Wednesday was a big day for those who have been impatiently awaiting the arrival of Marvel's next film, Captain Marvel. We got not just a look at Brie Larson in her superhero costume, but also a bunch of new information and photos from the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film due out next year. That includes reveals of Nick Fury and the Skrulls, among other things.
The new photos from the film were shared by Entertainment Weekly, where you can see all 10 images. They mark the first we've seen from Larson's superhero debut, and they don't disappoint. Not only can she be seen in her costume as the titular Captain Marvel--in an image featuring far less Photoshopping than the cover version--but several other details are given away.
Most notably, Captain Marvel brings back Nick Fury back--but in a major change, he actually has both of his eyes. As the movie is set in the 1990s, a younger version of the director of SHIELD will be introduced, long before he starts wearing his signature eye patch. Perhaps the movie will actually show how he loses his eye?
Also seen in the photos are the introduction of the Skrull alien race. In one image, they are walking out of the ocean, led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). According to a caption from EW, the Skrulls are among the "nastiest and most notorious baddies" in all of Marvel comics. Take that, Thanos.
The last photo we want to highlight is the first look at Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). As EW explains it, Maria is one of Carol Danvers' oldest friends and a fellow Air Force pilot, who flies under the call sign Photon. She's also a single mother to a young daughter, which is where things get interesting. In the comics, Maria's daughter is Monica, who ends up with superpowers and grows up to become an Avenger.
Monica has been known as Photon, but also Captain Marvel for a time. She's currently known as Spectrum. As Marvel plots out phase four of the MCU, it will be interesting to see if the introduction of Maria opens the door for Monica to become a big part of the franchise's future.
You can see the rest of the photos over at Entertainment Weekly. Captain Marvel is in theaters on March 8, 2019.
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. [Update: Week 9 challenges will arrive a day late, on Friday, September 7. That's due to the delay for the preceding update, which is out now. That introduces the High Stakes event and its accompanying challenges.]
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)
Amazon might have killed off its video game pre-order discount for Prime members, but that's not the only benefit the online retailer offers gamers. Prime members also get benefits from the Amazon-owned streaming site Twitch. Each month, Twitch gives out a bundle of free PC games, as well as free in-game goodies in titles like PUBG, Overwatch, and most recently, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege.
Between now and December 31, Siege players can get free exclusive in-game gear in which to deck out their Operators. Right now, Prime members can visit Twitch to receive eight Twitch Prime packs containing exclusive items for Hibana, Finka, Ela or Bandit.
In October, four more Twitch Prime packs will become available, and again in November, for a total of 16. You're guaranteed not to receive any duplicate items, and if you collect all of the packs, you'll end up with four complete skins. Also included with the freebies is a Legendary Chibi Charm.
To get your free gear, Prime members can head to Twitch and click the crown-shaped icon near the search bar. Here you'll find your Rainbow Six freebies, along with any other available items you haven't redeemed yet. You'll be instructed to link your Twitch and Ubisoft accounts, and then you're all set. Next time you play Rainbow Six Siege, your Twitch Prime packs should be waiting for you.
If you don't have a Prime account but you want the gear anyway, you sign up for a free 30-day trial. In addition to the monthly gaming goodies, you also get a free channel subscription each month on Twitch, plus free two-day shipping on many items and access to Amazon Prime video and music. Even if you cancel your membership before the first bill comes, you'll get to keep the Siege gear, along with any other freebies you collect.
After the delayed launch for Week 7, Fortnite's challenges are back in their usual slot for Season 5, Week 8 (although we're again experiencing a delay for Week 9 challenges). 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.
Although a new update is out now, we don't yet have Week 9 challenges in Fortnite. That said, you can still take part in existing Season 5 challenges, including those for Week 8. Among the week's most challenges--if you're a paid Battle Pass owner--is one that asks players to search between three oversized seats. The reward for completing this is 10 Battle Stars, making it a desirable one to do. However, if you don't know the map well, you may find yourself at a loss for where to go. If you need help tracking down where to go, we have a location guide detailing 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. Be aware that Week 9's challenges will be a bit later than usual due to a bug with an incoming update.
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
September is officially here--that wonderful (or perhaps not so great) 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
Playing video games can be an expensive hobby, no question. But if you bide your time and pay attention to sales, you can often save quite a bit of money, even on recent games. That's great in theory, but if you're ready for a new game now, you want to know what deals are available this very moment. To help you out, we've gone through this week's video game sales to find the best deals on the best games for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Before we dig into the deals, you should pick up any free games you're eligible to receive. If you're a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscriber, you can downloaded September's free games for your console. And if you have an Amazon Prime account, don't forget to grab your free PC games from Twitch this month.
If you want to see the deals on any particular platform or from a specific retailer, you can check out this week's coverage of individual sales.
If you're looking forward to Red Dead Redemption 2's release on October 26, you might want to refresh your memory on the first game. It's backwards compatible on Xbox One, and it's on sale digitally on the Microsoft Store
Steam is running a nice sale on a bunch of games this week, including the entire Witcher series for under $25. Not bad for a terrific set of action RPGs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies Chronicles Edition (PS4, Xbox One)
With the sequel right around the corner, now's a good time to catch up on the previous Black Ops game, especially since it's on sale at Best Buy. This edition comes with bonus DLC for the Zombies mode.
Before Assassin's Creed Odyssey lands on October 5, you can catch up on Origins at a discount right now. Other Assassin's Creed games are on sale as well on the PlayStation Store.
Whether you want to add a couch co-op partner or you threw your old one out the window during a tough boss fight, you might need a new Xbox One controller. This week you can get one (or more) for $20 off.
Microsoft has announced Xbox Skill, which lets you control your Xbox One console with voice commands through other devices. With Xbox Skill, you'll be able to order your console to follow your commands via Cortana or an Alexa-enabled device. For now, Xbox Skill is only available for U.S. Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip Ahead, Alpha, and Beta rings.
According to Xbox's website, Xbox Skill lets you power your console on and off, as well as "adjust volume, launch games and apps, start and stop broadcasts on Mixer, capture screenshots, and more." Once Cortana or Alexa is connected to your console, you can say, "Xbox, what can I say?" to find the full list of commands.
If you're an Xbox Insider in the U.S., follow the directions below to try out Xbox Skill with Cortana or Alexa.
For Cortana
Sign into the Xbox you want to control.
On your Windows 10 PC, sign in to your Microsoft account to link the skill.
Try your first command.
For Alexa
Sign into the Xbox you want to control.
Sign in with your Amazon Account on the Echo portal, and click Enable.
Sign in with your Microsoft account to link the skill.
Let Alexa discover your console, then follow the instructions to pair your console with Alexa.
Try your first command.
Xbox Skill is rolling out gradually for all U.S. Xbox Insiders right now. If you're an Insider, you can check to see if there is a digital assistant setting option on your console via the Devices tab under Settings. If it's not there, then you're not eligible yet. Check back as Xbox will continue to add all U.S. Xbox Insiders that fall into the Alpha Skip Ahead, Alpha, and Beta rings.
Via Xbox Skill, you'll be able to control your Xbox One with a Windows 10 PC, Amazon Echo, Harman Kardon Invoke, Sonos One, or Cortana and Alexa apps on iOS and Android devices.
After a slight delay, Fortnite's 5.40 update has finally arrived on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. Along with introducing another new item to Battle Royale, the Grappler, the patch marks the start of the High Stakes event, which features a new limited-time mode and its own set of challenges to complete.
The aforementioned challenges are tied to the new LTM, Getaway. Unlike a typical game of Battle Royale, this heist-themed mode divides players into teams of four, with the objective being to find one of the four safes scattered around the island, extracting the (appropriately llama-shaped) jewel housed within, and making it safely to the getaway van.
There are three High Stakes challenges in all, which will reward you with XP and new High Stakes cosmetics. Each is fairly straightforward and can be reasonably completed by taking part in enough Getaway matches. You can see the full list of High Stakes challenges, and the rewards they confer, below.
