It seems like forever ago that Destiny 2's first expansion, The Curse of Osiris, launched. Of course, Bungie has still been very active in releasing major updates to the game--but it's been over four months since any substantial new content was added to the game. That's going to change soon, though, with the Warmind expansion, which the developer will officially unveil tomorrow, April 24. [Update: The stream is now over, and we have the first details on Warmind.]
At the moment, we know basically nothing about Warmind, beyond a few boilerplate statements. It'll "send you to new places to meet new heroes and battle new enemies," the website says, which is doesn't reveal much about it. We also know that it'll have a new destination and a cooperative end-game activity. On April 24 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 5 PM UTC, several developers will go on stream to talk about exactly what you can expect from the DLC; you can watch it in the embed below when it goes live.
It also appears that Bungie is treating this as a particularly significant reveal. According to community manager David "DeeJ" Dague, it'll feature "more developers in the hot seats than we have ever hosted on a previous stream."
In other Destiny 2 news, Warmind's release on May 8 coincides with the beginning of Season 3. The new season will bring Crucible rankings, private matches, an increase to vault space, support for multiple equipped emotes, Exotic weapon Masterworks, and other tweaks.
Whenever a new remastered edition is announced, some people cheer while others groan. The less-than-amused folks are often the ones who bought the game in its original form and aren't happy about the prospect of paying full price for the upgrade. But when it comes to Dark Souls Remastered for PC, the groans shouldn't be too loud.
That's because From Software has officially announced owners of the PC game Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition will get a 50% discount when upgrading to Dark Souls Remastered when it launches in May. Owners of other versions of the original Dark Souls, however, are out of luck.
On PC, the transition between the current version and the Remastered version will take a couple of weeks. On May 8, Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition will be removed from Steam. If you've already purchased it, you'll still be able to plan and re-download it, but no one will be able to buy it after that date. Then, on May 25, Dark Souls Remastered will launch on Steam, as well as on PS4 and Xbox One.
The remastered version features the same characters, environments, and challenging gameplay, but it includes a number of upgrades, including improved graphics and quality-of-life tweaks. You'll also be able to play online with six people, rather than the previous limit of four.
Dark Souls Remastered is also heading to Nintendo Switch but not in May. While the Switch port was originally meant to launch the same day as the other versions, From Software delayed it to this summer. Nintendo has also pushed back the release date of the Solaire of Astora Amiibo.
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After a longer-than-expected wait, the first details about Destiny 2's second DLC expansion, Warmind, have been revealed. Bungie shared new information during a livestream that explored the new Landing Zone and area on Mars where the DLC is set, the Escalation Protocol event, and other changes. There are new Exotic weapons and armor, too.
Warmind is set on Mars but a different area we haven't been to before. The Hellas Basin features the planet's polar ice caps and is the birthplace of the Warmind Rasputin, who has awoken and is creating problems across the solar system--as evidenced by the space junk you'll see falling out of the sky. The Clovis Bray corporation plays a key part in the story, and you'll get to meet Ana Bray, a Guardian who is featured in the prologue cinematic and serves as a vendor and your main point of contact in Mars' new area.
Escalation Protocol
One of the big focuses of the stream was Escalation Protocol, a new sort of Public Event that can only be activated after you finish the campaign (though you're free to join one someone else starts). This event isn't on a schedule and can be started at any time, and it involves facing off against seven waves of Hive enemies, each with various bosses. After the third and fifth waves, reward chests will spawn in, but the real rewards come after finishing Wave 7. That wave consists of a new boss with unique mechanics. There are a total of five bosses that can show up during this phase, and the game will rotate between one each week.
Bungie said Escalation Protocol is meant as an endgame activity (hence the campaign completion requirement) that addresses players' requests for something that is truly challenging and replayable. There are unique weapon rewards up for grabs (which will be different depending on which final boss you face) along with new armor to earn. You'll also be able to use special weapons during the course of the event, including the returning Hive sword from the original Destiny campaign. There's also something called The Valkyrie, a new type of spear that doubles as both a melee and ranged weapon and can only be used for a limited time after it's picked up.
Crucible
On the Crucible side, Bungie detailed the two new types of player rankings. Valor is a progression system that goes up when you complete matches and has no loss penalties. Glory is only available in the competitive playlist and is tied to your wins and losses; you'll gain rank when you win and lose progress when you come up short. There's also a "streaking" aspect that accelerates your gains (or losses) as you win or lose consecutive matches.
Crucible rewards are also handled differently. Once Season 3 begins with the release of update 1.2.0, you can go to Shaxx for a free rewards package, and through him, you can see all of the available rewards and how to earn them. Some will be earned by reaching certain ranks, while others will also require completing certain objectives in Crucible. There's also a prestige-style mechanic where you can reset your Valor rank when you hit the max level in exchange for rewards. There's no limit to the number of times this can be done, and the number of resets will be tracked on a corresponding emblem.
Bungie also previewed private matches, which will work much like you expect, as well as some of the Exotic weapon changes being made. The overall goal is to make these weapons more useful and distinct without altering what is meant to make them unique. Not shown but mentioned is that there is a new Raid Lair--the final one for Leviathan--called Spire of Stars.
Following the release of the first DLC, Curse of Osiris, back in December, Warmind is due out on May 8. That's the same date that Season 3 begins, which will feature a free update that introduces an increase to Vault space, Exotic weapon Masterworks, and more. Season 3 also marks a notable change for Crucible maps, as all of the post-launch levels will be available through matchmaking to all players.
Later in the summer, Season 3 will also bring bounties, a seasonal event, improvements to Faction Rally events, and changes to Exotic armor sandbox. Season 4 is scheduled for launch in September and consists of weapon slot changes, gear collections, and more.
With Avengers: Infinity War ready to stampede into theaters with the biggest collection of Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes yet, it's hard to believe that it was only six years ago that Marvel's The Avengers brought Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, and the rest of the gang together for the first time. Interestingly, though, fans almost saw a very different version of the 2012 film.
