Black Friday is now just over a week away, and Marvel fans will be able to pick up plenty of movie bargains. The major retailers have some great deals on Blu-rays and DVDs, so we've rounded up all the Marvel deals offered by Best Buy, Target, and Walmart.
Many of the most recent movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be available at great prices. Avengers: Infinity War can be picked up on DVD from Target and Walmart, while Best Buy has both the Blu-ray and 4K editions for $7 and $15 respectively. Ant-Man and the Wasp and Black Panther is available from Best Buy in 4K for just $15, while Spider-Man: Homecoming can be found on DVD and 4K at Target and on Blu-ray at Walmart.
In terms of slightly older movies in the MCU, Avengers: Age of Ultron can be found at Best Buy on Blu-ray, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 is available there on 4K. Over in the X-men universe, the original Deadpool will be available on DVD from Target for $4, while the 4K version of this year's Deadpool 2 can be found at Target and Best Buy. There's also a double-pack of both movies at Best Buy for $23, plus Logan on Blu-ray at Target for just $6.
Check out the full list of Marvel movie deals below. More may be added to the Black Friday list, so we'll keep you updated if there are any changes. You can also check out our roundup of Target, Best Buy, and Walmart's full movie and TV bargains, along with a recap of all the Black Friday deals.
Video games are on the menu when it comes to Best Buy during Black Friday 2018. The big day--Black Friday is on November 23--is quickly approaching, and thanks to the release of its full ad, we know much of what to expect. On the the game side, the ad is overflowing with an absurd number of offers on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch games, along with hardware and accessories. Here's what you can look forward to getting for cheap.
Best Buy's console deals are limited in number, but they present a good way to pick up any of the big systems. Many of them are similar to what you'll find at other stores, but it does have what might be the best deal on an Xbox One X. For $430, you get a special-edition Xbox One X that's bundled with November's Battlefield V, plus a second controller.
Those looking for a PS4 can get one bundled with Marvel's Spider-Man, which just released in September, for $200. $200 can also get you an Xbox One S Minecraft bundle. If you're in the market for a Nintendo Switch, you'll get the same offer at places like Target, which is a $300 bundle (the standard price of the system) that includes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
The bulk of the gaming offers are on specific games. Among the highlights is the recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for $45, God of War for $25, and PUBG (Xbox One) for $15. For $30, you can get Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Madden NFL 19, NBA 2K19, or Forza Horizon 4. Switch, which often doesn't get a lot of discounts, has a number of games on sale, including Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze for $40, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle for $20, and Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for $35. 3DS owners can pick up Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon for $20 each.
Outside of individual games, Best Buy has deals on a variety of accessories, including a 30% discount on all Astro headsets. But some of the best offers it has are for subscriptions: You can get 12 months of PlayStation Plus for $40 or 12 months of Xbox Game Pass for $70. Considering the latter gets you access to certain games you might be buying on sale (like Forza Horizon 4 and Sea of Thieves), it could be a preferable option.
Best Buy held a pre-Black Friday sale until November 11, but its actual Black Friday offerings will be available beginning on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, at 5 PM local time. (Specific opening times may vary by state.) You'll also be able to shop online at Best Buy's website. Early access will be available beginning on Sunday, November 18 for My Best Buy Elite and Elite Plus members. Standard My Best Buy members get access on Monday, November 19; essentially, you can sign up for free and get access days ahead of time.
My Best Buy members will get a chance to grab additional hot deals in the Black Friday ad before anyone else. Early Access sales are on Sunday, Nov. 18, for Elite Plus and Elite members and on Monday, Nov. 19, and Tuesday, Nov. 20, for all My Best Buy members
Read on for the full list of game deals, and check out our roundup of all Black Friday deals for much more.
