The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is fast approaching, and while it doesn't have a traditional campaign, it does have two Zombies storylines. At launch, the fan-favorite mode will have both the returning Aether story, which consists of the Blood of the Dead map, and the new Chaos story, which spans the Titanic-themed Voyage of Despair map and the Roman Gladiator-themed IX map.
We recently spoke to Treyarch's senior executive producer Jason Blundell and lead writer Craig Houston about Black Ops 4's take on Zombies, how writing for the mode works, and the most bizarre things that made it into the games. The two have been working together for 17 years and, as they put it, have a very particular brand of British and Scottish humor. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Is there a connection between the Chaos storyline and the previous Zombies story?
Jason Blundell: I can absolutely confirm that the Chaos story is in no way connected to the Aether story.
Craig Houston: Other than sharing space.
JB: Well, they do share a connection there. They are on the same disc. Yep, that's true.
Are there Easter eggs in Blood of the Dead that fans can look forward to?
CH: Lots. I think the thing we started talking about was, over these last 10 years the Aether story involving Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai has been a very involved, time-traveling, multidimensional thing of craziness that has a beginning, middle, and end. But we left a lot of very deliberate gaps so that we could revisit, and Blood of the Dead is definitely one of those. It's nice to see the speculation in the community about exactly where it sits in our chronology. All will be revealed. But in terms of Easter eggs, it's gonna change people's understanding of some of the things we have seen and perceived so far.
JB: In the article, can you put a little star next to the bit where Craig says, "All will be revealed?" And it says, "Jason says, 'Not really.'"
CH: Lots will be revealed.
JB: Yes. Some things will be revealed.
CH: A thing will be revealed.
JB: With Easter eggs, it's like the Easter Bunny just ran around Alcatraz throwing things around.
CH: Which is true of everything we're doing in Black Ops 4. We're trying to return to a lot of old-school Easter eggs in terms of audio logs and things like that, rather than just giving people impossible-to-solve ciphers so Jason can show off his brain.
JB: That's a very good point. Let me do the serious answer to that. [laughs] As we got to the end of Black Ops 3, especially toward the end of the Aether story, we had to make Easter eggs more and more difficult to kind of slow down or control the drip of information to the community. So we started to utilize a lot more ciphers, because that would slow it down. You have to do math problem solving and so forth. Going into the new stages with the Chaos story, we eventually took our mentality back to the beginning of Aether where it was more about pressing X on things, or reading things that we had on textures, or stuff we'd hide in the world. So those stories have different mentalities now. You'll see a lot more "traditional" ways of hiding stuff for the players. But the thing about the Blood of the Dead is, you know there's a couple of ciphers around for the fans who enjoy that part of it.
Do you guys, and does the team in general, feel pressure for Zombies and for making some really fantastic Zombies storylines considering that Black Ops 4 doesn't have a traditional campaign?
CH: The pressure's always been there, on Zombies, as it's grown. Because it took off so early on, as the little bonus map in World at War. You know, with every iteration, we just really tried to push it further and further, both gameplay-wise and narrative and everything. So, given that the love for that kind of feels natural, we're just doing it even more so this time.
A lot more writing goes into the Zombies stuff than in writing something like World at War.
[...] I think in narrative terms, as well, to be perfectly honest--a lot more writing goes into the Zombies stuff than in writing something like World at War. Because in a linear campaign, characters don't talk as much as they do in those kinds of modes as they do in Zombies, because Zombies is constantly evolving and constantly changing. You need lines dialogue for people who've gotten very good at the game and are getting headshots from 20 meters, and you need lines of dialogue for people like me and Jason [who] need help.
So the sheer volume of dialogue, which is not just on the player characters but is also in Easter eggs, that ends up being a pretty massive chunk of work. The world building and planning for the mythologies that we're exploring is really quite significant.
JB: And Craig and I both have that campaign background. In terms of the level of engagement, and the kind of narrative exploration, we actually scaled up our narrative team for the Zombie work.
CH: I've got a good one: Zombies is a world that you can live in, not just pass through. [laughs] You know what I mean. Campaigns are often a one-and-done thing.
JB: Yeah. Zombies is more of a state of mind than a methodology. Is that what you're saying, Craig?
CH: No, I wasn't.
JB: I know. Thank you.
Is the writers' room always this bantery?
CH: Well, whenever Jason and I get together, it is. But when I'm working with other writers I try to be a bit more serious and encourage them to write, not just make jokes.
JB: We're just putting on a show for you. We're actually very serious, boring individuals.
CH: In all fairness, though, I think we do have--well maybe it's a British thing, but our disagreements are usually solved through ridicule. Jason suggests an idea, and if I don't like it I go straight to ridicule. "Oh, you think that's a good idea, do you? Think that up in the shower, did you? Oh, it writes itself, doesn't it, Jason?"
What is the weirdest thing you thought up that still made it into Zombies?
CH: Thousands? I mean the fact that you've got a golden spork in Mob of the Dead.
The golden spork.
JB: Oh yeah, the golden spork was good. The idea of a, what, 1960? When was the spork invented? I don't know.
CH: I don't know.
JB: Kind of a utilitarian utensil. The combination of a spoon and a fork. It just blows me away. Still to this day it seems like a greater achievement than the moon landing.
CH: Yeah, and there's so many. I don't think there's a bar where anything is too silly. I mean, Richtofen cut out Maxis's brain and put it in a drone. And then flew it into a dimensional portal. So if you can do that kind of thing...
JB: That's like a normal day at work.
JB: [pauses] I dunno. All of them, really. I always say, when it comes to Zombies development--not only the way we work with the team but also how we direct it as well--which is that it has to feel like the inmates are running the asylum. It's gotta feel like a mode where--and I say this [hoping for] forgiveness here with Activision on the line--like they've not got any control over us and it's a bunch of madmen making a mode. So I think that speaks to people in a certain way. And that's the spirit we keep on going, that kind of rock-and-roll attitude. That kind of, "Yeah we're not really going to listen to what the official advice should be for this, but this is the way it is."
Nickelodeon's hugely popular animated kids show Dora the Explorer is getting a live-action makeover, and the first image has been released. The movie stars Transformers: The Last Knight's Isabela Monar as the intrepid Dora, who embarks on an adventure with her pals.
Dora the Explorer is now in production in Australia and hits theaters on August 4, 2019. The image shows Monar as an older Dora, but with her familiar haircut, clothes, and backpack. Check it out below:
Paramount has also released a synopsis for the movie. It reads: "Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents nothing could prepare Dora for the most dangerous adventure ever--High School. Always the explorer, Dora quickly finds herself leading Boots (her best friend, a monkey), Diego, and a ragtag group of teens on a live-action adventure to save her parents and solve the impossible mystery behind a lost Inca civilization."
Dora the Explorer is directed by James Bobin, who is best known for movies such as The Muppets and Alice Through The Looking Glass, plus the musical TV comedy Flight of the Conchords. It also features hugely popular Mexican star Eugenio Derbez as "a mysterious jungle inhabitant," plus Micke Moreno (Escobar: Paradise Lost) as Diego, Adriana Barraza (Babel, Thor), and Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Moana).
Dora the Explorer ran from 2000 to 2014 for 14 seasons and 172 episodes, and spawned the spin-off shows Dora and Friends: Into the City! and Go, Diego, Go! And if you can't wait for the movie, you can check out this hilarious spoof trailer for a fake live-action Dora film, which was made in 2012 and starred Modern Family's Ariel Winter.