Given how early in the MCU Marvel's Avengers came--writer-director Joss Whedon started on his script before Thor or Captain America: The First Avenger hit theaters--the plan for the superhero team-up changed quite a bit. "We went through a lot of insane iterations of what might be," Whedon tells Thrillist in a wide-ranging oral history of the film. "At the very beginning, I wrote entire drafts that had no bearing on what I would eventually film."
Should any of those drafts become the one that was used for filming, Avengers would have been a very different movie. For instance, what if it hadn't featured Black Widow? "There was a moment where we thought we weren't gonna have Scarlett [Johansson], and so I wrote a huge bunch of pages starring The Wasp," he reveals.
As it stands, it wasn't until Ant-Man in 2015 that the idea of The Wasp entered the MCU picture. With Ant-Man and The Wasp set for theaters in July, it'll be the first starring role for the character--who will be portrayed by Evangeline Lilly. Of note, Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) teased the possibility of Michelle Pfeiffer appearing in Avengers: Infinity War as the original Wasp, so perhaps the superhero will get her due in an Avenger movie anyway.
Another unknown at the time was how audiences would respond to the villainous Loki (Tom Hiddleston). While he's clearly gone on to become one of the MCU's most beloved characters, this was before anyone had seen Thor. That left Avengers to pin its hopes on an unproven baddie. Whedon had a solution, though.
"I also worried that one British character actor was not enough to take on Earth's mightiest heroes and that we'd feel like we were rooting for the overdog," he says. "So I wrote a huge draft with Ezekiel Stane, Obadiah Stane's son, in it." Obidiah, played by Jeff Bridges, was the villain in the first Iron Man movie. His son would most certainly have an issue with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), but seemingly everyone involved knew that would not be the best fit for the movie.
"[Marvel Studios president] Kevin [Feige] looked at it and said, 'Yeah, no,'" Whedon remembers. "[Marvel Studios co-president] Louis D'Esposito actually at that point said, 'Yeah, Kevin, it's all wrong, but look how good it is. Like this is really good wrong.' That was a nice boost."
Of course, in the end, Loki became a fan-favorite character and a very worthy villain for the Avengers--one that's still chugging along. And it's hard to argue that the final script Whedon and Marvel settled on was anything less than great. The movie made over $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office, while the MCU keeps getting bigger and better. Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters on April 27.
It's the start of a new month, which means a host of new games are on the horizon for all platforms. April's release schedule is fairly light compared to March's, but there are still some big-name sequels in store for this month, including a new chapter in the Yakuza series and the revamped God of War for PS4.
Below, you'll find a roundup of all the biggest games coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, and 3DS in April 2018. For a full look at all of the major titles coming to each platform throughout the rest of the year, check out our comprehensive 2018 game release date list.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (PS4) -- April 17
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is one of April's biggest PS4 releases, launching partway through the month on April 17. The final installment in protagonist Kazuma Kiryu's saga, the game follows the former mobster as he tries to reconcile his criminal past while raising his adoptive daughter's baby. The title also tweaks the series' combat system and introduces a host of new minigames, including the RTS-like Clan Creator.
This month's other marquee PS4 exclusive is God of War, which launches on April 20. A reboot of sorts of the long-running action series, this new installment eschews Greek for Norse mythology and follows the story of Kratos and his young son, Atreus. Along with the new setting, the game also boasts a completely revamped battle system, which sees Kratos trading his iconic Blades for the new Leviathan Axe.
Nintendo's DIY experiment, Nintendo Labo launches exclusively for Switch on April 20. More of a construction set than a traditional game, Labo ships in two different packages, which come bundled with cardboard and other materials used to create cardboard peripherals called Toy-Cons. Players can then use these Toy-Cons to play minigames and interact with the Labo software in other clever ways.
From Software's celebrated action RPG Dark Souls will soon arrive on a new generation of consoles. The game's Remastered edition launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC in May, and ahead of its release, Bandai Namco has shared a new trailer that reintroduces fans to some of the threats that await.
Like its spiritual predecessor, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls is renowned for its deliberate combat system and unforgiving difficulty. The game is set in Lordran, a crumbling kingdom inhabited by gargoyles, wraiths, and all manner of horrific enemies. The new trailer that Bandai Namco shared showcases a number of the monstrous bosses and foes that lurk in Lordran; you can take a look at it above.
Coinciding with the new trailer, Dark Souls Remastered is now available to pre-order digitally on PS4 and Xbox One. Meanwhile, PC players who've purchased Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition from Steam will get 50% off of Dark Souls Remastered. Beginning May 8, the Prepare to Die Edition will be de-listed from Valve's storefront; however, everyone who has purchased it will still be able to re-download and play it.
Dark Souls Remastered launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on May 25. Along with touched up visuals, it features an assortment of quality-of-life changes. Ahead of the game's release, Bandai Namco will hold a network test for PS4 and Xbox One versions. The publisher hasn't announced the date and time for the network test, but it promises to share those details "as soon as possible."
Fortnite has evolved once again today with the release of its latest update, version 3.6. The official patch notes reveal a new item, the Clinger, and much more available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and mobile.
The Clinger is a new type of grenade available now that sticks to your environment or enemies and explodes a short time later. It's an uncommon item discoverable in Floor Loot, Supply Drops, Supply Llamas, and Treasure Chests, and it's available in both Battle Royale and Save the World.
Save the World also gains a new weapon called the Noble Launcher, which you can charge up to inflict more damage on enemies. Note this weapon isn't available immediately--it's coming to Fortnite at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET on April 25 (1 AM BST / 10 AM AET on April 26).
A few other changes have been made to Fortnite with the latest update. Short fences will no longer block you from building structures, for example, while Supply drops now spawn twice as high and fall twice as fast. In terms of weapon tweaks, the minigun has seen its accuracy and damage increase and its recoil decrease; Remote Explosives, meanwhile, are now 40% less likely to appear in Treasure Chests. Read more in the full patch notes, via Epic, at the bottom of this article.