We're about a week away from Black Friday beginning on November 23, although many retailers will start offering sales even sooner than that. Fortunately, we've gotten early ads from many of these stores, including Walmart's Black Friday offerings. On the video game front, there's a ton that will be discounted, and we've listed out everything--spanning PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch--below encompassing games, consoles, and accessories. Alternatively, check out our roundup of Walmart's best Black Friday deals.
Walmart will have a deal on nearly every console on the market (with PS4 Pro being the notable absence). You'll be able to get a PS4 Slim 1TB with Spider-Man for $199. The Xbox One S Minecraft Creators Bundle will be marked down to $199, and you'll be able to save $100 on an Xbox One X, bringing the price down to $399. Nintendo Switch will still cost $299, but you'll get a free copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with the purchase. Finally, Nintendo 2DS with Super Mario Maker will be $79. These deals fall in line with the official Black Friday promotions announced by Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, though Walmart (like Sam's Club) hacks off an extra dollar.
When it comes to games, it might be quicker to list the ones that won't be on sale. There will be tons of great deals, making Black Friday a good time to grab anything you've had an eye on recently. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will be marked down to $40, which is $5 cheaper than it will be at Target and Best Buy. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is dipping to $35, as is Destiny 2: Forsaken Legendary Collection. And while they're not getting discounts, Walmart is offering exclusive steelbook versions of Fallout 76 and Red Dead Redemption 2 for $60 each.
As with many other retailers, Walmart isn't waiting until Friday to begin offering its discounts. The deals begin at 6 PM local time on Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving in the US). Online shoppers will get access to the discounts even earlier; Black Friday deals at Walmart.com will start on Wednesday, November 21 at 10 PM ET (7 PM PT).
You can find the full list of discounted items for each platform below. And if you want to see all the other items Walmart will have on sale, check out the full Walmart Black Friday ad.
Brie Larson, the Oscar winning actress who will be seen next as Captain Marvel, is apparently interested in playing Samus Aran, should Nintendo ever decide to go forward with a Metroid film.
As evidenced on her Instagram page, Larson dressed up as Zero Suit Samus for Halloween this year. After posting images of herself in costume, fans took notice and asked about a potential Metroid movie. Larson said she hopes it happens someday. "I want to make that movie," she wrote.
Nintendo hasn't made any announcements about a Metroid movie, but the company is increasingly interested in taking its franchises to the big screen. A new Mario movie from Despicable Me and Minions studio Illumination is on the way. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Despicable Me franchise producer Chris Meladandri are co-producing the untitled film.
Larson isn't the other celebrity who wants to play Samus in a Metroid movie. Ronda Rousey, the MMA and wrestling star who also makes movies now, previously talked about wanting to play Samus someday.
"I've always wanted to be Samus. That would be badass," Rousey said. "I love how people found out later that it was a hot chick on the inside. And then most of the day you're in a suit, so you can just hang out and eat donuts and be the star of Metroid. I hope they make a movie out of that."
Larson won the Best Actress Oscar for her starring role in Room. Her next major role is Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in the upcoming superhero film Captain Marvel, which is due out in March 2019. She's set to appear again as Captain Marvel in April 2019's untitled Avengers 4.
Last year, Pokemon Go developer Niantic announced it was developing a new mobile game based on the world of Harry Potter titled Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Since then, the studio has shared very few details about the mysterious project, but we've now gotten our first taste of what it will be like thanks to a new teaser trailer.
The video, which you can watch above, doesn't showcase any actual gameplay footage, but rather dramatizes the experience of playing the game; in it, you can see a girl warping into an alley to catch a snitch. Before disappearing, she casts a spell that leaves a poster on the wall, which warns that "the Wizarding World is at risk of exposure."
Much like Pokemon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite uses augmented reality and features similar gameplay mechanics. According to Niantic, players will have to explore the real-world to "unravel a global mystery, cast spells, and encounter fantastic beasts and iconic characters along the way."
