We may be only in the middle of 2018, but there's already an exciting roster of games releasing in 2019. Highly-anticipated games like Anthem, Days Gone, and Kingdom Hearts III make up only a small number of what's ahead. And that's not to mention the all the big games recently revealed at E3, like Resident Evil 2 Remake, Gears 5, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which we can't wait to get our hands on. To help you keep track of all the games coming out next year, we've compiled a list of all the noteworthy release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2019 so far.
More dates are sure to be confirmed as the year goes on, so be sure to check back often as we update this article with new additions or potential changes. But if you're looking for this year's release dates, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2018.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime in 2019. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
Valve's new game, Artifact, finally has a release date. The digital card game launches for PC on November 28 and will be available for mobile at a later date.
Artifact is conceptually based on Dota 2, another game by Valve. Artifact has players facing off against one another on three separate game boards--like the three lanes in Dota 2--and victory is given to whomever successfully navigates to their opponent's side and either destroys two out of the three enemy towers or defeats the "Ancient" that appears after one tower is destroyed.
Each player has their own deck composed of 40 cards, five of which are heroes. At Artifact's launch, 40 different heroes will be available, allowing players to start coming up with different strategies. The other 35 cards in a player's deck are hero abilities and items, divided into four different color themes--red, green, black, and blue--depending on their unique effects on the board.
Like Dota 2, Artifact will be entirely player versus player. Matches are always played online, although an offline tutorial mode against a computer will be available to teach newcomers about the game.
Artifact is designed by Richard Garfield, the same man behind the hugely popular Magic: The Gathering card game. Artifact launches via Steam on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and will be available for Android and iOS in 2019. Artifact costs $20 in the US. We've reached out to Valve to ask about international pricing.
After the amazing gaming year that was 2017, many wondered how well 2018 would turn out. Fortunately for everyone, it has been great. The first half of the year has yielded a wealth of fantastic games, and there's more on the horizon. Upcoming games for the rest of this 2018 include slew of hotly anticipated new games, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, and a whole lot more. To help you keep track of all the games coming out and what has already released, we've compiled a list of all the noteworthy release dates for the biggest ones confirmed to come out in 2018 so far.
Game release dates change all the time and new ones arrive every month. Be sure to bookmark this page, as we'll be updating this article with more release dates or any potential changes to any of the dates below. And if you're eager to figure out the release dates from games next year, you can also reference our feature on the game release dates of 2019.
Below you can find a list of the biggest games that don't have explicit release dates but are confirmed to release sometime this year. There are also games listed that we expect to launch in 2018. We'll be moving each of these games into the release date sections above as soon as official dates are announced.
It's time to say goodbye to fireworks and hello to heat waves. To aid you in procrastinating on back to school shopping, we're here to let you know about everything coming to Netflix in August. Lots of movies and TV shows will be added throughout this month, while a number of others are on their way out. Let's dive into the highlights.
A lot of hard-hitting dramas will be available in August. Some of the notable additions include Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and No Country For Old Men.
A handful of TV shows are coming to the service in August as well. We will be getting the second season of The Good Place, the fifth season of The 100, and the fifth and final season of The Originals, along with a few others.
A ton of Netflix Originals will also be added, including the highly-anticipated second season of Ozark, as well as a brand new Matt Groening animated series called Disenchantment. There are also several original documentaries coming out, including one called Zion about a young man who was born without legs and wants to become a professional wrestler.
There are some comedy specials coming out as well, including Demetri Martin's new special, Bert Kreischer's new special, and part two of The Comedy Lineup, which features a handful of comedians doing 15 minute sets.
Clearly, there's going to be a lot to watch on Netflix this month, but sadly, there are also several titles that are leaving the site like Finding Dory, Sausage Party, and 40 Year Old Virgin. Many of these departed on August 1, but there's still time for certain titles.
If you'd like to find out about everything that is arriving and leaving on Netflix and when, check out our complete list below. We also have a complete list for titles arriving and leaving on Amazon Prime Video in August or Hulu in August, so if you're a streaming addict like myself, you'll want to check out that list as well.
Arriving On Netflix In August
August 1
Batman Begins
Chernobyl Diaries
Clerks
Constantine
Dreamcatcher
Edge of Fear
Eraser
Gran Torino
House of Deadly Secrets
Los tiempos de Pablo Escobar: Season 1
Million Dollar Baby
No Reservations
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Moby
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Nile Rodgers
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Noel Gallagher
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with TLC
P.S. I Love You
Secretariat
Silverado
Steel Magnolias
Stripes
Switched-- Netflix Original
The Aviator
The Golden Compass
The Informant!
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
August 2
Emelie
August 3
Brij Mohan Amar Rahe-- Netflix Original Film
Cocaine Coast-- Netflix Original
Dinotrux Supercharged: Season 3 -- Netflix Original
I AM A KILLER -- Netflix Original
Like Father -- Netflix Original Film
Marching Orders --Netflix Original
August 4
Flavors of Youth: International Version- Netflix Original
Mr. Sunshine (Streaming Every Saturday)-- Netflix Original
On Children -- Netflix Original
August 5
Paid in Full
August 9
Perdida-- Netflix Original Film
The Originals: Season 5
August 10
72 Dangerous Animals: Asia-- Netflix Original
Afflicted-- Netflix Original
All About the Washingtons-- Netflix Original
Demetri Martin: The Overthinker-- Netflix Original
Insatiable-- Netflix Original
La casa de las flores --Netflix Original
Million Pound Menu-- Netflix Original
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-- Netflix Original Film
The Package-- Netflix Original Film
The Ponysitters Club-- Netflix Original
Voltron: Legendary Defender: Season 7-- Netflix Original
Zion-- Netflix Original
August 11
No Country for Old Men
August 13
Alexander: The Ultimate Cut
Splash and Bubbles: Season 2
The Nut Job
August 15
Adventures in Public School
Hostiles
The 100: Season 5
August 16
Evan Almighty
Wish I Was Here
August 17
Disenchantment-- Netflix Original
Magic for Humans-- Netflix Original
Pinky Malinky--Netflix Original
Spirit Riding Free: Season 6-- Netflix Original
Stay Here-- Netflix Original
The Motive-- Netflix Original Film
To All The Boys I've Loved Before-- Netflix Original Film
Ultraviolet-- Netflix Original
August 19
The Investigator: A British Crime Story: Season 2-- Netflix Original
August 21
Year One
August 23
Deadwind-- Netflix Original
Follow This-- Netflix Original
Great News: Season 1
August 24
Ask the StoryBots: Season 2-- Netflix Origianl
Bert Kreischer: Secret Time-- Netflix Original
Ghoul-- Netflix Original
The After Party-- Netflix Original Film
The Innocents-- Netflix Original
Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: Season 3-- Netflix Original
Young & Hungry: Season 5
August 28
The Good Place: Season 2
August 29
Inequality for All
August 31
Inside the Criminal Mind-- Netflix Original
Ozark: Season 2-- Netflix Original
Paradise PD-- Netflix Original
The Comedy Lineup: Part 2-- Netflix Original
The Laws of Thermodynamics-- Netflix Original Film
Ultimate Beastmaster: Survival of the Fittest-- Netflix Original
Undercover Law-- Netflix Original
Leaving Netflix In August
August 1
3000 Miles to Graceland
Adventures in Babysitting
Can't Buy Me Love
Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot: Season 1
Finding Dory
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Reasonable Doubt
The Killing: Seasons 1-3
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
August 2
10 Rules for Sleeping Around
August 5
13 Assassins
August 6
Welcome to Me
August 10
St. Vincent
August 12
For a Good Time, Call…
August 13
Help, I've Shrunk the Family
August 16
Being Flynn
Enter the Battlefield
Jem and the Holograms: Seasons 1-3Littlest Pet Shop: Seasons 2-4
Pariah
Pound Puppies: Seasons 1-3 Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
If you feel like you've already watched everything you want to watch on Amazon Prime, despair no more; Amazon is coming out with a whole host of new titles in August. Here's what on tap for this month in terms of movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals.