Fortnite's Week 9 challenges are available now, tasking you with some simple things--like dealing a certain amount of damage to opponents' structures--and some more complicated objectives such as visiting three Taco Shops. The game's week 10 challenges, meanwhile, have been leaked ahead of their full release, and they include tasks such as searching chests in Fatal Fields and racking up 250 headshots.
Weekly challenges, despite the name, are typically available for more than a week, although Week 10 is the final week of Season 3. Anyone who purchases the Battle Pass has the entirety of Season 3 to complete them. You can see all the Fortnite skins and rewards up for grabs with this Battle Pass to get an idea of what awaits if you dive in.
Whether or not you've purchased the Season 3 Battle Pass, you can log in to claim some free Battle Stars to help you earn some rewards: Epic Games recently granted some freebies to all players to make up for server issues. Meanwhile, it's removed the Guided Missile, which proved to be a contentious addition.
Fortnite Update 3.6 Patch Notes
General
Twitch account linking has been removed from the game client due to scalability issues.
Twitch Prime account linking can still be done through the Epic Games website.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue with metal doors not making a sound when closed.
Sony is developing a whole slate of movies based around characters from Marvel's Spider-Man comic books, the first of which is Venom. The film stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a journalist who is taken over by a vengeful alien symbiote, and the full trailer has been released--check out our breakdown.
While February's first teaser just set the tone for the movie, this new trailer gives us more plot details and plenty of action. We see Brock investigating a sinister scientist, played by Rogue One's Riz Ahmed, who is performing secret experiments with a strange black alien matter. Brock becomes infected with the goo, which takes over his body and personality and gives him some amazing new powers. Check the trailer out above.
Venom releases on October 5, 2018, and also stars Michelle Williams (The Greatest Showman), Jenny Slate (The Lego Batman Movie), and Woody Harrelson (Solo: A Star Wars Story). Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer is directing.
Athough Spider-Man features in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony still owns the movie rights to the character. There was initially some confusion about whether Venom will be part of the MCU, and whether Spider-Man could appear in any of the spin-offs. Both Marvel boss Kevin Feige and Spidey actor Tom Holland have stated that the two universes are entirely separate. However, last year, former Sony boss and Spider-Man: Homecoming producer Amy Pascal suggested otherwise, before subsequently switching to Feige's position.
Venom will be followed by another Spidey spin-off, Silver & Black, which will focus on Silver Sable and the Black Cat. The film was originally set for release in February 2019, but earlier this year director Gina Prince-Bythewood confirmed that the movie had been delayed because she was "still working on the script."
In addition to the Switch version of the game itself, Dark Souls Remastered's network test has been delayed on that platform. Namco Bandai has confirmed that not only will Switch owners have to wait to get their hands on the upcoming game, but they're also in line for a longer-than-expected wait to even give that version a try.
Following the recent news that Dark Souls Remastered has been delayed on Switch, the publisher provided an update on its planned network tests--essentially beta tests that will run in advance of the game's launch. The PS4 and Xbox One tests will be held as originally planned, but the same isn't true for Switch.
"Unfortunately, the change of the Switch release date has affected its network test and it will be arranged separately from the test for PS4/XB1," the official Dark Souls Twitter account confirmed. "Network test dates for the Switch will also be announced at the earliest possible opportunity."
Dark Souls Remastered was originally set to launch on Switch on May 25 alongside the other console and PC versions. Instead, it--along with the Solaire of Astora Amiibo--will launch sometime this summer. It runs at 1080p and 30 FPS in docked mode, and it includes the Artorias of the Abyss DLC along with various improvements.
The week is young, but we're already seeing a number of special offers on video games and hardware trickle in. Here's a rundown of all the week's best video game deals available so far this week, so strap in and get ready to save money.
In the market for a PS4 Pro? Target has the best deal around by far. You can get a 1TB PS4 Pro for $320 now through April 28. That's a savings of $80--not too shabby. If you'd rather join the Xbox One X camp, you can get a great deal from Best Buy that comes with the console, plus a 4K TV and two games, all for $550. That saves you over $150 you can then spend on games and accessories. Best Buy also has a bunch of games on sale this week, plus $10 rewards credit for pre-ordering Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, or Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch.
But no video game deal beats free. If you want a fine game to pour dozens of hours into, you can also snag a free copy of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition on GOG. There are a couple of small hoops to jump through, but free is free.
This week's savings aren't limited to games that are already out. With its Totally Digital promotion, Sony is offering a 20% discount on select digital game pre-orders from the PlayStation Store. Some of the indie games in the promotion look pretty promising.
We'll cover all the video game deals worth looking at, so keep coming back all week for more of the latest ways to save money on games.
Over the past decade, Marvel fans have gotten used to knowing what movies the studio is planning well in advance of release. But right now, Marvel's plans for films beyond next year are largely unknown, and studio boss Kevin Feige has now revealed that we are unlikely to find out what it has lined for at least year.
Speaking to Den of Geek, Feige said that, unlike in previous years, Marvel won't be announcing any new titles at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. "We won't do anything until after this time next year," he said. "After that, I think we'll announce where we're going. But we did a very big announcement in 2014 where we announced a lot of movies, and we added a few movies to it after that announcement. But it really felt important that we deliver on that before we do a big showcase of whatever is to come."
"That's one of the main reasons we're not going to [Comic-Con's] Hall H this year," he continued. "Ant Man and the Wasp will have just been released, Infinity War will be out, Captain Marvel will have just finished filming, Spider-Man [Homecoming 2] will have just started filming, and we're not gonna be making any other announcements. So we're gonna wait until Comic-Con next year."
Feige has previously stated that whatever happens in Marvel Phase 4 will be "very different" to everything that has come before. "Right now, [it starts] with where we wanna take the stories," he said in November. "Certainly as we get to Avengers: Infinity War there will be a sense of a climax. By the time we're at the untitled Avengers 4, 22 movies will have encompassed the first three phases of the MCU. And what happens after that will be very different. We have an idea [of what the MCU looks like post-Avengers 4], and it's gonna be very, very different."
