Venom is kind of like Spider-Man's evil twin. The character is a symbiote, an alien lifeform that attaches itself to a sentient host. He gives the host many abilities, some of which are similar to Spider-Man's except, instead of shooting elastic webs, the host's body essentially becomes them at will.
With some versions of the character, Venom is an anti-hero, while in other interpretations, he's a straight up villain. What's unique about this movie is that it's a Venom standalone film which means the focus will not be on Venom vs. Spider-Man; it's all about Venom and his host. We are expecting to get a pretty good look into Venom's abilities and the power dynamic between symbiote and host.
What It's About
The Venom standalone movie will follow provocative journalist Eddie Brock as he gets as he's infected by the Venom symbiote. The degree of power that it has over its human host is in a state of constant flux, so there's always some question as to who is in the drivers seat. It looks like this symbiote has some plans beyond kickin' it inside Eddie though.
Venom attaches itself to Brock when he investigates a shady corporation called the Life Foundation which is rumored to be taking "volunteers" and testing something on them that inevitably ends in their death. Conflict ensues as Brock is unsure how much control he has over Venom.
Who's Who
Crew
Venom will be directed by Ruben Fleischer who also directed Zombieland and Gangster Squad.
There are several writers credited with penning the screenplay, including Kelly Marcel, Will Beall, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Pinker.
Cast
Eddie Brock and Venom will be played by hollywood's favorite Australian bad boy, Tom Hardy who has featured in titles like Inception, Mad Max, and The Dark Knight Rises.
Riz Ahmed who you may know from HBO's The Night Of, plays Carlton Drake, the corporate hotshot who has some morally questionable ideas about what the symbiotes mean for humanity.
Michelle Williams from Manchester By The Sea will play Ann Weying, an employee for Drake and Brock's love interest.
Jenny Slate, the comedian who voices Marcel The Shell and has appeared Parks and Recreation, will play Dora Skirth, a young scientist who helps Brock figure out what's going on with the symbiotes.
A full length trailer has been released for Venom that opens with a look into Eddie Brock's day-to-day life. He's a reporter who has made a living by asking powerful people questions that they don't want to answer; this is how he meets Carlton Drake. While trying to learn more about Drake's nefarious activities, he encounters a human who has a symbiote inside them and unwittingly transfers it to Brock. When Brock starts hearing voices in his head and watches his limbs turn into black, dextrous matter, he's pretty sure something is up.
We get a good look at Venom, and in the trailer and he is pretty freaky looking, with an incredibly long tongue and multiple rows of teeth. His amorphous black musculature is probably the coolest part though; it erupts from Tom Hardy when he needs to fight some guys off, re-attach himself to a motorcycle in mid-air. You know, normal stuff.
What We Want At Comic-Con
Sony will have a Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con that, in all likelihood, will include Venom. We are unsure who will attend, but we hope the cast and crew will be there.
One of the biggest remaining mysteries about the movie is how Woody Harrelson will feature in the plot. Hopefully someone on the panel, preferably Harrelson himself, will officially confirm the casting and offer some insight into his character.
A really big question that still needs answering about Venom in general, is whether he will crossover with Spider-Man or any other MCU characters. The answer is probably no for this movie. The issue is that while Disney owns the film rights to all the Avenger characters, Sony owns the film rights to the Spider-Man characters (including Venom), and only loaned them to Disney so that they could make a Spider-Man franchise that would be a part of the Avengers. For now, it looks like Sony is creating their own MCU which means a crossover is unlikely.
Luckily, we won't have to wait too long after San Diego Comic-Con to see the movie. Venom hits theaters October 5.
Fortnite Season 5 has kicked off with a distinctly historical theme. As we may have guessed from the Scandinavian axe teaser, Viking paraphernalia plays a big part in this season, including its biggest XP chase. The Legendary "Ragnarok" skin is the level 100 Battle Pass reward, but it also lets you customize your look as you upgrade it.
The skin sports six different styles in all, each adding another few pieces of armor or kit or facial hair as you progress. You begin as a tough-looking but otherwise standard warrior, and by the end you can dress up as a pretty terrifying specter.
Level 1: Default
Level 2: Unlock at 35,000 XP
Level 3: Unlock at 75,000 XP
Level 4: Unlock at 125,000 XP
Level 5: Unlock at 250,000 XP
Level 6: Unlock at 500,000 XP
You can check out the full range of looks above and let your envy at those final skins act as your encouragement to grind out the proper amount of XP. This season also introduces a host of other changes, including an All-Terrain Kart for transporting your crew, a bunch of new changes and additions to the map, motion controls on Switch, autofire on mobile, and more. A separate Drift skin also is also available through the Battle Pass with its own variety of looks from XP milestones. Be sure to check out our full roundup of the changes along with our challenge guide to grind out that Ragnarok XP.
With a new season in Fortnite: Battle Royale comes a new Battle Pass. Season 5 is officially live, and with it, we have the Season 5 Battle Pass. For those already familiar with past versions, the basics of how it works have not changed dramatically--you'll play, complete challenges, rank up, and earn rewards--hopefully including the sought-after level 100 skin, Ragnarok. There are a variety of new skins available along with other cosmetic rewards, and we've also gotten a new category of item called "toys" that you can obtain and then play with during a match.
There are, however, some key differences with the Battle Pass to be aware of. One of changes is great news for those who don't want to pay for any V-Bucks to spend on the Battle Pass but still want new things to do each week. Here's everything you need to know about the Season 5 Battle Pass, including its price, changes to challenges, and the skins you can unlock.
How Does The Battle Pass Work?
The Season 5 Battle Pass operates much as it did in the past. As you play, you level up your profile, which rewards you with Battle Stars. These Battle Stars in turn rank up your Battle Pass, thus unlocking a variety of rewards. These rewards are divided into two tiers: A small number obtainable by all players, and those that are reserved for Battle Pass owners. You don't have to purchase the Battle Pass right away in order to avoid missing out; you can buy it mid-season and retroactively earn the premium rewards based on the tier that you've already reached.
However, there is is a benefit to grabbing the Battle Pass sooner rather than later. Among the premium rewards you'll receive are XP bonuses, both for playing in general and those for playing in a party with friends. Because leveling up with XP translates into Battle Stars (thus ranking up your Battle Pass), it's in your interest to grab the Battle Pass early and benefit from those bonuses. Purchasing the Battle Pass also gets you access to all challenges throughout the season (more on those in a moment), which are an easy way to earn Battle Stars and rank up further.
How Much Does It Cost?
As in the past, the Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks, a premium currency obtained with real-world money. Buying the smallest available bundle (1,000 V-Bucks) costs $10, leaving you with 50 V-Bucks to begin saving toward purchasing a skin, cosmetic, or a future Battle Pass. There is no option to buy the Battle Pass directly with real-world money, as had been the plan at one point. That said, it is arguably an excellent value due to the way the Battle Pass rewards you with further V-Bucks (something we dive into further below).
Everyone Gets (Some) Challenges For Free
Weekly challenges have been a big highlight of past Battle Passes. By purchasing one, you'd receive a set of seven new objectives to complete each week, which in turn allowed you to rank up your Battle Pass more quickly and earn rewards. Those without the Battle Pass could still earn a very select number of rewards, but they only had access to a single set of seven Starter challenges for the duration of the season.
For Season 5, there are no Starter challenges. Instead, each set of weekly challenges has been broken up into free and premium sections. These objectives offer up either five or 10 Battle Stars, with the latter being reserved for Hard-difficulty ones. Each week will have one Hard challenge for free players, while the other two are reserved for Battle Pass owners. Notably, the 5k XP bonus available each week is reserved for Battle Pass owners; you have to complete four challenges in a given week to unlock this, meaning it's only possible with access to the week's full suite of challenges.
You Still Get Free V-Bucks
As noted above, the Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks, but that arguably pays for itself if you play routinely. Among the premium rewards available in the Battle Pass are V-Bucks--every six to 10 tiers, you'll earn 100 free V-Bucks. (There are also two 100 V-Buck rewards in the free reward tier, at ranks 18 and 34.) By reaching rank 58, you'll have earned 1,000 V-Bucks, which is more than you'll have spent on the Battle Pass in the first place.
There's an additional 500 V-Bucks still to be earned after that, though doing so will require a fair amount of playtime. Epic estimates earning every reward in the Battle Pass takes from 75-150 hours, but if you play regularly and complete a lot of challenges, it shouldn't be hard to earn back most or all of what you invest in the Battle Pass.
Road Trip And Drift Take Are The New Blockbuster And Carbide Challenges
One of Season 4's wrinkles to the Battle Pass was the introduction of Blockbuster and Carbide challenges. These are back for Season 5, but with new names: Road Trip and Drift, respectively. Both of these require you to purchase the Season 5 Battle Pass to complete.
Road Trip challenges task you with completing all seven challenges from any single week. The reward is a loading screen which--if Season 4 is any indication--will lead you to a secret Battle Star that ranks up your Battle Pass by one tier. There are seven Road Trip challenges in total, and by completing all of these (meaning you fully complete seven weeks of challenges), you'll earn a bonus reward that looks to be a Legendary skin. We won't be sure of what it is until at least the seventh week of challenges are live.
