While it wasn't publicly talked about on WWE television, most wrestling fans knew that Raw superstar Paige was injured and forced into retirement. Sadly, on the Raw After Mania, she officially announced it and gave thanks to those who helped her along the way.
Back in December, during a house show, Paige was kicked in the back, which caused her neck to snap. Since then, she has not been allowed to wrestle inside a WWE ring. However, she has been working as the leader and manager of the stable Absolution, alongside Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. She did not partake in the women's Royal Rumble match nor the Women's Battle Royal at Wrestlemania. She sat on the sidelines during both events.
On the Raw After Mania, Paige grabbed the mic after an Absolution match and announced she is retiring. "I would like to thank every single female superstar back there today," she explained. "Be proud to be a part of this division. We have all built this division to be something huge."
She went on to thank Daniel Bryan, who recently came back from a career-ending injury at Sunday's Wrestlemania; his return gave her hope. She also thanked Edge, who was also forced into early retirement. She said that Edge showed her there is a life outside of WWE, and she has to go find "something else." What that means for her fans is unknown at this time.
Paige made it seem like she won't be returning to WWE programming at all, not even as the manager of Absolution. She debuted four years prior in New Orleans where she won the Diva's Championship--while still the NXT Women's Champion. Paige explained that she wanted to retire where she debuted. The crowd thanked her by chanting, "This is your house."
WWE's women's division would not be where it is today without Paige. She was the first female superstar from NXT to help elevate the women's main roster to where it is today. Because of her contributions, the Diva's title was retired, women have main evented PPVs, and women have competed in Hell in a Cell, Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank matches. Thank you, Paige, for helping make WWE's women's division what it is today.
With Hearthstone's Year of the Raven kicking off with the launch of the upcoming Witchwood expansion on April 12, fans of Blizzard's wildly popular card battle game are about to experience some of the most sizable changes to the game yet. Compared to the previous expansion, Kobolds and Catacombs--which introduced the Dungeon Run--The Witchwood expansion brings in a slightly spookier experience for its jaunt through the dark and dreary forest. Along with 135 brand new cards, new keywords known as Echo and Rush, special hero characters that can transform into Worgen (Warcraft's take on werewolves), and a new variation to the Dungeon Run called Monster Hunts--the thriller-themed expansion aims to switch up the meta of the game.
During PAX East 2018, we spent some time with Hearthstone's game director Ben Brode, where he showed off new cards and spoke about the big changes happening in the coming weeks. In addition to talking about the Witchwood expansion, he also reflected on the game's impact, how its expanding community keeps the studio on their toes, and why the new content and flow will make it great entry point for new players.
GameSpot: The Year of the Raven roadmap starts with The Witchwood expansion, which looks to change things up a bit. Can you elaborate a bit further on what's ahead?
Ben Brode: With the Hearthstone Zodiac, each year there's a different animal/creature, and it represents three different expansions in the year. The reason we do that is because it's important to--well if you keep releasing new expansions with new cards forever, the burnout rate keeps going up and up. We have a format where you can play all the cards, but we also have a format where our competitive scene is focused on the newer decks--but you can only use the last two years of content. It's to ensure that the barrier for entry stays capped, but it also makes sure that the environment is changing with each set. The percentage of change there that we release is small, so many cards we're adding--135 cards in this expansion--but in the standard [game type], it represents a huge percentage change to the environment so the meta totally changes. It's always very exciting, and because this is the first set of the year, three--the other sets being a bit older now--it's an even bigger change to the environment, and it's the best time all year to come into the game.
The last expansion for Hearthstone was Kobolds and Catacombs, which brought in a number of big changes such as the dungeon runs. Based on the reactions you got from the community, what was one of the biggest lessons you learned from it?
I'd say one of the biggest lessons we learned was that dungeon runs were way more fun than we actually realized, and the players really loved them. One of the things that's important for us with Hearthstone is that we have to have interesting stuff happen all the time, and so when the new stuff comes out--things get really exciting, and players really like that phase of the meta to tinker and experiment. We also try to have more stuff happen during that phase, like our crazy events, like the loot clash arena for Halloween that we did, and interesting Tavern brawls for people to really sink their teeth into. But one of the things we could be doing is launching our single-player content a little bit later on, so that we stagger the content--because there's already plenty to do in the game when the expansion comes out, so the new content could come out when things get less exciting for players to switch things up. I think stuff like that for when we roll out the Witchwood, and then launch new single-player content shortly after, that might stuff we'll consider doing in the future.
One thing that may put people off when it comes to diving into games that are continually updated is the feeling that people have to play catch up. Not just in terms of finding all their own resources, but also trying to match up to other players. Do you think that this expansion will a bit more lenient towards newcomers?
I actually think right now is the best time [to jump into Hearthstone], because at this point of the rotation, this is the smallest number of cards you have to collect to become competitive in the game. You're not really behind anyone, and there's still a number of ways to figure out how to manage your decks. Oftentime players believe they're behind and that they can't keep up--this is the moment where you're not. I highly recommend coming into the game now at this point. Plus, we also have these super fun single-player modes that are completely free. The dungeon runs from our last set, Kobolds and Catacombs, our players really loved those and had a lot of fun with it, which we continue on with in Witchwood. There's plenty to do in Hearthstone, and you can do so much without spending any money at all. It's the best time to come in.
One of the new Paladin legendary cards coming to The Witchwood expansion.
On the inverse of that, having an expansion that makes a number of new additions and adjustments to the systems can be challenging as well. Especially for players who are comfortable with the flow of the game.
Yeah, that's right. If you're the kind of player that doesn't want change, the Wild [gametype] is actually perfect because it doesn't change that often or frequently, and it's focused on the decks that you fell in love with whatever reason--you can just play them there. So that's an option. But it is complicated because there are 135 new cards and each of those cards interact with each in other interesting ways. We have a really good team--called the final design team--and they play a ton of games, all focusing on balance and clarity in the cards, all to make sure things work and everything is well-balanced.
