Each Monday night, Microsoft drops prices on a selection of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. This week's sale has nice discounts on some fantastic games across a variety of genres. So whether you're into action games, fighting games, survival games, racers, or something else, you can probably find something that appeals to you. Read on for some of our picks of the best deals available between now and September 10.
With Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice coming in March, you might want to try out From Software's previous game, Dark Souls 3. It offers a serious challenge, but its finely tuned gameplay usually keeps your failures from feeling cheap. And when you win, victory is that much sweeter. It's on sale for $15 / £13. Or, if you want to see where the story began, you can pick up Dark Souls Remastered on sale for $28 / £25.
Conan Exiles is a recent survival game that starts when the Cimmerian frees your personalized character from being crucified in The Exiled Lands. Which would be great if you didn't have to fight tooth and nail to survive. It's on sale for $30 / £25.
Rainbow Six Siege Year 3, Season 3--called Operation Grim Sky--launches today and adds a bunch of new updates into the first-person shooter game. The most notable addition is two new operators, codenamed Clash and Maverick, but Operation Grim Sky implements several multiplayer improvements as well.
Both Defenders and Attackers get a new operator in Operation Grim Sky, and each shakes up Siege's meta in different ways. Clash is the first Defender to come equipped with a shield, which fully extends in front of her and fires a taser. She's perfect for crowd control and holding off a team of Attackers while her teammates regroup and come up with a new strategy. Maverick uses a custom blowtorch to breach through any surface. He can't easily create a man-sized entry point, but Maverick can cut a hole large enough for his teammates to shoot through. Given that his torch is nearly silent, this allows Attackers to quietly get eyes on the opposing team through a reinforced wall.
New cosmetic changes have also being implemented into Rainbow Six Siege. Four new UK-themed weapon skins can only be unlocked during this season. Once unlocked, these skins carry over into later seasons. Canadian operator Frost also now has a new Elite set, which dresses her in her Huntress uniform, unlocks a new victory animation, and provides new skins for her Sterling MK2 LHT, Super 90, 9mm C1, and MK1 9mm.
Operation Grim Sky adds a map rework for Hereford Base. The base is now much larger and includes more avenues for Attackers to get to the Defenders--ranging from new staircases to destructible hatches in the floor. Although certain aspects of Hereford Base remain the same, most of the floor plan has been completely reworked. Consulate is getting a few changes too. Attackers will now have an easier time getting into the building, as the police line has been extended to provide more cover on approach and a wall near the gas station spawn point--that Defenders often used to spawn kill their opponents--has been removed. A fourth site for the bomb placement in the Bomb game mode has also been added, so both Attackers and Defenders will need to come up with new strategies on the map.
The full list of general tweaks and improvements implemented via Operation Grim Sky can be found on Rainbow Six Siege's website. The update also fixed many of the bugs in the game, which we've outlined below.
Rainbow Six Siege is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Operation Grim Sky Bug Fixes
Gameplay
Fixed - Players who join in a game in progress during the action phase will negatively impact the key bindings for the observation tools of teammates.
Fixed - Players can sometimes pass through reinforced walls using a deployable shield.
Fixed - The framerate drops when going to the tactical map in prep phase.
Fixed - Receiving damage while crouching with a shield will result in the weapon wielding hand to clip through the shield.
Fixed - Operators clip through barricades. Enabling them to be seen and shot in some cases.
Fixed - It is possible to place a barricade or reinforcement while standing far away from the door/wall.
Fixed - Longer delay than intended when switching from BOSG 12.2 to secondary weapon.
Fixed - The color filter of an observation tool goes away if you are brought to low health while watching in it.
Fixed - If the walk option is set to toggle, the player will walk after alt-tabbing.
Fixed - It is possible to prone and melee simultaneously with a shield.
Fixed - Weapons can clip through the floor if a player goes prone and leans.
Fixed - Corrupted animations happen while switching weapons or throwing gadgets in prone.
Fixed - Players receive no damage if they rappel into Smoke's Gas Grenade cloud.
Fixed - Kill info is not displayed if the player dies from the gadget of a dead enemy.
Fixed - Defuser animation resets when switching views.
Fixed - Textures between reinforceable and indestructible walls allow bullets to pass through.
Operators
Bandit
Fixed - Players are able to use Shock Batteries on Castle's Armored Panels using a deployable shield.
Dokkaebi
Fixed - Ice textures cover the Logic Bomb interrupt screen when one is performed while a defender is looking at cameras.
Tachanka
Fixed - Tachanka's LMG shield is inconsistent and players can be shot through it.
Fixed - After rapidly switching between his gadgets and weapons, Tachanka will look broken on 3rd person when mounting his Mounted LMG.
Twitch
Fixed - Shock Drone is unable to pass over some props that have a climbable height.
Vigil
Fixed - The reload animation of the BOSG 12.2 is incorrect.
Lesion
Fixed - GU mines will get triggered if they are placed beneath a reinforced hatch.
Mira
Fixed - A gap between two reinforcements can be created by Mira's Black Mirror
Montagne
Fixed - Shield extending animation resets when switching views.
Fixed - Players are able to vault over Montagne's shield.
Hibana
Fixed - In some instances, reinforced wall debris will remain floating when the reinforced wall is being destroyed by Hibana's X-KAIROS Launcher.
Finka
Fixed - Right hand becomes offset on the weapon when Finka activates her Adrenal Surge.
Fixed - The fire rate for the Spear .308 is listed in menus as 780 RPM, but it is only 700.
Blitz
Fixed - Blitz's shield's hit boxes do not match the curves of his shield.
Blackbeard
Fixed - Head hit box clips through the Rifle Shield when standing against some surfaces.
Level Design
Border
Fixed - Clipping occurs for players hiding under a desk in 2F Offices and they can receive damage.
Fixed - Frost traps clip through the cable protectors located in 1F Server Room making them partially invisible.
Fixed - Operators can clip through the desk in 2F Archives, 1F Server Room, and 1F Ventilation Room.
Bartlett
Fixed - Frost's Welcome Mat clips through the table in 1F Dining Room and becoming invisible.
Hereford Base
Fixed - Dynamic Clipping is not present with some indestructible objects or walls.
Tower
Fixed - Drone can be placed inside the ceiling from 2F Elevator.
Consulate
Fixed - Drone can be placed inside the ceiling from B Cafeteria, giving drone view over multiple objective sites.
Fixed - Clipping issues in multiple spots.
Skyscrapper
Fixed - Multiple floating debris are present after destroying the wall between the 2F Work Office and the 2F Lounge locations.
Villa
Fixed - Fuze's cluster charges remain stuck and explode inside the ceiling if placed close to the middle of the 4th wooden tile.
Fixed - Defenders can hide on top of cabinet in B Old Office.
House
Fixed - Character model will become invisible if standing under the staircase in B Laundry Room.
Fixed - Shield operators can melee defenders through metal blinds.
Kanal
Fixed - It is possible to hide inside the panel in Electric Room on Kanal.
Fixed - In some spots, Fuze's Cluster Charge backfire killing the player that placed it.
Yatch
Fixed - Attacker can place a drone into the ceiling at 2F Engine Utility.
Coastline
Fixed - A wall from the 2F Hallway disappears when looking at it with a Valkyrie camera from the other side of the hallway.
Fixed - Players are able to reach the purple tarp in EXT Pool.
Clubhouse
Fixed - Drones can clip through 1F Kitchen Entrance rooftop.
Fixed - Attackers can throw a drone inside the wall of Clubhouse from EXT Eastern sub-roof.
Fixed - The Operator is clipping through the floor when prone on the toilet.
Fixed - Operator model can clip through stair fence from 2F Central Stairs 1F Central Stairs and B Central Stairs.
Theme Park
Fixed - Players can go outside through the wall during the preparation phase.
Chalet
Fixed - Players can shoot enemies through the stairs in 1F Great Room.
Kafe
Fixed - Valkyrie can place cameras inside the wall between 1F Cold room and 1F Kitchen.
Oregon
Fixed - Drone can fall out of the map from multiple locations.
Fixed - Clipping issues in multiple spots.
Fixed - There is space between the window frame and wall at EXT Junkyard and the player can see inside the building.
User Experience
Fixed - Infinite loading time when using the name sorting option in the charms menu.
Fixed - Pack collection Icon flags are present on Operator cards with non-elite uniforms.
Fixed - Gold Vigil Chibi charm position makes it clip through shields.
Fixed - The smoke effect is no longer colored from the second opened Alpha pack onwards.
Fixed - Some black collection icons are attached to random weapon skins.
Fixed - Graphic options are not applied when accepting the apply changes on popup.
Fixed - A slight delay can be seen when scrolling through uniforms.
Fixed - Players cannot hear voice chat from his teammates.
Fixed - Players is returned to main menu instead of next situation after completing the previous one.
A week before Forsaken's release, Bungie rolled out Destiny 2's huge 2.0 update, which overhauled numerous areas of the game. Now, coinciding with the launch of the Forsaken DLC, it's released another update, version 2.0.0.1. Despite the number suggesting it's a minor one, it's more than 7 GB in size, and the patch notes are quite lengthy. Here's what's new.