Several original series are debuting, including All or Nothing: Manchester City which follows the legendary coach of the titular soccer team. A limited series called Agatha Christie will be released, as well as Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan with John Krasinski, which debuts on August 31.
Amazon Prime will also be adding some oldies to the streaming service, including dramas like The Blair Witch Project and Watchmen, and some kids movies like A Cinderella Story and Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams. The bulk of the additions came on August 1, but there's an assortment of other things coming throughout the month, too.
If this list isn't enough, there were a lot of titles added to Amazon Prime in July as well, including the likes of American Psycho, Mulholland Drive, The Twilight Saga. If you'd like to see everything that's coming to Amazon Prime in August, check out the complete list below.
Everything Coming To Amazon Prime In August 2018
August TBD
All or Nothing: Manchester City, Season 1 --Prime Original series
We've reached the end of July 2018, but the latest batch of free titles for PlayStation Plus subscribers remains available. 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 until August's games arrive on August 7. [Update: With the deadline for picking up July's games approaching, Sony has announced August's free PS Plus games. There are some bonus ones included, getting you as many as eight games.]
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.
Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale rolls on with yet another set of challenges to complete. Just as in Season 4, finishing all of the challenges in a given week will complete a corresponding Road Trip challenge. This, in turn, rewards you with a special loading screen that points to a free Battle Star hidden somewhere around the island, giving you an easy way to level your Battle Pass up by one tier.
Three sets of weekly challenges have been released thus far in Season 5, the most recent of which tasks players with following a treasure map in Flush Factory and shooting clay pigeons, among other activities. If you've managed to complete all three sets of weekly challenges to date, you'll earn the third special loading screen, which features a group of characters racing rather unsafely in the new golf cart vehicle.
The clue this time is fairly subtle, but it can be found on the cart's license plate number: J2 SW. J2 points to a specific grid on Fortnite's map, while SW indicates that the Battle Star can be found in the southwestern corner of that area. Following those coordinates will lead you to just northeast of Wailing Woods, where you'll find the Battle Star waiting to be collected.
Just as in Season 4, you'll need to complete the corresponding Road Trip challenge in order to unlock this loading screen and find the hidden Battle Star. The Battle Star won't appear on the island unless you meet all of the prerequisites, so you can't take a shortcut by simply going to the aforementioned location without completing all of the previous challenges.
For this season, Fortnite challenges are divided into two categories: Free (which are available to all players) and Battle Pass (which are reserved for Battle Pass owners). If you need help finishing any of the recent challenges, you can find guides for them in our complete Season 5 challenges roundup. For more on Epic's popular battle royale game, be sure to check out the rest of our Fortnite Season 5 coverage below.
We're a few weeks deep into Season 5 of Fortnite, and Epic continues to roll out more challenges for players to complete. If you manage to finish all of the challenges in a given week, you will also complete a corresponding Road Trip challenge--Season 5's version of Blockbuster challenges. The reward for completing a Road Trip challenge is a special loading screen, which contains a subtle hint directing you to a free Battle Pass tier somewhere around the island.
If you complete two weeks' sets of challenges, you'll unlock the second of Season 5's special loading screens. This one features a group of characters driving golf carts around Lazy Links, the new golf course area that replaced Anarchy Acres in Season 5. You can take a look at the loading screen below.
The clue on loading screen #2 is fairly easy to spot. If you look closely in the background, you'll notice the faint silhouette of a Battle Star on top of Lazy Links' clubhouse. Simply land on top of the building at the beginning of a match and you'll be able to collect the Battle Star, ranking your Battle Pass up by one tier. You can see exactly how to get the Star in the video above.
As is the case with other free Battle Pass tiers, the Battle Star will only appear if you've completed its corresponding Road Trip challenge and unlocked the loading screen, meaning you won't be able to take a shortcut by simply heading to the designated area and finding the Star. If you need help completing any of this season's challenges thus far, you can find tips in our complete Season 5 challenges roundup.
Epic has divided Season 5's challenges into two categories--Free and Battle Pass. The former are available to all players, while the latter are reserved for those who've purchased the Season 5 Battle Pass. Even if you purchase the pass down the line, however, you'll retroactively unlock any rewards you may have already earned. You can read more about Fortnite Season 5 in the links below.
Only a couple years after Fallout 4's release, Bethesda surprised fans by officially announcing Fallout 76, the next entry in its beloved post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. The new game was revealed in a trailer after a series of teases, and Bethesda discussed it in more detail at E3 2018. While there's still so much we do not yet know about Bethesda's upcoming game, the company has offered some clarity on Fallout 76's most curious features and additions to the Fallout formula.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Fallout 76, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: the platforms it's on, its online functionality, its anti-griefing features, and where the game falls in the series' timeline.
Fallout 76 is a prequel to all of the previous Fallout games. Set in 2102, you play an inhabitant of Vault 76 who emerges from the shelter 25 years after the bombs fell on America. Your task is simple: explore what remains of post-apocalyptic America and rebuild civilization.
Longtime fans will likely recognize Vault 76; although it's not a place we've visited before, this isn't the series' first mention of it. Both Fallout 3 and 4 reference it and, according to the Fallout Wikia, this West Virginia-based vault was occupied by 500 of of America's best and brightest minds. Unlike the more grotesque experimental vaults in the Fallout universe, Vault 76 is a control vault intended to be opened 20 or so years after a nuclear war. But if the Vault was supposed to open 20 years after the bombs fell, why have 25 years gone by? The story likely has a few surprises in store.
Fallout 76 uses the Creation Engine, the same engine used to make Fallout 4, but it will purportedly feature much more graphical detail than its predecessor. Game director Todd Howard has said that Fallout 76 has new rendering and lighting technology, which allows for "16 times" the detail.
Is It An Online Survival Game?
Fallout 76 is a much different sort of game from its predecessors. It's "entirely online," but don't worry, you'll be able to play it solo too. According to Bethesda, the idea to take this approach to open-world survival came four years ago, when it started to work on building a multiplayer Fallout experience. Howard described the game's approach to survival as "softcore," which means death doesn't equal loss of progression.
You can form a party with up to three other players. You won't be able to manage your placement in servers when you login, as you'll automatically be inserted into a session with others upon booting up the game. Of course, you also have the option simply join alongside your friends and play together.
Howard commented that Fallout 76 will have dedicated servers that will support the game "now and for years to come." At launch, there will only be public servers, but Bethesda plans to introduce private servers that will allow players to invite friends to play in order to prevent undesirable behavior. According Bethesda Senior Vice President Pete Hines, it will actually be incredibly difficult to participate in ill-behavior. For instance, the game's PvP works more like issuing a challenge to somebody, preventing folks from pushing any attempts at griefing too far.
Some classic mechanics from past games will be changing to accommodate the shift to online play. For example, V.A.T.S has been reconfigured to work in real time, while still allowing players to target specific enemy body parts.
How Big Is The World?
According to Howard, Fallout 76's world is four times the size of Fallout 4. There are six different regions to explore, and each has its own unique style, risks, and rewards. Confirmed areas include the West Virginia State Capitol, The Greenbrier, Woodburn Circle, New River Gorge Bridge, and Camden Park. Contained within each area is a variety of new creatures to encounter, some of which are based on West Virginian folklore.
What Can You Do?
Like previous games, players will spend the majority of their time exploring and completing quests. However, Fallout 76 will not feature any human non-player characters, as all surviving humans will be controlled by active players. Instead, the game will use combination of robot NPCs, collectible recordings, and environmental storytelling in order to give players what they need to piece together quests and the story at large.
Given the game's premise of rebuilding the world, there will be base-building elements similar to Fallout 4. You will be able to set up a bases anywhere using an item called the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or CAMP. These can be placed down in the world and allow you to construct an impromptu camp. At E3, we got to see the player laying down walls and decorating the base with pool tables, toilets, and other household objects. As the "mobile platform" part of the name implies, your CAMP can also be picked up and relocated, allowing you to move your base anywhere in the world.
