only test on iOS; Android will follow "in the next few months." You'll be able to sign up at Fornite's website starting March 12, and you'll receive an invite "shortly thereafter" by email if you're accepted. More invites will be sent out over the coming months, so if you don't get in right away, you'll have more opportunities later. If you do get in, you'll get codes to share with friends, so that's good.
Fortnite's mobile edition requires an internet connection (of course), and an iPhone 6S/SE, iPad Mini 4, iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad 2017 device or newer. Right now, it sounds like only Battle Royale is coming to mobile, not Fortnite's other mode, Save the World.
Battle Royale is free on consoles and PC, supported by microtransactions (which are cosmetic only), and we would expect the mobile edition for follow the same format. We'll report back with more details on Battle Royale's mobile edition as they're announced.
PUBG, which likely inspired Fortnite: Battle Royale, also has a mobile edition--but it's only available in China and it does not support cross-play. The game is not available on PS4, which might also explain Sony's apparent eagerness to partner with Epic for Fortnite: Battle Royale.
[UPDATE] Epic's Nick Chester has now offered some insight into how cross-play will work, stating it will be an opt-in. In other words, you'll be able to play with friends who are on other platforms, but you won't be forced into teaming up with someone on mobile if you're on PS4 or PC.
If a mobile player wants to play with their friend on PS4 or PC, cool! If a PS4 player wants to play with a PC player, cool! They should be able to. :)
Yeah, that's correct. A PC player won't end up playing in a PS4 or mobile game, for example. It's opt in for players who want to squad up with friends.
Google Maps has been home to game-themed Easter eggs in the past, and that will be the case again for the next week. To celebrate Mario Day, Google will add a limited-time option to introduce a Mario kart as your position indicator when using the GPS navigation app.
A new update for Google Maps on iOS and Android is in the process of rolling out. With it installed, you'll be presented with a ? block icon next to the Start button when looking up directions. Tap that, and the navigation arrow is replaced with Mario riding around in a vehicle from Mario Kart. On its blog, Google jokes, "Just remember to practice safe driving on the road--we don't encourage throwing bananas or red shells at other drivers in real life!"
This Mario companion won't be available for Mario Day alone: The feature will be in place for a week, though Google doesn't cite exactly when you can expect it to disappear. As noted above, it's hidden fun tidbits in the app before, such as being able to play Pac-Man on Google Maps.
Mario Day is a celebration of all things Mario. It takes place on March 10, much to my chagrin, due to that date being truncated to "MAR10." New My Nintendo rewards are already in place to commemorate the occasion, letting you get discounts on various games in the franchise across 3DS and Wii U.
Not long after the latest one, Sony has launched another flash sale on the PlayStation Store in the United States. As always, this brings some steep discounts to games on PSN for PS4, PS3, and Vita but only for a very limited time.
As you'd expect, PS4 is home to the majority of these deals, of which there's quite a wide variety. Among the highlights is Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (one of our picks for the best cheap PS4 games at its regular price), which drops to just $8--quite a steal considering it includes remastered versions of three full games. Diablo III's Eternal Collection, which packs in last year's excellent Rise of the Necromancer DLC, is just $30, while the Necromancer pack on its own can be had for $9.74.
All of these prices are available from now until Monday, March 12, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, and there's no additional discount for PS Plus members. You can see everything on sale here. If you don't find something to your liking, the usual PS4 weekly game deals are still live in the US until Tuesday, while those in Europe have a PSN sale of their own going on right now.
For a 30-minute presentation, March 2018's Nintendo Direct was jam-packed with presentations. Nintendo reeled off announcement after announcement, with the bulk of that time spent either highlighting details about previously announced Switch games or revealing new ones. Nintendo then teased that the show was over, only to sneak in one last announcement--Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch.
If you were on social media at the time (or in an office like GameSpot's), you likely saw a great deal of excitement over the news, even though a Super Smash Bros. game was inevitably going to make it to Switch. There may not have been a more intense reaction anywhere than at the Nintendo World Store in New York City, as the video below from YouTube channel EmpireArcadia shows. You can also see the crowd itself here.
Despite all the excitement, we don't actually know a whole lot about the new Super Smash Bros. at this point--like, for instance, whether it is indeed a new Smash. Nintendo's announcement is relatively ambiguous, leaving us to wonder whether this is a brand-new game or a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe-style enhanced re-release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. At the very least, we know that Splatoon's inklings will be part of the roster given their prominent place in the reveal trailer. Mario and Link (wearing his Breath of the Wild outfit) are also spotted along with silhouettes for a variety of other characters, giving fans an image to dissect until Nintendo confirms who will be on the roster.
