Fortnite's newest limited time mode, Playground, will leave the game on Thursday, July 12, developer Epic Games has announced. Writing on Reddit, the developer said it appreciates all the feedback players have provided about this mode. It's going away so Epic can "take it back under construction" before presumably bringing it back with some changes.
The next version of Playground is expected to feature new functionality that will allow players to select teams from within Playground. If Epic can deliver this, it will give players the ability to have things like:
1v1s and 2v2s
Aim assist for controllers
Editing other player's structures
Traps affecting teammates/enemies correctly
Highlighting teammates on the map
Damaging enemies with your pickaxe
Epic said it hopes to deliver a "full creative mode" inside Fortnite someday, and Playground is the "first step" towards that.
Playground is intended to be a "low-pressure environment" that acts much like a private server. It allows players to explore the map and play around with up to three friends, free from the risk of being eliminated by other people.
Each Playground match lasts for one hour, and the storm circle won't begin closing in on the map until 55 minutes have passed. Friendly fire is enabled, although players will respawn immediately unless eliminated by the storm. There's also much more loot to find, and it affords opportunities to screw around with the game that you could not in a regular match. Check out GameSpot's video above to see what you can do in Playground.
Playground disappears on July 12, which is also the start of Season 5. We don't yet know exactly what to expect, but there's likely to be map changes--or perhaps a new map--along with another Battle Pass, new skins, and more.
It's a good time to stop by the local GameStop or head to the website, because between now and July 15 the retailer is running its annual summer sale. This year you can find lots of good deals on games, consoles, and accessories for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The main difference between this sale and GameStop's regular weekly sale is quantity. A lot more games are on sale now than usual, even if the sale prices are about the same as you'd find any other week. At any rate, let's dive in and see what kind of money we can save during this year's GameStop summer sale.
On the hardware side, if you buy a 1TB Xbox One console, you'll get a $50 GameStop gift card for free. The green and gray Xbox One wireless controller is available for 20% off, bringing it down to $52. PS4 owners can grab a gold or magma red DualShock 4 controller for $55, saving $10 in the process.
All in all, there's a lot of deals during GameStop's summer sale, so you're sure to find something worth playing, no matter which platform you prefer. We have more of our picks below, but you can find the full sale here.
We're sure you're familiar with the Fortnite: Battle Royale phenomenon at this point. We've been keeping you up to date on the weekly challenges, the latest updates and changes, and offered some perspective on things we'd like to see added to the game. And although we still enjoy battling it out against 99 other players on the game's current map, it's easy to imagine how a new map could keep us coming back for more Victory Royales in the long run.
There is currently one map in Fortnite: Battle Royale, but to Epic Games' credit, it has evolved over time. With new seasons comes new content and actual changes to the lone map's layout and features. When Season 4 hit, so did a comet that destroyed Dusty Depot to create a new area called Dusty Divot, which fed into the superhero theme the game was going for. Now with Season 5 on the horizon (starting July 12), we started to think about how Fortnite's world is going to evolve further given the recent appearance of mysterious tears in the sky. Could they lead to a new map, and if so, what might that look like?
In creating a new map, Epic could take the approach of releasing something that isn't meant to be much more than a simple alternative to the existing island, offering a different look and feel but not much else. Alternatively, it could release something that is much more specialized, with its own custom set of rules, almost like a new playlist that happens to have a map that is catered specifically to it.
One such possibility: a winter map where snow has a real impact on gameplay. A snow-covered map would make distant enemies easier to see, making long-range weapons more valuable. But snow could periodically fall during the match, reducing visibility and thus emphasizing close-range combat for a period of time.
Movement speed could be impacted by the amount of snow you're walking through, but what's even more intriguing is the prospect of needing to keep yourself warm. Similar to Company of Heroes 2, which requires you to garrison units or get them near a fire periodically, Battle Royale's gameplay could really be shaken up if you also had to account for your body's temperature. If you're cold, do you risk suffering damage to grab that desirable weapon in the distance, or do you find a place to warm up first?
So many new wrinkles would make for a technical challenge, but a new map that impacts gameplay in so many ways would be a great way to show how meaningful new locales are going to be in Fortnite.
Flat Terrain Map With Max Resources
Admittedly, this sounds a lot like an experimental limited-time mode, but a map that's essentially a flat, wide-open field could be a ton of fun. Here, players would have to put their building skills to the ultimate test. Matches would probably boil down to a build-your-own map type of game, where things would play out in even more unpredictable fashion than they already do. We imagine players would have to do more than just protect themselves; with the storm closing in and not much in the way of natural defenses, creativity would be pushed and building structures with mobility in mind would change the way Fortnite is traditionally played.
To make this work, you'd probably have to start players with maximum (or unlimited) resources so everyone can get to building as soon as they land. Weapon scavenging might be tricky to implement in this type of map, but maybe weapons stashes can act as hot dropzones for players to start building out from. This type of map can highlight one of Fortnite's strengths and the feature that has helped distinguish itself from other battle royale games in the first place.
A Volcano Map
What really sets Fortnite apart from other battle royale games are building mechanics, and while they are used in fast combat situations, it could be really cool to require them during the running phase of a match to overcome obstacles. A giant volcano map with peaks, chasms, and lava tubes would add another layer of thinking and movement. A volcano map could also vary the distances at which players fight in the final circle. Maybe there'd be close-range final circles in caves, long-range final circles over a giant magma chamber, hilltop-to-hilltop fights similar to those that take place now, and possibly small island battles in the water around the base of the map.
Epic has been really good so far at planned events, such as the recent rocket launch, but why not take this one step further with random events? Matches could have a lava tube that opens and floods the map, or one match the lava chamber is empty and cavernous. With dimensional rifts opening up, the possibilities for random events are endless. The volcano map could even take place during different eras-- dinosaurs, anyone?
A Land Filled With Stuff From Other Worlds
Fortnite's island has variety, as you've got everything from swamps to suburban towns to junkyards to (more recently) a giant crater with some kind of scientific base built inside of it. But it all generally makes sense and seems like it fits in the same general area.
With Season 4's rifts causing objects to disappear, it would be fun to see that serve a purpose. What if these rifts are not just on the Battle Royale island, but all over the world--or even different dimensions? Rather than having these things blink out of existence, maybe these rifts are instead transporting them elsewhere. That elsewhere could be the setting for a new map.
It might be a bit extreme as the concept for what would only be Battle Royale's second map, but it would be great to eventually see a location full of weird juxtapositions. A jumbo jet inside of a gym? Sure. Alien plants that attack you lined outside of a toy store? Why not! Fortnite already embraces silliness, and this would allow Epic to truly go all-out with a map that's unlike anything else in the battle royale space. It would also feature a perfect, built-in excuse to continue updating the map with new elements as more things are teleported in and out.
Fighting In A Post-Apocalypse
Epic has the flexibility to take Fortnite in almost any direction it wants to, thematically. And given the premise of the original Save The World mode--defending yourselves from the undead and mutated monsters--going with a post-apocalyptic theme for a new map is well within the realm of possibility. This would be more than just a cosmetic overhaul, too. It'd be interesting to see how radiation zones could factor into matches; clever ways to build around dangerous areas on top of avoiding enemies and the deadly storm might spice things up a bit. Maybe irradiated zones can be randomized just like the storm to ramp up the tension even more. Geiger counters going off when you least expect it while thinking you're building into a safe zone could make for a real curveball.
A post-apocalyptic map may serve as the impetus to bring in new weapons as well. A nuke launcher could be wildly devastating, but highly sought out by players. We'd be hesitant to ask for hostile hordes as a factor when it comes to a battle royale match, but it's an aspect that could be cleverly implemented in this specific type of map.
