Sony Santa Monica has released a new update for PS4's God of War. Patch 1.20 is available to download now and introduces a few UI tweaks to the game, along with a major new feature: Photo Mode.
As Sony previously announced, Photo Mode allows players to take and edit screenshots of the game using a suite of filters, borders, and other customization options. After installing the update, players will be able to access the mode either through the Options menu or by enabling Touch Pad Quick Access via the game's settings.
Players can move the camera around in Photo Mode with the left and right thumbsticks and pan up and down using the L2 and R2 buttons. The mode also features five tabs that let players adjust the field of view, exposure, and more. You can read a description of each tab, courtesy of PlayStation Blog, below:
Camera: Adjust the Field of View, Focal Length, and Camera Roll.
Aperture: Adjust the Depth of Field, Focus Distance, and F-Stop.
Filters: Adjust the Film Grain, Exposure, Filter, and Filter Intensity options.
Borders: Add a Vignette and adjust the Vignette Intensity, and Vignette Falloff. This includes a variety of Border styles and the official God of War logo.
Characters: Toggle the visibility of Kratos, Atreus, and all other characters in the scene. And my personal favorite, we've added the ability to change Kratos and Atreus's facial expressions!
In addition to Photo Mode, update 1.20 increases the text size of God of War's UI and menus. This marks the second time Sony Santa Monica has tweaked the game's text size; the developer added a slider in its previous God of War patch that allowed players to manually adjust the text, but that didn't make a significant difference. This update makes the text bigger all around, which should help improve readability. The developer has also introduced a new accessibility setting that gives players the ability to re-map Rage Mode, which is by default activated by clicking both thumbsticks.
Steam is primarily intended as a means for downloading and playing games on a computer, but Valve has extended that further over the years--Steam Link allows you to stream games to a TV over your local network. Valve is now taking that concept one step further by ditching the hardware and bringing the games to your mobile device.
Valve has announced plans to launch two new apps in the near future that will make your Steam library even more valuable. An app version of Steam Link launches the week of May 21 and allows you to stream games to Android and iOS devices. On the Android side, that includes phones, tablets, and TVs, while supported iOS devices include iPhones, iPads, and even Apple TVs.
A beta will offer only Android support at first, and your device will have to be connected to the local network through either a 5Ghz wireless or wired Ethernet connection. You'll be able to use the Steam Controller, MFI controllers, and other devices to play.
The Steam Link app will be followed "later this summer" by a Steam Video app. This will allow you to watch the movies and shows sold by Steam (yes, Steam sells those--and productivity software--too) on the aforementioned devices. As latency is much less of a concern, you'll be able to stream video over Wi-Fi or LTE. Valve says it will also support offline playback.
It remains to be seen how well these apps will work, but if they're up to snuff, it could turn out to be a very nice perk for those who already use Steam.
Best Buy has more than just video games on sale this week (though it has plenty of those as well). It also has a wide array of movies, available in formats ranging from DVD and Blu-ray to 4K Ultra HD and digital. Whatever your preferred format, it's always good to get a discount on the movies you want to own. You can see the full sale here, but read on for our picks of the top movie deals at Best Buy this week.
It's May, so Best Buy is running an "ani-May" sale, which is a punning way to announce a sale on anime and anime-inspired movies and TV shows. Among other deals, you can get the complete Blu-ray series of Cowboy Bebop on sale for $30 and a Naruto: Shippuden box set on DVD for $28.
Fortnite generated a lot of speculation and attention from its month-long tease of an impending comet crash, and it appears Epic is already trying to stir up another community mystery. This time, players have noticed an isolated hatch deep in the woods. It does nothing, but chances are Epic has bigger plans than simply inserting a mysterious door in the ground in the middle of nowhere.
IGN reports that the hatch is indestructible and marked with graffiti scribbles that may be clues. One Reddit user looked inside the hatch with the replay tool and found only a big slab of rock. Whatever purpose it will serve, Epic isn't spilling the beans that easily. You can find the hatch in the Wailing Woods; here are some screenshots we captured of it:
The parallels to the TV show Lost seem intentional. It had a special penchant for teasing big mysteries and the second season revolved largely around a sealed hatch in the middle of the woods. As the mystery unfolded, the hatch was revealed to be one of several stations once operated by a research group that was running experiments on the island's unique properties.
Last month, Fortnite spent weeks slowly teasing a comet that appeared to be growing larger in the night sky as time went on. It eventually collided with the map, taking out Dusty Depot and creating Dusty Divot in its place. The impact also seems to have uncovered several secret bases related to the new superheroes and villains motif. Meanwhile, the popular villain du jour Thanos from Avengers: Infinity War has been added to the game. But as you might expect from one wielding a cosmic glove to control everything, he was a little unbalanced and got hit with a nerf immediately.
While not nearly as significant as Fortnite's big 4.0 update that kicked off Season 4, Epic Games has released a new update, v4.1. It introduces some new content for both Battle Royale and Save the World modes, but undoubtedly its biggest addition is that of a new limited-time mode. Infinity Gauntlet is the recently announced Avengers: Infinity War crossover mode where you can play as Thanos himself.
The new mode is solo-only and plays much like a normal match. However, a meteor eventually crashes, leaving behind the Infinity Gauntlet for one play to wield. This transforms them into Thanos and prevents them from building or using weapons, but it provides them with significant powers to lay waste to the competition.