I guess you can say this expansion offers a really dark and moody atmosphere to it. Can you talk about how it was trying to inject more of a clear narrative and tone, and whether it was challenging to do so within the medium of a card based game?
Yeah, I think it's challenging, but also not really that important. We talked a lot a about story versus vibe among the team, and I think the vibe is critical to get you sold on this idea that you're in this tavern playing a friendly competition against a player--with the background having this background chatter can hit hard for people. I think that vibe, that 'Warcrafty' feel, is critical. And having an actual story plot points don't really matter, and it's also incredibly challenging to have to deliver on that in a satisfying way in the medium we have. Every type of game has a different type of vector of tellings stories in their game. Like I'm too busy trying to micro my units, I don't have time. After an intense RTS match, you kind of want that story to be the reward for a fun mission. So each game has their own kind of strengths and weaknesses in storytelling, and in just the way you have to structure your story for that game type, and I think card games--especially with the nature of this one being quite difficult--tend to focus more on the characters and its setting, as those matter more. People fall in love with Hearthstone more for the vibe it's in.
"This is the craziest card we've ever made." -- Ben Brode, game director.
In terms of switching things up, and offering new ways to play the game, is there one thing in particular about The Witchwood that strikes you as really appealing?
What I'm really excited about is the new keyword Echo. With cards that have Echo, you can play them as many times as you have mana on your turn. For example, we have a card called Phantom Militia, it's a three cost card, it's got two attack and four health and a taunt--so it's a pretty significant defender if you're trying to stop your opponent from overrunning you. You can play it for three mana if you want to start off strong or if you want to stop an aggressive player, but if this match-up is not about staying alive and it's about getting the highest value out of your cards, then you want to wait till it turns six and play it twice, or want to wait till it turns nine and play it three times. As long as you got the mana, you can play every card over and over again. Choosing to wait to get more value out of it is a super interesting decision; there's a lot of types of those cards in this new set. I think this mechanic is something players are going to find really fun.
Hearthstone has been around for four years now, and the game's popularity is still growing rapidly. Do you have any comments about the impact it's had on Blizzard, and just what the general reception to the game means for you?
Well, I think one of the most interesting things about card games is that the way we release cards consistently, it's always exciting for people to see more added to the game. I've always believed that Hearthstone would grow and get bigger and bigger. Though I will say that not everyone was as confident as me [laughs], but I definitely could tell we had something special going on. Not many games can say they've been around like World of Warcraft has. So I think it's a difficult goal to shoot for, but I think we can easily go forever with Hearthstone. There's so many things we're excited about doing, we're actually working on in-game tournaments to allow friends and others online to get together and organize their own events. The game's got an infinitely designed space, and we're way, way far away from tapping out all the cool ideas we have. I can't wait to see what the game looks like in 10 or 20 years.
The latest free update for Overwatch has arrived, and it kicks off the latest seasonal event, Overwatch Archive 2018. It's live now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC and features both new skins and a special co-op Brawl mode called Retribution.
There are a handful of new skins--eight Legendaries--to get your hands on through loot boxes. Characters to get new looks in this update are Hanzo, Winston, Moira, Reaper, Mei, Doomfist, Sombra, and Lucio. More than 100 cosmetic items from last year's Uprising event return, with 60 new ones being added for this event. These include highlight intros, sprays, emotes, and more.
As for Retribution mode, it's a four-player co-op experience not unlike what we've seen before from Overwatch's limited-time PvE offerings. It takes players eight years prior to the events of Overwatch, when the Blackwatch group tries to capture a "high-ranking member of the Talon organization." Players will assume the roles of Genji, McCree, Moira, and Reyes (who ultimately becomes Reaper). Alternatively, there's a non-canonical version that allows you to play as any character from the full roster. Either way, you'll be playing on a new Venice map, while a PvP version, Rialto, will also be available as a new Escort map.
The new event runs from now until April 30. Alongside the returning cosmetics from last year, you can also take part in the returning Uprising PvE mode. Both of these, like the Junkenstein's Revenge mode release around Halloween, are only available on a limited-time basis because Blizzard doesn't think they offer the necessary level of long-term depth.
With Overwatch's next seasonal event, Overwatch Archives 2018: Retribution, now live, players will be able to dive into new PvE oriented fight for survival against the forces of Talon Organization. Set eight years before the events of the main game, Retribution focuses on an ill-fated mission headed up by Blackwatch, a unit comprised of McCree, Genji, Moira, and Gabriel Reyes--who would eventually become Reaper. Going on from now until April 30, you'll see a new side of some very familiar characters in this narrative focused event.
In the above video, we clear through a Hard mode run of the Retribution mission. Much like last year's Uprising event, the new story event is a co-op event that brings the traditionally multiplayer focused gameplay to a new venue, where players have to fight against hordes of AI enemies. With no tank characters to play as, Retribution has the flow of a run-and-gun level, where you'll have to keep moving and avoid as many enemies as possible.
In addition to the Retribution mission--which also includes a side mode allowing you to use any character in the roster for the level--the seasonal event also features 160 new items to collect, new skins, and a new PvP map set in Rialto, Venice. Be sure to check out our thoughts on the new game-type, along with our talk with the developers of Overwatch about their plans for future story focused content.
Tuesday again? No problem. From GTA 5 and Dark Souls Remastered to loot boxes and A Link Between Worlds, we've got another episode of GameSpot Daily, ready to go in 30 minutes or less.
First off, it's hard to forget the dreaded Blighttown from the original version of Dark Souls. If that game made players drop to their knees and cry, then Blighttown made their consoles do the same. Thankfully, one very helpful player tried Dark Souls Remastered out on the Switch during PAX East and made a beeline to the infamous area. We've got what happened in today's episode.