Epic Games has revealed when Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 5 will start. In a post on the game's Reddit page, the company confirmed Season 5 will begin on July 12 at 1 AM PDT / 4 AM EDT / 9 AM BST / 6 PM AET. To help people unlock remaining Battle Pass rewards for Season 4, Epic is awarding double XP for matches from June 29 until July 2. [Update: Double XP might have ended, but the next step of the rocket saga has occurred, as it launched into the air and caused cracks to appear in the sky. Even more weirdness is continuing to unfold as new objects are appearing in-game--and parts of the game are showing up in the real world. Here's everything we know about Season 5.]
Ahead of the new season, Epic has released a new mode for Fortnite. Introduced as part of the latest update, the Playground LTM is essentially a private server for players to experiment on. It's designed for players to jump in and hone new strategies or sharpen building skills. Since access is invite only, you can do these things without being ruthlessly gunned down by enemy combatants.
The latest Fortnite update also adds Dual Pistols, map markers, part four of the Blockbuster Event, the Builder Pro controller layout, and more. You can read the full Fortnite v4.5 patch notes here for a breakdown of everything new. Week 9 challenges are also now available.
Fortnite continues to be incredibly popular, and the impact of its success is now being seen through how much physical copies of the game are selling. Since disc-based versions of Fortnite are no longer available, prices of it on Ebay have skyrocketed to the $100-200 range, with a few listings going as high as $450.
The game recently launched on Nintendo Switch and has already established a strong community. This is in part helped by the fact that it supports cross-play with Xbox One, PC, and iOS. Like the other versions of Fortnite, it is only available digitally.
Season 4 of Fortnite: Battle Royale is winding to a close, but Season 5 is just around the corner. The phenomenally popular battle royale game kicks off its new season very soon, and developer Epic Games has been teasing that some big changes are in store for the title--although the studio has shared very few concrete details about those will be, leaving players to speculate what the future. It doesn't tell us much, but Epic has revealed the first teaser image for Season 5, which you can see below--it shows what appears to be a kitsune mask with a rift or crack in front of it.
Still, while there are still many questions surrounding Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale, there are a few things we can expect, such as a new Battle Pass and rewards to unlock--not to mention some potential map changes in the aftermath of the recent rocket launch. With Season 5 quickly approaching, we've rounded up everything we know about the new season below, from when it starts to why rifts have begun forming around the island and more. Be sure to check back for further updates as more details and leaks emerge in the run up to the new season; already, we've seen a real-world aspect to all of this pop up, as well as the appearance of new, anachronistic items around the map.
When Does Season 5 Start?
In only a few days. Epic confirmed on Reddit that Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale will kick off on Thursday, July 12--immediately after Season 4 concludes. The new season will be preceded by a round of server maintenance, with the game's 5.0 update scheduled to roll out on all platforms (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS) at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST / 6 PM AET.
Will There Be a New Battle Pass?
Yes. As before, Epic will offer a Battle Pass for Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale. While the developer has yet to reveal any details about the new Battle Pass, including how much it will cost, each previous Battle Pass could be purchased for 950 V-Bucks (Fortnite's in-game currency). V-Bucks, in turn, can be bought with either real money or earned by reaching certain reward tiers of the Battle Pass (or through playing Fortnite's paid Save the World mode).
The Battle Pass gives players access to additional content, such as new skins, emotes, and other rewards. These can be unlocked by completing weekly challenges and leveling the Battle Pass up. Epic hasn't revealed how many reward tiers will be available with the Season 5 Battle Pass, although Season 4's featured 100 tiers--30 more than the previous Battle Pass. If Epic's previous estimations still hold true, it should take between 75-100 hours of play time to unlock all of the Battle Pass's rewards. Players can also purchase tiers to level the Battle Pass up faster.
What's New With Season 5's Map?
Epic has been characteristically silent about what new elements it plans to introduce to Fortnite: Battle Royale in Season 5, although the developer has been laying the groundwork for some major changes for the game in the run up to the new season. The most notable sign that something big is afoot is the recent rocket launch; after various warning signals began popping up in the game, the mysterious rocket in the Evil Lair finally took off on June 30, causing a giant rift to appear in the sky over the island.
Since the launch, the nature of the rift has remained a mystery, and more have begun cropping up in various areas around the map. In the days that followed the event, additional rifts have appeared at Lonely Lodge, Retail Row, Tomato Town, and other locations. Moreover, the rifts seem to be growing in size and consuming nearby objects; the rift at Lonely Lodge, for instance, was barely visible when it first materialized, but it has since expanded and even swallowed up the sign outside the building.
Just what these strange rifts mean for the future of Fortnite remain to be seen, but as was the case in the lead up to Season 4, they presumably herald some sort of big, impending change for the landscape. Prior to the start of Season 4, a comet suddenly appeared in the sky over the island. The comet remained in the air for several weeks until it eventually crashed into Dusty Depot at the start of Season 4, transforming it into Dusty Divot and introducing some brand-new elements to the map, such as gravity-defying Hop Rocks.
Season 5 may feature either a time-travel or Wild West theme; new objects have begun appearing around the map. That includes a stagecoach that popped up out of nowhere. It's anyone's guess as to what could be next, but we have some ideas for new Fortnite maps.
What New Season 5 Skins And Cosmetics Have Leaked?
Each season of Fortnite: Battle Royale brings an assortment of new items to unlock, and we can expect Epic to continue that trend by introducing a slew of new skins, emotes, and other cosmetic rewards to earn through the aforementioned Season 5 Battle Pass. The developer has yet to formally reveal any of the new items coming next season, although we've gotten a glimpse at some new contrails on the way to the game. The Fortnite: Battle Royale Leaks Twitter account has discovered several new trails in the game's code, including ones called Stars & Stripes, Glitchin', and Ice. These will presumably be available through the Season 5 Battle Pass.
Are Fortnite Objects Showing Up in Real Life?
It seems that way. Greasy Grove's Durr Burger is among the things to be sucked out of Fortnite's world by a rift, only for it to appear in the middle of a desert in California. That in turn led to a phone number players could call, and that's led to the discovery of coordinates for... Greasy Grove. It all remains very mysterious, but Epic is clearly going all-out with its teases for whatever is happening next in the game.
What's Going On With Playground Mode?
Like other limited-time modes in Fortnite, the sandbox-style Playground mode won't be available to play in Battle Royale for long. After finally arriving in the game recently following a series of delays, Epic has confirmed the mode is scheduled to leave the rotation on the same day that Season 5 begins: July 12. However, the developer says that it will use the feedback it gathered from players to further refine Playground mode and bring it back to the game in the future, although it hasn't revealed when that will be.
How Long Do I Have to Finish Season 4 Challenges?
Not much longer now. All of Season 4's weekly challenges will be available until the start of the new season on July 12, giving you only a few more days to level your Season 4 Battle Pass up and unlock any remaining rewards you've yet to earn.
Epic rolled out 10 weeks' worth of challenges throughout Season 4, the final set of which arrived on July 5. Each batch of challenges consists of seven different tasks for players to complete while playing Fortnite: Battle Royale, which can run the gamut from eliminating other players to opening a certain number of chests or following a series of cryptic clues to a specific location. Completing all of the challenges in a given week unlocks a corresponding Blockbuster challenge, while reaching certain level miletones unlocks a Carbide challenge and reward. You can see how to complete the latest set of tasks in our Week 10 challenges guide.