Drift challenges are similar to Carbide, in that you're basically just asked to play a lot. This time around, however, rather than being asked to reach a certain level, you're tasked with gaining a certain amount of XP--from 10,000 up to 200,000. Each of the five challenges offers a new style option for the Drift skin, an outfit which you'll receive for free as soon as you buy the Battle Pass. If you complete four of the five Drift challenges (meaning you've earned 100,000 XP total), you'll also receive the Rift Edge harvesting tool, an alternative for the pickaxe.
What Are The Rewards?
You'll immediately get a handful of rewards for purchasing the Battle Pass, including the aforementioned Legendary Drift skin, as well as as the Epic Huntress skin. You also get access to all challenges and an immediate XP bonus, as well as five free Battle Pass tiers for Season 6's Battle Pass.
By ranking up the Battle Pass, you'll earn a variety of skins, V-Bucks, sprays, emoticons, gliders, harvesting tools, back blings, loading screens, emotes, contrails, and XP bonuses. There's also a new type of item, toys, that allow you to play around with others during a match. These include a golf ball and a basketball. You can see every single reward available in our rundown, or check out all of the skins and cosmetics here.
The Last of Us Part 2 writer and co-director Neil Druckmann announced that Ellie will be accompanied by an NPC in the upcoming game. So far the only gameplay of Ellie we've seen is of her fighting solo against a murderous group of enemies, but apparently that isn't representative of the full game. The news broke during a Buzzfeed interview.
Druckmann didn't confirm who the NPC would be, saying, "Well, so, Ellie used to be an NPC, but she's the protagonist in this story, so the player is controlling Ellie. It's safe to say with the game that we made in the past that there will be some NPC with you in this story, even though we're not showing [the NPC] in this demo."
Fans are already beginning to hope that Ellie's companion will be Mina, the woman she kissed in the E3 2018 trailer. However, it could also be Jessie, Mina's ex, who spoke to Ellie at the beginning of the same trailer and seems to patrol on the outside of the protective community like Ellie does. We doubt that Part 2 will pull a switch on the original game's dynamic and make Joel the accompanying NPC, but anything's possible at this point. It might be one of the women from that unsettling Paris Games Week trailer we got last year, or someone we haven't even been introduced to yet.
The Last of Us Part 2's release date hasn't been announced, but we know that the game is launching on PS4. Read up on everything we know about Part 2 so far, and check out our pre-order guide if you already know you want to buy the game.
After coming to PC in March, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 has officially launched on Xbox One. And if you're a subscriber to Microsoft's Game Pass service, you can play it for free. That's good news to anyone who wants to help fight off a rat infestation.
A sequel to Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide, Vermintide 2 is basically like Left 4 Dead in a Warhammer setting. It takes place in the apocalyptic End Times. You and three companions must fight through 13 levels to survive against Chaos soldiers and hordes of humanoid rat creatures called Skaven. You do so by arming yourself with an array of medieval and fantasy weaponry (plus a few guns) and hacking, shooting, and magic-blasting them to ribbons.
From GameSpot's Vermintide 2 impressions: "Vermintide 2 even looks like Left 4 Dead 2 at times, with its same starting camera angles and chatter between characters. But Vermintide 2 is much less predictable; its AI does its best to continually throw new strategies at you. There is no sense of safety, making winning far more satisfying. Tomes and grimoires, which are rewards for risking rat-induced peril and exploring levels, also change the game considerably, adding extra layers of strategy and difficulty. Meanwhile, the diverse class system adds a huge layer of replayability that keeps things fun and varied."
Developer Fatshark says the game has sold well on PC, moving half a million units in its first four days after launch. Not long after it launched, the developer released anupdate that sanded down some of the difficulty spikes. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is slated to arrive on PS4 sometime this year; you can sign up for a beta here.
Vermintide 2 isn't the only new game to appear on Game Pass this week. Rocket League arrived on June 10, while last week saw the additions of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3, among others. You can find the full list of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games available on Xbox Game Pass here.
DC's spin-off movie focusing on the early life of the Joker had been rumored for some time, but this week it was finally confirmed that it was happening and that Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, Walk the Line) will take on the lead role. Now Phoenix has spoke about his decision to play the Clown Prince of Crime.
In an interview with Collider, Phoenix spoke about his process in choosing a role, and how he was impressed by director Todd Philips. "I take a lot of time and consideration when making decisions and what I'm gonna work on, always," he said. "So, in some ways, the process, which is obviously reading a script and meeting a filmmaker and then continuing to have meetings and discussions with Todd."
"I think he's very impressive and he seems to have a very interesting understanding of this world and what he's trying to say," Phoenix continued. "And so there is something very appealing about that and working with him on this particular project. It feels unique, it is its own world in some ways, and maybe, mostly, it scares the f***ing s**t out of me or something. It might as well be the thing that scares you the most."
Phoenix went on to suggest that the Joker origin movie wouldn't be a standard mainstream superhero adventure. "I wouldn't quite classify this as like any genre," he said. "I wouldn't say it's a superhero movie, or a studio movie. It feels unique, and I think more than anything, and probably the most important thing, is Todd seems very passionate about it and very giving, and so that's exciting.
"I think, underneath the excitement of these films, and the size of them, there are these incredible characters that are dealing with real-life struggles. And sometimes that is uncovered and exposed, and sometimes it isn't, and so I always felt, like, there were characters in comics that were really interesting and deserve the opportunity to be kind of studied. And so I think that's what Todd sees appealing about this idea."
Philips is best known for the Hangover movies, and he has also co-written the script for the Joker film. This week it was reported that it will have a budget of around $55 million, which is well below what other DC movies have cost to produce. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is "meant to be darker and more experimental in tone and content (at least as experimental as a studio can be with established brands such as DC), which is described as being akin to a crime drama."
The new Joker movie does not currently have a release date and is separate from the other one starring Jared Leto. Phoenix's movie will reportedly have no impact on Leto's portrayal of the Joker in future movies--including Suicide Squad 2and his standalone film.
Funko has announced a new "Pokemon Pop" line of collectible figurines, starting with the series mascot, Pikachu. The announcement was made official shortly after a fan on the Funko subreddit found one of the figurines at a local Target store.
In fact, the electric mouse will be a Target exclusive, and it will start rolling into stores this month. The store noticed by a fan apparently jumped the gun, but that let the Meowth out of the bag on Funko finally obtaining the Pokemon license. This is the first Pokemon Pop that Funko has produced, and more are sure to be on the way.
Two new Pokemon games are due this year: Let's Go Pikachu and Let's Go Eevee. The pair of Nintendo Switch games share some similarities with the popular Pokemon Go, including the capture mechanics and the ability to transfer your captured monsters with Go. But they also utilize the turn-based battle system of the more mainline Pokemon games. A new trailer showing off the customization options was just released as well. A separate core Pokemon game is coming to Switch in 2019.
Funko has become known for its homages to just about every kind of geek culture imaginable, from big-budget movies like Avengers: Infinity War to retro video games to TV shows like Stranger Things. At E3 2018, Microsoft even gave Funko a brief moment on its stage, announcing the mobile game Gears Pop.
The Year of Legendary Pokemon rolls on with another pair of free Legendaries for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Next month, The Pokemon Company is giving away two powerful monsters that originally appeared in Pokemon Black and White versions: Tornadus and Thundurus.
Continuing the trend of previous distributions, the Legendaries will be given out in different ways depending upon your region. US residents can pick up a free download code for the Pokemon at the electronics section of Target from July 13-28; those in Europe can download the Legendaries over the Nintendo Network via Mystery Gift from July 6-22; and players in Canada will receive a code in the Pokemon Trainer Club newsletter.
As before, the Legendaries can be redeemed in any seventh-generation Pokemon game, although the one you receive will differ depending on which version you have. In Sun and Ultra Sun, players will get the Electric-type Thundurus, while those with Moon and Ultra Moon will receive the Flying-type Tornadus. The Pokemon will also come at different levels and know different moves depending upon the game. You can see the moveset for each Legendary below.
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Thundurus -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
Thunderbolt
Focus Blast
Grass Knot
Nasty Plot
Pokemon Sun
Thundurus -- Level 60
Discharge
Crunch
Charge
Nasty Plot
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Tornadus -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
Hurricane
Heat Wave
Grass Knot
Tailwind
Pokemon Moon
Tornadus -- Level 60
Air Slash
Crunch
Tailwind
Rain Dance
The code you receive can be redeemed via the Mystery Gift feature from the games' main menu. After selecting it, choose the option to receive your gift with a code/password, input the code, and the Pokemon will be downloaded to your game. (Players in Europe must choose the option to receive their gift via the internet to download their Legendaries.) You'll then be able to pick your Pokemon up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.
Since February, The Pokemon Company has been giving away free Legendaries for the seventh-gen Pokemon games. Following the Tornadus and Thundurus distribution, players will be able to get the Hoenn Legendaries Groudon and Kyogre in August. In the meantime, you can see all of the free Pokemon available for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon right now.
Fortnite's Season 5 officially launched today, bringing with it new challenges (and rewards), a whole new area of the map with the World Collide event, Rifts to send players skywards, and Karts to transport your whole team. Along with all the new additions are a few tweaks and changes on the game's mobile version, including the addition of autofire.