Play matches of The Getaway (10) -- 5,000 XP
Deal damage to Jewel-carrying opponents (500) -- Suited Up spray
Pick up a Jewel in different matches of The Getaway (5) -- Cash Flow skydiving trail cosmetic
If you manage to complete all three of the challenges before the High Stakes event ends next week, you'll unlock one final reward: an exclusive Crowbar skin for your pickaxe. Additionally, developer Epic offering a new Wildcard skin in the Fortnite store throughout the event, which comes with four interchangeable masks and a Cuff Case back bling.
Epic is also selling a new Ace Pack. It runs for $5 and comes with two similarly heist-themed cosmetics: the Ace Outfit and the Swag Bag back bling, which looks like a duffle bag stuffed with cash. You'll also receive 600 V-Bucks--Fortnite's in-game currency--for purchasing the Ace Pack, making it a particularly good value.
As previously mentioned, Fortnite's 5.40 patch also added a new traversal tool to the game's arsenal, the Grappler. This gun can be fired at walls and used to launch yourself around the map. Meanwhile, Week 9's set of challenges are scheduled to go live very soon, on Friday, September 7.
The spirit of Sons of Anarchy is alive and well in Mayans MC. In fact, it's even more alive than most fans of the FX biker drama expected. It was already known that Emilio Rivera would be reprising his Sons role as Mayans godfather Marcus Alvarez in the new series. That's far from the only link to Sons of Anarchy that can be found in the first episode of Mayans MC, though. Warning: The following contains spoilers from the pilot episode of Mayans MC.
In one of the episode's flashbacks to eight years before the current time, none other than former biker queen Gemma Teller (Katey Sagal) appears. She can be seen in the background of a prison visiting room as a recently-incarcerated EZ (JD Pardo) breaks up with Emily (Sarah Bolger). When the split gets louder and more dramatic than is allowed in prison, Gemma is seen more clearly, reacting.
While this is an exciting moment for Sons fans, it's not just a throwaway cameo. In fact, it's a small piece of a bigger puzzle according to Mayans MC co-creator Kurt Sutter. "Having Gemma there in the pilot was fun for us and will speak to something we want to do later on," he explained at the Television Critics Association press tour in a small group interview. "It's a little bit of a nod to Sons, but I think also there's a reason why she was there and we'll find out what it is later on."
As co-creator Elgin James told GameSpot, this isn't the last connection to the original series that will build to something more. "All these little things that [Kurt] plants all pay off somehow," he teased. "So that's all I know is that nothing is just thrown away."
Making sure nothing is a simple cameo is what helps Sutter to ensure Mayans MC doesn't trample on the mythology built by Sons, which is the one unbreakable rule James says he was given. As for what Gemma's appearance means, there's no telling. After all, while she was alive eight years ago, she's dead now. So anything they do to include Gemma in the Mayans storyline will have to remain in the past.
She's also not necessarily the last Sons character fans will see pop up on Mayans MC. Truthfully, anyone is on the table--even Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) himself. That is, as long as it means something. "Whomever I bring back, I can't do it for a sensational one hit kind of thing," Sutter said. "There has to be an integral part of why it's important to the new mythology."
Still, Jax is a long shot. Hunnam has yet to appear on a TV series since the conclusion of Sons of Anarchy and has a number of films in the works. However, if it makes sense from a plot standpoint, Sutter isn't opposed to calling on his former star. "For me to bring Jax back in a flashback, it would really have to be integral to the story," he said.
Destiny 2: Forsaken is ushering Bungie's latest sci-fi shooter into its second year with a smorgasbord of new missions, modes, enemies, equipment, and more. Prominent among the new additions is Gambit, a unique Destiny 2 mode that blends PVE and PVP together into one seriously fun competition.
Most of the time in Gambit, you won't be shooting other players directly. But you're always competing with another team of Guardians, so you'll want to bring your A-game to every match. And that means having the right loadouts, knowing the best strategies, and being prepared with a complete understanding of everything Gambit has to offer.
As a hybrid mode that isn't just PVE or PVP, Gambit allows you to explore new play styles that straddle the line between both. Based on our early experiences with the mode, here are some of the best ways to ensure your team comes out on top.
How Gambit works
Destiny 2's newest game mode is aptly named, as almost every move you make is a gambit that risks your progress and points for a greater advantage over your opponents. Teams of four players compete to defeat enough enemies to be the first to summon a large "Primeval" boss enemy and defeat it, while periodically invading one another's areas and killing other players to slow the opposing team's progress. Besides these "invasions" of one player into the opposing team's play area, the two teams are totally separate.
You'll spend the bulk of any Gambit match defeating enemies and gathering the Motes they drop. You can carry up to 15 at a time, and although there's no direct adverse effect for holding onto them, you'll lose them all permanently if you die, setting your team back significantly.
You're meant to bank these Motes periodically at the station in the center of the map, getting your team closer to summoning your Primeval. Doing so in increments of five sends a "blocker" enemy to the opposing team's area, preventing them from banking their own Motes. Banking five Motes sends a small blocker, ten sends a medium, and 15 sends a large blocker that takes significant firepower to defeat. The bars along the top of the screen show not just how many Motes your team has banked (the red and blue bars), but also how many Motes each team's players are holding (the gray portion of the bar that's not yet filled in).
The notches on these bars represent the 25 and 50 marks. Reaching these milestones opens a portal to your opponents' side, allowing one player on your team to invade their space and try to slow their progress. The invading player gets an overshield, and can see their opponents' locations for the duration of the invasion, even through walls. They invader is sent back to their side if they get four kills (a team wipe), if they die (which drops three Motes for the invaded team to pick up), or at the end of a 30 second timer.
When your team has banked 75 Motes, a large Primeval boss enemy appears. It's accompanied by smaller, but still tough enemies that provide it with extra protection--taking them out makes the Primeval more vulnerable to damage. Once your Primeval is summoned, your opponents get to invade periodically, and any deaths while an invader is present restore the boss's health. The first team to defeat its Primeval wins the round, and each Gambit match is best out of three.
The best Gambit tips and strategies
That all may sound rather complicated, but once you play a few matches it starts to seem simple. But don't worry--you'll quickly realize just how tactical Gambit can be. The amount that strategy matters varies from match to match, depending on the skill of your opponents, but fighting a coordinated team can be incredibly frustrating if your side doesn't have its act together. Here are some important rules, tips, and strategies if you don't want to get your butt handed to you.
Communicate. Obviously it's possible to solo queue into Gambit matchmaking, but it's not advised. Playing Gambit with any degree of strategy requires tons of communication, and you're generally not going to luck into a team of three other random players who all have mics and are willing to use them. Try to form a team by playing with friends, joining a clan, using an LFG site, or finding a Discord server dedicated to Destiny 2 on your platform of choice.
Coordinate when you bank Motes. It can be tempting to bank your Motes whenever you have enough to send the other team a blocker (five or more), or whenever you start worrying about dying and losing them. But coordinating with your teammates on when to bank Motes is absolutely crucial. Sending one small or medium blocker to the other side won't slow down your opponents much; sending three or four simultaneously is a different story.
Pay attention to how many Motes your teammates are carrying. If you have two Motes and your teammate has 14, don't dash ahead of them to catch up. Let them fill up on Motes so they can send a large blocker to the other side. And if you see that a teammate who's carrying a lot of Motes is under heavy fire--from normal enemies or even from an invader--it's smart to attempt a rescue.
Send blockers with your invader. The notches on the Motes progress bar that represent 25 and 50 Motes are important. Once your team has banked a total of 25 Motes, a portal opens to the opposing team's map. Communicate with your teammates so that once your team is carrying 25 total--when the grey progress bar passes the first notch--you bank them all together, spawning multiple blockers and opening the portal simultaneously. That way when your invader goes through, your opponents can't hastily bank all the Motes they're carrying, giving the invader time to take them out and deny them those Motes.