Many of the changes here are expected ones that implement things tied to Forsaken. The level cap is now 50 for Forsaken owners, and Year 2 weapons come with random perks--an aspect of the original Destiny that Bungie abandoned in Destiny 2 until now. That's a major change, as it gives players a reason to hang on to duplicates of the same items. The mod system has also been overhauled, depreciating all existing mods and introducing new ones.
A new Vanguard Strike playlist is now available that will have a different Power level recommendation based on your current Power, and Nightfalls again have scoring. On the Crucible side, Iron Banner will feature Power level advantages once it comes back on September 18, while Trials of the Nine has been shelved for the time being. When playing Rumble, placing in the top 3 will register as a win, and various tweaks have been made to Competitive (such as the removal of loss streaks from Glory rank).
Some balance changes have been made to certain abilities (Hunter's Golden Gun now deals more damage to base and elite enemies) and Exotics (Riskrunner's magazine size has been increased). Masterworks and shaders are now handled differently. Rewards and challenges have been changed significantly, and there are new bounties and challenges to take on each day or week. Various quality-of-life changes have been implemented, such as being able to dismantle shaders in bulk by talking to Rahool.
This is only a very small sampling of what's changed--the combination of this update and Forsaken's release have shaken up Destiny 2 dramatically. You can check out some new Forsaken Exotics and hear what we think so far in the video above.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds first arrived on Xbox One late last year with its release on the Xbox Game Preview program, and now the popular battle royale game has officially launched on Microsoft's console. PUBG's big 1.0 update is now available, bringing the title out of early access and introducing a slew of new content to it, including a third map, new weapons, and more.
The most significant addition is Sanhok, the tropical-themed map introduced in the PC version of PUBG earlier this year. Unlike the game's first two stages, Erangel and Miramar, Sanhok measures only 4km x 4km (as opposed to 8x8), making it much smaller than PUBG's previous maps. As a result, matches contested on Sanhok are much quicker and more intense than normal.
Arriving alongside Sanhok are a handful of items. First is a pair of new guns: the QBZ and the QBU, the latter of which can only be found on Sanhok. PUBG Corp. has also added a new map-exclusive vehicle to Sanhok: the Rony, a pickup truck that can hold up to four players. You can take a look at images of them below.
With a third map now available, PUBG Corp. has introduced two new playlists: Battle Royale and Mini Royale. The former will randomly drop players onto either Erangel or Miramar, while the latter will only feature Sanhok for the time being. You can select both playlists to be randomly matched up on one of the three maps.
You can find the full patch notes for PUBG's 1.0 release on the game's official website. Also coming to the game are War Mode and custom matches, but these will arrive a little later "to let everyone enjoy and delve into each contents with time." War Mode is expected to launch later this month as a weekend event, while custom matches will be added in October.
PUBG is available on Xbox One for $30. You also have the option to purchase the "Sanhok Edition." This runs for $50 and includes the game, the Sanhok Event Pass that adds missions to complete and rewards to earn, the Fire in the Hole skin set, and 2,300 G-Coin.
Destiny 2's new DLC, Forsaken, has finally arrived on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It introduces a wealth of new content, including missions, Gambit mode, Crucible maps, and a whole lot more. On the PvE side, you can also expect to happen upon a new Public Event (Secure the Wanted Enemy) while exploring the new Tangled Shore zone. As with existing ones, it's possible to activate a Heroic version of the event, as seen in the video above--here's how.
In typical fashion, you'll need to fulfill several objectives that aren't explained in-game--if you simply do what you're told, you'll only complete the standard version of the event. To activate the Heroic version, you'll start out by locating the cryo-pod, which is a sort of prison cell that crashes on the map (and is marked by the usual Public Event icon). You'll then neutralize the nearby defenders, which involves clearing out two waves of enemies, and then proceed to stop the Wanted enemy who emerges from the pod.
Once you've done enough damage to this enemy, the cryo-pod begins venting a freezing gas that does damage to anything nearby. Once this begins, look for a vent on the side of the pod and begin shooting it. You can then grab the Core (a glowing ball) from inside the vent and throw it at the Wanted enemy. Do this enough times and you'll freeze the enemy in place, creating a circle around them. You then need to stand in the circle and fight off waves of enemies until the Wanted can be recovered.
Opting for the Heroic version of this event--while more difficult--also provides you with better rewards. It may prove to be too challenging if you're early in the DLC, but once you've raised your Power level (or simply have enough nearby players to attempt it), you'll want to do the Heroic version whenever possible.
If you haven't yet jumped in, you can watch the opening mission from Forsaken, which features some key story developments. The expansion is out now and requires both the base game and the first two DLC packs.
When Sons of Anarchy ended in 2014, fans knew it wouldn't be the permanent end of this world infused with outlaw gangs, murder, mayhem, and a never-ending parade of custom motorcycles. Creator Kurt Sutter even teased future spin-offs and prequels to the series.
Now, nearly four years later, the first continuation of the franchise is ready for its debut. Mayans MC is set three years after the series finale of Sons of Anarchy and follows a chapter of the Latino gang first introduced on the original show. At its center is a member named Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes (JD Pardo). It's certainly not the same show, though. The location has moved south to the California border between the United States and Mexico and most of the faces, both in the club and otherwise, are new. Of course, that's not to say you won't see any characters from Sons of Anarchy make the jump toMayans MC.
The most notable is Marcus Alvarez (Emilio Rivera), the founder of the club and president of its Oakland chapter.
"Thank God for Emilio Rivera," showrunner Elgin James told GameSpot at the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour. "If it wasn't for that dude, we wouldn't be here."
Still, just because faces from Sons of Anarchy could make their presence felt doesn't mean Mayans is a retread of the original. "What's really interesting is it's actually Kurt who asked [us to] the police that line," he said. "We're so in love with the mythology, and we're so in love with the world. While realizing that we have to stick our flag in the ground as a new show, we're also just such fans of what happened in the past."
Still, as much as they love the original show, there was one rule Sutter insisted on from the beginning. "The mythology couldn't be messed with," James admitted. "Like whatever happened with Sons, whatever happened there, there's no changing that. We couldn't do anything that would in any way have an effect on that universe."
Given that the series deals extensively with flashbacks to prior years, some of which will undoubtedly feature characters from Sons of Anarchy, that may prove to be a tricky line to walk. It's an important one, though, as Mayans MC strives to stand out from its predecessor.
One major change is the lack of a strong matriarch character. In Sons of Anarchy, Gemma Teller Morrow (Katey Sagal) essentially served as a mother to the entire club, though she was a twisted and vindictive one at times.
Mayans, too, featured a woman at the head of the Reyes family in its original pilot. However, after reshoots changed several details about the show, that character is now deceased. According to James, having that presence missing from the show and family makes for a more interesting story to tell.
"By removing that, we created this huge vacuum in a beautiful way," he said of the remaining members of the Reyes family. "We have these three men just clumsily trying to communicate with each other."
Another major difference is EZ himself. On Sons, Jax was introduced as the vice president of his club. In that position of power, his words carried a lot of weight with his brothers. The same can't be said of EZ, who is a mere prospect in the Mayans club, working to become a full member.
"There's nothing more American than for someone who starts as a bar back here in the Beverly Hilton and then in ten years owns a Beverly Hilton," James continued. "You know, that's the American dream. So that's what we're gonna have with our prospect. He's the lowest of the low and he's got quite a climb for him."
And it's a climb filled with twists and turns. After all, this isn't the life EZ imagined for himself. He at one point had a promising life ahead of him, but after several years in jail, he's simply trying to put the pieces of his life together. Thanks to his brother, that includes joining the Mayans MC.
"It's about being stuck between two worlds," James explained. "That's something we really wanted to do. Like EZ doesn't belong there, but he's from there. You know? We're actually on the border stuck between two worlds. He's not a club member, but he is."
The showrunner continued, "It's not the death of the American dream. But it's definitely the death of an American dream. And we're gonna get to see that and then realize that now he's gonna go on to the most American of dreams, which is the dream of becoming an outlaw."
Whether that dream is fully attainable, though, remains to be seen. Mayans MC premieres Tuesday, September 4, at 9 PM ET on FX.
Update 2: Bungie has brought Destiny 2's servers online, and Season 4 has officially begun with the release of Forsaken. If you're logging in shortly after maintenance ended at 10 AM PT, you may be faced with a queue as Bungie deals with people rushing to get in to experience the new expansion.
Update: Destiny 2 servers are now offline for pre-Forsaken maintenance. Additionally, update 2.0.0.1 is now available for download ahead of the game coming back online. Bungie says this should happen at around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST; whenever it does, you'll be able to log in and begin diving into what Forsaken has to offer, provided you've purchased the new DLC. One aspect of Forsaken you won't be able to jump into immediately is the Raid, which is scheduled to debut on September 14. The original story follows.
Bungie has released detailed information about the launch for Destiny 2: Forsaken. The expansion comes to all platforms on September 4, but you'll need to download a Day 1 patch before you can play.