Otherwise, many of the changes on the Battle Royale side are bug fixes, although there are some other notable additions in the full patch notes. Most significantly, the likelihood of the final circle being located toward the outer edges of the map has been increased by 25%. Previously, matches were very likely to end toward the inner areas of the island, but Epic says this should "improve the variety of ending scenarios to outside the central region of the map."
Players can also now join the party of players who are currently in a match. While they'll still have to wait for the match to end to begin playing with those party members, it will let them get updates on things like how many players are still alive.
One other thing to be aware of is specific to Fortnite Mobile players. The auto-run feature added in the 4.0 update has been disabled "due to some unintentional actions occurring when using it." So if you're wondering why you aren't being prompted to enable auto-run after moving for several seconds, it's because Epic has removed that prompt for now.
Fortnite's Save the World mode typically doesn't get the same level of attention as the much more popular Battle Royale, but it does get a nice piece of new content with this update. A new light machine gun called the Hacksaw has been added, which Epic says is "best used when stationary, aiming down the sights, and firing in short bursts."
Update 4.1 releases alongside not only the aforementioned Infinity Gauntlet mode, but also Week 2 challenges for Battle Pass owners. These leaked ahead of time and involve using Hop Rocks and dancing in front of film cameras.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the latest movie in the long-running dinosaur action series, and it hits theaters next month. It's a direct sequel to Jurassic World, which was the second biggest movie of 2015 (after Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and still stands as the fourth most successful film ever made. A new teaser has now been released.
The promo features a voiceover from Jeff Goldblum's character Dr Ian Malcolm, who featured in Steven Spielberg's original 1993 movie Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, and returns for this latest adventure. The teaser suggests that much of the movie's action is to take place off the theme park island and on the mainland--where clearly the dinosaurs don't stay in their cages. Check it out above.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom also stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, and BD Wong. It's directed by Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona, and co-written by Colin Trevorrow, who helmed the first movie. The first full trailer was released last month.
Last year, Trevorrow spoke about working with Bayona, who also helmed the horror hit Mama. "It is by far my favorite creative collaboration that I've ever been involved in," he said. "Bayona is a completely different kind of filmmaker and thinker than I am, yet we do have a lot of things in common. I was able to craft something specifically for another filmmaker that I admire. I built a Spanish horror thriller with dinosaurs in it that I probably wouldn't have built for myself."
Even though Fallen Kingdom doesn't hit theaters until June 22, the release date for the third movie has already been announced. In February, it was confirmed that it will arrive on June 11, 2021. It has also been announced that Trevorrow will return to direct it. This is Trevorrow's first movie since he was fired from Star Wars Episode IX last year.
A new Battlefield game is coming this year and it will be playable at E3 2018 next month, but the game has still yet to be officially announced. EA continues to tease the project, today saying that it will be a "deep and fully featured shooter" that features an "ongoing service" of some kind. The game is in development at series creator DICE in Sweden.
"With our next Battlefield game, the team at DICE is bringing the intensity of combat to life in new and unexpected ways," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said during an earnings call. "Every battle is unique, and every mode brings its own challenges--from the way you interact with the environment around you, to compelling single-player stories, to the next level of large-scale multiplayer that spans across multiple maps and modes."
"This will be a deep and fully featured shooter and ongoing service that will evolve with major new experiences for our community, beginning right from launch," he explained. "Building on the success of Battlefield 1 and taking inspiration from DICE's core DNA, this new game will advance the state of the art for the franchise, while still delivering the signature gameplay and Battlefield moments that have captivated and grown our global community."
"All of the things that a Battlefield fan would expect out of a multiplayer game from DICE in the Battlefield universe will be there, while additional innovations in how we're thinking about the future of multiplayer in first-person shooters will also be there, both at launch and over time as part of a live service."
If EA does return to WWII with the next Battlefield, it will be the first in the series set during that era since 2009's Battlefield 1943. 2016's Battlefield 1 was set during World War I.
During a Q&A with investors that followed EA's earnings report today, CFO Blake Jorgensen said EA is not scared to launch the new Battlefield game during the busy holiday period. "We've been able to compete against others like Call of Duty in the past," he said, and this year should be no different, the executive added. He went on to say that Battlefield has a "very strong" player community. He said he believes fans will be "extremely excited" about the game.
That being said, Jorgensen said EA's financial guidance for the holiday quarter includes some "conservatism" due to the crowded release calendar. The holiday season every year is always busy and crowded, and this year Red Dead Redemption 2 is in the mix as well.
An analyst asked Jorgensen specifically about if the new Battlefield game might get delayed to give it some breathing room against the competition. Jorgensen did not answer this directly, but he said EA will announce the game's "exact timing" i.e. its release date, in the coming weeks and months, potentially during E3.
The fifth season of the cult comedy Arrested Development is set to hit Netflix later this month, and in advance of that, a "remixed" version of Season 4 arrived on the streaming service last week. The new version reworked the structure of the entire season and reedited the 15 longer episodes into 22 shorter ones. But while fans might be happy with this new version, it seems the cast of the show are not.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, several of Arrested Development's main actors are looking for additional compensation following the decision to reedit Season 4. The site states that Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and David Cross are among the stars who feel that because they were paid for specific episodes, their salaries should be adjusted to account for the changes made by creator Mitchell Hurwitz and producer 20th Century Fox.
The key issue is that the structure of Season 4 was very different to previous seasons. Because of scheduling issues, each episode focused on a separate character rather than cutting between the entire cast. The cast's pay scale reflected this, with most members paid $100,000 each for their stand-alone episodes, $50,000 for each installment where they had a little screen time, and another $25,000 for ones in which they barely appeared.