Now, loot boxes may not be everyone's favourite subject, but this story isn't about another game developer throwing loot boxes into their game. Instead, some are paying for the way they did so. Three Korean companies have been fined a combined $950,000 by the Korean Fair Trade Commission for deceptive loot box practices, including MapleStory publisher Nexon.
Speaking of money, former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies has hit a bit of a snag with his lawsuit against Take-Two. The Grand Theft Auto 5 boss filed a lawsuit claiming that the Rockstar parent company owes him $150 million in royalties and alleging that he was forced out of the company. The New York Supreme Court recently ruled that he's not entitled to as much money as he originally hoped; however, they haven't completely left his corner, as the case has not yet been dismissed.
Benzies was instrumental in GTA 5's development, and it's no secret that it's one of, if not the most commercially successful game of all time. However, one analyst doesn't believe Rockstar can strike that same gold again. While he believes Red Dead Redemption 2 will be very successful, he also noted that GTA 5 is a "wild outlier" in the video game market. We'll just have to wait and see what happens when Rockstar's cowboy romp saddles up this October.
As fans of The Simpsons deep-seeded love for the series, we decided to discuss the recent controversy around the show's response to some of the criticism around character Apu. More specifically, some fans aren't too happy with its response to a documentary from 2017 called The Problem With Apu, which highlighted negative racial stereotypes inherent to the character. The show responded to the documentary poorly and that's caused some disappointment among some.
To finish things off, we talk about the recent analysis of A Link Between Worlds' localization by Clyde Mandelin, who is best known for his fan translation of Mother 3. It turns out the Western version is more body positive than its original version. More specifically, when the Zora Queen grows to a rather large size after her gem is stolen, other characters comment negatively on her size and appearance. In the Western version, that is not present.
That's what you'll find in today's episode, but be sure to tune in every day of the week at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST/7PM BST/4 AM AEST for another episode of GameSpot Daily. We cover the most exciting gaming news in 30 minutes or less or we'll.
Overwatch's next major PvE event is now live. As a part of the Overwatch Archives series, Retribution takes cues from last year's Uprising event, pitting four players against an onslaught of AI-controlled enemies in a narrative-focused mission. Detailing one of the last missions conducted by Blackwatch, Retribution is set eight years before the events of the main game, focusing on a doomed operation with McCree, Genji, Moira, and Gabriel Reyes--who would eventually become Reaper.
"Right now the plan is to not have [Retribution] available after [the timed event]," said Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan during a press Q&A. "We are constantly revisiting those types of decisions with some stuff that we've done--capture the flag is a good example. In our previous event for Year of the Dog, where we introduced a brand-new map for it, we figured it was evergreen and kept it into the system. So right now the plan is to only have it available for the event for about three weeks."
Blizzard's experiments with PvE events have been something that fans have appreciated. Despite being a game with a strong focus on character presentation, style, and personality, the focus remains on its 6v6 multiplayer gameplay--which leaves little room for dedicated storytelling. Still, the developers at Blizzard relish the opportunity to try something different and experiment with new types of gameplay within the infrastructure of its multiplayer design.
"It's a 6v6 PvP game at its core, but throughout development we've had these little exercises that we do--like making the capture the flag mode, Uprising last year, and now Retribution this year--where we really get to explore what kind of gameplay we can have fun with and expand upon what Overwatch is," said senior VFX artist Rachel Day, who's previously worked on Diablo III and Starcraft 2. "So making stuff like this PvE content is really just a chance for us to dig in and find other ways for these characters to be fun, the gameplay to be fun, and I think we really succeeded with it. I hope people are really looking forward to it."
For the developers, making these events works as a way to steadily venture further into Overwatch's in-game universe--to define aspects of the characters, along with the space they inhabit. While the comics and short films they release online add extra flavor to the overall narrative, the game usually has the final say--and the developers are still trying to figure out just how to express that. Speaking with senior game producer Matthew Hawley, he explained that Overwatch is still very much in its infancy when compared to other Blizzard IPs, and that the hero shooter is still defining itself.
"I think for me, as someone who tends to be more drawn to co-op or story-driven games, and as someone who loves the potential of what the Overwatch universe can be--I think of Overwatch as our Warcraft 1 in terms of what was the story of Warcraft back in the original game, and it was just Orcs and Humans," said Matthew Hawley. "We've sort of dipped our toe in the water with the 6v6 shooter and found that the characters and heroes were very relatable to people, and that's why we started out doing the story missions like Uprising and Retribution to figure out how to get people who aren't into the PvP something to offer that tell the stories that we want to tell."
During the media summit, the developers were clear in stating that fan reactions have been a strong indicator of their successes, and they understand there's a yearning to have more unusual events and scenarios presented in the game. Still, Overwatch's game director and de facto face of the series, Kaplan, elaborated further on why Overwatch is going to remain solely PvP oriented game, for the time being.
"I think it's important to talk about why [it's a timed event]," he said. "I don't think players always understand why we don't want players to have access to it all year, and maybe this is just developer insecurity, but let me give you the reason why we don't these events to be available all the time. I honestly believe there's a big difference between creating PvE highly-replayable content that you're expecting somebody to get hundreds of thousands of hours of gameplay out of versus something that you think can be sustained for a couple weeks. I think what would happen if we put Uprising and Retribution just permanently in the game is that players would find that they needed more out of it. Like a progression system on top of it, or scoring, or items, or players asking when the next mission is. They would want more content [beyond Uprising and Retribution]."
Despite how firm Blizzard is on sticking with keeping the focus on multiplayer gameplay, the developers weren't opposed entirely to a story mode. With concerns about its present offerings--the Uprising, Retribution, and the Junkenstein events--not being deep enough, Blizzard may someday implement one that fans can sink their teeth into and won't leave them wanting more. But in their present state, the developers are content with only keeping it around for a limited time.
"At its core, Overwatch is a PvP game, so it's fun for us to explore PvE," stated Kaplan. "But as we've all worked on Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft, we've worked on a number of PvE games and know what player instincts are gonna be," he continued. "So if you said this was a year-round evergreen experience, we want to make sure it holds up to that before putting it out there for that length."