The only Phase 4 movie that we definitely know is happening is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, as director James Gunn has confirmed that he would return for another Guardians movie. In January, Gunn stated that the film would arrive in 2020.
Avengers: Infinity War finally hits theaters this week. To prepare for what promises to be the biggest movie in the MCU to date, check our list of 10 Things We Want From Avengers: Infinity War.
There's a whole other Infinity War going on at Marvel Comics, and it concerns the co-creator of the supervillain Thanos, Jim Starlin. Starlin, who also helped create the Infinity Gauntlet and Guardians of the Galaxy characters Drax the Destroyer and Gamora--all of which factor into Avengers: Infinity War--is currently at odds with the comic book publisher. It seems the two sides had a falling out in December 2017, the latest bump in a very long road between the two.
This time, though, it sounds serious. Speaking to Vulture about his long career with the comic giant, Starlin says "I'm not working for them anymore and this time, I think that it's for good." At the heart of the problem is the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. In December, Starlin revealed that Marvel was going in a different direction with the character. At the time, he told Cosmic Book News, "Thanos is the property of Marvel Entertainment, and with the movies on the horizon, Big Purple is about to enter the rarified classification of being a cultural icon, a character bigger than the comic books, writers, and artists that birthed him. Marvel Editorial has made it clear they want fresh takes on the Titan, so who am I to argue with them?"
Interestingly, part of the problem also seems to stem from the fact that there were two Thanos comic book projects in the works--one of which he was involved in--that shared a similar plot. Speaking to Syfy Wire in February, he explained, "What I took exception to was I accidentally found out what the plot was to the Thanos ongoing that was going to appear before the graphic novels that Alan Davis and I were working on that an editor of that book started--on his own volition--telling me what the plot was, and I went, 'Well that's the exact same plot that we have for the Thanos story arc and the graphic novels.'"
Still, while Starlin and Marvel Comics may not be on the best of terms, the same can't be said of his relationship with Marvel Studios. While he wrote on Facebook in January 2017 that he wasn't making much from the film studio for using characters he helped create, Vulture reports that he has reached an agreement with them.
Now, as Marvel prepares to show the world the newest Avengers movie, Starlin is in Hollywood and ready to walk the carpet before seeing the film--he's even documenting the experience on his Facebook page. Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters on April 27.
It's a busy week for Nintendo Switch owners. On top of this week's new releases (headlined by South Park: The Fractured But Whole), Nintendo will roll out major updates for two of its first-party titles over the next few days.
First, Nintendo's colorful online shooter Splatoon 2 will receive its big 3.0 update tonight, April 24. The update was first announced during March's Nintendo Direct presentation, and along with more than 100 new and returning pieces of gear, it introduces X Rank to the game, which Nintendo describes as "an extremely challenging Ranked Battle experience targeting the best-of-the-best players."
Players who've reached S+10 rank in Splatoon 2 will automatically be registered as X rank following the update. After achieving X rank, players will be battling each month for an X Power level. This Power level will reset on the final day of the month, and those who fall below a certain point threshold at the time of the reset will drop back down to S+9. The 500 players with the highest X Power level for each of Splatoon 2's four Ranked modes will be announced on the SplatNet 2 app.
Alongside the 3.0 update, Nintendo is bringing back another classic stage from the original Splatoon: Camp Triggerfish. Additionally, four more weapons arrive in the game tonight: the Neo Splash-o-matic (with Burst Bombs and the Suction-Bomb Launcher); the Foil Squeezer (with Splat Bombs and the Bubble Blower); the New Squiffer (with Autobombs and the Baller); and the Glooga Dualies Deco (with the Splash Wall and Baller).
Going forward, Nintendo says it will add several new weapons to the game in a single monthly batch as opposed to its previous weekly rollout schedule. As always, players will be able to purchase the weapons with in-game currency from the Ammo Knights shop. You can find the full patch notes for Splatoon 2's 3.0 update on Nintendo's website.
Following the Splatoon 2 update, Nintendo will release the 1.4.0 update for Monolith Soft's open-world Switch RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The update is slated to roll out around the world on April 27 and introduces two new Rare Blades to the game: Poppibuster and T-elos, both of which you can see below.
Poppibuster is only available to those who've purchased Xenoblade Chronicles 2's expansion pass and can be obtained by completing a specific sidequest. "While Poppi can only be wielded by Tora, Poppibuster can team up with other characters too," Nintendo said on Twitter.
T-elos, meanwhile, is available to all players for free as part of the 1.4.0 update, provided you've completed the game. Like another of Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Rare Blades, KOS-MOS, she hails from Monolith Soft's previous RPG series, Xenosaga. T-elos can be acquired by resonating Core Crystals, just as most other Blades in the game, although Monolith says the odds of obtaining her will be very high.
However, he's not in any of the trailers, hasn't ended up on a single poster, and for all intents and purposes is absent from the film's promotional tour. Renner isn't even scheduled to attend the Infinity War premiere. The absence has struck a chord with fans, many of whom have taken to championing Hawkeye on social media.
According to Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, speaking with io9, the situation is "one of the best things that ever happened to Hawkeye." After all, Hawkeye went from essentially being the butt of jokes about these movies--in a world of superpowers, he has a bow and arrow--to being an in-demand character. "I love that people go from 'Oh, Hawkeye is just lucky to be there' to 'Oh where is he? He's not there? What's going to happen? We need Hawkeye. We want more Hawkeye.' I love it," he tells io9. "It's the best."
And it's going to pay off for the character in the end. "We [at Marvel] love Hawkeye," Feige says. "There are big, big story things coming up for Hawkeye and Jeremy Renner is as strong an actor as anyone in the MCU and awesome as this character."