While you can help build the world, you can also destroy it. If you have the necessary nuclear launch codes, it's actually possible to access a missile silo to fire a nuke at any point on the map. Doing so irradiates the chosen area, but it also allows for the opportunity to discover rare weapons, gear, and items. Be wary; nuking an area also causes more powerful enemies to show up, making it more difficult to survive.
As an online experience, player choice is said to be incredibly important, going as far as giving players the freedom to choose who are the heroes and who are the villains. Early footage showcased multiple players engaging in combat and participating in friendly activities, which seems to indicate that players have the freedom to choose their paths in the world of Fallout 76.
Who's Developing It?
Bethesda Game Studios, the Maryland-based developer responsible for the Elder Scrolls series and both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, is at work on the game. In addition, Bethesda Game Studios Austin--formerly BattleCry Studios--assisted in fine-tuning the Creation Engine to support multiplayer functionality.
When's the Beta?
Falout 76's beta will be available exclusively to those who preorder the game. Bethesda said that it will begin selecting participants from the pool of pre-orders in early October. The plan is to start small and expand over time. Xbox One owners have a slight leg up on the beta compared to other platforms. For more details, you can check out Bethesda's Fallout 76 FAQ for more details on how to redeem your code.
Release Date
Fallout 76 is being developed for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is currently scheduled to be released on November 14. Unfortunately, there's no word about a Nintendo Switch release, which didn't seem out of the question after the Skyrim re-release made it to that platform.
To celebrate the first birthday of Fortnite, developer Epic Games has introduced a special set of celebratory challenges to the game as part of the 5.10 update. There are a total of three new challenges, and if you're able to complete all of them you'll get a special, birthday-themed reward item. Thankfully, each of the challenges are fairly easy, though one of them will require you to spend a little bit of time running around the map and getting your dance on. Here's what you need to know and where to go.
The first of the challenges involves playing 14 matches in the Battle Royale mode, which you can probably manage with ease. The second involves being a little aggressive in-game and dealing damage to opponents. You'll have to dish out a total of 1000 points of hurt before you're rewarded with the birthday emote.
The third of the challenges requires you to dance in front of 10 different birthday cakes, and once you've done that you'll get a spray. We've done the legwork and put the locations of each of the birthday cakes on the map, which you can find below. There's also a list of the locations, along with a short description on where to find the cakes. Alternatively, you can watch the video above to see us find each of the cakes and do a little jig.
With all three challenges complete, you'll unlock a special back bling for your character. You've got up until August 7, when the event will no longer be active. You can see an image of the new Back Bling, along with the details for the three challenges, below.
Fortnite 1st Birthday Challenges
Play matches (14) -- 5,000 XP
Deal damage to opponents (1000) -- Emote
Dance in front of different Birthday Cakes (10) -- Spray
Birthday Cake Locations
Lazy Links: Near the road next to the southern sand traps
Wailing Woods/Risky Reels: On the hill between Wailing Woods and Risky Reels
Retail: In the middle of the market near the basketball court
Tilted Towers/Loot Lake: Above the waterfall between Tilted Towers and Loot Late
Pleasant Park: East of the park, behind the gas station
Greasy Grove: Centre of Greasy Grove, between the Durr Burger and the basketball court
Paradise Palms: North of Paradise Palms, across the street from the welcome sign
Fatal Fields: In the middle of Fatal Fields
Flush Factory: Under the giant toilet sign
Lonely Lodge: West Lonely Lodge, near the parked Caravans.
Alongside the new challenges, Epic Games has detailed the contents of the 5.10 update. The patch brings back the Playground LTM, which has had a few tweaks for its second appearance. There's also the introduction of the Compact SMG, which is deadly when you get in close. A number of tweaks have also been made to the gameplay, performance, and user-interface, so check out our story on the full patch notes to see that all. You'll also find some details on what's new with Save the World mode. Subsequently, Epic released another patch that nerfed the SMG.
In related news, Fortnite Halloween costumes are going to be released as part of a partnership with retailers Spirit Halloween and Spencer. The two completed a deal with Epic Games for "a range of officially licensed" Fortnite costumes, as well as accessories and gear based on the brand. There are outfits based on the Black Knight, Crackshot, Dark Voyager, Skull Trooper, and Cuddle Team Leader skins. You can also purchase the basic, rainbow smash, and party animal pickaxes, or a light-up boogie bomb that actually plays sound.
Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 5 has entered its third week, which means developer Epic Games has introduced another new set of weekly challenges for players to complete on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. As with previous weeks in Season 5, the challenges are split into two categories, with some being available to everyone while others are only accessible for those with this season's Battle Pass.
On the free side, this week's challenges involve dealing 500 damage to opponents in a single match, using a launch pad, and following the treasure map found in Flush Factory. While the first two shouldn't give you much trouble, the third of the bunch will require a little bit of legwork. Flush Factory can be found in the southern part of the island and it's there that you'll find the treasure map.
However, you aren't actually required to get the map first. Instead you can skip this bit and go to quadrant F8 of the map, where you'll find a house on a hilltop. If you're looking at the house head-on, the Star you need to collect will be on the right of the path leading up to the house. Although gliding onto the spot from the Battle Bus is the easiest way to get to it, you can also build your way up. Take a look below to see the location on the map or watch the video above to see us do it.
For those with a Battle Pass, you'll need to search seven chests in Fatal Fields, shoot a Clay Pigeon at five different locations, eliminate five enemies in Haunted Hills, and then get three eliminations using an explosive weapon. You'll also get 5K worth of XP for doing completing all of these challenges. If you need help hunting them down, check out our Clay Pigeons location guide. You can also find all of Fortnite Season 5, Week 3's challenges, along with their rewards, below.
Click image to view in full screen
Fortnite Season 5, Week 3 Challenges
Free
Deal damage to opponents in a single match (500) -- 5 Battle Stars
Use a launch pad (1) -- 5 Battle Stars
Follow the treasure map found in Flush Factory (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Search chests in Fatal Fields (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Shoot a Clay Pigeon at different locations (5) -- 5 Battle Stars
Eliminate opponents in Haunted Hills (5) -- 10 Battle Stars
Explosive weapon eliminations -- 10 Battle Stars
In related news, Fortnite's SMG and Compact SMG have been nerfed, following feedback from the community. Epic Games has tweaked a number of attributes for both guns, including damage, range, fire rate, and accuracy. This, the developer says, brings it more in line with how it wants the guns to perform in-game.
Fortnite is also celebrating its 1st birthday with a set of challenges that will unlock a birthday-themed emote, spray, and bling. The first two challenges are relatively easy, requiring you to do a specified amount of damage and play a certain amount of matches. However, the third challenge is a little trickier. For this you'll need to find 10 cakes that have been scattered around the island and dance in front of them. To make things a little easier on yourself, check out our Fortnite Birthday Cake Location Guide to watch us do the entire challenge and also see a map of where all the cakes are.
Epic Games is also giving new Fortnite skins to those that have been playing the game from the very beginning. If you purchased the Founder's Pack when Fortnite's Save the World mode originally launched, you'll be prompted about the classic skins when you next boot up the game. These were promised to Founder's Pack owners when the Battle Royale mode first launched, and have finally been delivered around a year later.
Epic Games has rolled out Fortnite's Season 5, Week 3 challenges, which means there's lots of new rewards to work towards unlocking. We've already got a guide for following the treasure map in Flush Factory, which is the harder of the bunch. If you're a Battle Pass owner, however, there's also a challenge that requires you to shoot a clay pigeon at five different locations, which can be tricky if you don't know where to look. Luckily, we've spent some time hunting them down and put together a guide that'll have you sniping those suckers out of the air in no time.
Thankfully, there's a whole bunch of Clay Pigeon shooters scattered around the map for you to find, and you only need a total of five, so the odds are heavily in your favor. On our brief trek across the island we managed to find a six, and you can take a look at the locations below.