The second DLC expansion for Call of Duty: WWII is now available for some players. Activision has released The War Machine map pack on PS4, which introduces a handful of new maps, an additional War mode mission, and other content to the popular WWII shooter.
The War Machine brings three new multiplayer maps to the game: Egypt, Dunkirk, and V2. Egypt has players battling around the Great Pyramids and other familiar landmarks. Dunkirk features a "large, open and dangerous beach area flanked by tight interiors." V2, on the other hand, is an "ultra-fast paced map" set in a secret rocket test site in Germany.
In addition to those maps, The War Machine adds a new War mode mission: Operation Husky. Co-developed with Raven Software, the mission is inspired by the real-life Operation Husky and has players gathering intelligence on the location of enemy ports and transmitting their intel to HQ.
Operation Husky also introduces a new mechanic to the game: dogfights. If players manage to successfully clear the first two stages of the mission, they'll be put in the cockpit of a plane and must defend their bombers while the Axis tries to shoot them down.
Rounding out the DLC pack is a new chapter for Nazi Zombies called The Shadowed Throne. Activision teases that this chapter "takes the Barbarossa storyline to an entirely new level" and is set in Berlin, where Doktor Straub's undead army is attempting to purge the city of Allied forces.
PS4 players can download The War Machine pack now for $15 / £11.59 / AU $20.45. It is also included alongside the first expansion, The Resistance, in Call of Duty: WWII's season pass, which runs for $50 / £40 / AU $65. Activision hasn't announced an Xbox One and PC release date for The War Machine yet, but Call of Duty DLC typically arrives on those platforms a month later.
Silicon Valley alum andDeadpool 2star TJ Miller is facing some serious trouble and possibly jail time. Miller was arrested Monday night, April 9, after allegedly calling in a bomb threat on a train in early March.
According to a press release from authorities, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Miller is accused of "intentionally conveying to law enforcement false information about an explosive device on a train traveling to Connecticut." The United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut says the comedian allegedly dialed 911 and claimed he was on a train traveling from Washington, DC to New York City's Penn Station and that a woman on the same train has a "bomb in her bag."
Authorities stopped and evacuated that train, searching for any sign of an explosive device, and came up empty. What's more, Miller was also not on the train. Instead, he was on a different train. The attendant of that train claims the actor and comedian "appeared intoxicated" and continued to drink during his travel. Before being removed from the train in New York, he allegedly had hostile exchanges with a woman in his car.
At this point, Miller has been released on a $100,000 bond, after appearing before a judge in Connecticut. The case is being investigated by not only the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Connecticut State Police but the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Should he be convicted, Miller could face up to five years in prison.
This is not the first time Miller has been in trouble with the law. In 2016, he was arrested due to the alleged assault of an Uber driver over a disagreement about Donald Trump. In late 2017, allegations of sexual misconduct dating back to his time in college surfaced. At the time, Miller and his wife claimed the maintained the accusations were false.
Miller recently appeared in Ready Player One and is next set to return to the big screen as Weasel in Deadpool 2, which arrives in theaters on May 18.
A whole new set of PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games has gone on sale on the PlayStation Store. In addition to the standard weekly sale, Rockstar has decided to mark its PlayStation games down as well. The sales will be live through April 16, so let's go through and find the highlights.
A number of deals are available this week, including the adventure game Thimbleweed Park, which is available for half off at $10. The well-received sprite-based game Owlboy is $20, saving you $5. A PSVR game that mixes real-time strategy with tower defense called Korix is $7, down from $20. And if you've been itching to jump into Star Trek Online, many of its Zen packs and ships are on sale as well.
Perhaps you'd enjoy trying your hand at some detective work. If so, you can pick up L.A. Noire for $30. If you'd rather skip classes, grab Bully for $9. Max Payne and Manhunt are also available on PS4 for $9 each.
With Westworld Season 2 less than two weeks from its premiere, showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan took to Reddit last night [April 9] to discuss the best way to deal with the inevitable spoilers that will emerge as the show continues and fans attempt to guess its twists and turns. Their radical suggestion was to release a video that detailed the entire plot from beginning to end, so that "the members of the community who want the season spoiled for them can watch ahead, and then protect the rest of the community, and help to distinguish between what's 'theory' and what's spoiler."
Joy and Nolan promised delivery of this video if their post got more than 1,000 upvotes. Inevitably it far exceeded that number (2,950 and counting), so they uploaded the 25-minute video. While it starts like it might be detailing the entire plot of Westworld Season 2, around 90 seconds in, it becomes something.... very different. Don't worry, there aren't actually any spoliers in the video, so you're free to check out the amazing moment below. Check it out below:
Nolan explained that main draw to creating this new park was his love of Japanese cinema, in particular the classic samurai movies of Akira Kurosawa. "It comes down to being obsessed with Japanese cinema as a kid and earnestly wanting to make an homage to Kurosawa and the other films I grew up watching," he said. "My older brothers and I watched Sergio Leone westerns and Kurosawa's classic samurai films and were fascinated to discover they had the same plot.
"You had this wonderful call and response between these two genres--with the gunslinger and the ronin. They have identical tropes but are set within different cultures. Frankly, this was just a great excuse to go and make a samurai movie with all the trimmings."
As well as Shogun World, the promotional Delos Experience site also revealed that there are a further four parks which are currently "closed to the public." There has been much speculation about what these other worlds could be. The 1976 sequel to original 1973 movie Westworld was titled Futureworld, and it featured a number of different parks, including Medieval World, Roman World, and, er, Spa World.
This is a week of originals on Netflix. Each title being added to the service is exclusively available from the streamer, and there's a few of them you are going to want to pay very close attention to.