GameSpot can reveal that Grasshopper Manufacture and GungHo Online Entertainment are bringing their free-to-play hack-and-slash RPG, Let It Die, to PC. Originally an exclusive for the PlayStation 4, the PC version of the game will launch via Steam this fall.
Let It Die puts you in the role of a poor soul who--while under the guidance of a skateboarding grim reaper named Uncle Death--is tasked with climbing a tower filled with enemies and traps. Initially your character is just running around in their underwear, so it's paramount you find more powerful pieces of armor or weaponry to increase your chance of survival. You'll have to manage your character's bodily needs as well, scavenging for food to replenish health.
Let It Die's defining mechanic is "death data." If your character dies, you lose everything and are sent back to square one. However, your previous character and every item and weapon that was on them at the time of death is saved to Let It Die's servers and circulated throughout other player's games. Other players can then encounter the spectral remains of your previous character as a powerful enemy. Likewise, in your game, you can run into the ghosts of the characters of other players.
Let It Die has proven popular in recent years, reaching two million player downloads in February 2017 and four million in April 2018. We imagine that number is only going to go up with the game's release on PC.
Both Grasshopper and GungHo continue to support Let It Die, updating the game and patching bugs. Grasshopper is also currently working on Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes while GungHo is developing Ninjala. Both titles are scheduled to launch for Nintendo Switch, the former in 2018 and the latter--which we covered as one of the 21 stellar games you probably missed out on from E3--in 2019.
Bethesda showed off the first Doom Eternal gameplay footage during the QuakeCon 2018 keynote. It's as fast, frantic, and gory as you'd expect if you've played the game's 2016 predecessor. What the publisher didn't mention onstage--but the official Doom Twitter account tweeted shortly after the presentation--is that Doom Eternal is also coming to Nintendo Switch.
It's already been confirmed for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. In fact, you can pre-order Doom Eternal on those platforms right now. But the news that it's also coming to Nintendo Switch is something Bethesda hadn't confirmed yet.
Not that it's entirely unexpected. Bethesda had the development studio Panic Button Games bring Doom and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus to the Nintendo Switch. If a seemingly tongue-in-cheek tweet from Panic Button is any indication, the same company is also handling the Switch version of Doom Eternal.
Bethesda hasn't announced a specific release date for any version of Doom Eternal; all we know is it's coming sometime in 2019. It's not clear if the Switch version will come out on the same day as the other versions, either. The Switch version of Wolfenstein II arrived eight months after it landed on the other platforms.
For full coverage of all the Doom Eternal news coming out of QuakeCon 2018, including a new trailer and lots of gameplay footage, click here.
Bethesda has shown off the first gameplay video for Doom Eternal, the sequel to the 2016 reboot. The follow-up was originally announced during Bethesda's E3 2018 press conference with a cinematic trailer--albeit an exciting one. This trailer was shown once again during the QuakeCon keynote, before game director Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin appeared on stage to discuss the sequel.
Once again, Doom Eternal will be about killing monsters with badass guns, and for the sequel the Doom Slayer will be the "strongest, most badass hero" id Software has ever created. The Slayer has had a makeover and has a new weapon called the Ballista, which can spear demons with an explosive bolt. There's going to be plenty of new weapons in Eternal, and id Software has created new enemies for players to face. Old favourites have been updated, and some have been reimagined, such as the arachnids. They also showed off a new character called the Marauder, who looks a lot like the Doom Slayer--and there's a story behind that, the developers teased. A new system called "Destructible Demons" was also briefly mentioned, and it'll help players "rip and tear" through enemies.
The gameplay video began with the slayer once again putting on his helmet and activating systems. He takes a look at the new blade mounted on his left arm, before loading his shotgun again. Before long he's staring into a massive world where buildings are crumbling and monsters float around the sky. Seconds later, he's latching onto enemies and grappling around, shooting them to bits up-close.
The previous game's loop of dealing damage and then finishing enemies with a melee attack is back, and some new animations have been introduced to make use of the arm-mounted blade. The action looks fast and visceral, which is to be expected from the sequel. This time, however, there looks to be more of an emphasis on moving around seamlessly, as the grapple is used to get to high ground to take out threats.
Larger enemies are shredded to bits by gunfire, and there's also a new mechanic where Doom Slayer is able to climb walls. His mobility is further enhanced by a short-range dash, which is handy for closing the distance on enemies and building momentum. In the demo the Doom Slayer very quickly goes through an assortment of deadly weapons. Along with the arm blade and shotgun, there was a shoulder-mounted flamethrower, a rocket launcher, a sniper-rile, and a grenade launcher.
Amidst the violence there was a moment of levity, when an announcement said, "Remember, 'Demons' can be offensive, refer to them as 'mortally challenged.'"
The Slayer is then shown getting the Blood Punch power-up, which was then used to hit enemies with crushing melee blows. This fit nicely into the frantic leaping around platforms, using floating enemies as grapple points, and shredding anything and everything with lead.
At the very end of the second section of gameplay, it was confirmed that you can invade demons and take control of them. This ability goes as far as letting players team up with demons to form hunting parties. Doom Eternal will allow players to join friends to invade or be invaded, but you can also choose to play alone.
The environment shown during the demo was referred to as Hell on Earth, and it is just one of the "many" places that the game will take players. Id Software has promised it will take players to places they've never seen in a Doom game. The studio said it is building a Doom universe, instead of just another entry in the series. One of the new areas shown is Phobos, a space station that is being besieged by demons. As you enter, people are shocked to see you, stepping out of the way and regarding you with awe. The Slayer uses a red keycard to enter an restricted area, snatching a gun out of the hands of a befuddled guard.
Descending onto the surface of the planet, the Slayer stares out at a giant laser as a voice over comms says, "Warning, the Slayer has entered the facility." Of course, that's when the killing starts. Demons are dispatched with ruthless efficiency, as the Slayer zips around industrial tunnels, launching grenades to obliterate bigger enemies, while using a plasma rifle to pick off the smaller ones. The action only escalates, with demons being set ablaze, picked off using a sniper rifle, and exploded using charged bolts. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect to see in a sequel to Doom. The gameplay video ends with the arrival of a new enemy that summons a wall of fire, just as the Slayer draws an energy sword and leaps at it.
Another detail confirmed about Doom Eternal is that it will run at at 60 frames per second, which is nice given the highly-demanding nature of its first-person shooting.
Little had been said about Doom Eternal since its reveal at E3 until now. However, producer Marty Stratton and creative director Hugo Martin did reveal that it would build off the previous game, taking its satisfying, fast-paced combat and pushing it further forward. This time, the Doom Slayer will be even more powerful and the types of enemies have doubled. Doom Eternal will also take place on Earth, though we imagine you'll be taking regular trips to other hellish dimensions too.
Id Software's 2016 Doom was a very successful reboot of one of the most iconic and acclaimed first-person shooters of all time. In GameSpot's Doom review Peter Brown said, "Without a doubt, the loud and chaotic campaign is Doom's strongest component."
He continued: "It's straightforward and simple, but it serves its purpose: to thrust you into increasingly dire scenarios fueled by rage and the spirit of heavy metal. Many shooters chase the thrill Doom delivers, but few are as potent in their execution. It captures the essence of what made the classic Doom games touchstones of their day, and translates it to suit modern palates with impressively rendered hellscapes and a steady influx of tantalizing upgrades.