As co-director Joe Russo explains, Hawkeye's story in the next two Avengers movies is a function of how they were written and filmed together. "As we were working on both films, we were thinking about story real estate," he says. "We had the luxury of cracking both scripts at the same time and we wanted to give each character, especially the original Avengers, their moments. It led us to certain choices, especially considering the events of Civil War where [Hawkeye's] included in this group of insurgents and has to deal with the ramifications of siding against the U.S. government. So that led us to a very specific story with him that, as I've said before is a long play, not a short play. Audiences just need to be patient."
Patience is a virtue for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, it seems. Thankfully, it shouldn't be too long before fans get some kind of idea about what happened with Hawkeye--even if it happens in a post-credits scene. Besides, it's not like he's alone in missing out on the fun. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is nowhere to be seen either. Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters on April 27.
In recent years, Microsoft has placed greater emphasis on its lineup of indie games. It has attempted to court independent developers to its ID@Xbox program to bolster Xbox One's library of games and appeal to a wider audience. Last year, that meant we got to see games such as Snake Pass, Rime, and The Sexy Brutale at the publisher's ID@Xbox event. This year, Microsoft hosted another indie gathering, at which we got to check out a bunch more independent titles coming to Xbox One and PC--and, in some cases, other platforms too--soon. Read on for five of the coolest games we saw.
Trailmakers
Trailmakers is an open-world driving game with one big difference: it allows you to build your own vehicles in order to traverse its tricky environments. It starts off by tasking you with making basic cars, but as you add more engines and become more creative, you can achieve more and more ridiculous things. You can build planes, helicopters, hovercraft, and anything else your imagination--and your in-game energy supply--allows.
Separate modes allow you to race against friends or build any environment you like--one demoed to us by the developer, Flashbulb, was a Star Wars-inspired podracing track. Even better, you can share your vehicle designs with friends by simply sending them a .png file. Trailmakers is currently in early access on PC and is coming to Xbox One in 2018.
Robocraft Infinity
Robocraft Infinity is another vehicle construction game, except this time your personal rides will face off against each other in an arena combat scenario. You can build your own transport--which again can include aeroplanes, if you have the requisite engineering skill--before arming it with any number of guns and lasers to take into multiplayer battles.
Robocraft is essentially a vehicular hero shooter, except its open-ended building tools mean there are an infinite number of heroes available for you to play as. The game was already available on PC as a free-to-play title; Infinity is a re-tooled edition exclusive to Xbox One. It's out now, costing $20 / £15 / $30 or included at no extra cost to Game Pass subscribers.
Descenders
If you long for a return to the days of extreme sports games like SSX Tricky and Skate, you may want to check out Descenders. It's centered around downhill mountain biking, with procedurally generated worlds helping to keep things fresh.
You can choose whether to focus on pure speed, or to try and pull off stunts over the courses' obstacles, or to go off-road in search of a bumpier ride--the game's focus is left up to you. Descenders is currently in early access on PC, so it can feel a little rough around the edges at times, but there's something satisfying about zooming down a track that no-one has ever been down before and unlocking greater bikes to throw around. Descenders is coming to Xbox Game Preview this summer.
DayZ
While not exactly an unknown, there is a sense DayZ has been a little forgotten since PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite became the battle royale behemoths they are today. However, developer Bohemia has been hard at work designing a new game engine and reworking much of the game's systems, and DayZ is a somewhat different prospect to what it was in the past and what its rivals now offer.
Its attention to detail is admirable: for example, if you take a hit from one of the game's zombies, you'll lose blood, but healing yourself isn't simply a case of finding a medikit. Instead, you may need a blood transfusion, for which you'll need to find fluids of the same blood type as your playable character. If you find a vehicle, you'll need fuel--as will you, since you need to keep topped up with food and water.
DayZ's simulation is hardcore, and that dedication to realism may well mean it finds a sizeable niche of its own when it launches in full. Look forward to an early version coming to Xbox Game Preview and a final PC release this year before the game eventually makes its way to PS4 at some point in the future.
Moonlighter
What would life be like if you ran a shop but also wanted to explore dungeons at night? That's the question Moonlighter poses to players, thereby combining a management sim with a dungeon crawler. By night, you plunder dungeons for powerful weapons and armor, and by day you sell that stock at the highest price possible.
Moonlighter somehow mixes two very different genres into an inventive coalition, and we're intrigued to play more when it launches for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on May 29. A Nintendo Switch version is also on the way, "[a] few months after the regular release."
Microsoft has launched its weekly sale on the Xbox Store, meaning a whole new batch of Xbox One games is available at discounted rates. This week's sale has some particularly appealing deals, so let's dive in and see which great games are available for what low prices. Note that some of the deals are only available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers and that all discounts end on Monday, April 30.
Also, Assassin's Creed Syndicate is free with Games with Gold through May 15. If you're looking for more Syndicate action, you can grab all the expansions this week at a discount. The season pass will run you just $10, while the individual expansions and Helix Credits are also on sale.
Fans of indie games will find plenty of titles discounted to just a few bucks, including The Flame in the Flood ($8/£6) and the blocky platformer Thomas was Alone ($3/£2). The delightful/stressful cooking game Overcooked is marked down to $6/£4, while the intriguing and creepy game The Swapper is on sale for $3/£2.
You can find the full list of discounted games and add-ons available this week at Major Nelson's blog.
This week's Best Buy ad has lots of great deals on video games and gaming hardware. So before you drop all your money on full-priced games, be sure to take a look to see what you can save money on this week. Here are our picks for Best Buy's best video game deals the week of April 22 - April 28.
First up is a deal that offers $150 in savings if you're in the market for a 4K TV and an Xbox One X. To get this deal, click here and select an Xbox One package of your choice. You can pick from bundles that come with no game, PUBG, or Sea of Thieves. Obviously, to get the best deal, pick one that comes with a game. Next, select a TV, which should be easy, because you only have one choice, a 43" Sharp 4K TV. When you add those to your cart, you'll get a free copy of Madden NFL 18, all for $550--which amounts to a $150 discount. Not bad for a package that offers 4K gaming and Ultra HD Blu-ray playback.