Despite the fact they're rolled out weekly, you have until the end of the season to complete any of the challenges. Doing so will level your Battle Pass and unlock rewards. There are a huge assortment to earn in Season 4, including sprays, loading screens, gliders, and the coveted Omega skin; you can see them all in our gallery of Season 4 Battle Pass rewards. If you need help clearing any remaining challenges, be sure to consult GameSpot's complete Season 4 challenges guide.
What About Save the World Mode?
Like Battle Royale, Fortnite's Save the World mode is also set to receive some significant new content following the game's 5.0 update. Shortly after the update rolls out, Epic will kick off the first act of the Canny Valley campaign, which will take players "through the arid parts of the Fortnite world, with many new and unique places to explore."
According to Epic, the Canny Valley campaign will resolve many lingering questions about Dr. Vinderman and other characters. The developer says it will also re-introduce the Challenge the Horde mode with the 5.0 update, and this time it will feature reworked combat, mini-bosses, and new rewards. Save the World remains in paid early access, although it will eventually be playable for free to everyone, as with Battle Royale.
The Fortnite missile launch that cracked the sky appears to have just been the beginning of a multi-phase rollout for Season 5. Since then, strange happenings have been appearing around the map, erasing some objects and adding others on a regular basis.
A Reddit user captured the moment when an Old West stage coach popped through a rift. This is similar to the Greek anchor that appeared not too long ago. The rifts have been both adding and deleting items to the game world, as another one recently sucked a Motel sign through it. The Durr Burger sign was also sucked through a rift, and then reappeared in the middle of the California desert in real life. It was found by a photographer doing location scouting.
An audio clue at the Durr Burger location seems to hint at a future event happening near Greasy Grove. Meanwhile data-miners have found a long list of historical artifacts likely to be popping through the various rifts, like a Penny Farthing bike and a poker table. All this seems to indicate Season 5 will have some kind of time travel or historical theme, but don't put it past Epic to toss us a curveball.
Season 5 of Fortnite is scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 12, at 1 AM PDT / 4 AM EDT / 9 AM BST / 6 PM AET, so you still have a few days left to complete the Season 4 challenges. You can also take that time to make a fan film to win some fat stacks of V-Bucks.
Another week has begun, which can only mean one thing: another set of deals is available at Best Buy, both brick-and-mortar and online. This week finds a heap of pre-order bonus rewards, plus savings on a number of big games for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. If you see a deal you like, make sure you buy it before July 14, because there's no guarantee it will be around when next week's Best Buy deals go live.
Anyone interested in Nintendo Switch can save some money this week. If you buy a Switch console, you get $30 off The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. You can also get $10 in rewards for pre-ordering Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
That's far from the only game you get rewarded for pre-ordering. You can also get $10 in rewards for pre-ordering many of the biggest upcoming games, including Madden NFL 19, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Battlefield V, Kingdom Hearts III, Fallout 76, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and more. Check here for the full list.
Buy an Xbox One and you'll save $10 on an extra controller, or on a three- or six-month Xbox Live Gold membership. Unfortunately, no PS4 hardware deals are happening this week.
Following its launch on PS4 and Xbox One earlier this year, Capcom has announced the PC release date for Monster Hunter World, and it's coming earlier than expected. The online action-RPG was originally slated to arrive on Steam sometime this fall, but Capcom has now revealed that it will hit the digital storefront next month, on August 9.
Players who pre-purchase Monster Hunter World on Steam ahead of its launch will receive a pair of bonus items: the Origin armor set and the Fair Wind Charm. In addition to the standard version, the game will also be available in a Digital Deluxe edition, which contains the same assortment of customization items found in the console equivalent. This includes a set of Samurai armor, three gestures (Zen, Ninja Star, and Sumo Slap), two sticker sets, and a new face paint and hairstyle option.
Capcom says that updates made in the console versions of Monster Hunter World will be "gradually applied" to the PC edition. The game will also follow a different Event Quest schedule than the console versions, so Capcom advises fans to regularly check the game's official Twitter account and website for the latest updates.
In addition to the release date announcement, Capcom has shared a new trailer for Monster Hunter World, which you can watch above. The publisher has also confirmed that the PC version will support 4K and 60 FPS. You can find the minimum and recommended specs on the game's Steam page.
Monster Hunter World launched for PS4 and Xbox One on January 26. It has been a resounding commercial success for Capcom, setting a new launch record for the series and becoming the publisher's best-selling game ever. The game also received a positive reception from critics. GameSpot awarded it an 8/10 in our Monster Hunter World review and called it "a meaningful evolution for the series at large."
July isn't just for fireworks and barbecues. It's also the month when Amazon Prime Day 2018 is going to happen. This Black Friday-like event happens every summer, and this year is no different. You can expect the Amazon to offer temporary discounts on games, tech, movies, toys, and anything else you might want to buy from the world's largest online retailer. Other retailers may also offer discounts that day to cash in on the commerce craze. Here's everything you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2018.
What is Prime Day?
Prime Day is a massive sale Amazon puts on each year in July for Prime members. It all began in 2015, when Amazon had a sale to celebrate its 20th birthday. In the years since, Prime Day has grown into a shopping extravaganza in its own right, with deep discounts on all kinds of items.
When is Prime Day?
Prime Day begins at 12 PM PT (3 PM ET / 12 PM BT) on July 16 and will last 36 hours, through July 17.
For Prime Members Only
The catch is that you have to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of the deals. The company ruffled feathers earlier this year when it upped the annual price of a Prime membership from $99 to $119. (You can also get a one-month membership for $13). Having to buy a subscription is a bummer, but there are ways around dropping cash just to take part in Prime Day. If you've never been a Prime member before, you can get a free 30-day trial just by signing up. Students get an even better deal: their Prime membership begins with a free six-month trial.
Even if you're a lapsed Prime member and you can't get the free trial, signing up for a one-month membership may be worthwhile, depending on what Prime Day deals you want to take advantage of. There's also a good chance Amazon will offer a discount on Prime subscriptions in the run-up to Prime Day, so your best bet is to wait and see.
What kind of deals can we expect?
Amazon always drops prices on tons of items, with big discounts in particular on its own hardware: Echos, Kindles, Fire sticks, and tablets. Additionally, you can expect big savings on video games, consoles, gaming accessories, 4K TVs, other electronics, apparel, outdoor gear, baby products, and nearly anything else you can buy at the online retailer.
Already Amazon has dropped the price on the Echo Show from $230 to $130 for Prime members and begun offering discounts on select items like furniture and luggage. Many more deals are to come, and you can see a selection of the first promotions. Meanwhile, Twitch Prime--which you get for free with Amazon Prime--is giving a ton of free PC games this month.
We'll have lots of Prime Day deals coverage on all things gaming and media here at GameSpot when the event rolls around. Make sure to check back closer to the the big day.
THQ Nordic has confirmed the Darksiders 3 release date as November 27, 2018. Along with the release date, the publisher has detailed pre-order options that will be available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC game. Anyone that puts their money down early at participating retailers will get the Fury armor DLC, which is described as "a completely original skin for [protagonist] Fury's base armor that will set her apart and always be visible during gameplay."
Those that pre-order digitally from the PlayStation Store or from the Microsoft Store will have a choice between three versions of the game. The Standard Edition ($60/£45) is just the base game, while the Deluxe Edition ($72/£50) includes the bonus armor skin and two paid DLCs that will launch in the future.
Finally, the Blades & Whip Edition ($90/£59) features the game, the bonus armor, the two pieces of DLC, as well as Darksiders: Warmarstered Edition and Darksiders 2: Deathfinitive Edition. This package effectively includes three games, providing the complete Darksiders series experience thus far. Pre-ordering any of these three versions from the PlayStation or Microsoft stores will also get you access to the game 24 hours early.