"Doom is the product of a tradition as old as shooters, and while it's not the model to follow in every case, modern shooters could learn a thing or two from Doom's honed and unadulterated identity."
With Lauren Cohan set to exitThe Walking Dead this season, alongside original star Andrew Lincoln, the actress has been careful to note this isn't necessarily the last fans of her will see on the show. Instead, she says Maggie's story is left "open-ended." That's a massive change of course, given that most departing characters on The Walking Dead wind up dead or turning into zombies.
Now, after wrapping her final scenes on the series, for now, Cohan opened up to GameSpot about saying goodbye to The Walking Dead. "I've been really busy, so I've been definitely distracted from getting too much into my thoughts about it," she tells GameSpot while promoting her new film Mile 22. "But I had a lot of time to think about it before I came back to Walking Dead this season. And what the show means to me, what my family there means to me, what my time there has meant, and how this role has impacted my life which is immeasurable."
As for the decision to keep Maggie's fate on the series open-ended, she's quick to note it doesn't mean she'll return to the show, though that is certainly a possibility. Instead, Cohan feels like this is the proper way to say goodbye to Maggie, as the show reaches the end of her story at this point.
"It feels like the greatest way to honor it is to keep it open-ended because whether it's about me going back as Maggie or whether it's about me just taking in, absorbing, and honoring everything I've learned there," she says. "It never leaves me. It will never, ever leave me. And that is I think the greatest compliment you can give to anything and to any group of people because we all came together to make something that we didn't know was going to have this success that it did."
In many ways, she also grew up as an actor on the show. "It taught me to trust in such an important, creative way," she explains. "I don't think I can ever shake that. Once you have an experience like that, it really dictates the measure of how you want to connect with people going forward in my work."
Now, as she looks to life after the zombie apocalypse, Cohan is stretching her acting wings. Whether it's the espionage drama Whiskey Cavalier she's starring in on ABC or her new action movie Mile 22, in which she stars alongside Mark Wahlberg and Ronda Rousey, she's taking on projects a far cry from characters simply trying to survive in a dying world.
"I feel so honored that [director Peter Berg] wanted me to be involved in Mile 22 and that Mark wanted me to be involved in Mile 22," she says. "It was a quick casting process. I made my tape and then I had a little bit of feedback that Pete liked it and wanted to meet me. And when I sat down to meet with him, he told me there on the spot that I had the part. I was so overwhelmed with pride that he wanted me to be involved in one of his projects. And somebody that I respect so much, I was just pinching myself."
Judging by how well it was received, it's no real surprise that the 2016 shooter Doom is getting a sequel. Much like its predecessor, Doom Eternal will feature fast-paced first-person combat, new and classic demon enemies, and an array of firepower, all set to a heavy metal soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon. The game is set to launch sometime in 2019, but you don't have to wait until launch to reserve a copy for yourself.
If you're ready to lock in your pre-order, you can already do so at a number of retailers. Read on to find out where it's available, how much it costs, and what to expect from your pre-order.
No Pre-Order Bonuses Announced Yet
Since Doom Eternal isn't releasing until some yet-to-be-revealed date in 2019, it's entirely possible Bethesda will include some kind of pre-order bonus--the company just hasn't announced yet anything to that effect.
Pre-Order Doom Eternal Standard Edition
No additional editions for Doom Eternal have been announced yet, so the standard edition is the only one you can pre-order at the time of this writing. As you might assume, it just comes with the game itself. Here's where you can pre-order the standard edition of Doom Eternal now, and how much it costs.
Amazon -- $60 ($48 with Amazon Prime) -- PS4 | Xbox One | PC
Bethesda has announced it has acquired Escalation Games, the Dallas-based studio that contributed to the development of Skyrim VR, Fallout VR, and Skyrim Switch. It will know be known as Bethesda Dallas, as confirmed by during QuakeCon 2018. Bethesda Dallas is currently working on Fallout 76, The Elder Scrolls: Blades, and the company's brand new property, Starfield.
Sadly, those eager to hear more about Starfield, which is an ambitious sci-fi role-playing game, were left wanting, as there was no further discussion about the game. This doesn't come as a surprise, as Bethesda was very coy about it when it debuted at E3 2018. Producer Todd Howard previously said that Starfield has been in development for years, and it's a game that Bethesda feels uniquely positioned to pull off.
We don't expect to see or hear about Starfield for a while, as both Howard and Bethesda's marketing boss Pete Hines asked fans to be patient. "We've been talking about it for a decade, we started putting things on paper five, six years ago, and active development was from when we finished Fallout 4, so two and a half, three years," Howard said. "Everyone should be very patient [for Starfield and Elder Scrolls 6]. It's gonna take a while for what we have in mind to come out."
On the other hand, QuakeCon will deliver more details about Fallout 76, the next major release from Bethesda. A Q&A session about Fallout 76 is set to take place on August 11, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET and series producer Todd Howard, along with other developers from Bethesda Game Studios, will be present to drop new details and also answer questions from fans. Bethesda has promised there will be also be a "deeper dive into the character system and Perks coming in Fallout 76."
Bethesda's annual fan event, QuakeCon, is back, and this year's convention promises to be the biggest one in the company's history. The event takes place this whole weekend, from August 9-12, and will feature panels, announcements, giveaways, developer interviews, and much more.
QuakeCon 2018 begins with The Elder Scrolls: Legends Masters Series qualifiers on Thursday, August 9, but the event will formally kick off with a big keynote address on Friday, August 10, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST. The presentation will provide new details on a number of Bethesda's recent and upcoming titles, including Quake Champions, Rage 2, and The Elder Scrolls Online, but the most exciting reveal will be the world premiere of Doom Eternal, the new sequel to the 2016 reboot.
There's an added incentive to tune in to the keynote; fans who've linked their Bethesda.net and Elder Scrolls Online accounts with their Twitch account will be eligible to win some prizes in various Bethesda games just for watching the presentation. You can find the full list of prizes here.
The following day, Bethesda will host a Q&A session about its highly anticipated online RPG, Fallout 76. The panel takes place on Saturday, August 11, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET and will feature Todd Howard and other developers from Bethesda Game Studios answering fan questions and providing a "deeper dive into the character system and Perks coming in Fallout 76."
In addition to the keynote and panels, Bethesda is hosting a Quake Champions tournament, which kicks off on Friday and continues into Sunday. The entire competition will be streamed live on the Quake Twitch account.
We got a whole lot of new information in the latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate-focused Nintendo Direct presentation. Among the announcements was that when the game launches on December 7, it will be available in a bundle called Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Limited Edition.
This version comes with the game itself, plus a Smash-branded GameCube controller and a USB adapter that lets players connect up to four GameCube controllers to their Switch. So far this bundle has only been announced for Europe, though it may come to the US as well. You can pre-order it here for £90.
A GameCube controller has been the preferred input for pro-level and diehard Smash Bros. players ever since Super Smash Bros. Melee came out for GameCube in 2001. Each main Nintendo console since then has supported the controller, as have all non-handheld installments of the Smash Bros. series.
The Limited Edition of the game comes in a big, wide box adorned with an image of dozens of fighters from the Smash Ultimate roster. As yet, no pricing information has been revealed.
Nintendo will also sell standalone Smash-themed GameCube controllers. You can pre-order one them now from Amazon for $30 each. If you're not planning to get the Limited Edition, make sure you also pre-order an adapter.
The world of Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom just got a little bigger, with the addition of the free "Adventure Pack." The new DLC adds some challenging new bosses and quests along with fresh loot to dress up your adventurers.