Sony's upcoming PS4 zombie game Days Gone has been delayed. Having originally been scheduled for this year, the survival game will now launch in 2019. "We can confirm that Days Gone will now be releasing in 2019 and we will keep you updated on the launch date," Sony told GameSpot. The company did not mention why the game has been delayed.
Sony Worldwide Studio president Shuhei Yoshida had previously stated the game would launch at some point in 2018, though it was not clear--and still isn't--at what point in the year that would be. Not much of the game has been shown off so far; audiences have simply seen a glimpse of the same section played during the day and at night.
Nintendo teased that its Nintendo Direct event for March 2018 was done before sharing one last thing. It turned out to be the biggest and best news of all: Super Smash Bros. is officially coming to Nintendo Switch. And that's not all, as you won't have to wait all that long for it: Super Smash Bros. for Switch is coming in 2018, Nintendo announced by way of a cool teaser trailer. You can watch it above.
The trailer starts out by showing Inklings from the Splatoon series, who will apparently be new playable characters. We also see returning Smash characters like Mario and Link. You can bet that they will also show up in the game, and many more. The trailer also includes a tantalizing tease for what other characters may be in the game; you can see the silhouettes of these characters in the trailer still below. It appears like the likes of Samus, Donkey Kong, and Bowser may be in there, but it's hard to make out many of the specifics--though you can be sure that fans will try.
As of yet, we don't know if this a new version of Super Smash Bros. Wii U or a brand-new game. If it is a port, it could follow the model of Mario Kart 8. The game was originally released on Wii U before coming to Switch in a Deluxe version that featured more content. Both the trailer and a subsequent press release remain ambiguous about what form this game will take.
Nintendo's latest Nintendo Direct presentation brought a great deal of news. The company had only promised new details on its upcoming Mario-themed sports game, Mario Tennis Aces, but it delivered much more. The March 2018 event brought word on new 3DS games, which include a Luigi's Mansion remake, a port of Captain Toad, and a WarioWare "Best Of" collection. If you're eager to watch the presentation yourself, you can watch it in its entirety below. But if you want a quick rundown of all the news and the big reveals, you're in the right place. Here's everything Nintendo revealed during today's presentation, from Super Smash Bros. for Switch to a Dark Souls Amiibo figure.
3DS NEWS
Warioware Gold | August 3
Similar to Mario Party: The Top 100, WarioWare is getting a similar collection that bundles up 300 microgames in a single package. Titled WarioWare Gold, there are both new and classic mini-games included, that each make use of the 3DS' touchscreen, mic, more.
Dillon's Dead Heat Breakers | May 24
The latest entry in the Dillon's Rolling Western series allows its titular character to team up with your Mii, who can join your team as gunners. A demo for the game will be available on May 10.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey | TBA 2019
A remake of the critically-acclaimed Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is coming in 2019. New features include allowing you to switch between the brothers to platform inside Bowser and then control Bowser outside to explore the overworld.
The Okami HD remaster is heading to Switch. It allows you to use touch screen controls in handheld mode to control the Celestial Brush. Likewise, Joy-Con motion controls can be used in TV/tabletop modes. It launches digital only this summer.
Dark Souls Amiibo And Network Test Beta | May 25
The big surprise to close out January's Nintendo Direct Mini presentation was a Switch version of Dark Souls Remastered. The latest Nintendo Direct event has now brought further Dark Souls news for Nintendo fans. Alongside the game itself, an Amiibo figure based on Dark Souls is on the way. A network test beta is also scheduled to occur sometime before launch.
Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido | June 8
Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido is a fast-paced action game where you match colored plates and types of sushi to hurl tall stacks of plates at your opponent. It features an online multiplayer mode. In addition, it is set to launch on Switch and 3DS.
The much-awaited No More Heroes sequel was showcased during the Nintendo Direct presentation. It sports seven different game type and a co-op multiplayer mode where you share Joy-Con controllers.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | July 13
The incredibly adorable puzzler, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is finally coming to Switch. It included an added Super Mario Odyssey-themed level modeled after that game's New Donk City location. You can also play with a friend--each using one joy-con--where one controls Toad and the other can shoot turnips to attack enemies. A 3DS version that features duel-screen and touch screen support is also set to release.