Autofire, which enables the player's weapon to automatically fire when the aim is over an enemy in range, can now be enabled. This new option should make the touchscreen controls easier to manage, as you previously had to swipe to aim and tap to fire with the same thumb. Players can activate autofire after launching by going to Options, then Custom HUD Layout, then Select Fire Mode. There are now three options: Tap-to-Fire, Dedicated Fire Button, and Autofire.
There are also a few bug fixes for those playing on iPhone and iPad. The Thermal Scoped AR will now have proper visual effects on all devices, vehicle passengers can now detonate Remore Explosives, and Health and Shield numbers will no longer be displayed as your own while speculating. Epic Games also says entering Build Mode while holding the fire button on mobile will no longer affect your ability to build in the future.
There are many other tweaks to the overall game, many of which affect the mobile version, and to see full details you can read Epic Games' Fortnite patch notes. Of course, a new season means a new Battle Pass with tons of cosmetics, ranging from Outfits and Back Bling to Gliders and Contrails. To see what's new, check out GameSpot's gallery of Season 5 rewards, and read our full Fortnite coverage in the stories below.
Fortnite Season 5 has begun and with it comes the first batch of challenges for players to undertake. This time around however, things are going to work a little differently. Challenges are split into two sections for Season 5: Free and Battle Pass. The former is made up of three challenges, while those who purchase the Battle Pass will have access to seven in total.
For the most part, Week 1 of challenges for the new season shouldn't be too tricky. In the free section it's all about dealing damage and taking out opponents using weapons including the SMG, the Stink Bomb, and grenade. On top of that, you'll have to search a Supply Llama--all fairly straightforward stuff, provided you've got the skills to pay the bills.
In the Battle Pass section, things get a little trickier, as you'll have to do some exploration. In order to complete those challenges you'll need to head to Snobby Shores and seek out seven chests, which you should be able to spot pretty easily provided you spend enough time there. On top of that you're going to have to search seven floating Lightning Bolts and take down three opponents in Retail Row.
There's also a treasure hunt, which will be the trickiest of the bunch. Lucky for you, we've done it and can help guide you through it. As with last season's instances of this challenge, you can explore Risky Reels to locate the treasure map, or you can simply head to where the treasure is--if you know where to go. In order to find the treasure, head to the tunnel south of Tomato Town, then climb on top of the northern entrance to find the Battle Pass icon. Take a look at the images above to see how it's done.
Free
Deal damage with SMGs to opponents (500) -- 5 Battle Stars
Follow the treasure map found in Risky Reels (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Eliminate opponents in Retail Row (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Fortnite's Season 5 update is packed with new content and changes to the game. To get a good grasp of everything that's going on with it, take a look at the full Fortnite Season 5 patch notes.
Season 5 of Fortnite has finally arrived, with developer Epic Games updating the game to introduce new content and tweaks. The patch is currently being pushed out on all platforms across the world, and Epic has released the full Fortnite Season 5 patch notes for what's included. For the battle royale mode, the highlights include the All Terrain Kart, a new vehicle that can carry an entire squad.
In addition to that, the map has also been updated with new locations such as Lazy Links and Paradise Palms, and a new desert biome. There's also been some adjustments to the way the Storm circles work, as well as how the game performs as a whole.
"Viking ships, desert outposts, and ancient statues have appeared across the island," reads the official description. "Hop in an All Terrain Kart (ATK) with your squad and uncover all-new mysteries and locations that await."
In the Battle Royale mode, rifts have also appeared. "Test your courage and step through a Rift," reads the description. "You're in for a wild ride." Take a look at the full Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 5 patch notes below, along with our full coverage of the new season.
Shotguns will now indicate how many pellets hit, visible within the reticle.
Adjusted shotgun spread patterns to be consistent with no random variation.
Heavy Shotgun now fires 10 pellets rather than 5.
Maximum damage for the Heavy Shotgun remains unchanged.
After firing a shotgun, another shotgun cannot be fired for a very short time.
Reduced Hunting Rifle aim assist when targeting to match that of other Sniper Rifles with projectile bullets.
Changed the damage drop-off profile for the Suppressed SMG to be the same as other SMGs.
Fall off starts at 24 meters from 28 meters.
Damage reduced to 80% at 35 meters from 85% at 47.5 meters.
Damage reduced to 65% at 50+ meters from 75% at 70+ meters.
Gameplay
All Terrain Kart (ATK)
The new All Terrain Kart (ATK) has room for your entire squad.
Get a speed boost after drifting.
The roof acts as a bounce pad.
Work together as rear passengers to leap over obstacles with the All Terrain Kart (ATK). Lean back and release at the same time for a higher jump.
Lean back by holding S on keyboards or holding back on the thumbstick for controllers.
Map Updated
New Biome: Desert
New Location: Paradise Palms
New Location: Lazy Links
A few unnamed POIs have also appeared across the island.
The center of Storm circles 7, 8, and 9 can now shift in random directions (instead of simply shrinking). As the storm closes in, it will move & shrink to the new location.
Starting in Season 5, progressive challenges will no longer be restricted to a single season. You can now complete progressive challenges at your own pace.
Progressive challenges are now completed by acquiring a fixed amount of XP and is no longer dependant on your season level.
Gyro/motion controls have been added to the Nintendo Switch. Adjust these options in the Settings menu.
Weekly challenges are now split into two sections, free and Battle Pass. The first 3 challenges will be available for free while the last 4 are only available if you own the Battle Pass. The threshold to unlock the weekly challenge reward will remain at 4.
Down But Not Out players now have smaller collision. Previously their collision was at the standing height which blocked DBNO players from crawling under doors and blocked building collision in some cases.
Players that were crouching when knocked Down But Not Out will be returned to a crouching state upon revival.
Emoting will now interrupt sprinting.
You now earn XP for reviving teammates in 50v50 and Teams of 20 LTMs up to three times per match (30XP, 10XP, 10XP).
Weapon reticle will now fade slightly when reloading, out of ammo, or changing weapons.
The player camera can now see out of the water when walking in lakes.
Bug Fixes
Launch Pads and Cozy Campfires now destroy overlapping small objects when placed.
Reduced trigger volume for floor Damage Trap to better match visuals and prevent triggering when standing on ledges above.
Supply Llamas now fall to the ground if the object they were standing on is destroyed.
Autorun will no longer cancel if you let go of the stick and it slightly flicks backward while using a gamepad.
Fixed issue where Autorun could be active while using a Shopping Cart.
The first Storm circle will now consistently do 1 damage.
Players will no longer get stuck in a doorway if they were standing in it when the door closed.
Fixed an issue that prevented some weapon animations from playing.
Autorun can no longer be activated while walking backward.
Textures will now consistently appear correctly while in Edit Mode.
Fixed a crash that could occur when logging out.
Performance
Improved performance of Shopping Carts on both the game client and server.
Audio
Added unique ambient audio to the new desert biome. More unique ambient audio for the map will be coming in future updates!
Lowered the volume of the Battle Pass Challenge success sound.
UI audio has been redesigned, all button and interface sounds updated.
Bug Fixes
Dual Pistol fire sound will no longer get cut off if you switch weapons immediately after firing.
The True Love emotes audio will no longer overlap with itself if multiple players use it near each other.
The funky electronic track to the Dance Moves emote on Mobile/Switch platforms has been re-enabled.
UI
We now allow users to enable the same sound visualizer on all platforms that were created for mobile - however, while the visualizer is enabled, audible sound effects will be muted. Mobile platforms are unaffected by this change and will retain sound effects and the visualizer. You can find this new option under the Accessibility tab in the settings.
Streamer mode no longer just says "Player###", instead it now uses the player's cosmetic character as their display name "Character[###]". So instead of "Eliminated Player100" you may see, "Eliminated Rust Lord[100]." Anyone eliminating someone in streamer mode will now see Streamer[###].
Added extra audio and visual fanfare to the Victory Royale end of match sequence.
The "Dialogue Audio," "Global Chat," and "Auto Equip Better Weapons" options have been removed as they have no function in Battle Royale.
Zooming in and out on the map is now twice as fast with the controller.
The "Play Again" button will now allow players to preview pickaxe visual and sound effects in the Item Shop, Battle Pass, and Locker.
New faster animation for displaying XP sources have been added to the end of match stats screen.
Bug Fixes
Map markers will now re-appear if removed and added back to the exact same location.
End of match stats now appears correctly on all platforms in their correct numeric format.
Key bindings for weapon and structure sections in the HUD are now displayed properly.
A typo was removed from the item description for the Victory Lap harvesting tool.
Controller input will no longer fail when at the Main Menu.
Fixed an inconsistency in the UI that was displayed when placing a trap in some cases.
"Distance Traveled" is now reported correctly in the Match Stats screen.
Art and Animation
Bug Fixes
Revive animations are no longer skipped if the player was reloading when downed.
Effects now appear properly when jumping with the Pot of Gold Harvesting Tool.
Prevented sprays from affecting props used in emotes (e.g., the basketball from Baller).
Replay System
"Camera type" is now localized in the view settings header.
Bug Fixes
Gamepads will no longer continuously rumble when a replay is paused.
The Main Menu will no longer become unresponsive if the Friends List is opened while a replay is paused.