Beyond the digital pre-order options, are two physical editions of the game that feature extra bonuses. Take a look at what they contain below.
Darksiders III Collector's Edition ($150):
Premium Box
Fury Figurine about 29cm - 11" high
Original Steelbook
Artbook
Soundtrack
Darksiders 3 Game
Exclusive Armor DLC; completely original skin replacing Fury's base armor set (purely aesthetic, no gameplay impact)
Darksiders III Apocalypse Edition ($400):
Premium Box about 117cm - 46"
Wall Scroll - Fabric print with hanger 77 x 100 - 30" x 40"
4 Figurines: Fury (~29cm 11" high), Vulgrim, War, Death (each about 25cm 10" high)
Heavy weight amulet (5cm - 2" with necklace)
Original Steelbook
Artbook
Soundtrack
Darksiders 3 Game
Exclusive Armor DLC; completely original skin replacing Fury's base armor set (purely aesthetic, no gameplay impact)
Six films and 22 years in, and the Mission Impossible series shows no signs of slowing down. Mission Impossible: Fallout arrives in theaters later this month, with Tom Cruise once again playing Ethan Hunt and promising some insane stunt sequences. Ahead of that, we have a new behind-the-scenes video.
The promo focuses on the core team of Hunt, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames). As ever with this sort of thing, all the actors say very nice things about this other, but there's some new footage in there and the movie looks like a seriously wild ride. Check it out below:
Mission Impossible: Fallout also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Angela Bassett, Henry Cavill, and Alec Baldwin. It's directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who previously helmed 2015's Ghost Protocol. It hits theaters on July 27.
Alongside the accident in which Cruise broke his ankle, the other notorious story that emerged during the movie's production was Cavill's mustache. As the video shows, the Superman actor sports an impressively full 'stache for his role as CIA assassin August Walker, and the scheduling clash with his reshoots on Justice League meant that it had to be digitally removed for the DC movie.
In a recent interview with Empire, Cavill spoke about the controversy. "When we decided to go for the moustache, I certainly wasn't expecting all the events to unfold as they were going to unfold," he said: "I wasn't expecting Justice League reshoots to be as extensive as they were. As you will see when [Fallout] comes out, to have a fake moustache on would not have been a possibility."
Amazon's Prime Day won't officially kick off until July 16, but a number of deals are already available for Prime members. If you're a PC gamer, the best early deal by far is one that won't cost you anything at all. Twitch is giving Amazon/Twitch Prime members free PC games each day 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 nine games for free. Make sure to grab them quickly, because one game goes away each day this week (you can find the full schedule in the image below). Even if you've missed out on some of the free games, many more lie ahead.
The latest free game is Hue, a side-scrolling puzzle platformer that has you manipulate the color of the background to navigate through levels containing colorful obstacles. It's available for free until July 15.
Several other games remain available as well. Q.U.B.E. 2 is a first-person puzzle game that's available through July 9. Battle Chef Brigade, available until July 10, is a side-scrolling brawler with match-three puzzle elements. Gonner is an ultra-challenging procedurally-generated platformer that will be available until June 12. Finally, an SNK bundle that includes Metal Slug 3, The Last Blade 2, and Twinkle Star Sprites is available through August 2.
To get your 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 Tacoma and Brutal Legend. You can find descriptions of each game here.
If you're looking to escape the heat, or you prefer streaming to barbecues, it looks like July is your month. Netflix is making moves this month, releasing originals, bringing back some old movies, and giving the boot to more than a few long-timers--here's everything that's new to stream on the service.
All kinds of titles are coming throughout this month, and a lot of them are classics or just kind of old like Jurassic Park (one and three), Her, Get Smart, Bo Burnham's What, Happy Gilmore, Kevin Hart's Let Me Explain, and Interview With A Vampire.
Orange Is The New Black, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary, and Shameless are among the TV shows getting new seasons added to Netflix as well as several original series like Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.
Sadly, a lot of favorites are leaving Netflix this July so get to your devices ASAP because you might not be able to see these ones for a while. Some notables include all five Bring It On movies, all four Lethal Weapon movies, V for Vendetta, Tropic Thunder, and Breakfast At Tiffany's. Many of the month's removals are already gone as of July 1, but you still have some time for certain others.
If you'd like to know about everything arriving and leaving Netflix in July, check out the list below. We've also got a roundup of some of the best new additions to watch in the video above.
Arriving on Netflix July 2018
July 1
Blue Bloods: Season 8
Bo Burnham: what.
Chocolat
Deceived
Finding Neverland
Get Smart
Happy Gilmore
Hawaii Five-O: Season 8
Interview with the Vampire
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park III
Madam Secretary: Season 4
Menace II Society
NCIS: Season 15
Pandorum
Penelope
Queens of Comedy: Season 2
Rica, Famosa, Latina: Seasons 1-4
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Spanglish
Stealth
Swordfish
The Boondock Saints
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Princess Diaries
The Voices
Traitor
Troy
Van Helsing
We Own the Night
We the Marines
What We Started
July 2
Dance Academy: The Comeback
Good Witch: Season 4
Romina
The Sinner: Season 1
July 3
The Comedy Lineup - Netflix Original
July 5
Blue Valentine
July 6
Anne with an E: Season 2- Netflix Original
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: New 2018: Freshly Brewed- Netflix Original
First Team: Juventus: Part B- Netflix Original
Free Rein: Season 2- Netflix Original
Inside the World's Toughest Prisons: Season 2- Netflix Original
Sacred Games- Netflix Original
Samantha!- Netflix Original
Somebody Feed Phil: The Second Course-Netflix Original
The Fosters: Season 5 New Episodes
The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter- Netflix Original Film
The Skin of The Wolf- Netflix Original Film
White Fang- Netflix Original Film
July 7
Scream 4
July 9
Lockup: Extended Stay: Collection 1
July 10
Drug Lords: Season 2 - Netflix Original
July 12
Gone Baby Gone
July 13
How It Ends- Netflix Original Film
Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now- Netflix Original
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
Sugar Rush- Netflix Original
The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants- Netflix Original
July 15
Bonusfamiljen: Season 2- Netflix Original
Going for Gold
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale: Part 2- Netflix Original
July 20
Amazing Interiors- Netflix Original
Dark Tourist- Netflix Original
Deep Undercover: Collection 3
Duck Duck Goose- Netflix Original Film
Father of the Year- Netflix Original Film
Fix It and Finish It: Collection 3
Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh: Season 4- Netflix Original
Jimmy: The True Story of a True Idiot- Netflix Original
Last Chance U: EMCC & Life After- Netflix Original
Last Chance U: INDY: Part 1- NEtflix Original
Luna Petunia: Return to Amazia: Season 2- Netflix Original
July 22
An Education
Bolt
July 24
The Warning- Netflix Original Film
Iliza Shlesinger: Elder Millennial- Netflix Original
July 27
Cupcake & Dino - General Services- Netflix Original
Extinction-Netflix Original
Orange Is the New Black: Season 6-Netflix Original
Roman Empire: Reign of Blood: Master of Rome- Netflix Original
The Bleeding Edge- Netflix Original
The Worst Witch: Season 2- Netflix Original
Welcome to the Family- Netflix Original
July 28
Shameless: Season 8
The Company Men
July 29
Her
Sofia the First: Season 4
July 30
A Very Secret Service: Season 2-Netflix Original
July 31
Terrace House: Opening New Doors: Part 3- Netflix Original
If you enjoy some good old-fashioned environmental destruction in your games, you're going to want to check out Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered. It's out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. What you might not know is that you may already own it. If you have the original 2009 version of Red Faction: Guerrilla in your Steam library, the new Re-Mars-tered version should have already been added to your library as a separate game.