On September 4 at 7:00 AM PT / 10:00 AM ET / 3:00 PM BST, Destiny 2's servers will go offline for maintenance. Bungie predicts the necessary patch to play Forsaken will go live about 30 minutes later. At 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM BST, Destiny 2 will go back online. The Forsaken expansion will be playable at that time assuming you've finished downloading the patch.
Figuring players would need time to level up in preparation for it, Forsaken's raid, Last Wish, won't go live as quickly after the expansion's launch as previous raids did. On Bungie's website, Destiny 2 senior designer Joe Blackburn said that Last Wish will go live on September 14 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM BST.
Bungie has been advertising Forsaken's launch with the tease that the expansion would mark the death of Cayde, one of Destiny 2's more beloved NPCs. A new trailer showcasing Cayde's final moments was just released and it's one of Destiny's more badass cinematic videos. Forsaken also adds a hybrid PvP/PvE mode called Gambit. Pre-ordering Forsaken allows you to play Gambit on September 1 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM BST.
Destiny 2: Forsaken will be available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A huge pre-DLC patch is now live.
Destiny 2's Forsaken DLC isn't so much an expansion as much as it is a journey through the underpinnings of the franchise and a look back at the evolution of its mechanics over the last four years. Many of its tweaks are aimed at hardcore players and min/max weapon enthusiasts. Forsaken's first few hours explore areas that have been underserved thus far, such as The Reef, and it also builds up a revenge story that encompasses the motivations of friends and enemies alike.
At a recent hands-on session, I played through the campaign missions, hunted Barons, and explored two expansive zones: The Tangled Shore and Dreaming City. Despite being underleveled, I also took a crack at the Blind Well, which is a high-level, wave-based event. Bungie is aiming to feed players with content for a long time, and while I can't say if it will succeed in hooking both casual and hardcore players again, I was initially overwhelmed with the amount of exploration opportunities the DLC provided.
The early progression path through Forsaken seems clear: Play the main campaign at the Tangled Shore and hunt Barons in the 380-500 power level range. Then, open the 550 power level Dreaming City zone, grind the Blind Well, raid on day 10, and then figure out the secrets at the center of the Dreaming City.
The Tangled Shore, where the story starts, is a medium-sized zone located on a flotilla of asteroids. It has plenty of underground areas to explore, including Lost Sectors, and each of these areas is used to deliver story and lore in a way not previously seen, such as wandering into a socially active Fallen prison block. It's also home to Spider, a Fallen ally of Petra Venj and the only law in town. Spider's friendly porcupine-looking units fight alongside you on your hunt for Barons. The story that leads you to Tangled Shore isn't just a nod or regurgitation of Prison Of Elders, it's a full-on exploration of the famed penitentiary and surrounding area around the Reef. Between the two story missions and a Strike I played, I was able to finally get into the mechanisms that keep the prison running, meet its inmates outside of the arena, and see some familiar characters in a new light.
The story itself sees multiple characters seeking revenge in ways that we won't spoil but tie into the new enemy faction, the Scorn. From a gameplay perspective, The Scorn aren't hugely different from other races but they do succeed at pushing and pulling at your personal space. The Scorn are an interesting mix of rushing, shielded, and hit-and-run units. Aggressive enemies such as Screeb and Ravagers charge at you employing explosives or area-denial fire lanterns. Lurkers have small shields that block damage, forcing you to aim for knees. One standout unit drifts around the map like a Wraith, taking potshots. The Scorn also reworked some familiar foes such as the Fallen Walker by outfitting it with a flamethrower and a shield to give it some protection when in a vulnerable state. The end result is that now you have to get up close to hit critical spots, which means hanging back and relying on Whisper Of The Worm or Polaris Lance is less viable.
[Combat in Forsaken involves] exciting and highly mobile firefights that favor smart loadouts, effective use of new subclass abilities, and accurate shooting.
Initially, I was worried that the aggression of these enemies was designed to force players into open spaces where only their power level would matter, but Forsaken offers plenty of cover, so strategic movement and using the environment to your advantage is as important as being able to dish out big damage. The result is exciting and highly mobile firefights that favor smart loadouts, effective use of new subclass abilities, and accurate shooting.
In areas like the The Blind Well, where you're more likely to be pinned in place without cover to retreat behind, Forsaken gives players gameplay options to help them out. The nine new subclass trees include some powerful support abilities, and our play session focused on the Warlock's new Dawnblade Super, which turns the class into a damage sponge. With defense bolstered, we were able to equip multiple short-range weapons such as shotguns and melt high-level bosses in heroic public events and strikes without having to dodge incoming fire.
The new Dawnblade Super is also essential for activating the heroic version of one of the new public events. The Warlock's other two supers still feel more like minion-clearing abilities. The Stormcaller subclass tree, Attunement Of Control, was probably the least interesting of the bunch. It fires a long range electric beam and seemed to do an unimpressive amount of damage to larger foes. The Attunement Of Fission tree lets a Warlock charge up and self explode multiple times while teleporting at rapid pace. It behaves like a bunch of mini Nova Bombs and is more surgical. We were able to use this Super to dodge past enemies fifty levels above us while exploring high-level zones.
The main Exotic we had time with was Malfeasance, a hand cannon affectionately compared to the Needler from Halo. This kinetic hand cannon causes explosions on the fifth round landed on the same target but that rarely happened because our Warlock equipped the Exotic chest piece Chromatic Fire, which caused targets to explode on precision kills from any weapon in the kinetic slot. The two exotics working together created so many explosions that it was often hard to tell which exotic had caused it to happen. It was an excellent minion-clearing loadout.
The final noteworthy addition to the Destiny 2 arsenal is bows, which come in a wide variety and have different effective ranges, draw times, and perks. Our favorite included an explosive payload and fast draw time. Bows have a specific cadence to them and sit somewhere between sniper rifles and scout rifles. In the few hours of our demo, bows came across as novel but non-essential. They are another notch in an already expansive weapon rework and will probably be loved by people looking for something new to shoot.
By the end of our session my biggest takeaway is simply that there are a lot of new mechanics, activities, places to explore, and things to do that should keep players occupied for some time to come. Those looking for deeper storytelling in Destiny will find some emotional plotlines and fun mysteries in the first few hours. If you're looking to keep your Destiny 2 habit, Forsaken looks like it could provide plenty of reasons to stay involved, and you fell off Destiny 2 it may be the Taken King-esque expansion that reignites a passion for it.
PlayStation Plus members can now head to the PSN to pick up their free PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games for September. This month has some excellent games on offer, including most notably Destiny 2. God of War III Remastered is the other big PS4 game, though this month every game is playable on PS4 thanks to Cross Buy.
With the release of Forsaken, Destiny 2 gets its major year-two expansion. You don't get Forsaken with the free version of Destiny 2 for PS Plus members, but at least you can get your feet wet in the game and decide whether or not you want to buy the DLC. God of War III Remastered is the upscaled version of the epic PS3 brawler.
Moving down the line, PS3 owners can pick up the classic action platformer Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition, which lets you switch between the new and original graphics on the fly and adjust the difficulty settings. The other PS3 game is the first-person puzzle game QUBE Director's Cut. Vita owners can grab the puzzle game Sparkle 2 and the co-op brawler Foul Play.
We're not done yet. Sony is offering another pair of PS4 games for free to PS Plus members. You can grab download the smart phone-controlled trivia game Knowledge is Power between now and November 6 and the PSVR horror game Here They Lie through October 2.
You can add all of these games to your account here.
September 2018 PS Plus Games
PS4
Destiny 2
God of War III Remastered
Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition (Cross Buy with PS3 and Vita)
QUBE Director's Cut (Cross Buy with PS3)
Sparkle 2 (Cross Buy with PS3 and Vita)
Foul Play (Cross Buy with Vita)
PS3
Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition (Cross Buy with PS4 and Vita)
Would you believe that one year before Alien Vs. Predator premiered on the big screen, these two iconic sci-fi horror monsters had their first meeting? What's more, would you believe Batman was the catalyst?
It was the summer of 2003 at San Diego Comic-Con, and it wasn't a film studio or TV network making all the noise, it was a fan film. Batman: Dead End is an eight-minute short film that came at a time when there simply weren't Batman films in theaters. Batman & Robin hit theaters in 1997, while Batman Begins wouldn't come along until 2005.
With that in mind, commercial director Sandy Collora decided to make his calling card, a short movie that would show studios he had what it took to helm feature films. The end result is the completely insane: Batman: Dead End, which somehow manages to pack four legendary figures into its short running time.
On its surface, Dead End is a dream come true for many fans. A series of Batman vs. Predator comics had been released in the '90s, but those stories never made it to the big screen. Not only did Collora throw that into his script, but he also peppered in the Xenomorphs from Alien and the Joker--why not?
What's most interesting about Dead End is what could have been. According to Collora in a documentary about the making of the film--which, for some reason, is 100 minutes long, compared to Dead End's 8-minute running time--Sylvester Stallone originally agreed to play Batman at one point, which led to mark Hamill signing on to play Joker. When Stallone dropped out, Hammill soon followed. There's no real telling if this is true, but what a wild ride that would have been.