Nameplates no longer block input on camera settings.
Nameplates no longer disappear if the camera is directly above a player.
The bottom portion of the nameplate will no longer become cut off.
Nameplates on PS4 will now show team number & weapon.
Weapon animations will now play in replays after scrubbing the timeline.
Timeline markers no longer disappear on saved replays on PS4 and Xbox One.
Shopping Cart visual and audio effects will no longer break in replays.
The "Revive" and "Drive" prompt will no longer persist in replays if a player was eliminated while being revived or near a Shopping Cart.
Mobile
Autofire has been added as an option on mobile platforms. Enabling this causes the player's weapon to automatically fire when the reticle is over an enemy that is within range.
Players will be given the option to select their preferred fire mode after launching. All players can change their preferred fire mode by navigating to Options, Custom HUD Layout, then choosing the 'Select Fire Mode' option and confirming their selection.
Tap-to-fire.
A dedicated fire button.
Autofire.
Bug Fixes
The Thermal Scoped AR now has the proper visual effects on all devices.
Vehicle passengers can now detonate Remote Explosives.
Entering build mode while holding the "fire" button will no longer adversely affect your ability to build in the future.
Health and Shield numbers will no longer be displayed as your own while spectating.
For those interested in seeing what's changed in Save The World, here's the patch notes for that mode:
Save The World
General
Blockbuster is over and the Road Trip event begins! Blockbuster tickets have been converted to one Blockbuster Llama for every increment of 500, rounding up to one additional Llama for any leftover tickets under 500.
Updated Persistent Weekly Store to offer RE-PERKs, Uncommon PERK-UPs and Rare PERK-UPs.
Starting July 17, Save the World will be on sale on Xbox, PS4, and PC for a limited time. Super Deluxe and Limited Founders packs will return for the duration of the sale.
Friends codes from Founders packs have been removed and exchanged for Legendary Troll Stash Llama Tokens.
All existing founders will receive tokens based on their founders level in 5.0 as a thank you for being with us.
Missions and Systems
Challenge the Horde is back!
Challenge the Horde comes to the desert! This map focuses on a tighter experience, with less running from base to base between waves, and more time to focus on your build and item-crafting.
Challenge the Horde introduces new Storm behavior. Beat back waves of enemies as the storm closes in.
Players take damage while in the Storm.
Storm resets every wave.
Challenge the Horde missions now become unlocked based upon your Storm Shield Defense progression or your Horde Quest progression in the Campaign. This means that players who are currently playing in Twine Peaks can expect the entire Challenge the Horde map to be unlocked. However, individual challenges within a Horde mission must still be unlocked in order.
Reduced the total number of Challenge the Horde missions available on the map from 16 to 9.
Set the total number of challenges to 5 for every Horde mission. Previously, the number of challenges varied from as low as 3, to as high as 8.
Reduced the number of waves per Horde challenge from 10 to 8.
Reduced the maximum time of a wave from 6 minutes to 4 minutes.
Enemy loot drops and item caches have been disabled for Challenge the Horde.
Challenge the Horde resourcing has been tweaked:
Challenge the Horde missions now grant a starter, first tier, uncommon Assault Rifle and Sword to help players hit the ground running in early Horde missions.
The initial ammunition grant has been increased to match the increased difficulty of the first Horde mission.
Building materials, ammunition, and crafting materials granted to players per skill tree upgrade have been reduced throughout the Horde Skill Tree.
Challenge the Horde Mission Alerts are available:
Award Road Trip Tickets used to purchase Road Trip Event Llamas.
Award Horde Skill Points used to purchase nodes in the Horde Skill Tree.
Quota: 10 per day.
Horde Progression quests appear under the Event: Road Trip quest journal category and award the following:
Road Trip Tickets.
V-bucks
PERK currencies.
A choice of Epic and Legendary Wild West Heroes.
Horde Exclusive Banners.
Repeatable quests for completing Horde content award a choice of Hero XP, Schematic XP, or Survivor XP.
Perk Recombobulator materials are now distributed in Challenge the Horde. Play Horde missions to earn RE-PERK! or PERK-UP! in larger quantities than found in Campaign missions.
Active Mutant Storm Mission Alerts have been turned on.
Elemental Mission Alerts are available as well.
Road Trip Event Llama is now available. Costs 500 Road Trip Tickets per Llama. Guarantees at least one Epic or better limited time Flintlock weapon or Western Hero!
Increased the following Mission Alert rewards:
FIRE-UP, AMP-UP, FROST-UP: Increased by 100%.
RE-PERK: Increased by 50%.
PERK-UP: Increased by 30-33%.
Enabled RE-PERK and PERK-UP to drop in Storm Mission rewards.
Heroes
Ability Rebalance!
We've adjusted the overall balance of how powerful we expect abilities to be in relation to guns, traps, and other damage/utility sources. Additionally, we've increased the strength of healing Perks. As a result, we've made the following adjustments:
Soldier
Survivalist
Base heal increased from 3 to 5.
Warcry
Increased damage multiplier from 30% to 45%.
Reduced ranged attack speed multiplier from 40% to 30%.
Increased melee attack speed multiplier from 16% to 20%.
Combatant's Might
Increased Warcry energy cost reduction from 15 to 20.
Fight or Flight
Fight or Flight now adds a 10% movement speed buff.
Shockwave
Increased base damage from 75 to 91.
Decreased cooldown from 30 to 25 seconds.
Power Impact
Increased radius multiplier from 38% to 50%.
Shock & Awe
Increased slow from 30% to 50%.
Lefty and Righty
Reduced cooldown from 150 to 100 seconds.
Bang & Pow
Increased base damage from 16 to 20.
Corrosive Clips
Increased base damage from 83 to 120.
Goin' Commando
Cooldown reduced from 150 to 100 seconds.
Ain't Done Yet
Increased duration extension from 2 to 5 seconds.
Easy Operation
Increased energy cost reduction from 15 to 20 stamina.
Ninja
Smoke Bomb
Reduced base cooldown from 60 to 45 seconds.
Medicinal Fumes
Increased base heal from 3 to 19.
Up In Smoke
Increased movement speed bonus from 30% to 50%.
Tail of the Dragon
Increased damage per tick from 10 to 12.
Throwing Stars
Increased base projectile speed by 70%.
Increased base damage from 35 to 52.
Poison Stars
Now ticks every 1s to match other affliction sources, and adjusted damage accordingly.
Hearty Blade
Base heal increased from 12 to 30.
Hearty Strikes
Base heal increased from 10 to 24.
Outlander
Phase Shift:
Phase Shift is an ability meant for quick movement. The following adjustments are intended to help it become more competitive with the other movement abilities that also deal damage.
Increased travel distance from 1.5625 tiles to 1.75 tiles.
Decreased cost from 20 to 10 stamina.
Decreased cooldown from 15 to 8 seconds.
Increased charges from 2 to 3.
Now adds 30% movespeed for 3 seconds.
Phase Forward
Increased distance traveled from 1.75 tiles to 2.5 tiles.
Phased and Confused
Increase quantity of additional charges from 1 to 2.
Phased Out
Adjusted cooldown reduction from 5 to 3 to correspond to new base cooldown.
Phase Shield
Adjusted duration from 4 to 2 to correspond to the new base cooldown.
Phase Runner
Now increases the bonus movespeed from Phase Shift to 50%.
T.E.D.D.Y.
Increased base damage from 10 to 16 per shot.
Reduced cost from 50 to 30 stamina.
Bear Stare
Increased base damage from 22 to 26.
Overbearing
Increased bonus range from 2 tile to 4 tiles.
Shock Tower:
Shock Tower should be a great tool for taking out groups of weak Husks, but it doesn't quite get the job done. To address this we've given Shock Tower more damage and a much shorter cooldown. The duration is a bit shorter but you'll be able to cast it more frequently. We've also reduced the stun duration slightly in order to make room for the other improvements.
Reduced cooldown from 60 to 20 seconds.
Reduced cost from 50 to 30 stamina.
Increased base damage from 9 to 12.
Lowered stun duration from 1 to .75 seconds.
Lowered duration from 6 to 3 seconds.
Electroshock
Increased impact bonus from 133% to 160%.
Capacitor
Adjusted duration increase from 2 to 1 second to correlate to new duration.
Supercapacitor
Adjusted duration increase from 2 to 1 second to correlate to new duration.
Shocking Embrace
Adjusted duration increase from 3 to 2 seconds to correlate to new duration.
Static Cling
Increased Damage Over Time damage percentage to 110% from 50%.
Decreased Damage Over Time duration from 6 to 3 seconds.
Anti-Material Charge:
We found that Anti-Material Charge's resource gathering damage was being overvalued. As a result, we have increased the base while lowering its cost and cooldown to make it both an effective gathering tool and a relevant combat ability.
Increased width by 100%.
Increased base damage from 39 to 90.
Lowered cooldown from 30 to 12 seconds.
Lowered cost from 35 to 30 stamina.
Strike Cost
Adjusted cost reduction from 15 to 10 to correspond to the new base cost.
Fist of the South Moon
Adjusted the cooldown reduction from 13 to 5 to correspond to the new base cooldown.