Undertale | TBA
A port of indie darling Undertale is headed to Switch at an unconfirmed date.
The well-received horror puzzler is coming to Switch this Mary. It includes all past DLC, as well as a special mask you can unlock by scanning in the Pac-Man Amiibo.
Arms players can compete in an online open tournament starting now going through March 18. The top eight players from these preliminary rounds will move onto an online finals on March 31.
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition | May 18
Fans of Wii U-exclusive Hyrule Warriors will finally be able to get their hands on the upcoming Switch edition of the game this May. The game consists of all existing content released for the game, including DLC maps, characters, and missions. Two-player local multiplayer is supported, and you can play with a friend by each using a single Joy-Con.
A new update for Splatoon 2 is coming in late April. There will be new gear, stages, playable Octolings, and more. An paid DLC expansion is also set to release this summer, and it includes new single-player levels.
Bethesda Game Studios is expanding. The developer responsible for the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series announced today that it's added a new studio in Texas to its roster, though it isn't saying just yet what it will be working on.
In a press release, Bethesda said it "has expanded development capacity for future titles by welcoming BattleCry Studios in Austin, Texas, as part of Bethesda Game Studios." The company is a relatively new studio owned by Bethesda parent company ZeniMax; it was originally working on a game called BattleCry before moving on to work on Doom, another ZeniMax game.
"As the vision, scale, and ambitions for our games continue to grow, so does Bethesda Game Studios," said Bethesda executive producer and game director Todd Howard. "We've had the pleasure to know the talented developers at BattleCry, and knew we could do great things together."
This new Austin location for Bethesda will be headed by Doug Mellencamp, who will serve as studio director. He previously was the GM and technical director of BattleCry Studios. He too shared a statement, saying, "We're excited to join Bethesda Game Studios and look forward to working together on some of the industry's most exciting new games. Austin's incredible game development scene and talent will also allow us to push our games further than fans have imagined."
There are numerous job listings outlined on Bethesda's website, including a small handful at the Austin studio. However, they don't provide any insight into what kind of projects to expect. In 2016, Howard teased three "big and crazy" projects from Bethesda, and last year, we heard why the company isn't in a rush to make Elder Scrolls VI. We've still yet to hear anything about that game coming, though given that Bethesda doesn't like to announce things far in advance, that doesn't mean much.
Bethesda Game Studios' primary location is in Maryland, though in December 2015, it opened a second studio in Montreal. At the time, it said the move was in order to "expand its development capabilities in console, PC, and mobile gaming." We've yet to see any original output from the studio, as the past few years have only been home to Skyrim ports and VR adaptations of both Skyrim and Fallout 4.
In addition to this month's free Legendaries for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, players can claim three more rare Pokemon right now for no charge, provided you have a Pokemon Bank account on 3DS. The Pokemon Company is giving away the final evolved forms of the Alola starters--Decidueye, Incineroar, and Primarina--as a free bonus for using Pokemon Bank, and these are a little different from the ones you can get in-game.
Unlike typical Alola starters, each of these Pokemon comes with their Hidden Abilities, which cannot normally be obtained in the games. Decidueye's Hidden Ability is Long Reach, which allows it to use moves without making contact; Incineroar's is Intimidate, which lowers your opponent's Attack stat on entering the battle; and Primarina has Liquid Voice, which turns all sound-based moves into Water-type attacks.
The free starters can be downloaded in any seventh-generation Pokemon game (Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon or Sun and Moon). After inserting your game of choice into the 3DS, access the Pokemon Bank app and you'll receive a notification that the gifts are available. You must then turn the game on and pick the starters up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.
Pokemon Bank is a premium cloud storage service that allows players to store and move Pokemon between all sixth- and seventh-generation 3DS Pokemon games. The service carries an annual fee of $5 / £4.49. Fifth-generation Pokemon can also be transferred to Pokemon Bank via a companion app called Pokemon Transporter.
Pokemon fans have a lot of free Pokemon to look forward to this year as part of the Year of Legendary Pokemon celebration. Each month in 2018, The Pokemon Company will give away a free Legendary for the seventh-generation Pokemon games. March's freebies are Regigigas and Heatran. Players in Europe can download the Legendaries right now via Mystery Gift, but those in the US will receive their codes in the March Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter, which you needed to sign up for by March 1.
Some big changes are on the way to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. In a new blog post on the official PUBG website, game creator Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene laid out a development roadmap for what new features and content PUBG Corp. will add to the game in the coming months, including a new map and emote system.