The recut version changes this, with every actor appearing in every episode as they did in Seasons 1-3. With Fox set to benefit financially from syndication sales of the reedited season once it regains the rights from Netflix, the cast clearly feel that they are also owed some compensation. However, THR states that Fox is pushing back against the cast's demands, arguing that it has the right to reedit the existing episodes. To date, neither Fox or the cast members have commented on THR's story.
Arrested Development Season 5 hits Netflix on May 29.
GameFly, the subscription service that sends you video games through the mail, ends up with a lot of used games on its hands. To make room for new titles, the company is running a sale on used PS4 and Xbox One games. It's worth noting that the games are guaranteed to work, shipping is free, and they come with new cases and manuals. You can find all the deals here, but we'll highlight some of the standouts below.
In terms of exclusives, GameFly has a number of PS4- and Xbox One-only games on the list. On the PS4 side, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy can be yours for $18, while the PS2 remake Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age is on sale for $15. Over on Xbox One, you can get the strategy game Halo Wars 2 or the cover shooter Gears of War 4 for $15 each.
Those are just a few of our picks for the best deals on pre-owned games at GameFly. We have more picks below, but you can check out the full list of sale items right here.
It's a new week, so Sony has updated the PlayStation Store with a whole new set of discounts on downloadable games. For some of the deals, Sony is offering a small additional savings for PS Plus members. For others, everyone gets the same sale price. You can view the full list of PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games on sale here, or read on for our picks for the best deals in the bunch.
To kick things off, Ubisoft has sliced the prices of a bunch of its big games, ranging from the medieval brawler For Honor to the shooters Tom Clancy's The Division and Ghost Recon Wildlands; they're all available for about $20 regardless of your PS Plus status. For Assassin's Creed fans, you can get Origins, Syndicate, and the Ezio Collection on sale as well, for between $20 and $30 each.
As is often the case, Grand Theft Auto V is on sale for $30 this week, while the turn-based strategy game XCOM 2 will only set you back $20. Additionally, a bunch of smaller and/or indie games are on sale, including The Witness, The Disney Afternoon Collection, and Undertale. See below for details on the deals.
It hasn't even been on the market for two whole months yet, but you can already get the open-world shooter Far Cry 5 for $40 on PS4 or Xbox One. That's 33% off its normal price, and it's the best deal we've seen on the game so far. Here's how to get the discounted rate.
First, head over to Newegg and add the game to your cart--you can get the PS4 version here or the Xbox One version here. Now just check out like you normally would, but add promo code EMCPUPX79 before finalizing your purchase. That knocks $20 off the normal price.
If you'd rather go for the Steelbook Gold edition, which comes with the season pass as well as some other digital goodies, it's available for $80 (down from $100) here on PS4 and here on Xbox One. For this edition, though, you have to use promo code EMCPUMX82.
And while the PC version of Far Cry 5 isn't on sale at the moment, PC gamers can get all previous Far Cry games for 60% off on Steam right now. It's unlikely you'll have to wait long for Far Cry 5 on PC to go on sale somewhere; we'll keep you posted.
As for the game itself, GameSpot gave it 9/10 in our Far Cry 5 review, saying, "Despite some brief irritations and missed opportunities with its narrative, spending time in the world of Hope County remains absolutely delightful. Far Cry 5 boasts a wonderfully harmonious flow to its adventure, with its smart changes to exploration, discovery, and progression distinctly bolstering the enjoyment of creatively engaging and experimenting with its spectacular open world."
Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.
There's no doubt the Xbox One X is a powerful system. But, to ruin a quote from Spider-Man's Uncle Ben, with great power comes a great big price tag. With a suggested retail price of $500, Microsoft's newest console iteration isn't cheap. If only you could find a good deal on it... Turns out, right now you can. With this deal through Newegg, you can get a 1TB Xbox One X console, plus a $50 gift card, for $490. The sale ends May 12.
The deal effectively saves you $60 off the sticker price of the Xbox One X, which just so happens to be the price of a new game or a second Xbox One controller. You can see Newegg's Xbox One game selection here. Alternatively, Amazon is running a massive sale on digital copies of some of the biggest Xbox One games around.
Why get an Xbox One X? For starters, it can run a growing list of Xbox One X-enhanced games in 4K. It can even make older games, like Red Dead Redemption, look incredible. It's also the only game console on the market that can play Ultra HD Blu-ray discs (sorry, PS4 Pro owners).
In GameSpot's Xbox One X review, Jimmy Thang wrote, "While the Xbox One X is an expensive box, from a hardware standpoint, you're getting a very powerful and capable machine. You'll be hard pressed to build a comparably powerful PC for $500. On top of that, you get a 4K HDR Blu-ray player, which can cost several hundred dollars on its own."
And if you need some help deciding which Xbox One is right for you, the review offers various scenarios as well:
"Should you get an Xbox One X? That answer should largely depend on whether you'd be happy with the console's library of games. You can check out a list of all the Xbox One X-enhanced games here. If you're happy with the lineup and are thinking about jumping in, allow me to outline three different scenarios for you. If you game on a 1080p TV and don't have any plans to upgrade to a 4K one, the Xbox One S is going to be a better fit for you. While you will get some graphical enhancements with the X, you don't really get your money's worth if you don't have a 4K HDR TV.
"But what if you already own a 4K HDR TV and an Xbox One? In this case, I'd only recommend getting the X if you have the disposable cash to spare for the increased visual fidelity and performance benefits. If you have a 4K HDR TV, don't have a current gen console, and are looking to purchase one, however, the Xbox One X is a great choice."