In Red Faction: Guerrilla, you play as a freedom fighter in a mining colony on Mars who's trying to fight back against the Earth Defense Force, a group looking to boost Earth's dwindling resources. It's a third-person shooter, but with a unique gameplay hook: every structure in the environment--from tiny huts to multi-story buildings--is destructible. You can turn buildings into rubble using a sledgehammer, vehicles, or an array of explosive weaponry. This adds a tactical element to the game, giving you more options for completing missions and taking down enemies than you have in many other shooters.
The Re-Mars-tered version includes souped-up visuals, including higher-res textures, improved lighting and shadow rendering, and post-processing. It also adds 4K support, assuming you have a system powerful enough to push the pixels.
In GameSpot's 8/10 Red Faction: Guerrilla review, our critic wrote, "You'll end up hearing that 'thunk' a lot in Red Faction: Guerrilla, but you'll never get tired of it because its deep, crunchy sound is tied so intrinsically to the satisfying visual destruction you see. Guerrilla's gameplay is similar--many of the missions may feel like they're at the same, loud, all-out pace, but when devastation is this well presented, it's difficult not to get swept along by its primal energy."
So take that into consideration if you're thinking about buying Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered. But first make sure to check your Steam library to see if you already own it.
A new month is now officially underway, and with it comes another batch of free titles for PlayStation Plus subscribers. As per usual, July's PS Plus lineup consists of six games divided up across PS4, PS3, and Vita, all of which are available to download at no charge through the end of the month.
Headlining PS4's selection of freebies is Heavy Rain, the narrative-driven game from Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream. Heavy Rain originally launched for PS3 back in 2010 and was re-released on Sony's current-gen console in 2016. Joining it is Absolver, a unique and flexible third-person adventure/fighting game in which players can fully customize their fighting style.
On the PS3 side, Plus subscribers can now download the classic 3D platformer Rayman 3 HD, as well as Extreme Exorcism, a retro-style platformer in which players hunt their own ghosts. Extreme Exorcism is available in place of Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess, which was initially announced to be one of this month's free PS Plus titles. The game is also playable on PS4 via Cross-Buy.
Finally, Vita owners can download the acclaimed adventure game Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma and the action game Space Overlords for free this month. Like Extreme Exorcism, the latter also supports Cross-Buy with PS4, getting you four possible freebies on that platform in July.
All of the aforementioned games will remain free to download for PS Plus members until next month, when they'll return to their regular prices. You can see the full list of July's free PS Plus games below. Subscribers also still have a few more days to grab another game at no charge, Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Activision's first-person shooter will remain free for PS Plus members through July 11.
July is officially upon us, which means a couple of new Games with Gold are now available to download. Xbox Live Gold subscribers can grab two new free titles for Xbox One and Xbox 360, with another pair of freebies set to arrive partway through the month.
On the current-gen console, Gold members can download the fast-paced twin-stick shooter Assault Android Cactus at no charge until July 31. 360 owners, meanwhile, can grab Sega's classic fighting game, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, for free until July 15. The latter is also playable on Xbox One thanks to backwards compatibility.
In addition to those titles, players will be able to grab two more titles for free beginning July 16. On the Xbox One side, Gold members will be able to get the colorful puzzle game Death Squared for free until August 15, while Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction will be available to download on Xbox 360 through the end of July. Like Virtua Fighter, the latter is also backwards compatible with Xbox One. You can see the full list of July's free Games with Gold below.
On top of this month's freebies, Gold members still have a few more days to claim a holdover from June's Games with Gold lineup. The Smite Gold Bundle is available to download for free until July 15. The bundle includes an assortment of items for the free-to-play game, including additional gods, skins, and announcer packs.
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)
Good news for deal hunters: Sony is running a massive Mid-Year Sale on the US PlayStation Store, with discounts on over 800 items between now and July 17. That's a seriously big sale, significantly larger than most weekly PlayStation Store sales. So if you're looking to save money on digital PS4, PS3, PS Vita, and PSVR games, now's the time to do it. And if you're a PS Plus member, you get a bonus 10% off. Let's take a look at some of the biggest and best games that are on sale right now.
To kick things off, you can grab last year's Egypt-set Assassin's Creed Origins for $36 ($30 with PS Plus). For the same price, you can get Diablo III: Eternal Collection, which comes with all the expansions that acclaimed dungeon crawler has gotten since release. Or you can kick it in the apocalypse with Fallout 4 for $18 ($15).
If you're looking for games that cost less than lunch, you can find plenty of them during the sale as well. The Zelda-like game Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is down to $6 ($2). The side-scrolling shooter Sine Mora EX is the same price. And if you haven't saved (or killed) a group of teenagers in Until Dawn yet, you can add it to your collection for $6 ($5).
Those are some of our picks for the best games in the PlayStation Store's Mid-Year Sale. You can find more below, or you can scroll through the whole big sale here.
A recent leak has given unprecedented insight on the popularity of thousands of Steam games. Ars Technica reports that the hole in Valve's API gave precise player counts for tons of games before the company sealed it up. The mathematical calculations for estimating player counts are complex, but the end-result is a striking snapshot of total players as of July 1.
It should be noted, though, that this method of tracking player counts relies on Steam achievements, so it doesn't count games that don't actually use achievements. It counts any game that was played at least once, which means simply downloading and starting up a game is enough to make an appearance. That gives an inherent advantage to free-to-play games, which have a low barrier to entry. However, it's only games that have been tried once achievements were added, which disadvantages older games.
The full listing is interesting to see and includes games ranging from a few hundred thousand players to the tens of millions. It's not pinpoint-accurate due to the caveats about how the data was compiled, but it's a more direct player count comparison than the gaming public is usually privy to.
The Purge movies have always been about the 1% versus the 99, the privileged against the underprivileged--the rich trying to exterminate the poor by pitting them against one another while sitting safe in fortified ivory towers. In the previous three movies, that theme served as the core, beneath a veneer of fantastically stylized violence, with gangs of roving murderers draping their cars with Christmas lights and donning exaggerated masks over preppy school uniforms. In The First Purge, that thin surface of fantasy is gone, leaving only a crude, gratuitous, vaguely exploitative movie about the government openly and mercilessly exterminating poor people.
Like The Purge: Anarchy, the second in the series, The First Purge wants to suggest that, with scattered exceptions, normal people aren't inherently violent enough to Purge. They need a push, and that shove comes from the New Founding Fathers of America, the government that, in this movie, just recently emerged as the third option in America's two party system and seized power from Republicans and Democrats alike. The First Purge explains how the NFFA was able to pull it off: Much like the politicians in power today, they exploited people's fear. The movie spends an opening montage citing a grab bag of real world social unrest, from the Black Lives Matter movement to a housing crisis worse than 2008's.
Now, it's time for an "experiment" that Marisa Tomei's Dr. Updale, a scientist working with the NFFA, promises will give the American people the outlet they need for all their hate, anger, and aggression. There's an unintentionally silly scene late in the movie when Updale, seeing the actual results of her "experiment," utters dramatically, "What have I done?" It's unclear what results she was expecting from this whole thing.
The movie centers on a handful of characters on New York's Staten Island, the isolated site of this first, experimental Purge. (Through their public representative Arlo Sabian (Patch Darragh), the government issues some hazy explanation about the island's demographics being representative of the country as a whole, but behind closed doors the NFFA readily admit they just want to kill poor people.)