As far as a narrative structure goes, there's not much to see in Dead End. Batman is chasing the Joker, and Joker--played by Growing Pains alum Andrew Koenig--rants about how he and Batman are the same person at their cores. Then everything goes to hell when Joker gets snatched, and it all turns into an intergalactic battle to the death. It's here that the short embraces how silly and insane its concept is, for better or worse.
In reality, would Batman stand a chance in hand-to-hand combat with a Predator? Absolutely not, but there's something thrilling about watching him try, even if it's an unsanctioned fan film. And while the film may not have been the calling card Collara thought it would be, as he still has yet to be picked to direct a studio feature, it's still worth watching.
Now, with The Predator barreling into theaters, the vicious alien killers are back. Sadly, Batman and the Xenomorphs won't be there to greet him. After all, there's that pesky problem of Batman being a Warner Bros. property, compared to Alien and Predator being part of the 20th Century Fox library--which will be joining the Disney family soon. Still, a new Predator film--and one that looks as vicious and gory as the new one does--is the exact kind of fuel the imaginations of the next generations of fan film creators need.
Until then, we have shorts like Batman: Dead End to show us what a fan can do if they're willing to spend their time and money bringing their own visions to life, regardless of how ridiculous they are. Sit back and enjoy.
Marvel's iconic comic book hero Spider-Man has starred in numerous video game adaptations over the years, and while some of his outings have been excellent, the results haven't always lived up to the webslinger's reputation. His latest title, Marvel's Spider-Man, arrives exclusively on PlayStation 4 later this week, and judging by the game's early reception, it's one of his best video game adventures yet.
Developed by Insomniac Games (the studio behind Ratchet & Clank and Sunset Overdrive), Marvel's Spider-Man is set in an original, standalone universe separate from the comic series. The game casts players in the role of an older, more experienced Peter Parker, who must use his powers to save New York from some of his most memorable villains, including Electro, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, and Silver Sable.
GameSpot's Edmond Tran praised Insomniac's take on the comic book hero for its excellent narrative and satisfying web-swinging mechanics. "Swinging around New York as Spider-Man is endlessly fulfilling. It's a relatively straightforward system that isn't overly demanding on inputs, but the minor adjustments and variables in terrain you need to consider while in motion (webs require tangible attach points), as well as the weighty feeling of Spidey makes the process feel satisfyingly manual--there's just enough effort required to make you feel as if it's all on you," he wrote in GameSpot's Spider-Man review.
With its release only a few days away, reviews of Marvel's Spider-Man have begun appearing online. We've rounded up a sample of them below to give you a quick overview of what critics have to say about Spider-Man's latest outing. For a broader look at Marvel's Spider-Man's critical reception, be sure to visit GameSpot's sister site, Metacritic.
Game: Marvel's Spider-Man
Developer: Insomniac Games
Platform: PS4
Release date: September 7
Price: $60 / £45
GameSpot -- 9/10
"Minor shortcomings don't detract from Insomniac's achievement in creating a game that feels like an authentic interpretation of a beloved creation. The feeling of embodying Spidey and using his abilities is astonishing, and the time spent on exploring its major characters help make its story feel heartfelt, despite superhero bombast. There have been open-world Spider-Man games before, but none so riveting and full of personality, none that explore and do justice to this many facets of the universe. Insomniac has created a superior Spider-Man experience that leaves a lasting impression, one that has you longing for just one more swing around New York City, even after the credits roll." -- Edmond Tran [Full review]
IGN -- 8.7/10
"I wanted Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 to make me feel like Spider-Man: To sail between the highrises of New York City, to nimbly web up hordes of enemies, and tussle with familiar, animal-themed villains. Insomniac Games' first foray into the world of Marvel handily delivers on all of that. But what I didn't expect from Spider-Man was to come away feeling just as fulfilled to have inhabited the life of Peter Parker. Aside from a few odd pacing issues, which momentarily took me out of the experience of being a superhero, and a world of optional missions that don't always quite live up to the heft of the main story, Insomniac has delivered a Spider-Man story that both surprised and delighted me, coupled with gameplay that made me feel like Spider-Man nearly every step of the way. The Wall Crawler's open world doesn't consistently deliver the thrilling moments of its main campaign, but the foundation laid here is undoubtedly a spectacular one." -- Jonathon Dornbush [Full review]
Eurogamer -- Recommended
"What I love more than anything, is that behind the traversal and combat, Insomniac is a wonderfully controlling developer. For the entire length of the campaign they won't hand the city over to a day/night cycle or randomise the weather because they want total command of the atmosphere for the beats big and little to play out in. Just like they want those webs to attach to buildings in a convincing manner, they don't want to leave too many other details to be ground up in the cogs of an open-world. Somebody, in other words, is looking out for Spider-Man, a superhero whose pleasing vulnerability means that he needs looking after now and then--just as he could do with a little help getting his belongings out of the trash." -- Christian Donlan [Full review]
US Gamer -- 4.5/5
"Insomniac Games takes Marvel's most popular character for a spin and the results are fantastic. The developer establishes its own Spider-Man with a unique supporting cast and a beautiful recreation of New York to play around in. This is an absolutely beautiful game, with solid combat and a great story. Most of all, it really sells the feeling of being Spider-Man. The gaming history of Spider-Man has been uneven, but this is an amazing entry in that history. Pun intended." -- Mike Williams [Full review]
Game Informer -- 9.5/10
"Like Batman: Arkham Asylum before it, Spider-Man raises the bar for one of the world's most beloved heroes. You feel like you're doing everything he's capable of. Insomniac succeeds in making Peter and the supporting cast just as memorable and engaging as the wall crawler. Excitement is delivered consistently from the outside of play right up to the last story frame, which is a real shocker that contains a reveal that will make the wait for the sequel almost unbearable." -- Andrew Reiner [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 4.5/5
"Spider-Man is still a hugely enjoyable adventure full of great characters and moments, and just about one of the best videogame realisations of superheroing to date. Insomniac are a studio with nearly 25 year's experience of producing slick, tactile action adventures that feel great to play, and seeing that expertise turned to a licensed game has created an impressively, polished and crafted experience." -- Leon Hurley [Full review]
Mission Impossible: Fallout actor Henry Cavill will star in the upcoming adaptation of The Witcher. The actor, also known for playing Superman in DC's movies, hinted last month that he would like to play Geralt in the Netflix show. Now the streaming giant has confirmed that he will indeed take on the role.
Cavill will play Geralt in the eight-part show, which is based on the fantasy novel series written by Andrzej Sapkowski, on which the games are also based. Sapkowski is set to work on the English language drama series as a creative consultant.
The star gave fans the first clue that he was in line for the role in August. IGN asked him about other projects he would like to be involved in, and he expressed his love of the Witcher games. "Love that game. Really good game," he said. Cavill was then asked specifically about playing the lead character of Geralt in Netflix's adaptation. "Absolutely," he said. "Yeah, that would be an amazing role." Cavill also dropped some hints when he reposted fan art imagining him in the role on Instagram.
The show is being developed by Lauren S. Hissrich, who previously worked on Daredevil, The Defenders, and the upcoming Netflix drama Umbrella Academy. The show was announced in May, but it is not expected to hit the service until 2020. "We're moving quickly ahead with everything--like, my head is spinning around Exorcist-style, except with enthusiasm, not evil possession--but one thing is certain: quality comes before speed," Hissrich said at the time.
A Polish TV series based on The Witcher aired in 2002, but that has been the only adaptation of the franchise for TV so far. A Witcher movie with some big-name talent behind it was was announced for 2017, but that never happened.
As for the Witcher game series, the newest instalment was 2015's The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. No new projects in the series have been announced, and developer CD Projekt Red is now working on the much-anticipated Cyberpunk 2077.
Are you running out of things to watch on Amazon Prime? Well, September is here, and that means there is a whole slew of new TV shows, movies, and Prime Originals for you to binge in your free time. Here is what you have to look forward to throughout this month.
For new movies coming to the service that you may have missed in theaters, September 29 marks the arrival of the horror movie Jigsaw, which is part of the gruesome Saw franchise. There is also Escape Plan 2--which wasn't in theaters--and while the movie's focus isn't on Sylvester Stallone as much as we'd thought it would be, it's still a solid action movie.
If you're looking something from the past, Amazon has a ton of movies you'll want to rewatch including Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, arriving on September 1. If you're getting ready a bit early for Halloween, there a few horror movies as well, including Pumpkinhead, Poltergeist II, the original The Amityville Horror, and the 1989 Adam Sandler movie Going Overboard, which may be the scariest of them all. Check out the complete list of everything coming to Amazon Prime in September below.