There's a good chance you've played--or at least been intrigued by--The Witcher 3. There's also a good chance you missed out on Geralt of Rivia's first outing. Now's the perfect time to right that wrong by grabbing a free copy of the game that started it all. Right now, GOG is handing out free copies of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition to anyone who plays games on PC.
Since there's no such thing as a free lunch, you will have to jump through a hoop or two before you can hit that download button. For starters, you have to install Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. It's free to play, so that's not a huge deal. And if you've dabbled in the card-playing mini-game in The Witcher 3, you'll know it's an enjoyable pastime on its own. You can download it here.
Once you've installed Gwent, click here to access your free copy of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition. Note that to get your free game, you must also subscribe you to the GOG.com newsletter (you can unsubscribe any time). You also get a free Gwent Card Keg, which will come in handy if you plan to continue playing Gwent.
Now you can install your copy of The Witcher: Enhanced Edition and play the game that kickstarted Geralt's monster hunting career when it launched in 2007. In GameSpot's Witcher review, Brett Todd wrote, "Memorable story, immersive combat, fascinating characters--what's not to like? A few fit-and-finish issues mean that The Witcher isn't quite an all-time classic RPG. Regardless, it's awfully, awfully close, warts and all, and it provides a new benchmark for future developers that are looking to lift their games out of the done-to-death elf-and-orc ghetto."
And if you want to complete the trilogy, the other two games happen to be on sale right now on GOG:
If you enjoyed the PS4-exclusive game Nioh, you may be interested in pre-ordering a new statue from Prime 1 Studio. That is, you may want to buy it if you really, really enjoyed the game, and you happen to have $1,000 to spare--because that's how much this statue will set you back. Just what kind of Nioh statue do you get for $1,000? Let's take a look.
The statue features Nioh protagonist William Adams and his guardian spirit Saorise, who was, as the description reads, "born from human prayers." The statue is 24 inches tall and made from polystone. Only 750 statues will be made, so depending on how much money Nioh fans have in the bank, it may become unavailable at some point. To lock in your pre-order, you have to put down $100. The statue's estimated arrival time is between June and August, 2019 (yes, that's next year).
Maybe $1,000 is a bit rich for your blood. In that case, you can try this $600 Nioh statue. It's basically the same thing, but without the guardian spirit. Pre-ordering this one requires a $60 down payment, and it's also expected to release between June and August 2019.
Not that there's anything wrong with liking the game the statue's based on. In our Nioh review, we wrote, "Nioh is an immensely layered experience. Through its Dark Souls-inspired combat, you're taught the virtues of patience and the value of defense. With each death, you learn a bit more about yourself and your enemy. This Team Ninja production, set during a time of great social upheaval in Japan, demonstrates the studio's penchant for demanding action-driven gameplay that rewards tactics and high dexterity. And despite all the inevitable dying, Nioh is surprisingly rich with solutions to overcome its many hurdles."
The Nioh statue is reminiscent of the Overwatch statues Blizzard has been putting out recently. Those statues, which are smaller, run in the $150 - $175 range, though the D.Va statue costs $450.
We've known Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is coming to Nintendo Switch for a while now, but until this point we didn't know precisely when. Now, publisher Bethesda has announced the shooter's port launches on June 29.
The Switch version will be the "complete, uncensored" game, according to Bethesda, and the company has just released the first official gameplay footage of the game running on Nintendo's hybrid console. Take a look at that above.
The port is being handled by Panic Button, the same studio responsible for bringing another visually intensive first-person shooter, Doom, to Switch. We got our first hands-on opportunity with the Switch version of Wolfenstein II at PAX East 2018 earlier this month; you can see how the game looks running in docked mode here.
We learned recently that the physical Switch version of The New Colossus will require an additional download to run. This is not uncommon for Switch games, but it may mean you'll need a micro SD card to play the cartridge version. The port costs $60 in the US, with international pricing yet to be revealed.
Wolfenstein II originally released in October 2017 and was one of the most acclaimed games of the year. GameSpot's Kallie Plagge awarded it a 9/10 in our Wolfenstein II review and said, "Despite some heavy-handed moments that feel like missteps in its message, satisfying Nazi-killing action bolsters its completely bonkers storyline in a way that only Wolfenstein can achieve."
Maybe the God of War review scores sold you on the console. Maybe you just got a 4K television and you want to see just how crisp those visuals can get. There are many reasons you may be in the market for a PS4 Pro. If you've decided to take the plunge, here's the best deal available by far: Between now and April 28, Target is selling the 1TB PS4 Pro console for $320. That's a savings of $80.
Here's what you have to do to get it. First, download the Target Cartwheel app and add the 20% off PlayStation 4 Pro Hardware coupon. Then go to a brick-and-mortar Target store that has the console in stock, and present the coupon when you check out. That's it.
The deal is not available online, nor is it valid with any PS4 Pro bundles. If you have a Target Redcard, you get an additional 5% off the discounted price. But even without that, it's a killer deal for a powerful piece of hardware that normally costs $400.
In GameSpot's PS4 Pro review, Jimmy Thang wrote, "Should you buy a PlayStation 4 Pro? If you have a 4K HDR TV and are looking to buy a console, I'd definitely recommend the PS4 Pro. Even if you have a 1080p TV and are looking to buy a PlayStation, I'd still lean more toward the Pro. Yes, it does cost $100 more than the Slim model, but you get more ports, twice the storage space, more future-proof hardware in the event that you ever decide to get a 4K TV, and some games can look slightly better at 1080p.
"If you already have a PS4, however, I wouldn't make the upgrade unless you have a 4K HDR TV and the extra cash lying around. Graphics enthusiasts may appreciate the improved anti-aliasing and more vibrant colors, but the differences likely won't blow most people away."
If you want a PS4 Pro in your gaming arsenal, start by downloading the Target Cartwheel app on iPhone or Android.
Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.