Dmitri (Y'lan Noel) is a drug kingpin who wants to keep his neighborhood safe while protecting his product and his business. Nya (Lex Scott Davis) is his ex-girlfriend, a conscientious protestor who opposes the experiment. Her little brother, Isaiah (Joivan Wade), was supposed to get off the island, but secretly stayed behind to get revenge on Skeletor (Rotimi Paul), a violent drug addict who attacked and humiliated him. These characters and those surrounding them--every single person the movie follows during the experiment--are non-white, while almost everyone actually causing violence during the Purge is white.
Early on, there are isolated scenes of NFFA officials interviewing Staten Islanders about their pent up rage, then offering them monetary compensation for remaining on the island and actively participating. The government implants them with tracking devices and issues them high tech contact lenses that will record the night's events so the results can be broadcast to the world. Glowing red, green, or blue in the darkness, these contacts are one of the movie's only creative aesthetic liberties, although they often verge on looking silly.
But when the would-be Purgers throw block parties instead of tearing one another apart, the NFFA sends in militaristic bands of mercenaries dressed in the regalia of the KKK, white supremacist biker gangs, and masked, Nazi-like soldiers. At times, The First Purge is hard to watch, and not in the fun way that horror movies are supposed to make you hide behind splayed fingers. Whatever thin veil of subtlety this series ever possessed is gone from this movie, murdered by flocks of heavily armed drones the New Founding Fathers of America sent to make sure the citizens of Staten Island "participated" in the experiment.
The First Purge doesn't hesitate to mirror real world events, and never to its benefit. At one point, off screen (thankfully), a group of white mercenaries disguised as a biker gang guns down dozens of black, hispanic, and Asian people huddling for safety in a church--something that more or less happened in real life just three years ago. Later, white soldiers rampage through a towering housing project, systematically, inhumanly slaughtering the hundreds of non-white people inside, room by room and floor by floor. There were points in The First Purge I could have been watching last year's Detroit, a movie about the real life terror inflicted on black people by white cops during Detroit's 1967 12th Street Riot. That's not imagery you want to evoke lightly, yet The First Purge uses it readily, in between scenes of cackling homeless ladies setting traps in alleyways and Dmitri's gang members eagerly arming themselves to the teeth.
When Nya gets her foot caught in a trap and attackers burst from a grate nearby, hands scrabble furiously at her crotch. Running away, she yells behind her, "P***y grabbing motherf***er!" Somehow, despite being completely out of character, that line is predictable, too. It's the exact kind of low-hanging fruit this movie hungrily plucks, scene after scene.
There's nothing fun or thrilling about watching white people dressed up as real world hate groups efficiently murdering innocent victims. The Purge series' veneer of fantasy is gone. It's too on the nose, and it knows it. That The First Purge is a prequel means the people we see suffering in it are doomed to at least another 25 years of annual violence and oppression, a fact you'll be acutely aware of as the dawn breaks on the first experiment, the few survivors limp down the street, and the tastelessly summoned Kendrick Lamar song "Alright" ("Alls my life I had to fight…") thumps into life over your theater's speakers.
2016's The Purge: Election Year ended on a hopeful note. That movie tried to mirror the real world too, but the real life politics it mimicked turned out much differently than the film's. In 2018, we could have used a movie where, for once, the good guys won. The fact that series creator James DeMonaco, who's written all four entries and directed the three before this, chose to give us a prequel instead is empirical evidence that he may be out of good ideas.
Ant-Man and The Wasp is now in theaters, if you're wondering if it has any post-credits scenes to stick around for you, you're in luck. As is the Marvel way, it does indeed, with a total of two after-credits scenes to check out after the movie "ends" (I guess we should lean into calling them stingers this time around, right?). The real question on everybody's mind has been whether the after-credits scenes connect Ant-Man and the Wasp with Avengers: Infinity War or 2019's Avengers 4. The answer? Unfortunately, yes. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
In the first scene we get a look at what Scott, Hope, Hank, and Jan have been up to in the time immediately after Jan's return. They've taken their lab-sized bridge to the Quantum Realm and either totally rebuilt it or just conveniently shrunk it down with Pym Particles to fit in the back of a van, and now, Scott's about to make the jump. This time, he's not on a rescue mission, but after more "quantum particles," which he alludes to being part of Ghost's "cure" (the solution to her problem of phasing in and out of different quantum states uncontrollably).
It's worth noting that with this new, smaller bridge, Scott isn't using the submarine like vehicle that Hank used when he went to pull Jan out. He's just going in with the Ant-Man suit and a plucky attitude. That matters because just seconds after Scott successfully makes the jump, he suddenly finds himself out of communication with the team back in the normal sized universe operating the device's control panel. Unsurprisingly, we learn that all three of them were dissolved into dust care of Thanos's Infinity War finger snap, right at the most inopportune time, leaving Scott presumably stranded in the Quantum Realm with no way to get out, no way to communicate with the outside world, and no one alive with the knowledge that he's even there at all.
It's a pretty bleak fate, given how obscure the Quantum Realm is to begin with, and with Hank, Jan, and Hope gone, the list of people smart enough to engineer a way to reach him--or even aware that the Quantum Realm exists--shrinks pretty dramatically.
The second post-credits scene takes place immediately after the first. We're taken to the Lang house--eerily deserted, with the TV cut to an emergency broadcasting channel. Upstairs, the giant ant "stand in" Hope programmed to mimic Scott's routine keeps on keeping on, oblivious to the apocalypse, playing Scott's drum set.
There's basically an endless list of possibilities revolving around the Quantum Realm. Obviously, part of Avengers 4 is going to have to deal with Scott either getting out of or going further into the Quantum Realm. We learned in this movie that quantum particles can literally affect the nature of reality and can cause (or, significantly, reverse) the phasing of matter between parallel universes. We also learned that spending enough time in the Quantum Realm alters one physiology and can imbue a person with the ability to control--or at least manipulate--quantum particles in people's bodies.
Granted, it's pretty unlikely that Scott is going to stay trapped in the Quantum Realm for as long as Jan was, but we shouldn't rule out the possibility that he's going to come out the other side displaying similar energy manipulation abilities, at least temporarily.
With abilities like that, or with the quantum particles he harvested (and, maybe, can continue to harvest), there's a whole new list of potential failsafes against the Infinity Stones. It's probable--maybe even likely--that when the Stones destroy matter, they're not actually vaporizing it, but instead forcing it to phase out of our reality into another--maybe even into a place that is touching or related to the Quantum Realm. Failing that, it's certainly more than possible that the quantum particles are a way in which the Stones can be reliably counteracted; even if people were literally reduced to dust, if quantum particles can alter the fabric of reality, what's to say they couldn't reach into an alternate universe and pull a new version of a vaporized person back into our dimension?
It's also worth considering that the Quantum Realm may have literally been out of reach of Thanos's snap all together, and thus, in one way or another, immune to the Infinity Stones' powers. Of course, there's the chance that Scott just got lucky enough to not be one of the people randomly chosen, but he's atypical for the surviving group in that he wasn't one of the original Avengers, which is one of the major commonalities between nearly all of the remaining heroes post-Infinity War. If the Quantum Realm is somehow safe from the Stones abilities, it may come into play in a totally different way come Avengers 4 next year.
An event in Fortnite appears to be spilling out into the real world as part of a promotional stunt for the coming season. A recent rocket launch opened up cracks in the sky and rifts began swallowing parts of the game world. Now at least one of those landmarks has appeared in a remote desert.
Greasy Grove's Durr Burger disappeared from the map recently, only to be found by photographer Sela Shiloni in the desert of Palmdale, California (via Eurogamer). Shiloni tweeted about the bizarre find, asking what this strange object was doing in the middle of nowhere. He followed up with a video to prove it wasn't Photoshopped, and has admitted he does not play video games and wasn't familiar with the reference. A police car nearby accompanies a sign that says, "This site is unstable. Beware of possible effects."