The biggest new release of the week is the arrival of Lost in Space Season 1. After the reboot of the classic TV series debuted its series premiere--which GameSpot's own Michael Rougeau called a "promising start" for the show in his Lost in Space review--at WonderCon, the 10-episode season will begin streaming on April 13, and it's one you're not going to want to miss.
Additionally, this week sees new seasons of The Magic School Bus Rides Again and AMO, along with original films Come Sunday, I'm Not an Easy Man, and Pickpockets--which is set on Bogota as a group of teens learn to be master thieves. For cooking show fans, a new episode of Chef's Table will debut, this one focused on pastries.
Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch are often held up as great examples of evolving games, with Ubisoft and Blizzard continuing to support their multiplayer titles long after their respective release dates. In the time since launch, we've had everything from brand new characters and maps, to cosmetics that help keep everything fresh. Both games are excellent team-based multiplayer shooters, both utilize a hero system to add depth and replayability, and both have very passionate fanbases. But which game is better?
That's what our new show, Versus, aims to figure out, in a lighthearted way. The series kicks off with an episode dedicated to pitting the much-loved two shooters against one another. Seasoned Overwatch player Tamoor Hussain is in the red corner, fighting for Blizzard's colorful shooter over a three-round argument. Oscar Dayus, meanwhile, is over in the blue corner championing Rainbow Six Siege.
The discussion begins with randomly selected topics, and the pair argue in support of their respective games. Amongst the serious analysis of each title, there's also some fun-poking and jokes at each other's expense, as with all good debates. Be sure to watch till the end to see the quick-fire round... it goes places.
Let us know who you think won the debate in the comments below, or head over to YouTube to vote in our official poll, and we'll let you know who wins the most votes in next week's episode. For more on Tamoor's favorite shooter, check out the trailer for Overwatch Archives event and its Retribution mission. For more on Oscar's game of choice, take a look at some possible new Rainbow Six Operator leaks.
Check back next week for another episode of Versus, where we'll be debating whether PS4 or Xbox One has the better exclusive games so far--it's sure to get heated. New episodes of Versus drop every Wednesday at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM BST / 11 PM AET on GameSpot.com and YouTube.
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 recently 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. Week 5's challenges are now available.
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
After Xbox One backwards compatibility support for original Xbox games was announced, Microsoft made it clear that we would not see new titles added regularly. To date, only one batch of games has been released, but another has now arrived--and it includes some quality additions.
Microsoft teased that new original Xbox BC games would be revealed during an Inside Xbox broadcast scheduled for tonight, April 10. Ahead of that, listings for several such games have been discovered on the Xbox Store (via Reddit user nuton) with release dates set for today, though they can't yet be purchased.
Official details on these releases will be shared later today. Original Xbox BC games work just like Xbox 360 games; you simply pop in the disc or download a digital copy and can play it on Xbox One without any real fuss.
Boss Key Productions, the studio founded by Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and developer of LawBreakers, has revealed Radical Heights, a "free *X-TREME Early Access* battle royale shooter," and it's out now on Steam Early Access.
Like most battle royale games, Radical Heights tasks contestants with surviving against other players, but adds its own twist on the formula by inviting players to use vehicles to give themselves the advantage. On top of that, you can collect cash and deposit it in the bank, to use later on regardless of whether you win or lose the match.
"Partake in high-stakes battle royale gunplay in a sunny SoCal dome as contestants drive-by on BMX bikes or stalk other contestants from the shadows in search for weapons and prizes," reads the game's Steam page. "But also cash that you can bank--win or lose! Whether you spend that cash on righteous customization in your personal prize room or pull it from an ATM to purchase weapons early in the next game--building a wealth of cash is as important as taking down the competition in this irreverent 80s-themed action game show where everyone wants to be rich and famous."
According to Boss Key, it has "some really unique twists we want to put in the Battle Royale genre," so launching in Early Access is its way to "share those high level ideas with our community quickly." The studio plans to have Radical Heights in Early Access "for about a year."
"This gives us time to solidify the foundation of the game with our community, build out additional features, and develop a solid understanding of what works, what doesn't, and flesh out a full release content plan based on what we think is right for the game," it explained.
Looking ahead, Boss Key plans to introduce "new weapons, gadgets, customization, vehicles, game show events, game modes, and eventually a Daily/Weekly Challenges system."
On April 5, Boss Key production addressed the current state of LawBreakers, admitting that it had "failed to find enough of an audience to generate the funds necessary to keep it sustaine in the manner [it] had originally planned for and anticipated." Regardless of this, the studio indicated it was committed to giving the game "the second life it deserves." Alongside evolving LawBreakers, Boss Key said it was working on something new, which evidently is Radical Heights.
LawBreakers publisher Nexon said in an earnings report that some of the game's struggles may have been at least partially due to the overwhelming success of PUBG, one of the most popular titles in the battle royale genre.
"The timing of its launch turned out to be unfortunate, specifically the blockbuster PC online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds came out right about the same time, making the market environment very tough for first-person shooters in general and for LawBreakers," the company said.
A new in-game event is starting soon in Pokemon Go. For the next few days, Niantic is holding Kanto Week, an event celebrating the classic Red and Blue versions with increased spawn rates for some Gen I Pokemon and other bonuses.
Kanto Week begins today, April 10, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET and runs until April 17. For the duration of the event, Kanto-native Pokemon, like the original starting trio Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, will appear much more frequently in the wild. Other Gen I monsters, such as Aerodactyl and Snorlax, will also return to Raid Battles.
In addition to that, players will receive double the normal amount of Candy for capturing and transferring Pokemon during Kanto Week. Niantic is also offering special boxes from the in-game store that contain Raid Passes and other helpful items.
Kanto Week ties into the recently added Special Research quest to find Mew. As part of the tasks to encounter the Mythical Pokemon, players need to earn a gold Kanto medal, which is awarded for capturing 100 Pokemon from the region. This event should make it easier to accomplish that feat.