Likewise, be careful of blockers and invaders arriving simultaneously. If the other team knows what they're doing and they're faster than you, chances are they'll use this exact strategy on you. You have two options when an invader and blockers arrive together: You can quickly take out the blockers and try to bank your Motes before the invader can kill you--which will usually involve burning a Super--or you can turn all your attention to killing the invader and sending them back to their side. Either way, it takes communication, awareness, and coordination among your teammates.
Save your Super and power ammo for invading. Chances are you'll pick the best one or two PVP players on your team to be the designated invaders. When heavy ammo pops up at stations around the map, let these players pick it up. And if you're the invader, save your super and your heavy ammo for when you're deep in enemy territory.
If you have a ton of Motes when you get invaded, hide. Hiding may be relatively ineffective, considering the invader can see more or less exactly where you are at all times. But taking cover can force the invader to expose themselves trying to get to you, allowing your teammates with fewer Motes to take the risk and defeat them. Again, communication is key--"Invader is here, I have 15 Motes, I'm taking cover!" is a valuable callout.
When the other team spawns their Primeval, don't invade right away. Summoning your Primeval opens you up to more frequent invasions. It can be tempting to head to your opponents' side right away when that happens, especially if your team is lagging far behind, but it's unwise. Killing opposing Guardians when their Primeval's health is full will set them back a few seconds; killing them when they've already done some damage to their boss's health will restore its health, more significantly impeding their progress. It can be the difference between your team losing and catching up for the win.
That said, don't wait too long to invade once the other team's Primeval starts taking damage. Given how powerful Forsaken has made us, burning down a boss to zero health can take a matter of seconds with the right loadouts. An invasion even with your foes' Primeval still at half health can be too late if they're good. You'll get a feel for the timing eventually.
The best Gambit guns and loadouts
Before Destiny 2: Forsaken's release, Gambit was briefly available for a single day for players to try out. The king of the Gambit meta quickly emerged as Sleeper Simulant, an Exotic linear fusion rifle that players of Destiny 2's Warmind expansion had the ability to acquire. With its powerful and accurate shots, Sleeper excels both at taking down PVE bosses and at sniping enemy players from across the map. Its rounds even ricochet and penetrate targets, allowing skilled players to take out multiple opponents with a single shot.
With Forsaken's release, Sleeper may soon be considered a relic from Destiny 2's first year--or maybe not. Given how new this all is, it isn't yet clear what will come out on top once players have discovered all the new guns and armor Destiny 2: Forsaken will offer. For now, here are some general tips.
Don't be afraid to pick a focus. Coordinate with your teammates before you starting matching and don't be afraid to choose a focus area. You can always choose who goes to invade when a portal opens. Those players your team has designated as invaders can spec their loadouts for PVP, while those who will remain behind killing adds can choose equipment and abilities better suited to PVE. Ultimately everyone will wind up doing some of both, but it's OK to focus on one style or the other.
Your super is crucial. We've yet to experiment enough with Destiny 2: Forsaken's new Super abilities, but suffice to say which Supers you and your teammates choose is important. You'll want a good blend of add-control supers, damage dealers, and PVP-focused abilities; during the Gambit preview event before Forsaken's release, Hunters' tether proved helpful for taking down the Primeval, Golden Gun and Warlocks' Dawnblade were great for invading the other team, and even the Titan class's generally underused Ward of Dawn bubble proved useful for taking shelter inside when you were invaded.
The PVP meta is always changing. Are hand cannons or SMGs on top right now? Are snipers viable again with Forsaken's changes to ammo and weapon slots? Is Sleeper still the best choice for your heavy? These meta dynamics shift and change with the seasons, and with Forsaken having just arrived, you should feel free to experiment and change your loadout if what you're using isn't working.
We'll have more tips and strategies as Destiny 2: Forsaken continues to evolve. For now, have fun in Destiny 2's most unique challenge yet.
With its release approaching next year, the first image from Captain Marvel has arrived, and it's a notable one. Brie Larson stars in the upcoming Marvel movie, which is set for release in March 2019. She is the first female superhero to headline a film within the MCU, and the image comes via Entertainment Weekly, which has subsequently shared additional photos and details.
The main EW image shows Larson as Carol Danvers wearing the iconic Captain Marvel costume from Marvel's comic books, which will be good news for those fans who were worried that she might be wearing something a little different. Check it out below:
Captain Marvel is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who collaborated on Ryan Gosling's breakthrough Half Nelson and have directed episodes of hit TV shows The Affair and Billions. The cast features Samuel L. Jackson as SHIELD boss Nick Fury and also includes Ben Mendelsohn (Star Wars: Rogue One), Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes), DeWanda Wise (She's Gotta Have It), and Gemma Chan (Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them). According to EW, the movie will not include an origin story and will initially see Danvars working in space as part of the elite Kree military team Starforce. The magazine also released additional Captain Marvelimages and details.
Larson spoke about what we can expect from her character. "She can't help but be herself," she said. "She can be aggressive, and she can have a temper, and she can be a little invasive and in your face. She's also quick to jump to things, which makes her amazing in battle because she's the first one out there and doesn't always wait for orders. But the [not] waiting for orders is, to some, a character flaw."
The Walking Dead might have suffered falling ratings over the past couple of seasons, but it still remains one of the most popular shows on TV. Season 9 premieres on AMC next month, and with new showrunner Angela Kang and some major cast changes in store, expectations are high.
A new teaser for Season 9 has now been released. It doesn't reveal any new footage but it shows all of the main cast, presented in a crazy kaleidoscopic style. Whether or not the new season will be similarly psychedelic remains to be seen (we're guessing not), but it's still a trippy watch--check it out above. This promo follows a new batch of images that have been released over the past few weeks. There was also a trailer that premiered at San Diego Comic-Con in July.
The big news about the upcoming season is that it will be last for actors Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick, and Lauren Cohan, as Maggie. Both Lincoln and Cohan have starred in The Walking Dead since the first season in 2010 and will only appear in a handful of episodes each in Season 9. In July, Lincoln explained that his departure was simply down to his family. "I have two young children, and I live in a different country, and they become less portable as they get older," he said. "It was that simple. It was time for me to come home."
Cohan, meanwhile, has suggested that her exit might not be a final one. "It feels like the greatest way to honor it is to keep it open-ended because whether it's about me going back as Maggie or whether it's about me just taking in, absorbing, and honoring everything I've learned there," she told GameSpot. "It will never, ever leave me. And that is I think the greatest compliment you can give to anything and to any group of people because we all came together to make something that we didn't know was going to have this success that it did."
The Walking Dead Season 9 premieres on October 31.
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.
In the wake of the horrible tragedy at a Madden 19 tournament in Florida last month, EA announced it would donate $1 million to the families of those affected by the shooting. Another part of EA's campaign in response to the shooting is the Jacksonville Tribute livestream event. This is a place where people can come together to remember Elijah Clayton and Taylor Robertson, who were killed in the attack.
The livestream will also help to support the survivors of the attack and encourage the community to come together to "share in the healing power of play." Madden community members Scott Cole, Rico Williams, Adrienne Lawrence, and Dave Grunfeld will host the event.
The Jacksonville Tribute livestream takes place Thursday, September 6, starting at 5 PM ET and running through 6:30 PM ET. You can stream it above or through any of these locations:
More details about the specific programming of the event will be shared soon.
In response to the shooting, EA created the Jacksonville Tribute Fund in partnership with the National Compassion Fund and GoFundeMe. EA itself donated $1 million, and is currently asking for more donations from the wider community. 100 percent of the funds will go to the families of the victims.
The August 26 shooting left three people dead, including the alleged shooter. Further Madden tournaments in the series have been canceled.