In the post, Greene announced that the development team is "committing to a major content delivery cycle every two months," the first of which is slated to arrive sometime in March. "Each of these major updates will bring changes to specific systems and/or introduce new content," Greene said. He also reiterated that smaller updates will continue to roll out regularly between each major content drop.
One of these big pieces of content is a new island map, which players will be able to try on PUBG's new Experimental Test Server next month. This island is much smaller than the game's current two maps, which Greene says "should give you all a much more intense and faster paced Battle Royale experience." You can take a look at some concept art for the new map below.
Also on the way to PUBG is an emote system, which players will be able to try out on the game's Test Server "soon." Greene says the system will be regularly expanded with new emotes throughout the year. Additionally, the developers will introduce new game modes to PUBG, although Greene says it's too early to share specifics on those just yet.
Other features PUBG Corp. has in the works include an Achievements system, an in-game friends list, and the ability to voice chat with your squad in the main menu. The developer will also overhaul the third-person and first-person animation systems to make them "smoother and more reactive to the environment." You can read more about the changes coming to PUBG this year on the game's official website.
Nintendo Switch owners looking for something new to play on the console have a bunch of options to choose from now. A total of 17 games arrive on the Eshop this week, including the first Switch release from Fable creator Peter Molyneux's studio, 22Cans.
Headlining this week's releases is The Trail: Frontier Challenge, a stylish and leisurely adventure game by 22Cans. The Trail puts players in the role of a pioneer who embarks on a journey across an uncharted country. Players can choose a profession, craft items, and trade their wares with other players at campfires.
The Trail: Frontier Challenge
This week also sees the return of a couple of dormant franchises, although they may not be quite what fans were hoping for. First is Scribblenauts Showdown, a multiplayer-centric entry in the Scribblenauts series. It was released earlier this week alongside Fear Effect Sedna, a new sequel to the cult classic PS1 game Fear Effect. However, both games feature different gameplay than their predecessors; Scribblenauts trades level-based puzzles for multiplayer mini-games, while Fear Effect Sedna is a real-time tactical game set in isometric environments.
Other new Switch games out this week include the latest ACA Neo Geo game, Real Bout Fatal Fury; the action-platformer Bleed 2; the retro shoot-'em-up Steredenn: Binary Stars; the 8-bit roguelike Bit Dungeon Plus; and the RPG Earthlock. A handful of titles also arrive in the Eshop today, March 9, including platformer/roguelike Flinthook and the puzzler TurtlePop: Journey to Freedom. You can find the full list of this week's new Switch releases below.
Sony has rolled out a new batch of game discounts on the US PlayStation Store. Two huge sales are now underway on PSN, offering some steep deals on a ton of Call of Duty and Square Enix titles across PS4, PS3, and Vita this week.
First up is the Call of Duty Sale, which encompasses nearly every recent installment in the series, with PS Plus members saving an additional percentage off of each title. That includes Call of Duty: WWII; the game's Digital Deluxe Edition is available for $75 ($90 without a Plus subscription). Other PS4 highlights include Modern Warfare Remastered for $24 ($38), the Black Ops 3 - Zombies Chronicles bundle for $39 ($45), and Infinite Warfare for $19.79.
On top of those deals, Square Enix is holding its own major sale across all of Sony's consoles this week, although there are no bonus discounts for PS Plus members. PS4 owners can save on a couple of the publisher's most recent titles, including the Final Fantasy fighting game Dissidia Final Fantasy NT ($45) and the retro-inspired RPG Lost Sphear ($35). Additionally, the remastered PS2 classic Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is $30, while Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster is $12.49.
Most of the above deals will only be available until 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET on March 13. You can find some other notable deals that are available this week below. For the full list of games on sale right now, visit the PlayStation Store website.
March is going to be a very busy month for Amazon Prime Video. The streaming service is beefing up its movie and TV show selection with a number of new titles, including cult classic films, big-budget blockbusters, and new seasons of original programming.
On the film front, several James Bond titles are coming to Prime, including A View to a Kill and Moonraker. Additionally, films like 2017's Power Rangers, Earth Girls Are Easy, The Doors, Antitrust, Hackers, and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka were all added on March 1.
As for TV, a new season of the crime drama Sneaky Pete, created by Bryan Cranston and David Shore, debuts on March 9. The series stars Giovanni Ribisi, Marin Ireland, Margo Martindale and more. Other TV titles coming to Prime are a new season of The Tunnel, along with the debuts of Human Trafficking, The Color of Magic, and The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells.