Beyond that, however, we still don't know too much about Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. When it first announced the title, Niantic said the game will "pioneer all new technology and gameplay mechanics" and take advantage of its full AR platform. "Players will learn spells, explore their real world neighborhoods and cities to discover and fight legendary beasts, and team up with others to take down powerful enemies," the developer wrote in its announcement.
Niantic hasn't announced a release date yet for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. The game was originally slated to launch in 2018, but as we learned from the teaser trailer, it has now been pushed back to sometime in 2019.
Wizards Unite isn't the only new game from Niantic. The studio recently launched Ingress Prime, a revamped version of the original Ingress. Niantic also continues to roll out regular updates for Pokemon Go; it recently introduced a new Adventure Sync feature, which allows the game to track the distance you've walked, even when it is idle.
If you've been keeping up with WWE programming, you're probably well-aware that that the next PPV event, Survivor Series, is coming to the WWE Network on Sunday, November 18, where fans were really excited to see Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey. Sadly, that isn't happening anymore. Well, at least there's AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar! That isn't happening anymore either.
This year's event will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The PPV begins at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT with a Kickoff Show starting two hours prior. Survivor Series has a longer Kickoff than most of the other PPVs the past couple of years.
If you're looking to watch the event for yourself, you could check with your local sports bars to see if any of them are hosting the show, or you can watch it at home. There are two ways to watch Survivor Series from the comfort of your own home. You could order the PPV through your local cable or satellite provider, which averages around $50.
However, you can actually watch Survivor Series for free by signing up for the WWE Network. The streaming service is offering one month for free if you sign up now with no obligation. After the free period is up, you'll be billed $10 a month and be able to watch all of WWE's events through the service, including PPVs. However, there is no contract, so you can cancel at any time.
The WWE Network is available a variety of ways. You can use your gaming consoles, streaming devices, your computer, or certain smart TVs to access the service. Check out the full list of ways to watch the WWE Network below, but keep in mind you will have to download a WWE app to your device to access the service.
Consoles:
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Compatible Devices:
Mobile Devices
Amazon Kindle Fire
Android Devices
Apple iPhones & iPads
Computers ‐ PC & Mac
Windows 10 Devices
Smart TVs:
LG Smart TV
Panasonic Life+Screen Smart TV
Samsung Smart TV
Sony Internet-Connected TV
Streaming Devices:
Amazon Fire TV
Apple TV
Google Chromecast
Roku
Samsung Blu-ray Player
Sony Blu-ray Player
TiVo
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, November 18 for live coverage of Survivor Series and a review of the show.
The release of Fallout 76 has also seen the full launch of the multiplayer game's real-money shop, the Atomic Shop. Bethesda previewed the store during Fallout 76's many beta sessions, but with one key piece of information missing: how much it would cost in real money to purchase Atoms, the store's premium currency.
Now that the game's out, looking into the ability to buy Atoms with real money reveals that, like most premium currencies, you get a discount the more you buy. At the lowest purchase tier, 500 Atoms will run you $5; $10 gets you 1,100 Atoms; $20 gets 2,400 Atoms; and $40 is good for 50,000 Atoms. But if you're looking to spend the least amount of real money in the store, the exchange rate is $1 per 100 Atoms.
The Atomic Shop, which is accessible from Fallout 76's main menu once you've created a character and stepped out of Vault 76 at the start of the game, won't get you anything that will boost your ability to survive in the Wasteland or succeed in battling other Wastelanders. Instead, it focuses on customization items, like clothing, cosmetic items for your CAMP, Photomode poses, skins for your Pip-Boy and Power Armor, and emotes.
It's worth noting that you can earn small batches of Atoms without paying for them by completing in-game challenges of all sorts, some of which reset on a daily and weekly basis. You get 10 Atoms just for stepping out of Vault 76, for instance; Daily challenges are good for 10 Atoms each, and include activities like scrapping a piece of chest armor; and Weekly challenges can net you as much as 40 Atoms, which is what you'd get for taking five Photomode shots near Vault 76. There are a lot of these challenges, so while the earnings might come a little slowly, they at least provide a lot of ways to get a little extra currency to help you keep your money in your wallet.