The challenge in the Adventure Pack takes place in the Faraway Forest Cave, which has been expanded with additional floors full of creatures and area to explore. It also includes two new bosses, named Blackhart and Zeta, some new costumes and other assorted rewards, and a set of new quests that can be taken on after you've finished the main story quest.
Though the DLC comes alongside a patch for the game, you'll need to download it separately to access all the goodies. Two more DLC packs are planned for release, but those will be paid DLC for season pass holders. They'll include a new dungeon and new story content, respectively. The season pass is available for $20.
GameSpot's Ni No Kuni 2 review gave the game an 8/10, and it appeared on our list of the best games of 2018 so far. Reviewer Peter Brown wrote, "It's chock full of excellent battles and surprising moments that make for a far more memorable experience than you initially expect and leaves you impressed by your own accomplishments. If you didn't play the first game, don't let this one pass you by too."
"The tone is a little different--they're more grounded with their mythology, and we're more magical," Jason Dozois, Shadow's narrative director, told GameSpot. "They're more humor-oriented and we're a bit more drama-oriented. I think we have a uniqueness on the exploration side."
The director also said he and the Eidos Montreal team are "huge fans of Uncharted." He continued: "I loved Uncharted 4, it was a lot of fun. Great storytelling and great character moments. It's fun to be in that world."
Following a tantalizingly brief teaser trailer back in March, Nintendo formally unveiled its next Super Smash Bros. game at E3 2018. The new installment in the beloved fighting series arrives on Nintendo Switch later this year, and while there are still undoubtedly many details we don't yet know about it, Nintendo revealed a ton of information about the game during its June presentation, giving us a good idea of what to expect.
To catch you up on everything Nintendo has revealed about the game so far, we've compiled everything we know about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate below, from the game's release date and new characters to the many changes being made to its gameplay. We'll continue to update this list as new details emerge, so be sure to check back for the latest information on Nintendo's highly anticipated mascot fighter.
Prior to its official reveal at E3, there was much speculation over whether Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be a new installment in the series or an expanded port of the Wii U entry, in the vein of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Nintendo cleared up any misconceptions during a Q&A session at the expo, confirming that Ultimate is indeed a brand-new title built for Nintendo Switch.
How Many New Characters Are There?
Nintendo revealed three new fighters debuting in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate during its E3 presentation: Inkling, Ridley, and Daisy. The first two are brand-new additions to the series, and both boast their own unique movesets and play styles that draw from their respective franchises. Inkling can splatter opponents with ink and use a variety of weapons from Splatoon, such as Splat Bombs and the Splat Roller, while Ridley can spew fire and spear other combatants with his tail.
Unlike the other two newcomers, Daisy isn't an entirely new addition to the roster, but rather an Echo Fighter--a clone of an existing character, in the vein of Lucina and Dark Pit. Her moveset and play style are based on Princess Peach, although she boasts some different characteristics to set her apart. As we learned during Nintendo's dedicated Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct in August, Echo Fighters can either be displayed as separate characters on the selection screen or stacked atop the fighter they're based on.
Everyone! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate features the largest roster in the series to date with more than 70 confirmed fighters (and presumably a couple of surprises still to be revealed). Every playable character who has ever appeared in a Smash Bros. game will return in Ultimate, including all of the DLC fighters released for the Wii U and 3DS installments--such as Bayonetta, Corrin, and Mewtwo--as well as third-party characters like Sonic, Cloud, and Street Fighter's Ryu.
The roster even encompasses characters who have previously only appeared in a single Super Smash Bros. game, including Pichu and Young Link (whose sole appearances were in 2001's Melee), and Wolf and Snake from 2008's Brawl. Longtime Metal Gear Solid voice actor David Hayter revealed he is reprising his role as the latter in Ultimate, and Snake's signature stage, Shadow Moses Island, has also been confirmed to return.
It's unclear just how many of these characters will be available from the outset; Nintendo teases that the starting roster could be as small as that of the first Super Smash Bros. for N64--eight characters--but an exact count has not been confirmed. However, the company says the conditions for unlocking characters have been streamlined this time around, and new fighters will be doled out frequently, giving players the feeling that they're constantly making progress.
How Many Stages Are There?
Nintendo confirmed during its August Direct presentation that there will be 103 different stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, each of which also boasts a Battlefield and Final Destination form. Taken together, this amounts to more than 300 levels to fight on. Moreover, Nintendo is introducing a new feature to the game called Stage Morph; when toggled on, it will cause one stage to transform into another in the middle of a match.
The majority of the stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are taken from previous installments in the series. Among those that have been confirmed thus far are Spirit Train and Tortimer Island from Super Smash Bros. for 3DS; Princess Peach's Castle and Great Bay from Melee; New Pork City and Frigate Orpheon from Brawl; and Mario Galaxy and Gaur Plain from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. That said, there will also be a handful of new stages in the game. At E3, Nintendo revealed Great Plateau Tower (based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) and Splatoon's Moray Towers, while the August Direct gave us a look at New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey and Simon Belmont's signature stage, Dracula's Castle.
What Else Is Different?
Aside from all of the new characters, stages, and items, Nintendo is making a ton of mechanical and balance changes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Game director Masahiro Sakurai says the amount of tweaks in the game could number in the "tens of thousands," and they range from subtle visual upgrades--like Wii Fit Trainer's refined face--to reworked movesets and other dramatic overhauls.
One of the most notable changes is the pace of the game. Combat in Ultimate feels speedier than in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, resulting in quicker and more intense matches. Moreover, Nintendo has introduced some new techniques, such as directional air dodges, and simplified other ones, like short hop attacks, improving the game's accessibility while also allowing for more skillful play. In keeping with this emphasis on speedier matches, players will dish out more damage in one-on-one battles, while those who excessively dodge will now be penalized with slowed dodge movement and a smaller window of invulnerability.
Most Final Smashes have also undergone some dramatic changes in Ultimate. Some existing specials, like Pikachu's Volt Tackle and Sonic's Super Sonic transformation, are now uncontrollable, lightning-fast attacks, while other characters have received new Final Smashes entirely. This time, Link fires a devastating Ancient Arrow, while Pit barrels through opponents in the Lightning Chariot. Nintendo says that nearly every Final Smash has been reworked in Ultimate to be more immediate, allowing players to get back into the fray more quickly.
Likewise, many returning characters have received significant overhauls in Ultimate, both in terms of their appearance and their movesets. Ganondorf, for instance, is modeled after his classic look in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and he now uses his sword for his smash attacks. Princess Zelda's new model is based on her appearance in A Link Between Worlds, and Link dons his Champion's Tunic from Breath of the Wild. Shulk can now choose Monado Arts directly rather than having to cycle through them, while Palutena's special attacks have been streamlined.
Can I Use GameCube Controllers?
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will support several different controller options, including the Switch Pro controller, a single Joy-Con, and many Smash fans' preferred gamepad, the GameCube controller. As was the case with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the latter will be compatible with the console via a separate adapter. This peripheral plugs into the Switch dock and works with both standard wired GameCube controllers and the wireless WaveBird.
Those who already own the Wii U GameCube controller adapter will be able to use it with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Switch. Nintendo will also release a new controller adapter later this year, along with a new line of Smash-branded wired GameCube controllers. Both are already available for pre-order from various retailers such as Amazon and GameStop; the adapter retails for $20, while the GameCube controllers run for $30 each.