Everything Coming To Amazon Prime In September 2018
September 1
Asylum, Season 1
The Blue Rose, Season 1
The Broker's Man, Seasons 1-2
The Field of Blood, Seasons 1-2
Golden, Season 1
The Kevin Bishop Show, Season 2
London Irish, Season 1
The Palace, Season 1
Parents, Season 1
Rocket's Island, Seasons 1-3
Sam's Game, Season 1
Texas Rising, Season 1
The Triangle, Season 1
Trust, Season 1
Westside, Seasons 1-3
Wild at Heart, Seasons 1-8
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
A Field in England (2013)
A Good Woman (2006)
A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004)
A Murder of Crows (1999)
A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures (2010)
A Turtle's Tale 2: Sammy's Escape from Paradise (2012)
All You Can Eat Buddha (2017)
Bandits (2001)
Beowulf (2007)
Big Top Pee-wee (1988)
Blow Out (1981)
Bolero (1984)
Can't Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police (2012)
September is officially here--that wonderful month when so many of us begin our struggle of going back to school. On the bright side, Netflix is introducing a load of new movies, TV shows, and original series for when you have time for some weekend binge sessions. There's a lot of new stuff to look out for in the coming weeks, although we're losing quite a few movies and series as well. Here's the full rundown on what's new and leaving in September 2018.
The big addition in September is Black Panther, the Marvel superhero movie that took the world by storm this past February. If you happened to miss out on this celebration of African culture--which we described as "a top tier Marvel movie with all the humor, style, action, passion, and fun that the MCU has come to embody" in our Black Panther review--then now's your chance. Other film highlights coming in September are Groundhog Day, Scarface, Bruce Almighty, The Breakfast Club, Lilo & Stitch, The Emperor's New Groove, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Netflix exclusive Next Gen.
The list of new TV shows isn't as impressively large, but there are a few stellar options being added. Both Bojack Horseman and Stranger Things are getting new seasons. If you like staying appraised of everything going on in the MCU, Iron Fist is also returning another season.
If animation is your thing, new anime series Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan--about a rookie air force pilot who finds herself being chosen as the destined rider for an actual dragon--and animated series The Dragon Prince--which is created by the same folks behind Avatar: The Last Airbender--debut on Netflix this September.
Of the movies and TV shows being removed, Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are the two noticeable standouts. They've unfortunately left the service already, but you can get a look at what you still have time to watch below.
Arriving in September
September 1
Unforgiven
10,000 B.C.
Another Cinderella Story
Assassins
August Rush
Bruce Almighty
Delirium
Fair Game
Groundhog Day
King Kong
La Catedral del Mar
Martian Child
Monkey Twins
Mr. Sunshine
Nacho Libre
Pearl Harbor
Scarface
Sisters
Spider-Man 3
Stephanie
Summer Catch
Sydney White
The Ant Bully
The Breakfast Club
The Cider House Rules
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Keeping Hours
The River Wild
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Two Weeks Notice
September 2
Lilo & Stitch
The Emperor's New Groove
Maynard
Quantico: Season 3
September 3
A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities
September 4
Black Panther
September 5
Van Helsing: Season 2
Wentworth: Season 6
September 6
Once Upon a Time: Season 7
September 7
Atypical: Season 2
Cable Girls: Season 3
City of Joy
Click
First and Last
Iron Fist: Season 2
Next Gen
Sierra Burgess Is A Loser
Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters: Season 2
The Most Assassinated Woman in the World
September 10
Call the Midwife: Series 7
September 11
Daniel Sloss: Live Shows
The Resistance Banker
September 12
Blacklist: Season 5
Life
On My Skin
September 14
American Vandal: Season 2
Bleach
Boca Juniors Confidential
BoJack Horseman: Season 5
Car Masters: Rust to Riches
Ingobernable: Season 2
Last Hope
Norm Macdonald has a Show
Super Monsters Monster Party: Songs
The Angel
The Dragon Prince
The Land of Steady Habits
The World's Most Extraordinary Homes: Season 2 Part A
September 15
Inside The Freemasons: Season 1
September 16
Role Models
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
September 17
The VVitch
September 18
American Horror Story: Cult
D.L. Hughley: Contrarian
September 21
Battlefish
Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan
Hilda
Maniac: Limited Series
Nappily Ever After
Quincy
The Good Cop
September 23
The Walking Dead: Season 8
September 25
A Wrinkle in Time
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
September 26
Norsemen: Season 2
The Hurricane Heist
September 28
Chef's Table: Volume 5
El Marginal: Season 2
Forest of Piano
Hold the Dark
Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father: Season 2
Lessons From A School Shooting: Notes from Dunblane
Sony has announced the games PlayStation Plus members will be able to download for free in September. As usual, subscribers get two games each for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita between September 4 and October 1. Two things about this month's offerings are unusual. First, all six games are Cross Buy with PS4, so you don't need to dust off old hardware to play them. And secondly, one of the games is available early--right now, in fact. Here's what PS4, PS3, and PS Vita games PS Plus members can expect to get for free in September 2018. [Update: The full PS Plus lineup for September is now available.]
The biggest game on the list--and the one you can download right now--is Destiny 2. This shared-world online shooter launched last year to wide acclaim before much of the players base ran out of things to do. All this year, Bungie has been adding content through expansions and surprise updates in order to create more endgame content. The effort has seemed to pay off. With the major Forsaken expansion launching on September 4 (sold separately), the player base seems to be coming back around in a big way.
Better yet, everyone with a copy of Destiny 2 can participate a 24-hour free trial of the upcoming PvP-meets-PvE Gambit mode, starting September 1 at 10 AM PT (1 PM ET). If you want to see your options for accessing Forsaken, take a look at our Destiny 2: Forsaken pre-order guide.
And while these aren't specific to September's lineup, PS Plus members can still download the smart phone-controlled trivia game Knowledge is Power through November 6 and the PSVR horror game Here They Lie for free through October 2.
It's also not too late to download August's PS Plus freebies. These include Mafia III and Dead by Daylight on PS4, Bound by Flame and Serious Sam BFE on PS3, and Draw Slasher and Space Hulk on PS Vita.
September 2018 PS Plus Games
PS4
Destiny 2
God of War III Remastered
Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition (Cross Buy with PS3 and Vita)
QUBE Director's Cut (Cross Buy with PS3)
Sparkle 2 (Cross Buy with PS3 and Vita)
Foul Play (Cross Buy with Vita)
PS3
Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition (Cross Buy with PS4 and Vita)
Like many retailers, Best buy releases a new weekly ad every Sunday, showing off what's on sale in the coming week. Since video games are among Best Buy's offerings, a new set of games gets discounted as well. This week finds some good deals on individual video games (see the list below), as well as some conditional discounts for buying things like a Nintendo Switch or a game over $30. Let's dive in.
Purchase a Nintendo Switch at Best Buy, and you'll get $30 off Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That's a great deal, considering you'll almost certainly want at least one of those games on your new system.
The PS4 exclusive game Spider-Man is also out this week (September 7, to be exact), and Best Buy currently has pre-order stock of the limited edition Spider-Man-themed PS4 Pro. It costs $400 and comes with a red 1 TB PS4 Pro emblazoned with the Spidey symbol, a red controller, and a copy of the game.
Destiny 2 got its major year-two Forsaken update this week, and if you spend $30 on any game or Turtle Beach headset, you'll get a copy of the base game for free. It's worth noting that you'll have to shell out extra money for the Forsaken content, so you might be better off just buying the $60 release Destiny 2: Forsaken Legendary Collection if you don't already have the game and the first two expansions (which you'll need to play Forsaken).
For the sports fans out there, you can pre-order NBA 2K19 to get one of three Funko Pop figures for free while supplies last. A number of other gaming deals area available at Best Buy this week, so take a look at the list below to see if anything catches your eye.
After the delayed launch for Week 7, Fortnite's challenges are back in their usual slot for Season 5, Week 8. That means PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile players have new rewards to work towards earning right now. As with previous weeks in this season, challenges are partitioned into two categories, with some available to all players and others only to those that have paid for a Battle Pass. As always, we've got a breakdown of all the new Fortnite challenges and guides to help you get them done, including one of the trickiest of the bunch: use a Rift at different Rift spawns.
On the free side, this week's challenge involve placing 10 traps, searching seven chests in Wailing Woods and getting four kills with a shotgun. While the free challenges this week are relatively easy, the ones in the paid Battle Pass section will require a little more time, effort, and perseverance.
The first involves doing 250 damage to enemies with the pickaxe, which means you'll need to get up close and personal. Since enemies may opt to just gun you down, you'll have to be sneaky and try not to get discouraged by all the bullets flying your way while you're trying to do some nice, wholesome melee damage.
The remaining paid Battle Pass challenges are the quite tough. One is a three-part challenge that begins by asking you to eliminate an opponent in Greasy Grove. Completing this is all down to your prowess as a hunter, so hang around in the area and see if you can pick of an unsuspecting enemy. Once done, you can progress on to the next stage of the challenge. Another challenge involves searching between three oversized seats, while the final one requires you to use a Rift at 10 different Rift spawn locations.
The Rifts were introduced at the start of Season 5, and generally they all appear in the same location. Since the challenge is very similar to previous ones that have also required interacting with Rifts, you should have a good feel for where they are. As a refresher, here are some of the common locations that you can find rifts.