Kanto Week runs through Pokemon Go's next Community Day, which takes place this coming Sunday, April 15. During that event, Eggs will hatch at a quarter of the distance they typically require. Players will also have a greater chance to capture the Electric-type sheep Mareep; if it evolves into Ampharos during the event hours, the Pokemon will learn the powerful Dragon-type attack Dragon Pulse.
Following a series of announcements and teases, Ubisoft has released the first update of Year 2 for Ghost Recon Wildlands. As with all Year 2 expansions, the Tom Clancy-branded open-world game receives new PvE and PvP content all centered around a theme: Splinter Cell.
Special Operation I, as the update is called, is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. On the PvE side, the highlight is a special new mission featuring Splinter Cell protagonist Sam Fisher. For this performance, Ubisoft has brought back longtime Fisher voice actor Michael Ironside, who was not featured in 2013's Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
As for the mission itself, it involves Fisher coming to Wildlands' setting of Bolivia to track down someone who has stolen something from the CIA. He turns to the Ghosts for help, letting players (either in solo or co-op) team up with Fisher. Ubisoft describes this as "one of the most difficult missions the Ghosts have ever faced. The nighttime stealth mission will require players to use all the tools at their disposal to succeed."
The mission will be playable forever, but special rewards--including Fisher's goggles--are available for those who complete specific challenges before May 16 (as you can see in the image above). Ubisoft has also added the Splinter Cell Gear Pack, offering new weapons and customization items.
Special Operation I also expands Ghost War, Wildlands' PvP component, in some significant ways. It introduces the new Sabotage mode and five maps that can only be played in it. There's also the new Echelon assault class, which also ties into the Splinter Cell theme. The class is initially available to those with the Year 2 pass or by purchasing it with Prestige points.
Fortnite is adding new weapons and items all the time, and developer Epic has now teased another new addition. Named the Port-a-Fort, the upcoming item "sprouts a quick defensive position upon impact."
The game's menu says the new feature is coming soon, though we don't yet know precisely when or how it works. Building is a key part of Fortnite, but is something that some players find tricky, so the Port-a-Fort sounds as if it will help those players. Take a look at our Fortnite building guide for more on how to make the best bases and more.
All will likely be revealed soon, since Fortnite is updated frequently with new challenges and items. Fortnite's Week 7 challenges include two in particular that will require either some legwork on your part or a guide to specific locations, while the rest primarily deal with doing things in specific locations or getting access to the right types of weapons. It's also not too late to go back and complete those from previous weeks; Battle Pass owners have the remainder of April to finish all of Season 3's Fortnite: Battle Royale challenges. Earn the Battle Stars for completing challenges, and you'll more quickly level up the Battle Pass and earn its various rewards.
Our Fortnite: Battle Royale review went live just recently. Critic Michael Higham enjoyed the multiplayer title and awarded it an 8/10. "While there are several moving parts in the game's ecosystem, Fortnite's biggest accomplishment is in how it seamlessly merges a number of simple mechanics to create a distinguishable battle royale game," he wrote. "What looks to be a straightforward building system steadily escalates to an elaborate display of tactical prowess. As the saying goes: It's easy to learn, hard to master. Although a few shortcomings in the map design eventually surface and fatigue in looting can set in, Fortnite rarely fails at challenging you in unexpected ways, resulting in something more than just another typical last-person-standing shooter."
It's a great week for traveling between dimensions. Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is coming to PlayStation VR, while Super Daryl Deluxe opens up portals inside a seemingly normal high school. Meanwhile, you can save the world from giant ogres in Extinction or from a diseased meteor in Dark Rose Valkyrie. If you'd rather build something new, you can do just that with Robocraft Infinity.
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality -- April 10
Available on: PS4
The Adult Swim antics of Rick and his grandson Morty seem pretty perfect for a VR game, especially one designed by the same silly team that built Job Simulator. Now making its way to PSVR, the adventure lets you jump across dimensions, push big red buttons, and solve all sorts of far-out puzzles.
Daryl is the new kid at Water Falls High School, and he has to prove his place by journeying across a bunch of crazy environments, learning new combat skills, and facing a bunch of weird monsters. What else do you expect from a Metroidvania with a sketchbook art style?
Extinction -- April 10
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Speaking of fighting monsters, that's exactly what you'll do in Extinction. In this case, the monsters are enormous ogres threatening your city. Cue the epic battles to topple the giants. You can also design your own extra-large encounters in Skirmish Mode.
Dark Rose Valkyrie is also about saving the world, but the threat this time is a meteor spreading a disease across 1920s Japan. This RPG tasks you with more than just winning battles, as you also have to interrogate your own party and look for traitors, comparing their statements Phoenix Wright-style.
Robocraft Infinity -- April 11
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Let's finish with something more constructive--literally. Robocraft Infinity is all about building your own bot to fly, fight, drive, or whatever else you can think of, then taking it online to battle other players' creations. You can share your own designs and download others' too. It's also launching day-and-date on Xbox Game Pass, so subscribers can jump right in.
Welcome to another episode of Steam Punks, the GameSpot show where we go through the top PC Steam games each week, cutting through the clutter and showing you the best hidden video game gems.
The charming RPG Minit kicks off the show this week, where you're asked to complete your quest with the restriction of 60-second lives. It's not the first RPG to explore this time mechanic, but Minit sets itself apart with its incredibly focused design, and its unbridled creativity in its quests, characters, and wealth of secrets.
Next, we take a look at The Adventure Pals, an off-the-wall, Cartoon Network-inspired action platformer which Jess finds very comforting to play. The difficulty echoes something along the lines of a Kirby game, and there's a lot of joy in seeing what kinds of bizarre things the game can surprise you with.
Then, we go into the free-to-play realm with Airmech Strike, a MOBA twist on the Airmech series which has just graduated from Steam Early Access. Even if you've got genre fatigue, the fast-paced, shoot-em-up nature, along with some actual real-time strategy components might be enough to win over that part of your brain. With its focus on 1v1 and 2v2 matches, along with simple fact that you get to fly around in a transforming robot, Airmech Strike a low-investment game that is worth giving a shot, even just to watch some AI opponents explore.