Will It Work with Amiibo?
Nintendo confirmed Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will be compatible with the existing range of Smash Bros. Amiibo, and data saved to those figures will carry over to the new game. The company has also announced it will produce several new Smash Bros. Amiibo. During E3 2018, Nintendo showcased figures of Ridley and Inkling, two of the new fighters making their debut in Ultimate. The third new fighter announced for the game thus far, Daisy, will likewise receive an Amiibo, although it wasn't on display at E3.
In addition to the new figures, Nintendo announced it will also produce Amiibo for returning characters. The company has specifically confirmed Wolf, Ice Climbers, and Pichu will receive Amiibo, although that will presumably apply to other returning fighters, such as Young Link and Snake, as well. The Ridley, Inkling, and Wolf figures will launch alongside Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this December and retail for $16 each. Reprints of many previous Smash Bros. Amiibo will also be available later this year for $13.
Will I Need to Pay to Play Online?
While online play on Nintendo Switch has been free up until now, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (and other online-enabled games like Splatoon 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee) will require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription once the premium service rolls out this September. Subscriptions will be available for one month (US $4 / £3.49 / AU $6), three months (US $8 / £7 / AU $12), and 12 months (US $20 / £18 / AU $30). Nintendo will also offer a Family Plan, which allows up to eight accounts to share one membership for US $35 / £31.49 / AU $55 a year.
Will There Be DLC?
Nintendo hasn't given any indication as to whether or not it will release additional content for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, the most recent installments in the series received an extensive amount of DLC following their release, from new stages and characters to a wide assortment of Mii Fighter costumes, and it seems likely that Ultimate will get a similar level of post-launch support, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
When's the Release Date?
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch later this year, on December 7.
Each week the Nintendo Eshop gets a new set of deals on digital Nintendo Switch games. The discounts end at varying times, so if you see something you want, it's best to pick it up sooner rather than later. This week we don't get to save money on any big first-party titles, but some fine third-party and indie games are on sale. Here are the best Switch deals available on the Nintendo Eshop right now.
One of the biggest discounted games is Shovel Knight. If you only want a taste of this retro-style platformer, you can grab Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment for $8 (down from $10). It only contains the Specter Knight's campaign, though, so you'll miss out on campaigns for Shovel Knight, Plague Knight, and eventually King Knight, once that releases later this year. To get the full game, you'll need to buy Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, which is on sale for $20 (regularly $25).
Another big indie that's currently available for a discount is the roguelike RPG Darkest Dungeon. It's also $5 off, bringing it down to $20. This challenging turn-based game is drenched in gloom--which is a perfect tone for a quest that pushes your party to (or past) the brink of insanity.
On a brighter note, you can grab the new action-puzzle game Bomb Chicken for $9, or the relaxing Farming Simulator for $30. And if you're into party games, you can pick up The Jackbox Party Pack 4 for $15 or pre-order Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, which releases August 16 and is on sale for $13.50. There's also an open beta going on for Dragon Ball FighterZ between now and August 11.
We have more highlights from this week's Eshop sale below. To see even more discounted Switch games, plus a selection of 3DS and Wii U deals, click here.
We're more than halfway through 2018 now, but there are still plenty of games to look forward to this year. While summer has traditionally been a slow period for game releases, August stands as a stark exception to that rule, with a variety of great titles coming to each platform this month, from WarioWare Gold for 3DS to the console release of the critically acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin II and much more.
With so many releases on the way, it can be easy to lose track of all the great games coming over the next few weeks. We've rounded up a list of the biggest games launching this month below to give you a quick glimpse at some of the notable titles in store for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC in August 2018. For a look at all of the major games coming throughout the rest of the year, be sure to check out our complete list of game release dates in 2018.
Monster Hunter World (PC) -- August 9
Seven months after it debuted on PS4 and Xbox One, Capcom's acclaimed co-op RPG, Monster Hunter World, finally arrives on PC via Steam on August 9. The game comes with everything that was available when it first launched on consoles, with additional monsters, quests, and other content slated to arrive down the line via free updates. The PC version will also follow a different Event Quest schedule than its console counterparts.
This year's installment in EA's long-running football series, Madden NFL 19, arrives on August 10. The game is coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC, making it the first entry to release for the latter platform in more than a decade. Along with improved sweat graphics, Madden 19 boasts a new Real Player Motion Technology animation system for even more realistic player movements and introduces some new features to both Franchise and Ultimate Team modes.
World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth (PC) -- August 14
This month sees the arrival of World of Warcraft's seventh expansion, Battle for Azeroth. It lands on August 14, and along with raising the level cap to 120, it shakes the long-running MMO up in some major ways by introducing new continents to explore, raids to undertake, dungeons to plunder, and more. Ahead of its release, Blizzard rolled out a big pre-patch that introduced War Mode and kicked off a questline that sets the stage for the expansion.
The Dreamcast classics Shenmue I & II come to PS4, Xbox One, and PC together in one package this month. While not a proper remaster of the games, the collection does boast some improvements over the originals, including scalable screen resolution, the option to play with either modern or classic control schemes, an updated user interface, and Japanese or English voiceovers. The collection launches on August 21 for the budget price of $30.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Switch) -- August 28
While Monster Hunter World is coming to PC, the Nintendo Switch is getting its own Monster Hunter game this month: Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, an expanded version of Generations for 3DS. On top of all of the base content from the original 3DS release, Ultimate introduces new Hunting Styles, monsters, and the even more challenging G Rank quests. Players who have the 3DS game can also transfer their save data to the Switch version.
The second installment in the Yakuza series comes to PS4 this month as Yakuza Kiwami 2. Like the first Kiwami before it, Kiwami 2 is a complete remake of the PS2 title, built using the Dragon Engine that powered the series' latest installment, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Picking up one year after the events of the original Yakuza, Kiwami 2 finds protagonist Kazuma Kiryu once again caught up in inter-clan drama. The game launches on August 28.
A new month is underway, which means another pair of free Legendary Pokemon are now available for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. This time, The Pokemon Company is giving away the Ruby and Sapphire cover monsters Groudon and Kyogre as part of its ongoing Year of Legendary Pokemon promotion, but as usual, you'll only have a limited time to grab them.
As with previous distributions, the way to receive the Legendaries differs depending on where you live. Once again, US residents will need to travel to a specific retailer to pick up a free download code for the Pokemon. This time, the code will be available at participating GameStop stores from August 3-26. Pokemon fansite Serebii reports that players in the UK will need to travel to Game stores to get the code.
The Legendaries can be redeemed in any seventh-generation Pokemon game, but the one you receive will depend on which version you're playing. Those with either Sun or Ultra Sun will get Kyogre, while Moon and Ultra Moon players will get Groudon. Additionally, the Pokemon will come at different levels and know different attacks based on the game you own. You can see their movesets in each version below:
Pokemon Ultra Sun
Kyogre -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
Origin Pulse
Ice Beam
Water Spout
Calm Mind
Pokemon Sun
Kyogre -- Level 60
Ice Beam
Origin Pulse
Calm Mind
Muddy Water
Pokemon Ultra Moon
Groudon -- Level 100 (w/Gold Bottle Cap)
Precipice Blades
Earth Power
Fire Punch
Swords Dance
Pokemon Moon
Groudon -- Level 60
Earthquake
Precipice Blades
Bulk Up
Solar Beam
To claim your Legendary, you'll need to redeem the download code using the Mystery Gift feature from the games' main menu. After selecting Mystery Gift, choose the option to receive your gift with a code/password, and input the code you picked up from GameSpot. The Pokemon will then be downloaded into your game. Once those steps have been completed, you'll be able to pick your Pokemon up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.