Fortnite Clay Pigeon Locations
West of Pleasant Park (Quadrant B4)
North east corner of Loot Lake (Quadrant E4)
North west of Tomato Town (Quadrant G3)
Between Lonely Lodge and Wailing Woods (Quadrant J4)
Between Shifty Shafts and Flush Factory (Quadrant D8)
South of Paradise Palms (Quadrant I9)
Once you've done that, it's smooth sailing as the rest of the challenges are pretty simple. You can read a full breakdown of Fortnite Season 5, Week 3's challenges here and see all the rewards for each one.
Fortnite Season 5, Week 3 Challenges
Free
Deal damage to opponents in a single match (500) -- 5 Battle Stars
Use a launch pad (1) -- 5 Battle Stars
Follow the treasure map found in Flush Factory (1) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Search chests in Fatal Fields (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Shoot a Clay Pigeon at different locations (5) -- 5 Battle Stars
Eliminate opponents in Haunted Hills (5) -- 10 Battle Stars
Explosive weapon eliminations -- 10 Battle Stars
In related news, Fortnite's SMG and Compact SMG have seen nerfs, as developer Epic Games thought they weren't working quite as intended (read: they were too powerful). After receiving feedback from the community, the studio has tweaked both guns, changing their range, damage output, fire rate, and accuracy.
EA DICE continues to support 2016's Battlefield 1. A summer update makes several patches to the first-person shooter that fans have been asking for, as well as gameplay changes to improve the overall experience.
The load time when going into the soldier customization screen has been reduced, as have the number of disconnects when trying to join a server. The update also fixes the issues that caused map vote results to not be respected, squad boosts to occasionally start counting down during the pre-round phase, and players already in a queue being blocked from joining a match. Battlefield 1 also now reinforces the result of the map vote even after the game server migrates to a different host.
Battlefield 1's new update also rebalances the Shock Operations for Lupkow Pass, Zeebrugge, and Prise de Tahure. For Lupkow Pass, the changes make the first sector easier on everyone and reduce the impact of the Behemoth. On Zeebrugge, the changes improve the experience for Attackers on the first sector. For Prise de Tahure, the changes address Attackers stealing Defender kits and Defenders stealing Attacker "comeback" kits.
Battlefield 1 also now supports 4K resolution rendering on Xbox One X.
The remaining changes address weapons, gadgets, vehicles, and the user interface/user experience. We've outlined the highlights below, and the full patch notes can be found on Battlefield's blog.
Battlefield 1 Summer Update
Weapons, Gadgets, and Vehicles
M1903 Experimental now has an alternative fire mode.
Fixed an issue where vehicle laid Anti-Tank Mines would have difficulty detecting vehicles.
Adjusted the reload time of the C96 pistol when loading single bullets to better match its animation.
Gameplay
Fixed instances where players could grief teammates using shell type weaponry such as mortars and AA guns.
Friendly flares will now display their spotting radius to teammates, allowing for better coordination between recon players.
Fixed issue where damage that resulted in score < 0.5 wasn't messaged to players. Score < 0.5 from damage is now rounded up, granting at least 1 point of score.
User Interface/User Experience
Added gameplay options for adjusting color and visibility of the lens sight reticle.
Added gameplay options to show compass bearing numbers on the mini-map and the big map.
Added video options for adjusting the screen safe are width and height on PC (Xbox One and PlayStation 4 already have those).
Moved the objective world icon names from below the world icons to above those to reduce UI clutter and obstruction of the player view over soldiers near the objectives.
Added gameplay options for adjusting the visibility of the 3D objective and soldier names separate from the icons.
The world icon customization gameplay options now work in spectator mode too.
Added gameplay options for adjusting the crosshair size and the hit indicator size.
Added gameplay options for adjusting the visibility of the receiving damage HUD panel. Added gameplay options for adjusting the size and visibility of HUD elements.
Fixed an issue with dog tags sometimes showing up blank in kill cards or when completing a melee kill.
Avengers: Infinity War is officially out on Digital HD, so you can now watch Thanos go up against the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Wakanda, and the Sanctum Sanctorum from the comfort of your living room. The digital version of the movie also has an assortment of extras.
These extras include featurettes explaining why certain characters were chosen to team up in the film and the history of Thanos, as well as how the two massive battles on Titan and Wakanda were created and filmed. A collection of deleted and extended scenes are bundled into the digital version as well.
You can watch the film from your iPhone, iPad, Android device, Roku, PS4, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, or any device that supports iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon, or Fandango Now. If you're looking forward to grabbing a physical copy of Infinity War, you'll have to wait a little bit longer. The movie launches on 4K Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, and DVD on August 14, but you can pre-order the movie now. That comes with more special features--including some that we've learned new Infinity War details from.
Avengers: Infinity War is the start to a massive conflict that Marvel's Cinematic Universe has been building towards for the past ten years--since 2008's Iron Man. The movie features heroes from all across the MCU, who team up to stop Thanos from collecting all the Infinity Stones and destroying half of all life in the universe. The film's conflict will conclude in the fourth Avengers movie--still unnamed--that's scheduled to premier in 2019.
Now that Avengers: Infinity War is getting its home release, there are some very interesting tidbits about the film seeing the light of day for the first time. For instance, did you know there was a fan-favorite character that was originally featured in the movie before his scene was cut out?
In the deleted scenes that come with the digital release of Infinity War, it's revealed that Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) once had a very funny role in the film. As it plays out in the theatrical version of the movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) discuss potentially having a child while on a walk in New York City. The scene ends when Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) summons Stark.
A deleted version of that scene plays quite a bit longer, though, as Happy appears on a golf cart and complains about having to hold off the paparazzi while the two have their personal chat. "You two should just elope because this media circus that's going on is driving me crazy," he tells the couple. "This is me on edge because I'm trying to keep all the pictures out of the paper and off the internet so your wedding's not ruined. Remember that kid from TMZ that you had me trade paint with on the FDR Drive? Well, I got a case against me now!"
It's not hard to see why the moment was cut from the final version of the film--it doesn't exactly advance the plot at all and it mostly played for jokes. In a movie like Infinity War, practically everything means something. Still, one more moment of levity before everything falls apart would have been nice.
The digital release of Avengers: Infinity War comes with a slew of other special features, including a roundtable discussion with the various MCU directors and even more deleted scenes. It's available now. The film will arrive on Blu-ray on August 14.
Avengers: Infinity War is a truly great movie--that's something that is hard to dispute. However, it's also a long movie. With a run time of nearly three hours, it turns out quite a bit of footage had to be trimmed from the final cut.
Unfortunately, one of the scenes that got pulled out of the film actually helps in connecting some major dots. Thankfully, the digital release of the film comes with deleted scenes that help make sense of it all, along with numerous special features that share new details.
In the theatrical cut of Infinity War, the Guardians of the Galaxy head to Titan--the home planet of Thanos--after the villain kidnaps Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Viewers are left to assume they set their sights on Titan thanks to a message from an escaped Nebula (Karen Gillan). Unfortunately, the film never shows whether the team got her message.
Thankfully, the deleted footage shows they did--and in a hilarious way. Stuck in space with no idea of where Thanos went, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is drowning his sorrows in KISS music, while the rest of the team ignores the coded messages being sent by Nebula. Once they finally figure out what's happening though, Quill is irate as he reads the messages.
The missives sent by Nebula include:
"Gamora is alive."
"Thanos is taking her to Titan."
"Why aren't you responding?"
"Are you getting my important secret coded messages?"
"Tell Quill not to lose my sister a second time or I will sew his face to his genitals."
Clearly, Nebula means business. From there, the team finally heads to Titan in an attempt to rescue Gamora. As with the cut cameo featuring Happy Hogan, this isn't necessarily a scene that holds the movie together and is mostly for laughs. Still, it would have been a welcome addition to the final cut.
The digital release of Avengers: Infinity War is available now. You'll be able to purchase it on Blu-ray on August 14.