Finally, we take it down a few notches and relax with Train Valley 2. This Steam Early Access tycoon puzzle game lets you play at your own pace in order to think about the logistics of a rail network and create the most efficient infrastructure possible. It's got a lovely, calming low-poly graphical presentation so if you like your micromanagement tasks to be a little more chill, Train Valley has got your back.
Minit is also available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Adventure Pals is also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Have you been playing any fantastic new PC games that we missed? Let us know on Twitter: @EdmondTran + @JessMcDonell
BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard's huge annual convention, is returning at the start of November. The company has announced BlizzCon 2018's dates: November 2-3 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Blizzard has also announced the dates for BlizzCon Opening Week, which kicks off several rounds of esports competition in StarCraft II, Heroes of the Storm, and World of Warcraft. For the first time, it'll will sell a limited number of tickets to Opening Week events too.
Tickets for BlizzCon will go on sale on two dates: Wednesday, May 9, at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET and Saturday May 12, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Tickets will cost $200 and you can buy them on Universe. That price gets you full admission over the two days, plus tons of loot from Blizzard games (just check out last year's haul).
For the first year, fans will also get the chance to buy tickets for events during BlizzCon Opening Week. Opening Week takes place right before BlizzCon, October 25-29, and includes tons of esports events. The initial rounds of the StarCraft II World Championship Series Finals, Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Finals, and the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship Finals take place during this week at the Blizzard Arena in Burbank, California. The final rounds of these three championships will all take place during BlizzCon itself.
Like in previous years, if you like the sounds of all of the above but can't make it to Southern California for the event, you can buy a Virtual Ticket and get access to livestreams of all the event, along with lots of bonus content (including special in-game items). Blizzard says availability, programming, and pricing details for the Virtual Tickets will be announced at a later date, and GameSpot will update as soon as more info is announced.
PUBG's new map, Savage, hit test servers earlier this week on PC, and offers players a different kind of battle royale gameplay. The map is 4 km x 4 km, smaller than the game's existing maps, and promises a more close-quarters, faster combat experience. So what are our early impressions of Savage? Watch the video above to see what Jake and Nick have to say about Savage and how it stacks up against PUBG's two existing maps.
While Savage is still in the testing phase and much of it isn't finished, it's clear the game offers you the chance to jump right into the action in the temple or resort areas. Here, you'll get into a gunfight right away. Players can still opt to take a slower approach to the action, starting further out and slowly picking off other players as The Circle closes in. All-in-all, Savage seems to provide the shorter, more intense matches that PUBG has been promising, and feels more comparable to Fortnite that the game's other two maps.
Codes to try Savage are currently no longer available, but developer PUBG Corp. is promising there are more on their way, so you can keep checking the beta site for your chance to play. There's no indication when exactly the new map will go live for all players, just that we can expect it some time during 2018. It was originally only open for Solo play, but PUBG Corp. opened it up to Squads in the middle of the week.
In other PUBG news, the game's developer recently unveiled a new War mode, which is essentially a 'team deathmatch' mode that brings more fast-paced gameplay. PUBG's latest event mode has also begun--Tequila Sunrise pits players against each other in close quarter combat with shotguns and melee weapons as the weapons of choice.
HBO has released the first full trailer for Fahrenheit 451, the upcoming adaptation of the Ray Bradbury classic. This look heavily features Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon, setting the stage for the film's central conflict.
Like the novel, Fahrenheit 451 imagines a dystopian future in which books are made illegal and firemen burn them to restrict their knowledge. Jordan plays Guy Montag, a young fireman who starts to doubt their mission and comes into conflict with his mentor, fire captain Beatty (Shannon). The new trailer shows Montag happily showing a book-burning to assembled children, but before long he begins to ask a few too many questions.
Joining them are Sofia Boutella, Lilly Singh, Laura Harrier, and Marton Donovan. It was written and directed by Ramin Bahrani (99 Homes). HBO will premiere it in May.
Hearthstone's next expansion is inching ever closer. Blizzard has announced that The Witchwood will launch this Thursday, April 12. It will add another 135 new cards to the game, as well as mark the start of the Year of the Raven. The annual change will cycle some older sets out of Standard play to make room for this year's expansions.
The company had been slowly revealing the full set, but that all came to a head this week when Blizzard hosted a live stream with game director Ben Brode and Hearthstone streamer Sean "Day9" Plott to show off the remaining cards. You still have time to pre-order the Witchwood bundle, which grants 70 packs for $50. After the expansion launches, of course, packs will be available at their regular price.
If you're looking to score some free cards and packs, though, Blizzard has arranged a few methods. You can take part in daily quests now, as all of them are granting randomized card packs as rewards in addition to the regular gold rewards. You can also log-in to Hearthstone anytime between the Witchwood launch and July 10 to claim three free packs and one class legendary card.
Witchwood will introduce one new Hero Card, the Shaman Hagatha, as a central character. A new single-player mode, called Monster Hunt, will follow shortly after launch. If you want to get inside the design philosophy of Hearthstone, check out what the devs told us recently about making everything feel overpowered.
If you were one of the two of three people championing a possible second season of Marvel's Inhumans, it might be time to give up the fight. Anson Mount, who was most recently seen as Black Bolt on Inhumans, has a new job that will take him far from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Variety reports that Mount will join the second season of Star Trek: Discovery in the role of Captain Christopher Pike--the predecessor of Captain James T. Kirk at the helm of the USS Enterprise. The arrival of Pike was first teased in the Season 1 finale of Discovery when the USS Discovery came face-to-face with the iconic Star Trek vessel.