Structural Strike
Adjusted the cooldown reduction from 7 to 3 seconds and the cost reduction from 7 to 5 to correspond to the new base cooldown and cost.
Kinetic Punch (Non-Support Variant)
Increased the knockback strength to knockback large enemies.
Charge Fist
Moved from a 3-star perk to a 2-star perk.
Adjusted the percent damage increase from a max 200% to a max 150% to correspond to the new base damage.
Resulting max base damage increased from 117 to 225 with default base damage taken into account.
Iron Knuckles
Removed vulnerability application.
Adjusted the percent damage increase from 500% to 150% to correspond to the new base damage.
Tooltip has been updated to fix misleading wording.
The previous tooltip implied that the damage was increased BY 500% rather than TO 500%.
The new tooltip continues to use "increased by," however, this value is now correct in that it increases the base damage by 150% (250% of base damage).
When combined with the default base damage increase the resulting base damage is increased from 195 to 225.
This Perk has had an effective increase of damage based on its prior version.
Constructor
Bull Rush
Increased base damage from 60 to 156.
Reduced cooldown from 30 to 15.
Reduced cost from 30 to 20.
Increased shield collision width by 43%.
China Shop
Increased base environmental damage from 282 to 688.
Bull Crush
Increased hardware damage from 45% to 55%.
Long Rush
New Functionality added: At the end of Bull Rush, movement speed is increased by 30% for 10 seconds.
Riot Shield
New Functionality added: While charging, the constructor will take 60% less damage.
Previous Riot Shield functionality has been removed.
Plasma Pulse
Base damage increased from 14 to 18.
Decreased lifespan from 10 seconds to 6 seconds.
Plasma Pulse Blast
Base damage increased from 125 to 145.
IFF Coding
Increased shield regen from 15% to 20% of shield.
Base M.D.
Increased health regen from 2% to 4% of maximum health.
Decoy
Hitbox reduced to match decoy model.
Decreased cooldown from 45 to 30.
Grease The Wheel
Decreased cooldown reduction from 15 to 10.
Kinetic Overload
Base damage increased from 50 to 140.
Removed cooldown.
Nice and Slow
Increased Slow from 30% to 40%.
Hearty Blows
Base heal increased from 12 to 49.
Wild West Heroes have been added to the Road Trip Event Llama!
Soldier - New Subclass 'First Shot' featuring New Character Rio.
Description: Reloads to get a large initial hit of damage then follows up with high fire rate burst.
New Perks
Locked and Reloaded: After reloading, rate of fire is increased by 25% for 5 seconds.
Padlocked and Reloaded: Increases the rate of fire from Locked and Reloaded to 50%.
First Assault: The first bullet fired after reloading an assault rifle critically hits enemies. Removed on weapon switch.
New Tactical Perk:
Practiced In Combat (Tactical Variant).
Ninja - New Subclass 'Explosive Assassin' featuring Ken.
Description: Sword focused Ninja that stacks up Assassination to discharge an energy blast and utilizes Smoke Bomb to keep stacks up.
New Perks:
Assassination Juice: Smoke Bomb now generates a stack of Assassination every second when the Ninja is inside the affected area.
Endless Smoke: Increases the radius of Smoke Bomb by 45%.
Assassination Discharge: When Assassination reaches 5 stacks it will trigger an explosion, dealing energy damage in a 0.5 tile radius. After the explosion, all Assassination stacks are removed.
New Tactical Perk:
Assassination (Tactical Variant).
Constructor - New Subclass 'Vintage-Tech' featuring Penny.
Description: Constructor that uses plasma pulse to create plasma bomb zones.
New Perks:
Supercharged Plasma: Increases the damage radius of Plasma Pulse's mini balls by 60%.
Malfunction: Plasma Pulse now spawns 8 plasma balls that deal 550% more damage. The plasma balls will be spawned all at once and explode after 10 seconds if not triggered.
Outlander - New Subclass 'Wild Fragment' featuring Deadeye.
Description: Mobile Outlander that gathers large amounts of Fragments to continuously place empowered T.E.D.D.Y.s.
New Perks:
Look What I Found: Start missions with 3 Charge Fragments.
Load Bearing: T.E.D.D.Y.'s damage is increased by 50% if placed with a Fragment.
Double Down: 50% chance to find an additional Charge Fragment when collecting a Fragment.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue with Shock Tower that caused it to fire 1 shot less than intended.
Fixed an issue which was causing Shock Tower to not scale Impact properly.
Phase Shift tooltip now shows max charges.
Weapons and Items
Walloper Hammer added to the Event Store:
A hammer that delivers a hefty punch with slow, wide swings.
Leap Attack: Heavy attack that jumps to the targeted foe and damages and knocks down nearby enemies.
Added the Flintlock weapons set, available in Road Trip Llamas:
Ol' Betsy: Accurate, high powered sniper rifle with a single round per magazine and a hefty kick.
Duelist: Slow-firing revolver with a powerful kick that deals heavy headshot damage and knocks back targets.
Dragoon: Heavy, short range shotgun that damages and knocks back enemies in a cone.
Fishing Hook: Slow, heavy scythe with a wide swing and Whirlwind Attack.
Sir Hootie: Slow, heavy club with large knockback potential and Home Run attack.
Adrenaline Rush
Heal increased from 180 to 215.
Air Strike
Cooldown reduced from 300 to 215.
Hover Turret
Reduced Hover Turret base rate of fire from 6/s to 4/s, and the upgraded rate of fire from 10/s to 6/s.
Hover Turret shots now deal energy damage and no longer deal impact damage.
Increased the base damage of Hover Turret explosion from 114 to 162.
Proximity Mine
Damage increased from 225 to 230.
Reduced recharge time from 240 to 200s.
Bug Fixes
Weapons now correctly holster when player is downed.
Fixed an issue that caused the Clinger to hang in the air on destroyed Anomaly Shards.
Fixed an issue where the Shadowshard Krypton Sword had the wrong stats.
Fixed explosion radius for all tiers of proximity mine, these are now set correctly to 1 tile, 1.25 tiles, and 1.5 tiles.
Gameplay
Increased the effectiveness of Energy Damage against Elemental Husks from 67% to 75%.
Increased base run speed from 365 to 410. Sprint speed is unchanged.
Players can now move while downed.
Adjusted visuals of the downed state to improve clarity.
Trololo and Revenge of the Trolls quests now only require whacking 1 troll to complete.
The following repeatable quests are available and award PERK currencies:
Danger in the Mist
Set the World on Fire
Forces of Nature
A Watery Grave
Killer Storms repeatable quest is available and awards Gold.
UI
Loot Llamas are now no longer automatically opened when going to the loot tab. Either pressing the Llama count button or bottom bar input will allow you to open Llamas in the inventory. Llamas purchased on the loot screen will still automatically open.
Bug Fixes
T.E.D.D.Y has had his voice module upgraded and will now correctly pronounce Fortnite when analyzing player reports.
Players will now see a message if they are banned while in-match.
The Rejoin window now auto-closes when a player is banned.
Recent Players who you only interact with in the main menus now show in the Report Player list.
Daily details panel now updates when the quest is abandoned.
Fixed controller input for the Defender Post trap.
Fixed issues with switching building types quickly that could cause players to place the wrong building type, especially under bad latency conditions.
Builder Pro control scheme will no longer place the wrong building due to players under pressing and holding a building type that's different than what they had selected before.
These fixes actually affect how switching weapons and building types work under high latency across the board, so they should improve that feel for any control scheme (including mouse and keyboard).
Builder Pro controller scheme now correctly selects tracks when pressing the Trap Picker while not looking at any building, and it will also place the tracks properly when pressing X / Square.
Fixed Upgrade popup menu input temporarily breaking if used after controller is disconnected.
Fixed gamepad joystick icon appearing when only a single tab item exists in the Resources menu.
Art and Animation
Storm visual effects on the player no longer appear when downed.
Removed purple trails from revive visual effects.
Goin' Commando's equip camera animation has been improved.
The barrel of Goin' Commando's minigun now glows when firing.
New equip visual effects have been added to Goin' Commando.
Removed firework visual effects from the grenade launcher.
Hats and Backpacks were added to Heroes that are in the Stars and Stripes set.
Bug Fixes
Enemies highlighted by the Neon Sniper Rifle are now limited to those enemies within range of the bullet.
Please note at extreme distances impact effects may not be visible while scoped in.
Adjusted HDR Intensity of the Neon Weapons down 20% to keep bloom problems from occurring in certain levels.
Fixed an issue that caused Lobber's Head Flames to blink on and off in medium quality settings.
Audio
Audio mix update: Weapon volumes have been increased and ambient volume slightly decreased.
UI audio has been redesigned, all buttons and interface sounds updated.
Plasma Pulse perk sounds updated
Smoke Bomb sounds updated
Goin' Commando's sounds have been updated including unique sounds for Boomstick!
Including:
Wind Up
Wind Down
Firing
Firing Stop
Equip
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue with T.E.D.D.Y's laser beam sound volume and attenuation.
Fixed an issue where See-bot launch audio volume was too loud.
The latest Fortnite update has been successfully released, which means players that jump into game now will find a fresh crop of content to enjoy. This is all part of Fortnite Season 5, which introduces the All Terrain Kart, the Lazy Links and Paradise Palms locations, and has a new desert biome for the map. It also adds in Rifts, which provide new adventures for players to take on.