Originally released for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC back in 2012, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an action RPG set in an original fantasy world. The game attracted attention for having several high-profile names attached to it. Fantasy author R.A. Salvatore (the Forgotten Realms series) penned the game's lore; comic artist and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane worked on its art; and Grant Kirkhope composed its soundtrack.
The title was generally well received upon its release. GameSpot praised it for its satisfying combat and loot systems, but criticized the game for its lack of identity. We awarded it a 7.5/10 in our original Kingdoms of Amalur review and wrote:
"How much you love Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning depends on what you look for in a role-playing game. Let's say you long for a pervasive sense of time and place, for a great story featuring memorable characters, or for varied quests given weight by superb context. If that's you, then Kingdoms of Amalur will disappoint. Then again, you might want wonderful battles against cool creatures, terrific looting and leveling, and lots of ways to customize your skills and equipment. If so, then this is the world you should inhabit. The context is hardly inspired, but you'll be having so much fun that you may not care."
Despite its generally positive reception, Kingdoms of Amalur struggled commercially, and developer 38 Studios encountered some well publicized financial and legal troubles, leading to its eventual shutdown and the cancellation of the Copernicus MMO.
Insomniac Games community director James Stevenson has revealed PS4's Spider-Man takes about 20 hours to beat. Stevenson unveiled the number when answering an inquisitive player's question on Twitter.
It's worth noting that 20 hours is the average taken from multiple play testers. Stevenson wrote that 20 hours is about how long it takes for someone to beat Spider-Man on the default difficulty and only when completing some quests and activities. Those that do more will take "a lot longer." So the 20 hour mark is for the average player who's not looking to test themselves against the game's most challenging combat or complete every optional objective.
To provide a comparison, most of Insomniac's games are about 10 hours long. One of the more notable exceptions is 2014's Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive--just under 20 hours on the default difficulty if you only do some of the side missions and gather a few of the collectibles. So Spider-Man is much closer in length to Sunset Overdrive than Insomniac's other titles, like Resistance 3, Fuse, or 2016's Ratchet & Clank. If you were hoping to beat Spider-Man in a weekend so you could get back to chipping at your backlog, it seems totally plausible.
Spider-Man releases exclusively for PS4 on September 7. In our Spider-Man review, we awarded the game a 9/10.
The PS4-exclusive game Spider-Man doesn't just rehash the hero's origin story. Instead, it finds an experienced Peter Parker and his superhero alter ego defending New York City from a super villain threat. The game launches September 7, and has been receiving stellar reviews (including ours).
If you're ready to pre-order Spider-Man for PS4, you'll probably want to know what your options are. We have you covered below, with all the information you need about pre-order bonuses, the various editions, where to buy it, and how much it costs at each retailer. Let's swing into the details (sorry).
Pre-order bonus
Pre-order any version of Spider-Man, and you'll get a number of extra digital goodies. Here's a rundown of what you'll receive.
Spidey Suit Pack--Gain instant in-game access to three suits that alter your appearance and unlock new suit abilities: Iron Spider, Spider-Punk, and Velocity Suit.
Skill Points--Get a head start by having skill points to unlock abilities from the start of the game like active finishers, web grab, or faster web swinging.
Early unlock of a Spider-Drone Gadget--Unleash a mobile Spider-Drone to distract and web your enemies.
Spider-Man PS4 Custom Theme--Customize your PS4 with artwork from legendary comic book artist Adi Granov.
Spider-Man PSN Avatar--Represent your PSN profile online with the bold White Spider icon for your PSN avatar.
Spider-Man Standard Edition
The standard edition is just the core game, but if you pre-order it, you'll get the bonuses listed above. Here's where you can find the standard edition.
The Digital Deluxe Edition of Spider-Man comes with the core game, the pre-order bonuses, plus a couple of extras, both digital and physical.
Marvel's Spider-Man: The City that Never Sleeps--consists of three post-launch story chapters featuring new characters and missions. Users will receive DLC by March 2019.
If pre-ordered before September 7, 2018, receive all pre-order bonus content, plus a custom, one-of-a-kind physical pin for Marvel's Spider-Man.
Here's where you can find the Digital Deluxe Edition:
The Collector's Edition of Spider-Man comes with all the stuff included in the Digital Deluxe Edition, plus the following items.
Custom steelbook
White spider sticker
Mini artbook--contains unique, early-look concepts and unreleased artwork
Collector's Edition Marvel's Spider-Man statue by Gentle Giant
Marvel's Spider-Man: The City that Never Sleeps--Consists of three post-launch story chapters featuring new characters and missions. Users will receive DLC by March 2019.
This edition is tough to find in stock, but if it becomes available, here's where you'll find it.
PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB Marvel's Spider-Man Limited Edition System
If you want a whole Spider-Man-themed PS4 Pro setup, this is the package you'll want to get--if you can find it in stock. It comes with a physical copy of the game, plus a limited edition PS4 and DualShock 4 controller.
A new season of basketball approaches, and just like clockwork this year's basketball video games are starting to come out. NBA 2K19 is slated to launch September 11 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, but you can pre-order a copy now. And if you pre-order the 20th Anniversary Edition, you'll get to play it early, starting on September 7.
Below, we've rounded up all the information you need to know about what comes in each edition of the game, what kinds of pre-order bonuses to expect, and where you can pre-order the game right now.
Pre-Order NBA 2K19 Standard Edition
Pre-order NBA 2K19 standard edition, and you'll receive 5,000 Virtual Currency, 10 MyTeam packs (delivered one a week), and a Giannis Antetokounmpo Sapphire MyTEAM card. Here's where it's available and how much it costs.
If you pre-order NBA 2K19 20th Anniversary Edition, you'll get to play the game four days early, on September 7. This version of the game costs $40 more than the standard edition, so what do you get for that extra money? Here's a rundown.
100,000 Virtual Currency
50,000 MyTeam points
20 MyTeam League Packs (delivered one a week). Build your perfect fantasy team featuring a guaranteed Sapphire LeBron card and more.
10 MyTeam Heat Check Packs (delivered one a week beginning at the start of the NBA season)
Update 2: The new High Stakes update, version 5.40, is live; it makes a number of balance changes and introduces the limited-time High Stakes mode. You can now dive into that and its accompanying challenges, but you'll have to wait for the proper Week 9 challenges. Those are due to launch on Friday, September 7. Check back for full guides on how to complete them soon. The original story follows.
Fortnite's recently teased High Stakes event is coming a little later than planned. Developer Epic Games announced on Twitter that the event--along with the 5.40 update--will now roll out for PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile on Thursday, September 6, which will also delay the arrival of Week 9's challenges. [Update: Epic has confirmed the update is all set for launch on Thursday. Before you can dive in, servers will go down at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST; we don't yet know how long that will take, but there should be a lot of new things to dig into once things come back online.]
According to the studio, the event and new patch have been pushed back "due to the discovery of a critical controller issue." Epic didn't divulge any further details about the issue, but as a result of its discovery, this week's new set of challenges will also arrive a little later than normal; they're now slated to go live on Friday, September 7, as opposed to their usual Thursday rollout.
Epic first announced High Stakes just before the start of PAX West last week. The heist-themed event will feature its own set of challenges and skins. Epic is also introducing a new limited-time mode called Getaway that completely changes the game. The objective here is to locate four safes that have been dropped around the item, extract the valuables inside, and safely reach the extraction zone.
The aforementioned 5.40 patch will also make some notable changes to the game. First, the edge of the storm will now deal damage to player structures "in the final phases" of the match, which Epic says will "provide a little more dynamic gameplay." The developer is also vaulting the Revolver as part of an initiative to keep the item pool feeling fresh and dynamic."
Season 5 of Fortnite has almost come to an end. The season concludes later this month, but as it has done in the lead up to previous seasons, Epic has already begun teasing what's in store for Fortnite in the near future with some strange in-game phenomena. Recently, a giant lightning bolt emerged from the rift in the sky and struck the desert, leaving a mysterious purple cube in its wake. Players have since noticed the cube moving toward an unknown destination on the map, although what that signifies remains a mystery.