Rift Spawn Locations
Southeast of Junk Junction near the Easter Island statue
Northeast of Risky Reels around the Noms sign
Northwest of Dusty Divot in the mountain
Northwest of Tomato Town around the river
East of Pleasant Park close to the Durr Burger statue
North of Paradise Palms in the town
Northwest of Paradise Palms around the lake
Southeast of Shifty Shafts around the Easter Island statue
West of Lucky Landing around the Easter Island statue
Northeast of Paradise Pals around the Go Kart track
If you need further help locating the Rifts, we've also put together a map of common Rift location and a video of us completing the challenge above to give you a better idea of where to go. You can see all the other Week 8 challenges, and their rewards, below.
Fortnite Season 5, Week 8 Challenges
Free
Place traps (10) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search chests in Wailing Woods (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Shotgun eliminations (4) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Deal damage with pickaxe to opponents (250) -- 5 Battle Stars
Use a Rift at different Rift spawn locations (10) -- 5 Battle Star
Search between three oversized seats -- 10 Battle Stars
Stage 1: Eliminate an opponent in Greasy Grove -- 3 Battle Stars
Stage 2: Eliminate an opponent in Lonely Lodge
Stage 3: Eliminate an opponent in Fatal Fields
On August 28, Epic launched a new update for Fortnite, introducing a new weapon and a Limited-Time Mode to Battle Royale. The Shockwave Grenade, classed as an Epic rarity item, can be acquired from Supply Drops, Vending Machines, chests, and llamas. Upon detonation, it knocks back anyone caught in the blast, and although the victims don't take fall damage, they will destroy any structures they crash through.
The new Limited-Time Mode, meanwhile, is called "Solid Gold." This can be played in the standard and 50v50 variations and, as in past iterations, weapons and items that spawn will all be of the Legendary variety. Those are the headliners, but you can see everything new from the Fortnite 5.30 content update here.
The patch also made a significant change to the challenge that tasks players with opening chests in specific locations, making it a little more manageable. We analysed the impact this change has had, saying that Fortnite has finally made the treasure chest challenges fun.
Season 5 of Fortnite: Battle Royale continues on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and--most recently--Android. As with the previous seasons, this one brings with it a selection of fresh challenges to complete on a weekly basis, as well as a variety of Battle Pass rewards to unlock for your efforts. This time, however, Epic has made a few tweaks to the way certain Battle Pass challenges operate, including the introduction of free challenges for all players. Here's everything you need to know about the newest Season 5 challenges, details on all of the ones available so far through Week 8, and exactly how to get them all done.
Once again, players who purchase the Season 5 Battle Pass will get a set of objectives to complete every week, which in turn will go toward leveling the Battle Pass up and unlocking new rewards. Unlike past seasons, however, weekly challenges are now divided into two categories, Free (which are available to all Fortnite players) and Battle Pass (which are reserved for those who've purchased the Pass). That means that even if you haven't bought the Battle Pass, you'll still be able to complete certain objectives and earn rewards.
If you do decide to pick up the Battle Pass partway through the season, you'll be also able to retroactively unlock any premium rewards you've earned based on the tier that you've already reached. However, one of the advantages of purchasing the Battle Pass early is bonus XP, which is awarded for playing in general and for playing in a party with friends. Since leveling up with XP translates into Battle Stars, you'll want to grab the Battle Pass as soon as you can and take advantage of these bonuses.
There are two other types of challenges to complete this season as well: Road Trip and Drift. The former are much like the Blockbuster challenges from Season 4; when you complete all of the challenges in a given week, you'll receive a special loading screen that points to the location of a hidden Battle Star. Drift challenges, on the other hand, task you with gaining a certain amount of XP. There are five Drift challenges to complete in total in Season 5, each of which reward you with a new style option for the Drift skin. If you manage to complete four out of the five Drift challenges, you'll also unlock the Rift Edge, an alternative for the pickaxe. For a limited time, you can also complete special anniversary challenges tied to Fortnite's birthday event.
You'll find a complete list of all Season 5 challenges available so far below, along with links to our maps and guides that will help you complete them all. You can see all of the new skins, cosmetics, emotes, sprays, and other items to unlock this season in our gallery of Fortnite Season 5 Battle Pass rewards.
Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 5 Challenges
Road Trip
Complete all challenges from any week -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 2 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 3 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 4 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 5 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 6 different weeks -- loading screen
Complete all challenges from any 7 different weeks -- loading screen
Reward: Legendary skin (Enforcer) and Back Bling (Subjugator)
A new batch of challenges for Fortnite Season 5, Week 8 are now available. One of the more difficult ones that paid Battle Pass owners will face is one that asks players to search between three oversized seats. Doing so will net you 10 Battle Stars, but unless you're quite familiar with the map, you may find yourself at a loss for where to go. For those people, we've put together a short and sweet guide on where to go to get the challenge done.
To complete this challenge, all you've got to do is head to the mountain just north of Flush Factory and you'll find the Battle Star, as it's pretty easy to spot in that location. You can take a look at the exact location below, where you'll find a few images of the map zoomed in to where you need to be. Alternatively, you can watch the video above and see us complete the challenge for a better idea of where to go.
Click image to view in full screen
The other tricky challenge involves using a Rift at 10 different Rift Portal spawn locations. If you play a lot of Fortnite you'll no doubt have seen these countless times on your travels, so you should have a good feel for where to go. All you need to do is travel around the island to 10 of them, interact, and you're good to go. However, if you need a little guidance, we've got a Rift spawn location guide to make things a bit easier.
If you're still catching up on older challenges, we can offer a helping hand with those too. Just head over to our full Fortnite Season 5 challenge guide, where you'll find a complete breakdown for every challenge from this season, the rewards you get for completing them, and guides to make things quick and easy for you to do.
Fortnite Season 5, Week 8 Challenges
Free
Place traps (10) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search chests in Wailing Woods (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Shotgun eliminations (4) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Deal damage with pickaxe to opponents (250) -- 5 Battle Stars
Use a Rift at different Rift spawn locations (10) -- 5 Battle Star
Search between three oversized seats -- 10 Battle Stars
Stage 1: Eliminate an opponent in Greasy Grove -- 3 Battle Stars
The Stephen King adaptation Itwas released a year ago, and it went on to become one of the most successful horror movies of all time. The follow-up is due for release next year and has now wrapped production. To mark the end of shooting, director Andy Muschietti has released a new behind-the-scenes image.
Muschietti posted the picture on his Instagram page. It shows him with happy-looking star Jessica Chastain, who is somewhat blood-splattered, and is accompanied by some reworked David Bowie lyrics. Check it out below:
It: Chapter 2 hits theaters on September 6, 2019. The movie is set 30 years after the first film, and it follows the adult versions of the kids in the original. Chastain plays the older Beverly, while the rest of that cast features James McAvoy as Bill, Bill Hader as Richie, James Ransone as Eddie, Andy Bean as Stan, and Isaiah Mustafa as Mike. Bill Skarsgård returns as the evil clown Pennywise, one of the guises of the terrifying interdimensional entity of the title. In July, images of the adult cast on set were revealed.
Although the focus of the movie will be on the so-called Losers Club as they reunite as grown-ups to confront the evil once more, the young cast from the first film will also appear. In an interview last year, Muschietti explained that the cross-cutting between the two timelines that occurs in the novel is important to the story.
"In my opinion, it can't only be about adults," he told The Independent. "Something that I love about the book is the dialogue between the two timelines because, ultimately, it's a story about childhood. It's a love letter to childhood, but it's also a story of the death of childhood. It's symbolic, of course, because when Pennywise describes himself as the eater of worlds, he's not talking about a monster that eats planets; he's talking about eating the world of imagination and magic."
Dragon Quest is one of gaming's oldest and most beloved series, spanning more than 30 years and multiple consoles. Its latest chapter, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, arrives on PS4 and PC this September (with a Switch version following down the line), and it marks a return of sorts for the long-running series, after its foray into MMO territory with Dragon Quest X.
In grand RPG tradition, Dragon Quest XI puts players in the role of a silent protagonist known as the Luminary, who is sent to jail early on in the story by King Carnelian because he believes Luminaries are conspiring with darkness. Like other mainline installments in the series, the game features a classic turn-based battle system, which is accentuated with the new Zone and Link systems.