A new update is on the way for the PC version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Unlike the last few patches PUBG Corp. has rolled out for the title, which generally focused on introducing new content like the recently added assault rifle QBU, Update #19 primarily addresses bugs and makes various other quality-of-life improvements to the battle royale game.
In terms of the latter, PUBG Corp. has made some tweaks to inventory management, specifically in regards to weapon attachments. Following the update, removed or replaced attachments will drop onto the floor if a player's inventory is full. Players will also be able to detach all attachments by pressing Alt while right-clicking on a weapon.
Beyond that, PUBG Corp. has also made various improvements to the Erangel and Miramar maps. On the former, the developer has added clusters of houses to some areas of the map, while the landscape near the river has been redesigned to be more "tactical." On the latter, PUGB Corp. has added more dirt roads and lowered some high-sloped sections in order to make vehicles more effective.
Another major change Update #19 makes to the aforementioned two maps is dynamic weather effects. Players on Erangel can now experience "overcast" weather; if you enter a game and the sky is cloudy, then the weather will change from rain, fog, and other conditions while you play. Overcast weather can also appear on Miramar, and players can now also play on the desert map at sunset. PUBG Corp. notes that most matches will feature sunny weather with no changes.
Other notable changes in the new patch include the ability to place markers without having to open the map. The bullet penetration system has also been applied to arms and hands. Bullets can now pass through these appendages and strike whatever is behind them, and the amount of damage it causes will depend on how vulnerable that body part is; for example, if a bullet passes through a player's arm and hits their head, it will count as a headshot.
You can see a portion of the patch notes below; the full patch notes for PUBG's new update are available on Steam. The update is currently available on the game's test server. PUBG Corp. hasn't provided a time table for when it will apply the changes to the live game, but the update should be rolling out to all players soon.
PUBG PC Update #19 Patch Notes
Gameplay
Bullet penetration system is now applied to arms and hands.
When bullet hits the arm/hand of the character, it will penetrate following its ballistic curve. The result will be different depending on whether the arm/hand is blocking more vulnerable body parts.
When a bullet penetrates a arm/hand and strikes a more vulnerable body part behind it, the greater damage will be applied. In other words, if a player's arm/hand takes a bullet while blocking their head, the full headshot damage will be applied. This penetration system works for the head, torso, and waist only.
If a bullet penetrates the arm/hand, but no vulnerable body part is behind it, only the arm/hand damage will be applied
Arm/hand penetration is disabled for shotguns
Bullet penetration is not applied to legs.
When exiting vehicles while pressing the sprint key, sprint now remains engaged. This way you won't have to release and press the button again to start sprinting.
If a teammate disconnects, but is still alive in game, other teammates couldn't see the game reward (result) screen after all other teammates died. Now players can check even if there are disconnected players in their team.
If a disconnected teammate reconnects the game, and finishes the game with better result, teammates will receive any additional rewards earned by that player.
To prevent abuse, other teammates cannot see the Deathcam until all players, including the disconnected player, have died.
UI/UX
Dropping items in stacks has been improved.
Quantity can now be adjusted using a slider.
Alt key + left mouse button immediately drops the full stack.
Alt key + right mouse button now drops half the stack.
Weapon attachment management when replacing items has been improved.
Removed or replaced attachments will now drop onto the floor if there is no room in your inventory.
When attaching directly from loot, the replaced attachment will be dropped on the floor if there is no room in your inventory.
When replacing an extended magazine with a quickdraw magazine, the extended magazine and overflow ammunition will be dropped on the floor.
When detaching an attachment by right-clicking, the attachment will be dropped on the floor if there is no room in your inventory.
Pressing Alt while right-clicking a weapon now detaches all attachments on that weapon.
Attachments will be sent to the inventory or dropped on the floor if inventory is full.
Players may now mute individual teammates.(ESC > Options > Team Management Tab)
World
Dynamic weather has been added to Erangel and Miramar.
Erangel: Overcast
Miramar: Overcast, Sunset
Overcast setting includes dynamic weather, and includes rain, fog, etc. during the game.
Erangel has received some improvements.
Small clusters of houses have been added to some areas of Erangel.
More tactical landscapes have been added near the river.
Following a tumultuous week, MoviePass has issued a letter to its users apologizing for recent interruptions in service and laying out its plans going forward. The mea culpa comes just as the company has paid back an emergency loan, one of the first positive signs for the company since it ran into its current troubles.
The letter from CEO Mitch Lowe personally apologizes for both the recent unreliability of the service and its lack of communication around the problems. It then explains the rationale behind the recently announced changes, like reducing availability for big new releases and increasing its price. It cautions that showtimes will vary while the company adjusts its model, so users should check the app before making their movie plans. It also says the company is working on making the app more clear about which new movies are eligible and when.
"We want to be as transparent as we can with these changes and any future changes," the letter reads. "We are committed to giving you the best experience. We count on your support and loyalty while we implement these necessary steps for the company you've grown to love."
Meanwhile, Variety reports that the company showed in public filings that it has paid back a $6.2 million emergency loan. The creditor could have demanded to be paid back half that amount, $3.1 million, as of today. The upcoming price change from $10 to $15 per month is expected to reduce its cash burn rate by 60%, which may make it more viable long-term. Despite that, stock in parent company Helious & Matheson continues to tumble, having fallen down to approximately 25 cents per share as of the time of writing.
MoviePass's competitive business model has inspired the competition to offer competitive services, or sometimes, to simply take a swipe at the service to promote its own. The company has definitely shown an interest exists for a theater subscription model, so we're bound to see more offerings with similar incentives.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition packages the main game with the full Expansion Pass--which includes all paid DLC--and the free updates and improvements that have come out since release. The Expansion Pass adds additional missions, playable characters, weapons, abilities, and enemy types to the game, as well as a completely new region for Talion to explore. The main storyline is expanded upon in the Blade of Galadriel and Desolation of Mordor DLCs, and the Nemesis system gets two more Orc tribes with the Slaughter Tribe and Outlaw Tribe DLCs.
Most notable among the free updates is a streamlined post-game Epilogue, narrated by Shelob, the Witch-king, and Dark Talion. The Epilogue rewards players with Masks of the Nazgul, each of which comes with its own in-game bonus. The Epilogue was previously known as the Shadow Wars, a lengthy slog of missions that occurred at the end of the game that we complained about in our Shadow of War review.
Shadow of War also includes the updated Follower level cap--which has been increased to 80--and greater XP rewards so Talion and his Orc army grow stronger more quickly. An Endless Siege mode adds a feature where Talion must defend his fortresses against never-ending waves of Sauron's forces and two new difficulty levels add even more challenge to the game.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Definitive Edition is launching for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on August 28. It's sold at $60 in the US and at £50 in the UK.
Now that a couple trailers for October's Venom have been released, many people have wondered why the titular character's voice is so weird. Why does Eddie Brock talk to Venom? What's going on? While it may be tough to make out what he or Eddie Brock say in the trailers, as actor Tom Hardy makes weird choices with his speech, there is a method to his madness. Eddie Brock is a character slowly losing his mind, something the comics took years to set up.
The Venom symbiote made its first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #252 back in the spring of 1984. It was revealed at the end of the year that Peter Parker got this suit from an intergalactic sewing machine in Marvel Super Heroes Secret War #8. No, that's not a joke. At first, nothing seemed too off about this costume, but as time progressed, Peter Parker became a bit of a jerk and began acting aggressively.
Parker realized this was a problem and parted ways with the symbiote, only for it to fall into the hands of journalist Eddie Brock, who was obsessed with ruining Spider-Man's life. When the Venom symbiote bonded with Brock, it seemed to heighten that even further. In Amazing Spider-Man #300, he appeared a bit unbalanced when fighting Spider-Man, especially when Brock decided to dress as a priest in a church. This is the first time he referred to himself and Venom as "we."