If you're sold on an Xbox One X, visit this Newegg page before May 12.
Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.
PC gamers don't have to spend a bundle to play some great games this week. Steam's regular week-long sale features some fantastic games from the past decade or two of hits. Many of the games are on sale for 75% off, making this the perfect time to jump in on an overlooked modern classic. The sale ends May 13, so grab what you want before then.
Several whole series of games are also on sale this week on Steam. For starters, the Far Cry games are on sale for 60% off, bringing the prices down to between $4/£3 and $20/£16 (unfortunately, Far Cry 5 isn't included in the sale). The Mass Effect and Crysis series are also on sale.
And if none of those appeal to you, take a look at the full list. With over 400 more games on sale all week on Steam, chances are you'll find something you want to play.
Anyone looking for new games to play on the go will want to check out the sale Target is running this week. For select Nintendo 3DS games, if you buy one, you get another one for half price. That could save you up to $20 on a pair of handheld games. Most of the 3DS games Target sells are available for the promotion, so check out our picks for the best ones below, or view the full list here. But hurry, as the sale ends May 12.
As you might expect, whichever game is cheaper is the one that becomes half-price when you add both to your cart. And good news for people who don't feel like running to the store: you get free two-day shipping on all orders over $35.
It's a new week, which means the big video game retailers are offering sales on a whole new set of games, hardware, and accessories. This week, between May 6-12, Best Buy is running a wide-ranging sale that offers price cuts on select games and hardware. We offer our picks for the best deals below, but you can see the full ad here.
As always, you'll save even more money on the gaming deals if you're a Gamers Club Unlocked member. Gamers Club Unlocked members get an extra 20% off all video game pre-orders and new (non-used) games. A two-year subscription costs $30, but considering you'll save $12 on each game that's regularly priced at $60, it pays for itself after just a few purchases. You can learn more about GCU here.
This week, Nintendo Switch owners can buy a Pro controller for $60, which is $10 off the normal price. Switch Pro controllers also work on Steam, thanks to a new update. Best Buy also has a 64GB microSDXC card for $30 with the purchase of a Nintendo Switch, for a savings of $50. The Nintendo 2DS XL is often considered the best version of Nintendo's handheld hardware, and you can save $20 this week by buying one for $150. For anyone who wants a powerful 4K console, if you buy an Xbox One X, you can save $20 on select Xbox One X-enhanced games.
On the games side of things, you'll find Grand Theft Auto V on sale for $30 ($24 with Gamers Club Unlocked). Aside from that, there's not much else that's too thrilling for console owners. Nintendo 3DS/2DS owners can get some nice discounts on Metroid: Samus Returns, Miitopia, and Monster Hunter Stories, all of which are on sale for $30 ($24 with GCU) as well.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is an Xbox One console exclusive, at least for the time being. If you've been wanting to check it out but haven't wanted to spend $30 to buy it (especially while its competitor Fortnite is free to play), you'll definitely want to check out this deal: CDKeys is selling digital codes for PUBG for $18--and it comes with a copy of Assassin's Creed Unity.
That's the lowest price we've seen yet for the Xbox One version of this game alone. You effectively get two huge games for $18. And if you want to save an extra 5%, you can "like" CDKeys on Facebook, which gives you an additional discount code (desktop only). That brings the price down to $17.
PUBG is still in early access on Xbox One, but it's receiving regular updates. In fact, it's set to get a new map soon, effectively doubling the content. As for the game itself, in GameSpot's PUBG review, Michael Higham wrote, "Each phase of a match presents a different type of tension that is equal parts thrilling and terrifying, driven by the insatiable desire to be the last person (or squad) standing. Whether you play solo or in a group, successfully executing adaptive tactics to win intense, high-stakes firefights makes for an incredibly rewarding experience. Every player has unique stories of their most memorable matches, and even after hundreds of hours, PUBG continues to inspire rousing tales of victory and defeat."
As for Assassin's Creed Unity, it drops players in a detailed re-creation of Paris during the French Revolution. In GameSpot's Assassin's Creed Unity review, Mark Walton wrote, "Assassin's Creed Unity is at once comfortingly familiar, yet drastically different. For all its recognizable tropes, and for all its throwbacks to Assassin's Creeds of old, Unity is surprisingly progressive. The sprawling narratives and endless procession of historical figures that have come to define the series have given way to a sharply focused, personal tale that eschews moments of joviality for something altogether much darker in tone."
Codes for Assassin's Creed Unity are limited, so if you want both games for $18, hop on this deal quickly.
To celebrate Golden Week, Square Enix has dropped prices on a number of PC games, notably on many entries in the Final Fantasy series. Below are the standouts from Square Enix's sale, but you can find the full list here.
To start with, you can get Mini Ninjas for free. To take advantage of this offer, just add it to your cart and use promo code MINININJAS at checkout. From GameSpot's Mini Ninjas review: "This action adventure is low on gruesome assassinations and high on lighthearted fun, but that doesn't mean fans of stealth-kill simulators, or anyone else for that matter, should skip over it."
Just about every Final Fantasy game available on PC right now is currently available for half off. Core installments III - VI are $8, while the later games range from $6 to $10 each. Those are great prices on some of the best RPGs in history--even if you don't prefer the art style changes Square Enix made to some of the games.
In non-Final Fantasy news, Dragon Quest Heroes and its sequel are also on sale for between $20 and $30, and a handful of other more niche titles are on sale as well.