New week, new Netflix! The streaming service is adding a bunch of film and TV show titles for members to binge, including one of its most anticipated titles of 2018--the next entry in the streamer's Marvel Cinematic Universe collection.
March 8, otherwise known as International Women's Day, saw the Season 2 debut of Marvel's Jessica Jones. The series features the return of Krysten Ritter as the titular hero after she last appeared in Marvel's Defenders. According to GameSpot's review of the new season, the story being told is definitely a slow burn. While the premiere episode may not be as exciting as some were hoping for, there will be plenty of momentum in the installments that follow.
Another new arrival on Netflix is F the Prom starring Riverdale's Madelaine Petsch. That film is joined by new episodes of David Letterman's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction and The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale, as well as Netflix originals The Outsider, Nailed It, Ladies First, and Bad Guys: Vile City.
Nintendo has added a few new rewards to its My Nintendo rewards program. As usual, the rewards come in the form of discounts for select 3DS and Wii U games, in this case several recent and classic Mario titles as an early way to commemorate Mario Day (March 10).
Four new discounts are now available to choose from. On 3DS, My Nintendo members can get 30% off of Paper Mario: Sticker Star (90 Gold points), 40% off of New Super Mario Bros. 2 (700 Platinum points), or 40% off of the classic Game Boy Color game Super Mario Bros. DX (240 Platinum points). Wii U owners only have one new discount to consider, 30% off of Mario Party 10 (700 Platinum points).
On top of those discounts, Nintendo has also added new Mario-themed wallpaper and 3DS themes to the rewards catalog. Members can also still redeem their points for some existing Mario game discounts, including 40% off of Mario Kart 7 (930 Platinum points), 30% off of Super Mario 3D World (400 Platinum points), 30% off of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (50 Gold points), and 40% off of Dr. Luigi (400 Platinum points).
Outside of the Mario rewards, this month marks the last chance you have to pick up the latest batch of free My Nintendo games, which include Year Walk, Gunman Clive HD Collection, Mighty Switch Force, and Siesta Fiesta. You can find the full My Nintendo Rewards catalog here.
Nintendo has recently made some big changes to the My Nintendo program. Members can now use their Gold points toward the purchase of select Nintendo Switch games and DLC from the Eshop or Nintendo's website. You can read more about how that works here.
Nintendo has rolled out some big changes to the My Nintendo rewards program. My Nintendo members now have the option to use some of the points they've accumulated to purchase certain Switch games from Nintendo's digital store.
Starting now, My Nintendo members can use their Gold points toward the purchase of eligible Switch titles or DLC. Each Gold point you've accumulated is worth $0.01, and you can choose how many you'd like to apply toward your purchase at checkout on either the Eshop or Nintendo's website.
Gold points are one of two point tiers that players can earn on My Nintendo, the other being Platinum. Prior to this change, the amount of Gold points you earned when purchasing a game was based on price tiers. Going forward, however, My Nintendo members will receive five Gold points for every $1 spent when purchasing a game or DLC from the Eshop or Nintendo's website. For example, buying a $60 game digitally will net you 300 Gold points.
If you're a member of My Nintendo, you'll earn Gold points automatically for purchasing Switch, 3DS, and Wii U games from the Eshop. You can also earn points for purchasing physical Switch games, although the amount you receive will be considerably less than for digital purchases. You can read more about the My Nintendo changes on Nintendo's website.
Bandai Namco is bringing three of its Naruto titles to Nintendo Switch this spring in one package. The publisher announced it will release Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy on Switch next month, marking the series' debut on Nintendo's hybrid console.
"Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy drops players into the Ninja World and gives them the chance to actively experience major battles and fan-favorite scenes with larger than life bosses, adrenaline-pumping quick time event sequences, fast-paced battles, and visuals that rival the anime series it is based on," says Bandai Namco.
Along with the base games, Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy includes "a number of" DLC costumes from the original titles at no extra cost, although it won't feature the full range. The package also includes additional episodes and scenarios that Bandai Namco initially released as DLC.
While Jared Leto's portrayal of the Joker in Suicide Squad didn't meet with universal acclaim from fans, it was assumed that the actor would continue playing the iconic villain in future DC movies. So the news that the studio was planning a film that would focus on the Joker's origins with a different actor came as surprise to many--including Leto himself. A few more details about the project have now emerged.