Fortnite's 5.20 update has arrived for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. On top of introducing a new weapon and an assortment of gameplay tweaks to Battle Royale mode, it marks the start of the game's latest limited-time event: Steady Storm.
As its name implies, Steady Storm mode features one storm that continuously closes in on the island over the course of the entire match. Unlike a typical game of Battle Royale, there are no safe zones in Steady Storm, so players will have to stay on the move and keep track of the storm on the map in order to survive.
You can find more details about Steady Storm on Fortnite's official website. Epic hasn't specified how long the mode will be in the rotation, but limited-time events such as this generally run for about a week before they're replaced by a new mode. Such was the case with last week's Fly Explosives mode, which kicked off alongside the v5.10 content update.
In addition to Steady Storm, Epic has also made a couple of tweaks to Playground, Fortnite's ongoing sandbox-style mode. In particular, the developer has reverted chest and floor loot back to a single weapon spawn "in order to cut down on clutter." Additionally, Epic has added a Fill/No Fill option to the mode selector.
The other big addition in Fortnite's v5.20 update is a new weapon for Battle Royale: the Double Barrel Shotgun, a powerful new close-range weapon that "packs a punch with each of its 2 shots." Meanwhile, Save the World mode received new hero: Ragnarok, the Dark Viking. Save the World remains in paid early access.
Last week saw Final Fantasy's Behemoth cross over into Monster Hunter World, and now a monster from Capcom's series has invaded the world of Eorzea. The fearsome Rathalos has arrived as part of Final Fantasy 14's big 4.36 patch, which introduces an assortment of Monster Hunter-inspired content, along with a new area to explore in the Forbidden Land of Eureka, to the MMO.
Rathalos is the target of "The New King on the Block," a quest available to players who have reached level 70 and completed Stormblood's main campaign. If you meet those prerequisites, you can accept the mission by speaking to the hearty hunter found in Kugane.
The questline culminates in an eight-player battle against the dragon, which Square Enix says also "incorporates mechanics inspired by Monster Hunter World." Once Rathalos has been defeated, players can take on an even more challenging version of the fight that lowers the player count to four and introduces "additional hurdles to overcome."
Players who slay the Rathalos will be rewarded with a handful of Monster Hunter-inspired items, including a set of Rathalos armor, as well as a Rathalos mount. Players will also be able to get Poogie and Palico minions, Monster Hunter Orchestrion rolls, and BBQ Spit outdoor and indoor furnishings. You can read more details about the quest and rewards on Final Fantasy 14's website.
In addition to the Monster Hunter content, patch 4.36 adds a new area to the Forbidden Land of Eureka called Pagos. In order to travel to the new area, players will first need to have completed the Anemos story. Once that condition has been met, they can head to Pagos by speaking to Rodney near Pier #1 in Kugane.
Beyond the new 4.36 content, Final Fantasy 14 players also have the Moonfire Faire to look forward to soon. The annual summer event returns next week beginning August 13 and features an assortment of new and old event-exclusive items to obtain. This year's Moonfire Faire runs until 7:59 PM PT / 10:59 PM ET on Sunday, August 26.
Final Fantasy XIV's annual summer event is just around the corner. The Moonfire Faire returns next week, giving players a chance to complete special limited-time quests and earn exclusive summer-themed items.
The event kicks off next Monday, August 13, at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET and is scheduled to run for nearly two full weeks, concluding at 7:59 PM PT / 10:59 PM ET on Sunday, August 26. During the Moonfire Faire, players will be able to get a special splash emote and an assortment of new clothing and other items for their character and house. You can see the full list of them below.
Endless Summer Glasses (head gear)
Endless Summer Top (body gear)
Endless Summer Bottom (leg gear)
Endless Summer Sandals (feet gear)
Splash (emote)
Mosquito Moogle (tabletop item)
Curry Plate (tabletop item)
On top of the new items, players will have another chance to get their hands on some items from previous Moonfire Faires as well. During the event, a selection of older items will be available for purchase at Moonfire Faire vendors. Square Enix hasn't revealed which older items players will be able to get this time, although it's likely that some of last year's will be up for purchase.
To participate in the Moonfire Faire, you'll need to be at least level 30 and speak to Mayaru Moyaru in the Upper Decks of Limsa Lominsa to begin the "Jump to the Beach" quest and open the event. You can read more about this year's Moonfire Faire on the official Final Fantasy XIV website.
Before the Moonfire Faire rolls around, players have a different special event to embark on. Beginning August 7, Monster Hunter's Rathalos will appear as a new foe in Final Fantasy XIV. Players who are at least level 70 and have completed the Stormblood expansion's main campaign will be able to take on the "New King on the Block Quest," which will culminate in a fight against the fearsome monster. Those who manage to defeat it will be able to get Rathalos gear and a Rathalos mount. You can read more about the Monster Hunter crossover event here.
Pokemon Go's next Community Day is almost here. This month's event features Eevee and takes place across two days--August 11 and 12--rather than the usual one, and Niantic has revealed what special move the Evolution Pokemon will be able to learn during the event.
Despite being held across two days, August's events will still only run for three hours each day. During that period, Eevee will appear much more frequently in the wild, and each one you capture will know Last Resort--an attack it normally isn't able to learn. You'll also have a chance of encountering Shiny Eevee for the first time.
Eevee won't be the only Pokemon capable of learning Last Resort during this month's events, either. The Pokemon Company says that any Eevee that evolves between the time the Community Day begins on Saturday and ends on Sunday will also know Last Resort, so you'll need to take advantage of that extra time if you hope to pass the move on to the Pokemon's many evolutions.
In addition to increased Eevee spawns, players will be able to take advantage of a few other bonuses during this month's Community Days. Each Eevee you capture during the event hours will reward you with triple the normal amount of Stardust. Lure Modules will also last for three hours rather than their usual 30-minute duration.
Both of this month's Community Days will run during the same three-hour period each day, which will vary depending on where you live. You can see the full event hours for each region below, while more details can be found on the official Pokemon website.
A new in-game event is underway in Pokemon Go. Following the recent rollout of Lucky Pokemon, developer Niantic has kicked off a special trading-focused event that nets players extra Candy, XP, and other bonuses when they trade Pokemon with friends.
The event runs from now until 9 PM PT on August 19 (12 AM ET on August 20). During that time, all trades with friends--even those who you've only recently added--will cost 25% less Stardust than they normally do. This applies to both standard and Special trades, the latter of which are for Legendary or Shiny Pokemon.
As a further incentive to trade Pokemon with friends, you'll be able to earn more Candy than before--up to six Candies during every trade, according to Niantic. If you receive a Pokemon that wasn't previously registered in your Pokedex, you'll also net triple the usual amount of XP, making this a good opportunity to fill out any blank spaces in your collection.
The event is also especially handy if you're looking to get your hands on a Lucky Pokemon. These special variants can only be received through trades. They're denoted on the collection screen by a sparkling background and require less Stardust to power up than typical Pokemon. According to Niantic, the longer a Pokemon has been sitting in a player's storage, the higher its likelihood is of becoming a Lucky Pokemon when traded to another player.