As for the Atomic Shop and its goods, prices vary widely even within the specific departments in the store, but in general things seem fairly pricey. In the clothing section, you can pick up the Red Shirt and Slacks clothing set for 250 Atoms, but the striped Two-Piece Pajama set will set you back 600 Atoms, the slick Vampire Suit goes for 800 Atoms, and the retro Rocket Suit costs 1,200 Atoms. Prices are similarly steep for customizing your CAMP building materials and buying skins and paint jobs for your Pip-Boy.
Your money goes a bit further when purchasing poses for Photomode, but those get expensive in a hurry as well. The fairly simple Wave pose is just 150 Atoms, but the Rock Out pose, which comes with a guitar and microphone stand, will set you back 600 Atoms. Cosmetic accoutrements for your character's face are some of the more cost-effective investments, with the department's tattoos and faceprint customizations all running 250 Atoms. The cheapest set of things in the store are the icons, which all cost 50 Atoms.
Overall, the point is that if you're hoping to grab lots of customization items from the Atomic Shop without spending real money, you're going to have your work cut out for you. If you completed all the currently available challenges, which span seven different categories, you'd only be 640 Atoms richer. Tuning in for Daily and Weekly challenges will be essential if you're hoping to keep your real cash while still gussying up your Wastelander and your CAMP in-game.
If you wanted to purchase everything in the store, you'd tally up a tab of a cool 29,160 Atoms. In real money terms, that's $240--but you'd have 840 Atoms to spare, at least.
Black Friday is quickly approaching, and many retailers and video game publishers alike have already announced some great deals on consoles, games, and other accessories you'll be able to find on the big shopping day. If you're in the market for a Nintendo Switch or plan on purchasing it for a loved one this holiday season, Nintendo has announced a new bundle that packs the system with a great title.
On Black Friday--November 23--you'll be able to get a Nintendo Switch bundled with a digital copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for $300--the same price the console by itself typically runs for. This means you'll get one of the system's best multiplayer games effectively for free. Considering that no discounts on the system itself have been announced yet, this will likely be your best choice for picking one up.
Much like the original Wii U version, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe supports a variety of control options, from the Switch Pro Controller to motion controls using the packed-in Joy-Cons. To help with the latter, Nintendo will also begin selling a new set of white Joy-Con Wheel accessories this Black Friday. Each set runs for $15 and comes with two wheels, which feature a slot that house your Joy-Con.
That isn't the only hardware bundle Nintendo is offering this Black Friday. The company will also sell a limited-edition yellow-and-red 2DS for $80. The console comes pre-installed with Super Mario Maker, a robust toolset that allows you to create your own Super Mario levels.
Switch Black Friday deals aren't quite as plentiful as those for PS4 and Xbox One, but you'll also be able to get discounts on some great Switch games from various retailers. You can find them in our roundup of all the Switch game, console, and accessories deals. For even more discounts, be sure to check out our full Black Friday deals coverage.
Rockstar's open-world epic, Grand Theft Auto V, may be over five years old at this point, but the game is still consistently one of the best-selling titles on PS4 and Xbox One every month. It's also one of the most commercially successful video games of all time, shipping more than 100 million units worldwide. If you're one of the seemingly few remaining people who have yet to pick the title up (or plan on giving it to someone this holiday season), you'll be able to find some good deals on it this Black Friday.
Many retailers have already begun sharing their Black Friday ads ahead of the big shopping day, giving you the opportunity to scope out all of the sales before embarking on your retail expedition. While there don't seem to be too many deals on GTA V as of yet, the best one at the moment can be found at Best Buy. The electronics giant is selling GTA V: Premium Online Edition for $20. This edition comes with the base game as well as some freebies for GTA Online, including the Criminal Enterprise starter pack, a handful of vehicles, weapons, and more.