According to The Wrap, the movie will portray the Joker as a comedian in the 1980s, who takes up a life of crime after his stand-up career fails and he bombs with audiences. As the site notes, this makes sense of the involvement of producer Martin Scorsese, who dealt with similar material in his classic 1980s movie The King of Comedy.
The Joker origin movie will be directed by Todd Phillips, who is best known for the Hangover series. While no official casting announcements have been made yet, Joaquin Phoenix is reportedly close to signing on as the Clown Prince of Crime. The film doesn't have a release date, and although it is set to start shooting later this year, The Wrap's sources suggest that scripts rewrites could delay the start of production.
In terms of Leto's Joker, it is expected that he will return for Suicide Squad 2, which starts production this year. Beyond that, there have been rumors of a movie focusing purely on the Joker and Harley Quinn--but like many potential DC projects, this is far from a sure thing.
In September, Leto spoke about the fact there were several Joker projects in the works. "I'm a little confused, too," he admitted. "There are a couple of things happening. I love the Joker. He's a great character and really fun character to play. But it's a big universe and when you play the Joker, there's no ownership there. You have the honor of holding the baton for a little while and then passing it off. There are other films that are in development and I'm excited to see what comes from them."
However, according to an earlier story in The Hollywood Reporter, Leto was "was caught off guard by the plans." THR states that he subsequently informed his agents that he wasn't happy about DC planning to have "multiple Jokers."
Sea of Thieves developer Rare has announced another beta for its upcoming multiplayer pirate game. This beta will be the final one before the game's release date in a few weeks and is open to everyone on Xbox One and PC. It's live now and runs until March 11 at 2 AM PT / 5 AM ET / 10 AM GMT / 9 PM AEST.
During a developer update about the final beta, executive producer Joe Neate explained that the studio wants to have a greater number of players trying the game out than before, and in order to do so it has opened up the trial to everyone. Additionally, a number of new features have been included in the new beta.
The first of them is the Merchant Alliance, which is a faction that tasks players with capturing animals in exchange for rewards. Another new feature being tested in the beta is Skeleton Forts, which creates the opportunity for forts in the world to be occupied by skeletons. These special forts offer greater rewards for those who clear them out, but they're signified by large clouds hovering above them that are visible to all players. Naturally, this means you may have to battle other players as well as skeletons for riches.
Neate emphasised that there could be issues with the beta as the studio is testing the game and its features, and inviting a much larger amount of people to put the game's servers through its paces. If problems do arise, Rare says it may put temporary blocks on new players coming in to even out the experience. The services team will also be working on-the-fly to resolve any other issues that come up.
Teams of 20, as it's officially titled, pits five teams against each other, with each team containing--as you may have guessed--20 players. Take a look at a trailer for the new mode above. In addition, the update introduces a new skin, called Burnout. Take a look at that below.
For Save the World players, developer Epic has introduced a set of new items called Hoverboard Boost Pads, which "send the Hoverboard flying." There's also a new Hero available: Wukong, a Mythic version of the Lunar New Year Berserker Soldier. Elsewhere, the update fixes a bunch of bugs and introduces more small tweaks; take a look at the full patch notes in the list below.
Fortnite has kicked off Season 3 of its Battle Royale mode on PC, PS4, Xbox One, with a bunch of new rewards to boot. That also means a new set of Weekly Challenges to complete, and we've compiled them all below.
Keep in mind you do need a Battle Pass to access the weekly challenges, but they don't necessarily need to be completed before the weekly reset. As long as you finish them within the season, they'll count. The reset occurs every Thursday at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET.
Week 3
Harvest building resources with a pickaxe - 3000 total, 5 Battle Stars
Deal damage with Suppressed Weapons to opponents - 500 total, 5 Battle Stars
The Snobby Shores location, in particular, can be a little vexing. Fortunately you don't actually need to follow (or even have) the treasure map as long as you know the location, and the Fortnite subreddit has laid that out already.
As always, you can grab the new Battle Pass for 950 V-Bucks. That allows you to unlock items like outfits, gliders, emotes, and more. This season added 30 more tiers to the Battle Pass, bringing the total number up to 100. The Season 3 Battle Pass includes 76 new items, such as loading screens, skydiving effects trails, pickaxes, and more. Check out our gallery of Battle Pass rewards for a better look.
Below you can see the previous week's challenges, which are still active for the remainder of the season.