Heads up, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch owners. Newegg is running a promotion that saves you money when you buy Xbox or Nintendo Eshop gift cards. That means, if you're planning to buy a digital game from either store in the future, you're guaranteed to save money, whether the game is on sale or not. And if the game is on sale, the savings stack, sweetening the deal even more. But don't delay, because the gift card deal ends April 25.
Xbox One owners can buy a $100 Xbox gift card for $85 by entering promo code EMCPTEY48 at checkout. That gives you a guaranteed 15% off any purchase you make--for instance, on a popular game like PUBG. If you buy a game that's already on sale (like these horror games this week), you'll get even more savings.
For Nintendo Switch, 3DS, and Wii U owners, you can get a $50 Eshop gift card for $45 by entering the promo code EMCPTEY49 at checkout. That's a savings of 10%. If you're looking to add that discount onto an existing deal, you can find all the deals currently available on the Eshop right here. For Switch owners, Darkest Dungeon is a solid bet. As for 3DS, you can't go wrong with Etrian Mystery Dungeon or Persona Q.
In either case, the gift cards come in the form of codes Newegg emails to you. Just enter the code on the respective digital store, and it'll be added to your account. Then, the next time you buy a game, you can apply it to the purchase for instant savings.
Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.
God of War has only just launched, but Sony's next PS4 exclusive is already on the horizon. Detroit: Become Human's release date is a month away, and soon you'll be able to give the game a try for free. [Update: The demo is now available on PSN worldwide.]
A demo of the game is live now in some territories--Australia and New Zealand, at least--with Europe and the Americas to follow on Tuesday, April 24. The demo contains the first scene of the game, Hostage, which stars android detective Connor.
Additionally, Amazon Echo users in the US can ask Alexa about things happening on screen while playing the demo. Simply start your enquiry with, "Alexa, ask Cyberlife..." to learn more about Become Human's world. For example, you can ask about the game's characters or hear about alternate endings from Hostage.
The game itself comes out on May 25 and tells the story of a group of androids coming to terms with their newfound sentience. You control three separate characters and can guide them in their journey by making decisions along the way, in a similar way to some of Quantic Dream's previous games. For more, check out some Detroit: Become Human gameplay or read our interview with director David Cage.
It seems like every retailer is offering up a Spring Sale these days. Green Man Gaming is hopping aboard the Spring Sale train and offering discounts on lots of excellent PC games. These temporary price cuts take up to 75% off titles like Dead Rising 4 and Warhammer: Vermintide 2. As a bonus, you can get an extra 22% off by entering promo code GMG22 at checkout. The sale ends April 30.
Anyone with a GMG account can also check out the VIP area, where you can get an extra 25% off select games. These offer change regularly, so check out the VIP area to see which games are currently offered at additional discounts.
Here are our picks in Green Man Gaming's Spring Sale. Check out the sale page to see every game on sale, including temporary flash sales. And remember, the sale end April 30.
Time is running out to catch up on Marvel's cinematic universe before the release date of Avengers: Infinity War. The movie hits theaters on April 27, and while that's exciting for those of us eager to see Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, and the gang take on Thanos, it also means you'll need to hurry to get caught up on everything that has happened so far.
Watching every MCU movie that has been released thus far sounds like a mammoth task, but since it's all been building up to this, we reckon it's one worth undertaking. To make things a little easier, and to give you the best catch-up experience you could have, GameSpot's very own Dave Jewitt has put together a handy watch order.
You might think that you don't need a watch order and that you can simply see them using the order they were released and, yes, you can do that, but there's a better way. Since some events in the MCU take place in parallel or reference each other, there's actually a more ideal chronology. Dave has also done a little extra work and suggested the best Marvel One-Shots to watch too. These are shorter mini-movies that were available as part of the home releases on DVD, Blu-ray, and digitally. While not essential to the overall MCU, they're well worth checking out as they provide a little extra colour to the MCU and some deeper insights into important characters.
If you'd prefer to see a list of the movies in Dave's suggested order instead of hearing the lineup delivered in his dulcet tones, take a look below.
Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel One Shot: Agent Carter
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Marvel One Shot: A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Thor's Hammer
We're in April, which means a new stack of free games is available for Twitch users with Amazon Prime. This is all part of the Free Games With Prime program, which formally began last month and will continue each month going forward.
April's free games are headed up by SteamWorld Dig 2, a fantast-style platformer about digging deep into the ground to see what kinds of loot and enemies you find. Also available are the adventure game Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Game Series, the nostalgia-heavy RPG Kingsway, and Tokyo 42, a stealth-action game set in futuristic Japan. Last but not least is DubWars, which pairs Dubstep electronic music with top-down shooting.
Twitch Prime is a perk for Amazon Prime members. All you have to do is link your Amazon Prime account to your Twitch account. Once you do, you can download all five games for no cost between now and April 30. They're yours to keep forever, even if you cancel Amazon Prime at some point down the line. The only slight catch is that you need the Twitch desktop app to install them. To find your freebies, just click the crown-shaped Prime Loot icon next to the search bar on Twitch.
We don't know for sure what free games will be on offer next month for Twitch Prime members, but Tumblestone and High Hell will be part of the program at some point. Other freebies currently available for Twitch Prime members include some neat loot for Epic's popular shooter, Fortnite: Battle Royale.
Fortnite: Battle Royale players once again have a lineup of new objectives to complete. Epic Games has released the Week 5 challenges for Battle Pass owners, offering a new way to obtain some experience and Battle Stars on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Many of the objectives this week are fairly straightforward; they include searching chests in Moisty Mire and using the bush item. Two of the Hard-difficulty challenges are equally straightforward: get three eliminations with a pistol and defeat three enemies in Tilted Towers. Players are also tasked with dealing 200 damage to opponents with a pickaxe. While you can certainly swing away at any enemy, this counts damage dealt to those who have been downed. In other words, completely finish off two people who are in a DBNO state using the pickaxe, and this is easily completed.