At this point there's a good chance you've stumbled on a movie in the "Conjuring Universe," which encompasses a laundry list of horror movies and spinoffs that all either loosely or directly relate to one another. This year, a brand new entry arrives in the form of The Nun, a spinoff of both The Conjuring movies proper and of the Annabelle movies. And it's looking to up the terrifying ante by deep diving into the lore of one of the Conjuring Universe's most pervasive villains. So, who exactly is "the nun?"
Brace yourself for some spooks--and some spoilers--from a handful of the Conjuring films.
The titular nun is actually--surprise!--a demon. She's not just any demon, mind you--this one is named Valak and it's been creeping through the margins of Ed and Lorraine Warren's life for a while now. It got its first real introduction back in The Conjuring 2, where it proved just how manipulative it could be by posing as not one, but two "poltergeist" style hauntings and terrorizing a family in England, and even obliquely tried to claim responsibility for the Amityville murders.
The Amityville connection actually takes place a year before the bulk of the movie, in flashback as Lorraine recalls a vision she saw of the nun while she and Ed were investigating. This led her to start researching the potential demon connection even before they got the call to start investigating in England, totally unaware that the same force was related to both hauntings. Whether or not Valak actually inspired the DeFeo killings in Amityville or if it was there specifically because it had taken an interest in Ed and Lorraine is left ambiguous.
Eventually Lorraine was able to put the pieces together, connecting the visions she'd had back in Amityville with the visions she was having now and figure out the link--and the demon's name, which had come to her in another waking nightmare back at the Warrens' home. The creature was Valak, an eldritch and inhuman entity also known as "the defiler" or "the marquis of snakes." While this is largely a series of totally made up titles, Valak itself is actually "real," in the sense that the name was borrowed by the Conjuring masterminds from real world demonology texts. Sometimes spelled "Valac" or "Ualac," the actual entity dates as far back as the 17th century and was described in grimoires like The Lesser Key of Solomon.
Actual Valak is usually depicted as a cherubic boy with angel wings, usually perched upon or riding some sort of serpent--so, no, not anything like a demonic nun. It was formally recognized as a "president" of Hell, as far as the rankings and hierarchies of demons are concerned, and was most commonly associated with finding and uncovering treasure, especially if that treasure was somehow related to snakes.
Please don't ask us who in the 17th century was summoning demons to look for snake treasures because your guess is as good as ours. Obviously there were no shortage of creative liberties taken when translating Valak from historical figure to monster movie phenomenon, and most likely, the Conjuring team picked it because of its cool sounding name more than anything else.
And for demons, names are pretty important, even when they've been thoroughly fictionalized. In accordance with the "laws" of demonology, knowing the demon's true name gave Lorraine power over it and she was able to effectively banish it back to hell, saving both Ed and the Hodgeson family in the process. But the story doesn't exactly end there--there's still the matter of just what Valak actually wanted and why it seemed to have such a keen interest in the Warrens to begin with.
While Valak doesn't actually get a big reveal or any time in the spotlight in either Annabelle movie, it's presence is felt there as well. In Annabelle: Creation, there are a few instances where it's heavily implied that it was actually helping the demon manipulating Annabelle work to possess the orphan kids. Why it would be interested in helping out a fellow demon, or what its end goal may have been, is really anyone's guess--best guess is that the big reason is because it's a demon, and demons love evil.
The Nun is set to hop back even further in the timeline--back to the monastery in Romania where the original photo was taken and, hopefully, take a closer look at some of those more persistent questions. What has Valak been working toward this whole time? What does it actually what? Where did it come from? Chances are, the answers to those questions are going to be anything but pleasant.
In many ways, Metro Exodus feels like a parallel to the journey of developer 4A Games. Having moved headquarters from Kiev, Ukraine to its new office in Sliema, Malta as development for Exodus began in 2014, the studio seems ripe to tell a story about venturing off from home while maintaining its identity and building off of a strong foundation. After getting hands-on with the upcoming sequel, it's apparent that much of what makes the series unique is still intact, though some changes are inevitable as the game charts new territory.
Metro Exodus continues the journey of main protagonist Artyom, who has left the labyrinthine underground tunnels of Russia with his wife Anna and a group of Spartan Rangers. You'll be spending more time on the surface (even more so than Metro: Last Light) as you trek eastward in search of a new home, staving off the hostile nuclear winter and fighting off the enemies you'll make along the way. It's worth noting that this is also the first time the game's story was created without the direct involvement of Dmitry Glukhovsky, author of the Metro novels for which the game's are based on.
We had the opportunity to speak with Huw Beynon, global brand manager for the Metro series at publisher Deep Silver about Metro Exodus--everything from the influence of the STALKER games and branching from the source material to gameplay changes and non-lethal runs were on the table. The following interview was edited for clarity and readability.
Metro Exodus was originally set to launch late this year, but after a delay, it's slated to release on February 22, 2019 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. 4A Games is also working closely with Nvidia to incorporate new ray tracing graphics technology to create more realistic global illumination and lighting on the PC version--we'll have a feature on how this is being done soon here on GameSpot.
GameSpot: Having played through Metro 2033 and Last Light, I understand Exodus is quite different from the tunnels of the metro. It's not necessarily an open world, but when you're working with so much more space, the atmosphere is little different. So, how are you capturing that Metro vibe and staying true to the series?
Huw Beynon: That's fundamentally the biggest challenge that the studio has. Exodus was kind of born out of this ambition to try and do something new. So the first two games were more linear and story-driven, inspired very much by Half-Life. Also, given the size of the team at the time, Metro 2033 I think topped out around 50 or 60 people. Metro: Last Light [had] 70 to 80 [people]. So, the idea of doing a more open game with that kind of team size and resources was out of the question anywhere. So, with the first two games, they focused on something they knew they could do, and do really well.
And then, you know, after literally six or seven years spent in the tunnels beneath Moscow, working underground, we wanted to try something different. They couldn't come back and do Metro 3 to be more of the same. I think the concept originally came from the art team. They said, "We want to explore the environments," and we got all these ideas, and they came up with the idea for this journey across Russia.
That kind of explains leaving Moscow and this creative desire to explore new environments and do new things. Also from a design perspective, we didn't want to just retread the same formula. A lot of the team had experience at GSC Game World, before 4A was formed by a splinter group who broke away from GSC, including creative leads from the STALKER games. They wanted to try and find that perfect marriage of more open-ended and emergent gameplay but still keep the experience feeling unmistakably natural, and the spent a huge amount of time the first few years trying to find that formula where we could have both, and it wasn't an easy process. A huge amount of prototyping and iteration to get that balance. I'm pretty happy with where we ended up.
Metro's not meant to be easy going, where breadcrumbs are just laid out in front of you. Feeling lost, having to explore, feeling alone, it's part of it. Those are all sensations you should experience when you're playing. The fear of the unknown, that's part of the Metro experience.
I think for Metro fans, it's really important to make it clear that it's not an open world game. It's a series of levels, and you play them in linear order, and you still have traditional Metro-style levels when the game starts; the game will feel very familiar, and then at E3 we showed the first of these new huge levels, we call them sandbox survival levels. Each one of those can take several hours to complete, several days worth of in-game time, that's where we're going to gradually expand the horizons. Let the player explore, still try and keep all the elements the players love about Metro--the atmosphere, the scavenging, that sense of immersion, but also give them more latitude and freedom.
You wouldn't say that they're like hub worlds, necessarily?
I wouldn't call it a hub world. I kind of call it these big levels, like miniature open worlds. So within that level is a defined space. One of the things that's really important is we want to keep the story front and center. There's always this sort of golden path, which, if you want to you can play through these open levels and you can kind of imagine playing it as a metro game where you can follow the path around if you want to, but they're fully open. You can go off and explore at any old time. We've purposefully avoided any of the kind of trappings of contemporary open world games where you have side quests and fetch quests, x-number of towers.