Week 1
Deal damage with Pistols to opponents - 500 total, 5 Battle Stars
Search Chests in Pleasant Park - 7 total, 5 Battle Stars
Revive Players - 5 total, 5 Battle Stars
Visit a Llama, Fox, and a Crab - 3 total, 5 Battle Stars
Follow the treasure map found in Dusty Depot - 1 total, 10 Battle Stars
Update: Ubisoft has officially confirmed a sequel to The Division, aptly titled The Division 2. In a livestream, the company revealed the game and confirmed it's being developed by the same primary studios as the first entry, including Massive Entertainment, Red Storm, and Ubisoft Reflections. You'll be able to transfer some progress from the original game to Division 2, though how that will work is not yet clear. No more details have been discussed; the company says a full reveal is coming at E3 2018. We'll report back as more details are shared. The original story follows.
Two years to the day after the first game was released, Ubisoft appears prepared to announce The Division 2. Details on the game are scant at this point, but we do know it's apparently in development at the same studio as the first game, Massive Entertainment.
News of the game first leaked through stock website 4-Traders, which published a blog post from creative director Julian Gerighty. While seemingly dubious on its own, an image showing The Division 2's logo has been discovered on Ubisoft's own website.
It's not a huge surprise that Ubisoft would decide to continue with The Division. Although the original was criticized by many at launch, Ubisoft and Massive have diligently worked to address complaints in the two ensuing years. The 1.8 update released this past December, in particular, was lauded as a highlight for its sweeping improvements--all of which came for free. The game has also received a pair of paid DLC expansions.
Alongside news of a sequel, Ubisoft has also announced that support is not ending for the first game. New global events are on the way as part of future title updates, as is an Xbox One X patch to provide 4K support--that's coming in April. In June, the game will also receive something called Crests, which are achievements that will unlock rewards in The Division 2.
There's no word on platforms or other details yet, but it seems like a safe assumption that The Division 2 will release for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. We'll report back as more information is shared.
Following a great deal of speculation and apparent confirmation that 2018's Call of Duty entry would be a new Black Ops game, Activision has made it official. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is in development and will be released later this year --though it'll be out sooner than we're accustomed to.
Black Ops 4 is headed to PS4, Xbox One, and PC; there's no word on a Switch version, as some had hoped. It will be released on Friday, October 12, almost a full month sooner than the early November release window that new Call of Duty games typically occupy. As previously confirmed, this year's game is being developed by Treyarch, the studio responsible for the entire Black Ops series.
Unfortunately, beyond those basic details, Activision hasn't shared anything further about the game. Instead, a special event will be hosted on May 17 where Activision will reveal the game publicly. It's unclear if we'll get any other official details prior to that date. It looks as if the PC version may use Blizzard's Battle.net.
It was reported earlier this year that 2018's game would be Black Ops 4. Activision rotates between Call of Duty studios on a three-year cycle, and given the sub-series' popularity and the fact that 2018 marks three years since the previous Black Ops game's launch, the news made sense. Subsequently, NBA star James Harden was recently spotted wearing a hat that appeared to feature a modified version of the Black Ops III logo, only with four symbols (roman numerals be damned). That logo turned out to be real, as you can see above. Black Ops 3, meanwhile, received a surprise update with new content, leading some to wonder if it was meant to tease the possibility of a sequel.
We'll report back as Activision shares more details on Black Ops 4. In the meantime, let us know what you hope to see from it in the comments below.
President Donald Trump's administration today hosted a roundtable meeting to discuss the subject of violence in video games and their effects on young players. It brought together various representatives from the video game industry, including the heads of the ESA, ESRB, and Take-Two, as well as lawmakers and individuals who have assigned blame for violent incidents to video games in the past. Although it was closed to the press as it happened, here's what we've since learned about the discussion.
The White House has yet to comment on the meeting. In lieu of an official transcript, we only have after-the-fact comments and a Washington Post report to clue us in as to what was talked about. Trump apparently started the meeting by showing off video of unspecified violent games, which has since been released on YouTube. It shows particularly violent, context-free moments from Fallout 4, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (the infamous No Russian scene), and The Evil Within, among others. You can watch it below.
According to the report, there were calls from those in the meeting, including Media Research Council president Brent Bozell, for "much tougher regulation" that would treat games like tobacco and liquor. In a statement released on Twitter after the meeting, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (a Republican from Missouri) said that she believes in an "all-encompassing approach" and that discussion should not be limited to just video games. She called for similar meetings to be held with members of the movie industry, adding, "Today's meeting was an opportunity to learn and hear from different sides to violence in schools. I believe significant progress was made today, and my hope is that we can build on the progress in the future."