Fortnite's servers went down on July 12 at 4 AM ET / 1 AM PT / 8 AM GMT so that Epic Games could conduct the necessary maintenance to roll out the update. The downtime lasted around an hour and 30 minutes, but the update is now playable, and there's plenty to check out. You can see the full Fortnite Season 5 patch notes here to read about what's different in the Battle Royale and Save The World modes.
In the lead-up to this launch, Epic dropped hints at one of the update's biggest features. Rifts that appeared after a missile launch were transporting objects in and out of the game world, which meant objects from our world popped up out of thin air inside Fortnite, and some Fortnite objects showed up in the real world. The update now gives players the opportunity to interact with Rifts, which is completely new to Season 5.
Of course, with the arrival of a new season, there's also going to be more challenges, skins, and a Battle Pass. GameSpot will be bringing you updates on all this as we're able to get our hands on them, so keep an eye out for that information.
Fortnite Season 5 is here! We partnered with CNET to give you a chance at winning a FREE $60 prepaid Visa gift card. This is equivalent to 7,500 V-Bucks!Eight (8) winners will be chosen after the giveaway ends on July 15, 2018 at 11:59 PM PT. Open to legal residents of the United States, Puerto Rico or Canada (excluding Quebec) who are at least 18 years old. Scroll down to enter below.
WWE's Extreme Rules PPV is right around the corner, coming to the WWE Network on Sunday, July 15. The over-the-top event will consist of ten matches all under the roof of the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.
All but one of the main WWE championships will be on the line, as Brock Lesnar and the Universal Championship will not be in attendance. However, there are plenty of matches to get excited about at Extreme Rules, when it kicks off at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT. And between now and the actual event, we'll keep you up-to-date on all the latest rumors surrounding the stars of WWE and what insiders are saying about the PPV.
It should be noted that everything below are simply rumors. There is no confirmation that these moments will happen; however, they are taken from credible insiders with a pretty good track record. If you don't want Extreme Rules potentially spoiled for you, stop reading. It's all fun and games until someone pokes an eye out… with a steel chair.
Rumors:
Extreme Rules has a plethora of great matches, but none of them really have that "main event" status. At best, Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler could fit that spot. However, according to wrestling insider and journalist Dave Meltzer (via Bleacher Report), the main event will probably be Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley, a match I assumed was going to be smackdab in the middle of the card.
At UFC 226 on Saturday, July 7, Brock Lesnar stepped into the octagon amidst a challenge from newly crowned heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in what can only be described as the most WWE segment ever in UFC. According to Cageside Seats, there's talk the two will fight this November at Madison Square Garden. However, UFC chief Dana White revealed that Lesnar cannot fight for the promotion until January 2019, as he is still suspended (via Bleacher Report). Don't expect Lesnar to show up at Extreme Rules though. He'll most likely be saved for Summerslam.
There are plenty of rumors that The Miz will not be in attendance--because he'll be filming a MLB Celebrity All Star Softball Game. However, according to Cageside Seats, Miz will be involved with the Smackdown Tag Team Championship match, to start a feud with Daniel Bryan. Because it's unknown whether or not Bryan will resign his contract after Summerslam, WWE wants to have the two's rivalry come to a head at the end of the August PPV. If Bryan resigns, the rivalry will go longer.
Our extra predictions:
There will be a quick match during the Kickoff Show. It will most likely be No Way Jose vs. Mojo Rawley, which is one of the newer midcard feuds on Raw. There are already 10 matches on the card, and the IC Championship will last no fewer than 30 minutes. It's a stacked card, so the Kickoff Show needs something short and sweet.
UPDATE: Sanity vs. New Day in a Tables Match was added to the Kickoff, which is a whole lot better than Mojo vs. Jose.
How will Ronda Rousey be utilized during Extreme Rules? If you're caught up with Raw, then you know Rousey is "suspended" from working for WWE by General Manager Kurt Angle. However, she will be at Extreme Rules, as an audience member. Obviously, she has a vested interest in Nia Jax taking on Alexa Bliss for the Raw Women's Championship. While she wants the title, chances are she'll take both women out and take on both of them at Summerslam in a triple threat match.
Make sure to head back to GameSpot on Sunday, July 15 for live coverage of the event, as well as a few other surprises. Additionally, if you want to learn more about Extreme Rules, check out the match card and our full predictions for every match.
Fortnite Season 5 has begun, introducing a ton of new map changes as well as outfits and other doodads to collect. If you're playing on the Nintendo Switch, though, you have one more surprise waiting for you. That version added gyroscopic motion controls, according to today's patch notes.
That should make aiming easier for those who swear by gyro controls, as popularized by games like Splatoon. You can adjust this option in the settings menu. This is one of many changes introduced in the Season 5 rollover. Others include an All-Terrain Kart that can carry an entire squad, new locations like Lazy Links and Paradise Palms, and a desert biome. You'll also find Viking ships, desert outposts, and ancient statues littered around the island.
All that makes sense, as the game has been heavily hinting at a time travel theme for weeks. Epic encouraged users to hop in their Karts and go exploring, and we'd bet that some secrets lurk around the map already that will lay the groundwork for the next season.
Make sure to break out your Steve Blackman signed escrima sticks, your used kendo sticks, and unbreakable table, as WWE's most hardcore PPV of the year, Extreme Rules, comes to the WWE Network on Sunday, July 15. This is the time of the year where many matches have rules that are... well... extreme. From table matches to steal cages to matches with weapons are allowed to be used, Extreme Rules tends to be one brutal event.
This year's over-the-top PPV will take place at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and those going to the event or watching from the comfort of their homes will be in store for a night of hard hits and unconventional items being used as weapons. For those not attending the live event, Extreme Rules begins at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT with a Kickoff Show starting one hour prior. Normally, one match takes place during the Kickoff, but as of this writing, nothing has been announced.
For the first time in a while, there's actually a few fun tag team matches happening at a major WWE event. Daniel Bryan and Kane reunited recently on Smackdown, and now, they have a chance to win the Smackdown Tag Championships from The Bludgeon Brothers. Additionally, it's brother (Bray Wyatt) against brother (Bo Dallas) as the champions The Deleters of Worlds take on The B Team (The "B" stands for "Best") for the Raw Tag Championships. There are seven championships on the line that evening, and the only major title that won't be defended is the Universal Championship--because Brock Lesnar never defends it. At the time of this writing, there are eleven matches on the card. More than likely, this is in the finalized card.
Strangely enough, as of this writing, there is only one Extreme Rules match for the PPV, and that's for the Raw Women's Championship. As of this writing, a Tables Match has been added, but there are no more Extreme Rules matches.
Extreme Rules Match Card:
The New Day vs. SAnitY (Tables Match on KICKOFF SHOW)
Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens (Steel Cage Match)
Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley
Finn Bálor vs. "Constable" Baron Corbin
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Seth Rollins (30-Minute Iron Man match for the Intercontinental Championship)
The Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs. Team Hell No (For the Smackdown Tag Championship)
Deleters of Worlds (c) vs. The B-Team (For the Raw Tag Championship)
Carmella (c) vs. Asuka (For the Smackdown Women's Championship with James Ellsworth suspended above the ring in a Shark Cage))
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax (Extreme Rules match for the Raw Women's Championship)
Jeff Hardy (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura (For the United States Championship)
AJ Styles (c) vs. Rusev (For the WWE Championship)
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, July 15 for live coverage of WWE's Extreme Rules. For now, check out our predictions for the event.
Amazon's Prime Day kicks off on Monday, but a number of deals are already available right now on Amazon. If you're a gamer, the best deal is all the free PC games Twitch (which is owned by Amazon) is giving away for free between now and July 18. All told, 21 free games will be available for Prime members in July.
The availability windows vary depending on the game, but today you can download 10 games for free. Don't put off grabbing them, because one game goes away every day this week. If you haven't gotten them yet, you've already lost out on games like Pillars of Eternity: Definitive Edition and Battle Chef Brigade. But even if you've missed some of the free games, many more lie ahead.
Today's your last chance to grab the challenging procedurally-generated platformer Gonner, so make sure to claim that one. The latest free game is Tacoma, an adventure game set on a space station. Made by the developers of Gone Home, Tacoma lets your character use augmented reality to view the interactions of crew members that had been on board the station to find out what happened to them. It's free until July 18.
Free until July 16 is Deponia: Doomsday, a humorous point-and-click adventure game that involves puzzles and time travel. Then there's Hue, a side-scrolling puzzle platformer that has you change the color of the background to navigate past obstacles. It's available for free until July 15. The longest-running deal is a free SNK bundle that includes Metal Slug 3, The Last Blade 2, and Twinkle Star Sprites; it's available through August 2.
To get those and more free games, you'll first have to link your Twitch and Amazon Prime accounts. Then head to Twitch.tv and click the crown icon next to the search bar. That opens a drop-down menu where you'll find your free games, along with any other freebies you haven't collected yet. Just note you'll need the Twitch desktop app to access the games.
Even more free games are coming in the days ahead, including Broken Age and Brutal Legend. You can find the full schedule and descriptions of each game here.
Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale is officially underway, which means players now have a new set of challenges to complete and Battle Pass rewards to unlock. Epic has kicked off the first week of Season 5 with seven new tasks of varying difficulty. We've already detailed where to find the Risky Reels treasure map, and now we've put together a guide to help you complete the other challenge that might give you some trouble this week: searching seven floating Lightning Bolts.
Like other challenges that task you with tracking down certain items, the Lightning Bolts can be found in various parts of the island. They are easy to spot once you're in their general area, and you collect them simply by holding the use button, as you would to open a chest. The difference, however, is that the Lightning Bolts are hovering in the air, and you can't pick up them while skydiving or jumping; instead, you need to build a structure and climb up it in order to reach them, so it is imperative that you have enough materials to get them.
The Lightning Bolts are always located in the same areas, and there are more than seven scattered around the island, so it should be easy enough to complete the challenge once you know where to find them. You can also collect the seven you need across several matches, although any Lightning Bolts that you've picked up will no be available on the map. Here are seven areas where we've found Lightning Bolts:
West of Tomato Town, above a small hill
West of Wailing Woods, above a small hill
In the northwest most corner of Junk Junction
Lonely Lodge, directly west of the top floor of the tall tower
Above a house in the northwest corner of Salty Springs
Southeast of Shifty Shafts, just north of the bridge
Between two large mountains east/southeast of Haunted Hills
Once you've collected all seven and completed the challenge, you will earn five Battle Stars, which will go toward ranking up your Season 5 Battle Pass. Unlike previous seasons, all of the weekly challenges this time are divided up into two different categories: Free (available to all players) and Battle Pass (available only to those who have purchased the pass). You can find the full list of Week 1 challenges below.
Along with the new challenges, Battle Pass owners have a ton of new rewards to unlock in Fortnite, including new skins, cosmetics, emotes, contrails, harvesting tools, and more. You can see everything in our gallery of all the new Fortnite Season 5 Battle Pass rewards.
Fortnite Season 5, Week 1 Challenges
Free
Deal damage with SMGs to opponents (500) -- 5 Battle Stars
The Battle Pass for Season 5 of Fortnite is now available and it's got a whole load of new goodies for players to work towards unlocking. For those unfamiliar with it, the Battle Pass is available to purchase in-game for 950 V-bucks and can be levelled up by playing the game. As you level up the pass, new items are unlocked, and there are around 100 rewards which, according to developer Epic Games, "typically takes between 75 to 150 hours of play" to unlock.
When you purchase a Battle Pass, you'll immediately get access to the Drift and Huntress skins. Beyond that there's emotes, gliders, loading screens, sprays, skins, and more to unlock. There are also weekly challenges, which you can learn more about in our Fortnite Season 5 Week 1 Challenges guide. A new feature included in the Battle Pass is Toys, which are described as "new ways for you and your squad to have fun on the island. Try out your jumpshot on the court, see if you can make a hole in one, or just enjoy some beach ball bouncing in the sand before the storm arrives."
If you're looking for a complete breakdown of everything that the update adds and changes, check out the Fortnite Season 5 patch notes. Highlights include a brand new vehicle, a couple of new areas, as well as the desert biome. There's also a new feature called Rifts.
Take a look at everything in the new Fortnite Season 5 Battle Pass below.
It's nearly the middle of July, which means time is running out for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to grab two of the Games With Gold that are available now. One is Smite Gold Bundle, an Xbox One holdover from June. The other is the Xbox 360 game Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown. Both games will go back to full price on July 15.
Smite is a free-to-play MOBA game, but the Gold Bundle includes 20 additional gods, plus skins, announcer packs, and other extra content. It normally sells for $100, which makes it a phenomenal deal for anyone interested in playing this online game.
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown is a fighting game geared toward online competitive play. Thanks to a set of in-depth tutorials, it has a reputation for being more welcoming to newcomers than some other fighting games. Even though this is an Xbox 360 game, it's backwards compatible on Xbox One.
Also available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to download now is Assault Android Cactus, a twin-stick shooter that's available until July 31. Starting July 16, you'll be able to download the co-op puzzle game Death Squared for Xbox One and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction for Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
July 2018 Games With Gold
Xbox One
Assault Android Cactus (July 1-31)
Death Squared (July 16-August 15)
Xbox 360 (playable on Xbox One)
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown (July 1-15)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction (July 16-31)
A new trailer for Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu / Let's Go, Eevee has been released, showing off all the things trainers will be able to do the upcoming Nintendo Switch entry in the franchise. The trailer, which you can watch above, purports to let players "explore the Kanto region in a whole new way" and, based on the two minute video that certainly looks to be the case.
Well, it's familiar gameplay, but presented with more visual detail than ever before. It shows characters (you can pick between male or female trainers) riding around on select Pokemon including Charizard, Onix, and Arcanine. There's also some short clips of battles, and a showcase of how you can customize and bond with your Eevee or Pikachu. Like in recent portable Pokemon games, you'll be able to pet your monster and feed them to keep their spirits up.
In terms of customisation, you can pick hairstyles and also dress them with certain cosmetics. In the video Eevee is shown sporting a nice blue hat and red bowtie combo, while Pikachu is rocking a safari costume. Trainers can also throw on matching outfits to up the cute factor.
Along with trainer battles you'll also be able to challenge gym leaders. In the trailer Brock and Misty make an appearance. You'll also be able to play the game in co-op, either battling together or against each other or trading locally and online.
Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee are intended to be friendly for newcomers to the franchise and for players who started by playing mobile game Pokemon Go. Instead of battling the monsters to catch them, you simply collect them by throwing Poke Balls at them. The first 150 Pokemon as well as their Alolan forms from Sun and Moon will appear in the Let's Go titles.
The upcoming ninth season of AMC's long-running zombie drama The Walking Dead arrives later this year, with a few changes in store. The series has a new showrunner, with Angela Kang taking over from Scott Gimple, and it will be the final season for long-time star Andrew Lincoln. We now have a first image from Season 9, and a few details about the plot.
The image comes via Entertainment Weekly. It shows Michonne (Danai Gurira) on horseback, pulling what looks like a carriage behind her. Check it out below:
In an interview with EW, Kang provided some context for the image and confirmed that the new season will be doing a time-jump, just as the Walking Dead comic book did at the same point in the story. "We'll explore what happened as man made objects and structures break down," she said. "Infrastructure like roads and bridges are changing and crumbling. And we'll also explore what happens as resources are getting low.
"We are going into a period where a lot of the things that we've seen in previous seasons have broken down, so they've got these horses and carriages that are being drawn around instead of cars. Things are lit with oil lamps. People are using different kinds of weaponry. There's a real grittiness to it that I think will be fun and fresh for the viewers."
Kang also indirectly addressed the departures of Lincoln and potentially co-star Lauren Cohan, who has played Maggie since Season 2. While she didn't name them specifically, she did hint at some big changes in store. "We'll see our group together working in unity in a lot of ways, but you'll also see some changes in the way that they deal with each other," she said. "In some ways, you'll see that the vision has succeeded beyond anybody's wildest imagination. But you'll also see the cracks in that."
The news about Lincoln broke last month, and he is only expected to star in a handful of episodes in the new season. In addition, Cohan will also appear in a reduced number of episodes. In March, it was reported that she was holding out on signing the contract for Season 9 in order to improve her deal. Although she did ultimately sign on for the next season, Cohan will only appear in six episodes, as she is also filming the ABC drama Whiskey Cavalier.
The Walking Dead Season 9 premieres on October 31. Although the show is still popular, viewership for Season 8 was well down from the record-breaking audience numbers that it has enjoyed in the past.
The release date for Fortnite Season 5 is finally upon us, and that means another big patch is being rolled out. As part of the update process, the game's servers have gone down for an indefinite amount of time while developer Epic Games introduces the new content. Once the staging is all finished the changes will finally be revealed. While the work occurs, you can take a look at the full Fortnite Season 5 patch notes to see everything that's being added and changed. [Update] Fortnite servers are now live.
As indicated in a tweet from Epic Games, the server downtime started on July 12 at 4 AM ET / 1 AM PT / 8 AM GMT and it's unclear how long the process will take. In a linked Reddit thread, the team also noted that this patch will be larger than normal, and recommends checking to make sure your auto-update settings are on. Plus, be prepared for possible slow download speeds, and save any content you want from your existing replays.
Epic has been dropping hints in the lead-up to the Season 5 launch. Rifts that appeared after a missile launch have been transporting objects in and out of the game world. That includes foreign historical objects popping up out of thin air inside Fortnite, and some Fortnite objects showing up in the real world.
Those clues have led to suspicion that this season will have some kind of time-travel or history theme, which seems supported by Epic's choices of teaser images. You can see everything we know so far about Fortnite Season 5 while we not-so-patiently await to see what's in store this time around.
Disney and Blizzard have announced a huge deal for Overwatch League broadcasting. As part of a deal announced today, the inaugural Overwatch League playoffs will be broadcast on Disney's network of channels, including ESPN, Disney XD, and ABC. This kicked off on July 11 with playoff rounds and continues with the Grand Finals from the Barclays Center in New York on July 27-28. The competition will air on ESPN and Disney XD, along with mobile platforms in the form of the ESPN App and Disney Now.