There's no checking things off lists, right?
We don't do any of that arbitrary stuff, and you don't have a side quest tracker. There's the story objective, and then you can go explore: exploration should be its own reward. So no one's going to tell you, "Hey, here's a side mission to go and explore that farmhouse." You'll see that farmhouse through your binoculars, you'll get just like a question mark that says there's something there. Then you can go to it, explore it, it'll have it's own narrative, storytelling, like you could get some loot, you could get some other reward, but it's entirely up to you whether you do it. We're not going to hold your hand and say, "These are the things you have to check off and do."
I think if you played the STALKER series, that's the strong inspiration. But when you play [Exodus], mechanically, it feels like a Metro game. Everything you're used to is there.
Are there any considerations that, in the modern sense, maybe we need to provide more guidance for the player this time around? Or is it strictly, here's that X on the map, it's up to you?
I think one of the rules for Metro has always been don't underestimate the player. It's not a pick-up-and-play [game]. You need to sit down, go through the mechanics, and understand how the game works. Let's think of it as a thinking person's shooter. We've never tried to dumb it down or make these concessions. I think we've definitely improved the user experience, like the accessibility, quality of life. Just kind of like, refine our craft a little bit.
But Metro's not meant to be easy going, where breadcrumbs are just laid out in front of you. Feeling lost, having to explore, feeling alone, it's part of it. Those are all sensations you should experience when you're playing. The fear of the unknown, that's part of the Metro experience. It might not be for everyone, but what I've learned from working with friends for however long, we've got our fans and they love that, so they love the fact that the game doesn't hold your hand, that it is challenging, that it doesn't underestimate them. It rewards them for thinking before shooting, or exploring off the beaten path. So, that's the kind of game 4A likes to make. No change.
There's an on-going day and night cycle, I noticed the time of day on Artyom's watch and it sits in the corner of the screen. I'm wondering, is time-of-day more than just an aesthetic tool to create atmosphere, or does that play into any of the story beats or gameplay elements?
From a gameplay perspective, I think the two key differences are obviously being able to do stealth. Obviously, stealth is a huge part of Metro--manipulating individual light sources because when you're playing underground, you're basically playing at night all the time. So, you turn out the light sources one by one to get these pools of darkness. That's the best way to execute the stealthier approach. You can still do stealth in the daytime with pools of shadows to move between, but it's much more difficult.
Players can find outposts and rest camps where you get the full crafting bench and can rest to set the time of day to what you want. If you want to play stealthily and be that ninja/ghost or whatever, take down everyone one by one, you're probably going to play a lot of the game at night. You'll find stealth is obviously more forgiving or easier when it's completely dark, but then at the same time, there are a lot more other threats that you're not going to be able to see. So when you go out in the wilderness at nighttime, it presents its own challenges and dangers. It's a choice of how you want to play.
Is there a possibility of a completely non-lethal playthrough?
I believe it's possible to do completely non-lethal.
When I'm presented with the options, especially in immersive sims like the Deus Ex series, Dishonored, I always try to go non-lethal, and be as stealthy as possible.
Now I need to qualify that, because it's still not quite final, so, in theory, I know there are some levels where that will be almost impossible. But certainly in some of the more open levels, it's possible to go [non-lethal].
In 2033 and Last Light, there wasn't necessarily a morality system, but there was still a mechanic that accounted for certain actions you took--and you'd see a flash and hear whispering voices to indicate its activation. Is there still going to be a mechanic like that in Exodus?
We've not taken anything out. There's been an awful lot written about the system we used in the previous two games, and I think it's really important we don't over explain it. So yes, the system exists, and your actions have consequences in this game like in the first two games.
In the first two games, depending on your actions, the ending would be determined. It's simplistic to call to it a morality system because it's not simple like, "hey, this is the good thing, this is the bad thing." It's all these other shades of gray that are actually tracking all the other decisions you might not even be aware of.
You get the ending that you deserve. That's true of Metro Exodus as well.
I didn't get to mess with the crafting too much but I understand there's different types of resources you gather. In past Metro games I could modify weapons with attachments and use military-grade ammo. How far are you going with the crafting this for Exodus?
That's a big change, but it's necessary in open environments. We don't have trade outposts way out in the wasteland. That system worked really well for previous games because there was a thematic fit and also because they were linear.
This time around, we've got no idea which way the player is going to go through a level, when they're going to run out of ammunition, so everything is done much more dynamically. So now, rather than finding new weapons, purchasing attachments and upgrades for it, you can find new weapons from enemies and also strip guns for the attachments that go into your arsenal. You can customize weapons at any point by just bringing out your backpack. Every gun now has five attachment slots. Scope, barrel, stock, magazine, and under the barrel like a laser sight attachment to it. These might affect the performance; rates of fire, ammo capacity, or handling properties of the weapon change accordingly.
Previously, you stock up on supplies at trading posts, and things like medkits and filters you find on the ground. It was easy to balance when it was a more linear experience. Now you have, instead of just one currency, you have two resources: chemicals and materials. You accumulate those and then you can spend chemicals on maintaining and cleaning your weapon. You can craft medkits and gas masks, you just have to find the materials to make the filter and medkits. You can use materials to craft ammunition on the field for hand-made weapons like the Tikhar and the Hellsing.
I think if you played the STALKER series, that's the strong inspiration. But when you play [Exodus], mechanically, it feels like a Metro game. Everything you're used to is there.
What we didn't do, we didn't have these crazy recipes like three of 'this' and two of 'that' combined you get this. What we're trying to do is always keep the player in that red line where they're not quite comfortable like they're always in need of something. We can do some of that dynamically as well. What we have here, than just what you find and pick up to get that. Fine tune that experience. And it's definitely not perfect at the moment, but it's going to come through the balancing we do before the final game, but it feels pretty good at the moment.
Would be fair to say that resources throughout the game will be relative to what you have in your inventory, or at least slightly change?
Yeah, it can change. One of the other things we want to do and haven't fully figured out how this is going to work. Some people absolutely love the [nature of] super-low resources of Metro, like an every-bullet-counts kind of thing. There are other people who want to engage in the story more and have a slightly more relaxed experience. There's is no one-size-fits-all way you can just cater to both people. What we're going to try to look at is some different kinds of settings. We've not fully figured that out.
Will there be a ranger mode, and is that going to be available straight up? Do you have to finish the game again before you unlock it?
So, it's in the build at the moment. It's going to be available to everyone. It should be there right from the start. There's literally nothing gained from locking content behind pre-order. Buy the game, get the game. Buy it new, buy it secondhand, pre-order it, whatever. When you sit down and play through it, that's the experience that you get.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 arrives this October, and one of its most anticipated features is a new battle royale-inspired mode called Blackout. When Treyarch first announced the mode at E3 this past June, the studio said it hadn't yet settled on how many players it would support, but it seems the developer has now decided on a player count--at least, for the mode's beta test.
Game Informer recently spoke with Treyarch about Blackout, and the developer revealed that the mode will support 80 players during the upcoming private beta, which is scheduled to kick off next week. That's fewer players than both PUBG and Fortnite--the two games that helped popularize the battle royale genre--support, but Treyarch says it is more focused on the quality of the experience than the quantity of players it features.
"What's really more important to us than a number is that the gameplay experience is as refined as it can be, that it's the ideal perfect format for what players are going to play," Treyarch co-head Dan Bunting told Game Informer. However, he notes that Blackout's final player count is still subject to change; Treyarch may tweak the number before the game's release based on player feedback.
"Whenever we launch a game as a beta or whatever, that's the beginning of something," Bunting said. "We're going to actively be participating in the community and taking feedback, making changes and adapting, evolving the game as feedback rolls in. So there's a lot that can go on that can happen beyond that first impact of the game going out there."