Cat's out of the bag. Yep, I have officially joined STARFLEET, a dream I've had since around the age of 8 when I first discovered TOS syndicated on my local access channel in middle TN. And couldn't be more excited to be playing PIKE! @startrekcbspic.twitter.com/UWojAvI6bc
It's unknown how many episodes Mount will appear in of it he'll be considered a series regular when Discovery returns. However, the actor was quick to talk about his excitement on social media. "I have officially joined [Starfleet], a dream I've had since around the age of 8 when I first discovered [The Original Series] syndicated on my local access channel in middle [Tennessee]," he writes on Twitter. "And couldn't be more excited to be playing [Pike]!"
While there has been no official word on the status of Inhumans, which premiered in IMAX theaters before airing on ABC, the star moving onto another project certainly isn't a good sign. ABC says the status of the show will be formally announced in May. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Discovery has no set Season 2 premiere date.
Disclosure: GameSpot and CBS All Access, the home of Star Trek: Discovery, are both owned by CBS.
If you're interested in the open-world shooter Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands but haven't picked it up yet, we have some good news: You'll get a chance to try the game for free this weekend. The free-play weekend runs April 12 through 15, on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
It's a good weekend to hop in, too. This week sees the launch of Wildlands' first big Year 2 update. It's called Special Operation I, and as Ubisoft just announced, it features a mission with Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher. Unlike in Blacklist, the previous Splinter Cell game, Fisher is once again voiced by Michael Ironside.
Ghost Recon Wildlands takes place in Bolivia, where the drug war is in full swing. You and up to three others play as a special forces unit tasked with going in and dismantling the cartel's operations. Your job is to topple one drug lord lieutenant at a time, until you reach the kingpin El Sueno.
In GameSpot's Ghost Recon: Wildlands review, Miguel Concepcion wrote, "As only the second open world game in the Clancyverse, Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a middlingly safe tactical shooter and a slightly wasted opportunity given the ambitious scope of its seemingly boundless map. While its main strength is its mission diversity, it doesn't take long to lose the motivation after reaching El Sueno's doorstep. Even with a foursome of highly trained friends, Wildlands eventually reveals its diminishing returns. The feeling of positive immediacy and dopamine hits begin to wane sooner than you expected from a game with such a large and diverse world."
It's worth noting Ubisoft has released a number of updates and for Wildlands since the review was published, including a PvP mode called Ghost War. Ubisoft also announced last week that all Year 2 content would be free for all players. So it's probably worth trying out if you're looking for something to play this weekend.
It seems the Square Enix Store is getting a little cluttered lately. To help move inventory, Square Enix is holding a Spring Cleaning Sale and dropping prices on many of its games. If you're a fan of the company's offerings--both recent and retro, going all the way back to PS One--that's good news for you. Let's take a look at some of the best deals going on at the Square Enix Store this week.
If you haven't picked up Final Fantasy XV yet, here's an affordable way to do it. The Square Enix Store has the core game for $18 on PS4 and Xbox One, and the Xbox One version of the Deluxe Edition for $54. The Deluxe Edition comes with a steelbook case and the Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy movie on Blu-ray, as well as some in-game items. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is on sale for $30, and Final Fantasy X / X2 HD Remaster is available for $12. You can even buy Final Fantasy IX and the compilations Final Fantasy Origins and Final Fantasy Anthology for the original PlayStation for $5 apiece.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, a game that lets you tackle challenges in any way you want, is on sale for $8, while its Collector's Edition, featuring an art book and an Adam Jensen figurine, is down to $40 (from $100).
Best Buy has some great video game deals going on right now, with many of last year's biggest games getting price cuts. And with these first few weeks of April being relatively quiet in terms of major game releases, now's a great time to catch up on any games you missed at launch.
As always, the deals are even better for members of Best Buy's Gamers Club Unlocked program. A two-year membership costs $30 and gets you 20% off of pre-orders and new games. Best Buy's definition of "new" is pretty loose, so it applies to nearly every game in stock.
Nintendo's big games rarely go on sale, but Best Buy is selling Super Mario Odyssey for $50 this week ($40 for Gamers Club Unlocked members). Also on Switch, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is $40 ($32) and the motocross game MXGP3 is $30 ($24).
Looks like some kind of collaboration between Final Fantasy XV and Shadow of the Tomb Raider is heading our way. The brief teaser came via Square Enix during a panel at PAX East. Below, you can see the slide shown during the panel (via IGN). The crossover is said to be "coming soon," but that's about all we know so far.
Final Fantasy XV has been no stranger to crossovers since its release in 2016. In August of last year, the game got an infusion of Assassin's Creed. To celebrate the game's release on PC, it got some Half-Life and Sims 4 content added for good measure.
As for whether the Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy XV crossover will be like those, we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, you can look forward to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which is set to release on September 14. Square Enix said more information about the game will be released on April 27. Four new DLC episodes for Final Fantasy XV have also been announced.
Could your Xbox avatar use a little freshening up? Are you getting bored looking at your character in the same clothes every time you sign in to play? If so, you'll be pleased to hear you can now deck out your avatar with Avengers: Infinity War gear for free. Just check out this page on the Xbox Store to grab all 12 items. It's all part of a promotion for the Avengers: Infinity War movie, which opens April 27.
You can dress your avatar in suits to make them look like Captain America, Thor, Star Lord, Black Panther, Iron Man, or Black Widow. You can wrap them in Dr. Strange's cape and don Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet. And if your avatar is feeling lonely, you can give them companions like Groot, Hulk, or Rocket. Notably absent is Hawkeye, who has also been notably absent from the upcoming movie's trailers and posters.
If reports are to be believed, Xbox avatars should be getting a major shakeup sometime this month. At last year's E3, Microsoft announced it would offer avatars with more diverse and inclusive customization options. That still hasn't come to fruition, although The Verge reports the new avatar system will launch for all users in April. Microsoft hasn't announced a specific date.
In the meantime, you can pretend your avatar is a superhero by "purchasing" the Avengers items for free.
Recent Articles:
You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website.
No comments:
Post a Comment