Meanwhile, an agent near the Durr Burger sign was handing out a mysterious card with a phone number that appeared to play rift sounds. Dexerto reports that the audio from that phone call has been decoded, and it points to the coordinates of Greasy Grove. That may indicate another clue incoming at that location soon.
This seems likely to be part of the promotional campaign from Epic leading up to the launch of Season 5, but where it all ends is anybody's guess. Epic has been keen at throwing curveballs in its world events, first by having a meteor strike the map and take out Dusty Depot instead of the widely accepted Tilted Towers, and more recently, having a missile launch open a rift instead of impact a part of the map directly.
The rifts appear to be leading to a shift in the objects that appear around the map. Modern-day objects are disappearing, and data-miners have found historical props like a poker table and Penny Farthing bike. One such object, a Greek anchor, appeared near Snobby Shores. It seems likely that by the time all this is over, some current objects will go missing and the map will be populated by historical artifacts.
Season 5 of Fortnite is scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 12, at 1 AM PDT / 4 AM EDT / 9 AM BST / 6 PM AET, which means you have just a few days left to complete the Season 4 challenges. You also have just a couple more days to finish up your fan film for your chance at notoriety and a boatload of V-Bucks.
A new sale is live on Xbox One and Xbox 360 games on the Microsoft Store. You can find the full details here, but we've sorted through the offers and selected the highlights below. Note that some of the deals require you to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription, while others are available to everyone. The sale ends July 9, so don't wait too long to purchase any games that catch your eye.
For starters, there's a big sale on Mega Man games. With the 11th core installment in this long-running franchise coming out later this year, now's a good time to catch up on the these older Blue Bomber games. Mega Man Legacy Collection, which contains the first six games in the series, is on sale for $6. Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 completes the main series, with installments 7-10.
The throwback 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee is on sale for $13 this week. Song of the Deep is Insomniac's take on the Metroidvania genre, and it's on sale for just $4. If you want to know what happens when you combine Metroidvania level design with pinball, you can scoop up Yoku's Island Express for $15.
Sports fans who can peel themselves away from the World Cup long enough to play a game can pick up FIFA 18 for $20. Or, if you'd prefer a vehicular take on soccer, you can grab Rocket League for $10 (it's also free to play this weekend on Xbox One and Steam).
We have more highlights from this week's Xbox One and Xbox 360 sale below. Now get out there and save some money.
It seems Thanos' way of thinking is starting to take root. In Avengers: Infinity War the Mad Titan gathered the all-powerful Infinity Stones with a goal to wipe out half of all life in the universe so that a balance can be struck, and remaining life can prosper. Now, it seems Reddit users have found inspiration in his thinking, and are on the cusp of their own purge. Warning: This story contains spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War.
The subreddit r/thanosdidnothingwrong (firstly, wow, not cool) is currently home to 625,584 users, but half will be banned with a click of a mouse button. This would mark one of the biggest banning sprees in Reddit history, and the event has attracted a great deal of attention--most notably from Josh Brolin, the actor who played Thanos in Infinity War.
Topless, from the comfort of a bed, and with pristine looking hair, Brolin recorded a short message for the subreddit in which he stares directly into the camera and then executes his notorious finger snap--the same gut-wrenching finger snap that tore the Marvel Cinematic Universe asunder a few months ago. Content with his contribution, a wry smile appears on his face--he's done it again.
Except, this time the mass obliteration of life wasn't instant. Although the banning will occur today, July 9, the exact time of when over 300,000 users on r/thanosdidnothingwrong will crumble to dust hasn't been revealed. The video was posted to the subreddit by Joe Russo, one half of the duo directing the next Avengers movie, which means he could also be banned. Let's hope he doesn't take it too hard, who knows what it could mean for the production of Avengers 4.
While little is known about the next entry in Marvel's blockbuster movie series, there have been a few clues for us to work with. Read our article on Everything We Know About Avengers 4 to learn more.
Actors, filmmakers, and figures from comic book industry have been playing tribute to legendary artist Steve Ditko, who died this weekend at age 90. Ditko was best known for the Marvel characters Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, which he created alongside Stan Lee. It was Ditko who created Spidey's distinctive blue-and-red costume, and the character remains one of the most popular superheroes of all time.
Tom Holland is the latest actor to portray Spidey on the big screen, and he paid tribute to Ditko's legacy. "We all want to leave our mark on the world--this guy crushed it," he tweeted. "He made so many people so happy and changed lives--most of all, mine! Thank you Steve--your life lives on man, thank you."
Baby Driver and Hot Fuzz director Edgar Wright also praised Ditko's influence, and also acknowledged that while his creations changed popular culture, he personally never made much of a financial gain from them. "RIP to comic book legend Steve Ditko, beyond influential on countless planes of existence'" he said. "He never truly profited from his comic creations that have lasted for decades, but his work will never be forgotten."
There was praise from other high profile filmmakers. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn described Ditko as "one of my very favorite comic book artists," while Clerks director and host of AMC's Comic Book Men Kevin Smith mentioned some of Ditko's other creations. "Spider-Man. Dr. Strange. The Question. The Creeper. Shade the Changing Man. Hawk & Dove. He worked with @Marvel AND @DCComics," Smith tweeted. "Such an astounding imagination and the awesome ability to back it up. Thank you #SteveDitko, for sharing your genius and enriching American Pop Culture."
Other figures from the world of comic books also paid tribute to Ditko. Sandman creator Neil Gaiman said, "Steve Ditko was true to his own ideals. He saw things his own way, and he gave us ways of seeing that were unique. Often copied. Never equalled. I know I'm a different person because he was in the world."
Award-winning writer and artist Brian Michael Bendis, who was one of the creators of the Ultimate Marvel Universe and wrote Ultimate Spider-Man, spoke about the time he made contact with Ditko. "I spoke to Steve Ditko on the phone once," he said. "I've talked about it often I got to thank him for creating Spider-man and putting food on my table. I hope he really heard me."
In related news, Holland recently revealed that the title of Marvel's next Spider-Man movie will be Spider-Man: Far From Home. It hits theaters in July next year. In addition, Insomniac's upcoming game Spider-Man launches September 7 exclusively for PlayStation 4.
One of Fortnite's most sought-after skins is now available again, for a limited time. The Red Knight skin is available in the Item Shop now, after a long absence since February. This version of the Red Knight appears to be missing her back bling, the Red Shield, but Epic says it's aware of the problem and will be granting it to anyone who has purchased the skin.
The Red Knight has been an enviable rarity for months. It hasn't appeared on the store since February. Some fans on Twitter have even expressed some annoyance that it's coming back at all, since seeing it had become such a rare treat. The new version of the Red Knight is available for 2,000 V-Bucks, just like the original, and has a matching Crimson Axe for 800 V-Bucks. Another new legendary skin, Criterion, is also available for 2,000 and includes the back bling Stabilizer. You can see both skins below.
Meanwhile, Fortnite Season 5 is just around the corner, and Epic is once again teasing the big world-changing event with weird happenings around the map. It already threw a curve-ball with a missile launch that cracked the sky, so where this all ends up now is anybody's guess. You can help ring in the transition to a new season by making a fan film and winning some V-Bucks in the process.
The Week 10 challenges are now live, and you only have until next Wednesday to finish all of Season 4's challenges if you own a battle pass. Check out the season rewards to see what you can earn for your trouble.