With its release quickly approaching, reviews of Dragon Quest XI have begun to appear online. We've collected a sample of them below to give you a cross-section of what critics think about the title. For a broader look at the game's critical reception, be sure to visit GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Developer: Square Enix
Platforms: PS4, PC
Release date: September 4
Price: $60 / £45
GameSpot -- 9/10
"Innovation in games is talked about a lot, but it's also great to see traditional gameplay formulas that have been around for decades presented exceptionally well. Dragon Quest XI is one of the best modern examples of this; its beautiful presentation, both visual- and story-wise, combines with a tried-and-true gameplay formula for a journey that's full of heart and soul. Once you find yourself sucked into the world of Dragon Quest XI, it's going to be hard to put down until you reach the grand finale." -- Heidi Kemps [Full review]
Eurogamer
"[A]fter the boldness of past entries--whether that's the not-so-recent Dragon Quest 9, or even the perfectly executed Builders spin-offs--Echoes of the Elusive Age ends up feeling like it's missing a trick. This is a pointed return to a different age of RPGs, a throwback to a golden era that shines brightly in its splendour. You'll be hard pushed to find a more lavish production this year, or one that's so generous, though you can't help but wonder whether it's too much of a backwards step." -- Martin Robinson [Full review]
US Gamer -- 5/5
"Even though Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is the 11th installment of the series, it feels like a natural follow-up to Dragon Quest VIII. That makes it a good entry point for Dragon Quest-curious players, too. There's a lot of RPG here, but it all goes down easy. Enjoy it: Games like this only visit us once in a rare while." -- Nadia Oxford [Full review]
Game Informer -- 8.25/10
"Dragon Quest XI stays to true the series' sense of adventure, and the long journey culminates in something cool for longtime fans (be sure to reload your save after the credits roll). I had my share of fun, especially as someone who grew up with the franchise and could appreciate the callbacks littered throughout. At times, I was glued to my controller as I discovered the next village, plot revelation, or impressive boss. Dragon Quest has stuck around for a reason: It does what it does well, and the formula still works. However, Dragon Quest XI's lack of evolution is a hindrance. It's about time the series took some risks." -- Kimberley Wallace [Full review]
Polygon
"A lot of my complaints are about the core conceits. The graphics and scope, while updated, are grafted onto a frail and aging skeleton. The huge map that amounts to hallways, the NPCs with endlessly frivolous dialogue, and the incessant load screens all point to an update--in hardware and software--rather than an evolution. Dragon Quest 11 is a beautiful example of what a JRPG can be after 30 years of lovingly guided evolution. Its success is irrevocably tethered to those decades of development, though, and that means you probably already know if this is a game for you. If you're not already one of the faithful, Dragon Quest 11 is unlikely to make you a convert." -- Jeffrey Parkin [Full review]
EGM Now -- 8.5/10
"Dragon Quest XI brings the legendary Japanese RPG franchise to consoles (properly) for the first time in 13 years, and it's a mostly fantastic new chapter of the series. Its story, gameplay, characters, and visuals all work to blend timeless series elements with newer-era genre refinements, and most of the time, the results are great. Unfortunately, there are a few times when honoring tradition is a weakness, not a strength—most specifically in the case of the game's protagonist." -- Mollie L. Patterson [Full review]
IGN -- 8.8/10
"Dragon Quest XI excels when it emphasizes fighting bad guys, exploring dungeons, and finding treasure. It's a visual feast populated by a cast of colorful monsters more engrossing than its main characters. Uneven story beats and some icky bits sometimes slow Dragon Quest down, but superb mechanics remain the focus, making Echoes of an Elusive Age a top-tier JRPG for the modern age." -- Jared Petty [Full review]
The hugely popular romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians continued its reign at the top of the box office chart over the Labor Day weekend. The movie remained at No.1 in its third week since release and crossed the $100 million mark in the US to take an estimated total of $117 million to date. Worldwide the movie has made $139 million so far, from a production budget of just $30 million.
The big budget shark thriller The Megremained in second place, with an estimated $10.4 million weekend take. Mission Impossible: Falloutcontinues to do impressive business and actually rose back up the chart, moving up one place to No.4. With a total US gross of $206.3 million to date, Fallout is already the third biggest movie in the series, but with only $9 million between Fallout and Mission Impossible II's total gross, it might yet emerge as the most successful.
The highest new entry in the top 10 was the acclaimed thriller Searching, which expanded the number of theaters it is playing in and rose from No.22 to No.4. The week's biggest new release was the historical thriller Operation Finale, which features Star Wars' Oscar Issac and made an estimated $6.01 in its first three days.
The bottom half of the box office Top 10 consisted of titles that have stuck around for a few weeks, including the puppet comedy The Happytime Murders, the adventure movie Alpha, and Spike Lee's BlackKklansman. This Friday sees the release of the Conjuring spin-off The Nun and the action thriller Peppermint, with The Predator following a week later, so expect plenty of change in the chart over the next couple of weeks.
You can see the full Top 10 list for the August 31-September 2 US box office below, as compiled by Box Office Mojo.
Ever since director James Gunn was fired by Disney from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 back in July, Dave Bautista has been very vocal about his unhappiness with the situation. In a new interview, the actor, who plays Drax in the blockbuster Marvel movies, has not only restated that he might not return for Vol.3, but has also revealed that the movie is now on hold.
During an interview on the British talkshow The Jonathan Ross Show, Bautista was asked about whether the rumors that he might not appear in Vol.3 were true. "There's a bit of an issue," he said. "It's a bitter-sweet conversation. No, it's a bitter-bitter conversation because I'm not really happy with what they've done with James Gunn. They're putting the movie off. It's on hold indefinitely. To be honest with you I don't know if I want to work for Disney."
Ross went on to state that Bautista's frankness about the situation was unusual for a Hollywood star. "I've been very vocal about the way I feel," Bautista said. "I'm not afraid to admit the way I feel. I don't think I'm your typical Hollywood guy."
Gunn was fired after old tweets that saw the director joking about topics such as pedophilia and rape resurfaced online. The rest of the Guardians cast subsequently issued a joint statement in which they offered Gunn their support, but stopped short of demanding that he be rehired. Last month, star Chris Pratt described it as a "complicated situation" and stated that "we just want to move forward and do what's right and be the best people we can be."
It had been rumored that Marvel was pushing Disney to rehire Gunn. However, a recent report stated that although Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn met with Gunn, the studio is refusing to budge on the issue. While Guardian of the Galaxy Vol.3 was never officially given a release date, it was reportedly set to start production in February 2019 ahead of a 2020 release.
Die Hard is one of the most revered action movies of all time, and is the film that made both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman movie stars. Four sequels have followed, but most fans would admit that the most recent entries into the franchise haven't exactly matched the high standards set by the 1988 original. Nevertheless, a sixth Die Hard movie is on the way, and we now know the title.
The news comes via Empire, who spoke to Die Hard producer Lorenzo diBonaventura. He revealed that the movie will be titled McClane, after Willis' character John McClane, and that it will be set in two different time periods. "You can tell our intention by the fact that the title page we handed in says, 'McCLANE'" diBonaventura said. "We want you to get invested in John McClane more than ever before."
The producer went on to explain that although the film will focus on the adventures of a younger McClane, Willis would still play a major role in the story. "I don't know how you do Die Hard without Bruce," he said. "The idea that he's not very significant in this movie is not accurate at all. We are gonna explore John McClane in his twenties. But just as prominent is the 60-year-old version."
While McClane does not yet have a release date, Empire states that Len Wiseman, best known for the fourth Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard, as well as the Underworld series, is attached to direct.
The success of Die Hard led to two sequels in the '90s--Die Hard 2 (1990) and Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995). After 12 years, the series was revived with Live Free or Die Hard, which was followed by 2013's A Good Day to Die Hard. Despite bad reviews, the latter was a financial success, making $304 million at the worldwide box office.
It's September, which means Xbox Live Gold subscribers can download a new batch of Games with Gold. The newly available games are Prison Architect for Xbox One and Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars for Xbox 360 (also playable on Xbox One). The former is free through the end of September, while the latter is free between now and September 15.
As you can probably tell from the title, Prison Architect puts you in charge of a prison. You get to design the layout of the building and manage how the occupants are treated. You can aim to make your prison a pleasant place designed to rehabilitate the misguided criminals, or you can give into your darker urges and inspire things like arson, murder, and riots.
Also available for free between now and September 15 is Ubisoft's medieval brawler For Honor. Now is a good time to grab this game, because this fall it's getting a free major update with a new faction and a castle siege mode.
After Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars goes back to full price, you'll be able to get the 360 game Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World September 16-30. The other mid-month addition for September is the Xbox One game Livelock, which will be available September 16 - October 15.
It's a lot of dates to keep track of, so here are September's games listed out with their availability windows in an easy-to-read format.
Games With Gold: September 2018
Xbox One
Prison Architect (September 1-30)
For Honor (August 16-September 15)
Livelock (September 16-October 15)
Xbox 360
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (September 1-15)
Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World (September 16-30)
EA has announced it is making the Premium Pass for Battlefield 1 available for free for a limited time. From September 11 to September 18, Battlefield 1 players will be able to get the premium pass at no cost, giving them access to all the additional content released after the game's initial launch.
The Battlefield 1 premium pass includes a total of four expansions: They Shall Not Pass, In the Name of the Tsar, Turning Tides, and Apocalypse, all of which encompass new multiplayer maps, Operations, and Elite classes, among other things.
"Battlefield 1 Premium Pass is a great way for Battlefield 1 base game owners to play all the great post-launch content and whet your appetite as we enter mankind's greatest conflict in Battlefield V, come November," EA said on its website.