There are two other objectives that may require some guidance. The first asks you to visit three gas stations--but the catch is this has to be done in a single match (meaning you should avoid attempting it in Blitz mode). Reddit user __Kaneda__ has published a map highlighting the various gas stations you'll find around the island. Most of these are found in named locations, but some are in smaller areas. Pick any three, run by them during one match, and you'll earn five Battle Stars.
The other more complex challenge is labeled as Hard, meaning you'll receive 10 Battle Stars. It tells you to "follow the treasure map found in Anarchy Acres." The map points you to a location just southwest of Junk Junction, near the western edge of the map. As with past versions of this challenge, you don't actually need to hunt down the treasure map first; if you know where to go, you can simply head right to that point. You can have a look at this map from Reddit user ThePuffyPenguin.
As always, despite being weekly challenges, you have until the end of Season 3 to complete these objectives (see them all below). That's also true for the previous four weeks, as well as the set of freebie challenges that are available even to non-Battle Pass owners.
Aside from simply giving you some focused objectives, completing these challenges allows you to more quickly rank up your Battle Pass. This, in turn, unlocks a variety of cosmetics, XP boosts, and other things that don't directly impact gameplay. You can see everything there is to be earned in our Season 3 Battle Pass gallery.
Fortnite Week 5 Challenges
Use the Bush -- 5 Battle Stars
Search chests in Moisty Mire (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Deal damage with a pickaxe to opponents (200) -- 5 Battle Stars
Visit different gas stations in a single match (3) -- 5 Battle Stars
Hard: Follow the treasure map in Anarchy Acres -- 10 Battle Stars
Solid-state drives have become a standard when it comes to high-performance computing and gaming PCs, and these fast drives have taken a leap with the NVMe interface available at the consumer level. One of the leaders in ultra-fast storage, Samsung, is pushing the speed of its SSDs even further with the introduction of the 970 Evo and 970 Pro M.2 NVMe SSDs, which will be available on May 7.
Samsung's 970 family of SSDs succeeds the 960 family with a sizable boost in write speeds. The previous 960 Pro has a maximum sequential write speed of 2,100 MB/s while the new 970 Pro can reach up to 2,700 MB/s. Both Pro models have a maximum sequential read speed of 3,500 MB/s. Samsung's slightly more affordable Evo line gets an improvement on both ends, however. The 960 Evo achieves up to 3,200 MB/s max read speed and 1,900 MB/s max write speed, but the 970 Evo bumps read speed to 3,500 MB/s and write speed to 2,500 MB/s. This essentially closes the gap between the Evo and Pro models.
2TB Samsung 970 Evo (top), 1TB Samsung 970 Pro (bottom).
For context, Samsung's high-end but more affordable SATA III SSD, the 860 Pro, can achieve up to 560 MB/s read speed and 530 MB/s write speed. This is still plenty fast for booting up programs and minimizing load times in games, but the newer NVMe interface allows drives like the upcoming 970 Pro and 970 Evo to operate about six times faster than the standard SATA III SSD. It comes at a fairly hefty cost, though. The 970 Evo drives are available in capacities ranging from 250GB to 2TB, but cost between $120 to $850. The 970 Pro comes in two capacities: 512GB and 1TB. But the cost-per-gigabyte is even higher with the drives priced at $330 and $630, respectively.
The following chart outlines the storage capacity and price of all the Samsung 970 SSD models that will be available on May 7:
SSD Model
Price
250GB 970 Evo
$120 / £100
500GB 970 Evo
$230 / £194
1TB 970 Evo
$450 / £375
2TB 970 Evo
$850 / £710
512GB 970 Pro
$330 / £275
1TB 970 Pro
$630 / £526
The 960 Evo and 960 Pro aren't slouches by any means, but if you're looking for the fastest storage drives possible, then the 970 Evo and 970 Pro will soon be the top option. It's also worth noting that most motherboards only have one M.2 port; upgrading from one M.2 drive to another means you'll be losing the capacity of your previous drive if your motherboard has this limitation.
Amazon and Twitch are on a role these days, giving away tons of digital goodies to Twitch users with Amazon Prime memberships. Not only do you get five free games this month and free Fortnite goodies, but you can also grab some free Heroes of the Storm loot as well.
Each month between now and July 2, Twitch Prime members will receive free in-game rewards. Starting today and ending May 1, Twitch Prime members can grab one Legendary Loot Chest that's guaranteed to contain at least one Legendary item. During the month of May, the giveaway is a new Glitch-steed mount and five Rare Loot Chests, which are guaranteed to contain at least one Rare item. And from May 31 to July 2, players will receive five Rare Loot Chests.
Loot Chests in Heroes of the Storm contain things like heroes, sprays, skins, voice lines, banners, and announcers. These freebies for Twitch Prime members sound like a great way to build up a stockpile of digital loot without paying a cent.
To snag the free items each month, first make sure to link your Amazon Prime account with your Twitch account. Then link your Twitch account to your Blizzard account. Once you've jumped through those hoops, it's time to claim your rewards. Head to Twitch and click the crown-shaped Prime Loot icon next to the search bar. There, you'll find your items waiting for you.
Heroes of the Storm is a popular free-to-play MOBA that pits two teams of five Blizzard heroes against each another. Your primary goal during each relatively short match is to destroy your opponent's base. In GameSpot's Heroes of the Storm review, Tyler Hicks gave the game a 9/10, calling it "a must-play for both MOBA players and Blizzard enthusiasts... [It's] a fantastic casual-competitive game that offers untold hours of enjoyment."
Assassin's Creed Syndicate follows the story of twins Jacob and Evie Frye as they take back London from the Templars in the Victorian era. The game not only allows you to freely explore London, but also switch between the twins for most missions. Jacob is brutish, while Evie is a rouge-like character. Syndicate will be free for Gold member through May 15.
Dead Space 2 on the other hand is a bit more visceral. This is backwards compatible title is set three years after the events of Dead Space, following Issac's battle against the Necromorphs on Sprawl. Unlike the first game, this sequel also has a multiplayer mode, pitting humans against Necromorphs. It's available for download through April 30.
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