Walmart will also have a discount on the Premium Online Edition of GTA V this year. Starting at 6 PM local time on Thanksgiving, you can pick up the open-world game for $25. You'll be able to snag it before then if you're planning on doing your shopping online; Walmart's Black Friday deals kick off on Walmart.com on Wednesday, November 21 at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET, while Best Buy will offer its deals even sooner in some cases.
GTA V first launched to critical acclaim back in 2013. GameSpot awarded it a 9/10 in our GTA V review, calling it "the bar by which all other open-world games, or indeed any game that aims for a cinematic feel, should be judged." Despite its age, Rockstar continues to roll out new content for its GTA Online mode, such as the recent After Hours nightclub update.
You can see all of the GTA V deals so far below. We'll continue to update this list as more deals are announced, so be sure to check back often for the best savings you can find on GTA V. This year, Black Friday falls on November 23; you can find even more discounts on other games, TVs, and more in our Black Friday roundup.
Epic has rolled out its latest weekly update for Fortnite: Battle Royale. Patch 6.30 is now live across PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, bringing the recently teased Mounted Turret weapon to the game and kicking off another brand-new Limited-Time Mode, Food Fight.
The new team-based LTM pits Fortnite's two biggest in-game restaurants, Durrr Burger and Pizza Pit, against each other in a fight for culinary supremacy. The object here is to destroy the other team's mascot. For the first several minutes of each match, the map is separated by an impenetrable barrier. Your side will need to use this time to construct a fort around your own mascot and protect it from the other team.
Once the barrier drops, Food Fight becomes an all-out battle, with a few special conditions. Epic has increased the amount of building resources you can find on the ground for this LTM, while explosives and items have been removed. Additionally, players who are eliminated will respawn after seven seconds and retain their inventory. Players will also spawn a portion of their inventory, along with other materials, as loot when they are eliminated.
You can find more details on the Food Fight LTM in the patch notes shared on Epic's website. The developer hasn't announced how long this mode will be live in Battle Royale, but previous LTMs are typically only around for a week before being replaced by a new one.
In addition to the new Food Fight mode, Patch 6.30 introduced the aforementioned Mounted Turret--a new kind of Legendary trap that can be placed on the map and used to fire at foes. The update also removed the glider re-deploy mechanic and made a handful of other changes to both Battle Royale and Save the World modes.
A new update for Overwatch officially adds Ashe to the game. This new Hero's addition is accompanied by a general update for all other Heroes, tweaks for four specific characters, map changes, and bug fixes.
Although this new update adds Ashe to Overwatch, she won't be added to Competitive Play until two weeks after her release. Ashe is one of Overwatch's more versatile offensive Heroes, possessing abilities that can deal precise damage from range or area-of-effect in close quarters. Her primary weapon, Viper, is a lever-action rifle that can fire in semi-automatic bursts or precise long-range shots. Coach Gun allows her to deal major damage to targets at close-range and her Dynamite ability throws out a timed explosive. Her ultimate, B.O.B., summons her omnic companion seen in McCree's animated short, who targets enemies hiding out of Ashe's reach.
The new update also implements several large Hero changes that were previously tested in Overwatch's Public Test Region. The first change makes jump height consistent across the entire roster of characters, so no one Hero will now jump higher or lower than another. The power of Mercy's ultimate has also increased, as well as how quickly it charges. Reaper has been adjusted to make him a more consistent pick for close-range combat. Symmetra's primary weapon now has a faster fire rate, allowing her to more easily hold her own in a fight. Roadhog has undergone the most changes, with his Chain Hook, Scrap Gun, and Whole Hog all receiving major updates.
The exact changes that are now live for Mercy, Reaper, Symmetra, and Roadhog are listed in the full patch notes on Overwatch's main website. We've listed out the other major changes--map updates and bug fixes--below.