Pokemon Go developer Niantic is hosting a number of real-world events for the game very soon. The developer has announced the Pokemon Go Summer Tour 2018, a series of real-world events that will be held across the globe this summer, the first of which kicks off in Germany next month.
On June 30 and July 1, Niantic will hold a special Safari Zone event at Westfalenpark in Dortmund. That will be followed by the second annual Pokemon Go Fest, which will take place in Chicago's Lincoln Park on July 14-15. Finally, Japanese players will be able to participate in a special Safari Zone event in Yokosuka later this summer.
Niantic says each event will "include unique ways for players around the world to create adventures of their own and complete challenges together." Niantic will also continue to hold Community Days throughout the summer.
Safari Zone Dortmund will be free to attend, but those hoping like to take part in this year's Pokemon Go Fest will need to purchase a $20 ticket. Those will go on sale beginning at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on May 11. Niantic says it will announce additional details for the Yokosuka Safari Zone event "soon" on the Pokemon Go Live website.
In the meantime, players still have a few more days to take part in the Battle Showdown event. Until May 14, Fighting Pokemon such as Makuhita will spawn more frequently, and everyone will earn double XP for participating in Gym and Raid Battles.
Following that, Niantic will host the next Community Day on May 19. This month, participants will get triple the normal amount of Stardust for capturing Pokemon, while the classic starter Charmander will appear in much greater numbers for the duration of the event.
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."
Some links to supporting retailers are automatically made into affiliate links, and GameSpot may receive a small share of those sales.
A new distribution is now underway for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. From May 4-27, players will be able to add one of the Legendary Pokemon from the Kalos region, Xerneas and Yveltal, to their teams via a free download code.
To claim the download code, players will need to head to a participating retailer and pick one up near the register. In the US, the code will be available from GameStop; UK and Ireland residents can get one from Game stores; and players in Canada and Australia will find the code at EB Games.
The download code can be used in any seventh generation Pokemon title. To redeem it, select Mystery Gift from the games' main menu, then choose the option to receive your gift via a code/password. Input the code and the game will begin downloading your Legendary. You can then pick it up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.
The Legendary you receive depends on which version you're playing. Those with Sun or Ultra Sun will get the Dark/Flying-type Yveltal, while players with Moon or Ultra Moon will get the Fairy-type Xerneas. If you redeem the code in either of the Ultra games, the Legendary will also come equipped with a Gold Bottle Cap, which can be exchanged to Hyper Train a Pokemon.
Additionally, the Legendaries will come at a higher level if you redeem the code in either of the Ultra games. They'll also know a different moveset depending on the version you're playing. You can take a look at the attacks they'll come with in each game below.
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Yveltal -- Level 100
Oblivion Wing
Dark Pulse
Heat Wave
Tailwind
Pokemon Sun
Yveltal -- Level 60
Oblivion Wing
Dark Pulse
Phantom Force
Psychic
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Xerneas -- Level 100
Geomancy
Focus Blast
Grass Knot
Moonblast
Pokemon Moon
Xerneas -- Level 60
Geomancy
Horn Leech
Night Slash
Moonblast
The Pokemon Company is giving away different Legendaries every month in 2018 as part of its Year of Legendary Pokemon promotion. In June, players will be able to get another Legendary from Pokemon X and Y: Zygarde. What makes this Pokemon special is that it will be its shiny variant. Until then, you can see all of the free Pokemon up for grabs right now.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' Savage map is returning soon for another round of testing on PC. Developer PUBG Corp. announced it will hold a third beta for the smaller, island-themed map this week, which now goes by a new name: Sanhok.
According to PUBG Corp., the new name is derived from the Thai word for "fun" and the Tagalog word for "chicken," in keeping with the southeast Asian influence behind the map. "This new map is inspired by a wide variety of islands across southeast Asia, including those found in Thailand and the Philippines," the developer explained. "To reflect that inspiration, we invented a sort of hodgepodge combination of two words."
Sanhok enters its next round of testing tomorrow, May 10, at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET (3 AM BST on May 11) and will be playable until 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET / 12 PM BST on May 14. This time, everyone who has purchased the game on Steam will be able to participate. To get in, players will need to download the Experimental Test Server client before the test begins, which will appear automatically in everyone's Steam Library. The same client can be used for future Sanhok tests.
PUBG Corp. says it has made "many fixes and updates" to Sanhok based on the feedback it has received from the previous betas. The exact changes will be detailed in the full patch notes for this round of testing, which will be released 24 hours before the test begins.
Sanhok still doesn't have a release date, but it is slated to arrive in the PC version in "a couple of months." Meanwhile, the Xbox One edition of PUBG is also set to receive a new map soon: Miramar. Following a series of closed tests last month, Miramar is expected to launch for the console sometime in May.
GameStop's latest weekly sale is now live, featuring a whole new batch of sales on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC games and hardware. Let's comb through the deals to find the best ones available between May 9-15.
Anyone in the market for a new game can get $20 off both PS4 and Xbox One versions of Extinction, EA Sports UFC 3, and FIFA 18, bringing those titles down to $40 each. On Xbox One, you can get Grand Theft Auto V and L.A. Noire on sale for $30 apiece.
Select digital games and add-ons are also on sale, including Fallout 4 for $20, as well as WWE 2K18, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus for $30. The Destiny 2 Expansion Pass is also on sale for $30. Now is a particularly good time to buy it, seeing as in includes the just-released Warmind expansion. Warmind alone costs $20, and the Expansion Pass also includes the Curse of Osiris expansion.