It wasn't until Amazing Spider-Man #316 that Brock started speaking in the second person more regularly, something Venom fans are more accustomed to. However, at this time, it wasn't happening every time he spoke. Brock and Venom were slowly becoming a single entity, which was greatly affecting Brock's psyche. Throughout the years, Venom and Spidey had a few more battles, and Venom slowly became the dominant force in Brock's body.
By the time Amazing Spider-Man #374 rolls around, Brock is using second person a whole lot more in his speech. In fact, he's no longer saying "I" or "me" when talking. And Brock, out of costume, has become very reliant on the Venom symbiote to do the simplest of tasks. By the next issue, it's clear Brock is completely unhinged as his mind has completely bonded with Venom. He's delusional, thinking he's a hero, and wants to protect civilians from Spider-Man, who he believes is a monster.
While the '90s primarily played on Venom being an unstoppable anti-hero, who also tried to juggle a love life, it wasn't until the '00s when creative teams started playing with the idea that there's a battle internally in the symbiote's host body. The 2011 volume of Venom played heavily to this as Peter Parker's high school bully turned war hero--Flash Thompson--is recruited to be a secret agent, and his weapon is the Venom symbiote. Thompson deals with trying to control Venom, but it's an uphill battle as Thompson finds out in this series, as well as when he becomes a member of the Guardian of the Galaxy. Undoubtedly, it's one of the best Venom series as it's a near-perfect reinvention of the character that doesn't sacrifice Venom's core. Additionally, the 2016 volume of Venom--which takes the character a bit more to its roots--also plays with the fight over the symbiote host's body. This time, army veteran Lee Price has bonded with Venom, and right off the bat, Price states that Venom talks to him. He's hearing and seeing things. If you've seen the trailers for the Venom movie, you know this is a predominant part of the movie.
Venom revolves around mental instability. The bodies he takes over already have some form of weakness inside of them, and that's what the symbiote prays on. It's about breaking down the character to make them lose their minds, and an easy way to show that is to have the host change their voice. Make them speak less intelligently. Change their pitch and flow. Make the audience feel that this person is crazy by way of audio cues and the characters usage of dialogue. While Venom's voice in the trailers may not be how you want the character to sound, it's conveying a message to the viewer: this dude is broken.
Essentially, Venom looks like a greatest hits of the character since his first appearance over 30 years ago. Instead of giving that slow, decades-long build towards a character breaking, that's where the movie plans to start. It wants to set Venom up as a mental threat as soon as possible, so the film can move forward.
The theater subscription service MoviePass has been struggling to find its footing, most recently announcing big changes to limit its cash burn. That has led to competitors capitalizing on the opportunity to raise awareness of their own services. The online ticket retailer Atom is offering a buy-one-get-one deal on movie tickets, with a not-so-subtle dig at MoviePass's troubles.
A promotion spotted by Wario64 offers the B1G1 deal through the Atom app with the promo code "WEGOTYOU" at checkout. That's a good deal, but it's the phrasing for the promotion that takes an obvious swipe at MoviePass. "Unexpected outages? No blockbusters? We'll pass," it reads. The word "pass" is even in the same font and color as the MoviePass logo.
The language refers to a few different high-profile headaches for MoviePass. The subscription service promised all-you-can-eat theater visits for a monthly rate. But subscribers apparently used it more than expected, leading to huge cash-flow problems and the tendency for the app to stop working at times. That led to an announcement of a price hike as well as the new policy of not covering new blockbusters within the first two weeks.
Under the new MoviePass policy, the monthly fee will be $15 instead of $10, and movies that open on more than 1,000 screens nationwide won't be available until two weeks after release. That means you can't see the newest blockbusters right away, but if you can wait a couple of weeks it's still a decent deal. If you just can't wait to see Mission Impossible: Fallout, though, Atom's offer can fill the gap.
Whether you prefer your movies on 4K Blu-ray, DVD, or digital, you'll be able to watch the blockbuster Marvel movie Avengers: Infinity War from the comfort of your own home soon--or even right now. The digital edition has been released, while the physical versions releases two weeks later, on August 14.
Both versions come packed with extras, from deleted scenes (including one with a fan-favorite character's cameo and a missing moment involving the Guardians) and commentary tracks to behind-the-scenes clips that show how a movie of this magnitude is made. The digital version comes with an additional 30-minute Marvel director roundtable discussion. These features are quite revealing in some ways, as we've already learned a lot about Infinity War from them.
Here's the full list of bonus features:
Strange Alchemy (5:08)--Share the thrill of characters from across the MCU meeting for the first time--and discover why some were teamed up together.
The Mad Titan (6:34)--Explore the MCU's biggest, baddest villain, his trail of influence through the stories, and the existential threat he represents.
Beyond the Battle: Titan (9:36)--Dive into the climactic struggle on Thanos' ruined world, including the epic stunts and VFX, to uncover the source of its power.
Beyond the Battle: Wakanda (10:58)--Go behind the scenes to find out how the filmmakers pulled off the most massive and challenging battle Marvel had ever attempted.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (10:07)
Happy Knows Best (1:23)--Tony and Pepper spar over the details of their upcoming wedding--until a hassled Happy Hogan pulls up with an urgent request.
Hunt for the Mind Stone (1:24)--On a darkened street, Wanda Maximoff and the wounded Vision attempt to hide from Thanos' brutal allies.
The Guardians Get Their Groove Back (3:20)--As Peter Quill and Drax quarrel over their failed mission to Knowhere, Mantis interrupts with news.
A Father's Choice (4:00)--Thanos confronts Gamora with a vision from her past—and with lying to him about the Soul Stone.
Gag Reel (2:05)--Watch your favorite superheroes make super gaffes in this lighthearted collection of on-set antics.
Audio Commentary (approx. 149 min.) by Anthony and Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely
Now the only question is where you want to buy the movie. Here are your options.
Avengers: Infinity War Digital Edition
If you want to own it as early as possible, here's where you can pre-order the digital version of the Avengers: Infinity War.
You might have to wait two extra weeks, but if you like your movies in physical form, it's worth it. This version comes with a Blu-ray disc, plus a digital copy of the movie.
Avengers: Infinity War 4K Cinematic Universe Edition
This version of the movie also comes with a standard Blu-ray version, as well as a digital copy. In addition to the ones linked below, Best Buy has an exclusive steelbook edition of this version for $35. Target has an exclusive version that comes with a 40-page gallery book for $40, or one that comes with a red Iron Man Funko Pop for $42.
Don't have a Blu-ray player? No problem, get yourself a copy of the movie on DVD. Just note that, unlike the other physical versions, it doesn't come with a digital copy.
August has arrived, and so has Sony's announcement for what free games PlayStation Plus subscribers will be able to download this month. As usual, PS Plus members get two games each for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita between August 7 and September 4. This month also comes with a couple of bonus games we'll detail below.
PS4 owners will be able to download Mafia III, an open-world crime game set in 1968 in New Bordeaux, a city modeled on New Orleans. You play as Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam vet who comes home to get revenge on a local crime syndicate responsible for the death of his adopted family.
The second PS4 freebie is Dead by Daylight, an asymmetrical competitive horror game. In each match, four players are survivors who are trying to repair generators to open a gate to escape. The only problem is that one additional player controls a merciless killer on the hunt for the survivors.
Over on PS3, the free games include the action-RPG Bound by Flame, in which you're a warrior possessed by a flame demon tasked with killing seven Ice Lords. The other game is the throwback first-person shooter Serious Sam 3: BFE. PS Vita owners can download Draw Slasher and Space Hulk, the latter of which is set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
As mentioned above, two bonus games will be available to PS Plus members starting August 7. The first is the PSVR horror game Here They Lie, which will be free until October 2. The other is the party quiz show game Knowledge is Power, which will be free until November 6.
It's not too late to download July's free games with PS Plus. These include Absolver and Heavy Rain for PS4, Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess and Rayman 3 HD for PS3, and Space Overlords and Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma for Vita.
Despite the box office failure of 2015's Terminator Genisys and lots of uncertainty about the future of the long-running sci-fi franchise, the sixth Terminator movie is set for release next year. The currently-untitled film is currently in production, and the first official image has now been released.