On July 29, after the competition wraps up, a "recap show" will be broadcast on ABC in primetime, which represents the first time the championship of an esports tournament will be shown in primetime on ABC.
Disney and ESPN executive Justin Connolly said the Overwatch League Grand Finals represents the network's "most comprehensive television distribution" ever for an esports tournament on a single weekend. There will be 10 hours of competition broadcast over three days. "This overall collaboration with Disney/ABC, ESPN and Blizzard represents our continued commitment to esports, and we look forward to providing marquee Overwatch League coverage across our television platforms for fans," Connolly said.
The winning team of the Grand Finals will take home the inaugural Overwatch League trophy and the bulk of a $1.4 million prize pool.
It kicks off on Friday, July 27, at 7 PM ET with best-of-five matches on ESPN. The competition continues the next day on ESPN, starting at 4:30 PM ET, while additional matches will air on Disney XD. Matches will also be broadcast on Twitch, MLG.com, ESPN, and ABC. Here is the full programming schedule:
The Overwatch League started in January. There are 12 teams in the league, and in a first for an esports organisation, they are based in cities just like traditional sports leagues. You can learn more about the Overwatch League playoffs here on the Overwatch website.
Recently, Epic Games announced that it will offer $100 million in prize pool money for Fortnite competitive tournaments in 2018 and 2019, and now we've learned where some of that will go. The company has announced the "Summer Skirmish" series, which is an eight-week run of events where people will compete for a share of $8 million in prize money.
This series kicks off this weekend with a $250,000 Duos competition. The specifics are not immediately clear, but Epic said "community creators" and regular Fortnite players who have "demonstrated their competitive prowess" will be invited to participate.
Invitations went out already for this first Summer Skirmish series, but Epic said in the future it will communicate the details on how you can qualify for future skirmishes. "The format and competitors may change from week-to-week, so stay on your toes," Epic said.
The $100 million in prize money for Fortnite's 2018-2019 competitive season is more than double the $38 million in total prize money that Valve's Dota 2 paid out in 2017 across all of its tournaments, according to E-Sports Earnings (via CNBC). The International, which is Valve's massive Dota 2 event, paid out the biggest prize pool in gaming history last year with almost $25 million for the single event. For another point of comparison, the inaugural Overwatch League tournament will pay out a total of $3.5 million in prize money for its entire season.
Fortnite brings in more than $1 million every single day from its mobile version alone, according to SensorTower; Epic makes even more money from the console and PC editions. The game is free, but players can spend real money on cosmetics (which do not impact gameplay whatsoever).
In other Fortnite news, the game's much-anticipated Season 5 kicks off on July 12--and we're expecting big things. Here's a rundown of everything you need to know.
Multiple movies based on the rescue of 12 boys from deep inside a flooded cave in Thailand are in the works. The gripping story captivated the world over the past month, and there was good news recently as all of the boys and their coach were rescued.
One of the movies is coming from Pure Flix Entertainment, which produced the Christian movie franchise God's Not Dead. Pure Flix CEO Michael Scott, who lives part-time in Thailand, told The Hollywood Reporter that the movie won't necessarily be a Christian film.
"The bravery and heroism I've witnessed is incredibly inspiring, so, yes, this will be a movie for us," Scott said. "It's not necessary to make this a Christian film, just an inspirational one."
The next step is bringing on screenwriters, which is planned for the next few weeks. Scott added that the movie, which could shoot in Thailand, will have a budget of between $30 million and $60 million.
Sgt. Saman Kunan, the Thai Navy SEAL who died as part of the rescue mission, was a friend of Scott's wife--and the movie aims to honour his legacy.
The other movie is coming from Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu. He will direct the film for Ivanhoe Pictures, which was selected by Thailand's Navy and government to produce it. In his own tweet, Chu said he's determined to make sure the story is told respectfully.
I refuse to let Hollywood #whitewashout the Thai Cave rescue story! No way. Not on our watch. That won't happen or we'll give them hell. There's a beautiful story abt human beings saving other human beings. So anyone thinking abt the story better approach it right & respectfully.
The 12 boys, aged 11-16, and their 25-year-old coach, were reported missing on June 23 after venturing deep into a cave system. They became trapped after the water level rose significantly and quickly. Rescuers located them on July 2, and then plans were devised to get them out. Tech billionaire Elon Musk offered to help by creating a child-sized submarine. All 12 boys and their coach were rescued as part of multi-hour missions, with the final group of boys emerging from the cave on July 10. Go to GameSpot sister site CBS News to learn more.
NBA superstar LeBron James is expanding his presence in Hollywood. According to Variety, James and writer Steve Mallory have sold a comedy pitch to Paramount. James is reportedly in discussions to star in the film.
James is no stranger to movies, as he had a part in the Amy Schumer movie Trainwreck in which he played himself. It sounds like his role in the untitled new film would be bigger.
There is no word on the plot for the untitled comedy nor are any other details available regarding the cast, director, and release date. Mallory, the writer, has written a number of comedies, including the Melissa McCarthy movies Tammy and The Boss.
This move comes just days after James signed a massive four-year, $154 million deal to join the Los Angeles Lakers.
James is also reportedly going to play the lead role in the basketball movie Space Jam 2. The movie is "doomed" to fail for a number of reasons, according to the first movie's director.
Halo Fireteam Raven, the new Halo arcade game announced earlier this year, is coming to Australia. The game will be playable at Timezone locations in Australia later this month in Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, and Perth.
The Timezone location at the Macquarie Centre in Sydney will be the first venue in Australia to have Fireteam Raven playable starting on 26 July. The game will be playable in Timezone's other locations in Melbourne, the Gold Coast, and Perth in August.
The launch event on 26 July at Macquarie will feature a costume contest where the person voted best-dressed in Halo gear will earn a year's worth of Timezone gaming credit. Additionally, some YouTube celebrities will attend the event, while people can also purchase Halo merchandise during the launch event.
Fireteam Raven is set in the timeline of Halo: Combat Evolved, putting players into the shoes of ODST troopers that make up Fireteam Raven. While you don't play as Master Chief, you're battling his enemies: Covenant forces. The four-player game is played on a 130-inch 4K screen with four mounted turrets. Players fight together to take down the Flood and also compete for high scores.
The game was developed by arcade veterans Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix with the support of 343 Industries.
The next big Halo game is Halo: Infinite, which was announced at E3 this year. Microsoft released a tech demo for the game's engine, but we haven't seen any of the game itself yet. For more on Halo: Infinite, check out our roundup of everything we know and all the rumors.
For more on Fireteam Raven, check out the announcement trailer above.
To promote the upcoming launch of World of Warcraft's seventh expansion, Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard teamed up with a popular Sydney burger joint for WoW-themed burgers.
Blizzard ANZ partnered with Burgers by Josh for two new burgers, which are inspired by the Horde and the Alliance. Available from this Friday at the Annandale Hotel and The Raby Tavern, the burgers take inspiration from the game's two factions. The Horde Burger ($20 AUD) comes with a red dyed potato bun and pickled guindilla chili peppers as horns. It's stuffed with fried chicken, jalapenos, maple bacon, and more.
The Alliance burger ($22 AUD) features two wagyu beef patties inside a blue-dyed bun. It also has American cheese, bacon, a hash brown, and other familiar trappings such as lettuce, tomato, and onion. You can see a full rundown of ingredients for both burgers at the bottom of this post.
The burgers will be available until Battle of Azeroth launches on August 14. After that, the best-selling one will stay on the menu for an additional month. These burgers are exclusively available in Sydney, Australia.
Pre-sales for Battle for Azeroth are now live for the game's standard and deluxe editions. Pre-ordering the expansion gets you a lot of nice bonuses, including extra content for other Blizzard games like Overwatch, along with an instant World of Warcraft character boost to 110.
Star Trek Online, ORIGIN PC, and Eaglemoss are giving away a free Special Edition PC Gaming Desktop and other prizes. (Scroll down below to enter.)
To celebrate the launch of the game's DS9-themed PC update, Victory is Life, you have a chance to win an exclusive ORIGIN Millennium Gaming Desktop, featuring artwork from Star Trek Online. The grand prize package also includes a poster signed by original cast members from Deep Space Nine and a Gamma Vanguard pack for the PC version of the game.
Ten lucky winners will also receive a coveted Gamma Vanguard Pack and a model of Deep Space Nine from Eaglemoss. An additional 100 runners-up will receive a Gamma Vanguard Starter Pack, which unlocks items to help them battle the Hur'q.
Enter the contest below for your chance to win. Good luck!
Star Trek Online is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game where players can pioneer their own destiny as Captain of a Federation starship or champion the Empire through the far reaches of the galaxy as a Klingon Warrior. Following major expansions, players are also able to rebuild the Romulan legacy as the commander of a Romulan Republic Warbird, or carry out daring missions on behalf of the Dominion as a Jem'Hadar soldier. In Star Trek Online, players have the opportunity to visit iconic locations from the popular Star Trek universe, reach out to unexplored star systems and make contact with new alien species. Star Trek Online is currently available on PC, PlayStation®4 and Xbox One.
To download and play Star Trek Online today for free, visit www.playstartrekonline.com.
Star Trek Online is licensed by CBS Consumer Products.
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