The first Blackout beta session kicks off exclusively for PS4 on September 10; Xbox One players, meanwhile, will be able to jump in a few days later, beginning September 14. The console Blackout beta will only be open to those who've pre-ordered a copy of Black Ops 4. On PC, everyone with a Battle.net account will be able to participate in the beta starting September 15, but players who've pre-ordered the title will get access to it 24 hours early.
Treyarch says Blackout features the largest map it has ever created, with areas that draw heavily from previous entries in the Black Ops series. The official Call of Duty Twitter account recently shared an image of the map, giving fans a glimpse at just how large it is before the beta begins. You can take a look at the map below.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. In addition to Blackout, the game features a handful of new and returning modes, including an expanded Zombies experience. Activision also recently revealed another new addition to the game called signature weapons--cosmetic variants of guns you'll be able to unlock by completing challenges.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate arrives on Nintendo Switch this December, but some fans will have a chance to go hands-on with the highly anticipated fighting game before then. Electronics retailer Best Buy will hold several Super Smash Bros. Ultimate demo events around the US during September and October, allowing attendees to try the mascot brawler out ahead of its release.
The demo event will come to two different cities every weekend for the next several weeks. The first will be hosted at participating Best Buy stores in New York and San Jose this Saturday and Sunday, September 8-9. The event runs from 10 AM to 7 PM local time on Saturday, and 11 AM to 5 PM local time on Sunday.
The following weekend, on September 15-16, the demo event will be hosted in Los Angeles and Chicago, with additional events scheduled to come to Dallas, Minneapolis, Miami, and other cities after that. You can find the complete event schedule, courtesy of Best Buy's official blog, below:
Demo units will only be available at one particular location in each city; you can see the participating stores by clicking on the corresponding links above.
Outside of recent events like E3 and PAX West, this marks the first chance most fans will have to try Super Smash Bros. Ultimate before it launches, so if you're interested in checking the game out and live near one of the participating cities, this is a good opportunity to see why it was one of our favorite games from E3 2018.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releases for Nintendo Switch on December 7. Nintendo recently unveiled the game's special edition, which retails for $140 and includes a steelbook case featuring the Smash Bros. logo along with a nice-looking Smash Bros.-themed Switch Pro Controller. The controller will also be sold separately for $75. You can read more in our Super Smash Bros. Ultimate pre-order guide.
One of the big new additions to Fortnite in an event called High Stakes. It is scheduled to be one of the last major surprises in the game's fifth season and developer Epic Games has detailed what players will have to do to complete the High Stakes challenges and earn its rewards. [Update: The High Stakes challenges are out now. They were introduced as part of Fortnite update 5.4 and you can read the full patch notes for that here.]
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.
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.
PS4 owners will be the first to have a chance to try Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode thanks to an exclusive private beta session, but PC and Xbox One players won't have to wait too long for their opportunity. Activision has announced it will hold a beta session for the two other platforms later that same week.
The second Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout beta will kick off on Xbox One on September 14, a few days after the PS4-exclusive session is scheduled to begin. As with the Black Ops 4 private multiplayer beta held earlier in August, the Blackout beta will only be open to those who've pre-ordered a copy of the game.
PC players who've also pre-ordered any edition of Black Ops 4 will likewise be able to jump into the private Blackout beta on September 14, beginning at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. The test will then open up to everyone else who has a Battle.net account 24 hours later, regardless of whether or not they've reserved the title.
Activision hasn't shared many details as to what players could expect from the Blackout beta, but the publisher confirmed there will be three different options to play it: solos, duos, and four-player groups called quads. Activision also provided a very a brief glimpse at Blackout in Black Ops 4's latest trailer, which to date remains the only footage it has shown off of the mode.
Blackout is Call of Duty's rendition of the increasingly popular battle royale genre. Developer Treyarch first announced the mode at E3 this past June. According to the studio, Blackout features the largest map it has ever created and draws heavily from previous Black Ops games. Players will also be able to commandeer ground, air, and sea vehicles in the mode, although it remains unclear exactly how many players Blackout will support.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. Beyond Blackout, the game will launch with several new and returning multiplayer modes, as well as an expanded Zombies experience. However, this year's installment won't feature a traditional single-player campaign, but rather a series of solo missions that focus on each of the game's Specialist characters.
The first beta session for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode is rapidly approaching. As was the case with August's private multiplayer beta, the first Blackout test will be reserved exclusively for PS4 players and is scheduled to kick off on September 10; Xbox One and PC players get in on September 14.
Blackout is Black Ops 4's take on battle royale. Aside from a brief glimpse in the game's latest trailer, however, Activision hasn't shared many details about the mode yet. Likewise, the publisher didn't provide much information as to what the Blackout beta will entail, but the official Call of Duty Twitter account revealed that players will have three different options to play the mode: solos, duos, and quads.
To get access to the Blackout beta, you'll need to pre-order a copy of Black Ops 4. While the first session will only be available on PS4, Activision will host an additional beta session for other platforms later in the week. Xbox One owners will likewise need to pre-order the game to participate in the Blackout beta, but PC players will be able to jump in even without reserving the title.
Black Ops 4's Blackout mode was first announced at E3 this past June. Developer Treyarch says it features the largest map the studio has ever created--approximately 1,500 times larger than Nuketown. The developer also revealed the mode draws heavily from previous Black Ops games and features ground, air, and sea vehicles--although last we heard, Treyarch was still undecided on Blackout's player count.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. In addition to Blackout, the game will launch with an expanded Zombies mode. However, it won't feature a traditional single-player campaign; instead, players will be able to undertake a series of solo missions that focus on each of Specialist character.
Epic Games has released the Fortnite 5.40 patch notes, detailing all the changes, tweaks, and new additions it has made for the Battle Royale and Save the World modes on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, iOS, and Android.
As previously confirmed, the headliner for this update is the High Stakes event, which lets players compete in a heist scenario. As part of this limited-time mode, a new traversal tool has also been introduced called the Grappler. This weapon lets players launch themselves around the map, which is useful in both jumping into combat or escaping quickly.
High Stakes introduces a new LTM called The Getaway, in which Victory Royale is achieved by obtaining one of four Jewels that spawn on the map and safely escaping in a Getaway Van. Carrying a Jewel will grant you health and shields over time, but your movement will be slowed by 10%.
In Save the World, meanwhile, there's a fresh set of Horde challenges to work on. "With increased health and the ability to bat players away with strong knockbacks, these Husks are no joke. Gather your team and take them on now," Epic says. A new Harvester Ninja has also been added to this mode.
Take a look at the full Fortnite: Battle Royale update 5.4 patch notes below, courtesy of Epic. If you want to see the Save the World details, you can see them via Epic Games.
Jewels can be found in special supply drop safes, located along the edge of the first storm circle. The safes take a long time to open, so make sure the area is clear before attempting to claim a Jewel!
Four Jewels will be in play on the map AT ALL TIMES. If a player escapes with a Jewel or one is lost in the storm, a new supply drop will bring a replacement.
When a Jewel is picked up, it will be visible on the map to everyone for 30 seconds.
Carrying a Jewel will give players health & shields over time, but also slow them down by 10%.
Getaway Vans
Four TOTAL Getaway Vans will be in the map, three that arrive early in the match and one more that shows up near the end.
Getaway Vans float in mid-air, Jewel carriers must build up and then interact with them in order to complete a Getaway.
The goal is to find or steal a Jewel and take it to one of the vans in order to secure a Victory Royale.
Once they arrive, safe drops and Getaway Vans will be visible on the map at all times.
12 red "Pursuit" Supply Drops land at the very beginning of the match. These carry a variety of longer-range weapons and other items, and are the only way to obtain the new Grappler in this mode.
Resource harvesting amounts increased by 50%.
Only Rare weapons or higher will be found in this mode.