For PC gamers, all Destiny 2 Razer gear is 20% off. That includes a mouse, headset, mouse pad, and keyboard. If you're looking for something new to wear, you can get Funko Boxed Pop t-shirts for 50% off, placing them in the $10-$15 range. And Fingerlings, which cost $15 each, are on sale for B1G1 50% off.
A few additional deals are available this week as well. Check out GameStop's weekly ad for details.
Konami has officially unveiled this year's entry in its long-running football franchise, Pro Evolution Soccer. PES 2019 is coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC with a slightly earlier than usual release date of August 28 (August 30 in Europe).
Among the new features detailed by Konami are visible player fatigue on the pitch, improved ball physics and player positioning, and greater player individuality. There's also the usual roster of new animations, new celebrations, and improved in-game graphics, as well as a new menu interface.
MyClub see "its biggest revamp to date," says Konami, with a new player card design system, and High Performance Players that boast "temporarily boosted stats based on real world performances," similar to FIFA Ultimate Team's in-form cards. Master League, meanwhile, includes a new negotiation system and "realistic transfers."
Regarding licenses, Konami says it has more fully licensed leagues, stadiums, and clubs, but none of those have so far been disclosed other than Liverpool, Barcelona, and Borussia Dortmund, all of which featured in PES 2018. The publisher recently lost the UEFA license, meaning the Champions League and Europa League--as well as the European Championships in future editions of PES--will no longer be included in their official forms. This year's edition does, however, see the return of David Beckham as a playable Legend.
After EA brought FIFA 18 to Nintendo Switch last year, some fans had hoped Konami would follow suit with PES 2019. However those hopes have not been met, with no Switch version revealed as yet.
We enjoyed the most recent Pro Evo and awarded it an 8/10 in our PES 2018 review. "When you get onto the pitch, no other football game feels as good as PES 2018," we wrote at the time. "The slower pace is a definite improvement, helping tread the line between realism and fun near-perfectly. There's just something about the players' movement and the kinds of arcs the ball makes in the air that's just so pleasant to control--every pass, header, and shot just feels right. And when it clicks, and you score a thunderous strike from the edge of the area or finish off a slick passing move or even when you launch an ugly long ball forward to grab a last-gasp winner, it's the closest feeling you'll get to being out there scoring yourself."
Nintendo has confirmed that Virtual Console will not return on Switch. In a statement to GameSpot, the company said, "There are currently no plans to bring classic games together under the Virtual Console banner as has been done on other Nintendo systems."
In lieu of the Virtual Console, Nintendo will offer a program called "NES - Nintendo Switch Online." As one of the benefits for subscribing to Switch's upcoming paid online service, players will have access to a library of classic NES games, all of which will feature enhancements such as online play. At launch, the service will feature 20 games, including classics like Super Mario Bros. 3 and The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo says that additional titles will be added to the library regularly.
The Virtual Console line debuted back in 2006 on Wii and has been available on each of Nintendo's subsequent consoles. The line encompassed titles from Nintendo legacy systems such as the Super NES and N64, although each platform has a different Virtual Console catalog; for instance, Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games could only be purchased on Wii U, while Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 games were released on Wii.
Despite the apparent end of the Virtual Console brand, that doesn't necessarily mean that Nintendo's other legacy games won't appear on Switch in some form. "There are a variety of ways in which classic games from Nintendo and other publishers are made available on Nintendo Switch, such as through Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo eShop, or as packaged collections," Nintendo told GameSpot.
One such example is Sega Ages, a line of classic Sega games coming to the Switch Eshop this summer. Hamster has also released an extensive selection of Arcade Archives games, including a handful of Nintendo's own arcade titles, such as VS. Super Mario Bros. and the original arcade version of Punch-Out.
The Switch online service launches in September. Along with access to the NES - Nintendo Switch Online collection, it lets subscribers back up their game data via cloud saves and will be required to play many games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Mario Tennis Aces, and Sushi Striker online. Players will not need a subscription to continue playing 3DS and Wii U games online.
Subscriptions for the online service will be available for one month (US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6), three months (US $8 / £7 / AU $12), and one year (US $20 / £18 / AU $30). Nintendo will also offer a Family Plan for US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55, which allows subscribers to invite up to seven other Nintendo Account holders into their family group, even across multiple Switch systems.
After months of silence, Nintendo finally shed more light on its premium online service for Switch. The subscription service launches this September and is required to play games such as Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online, but it also comes with some additional perks for subscribers, including a library of classic titles.
Nintendo will offer subscribers to the Switch online service access to a selection of NES games as part of its "NES - Nintendo Switch Online" program. At launch, the lineup will consist of 20 titles, although the company says that more games will be added to the library "regularly."
Only half of the titles in the initial lineup have revealed thus far, but they consist of some of Nintendo's best-known NES games, including Super Mario Bros. 3, The Legend of Zelda, Balloon Fight, and Dr. Mario. The remaining 10 titles will be announced "in the future." The full list of confirmed NES games includes:
Balloon Fight
Donkey Kong
Dr. Mario
Ice Climber
The Legend of Zelda
Mario Bros.
Soccer
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tennis
On top of being able to play the classic NES titles solo, each one is playable online for the first time thanks to newly added online features. According to Nintendo, "Depending on the game, players can engage in online competitive or co-op multiplayer, or take turns controlling the action. Friends can even watch each other play single-player games online, and 'pass the controller' at any time." The NES games also support voice chat through the Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app.