Sen. Marco Rubio (a Republican from Florida) pointed out there has been "no evidence" suggesting the Parkland shooter was motivated by playing video games. He added that he wants to "mak[e] sure parents are aware of the resources available to them to monitor and control the entertainment their children are exposed to."
The Washington Post story offers little of the games industry's side during the meeting, except to say they refuted the alleged connection between games and real-life acts of violence. The Entertainment Software Association, the industry's lobbying group that is also responsible for organizing E3, was also in attendance and released a statement this afternoon.
"We welcomed the opportunity today to meet with the President and other elected officials at the White House," a spokesperson said. "We discussed the numerous scientific studies establishing that there is no connection between video games and violence, First Amendment protection of video games, and how our industry's rating system effectively helps parents make informed entertainment choices. We appreciate the President's receptive and comprehensive approach to this discussion."
Although he was not in attendance, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (a Democrat from Connecticut) issued a statement decrying the attempt to deflect attention from the issue of gun control. "I'm willing to look at anything and everything that may help address the gun violence epidemic that has swept our country--including addressing the culture of violence many see in America today," he said. "But there is an urgent need now for meaningful action on extreme risk protection orders, expanded background checks, and banning assault weapons. Blaming video games or the entertainment media for the 90 American lives lost every single day to gun violence is an unacceptable excuse to avoid talking about serious policy proposals."
Today's meeting was hastily announced last week in the wake of the recent tragedy in Parkland. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would be "meeting with members of the video game industry to see what they can do on that front." At the time, no specifics were shared about who would be involved, and the ESA said it had not heard anything about it. The specifics of the meeting then came into focus this week, though a list of attendees was not made public until less than a day before it was set to take place.
Trump has suggested that violent video games are a problem in the past, tweeting that they are "creating monsters" back in 2012. After the shooting in Parkland, he referenced how he's been told "the level of violence in video games is really shaping young people's thoughts." He went on to suggest that a movie and or video games rating board is needed, despite the fact that those already exist in the US in the form of the MPAA and ESRB.
More broadly, lawmakers have taken issue with violent video games for more than 25 years. An uproar around the violence in games like Mortal Kombat is what led to the founding of the ESRB, which is a self-regulatory body. After the Sandy Hook school shooting, then-Vice President Joe Biden also met with the games industry to discuss violence, though that ultimately had little impact in terms of legislation. Most notably, a 2011 ruling by the Supreme Court struck down a bill that would have blocked the sale of violent video games to minors.
Studies have yet to connect the motives of shooters with a connection to violent video games. In fact, there's research that suggests school shooters may be less interested in violent games than other people. The ESA has frequently cited the fact that games are played internationally as further evidence that they are not to blame: "Video games are plainly not the issue: entertainment is distributed and consumed globally, but the US has an exponentially higher level of gun violence than any other nation," it said recently. A recent Washington Post story further suggests this is a US-centric problem.
Video games often take the blame at times like this, but whether any of this talk results in real legislation remains to be seen. Drafting laws is a challenging process, and without a convincing scientific argument, it may prove difficult to pass a bill. One thing is for sure, though: This is unlikely to be the last time we see politicians pursue this path.
Capcom's beloved action adventure game Okami is coming to Nintendo Switch. Today during a Nintendo Direct broadcast, Nintendo announced that Okami HD will launch digitally on the eShop this summer.
A brief trailer was shown confirming that you can use touch screen controls in handheld mode. Additionally, you can use the Joy-Con motion controls in TV mode for the game's Celestial Brush.
Okami HD is already available on consoles like Xbox One and PlayStation 4, as well as PC. Of course, those versions do not support motion controls, so that sets the Switch edition apart. The Wii edition of Okami also supported motion controls.
A new WarioWare game is coming this year. Nintendo kicked off today's Direct presentation with the reveal of WarioWare Gold, a new microgame compilation arriving for 3DS in August.
Like the recent Mario Party: The Top 100, WarioWare Gold is a collection of some of the series' most popular microgames. It features 300 new and returning activities in total, making it the largest WarioWare game to date. Players will have to use the handheld's touchscreen, mic, gyroscope, and other features to play the microgames.
In addition to the new and returning games, WarioWare Gold stars many familiar characters from the series, who sport a new look in the upcoming title. The game releases in stores and the Eshop on August 3.
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