Rifts, Rift-To-Go and Launchpads have been removed to reduce mobility for Getaway Van engagements.
Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) are tracked in this mode, but Umbrellas are not awarded for wins.
Weapons And Items
Grappler added.
Fire at a nearby object to pull yourself towards it.
Can be found in Vending Machines, floor loot, Treasure Chests, Supply Drops, and Supply Llamas.
Chain multiple shots together to travel great distances.
Has 15 charges. Discarded when charges are depleted.
Epic rarity.
Vaulted Revolvers
Rarity color adjustments
Some items have been removed or modified to better reflect their effectiveness. This only affects their colors and other characteristics are unchanged.
Removed Common Suppressed Submachine Gun
Removed Rare Rocket Launcher
Availability of Epic and Legendary Rocket Launchers increased slightly to compensate.
Increased Epic Rocket Launchers drop rate by 18.57%
Increased Legendary rocket launcher drop rate by 2.05%
Removed Legendary Bolt-action Sniper Rifle
Removed Rare Pistol
Remote Explosives increased from Rare to Epic.
Port-a-Fort decreased from Epic to Rare.
Semi-Auto Sniper rifle decreased from Epic and Legendary to Uncommon and Rare.
Increased the frequency that the Semi-Auto sniper rifles drop to align more with their rarity class.
Increased Uncommon Semi-Auto sniper drop rate by 9.29%
Increased Rare Semi-Auto sniper drop rate by 9.29%
Dual pistols decreased in rarity from Epic and Legendary to Rare and Epic.
Suppressed pistol decreased in rarity from Epic and Legendary to Rare and Epic.
Burst Assault Rifle accuracy adjustments.
When holding down the trigger, the first 2 bursts are more accurate.
Spread down sights benefit increased from 35% to 40%.
Crouch spread benefit reduced from 25% to 20%.
Jumping/Falling spread penalty reduced from 25% to 10%.
Sprinting spread penalty reduced from 50% to 30%.
Increased drop stack count for Boogie Bomb from 1 to 2.
Increased maximum stack size for Stink Bomb from 5 to 6.
Increased maximum stack size for Shield Potions from 2 to 3.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that prevented audio and effects from playing on other players who are consuming a shield potion.
Gameplay
In the moving storm phases, when the storm reaches its destination, it will cause a surge of energy that destroys player-built structures located on the storm wall.
Motion controls now function uniformly across input types on Nintendo Switch and mobile. Options have been added to the settings to allow you to switch your motion turn axis.
Motion deadzone has been removed.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue causing supply drop landing effects to play twice in some circumstances.
Fixed inconsistencies with auto-pickup when landing on pickups, and when pickups are first thrown from containers.
Performance
Improved loading performance on Nintendo Switch to reduce issues with buildings loading late (i.e. low-res buildings during skydiving).
Fixed a large performance regression related to effects. This was causing poor framerate in the 5.30 release (especially on Nintendo Switch).
Audio
Boosted volume of the Remote Explosives placement sound.
Improve the quality of the sound played when dropping from the Bus on Mobile/Nintendo Switch platforms.
Improve spatialization of the chest open sound for other players nearby.
Bug Fixes
Reduced the spam of item pickup "bounce" sounds when pickups are sliding down hills.
Fixed several UI sound issues.
UI
Emote picker is now available in the lobby, no longer limited to just playing the first emote selected in your locker.
Fullscreen map now supports touch on Nintendo Switch.
Bug Fixes
Item shop now shows the item description when inspecting.
Road Trip week 8 and 9 display the correct completion value now.
Fixed issue where challenge bundles did not display the correct number of stars from the challenge tab.
Fixed issue where style preview would sometimes not be centered in the view correctly.
Banner rewards from the Battle Pass no longer show an empty description box.
Fixed an issue wherein rerolling a daily quest in Battle Royale would not select the new quest.
Style gift boxes will now show the 3D preview of the character with the style applied.
Fixed an issue where navigating in the locker would cause some drop in performance.
Fixed an issue where changing away from the Challenges Tab would cause some information to get stuck on the screen.
Fix an issue where continuously clicking on the "Select Game Mode" page would prevent it from closing.
Fixed an issue where using touch to open/close the map would cause d-pad controls to become unresponsive.
Fixed an issue with the loading screen showing incorrect information for non-leader party members.
Art And Animation
Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue that could cause player models to not appear while in game.
Fixed an issue with spray quality temporarily appearing pixelated for some sprays.
Fixed the Downshift Glider rear light trails from clipping with geometry.
Replay System
Bug Fixes
Fixed duplicate elimination effects on the recording player.
Mobile
Added VOIP to Android.
Expanded device support to the Essential-PH, Motorola, HTC, Sony Xperia devices.
Major memory optimization on Android devices with Adreno GPUs. This addresses the performance degradation seen due to memory pressure.
Implemented a new Audio Mixer, which addresses issues with sound quality and consistency.
Items on the ground now have tooltips.
Custom HUD Layout Tool now has a more consistent apply/cancel flow.
The player healthbar and squad healthbars are now moveable in the Custom HUD Layout tool.
Dragging-and-dropping an item from the quickbar now drops the whole stack. To split a stack, drag-and-drop with the inventory window open.
Dragging-and-dropping an item from the quickbar no longer stops consumable use.
UI prompts now appear on vehicles for entering and switching seats.
Bug Fixes
Corrected some issues with screen resolution in certain locales on Android.
The screen will no longer timeout without user input on iOS.
Adjusted steering sensitivity on vehicles.
Players are now able to thank the bus driver.
Gyro controls are now usable regardless of orientation on iOS.
Resolved an issue with turbo-building sometimes being stuck "on" when using the quickbar to turbo-build.
Fixed the challenges button to use large buttons on mobile.
Fixed an issue where toggling between pickaxe/weapons wouldn't properly change weapons.
Exhaust problems with the Street Racer Bike Gliders for mobile have been repaired. The Bikes should run clean now.
No longer able to interact with UI behind the challenges screen.
Players who are experiencing issues with abruptly going to the Home Screen when pressing jump on certain Samsung Galaxy devices can do the following to fix the issue.
Go to Settings > Display > Navigation > Hard Press Home Button > Turn the feature off
Following a slight delay, Epic Games has started the process of deploying Fortnite's latest weekly update. Patch 5.40, which was originally slated to arrive earlier this week before the developer discovered a "critical controller issue" and postponed it, is rolling out for all platforms today, Thursday, September 6, marking the start of the recently teased High Stakes event.
As usual, the update will be preceded by a round of maintenance, during which time Fortnite's servers will be offline. The maintenance period is scheduled to begin early in the day at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 9 AM BST. Epic hasn't revealed how long the downtime is estimated to last, but previous maintenance periods have typically been brief, generally running for an hour or two.
Once servers are back online, players will be able to dive into the changes coming as part of the update. Among other things, Epic is tweaking how the storm works. Specifically, the edge of the storm will now deal damage to player structures "in the final phases" of a match. The developer is also vaulting another weapon, the Revolver, as a way to "keep the item pool feeling fresh and dynamic."
Most notably, the update will kick off High Stakes, a heist-themed event that consists of a new limited-time mode called Getaway. In this mode, four safes are scattered around the map, and players must work together in teams of four to find them, pilfer the jewel they contain, and safely reach the extraction point.
Getaway will also be accompanied by its own set of High Stakes challenges. These are completed by participating in the LTM and dealing damage to opponents who are carrying a jewel. There are three High Stakes challenges in total, and those who manage to finish all of them before the event ends will earn a crowbar skin for their pickaxe.
High Stakes also introduces one new skin and four masks, which will be available to purchase from Fortnite's in-game store. Additionally, Epic is adding a new type of gun called the Grappler; like its name implies, players can fire the gun at a wall and quickly launch themselves toward it. Meanwhile, Week 9's challenges have also been slightly delayed; they are now scheduled to go live on Friday, September 7.
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