In addition to the classic NES library, the Switch online service offers subscribers the ability to back up their game data via cloud saves. As mentioned above, it will also be required to play Nintendo games like the aforementioned Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe--as well as the upcoming Mario Tennis Aces and Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido--online. However, Nintendo says that other Switch games "will vary," and players will not need to have a subscription to continue playing Wii U and 3DS titles online.
The Switch online service rolls out this September. Subscriptions will be available for one month (US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6), three months (US $8 / £7 / AU $12), and one year (US $20 / £18 / AU $30). Nintendo will also offer a Family Plan for US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55, which allows subscribers to invite up to seven other Nintendo Account holders, even on different consoles, into a family group and have access to the same membership benefits.
Nintendo has yet to announce if classic games from other legacy consoles, such as the Super NES and N64, will be offered on Switch, but the company did confirm that it will not bring back the Virtual Console service. In a statement to GameSpot, Nintendo said, "There are currently no plans to bring classic games together under the Virtual Console banner as has been done on other Nintendo systems."
However, while the Virtual Console moniker won't be returning, that doesn't necessarily mean that other classics can't appear on Switch in other forms. The company also reiterated, "There are a variety of ways in which classic games from Nintendo and other publishers are made available on Nintendo Switch, such as through Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo eShop or as packaged collections."
Halloween is still five months away, but there's plenty to be scared of in May thanks to Hulu. The streaming service is adding dozens of new movies and TV shows this month, giving you plenty to watch--including one of the most beloved franchises in horror.
May sees the arrival of five A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, from the 1984 original through Wes Craven's New Nightmare--save for Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Never fear, though, as that particular title is already available from the streamer. Unfortunately, 2003's Freddy vs. Jason is nowhere to be found, which leaves fans without star Robert Englund's final time donning that horrifying glove.
Other new movie arrivals include the Sylvester Stallone classic Demolition Man, She's All That, and five Rocky installments. On the TV side, new seasons of Drunk History, Mobile Suit Gundam, 12 Monkeys, and The Strain all begin streaming in May.
May is officially here, which means the first half of this month's Games with Gold lineup has arrived. Xbox Live Gold subscribers can now download two new games across Xbox One and Xbox 360, with another pair of freebies set to follow partway through the month.
On the Xbox One side, Gold members can grab the newly released Super Mega Baseball 2 at no charge. Like the first Super Mega Baseball, the game features deep baseball sim mechanics beneath its cartoony visuals, and this time around, players can compete against each other online. This month's first free 360 title, meanwhile, is the Sega classic Streets of Rage. That game is also playable on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility.
Super Mega Baseball 2 will remain free to download throughout the entire month, while Streets of Rage will return to its regular price on May 15. Gold members can also still download one holdover from April's Games with Gold lineup: Assassin's Creed Syndicate, the 2015 stealth-action game set in Victorian London. That likewise returns to its normal price on May 15.
Beginning May 16, Microsoft will offer two more free games for Gold members. Xbox One owners will be able to grab Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, the latest mainline installment in the popular stealth franchise. Platinum Games' cult favorite shooter Vanquish will be the second free 360 title offered this month.
Both Metal Gear Solid V and Vanquish will remain free to download through the end of May, and the latter is also backwards compatible with Microsoft's newer console, giving Xbox One owners four new freebies to grab this month. You can find the full list of May's free Games with Gold lineup below.
May 2018 Games With Gold
Xbox One
Super Mega Baseball 2 (May 1-31)
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (May 16-June 15)
Avengers: Infinity Waris finally here. The arrival of "destiny" as promised by Thanos, after ten long years of waiting and 18 movies, the moment we've been waiting for has come. It brought with it a whole bunch of questions, most importantly: what do we do now? With the movie's post-credits scene, that becomes just a tiny bit more clear.
The end of Infinity War is very literally an end--the actual, genuine annihilation of half the universe at the hands of Thanos, armed with a fully powered Infinity Gauntlet. Not exactly the feel good, heroic, triumphant superhero vibe of Avengers past. Thanos has won, and from where we're sitting, it looks like his victory is absolute.
But all hope isn't lost. Though Infinity War deviates from Marvel's post-credits formula slightly by including only one stinger, rather than what's become the customary two, the movie's final moments give us the briefest glimpse of what's on the horizon.
Here's the scene: Nick Fury and Maria Hill speed through a New York City that is slowly descending into chaos. As Fury notes that something big is happening in Wakanda, he tells Hill to get in touch with someone named Klein, likely this guy from Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron--which may point to more progress in Fury's somewhat forgotten efforts to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D in the wake of its official Hydra-fueled destruction.
But the effects of Thanos's finger-snap are reverberating across the galaxy and, one by one, people are disappearing at random. This means literally anyone--pilots, drivers, pedestrians--vanishing into thin air, no matter what they may have been in the middle of. So naturally, as more and more people crumble, helicopters are crashing, cars are veering off the road--you get the idea. The world is not in a great place, and Fury and Hill are left trying to puzzle through what's happening.
Unfortunately, even their time is limited. As they scramble out of their car, Hill begins to crumble and abruptly vanishes, leaving Fury on his own. He pulls out a device--something that looks almost like a beeper--and dials out just as he himself begins to disintegrate.
This guy might turn out important?
As Fury blows away in the wind, the device he was holding clatters to the ground and we're left staring at what we can only assume is the transmission of a distress signal. Though there is no text on the screen to give an official destination, a symbol or logo soon appears--the blue, red and gold emblem associated with none other than Captain Marvel.