The image shows Linda Hamilton, who is reprising her role as Sarah Connor, alongside new stars Natalia Reyes and Blade Runner 2049's Mackenzie Davis. Reyes is playing a character called Dani Ramos, whileDavis will portray Grace. Check it out below:
Terminator 6 is directed by Deadpool's Tim Miller, with series creator James Cameron producing. Original star Arnold Schwarzenegger is also coming back, and the movie is reportedly a direct sequel to 1991's classic Terminator 2 and will ignore the three movies in-between. It hits theaters on November 22, 2019.
Last year, Cameron spoke about the decision to bring Hamilton back. "As meaningful as she was to gender and action stars everywhere back then, it's going to make a huge statement to have that seasoned warrior that she's become return," he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The director also made reference to Hollywood's willingness to employ aging male action stars, but not female ones. "There are 50-year-old, 60-year-old guys out there killing bad guys," he said. "But there isn't an example of that for women."
Gaming's most prestigious fighting game tournament, EVO, is just around the corner. This year's competition takes place this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada, and features some of the most recognizable names in esports battling for the top spot in a number of popular fighting games. Even if you can't attend the event in-person, however, you can still follow along with all the action online.
EVO will stream the entire competition on Twitch, so you can catch all of the matches as they unfold from the comfort of your home. The tournament kicks off on Friday, August 3, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET and runs through the weekend, concluding with the Top 8 Finals of Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and other games on Sunday, August 5. You can see the full tournament schedule below.
Aside from the intense competition, EVO is where developers traditionally reveal big fighting game announcements. Last year's competition featured the most world premiere announcements in the tournament's history; it offered fans their first glimpse of Trunks in Dragon Ball FighterZ and revealed the return of Skullomania, among other announcements.
This year's tournament seems like it will also feature a few surprises for fighting game fans. EVO global business dev Mark Julio teased on Twitter that gamers "definitely do not want to miss out" on the event and reiterated that last year's competition featured a "record number" of announcements. What announcements await this year remains to be seen, but you can learn more about the tournament on the official EVO website.
EVO 2018 Finals Schedule
August 5
8 AM PT / 11 AM ET -- Guilty Gear Xrd: Rev 2
10:30 AM PT / 1:30 PM ET -- Super Smash Bros. Melee
1:30 PM PT / 4:30 PM ET -- Tekken 7
4: PM / 7 PM ET -- Dragon Ball FighterZ
7:30 PM PT / 10:30 PM ET -- Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
There are plenty of reasons to recommend an Xbox One. The Xbox One X is the most powerful game console on the market--and the standard S version is no slouch, either. It has a growing library of games you can't play on competitors like the PS4 or Nintendo Switch. It's a gateway to subscription services like Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass that offer fantastic bang for your buck. And if you have friends who own an Xbox One, you have a built-in network of online gaming partners.
But like all video game platforms these days, getting started can be a daunting experience. With this Xbox One buying guide, we'll give you all the information you need to make an educated buying decision. Plus, we'll help you out with what games, services, and accessories someone new to the platform might want to know about as well.
Hardware
The big question when it comes to buying an Xbox One is whether you should get the Xbox One S or X. As we move further into the 4K HDR era of televisions, this question is fairly easy to answer. If you have a 4K TV or plan on getting one soon, you should almost certainly go with the Xbox One X. It's more expensive, but it's powerful enough to push gorgeous 4K graphics for games, as long as they're Xbox One X Enhanced.
If you're happy with your non-4K TV and don't plan to upgrade anytime soon, go ahead and buy the less-expensive Xbox One S. It's still a powerful gaming machine, and it's perfectly suited for non-4K entertainment setups. For additional details, you can read our Xbox One X review and Xbox One S review.
The Xbox One is capable of doing all sorts of things online, including playing games, broadcasting play sessions on services like Twitch and Mixer, and streaming movies, TV shows, and music. Unfortunately, it can't do many of those things without an Xbox Live Gold subscription. This service is a must-have for anyone who wants to take their machine online, which is nearly everyone these days. Subscriptions range from monthly ($10) to yearly ($60), but you can find occasional deals if you look around.
An Xbox Live Gold subscription has more benefits than just getting you online. It offers added benefits like free games each month through Games With Gold and special discounts during the weekly Deals With Gold sales at the Microsoft Store.
Another service to consider is Xbox Game Pass. Sort of like a Netflix for games, it gives you access to a selection of over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games--including Microsoft-published games the day they come out. But instead of streaming the games to your system, it has you download them to your machine. After a free two-week trial, Xbox Game Pass subscriptions cost $10 per month.
Alternatively, publisher Electronic Arts has a similar service for Xbox One called EA Access. It allows you to download and play select EA-published games.
You're not going to get the full Xbox One experience without picking up some games. Now that the system has been around for several years, it's built up an incredible library of top-notch titles. Here are some of the best.
Halo 5: Guardians -- 8/10
"Halo 5: Guardians is fueled by new ideas and propelled by some of the boldest changes to this storied franchise yet. Some of these changes fail, but others succeed, and although Halo 5 falters at times, it whisks us through black holes and across war torn tropical islands at a rapid pace. We can only surrender to its velocity." [Read the full review]
"Ever since the title was first announced last year, it was clear that Capcom was gunning for something grander than Monster Hunter Generations. It has succeeded, and this is likely the biggest and best that the franchise has ever been. It's not just the comparative depth of the narrative; it also boasts almost seamless integration between combat systems that were previously incomprehensible for amateurs. The Monster Hunter formula has definitely honed its claws, and all the above factors play their part in making Monster Hunter World a meaningful evolution for the series at large." [Read the full review]
"Overwatch is an exercise in refined chaos. There are multitudes of layers hiding beneath the hectic surface, and they emerge, one after another, the more you play. This is a shooter that knows how to surprise, one that unfolds at a frantic pace, one that takes a handful of great ideas, and combines them into something spectacular." [Read the full review]
"With Forza Horizon 3, Turn 10 and Playground Games affirm the series' status as the driving game for everyone. The new emphasis on off-road options isn't at the expense of traditional races, thanks to the sheer volume of activities. All the while, Playground Games' calculated kitchen-sink design philosophy and rich reward system persistently tempt you to explore beyond your comfort zone, whether it's gifting your first Ariel Nomad buggy or reminding you that stunt races can impress thousands of fans." [Read the full review]
"Everything you've heard about Cuphead is true. It is a difficult side-scrolling shooter with relentless boss battles that demand rapid-fire actions and reactions. Think for too long, and you won't stand a chance against the game's toughest enemies.... When you are navigating your way around bullets, smaller enemies, and pitfalls, while simultaneously trying to damage your primary target, toppling Cuphead's imposing bosses is both a monumental and rewarding task." [Read the full review]
"Where the Witcher 2 sputtered to a halt, The Witcher 3 is always in a crescendo, crafting battle scenarios that constantly one-up the last, until you reach the explosive finale and recover in the glow of the game's quiet denouement. But while the grand clashes are captivating, it is the moments between conflicts, when you drink with the local clans and bask in a trobairitz's song, that are truly inspiring." [Read the full review]
Games and services are all well and good, but optional hardware add-ons can go a long way toward improving your Xbox One experience. Here are some suggestions.
Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller - If you're a serious gamer who demands pro-level precision, this customizable controller is the one for you.
Xbox Wireless Controller - The console itself only comes with one controller, so if you want to play couch co-op, you'll need at least one extra.
Xbox One Play and Charge Kit - Free yourself from the tyranny of disposable batteries with this rechargeable lithium-ion battery kit that lets you plug your controller into your console to recharge it.
Seagate Game Drive - 2TB - Games can be enormous these days, which means onboard disc space can fill up fast. Connect an external hard drive for instant extra space.
Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Wireless Gaming Headset - This headset lets you chat with friends while playing online and keeps the sound from waking anyone up when you're playing late into the night. It also connects wirelessly to the console, meaning no tangled cords.