By playing Battlefield 1 (and Battlefield 4), players will also unlock content such as weapon skins and special tags for Battlefield V as part of the Road to Battlefield program. These items will play into Battlefield V's customization options, which allow characters to be outfitted with "soldier sets" that include camo patterns, head gear, face paint, and weapon skins. Although six of these soldier sets are included in Battlefield V's Deluxe Edition, two of them can only be unlocked through Road to Battlefield V.
Battlefield V's open beta will be available to everyone on September 6. However, those that have early access through pre-orders or by being an EA Access/Origin subscriber will be able to play from September 4. PS4, Xbox One, and PC owners can now pre-load the beta client on any of these platforms. All you have to do is add the Battlefield V open beta to your download queue by selecting it here for Xbox One or here on PlayStation 4. PC Origin users can head to Battlefield V's store page and click the "Try it First" button and then add the beta client to their library.
Battlefield V was originally set to release on October 19, however it was delayed to November 20 to give developer DICE extra time to fine-tune the game. "We're going to take the time to continue to make some final adjustments to core gameplay, and to ensure we really deliver on the potential of [new Battlefield live service] Tides of War," DICE General Manager Oskar Gabrielson previously explained. "We know moving the launch date means that we all have to wait a little longer. But we're going to take our time to make sure we get it right."
One of the big new additions coming to Fortnite in its next update is an event called High Stakes. It is scheduled to be one of the last major surprises in the game's fifth season and, at PAX West, developer Epic Games detailed what players will have to do to complete the High Stakes challenges and earn its rewards.
Like the new limited-time mode, Getaway, High Stakes is themed around heists and tasks players with stealing, killing, and escaping. The first part of the challenge offers up 5,000 XP to anyone that plays 10 matches of Getaway. If you're able to deal a total of 500 damage to opponents carrying the coveted jewel, you'll also get a special spray. Those that manage to pick up a jewel in five different matches of Getaway will get a special skydiving trail that features money flying off your character. Finally, if you complete all three of those challenges you'll get a crowbar skin for your pickaxe.
The upcoming update will also introduce one new skin and four masks, which will be available to purchase from the in-game store. For those that missed the initial reveal, Getaway involves four safes being dropped onto the map. Working in groups, players must find these safes, grab the jewel from inside it, and take it to the extraction zone without being killed.
A new Grappler gun will also be added in, and it functions pretty much as you'd imagine; fire it at a wall and it latches on, allowing you to launch yourself in that direction. Of course, the gameplay implications of this new weapon are significant, so it should be an exciting new addition. As of yet, Epic has not confirmed an exact release date and time for the new patch, but it is expected this week.
The last patch for Fortnite was the 5.30 content update, which marked the debut of the Shockwave Grenade, a new type of weapon that throws players a great distance when activated. Epic also rolled out the latest set of weekly challenges, which involve searching between oversized seats and using rifts. You can get help for all of this season's challenges in our complete Season 5 challenge guide.
With the Battlefield V open beta client now available to download, the game's numerous "Options" tab on console has become available to see for one of the first times. While PC players might be accustomed to having a wealth of graphics and control options to tweak, this level of personal customisation is a relatively new phenomenon on console.
In Battlefield V, there are a ridiculous number of things you can change. For controls, you can do basic things like toggle vibration on or off and go inverted. There are also sliders for solider stick sensitivity, vehicle stick sensitivity, and zoom sensitivity from 0 to 100. There are also numerous different button layouts you can choose from for your solider and vehicles. On the more advanced side of control options, you can adjust things like the dead zone--which is how much you need to move the stick before it activates. There are also zoom sensitivity sliders for 1-10X zoom and sensitivity sliders for tanks and turrets.
In terms of gameplay options, you can choose to show or hide all HUD elements or player-created content. You can also decide if you want the kill log to show a weapon icon, a name, or both, while you can turn the kill log off entirely if you want. Additionally, there is a slider for "Share Usage Data," which, when turned off (it's on by default), will limit the data that EA collects while you're playing to only that which is "necessary to operate [the game]." Turning this off "may result in loss of functionality," though it's not clear what functionality may be lost.
The User Agreement for the Battlefield V beta contains more details about EA's use of your personal data. It states that EA may collect information like your IP address and operating system, along with gameplay elements like how much you play and what you do in the game. The notes also explain that EA will still collect your data if you play offline by grabbing it once you connect back to the internet. It's not immediately clear how this applies to the Battlefield V beta, as it's a multiplayer beta that requires you to be connected to the internet.
Battlefield V's gameplay customisation goes much further. You can now set the specific colour you see when you hit an enemy, including a specific colour option for headshots. A nice little colour palette pops up from within the menu to let you pick a colour. Additionally, you can change the size of the minimap and adjust the opacity of friendly and enemy soldiers, as well as the opacity of objectives.
On the sound side, you can change the level of the master and music volume, and also turn the in-game announcer on or off. You can also make the announcer voice speak in a native language. Finally, some of the video settings you can change include basic things like brightness and field of view, while you can adjust motion blur with a slider from 0-100 %. You can also toggle on or off weapon depth of field, chromatic abberation, film grain, lens distortion.
Click through the images in the gallery above that GameSpot captured on Xbox One to get a broader sense of what you can adjust in Battlefield 5. Bear in mind that this information comes from the game's beta menu, so the final version might be different.
Battlefield V's open beta begins on September 6, but people who pre-ordered and those with an EA/Origin Access subscription can start playing on September 4. For more on the beta, here's everything you need to know about its maps, modes, and more.
Sony's new overall CEO, Kenichiro Yoshida, recently made controversial comments about cross-play, and now an Xbox executive has responded. Xbox engineering lead Mike Ybarra said on Twitter that Sony "still isn't listening to gamers" about the cross-play situation.
"[Sony still] isn't listening to gamers," Ybarra said. "All games should be cross-play and progression with the right input flexibility and gamer options."
After someone pointed out to Ybarra said Sony's PS4 has been outselling the Xbox One for a long time, Ybarra himself pointed out that Microsoft operates in the console and Windows PC space which expands its gaming footprint significantly. He also suggested that Sony is doing a disservice to its users by not supporting cross-play.
"We run Windows and Console," Ybarra said. "Larger gaming audience who wants to play together. Gaming is diverse, if you only serve to bring joy to part of an audience then you are behind in many, many ways."
Going back with what Yoshida said, he spoke at the IFA conference in Berlin recently and suggested that Sony doesn't allow cross-play because PS4 is the "best place to play."
"On cross-platform, our way of thinking is always that PlayStation is the best place to play. Fortnite, I believe, partnered with PlayStation 4 is the best experience for users, that's our belief," Yoshida said, according to The Independent.
Yoshida pointed out that Sony supports cross-play between PS4 and PC, and that going forward the company will "decide based on what is the best user experience."
He added that he believes competition with Xbox and Nintendo is "always good." Yoshida became Sony's CEO earlier this year after longtime CEO Kazuo Hirai stepped down.
Going back to Ybarra and Xbox, someone asked for Ybarra to explain why Microsoft requires a paid Xbox Live Gold membership for some free-to-play games and betas while Sony does not. He did not respond.
Games like Rocket League, Fortnite, and Minecraft support cross-play between Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, but not PlayStation 4. Sony said a while back that it's confident it will find a solution about cross-play that satisfies gamers and meets businesses considerations at the same time. As of yet, Sony has yet to say anything more.
For more on the cross-play situation, check out GameSpot's feature video embedded above.
It's a big week for Battlefield, as the long-awaited Battlefield 5 open beta begins later this week on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Ahead of its start on September 6, you can now pre-load the beta client on whatever platform you're eager to play on.
It's very simple; you can add the Battlefield V open beta to your download queue by picking it up here for Xbox One and here on PlayStation 4. Meanwhile, Origin users can visit Battlefield V's store page and click the Try it First button and then add the beta client to your library.
While the beta officially starts on September 6, people who pre-ordered get to start two days early, beginning on September 4. Additionally, EA Access members on Xbox One can start playing 48 hours early, as can Origin Access members on PC (for Premier and Basic).
The Battlefield V open beta includes two maps--Arctic Fjord and Rotterdam--and the fan-favourite Conquest mode. Also included in the beta is the brand-new Grand Operations mode, along with a series of weapons, vehicles, and gadgets to try out. Be sure to click through the images in the gallery above to see a full rundown of what's in the beta.
Additionally, the open beta gives players a first look at the new "Tides of War," system, which is Battlefield V's ongoing events program. Each chapter will give players new challenges to complete to earn cosmetic gear; it sounds similar to Fortnite's seasons. In the beta, you'll get to try the Shock Troops Chapter event; successfully completing it gets you a Tides of War Beta dog tag to use in Battlefield when it launches.
On Xbox One, the open beta file size is 10.95 GB. Xbox Live Gold is required on Xbox One while PlayStation Plus is not needed for PS4. The minimum and recommended specs for Battlefield V's open beta on PC are available below; they do not necessarily represent the specs for the final version of the game.
The Battlefield V open beta ends on September 11. Also note that none of your progress from the beta will carry forward to the full game.
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