Beyond the trading event, Pokemon Go players have a couple of other activities to look forward to in August. First is this month's Community Day, which takes place across two days--August 11 and 12--and features Eevee. Then, from August 29 - September 2, Niantic will host a special Safari Zone event in Yokosuka, Japan. Even if you can't attend in-person, you'll be able to take part in a series of Global Challenges during the event for a chance to unlock a special global reward.
The Pokemon Company has shared a new English trailer for Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee. This one focuses primarily on Mega Evolutions--which we recently learned would be returning in the upcoming games--as well as a few more familiar characters and places players will encounter on their journey across the Kanto region.
The trailer begins with a tour of Vermilion City, the home of the Electric-type Gym Leader, Lt. Surge. Just as in the original Pokemon Yellow version, Lt. Surge battles alongside a Raichu, but players must first solve a puzzle in his Gym before getting the opportunity to challenge him. The trailer also provides a quick glimpse of the S.S. Anne, the luxury cruise liner docked at Vermilion harbor at the time players first arrive in the city.
Team Rocket's infamous Jessie and James also briefly appear in the trailer, challenging the player to a double battle using their signature Pokemon, Ekans and Koffing. The villainous duo--along with Meowth--will have a recurring role in the Let's Go games, confronting players at various points throughout the adventure.
The trailer closes with a look at Mega Evolutions. As in the 3DS Pokemon games, players will be able to Mega Evolve a Pokemon during battle if they have a Key Stone and the Pokemon's corresponding Mega Stone. Mega Evolution is a temporary transformation that can only be triggered once per battle, but it grants the Pokemon a significant stat boost and often changes their type.
Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee launch for Nintendo Switch on November 16. Alongside the games, Nintendo is releasing a Poke Ball-shaped controller called the Poke Ball Plus, which can interact with both the Switch titles and Pokemon Go. Each Poke Ball Plus also comes with the Mythical Pokemon Mew. You can read more in our roundup of everything we know about Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee.
Alolan forms won't be the only Pokemon variants available in Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Let's Go, Eevee. The latest issue of CoroCoro magazine (via Pokemon fansite Serebii) has revealed the upcoming Nintendo Switch games will also feature Mega Evolutions, the powerful transformations introduced in Pokemon X and Y. [Update: The Pokemon Company has shared a new English trailer for the Let's Go games, showcasing Mega Evolutions in action.]
Details are scant at the moment, but it appears Mega Evolutions will function much the same as they do in X and Y and their follow-ups, Pokemon Sun and Moon. In those titles, players need to equip a Mega Stone to a corresponding Pokemon, which will allow it to Mega Evolve once per battle. Along with taking on a new appearance, Mega Evolving often changes a Pokemon's type and gives it a significant power boost.
CoroCoro reveals that the original three starter Pokemon--Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise--will be able to Mega Evolve in the Let's Go games. This will presumably also extend to other Gen 1 Pokemon capable of Mega Evolving, such as Pidgeot, Alakazam, and Gengar, although those have yet to be confirmed. It also remains to be seen if the Let's Go games will introduce any new Mega Evolutions to the series.
Additionally, the new issue of CoroCoro shared the first images of Lt. Surge, the Gym Leader of Vermilion City. Just as in the anime, he can be seen battling alongside Raichu. The magazine also provides another look at the returning Jessie and James of Team Rocket. This time, it appears the duo challenge players to a double battle.
When a game has as many potential outfit combinations as Fortnite, a lot of unforeseen issues can arise. According to an official post on the game's subreddit, one unfortunate fashion faux pas was causing crashing issues for players.
It seems that outfitting your character with a cloth Back Bling while decking them out in the Beef Boss skin could cause your game to crash. Developer Epic's original recommended solution was this: "Please avoid equipping any Back Bling with a cape appearance until we have a fix in place."
One Redditor replied, "Hey guys, don't try it! I wanted to test it and now my game keeps crashing."
Before long, Epic updated the post to suggest that players could use the mobile version of Fortnite Battle Royale to adjust their loadout without the game crashing.
Not even an hour later, the Fortnite Twitter account tweeted that developer Epic had implemented a hotfix to temporarily remove physics from cloth Back Blings. "This will prevent players from crashing when using these Back Blings with the Beef Boss skin until we have a proper fix in place."
So once again, players who favor the Beef Boss skin can equip cloth Back Blings without worrying about the game crashing. And if your cloth Back Bling looks a little funny until the real fix arrives, now you know why.
The game is well into Season 5 now, so if you'd like some assistance with challenges, you can check out our Fortnite Challenge Guide Season 5.
There are at least three skins, the first of which is her standard Tomb Raider II look featuring her teal tanktop, brown shorts, and pistols holsters. Another skin is for Lara's look in Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness where she wore a black tank and shorts. The third is Lara in a bomber jacket from Tomb Raider II. All of them are polygonal and look very dated, as they should. Square Enix has confirmed their existence in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but has not released any images or detailed how you can unlock them in the game.
A total of five classic Tomb Raider skins were included as a perk for the 20th Anniversary Edition of Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4. Square Enix will presumably have more details to share about the classic costumes for Shadow of the Tomb Raider soon, so keep checking back for that.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which is the final game in the new trilogy that started with 2013's Tomb Raider reboot, launches on September 14 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. A Nintendo Switch version is unlikely, according to Eidos Montreal.
For lots more on the opening hours of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, check out GameSpot's new impressions video above.
Don't get your hopes up about a Nintendo Switch version of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Eidos Montreal lead game designer Heath Smith tells GameSpot that the studio has "no plans" for a Switch edition of the new action-adventure game.
Smith said Eidos Montreal is putting all of its effort and focus on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. He added that he is a personally a big fan of Nintendo's hybrid console, but it wasn't the right fit for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, at least not right now.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the third and final game in the trilogy that started with the 2013 reboot from Crystal Dynamics that continued with Rise of the Tomb Raider. Those games were released before the Nintendo Switch launched in March 2017.
GameSpot has a lot of new content around Shadow of the Tomb Raider today, including impressions of the first five hours and new gameplay footage. For more, check out the video above to see new footage and hear what we thought.
Lara Croft's origins trilogy comes to a close with Shadow of the Tomb Raider where she's now hunting down the villainous organization known as Trinity, instead of piecing together their motives and escaping their grasp. The new game doesn't stray too far from what you've come to expect from this current era of Tomb Raider, though--beginning with the reboot in 2013 and the follow-up, Rise of the Tomb Raider. We spent about four hours with Shadow of the Tomb Raider at a preview event, and while we hoped some minor flaws would be addressed this time around, the best parts of the series' formula still shine through.
You can count on an action-adventure game about seeking ancient relics to bring you on a tour of exotic locations. The lush vegetation of Central and South America provides some wonderful exploration through branching paths and optional side quests, and makes the tried-and-true process of discovery feel refreshing. The dense foliage affords some creative approaches in combat like covering yourself up in mud to blend in or using overgrown vegetation as cover.
The tropical setting isn't solely tourist eye-candy either. One of the game's early hub areas, a Peruvian village called Kuwaq Yaku, showcases the rough nature of a small community holding itself together. We wish the expansive main hub Paititi was playable in the demo, because it's promising to see Shadow of the Tomb Raider create a more vibrant world than past games, with culture and society now a large part storytelling.
Lara's going to have to work with the locals to raid tombs and hunt Trinity down.