We've known for some time that a Captain Marvel movie is coming--set photos of Brie Larson in costume have been filtering in since filming kicked off--but her role in the still unnamed Avengers 4 remains shrouded in mystery, just like the rest of the film. We do know, however, that her solo movie will be released in March of next year (two months prior to the next Avengers, due in May) and be set in the '90s, which leaves her in an interesting position considering Infinity War's very present day ending.
Just how long has Fury known about Captain Marvel? Where has she been all this time? Is the distress signal actually going to Carol Danvers or is it going to someone like, say, her mentor Captain Mar-Vell instead?
Perhaps more importantly: what exactly can Captain Marvel do in the face of a fully powered Infinity Gauntlet?
Carol Danvers traditionally gets her powers from her Kree heritage, making her similar to what we might expect from an Asgardian in the MCU, with a few twists. In the books she has enhanced durability, strength and speed, as well as the ability to fly and shoot energy projectiles from her hands. She also has an abundance of military and tactical training both on Earth and with the Kree army, making her a formidable force both in the heat of battle and in any war room--so it's not that she's incapable, by any means.
But all the training and superpowers in the universe seem dwarfed by the force of the Infinity Stones, even with the Infinity Gauntlet in the damaged state that the movie leaves it in, so it's unlikely that she'll be able to show up on Earth without some sort of back up and expect to make a difference. Luckily, there are a few other cosmic Marvel heroes who have been alluded to in the past who just might be able to lend a hand. We saw the Nova Corps in Guardians of the Galaxy, which paves the way for Nova to get involved, especially if Thanos destroyed the entire Corps when he nabbed the Power Stone from them, which would fit with Nova's origin in the comics. And don't forget Adam Warlock, who was referenced in the Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 post-credits scene.
This week sees just a few new titles arriving on Netflix--and they are almost entirely originals. Among those additions are a new comedy special, TV show seasons, and even an original movie.
The biggest arrival of the week is Season 3 of Bill Nye Saves the World. The series follows Bill Nye, the self-proclaimed "Science Guy," as he explored the issues the planet is currently facing--from global warming to GMO foods. Among the topics discussed in Season 3 are genetic mutations and the possibility of using insects as a source of food.
Other new arrivals include new seasons of The Spirit Riding Free and The Who Was? Show, as well as the debut of The Kissing Booth, an original film starring Joey King and Joel Courtney. Finally, a new comedy special from Hari Kondabolu--the man behind the documentary that takes aim at The Simpsons character Apu--will premiere.
You can take a look at the full list of new arrivals below. Then make sure to check out everything coming and going on Netflix in May, as well as the offerings from Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
May 8
Desolation
Hari Kondabolu: Warn Your Relatives (Netflix Original)
May 9
Dirty Girl
May 11
Bill Nye Saves the World: Season 3 (Netflix Original)
Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist (Netflix Original)
The new God of War on PS4 features a wide array of additions to the series, from a new combat system and weapon to an AI companion and a much different narrative focus. It also features some light RPG elements, including gear that you can collect and equip. There are a ton of items to be had, but a handful in particular are tied to what appears to be a pretty obvious reference to Marvel's smash-hit new movie, Avengers: Infinity War.
Infinity War centers around the villain Thanos and his pursuit of the six Infinity Stones, which he plans to insert into the Infinity Gauntlet, granting him god-like powers. While lacking the same level of overwhelming control over the universe, Kratos can get his hands on some Infinity Gauntlet and Stone-inspired items during his travels.
The Infinity Gauntlet takes the form of a talisman known as the Shattered Gauntlet of Ages, which appears to have first been discovered by Reddit user moxxxxxi. Its description states, "An ancient relic of Hel deemed too powerful to remain whole, fragments of its former strength lie scattered throughout the realms..."
Additionally, there are enchantments--gems that can be inserted into an item to provide a buff--that reference the Infinity Stones. Here are the names of all six and the Infinity Stones they appear to be connected to:
Andvari's Soul -- Soul Stone
Asgard's Shard of Existence -- Reality Stone
Eye of the Outer Realm -- Space Stone
Ivaldi's Corrupted Mind -- Mind Stone
Muspelheim Eye of Power -- Power Stone
Njord's Temporal Stone -- Time Stone
When the Shattered Gauntlet of Ages is fully upgraded, it can hold up to three enchantments (rather than six, like the Infinity Gauntlet, presumably because that would be far too powerful for gameplay purposes). On its own, it's somewhat unremarkable, but if you slot in three of the enchantments listed above, the talisman gains the ability to shoot a Thanos-y purple beam at enemies. It's a more elaborate effect than what happens when you have other enchantments slotted into the item. There are some very light God of War spoilers ahead.
In order to get your hands on the gauntlet, you'll need to complete the quest Family Business, which you'll get from the dwarf Sindri. Toward the end of the quest, when you find the remains of the dead men on the boat, a Traveler will attack you. Defeat it, and you'll get the talisman.
The video above showcases the gauntlet in action and highlights what you need to do to obtain each of the six enchantments (although, again, you'll only be able to insert three of them into the gauntlet at a time). Here's a quick rundown:
Andvari's Soul -- complete Brok's Deus Ex Malachite favor
Asgard's Shard of Existence -- defeat Valkyrie Rota in Helheim
Eye of the Outer Realm -- found in Hidden Chamber of Odin in Helheim (you only have one chance to get this)
Ivaldi's Corrupted Mind -- defeat Valkyrie Olrun in Alfheim
Muspelheim Eye of Power -- purchase at the Muspelheim shop
Njord's Temporal Stone -- defeat Valkyrie Queen
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