A new season of Fortnite: Battle Royale is quickly approaching, but before it arrives, Epic has rolled out one final set of challenges for Season 4. Week 10's challenges are now available across all platforms--PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile--and, as usual, they consist of seven different objectives that run the gamut from straightforward tasks to more involved treasure hunts. Here's how to clear all of this week's challenges and unlock the remaining Battle Pass rewards before Season 5 begins.
The trickiest of the bunch is a Hard challenge that simply asks players to search between movie titles, which may give you some trouble if you don't know where to look. The area in question is just northeast of Junk Junction, where a cluster of buildings, including a movie studio, is located. Follow the dirt path that's south of Junk Junction to the east until you come upon the three-way fork north of the aforementioned buildings. The Battle Star can be found in a small patch of dirt to your right (south). You can see this in the map below or follow along in the video above. Either way, all you have to do is run up to the star and collect it in the same way you'd open a chest.
While you're in the area, you can work toward clearing another challenge that asks you to search seven chests in Junk Junction. This task doesn't need to be completed in a single match, so you can repeatedly drop there at the start of a round and open chests until you reach the requisite number. Another challenge has you search a chest, Ammo Box, and Supply Drop, although this one does need to be completed in a single match.
The other potentially tricky challenge this week is to skydive through 20 floating rings. This one will certainly require multiple attempts; the rings appear at three different elevations (which are denoted by different colors), so you'll potentially only be able to rack up three of them in a single go. Fortunately, you can have your glider out to ensure you easily dive through the center of the rings, so all you'll need to do is play enough rounds and you'll be able to complete the challenge.
The remaining challenges are fairly self-explanatory. One tasks you with eliminating three opponents in Fatal Fields, while another challenges you to eliminate 10 opponents total. Both are labeled as Hard and are worth 10 Battle Stars each. The final challenge has you deal damage to opponents' structures, which can most easily be accomplished using explosives or the Minigun. You can find the full list of Week 10 challenges below.
Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale begins on July 12. You'll have until then to complete any remaining challenges from Season 4 and unlock new skins, gliders, emotes, and other Battle Pass rewards. If you still need help clearing any of this seasons tasks, be sure to check out our complete Season 4 challenge guide.
Fortnite Season 4, Week 10 Challenges
Search Chests in Junk Junction (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Deal damage to opponents' structures (5,000) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search a Chest, Ammo Box, & Supply Box in a single match -- 5 Battle Stars
Skydive through floating Rings (20) -- 5 Battle Stars
Hard: Search between movie titles -- 10 Battle Stars
New challenges are now available in Epic Games' Fortnite: Battle Royale, including one that involves a treasure map in Haunted Hills. Season 4 has nearly concluded, but you still have time to take on challenges if you own the Battle Pass. Week 9 challenges are live across all platforms, providing a slate of seven more objectives for you to complete if you own the Season 4 Battle Pass on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, or mobile. Here's where to find the aforementioned treasure and how to complete all the other challenges now available.
Week 9's trickiest challenge tasks you to follow the treasure map found in Haunted Hills. Provided you want to do things by the book, you'll first head to Haunted Hills to get a look at the map, which is pictured below. The map can be found in one of two locations: in a small building just south of the church, or underneath the larger building on the western side. Either way, here's what you'll see:
If you know the island's map well, you may recognize this as showing the silhouettes of Junk Junction's... junk. Fortunately, that area is located just north of Haunted Hills. Either make your way there next or drop in at the start of the match, and head toward a stack of cars near the northern wall, as directed by the X on the treasure map. Get to the top of the pile and you'll see the treasure waiting to be picked up. Grab it just as you would open a chest and the challenge is complete.
Epic considers this to be a Hard-tier challenge, which is good news for you--doing it will net you a total of 10 Battle Stars. That helps to rank up your Battle Pass and get your hands on Fortnite's Season 4 skins and rewards. With Season 5 set to begin in early July, you'll want to squeeze what you can get out of the current Battle Pass as the rocket threatens to strike.
You can check out a complete list of Week 9 challenges below. These are, for the most part, quite straightforward, tasking you with eliminating opponents with shotguns, elimination opponents in Anarchy Acres, using a shopping cart (luckily, these have been re-enabled), searching chest in Moisty Mire, and dealing explosive weapon damage. One that might give you some difficulty is visiting the center of named locations in a single match. These are marked by large blue beacons, and you'll know you've reached the center when you see a new flag in the center of the area change to your banner.Your best bet to complete this may be to simply stay outside the storm circle and avoid other players as much as possible.
Fortnite Week 9 Challenges
Deal damage with Explosive Weapons to opponents (500) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search Chests in Moisty Mire (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Use a Shopping Cart -- 5 Battle Stars
Visit the center of Named Locations in a Single Match (4) -- 5 Battle Stars
Hard: Follow the treasure map found in Haunted Hills -- 10 Battle Stars
Activision Blizzard's Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy maintains its position at the top of the UK sales chart in the week ending July 7, holding off competition from Jurassic World: Evolution, which settles for No. 2.
As detailed by Chart-Track, Ubisoft has two games in the top 10, with The Crew 2 at No. 3 and Far Cry 5 further down the ranking at No. 8. EA's FIFA 18 finishes the week at No. 18, no doubt helped by ongoing excitement around World Cup, while Mario Tennis Aces follows it at No. 5.
Sony's God of War spends its 12th week on the chart at No. 6, followed by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch at No. 7. Rounding off the top 10 are Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Bethesda's Fallout 4 at No. 9 and No. 10 respectively.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of UKIE and Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Pokemon Quest, the free-to-play Pokemon game featuring cube-shaped creatures, has reached a big new download milestone. The game has picked up more than 7.5 million downloads since it was released in May, the Pokemon Company has announced. The game is available on Nintendo Switch, as well as iOS and Android; it's free on all platforms.
It reached 1 million downloads in its first two days alone on Nintendo Switch, The Pokemon Company added. The company did not provide a breakdown of downloads between Nintendo Switch and the mobile editions.
Set on Tumblecube Island, Pokemon Quest features cube-style versions of the original 151 Pokemon, including Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur.
Like other free-to-play games, or, "free-to-start," as Nintendo calls them, Pokemon Quest is supported by microtransactions. You can pay real money to buy items and packs that help speed up your progress in the game. Download numbers are important for free-to-play games, but more important is how much money has come in from microtransactions.
As you would expect, The Pokemon Company has not shared any details about how much money Pokemon Quest has brought in. Independent research firm SensorTower recently reported that Pokemon Quest for iOS and Android made more than $3 million from microtransactions during its first week.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has cleared a dino-sized box office milestone. The action movie has now made more than $1 billion globally. It's pulled in $304.8 million in the US and Canada and a further $700.7 million internationally to push its global haul to $1.005 billion, according to Deadline. Notably, the movie is not out yet in Japan, so the figure stands to grow further still.
It's the third movie of 2018 to reach $1 billion. The other two are Avengers: Infinity War ($2.038 billion) and Black Panther ($1.346 billion), so Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the first non-Disney movie of 2018 to reach $1 billion.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was directed by J.A. Bayona and stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard who return from 2015's smash hit Jurassic World. That movie, which was directed by Colin Trevorrow, made more than $1.6 billion worldwide, so the sequel still has some work to do to catch it.
A third Jurassic World movie is due in 2021, and it brings back Trevorrow to direct. The third one will go in a different direction to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. "If I could contextualize each film, I would say Jurassic World was an action adventure, Fallen Kingdom is kind of a horror suspense film, and Jurassic World 3 will be a science thriller in the same way that Jurassic Park was," he said.
Jurassic Park was released in 1993, with sequels The Lost World: Jurassic World and Jurassic Park III coming out in 1997 and 2001, respectively. They are all based on the work of author Michael Crichton.
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