Puzzles have been a highlight of Tomb Raider, and the clever solutions that accompany them let you flex your mental prowess. Although the rewards don't seem too gratifying early on in Shadow, the process of unraveling the sequence of steps is the fun part. The fluidity of movement and combat is still intact, too. Slipping into cover at the last second or lining up an arrow for a kill just before getting spotted remains satisfying. However, if either aspect gives you too much trouble, the game allows you to tweak the difficulty of combat, puzzles, and exploration separately. Puzzle and exploration difficulty in particular affect the number of visual cues on screen, while combat difficulty affects enemy health and damage and resource availability.
Unfortunately, enemy behavior still leaves a bit to be desired. They'll often walk into dubious situations that are easy to exploit. One sequence allowed me to pull off a series of stealth kills off the ledge of a boardwalk since each enemy saw suspicious activity in my area. Patrol patterns and enemy placement don't offer much of a challenge, with many guards conveniently having their backs turned to Lara. We expect the action to ramp up, but there just isn't enough to chew on in the early stages.
Moments of close calls have gotten pretty stale in action-adventure games. The cliche of escaping death at the very last second to keep up the intensity would be fine if it was saved for key moments, but when they become too frequent--especially as a narrative device--it gets predictable. Shadow is filled with these close calls, even in the opening hours, and its effectiveness in ratcheting up tension wears thin. Even during normal gameplay, Lara will occasionally slip while scaling walls or jumping to ledges in which a QTE button prompt is your savior. Thankfully, an early ability that costs one skill point negates this altogether.
We had previously seen the early chapter that takes place during Day of the Dead festivities in Conzumel, Mexico, which was part of this hands-on demo session. After Lara swoops in on an ancient artifact that's said to cause a catastrophe, a flood consumes the entire village, leaving several dead and many more in a state of crisis. Although Lara's companion Jonah scolds her for not even considering the situation at hand, the consequences of her actions aren't really felt in that moment. In the context of a campaign where you're essentially racking up a body count, this may not seem like a big deal, but even a hardened Lara might want to reflect on a foreign town's destruction. The loss of lives feels like an afterthought, but we can assume that Lara's focused on the bigger stakes since Trinity escapes with this mysterious artifact. It remains to be seen how she'll internalize these events and if this will come back to haunt her as the story progresses.
If you've been a fan of the franchise's new direction this generation, you'll be happy to know the formula remains strong, though not without some lingering issues. Lara's latest adventure appears to be taking on a darker tone, and hopefully that comes with narrative surprises. You can experience it for yourself when Shadow of the Tomb Raider launches for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on September 14.
After two years of speculation, Daniel Craig announced last August that he will return to play James Bond for a fifth time. However, given the length of time it took the actor to be confirmed in the role and the fact that he has played Bond for well over a decade now, it seems unlikely that he will be back for a sixth film. It has now been reported that Luther and Star Trek: Beyond actor Idris Elba is in the running for the role.
The news comes via director Antoine Fuqua, who is best known for movies such as The Equalizer and Training Day. Fuqua was promoting a new sound app in London, and revealed to the Daily Star that he had spoken to Bond series producer Barbara Broccoli about the possibility of the next 007 being played by a non-white actor.
Fuqua stated that Broccoli told him that "it is time" for a more progressive casting decision, and that it "will happen eventually." The director also revealed that Elba was a front-runner for the role. "Idris could do it if he was in shape," Fuqua said. "You need a guy with physically strong presence. Idris has that."
This isn't the first time that 45-year-old Elba has been linked to the role as the iconic British spy. In 2016, he was asked abut playing Bond, but stated that he thought he was "too old" for the role. "I keep saying if it were to happen it would be the will of a nation because there hasn't been any talks between me and the studio about any of that," he said.
"Everywhere I go people want that to happen. But if I'm really honest, man, I think I'm too old for that, man, running around in cars and ladies and martinis, who wants to do that? Sounds terrible."
The currently untitled 25th Bond movie hits theatres on November 8, 2019. Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionnaire) is directing, and the movie starts production in December.
QuakeCon 2018 takes place August 9-12. Prior to the start of the annual convention, developer and publisher Bethesda Softworks announced what people can expect to see from the event. Several panels and tournaments are scheduled--most of which will be live streamed via Twitch, and there will also be new looks at upcoming games.
QuakeCon starts with The Elder Scrolls: Legends Masters Series qualifiers on Thursday, August 9. The tournament will continue to Friday and pit 16 of the world's best Legends players in a series of matches for a $50,000 prize. The entire tournament can be watched from The Elder Scrolls: Legends Twitch account.
The next major event is the Quake Champions tournament on Friday, which continues to Sunday. Teams of two will shoot it out for a share of the $175,000 prize pool. The top eight teams will have the chance to compete in a one-on-one, winner-take all showdown for an additional $25,000 prize. The entire event will be streamed live on the Quake Twitch account.
Also on Friday is a keynote presentation at 9 AM PST / 11 AM CT. The keynote will address Quake Champions, Rage 2, and The Elder Scrolls Online, and reveal the first gameplay demo for Doom Eternal. You can watch the keynote live from the Bethesda Twitch account. If you've linked your Bethesda.net and Elder Scrolls Online accounts with your Twitch account, watching the keynote on Twitch makes you eligible for winning some rewards.
Awards For Watching The Keynote
The Elder Scrolls Online (PC/Mac Only)
Flame Atronach Wolf Pet
Five Ouroboros Crown Crates
Quake Champions
Quakecon 2018 "Embers" Nameplate & Icon
Two Reliquaries
1000 Shards
Three Day XP Boost
The Elder Scrolls: Legends
One Legendary Card
Legends Event Ticket
One Skyrim Card Pack
One Core Card Pack
On Saturday at 9 AM PST / 11 AM CT, Bethesda will offer more details concerning the character system and Perks in Fallout 76, followed by a Q&A session. Both the presentation and the Q&A session will be streamed live through the Bethesda Twitch account.
QuakeCon is also continuing its tradition of hosting community-run panels. The full schedule will be revealed prior to QuakeCon.
Epic has shared a few more details about the upcoming Android release of Fortnite. After launching on iOS back in April, the phenomenally popular battle royale game is coming to Android devices this summer, and the developer has now revealed that the game won't be available through the Google Play store like most other games for the platform. That allows Epic to make more money on each purchase in the free-to-play game, but it means that users will have to go through a somewhat unconventional process to download and install it.
Epic confirmed to GameSpot that Android users will not be able to download Fortnite on their devices from Google's digital store, but rather through its own service. According to the developer, this decision was made in part to bypass the 30% "store tax" that would normally be applied to purchases made on Google Play.
"It's a high cost in a world where game developers' 70 per cent must cover all the cost of developing, operating, and supporting their games," Epic said. "And it's disproportionate to the cost of the services these stores perform, such as payment processing, download bandwidth, and customer service."
This stands in contrast to the iOS version of Fortnite, which is available to download right from Apple's App Store. According to Epic, it would have likewise offered Fortnite for iOS through its own website if it were able to, but the closed nature of Apple's ecosystem prevented that.
The other benefit of offering Fortnite through its own platform, Epic says, is that it allows the studio to "bring its games directly to customers." Once it rolls out for Android, users will be able to go to Epic's website and download the game from there. However, if you're hoping to play the game on Android, you'll need to have a newer handset, as Epic says the game requires a "recent high-end Android smartphone."
The iOS version of Fortnite has been a major success for Epic since it arrived on the platform back in spring. It has reportedly crossed 100 million downloads on iOS alone and rakes in $2 million per day. While Epic hasn't shared any footage of the Android version in action yet, you can take a look at how the game runs on iOS in the video above.
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