Xbox One Media Remote - As silly as it sounds, it can get annoying having to turn on your controller every time you need to pause Netflix or rewind an Ultra HD Blu-ray movie. This handy media remote solves that problem.
Xbox Gift Card - Whether it's games, movies, music, or TV shows, you're going to want to buy something from the digital Microsoft Store eventually. Having credit on your account is always nice.
With Sony releasing the new Venom trailer, we got to see that this upcoming movie contains a lot more symbiotes than we originally expected. Venom aside, Scream, Riot, and possibly Phage appear in the trailer. However, it was mentioned at Comic-Con that Riot will be a bigger part of this movie. Who is this character, and where does he come from?
The symbiote that would eventually be known as Riot made his first appearance in Venom: Lethal Protector #4 back in 1993. Using Venom, Dr. Carlton Drake created five symbiotes, one of which was Riot. He looked like a slightly larger version of Venom but colored grey. Strangely enough, Riot only appears in eight total panels in the entirety of the Lethal Protector miniseries, and readers knew nothing about the character or his backstory.
The following year, the five symbiotes were back in the four-issue miniseries Venom: Separation Anxiety. We learn the person inside the Riot symbiote is named Trevor, and that he was a volunteer at the Life Foundation. Drake made Trevor and the other symbiote volunteers believe Venom was a villain who needed to be stopped. However, at the tail end of Separation Anxiety, Riot and Trevor are killed by Donna (Scream) as she believes the symbiotes all need to die. This would be the last time we ever see Trevor. Goodbye, we hardly knew thee.
In Venom: Along Came A Spider #1, the Riot symbiote popped back up, along with the four other symbiotes from the previous miniseries. A testing facility merges all the symbiotes into one called Hybrid. After a few years, the Hybrid was split back into its five separate symbiotes.
While we all call the symbiote Riot, it wasn't until 2012's Carnage, USA #2 when Trevor's symbiote was officially named Riot. The name originally comes from the 1996 Toy Biz line "Venom: Planet of the Symbiotes." The figure didn't look much like the character though. In Carnage, USA, the Riot symbiote is given to Howard Ogden, with the hopes of taking down Carnage, who made his symbiote possess the Avengers.
Riot popped up one more time in 2014's Deadpool vs. Carnage miniseries. All five of the Lethal Protector symbiotes bonded with Deadpool, so he could take down Carnage. That's the last we've seen of the Riot symbiote.
Because Riot is the "child" of Venom, he has pretty much the same powers. In Deadpool vs. Carnage, Wade Wilson mentioned that the Riot symbiote gave him increased speeds. However, that's all we really know about the character. While Riot has existed for 25 years, he is not a well-defined character by any means.
While the trailers don't give too much away about the character, we do know that Dr. Carlton Drake is the person inside the Riot symbiote. That's a bit of a departure from the source material, but it makes sense for the story. We can assume Drake is of the mindset of "if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself."
Find out more about Riot when Venom comes to theaters on October 5.
Tom Cruise pulls off some wild stunts in Mission Impossible films, including the recent Mission Impossible Fallout. But it's another kind of physical feat that may be the strongest indicator of success. A very serious study from Rotten Tomatoes concludes that box office success correlates directly with how much Tom Cruise runs.
The study tabulated all of Tom Cruise's on-screen sprints, then calculated them into distances as measured against a six-minute mile. Then the films were split into four categories, based on how much distance he covered per film: zero feet, 1-500 feet, 501-1,000 feet, and 1,000+ feet. Once all the numbers were crunched and the steps counted, a pattern emerged: movies where Cruise spent more time cruising made more money at the box office and scored a higher critical review average to boot.
The zero feet category is populated by dramas like Magnolia and Valkyrie, whereas short-distance running is largely made up of older movies like Risky Business, Days of Thunder, and Rain Man. The longer-distance running category has some of the older Mission Impossible movies mixed with recent action films, and the longest-distance is composed almost entirely of recent action movies. It turns out Cruise is running a lot more on film as he gets older.
The top ten for distance traveled has three Mission Impossible films on it--Mission Impossible 3, Ghost Protocol, and Rogue Nation--along with recent action movies like Edge of Tomorrow and The Mummy. So chalk it up to his star power increasing with age or big-budget action movies having more reason to spur on an exciting on-foot chase sequence. Whatever the cause, the data is clear. Tom Cruise running makes bank. It's science.
Insomniac's highly anticipated Spider-Man game for PS4 has reached an important development milestone. The studio announced that the upcoming title has "gone gold," meaning primary development has been completed and the game is now ready to be sent off for manufacturing.
Insomniac shared the announcement on Twitter, thanking both Sony and Marvel for "their support in the creation of this original Spider-Man adventure." The tweet was also accompanied by a humorous image parodying the popular meme in which Spider-Man sits behind a desk. You can take a look at the tweet below.
Unlike most games starring the webslinger, Insomniac's Spider-Man is set in a new, standalone universe and casts players in the role of an older, more experienced Peter Parker, whose greater confidence is reflected in the way he swings through the city and battles foes. The game also features an assortment of Spider-Man's most memorable villains, including Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, Shocker, and the recently revealed Silver Sable.
Spider-Man launches exclusively for PS4 on September 7. We had a chance to check the game out during E3 2018 and said it "may be one the best game experiences we've had with the webslinger." Those who pre-order the title will receive a variety of bonus content, including three suits that alter your appearance and unlock new suit abilities: Iron Spider, Spider-Punk, and Velocity Suit.
If you're interested in picking up Spider-Man but don't yet own a PS4, Sony recently revealed a beautiful Spider-Man-themed PS4 Pro bundle during San Diego Comic Con. The bundle comes with a copy of the game; a red, 1 TB PS4 Pro console with the Spider-Man symbol emblazoned on the center; a matching DualShock 4 controller; and a download code for the City That Never Sleeps DLC. The bundle launches alongside the game on September 7 and retails for $400.
The first session of the private multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 takes place this weekend for some players. Ahead of the test, Activision and developer Treyarch have shared an intense new trailer showcasing the various Specialists, maps, weapons, and other content that will be available to try out during the beta.
The private multiplayer beta is only available to those who pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 4--although Xfinity customers will also be able to participate, even without reserving the title. The first session kicks off exclusively on PlayStation 4 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on Friday, August 3, and runs until the same times on Monday, August 6. A second session will be held for all platforms--PS4, Xbox One, and PC--the following weekend from August 10-13. You can see the full schedule below.
As revealed in the new trailer, the multiplayer beta will feature a variety of weapons and 10 Specialists, including the returning Nomad and Prophet, who Treyarch previously said boast "brand-new gameplay mechanics built for Black Ops 4." The beta will also feature six maps to play on, two of which will be debuting to the public for the first time when the test begins.
Additionally, the beta will offer several different multiplayer options. In addition to fan-favorite modes such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, and Search & Destroy, players will be able to try out Control, a brand-new objective-based mode that has teams alternating between attacking and defending two "static objectives."
Perhaps most intriguing, the new trailer provides fans their first look at Blackout, the battle royale-style mode Treyarch is introducing in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Blackout won't be playable during the multiplayer beta, but fans will be able to try the anticipated mode out ahead of the game's release through a separate Blackout beta, which is slated to take place sometime in September. No exact date has been announced yet, but Activision has confirmed it will likewise take place first on PS4.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. Those who participate in the private multiplayer beta will earn a couple of exclusive rewards. First, all participants will receive a unique calling card, while those who hit max rank during the beta will earn a Permanent Unlock Token, which can be used toward any piece of Create-a-Class content in the full game. You can read more details about the beta on Treyarch's official website.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Private Multiplayer Beta Dates
PlayStation 4
Starts: August 3 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST
Ends: August 6 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Starts: August 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST
Ends: August 13 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST
PC Beta Early Access
Starts: August 10 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST
PC Open Beta
Starts: August 11 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST
Ends: August 13 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST
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