Overwatch is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Overwatch November 13 Character And Map Updates, And Bug Fixes
Hero Updates
Mercy
Developer Comments: Mercy's ultimate was charging a bit too slowly after her base healing was reduced in a previous update. These changes should restore some of her ultimate's strength and let it build up more quickly.
Reaper
Developer Comments: Reaper's specialty is fighting at a very close range. The more consistent spread pattern and increase in healing from his passive ability will make him more capable of standing toe-to-toe with his enemies.
Symmetra
Developer Comments: It's still difficult to use Symmetra's Photon Projector beam effectively, even after its range was increased. By speeding up the primary fire charge rate, it takes less time to ramp up to its full damage potential and will be a stronger option when she's presented with targets to charge up on.
Roadhog
Developer Comments: Roadhog is receiving several large changes to make his abilities more consistent. His Chain Hook had issues with breaking when enemy targets jumped or fell behind environment collision. It will now slow them down in the air more when the hook lands, and wait less time before it starts reeling them in. Since Chain Hook's cooldown now begins immediately upon use, so it no longer varies based on Roadhog's distance to the hook target. We've also moved some of the projectiles closer to the center of the spread pattern on his Scrap Gun, which gives him a more consistent damage output for its primary and alternate fire. Previously, there was a long-standing bug that caused close-range targets to fly much further than expected. After this bug was fixed, we still wanted to keep some of the knockback burst it provided, so we've increased the overall velocity cap to maintain some of that functionality.
Map Updates
Reduced the setup timer for Assault, Escort, and Assault/Escort maps from 1 minute to 45 seconds
Assemble Your Team timer increased from 10 to 25 seconds in the second round on Assault, Assault/Escort, and Escort maps
Bug Fixes
A.I.
Fixed a bug that caused Mei bots to attempt landing headshots on Wrecking Ball while he was immune to them in Roll mode
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck near Point A on Eichenwalde
Heroes
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte's Whip Shot from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
Doomfist
Fixed a bug that prevented victims of Doomfist's Rocket Punch from ragdolling if they were eliminated by it
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist's Rising Uppercut from damaging enemies
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomist's Seismic Slam from dealing damage if he hit by a knockback ability the moment he landed
Junkrat
Fixed a bug that caused Junkrat to return to his idle animation if he was stunned while using RIP-Tire
Lúcio
Fixed a bug that caused some allied heroes to say their "under attack" voice lines when receiving a friendly Sound Barrier
Orisa
Fixed bug that prevented Orisa's Fortify from canceling Doomfist's Rising Uppercut air control effects
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that allowed Reinhardt's Earthshatter to hit Brigitte when she blocked it with her Barrier Shield if she was strafing during high latency periods
Roadhog
Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from destroying breakable objects when pulling the target backward
Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog's Whole Hog visual effects to cover a wider area than the spread of projectiles
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra to charge up her primary weapon on enemy ice walls
Torbjörn
Fixed a bug that prevented Santaclad Torbjörn's ultimate voice lines from playing when activating Molten Core
Fixed a visual issue that prevented Molten Core's magma globules from appearing in the correct place with his Barbarossa or Blackbeard skins equipped
Fixed an animation issue that caused Torbjörn's claw arm to suddenly appear when Overload and Molten Core were used in quick succession
Tracer
Fixed an issue that caused Tracer to accelerate slightly slower and decelerate slightly faster than other heroes
Wrecking Ball
Fixed a bug that prevented Wrecking Ball voice lines from playing when previewed after opening a Loot Box
Zarya
Fixed a bug that allowed heroes to charge through a Graviton Surge without getting trapped
Hero Gallery
Fixed an issue that caused some heroes legs to twitch when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that prevented players from rotating heroes in the Hero Gallery while the UI was hidden
Social
Fixed a bug that allowed players to hear the voice lines of heroes controlled by players they muted
Maps
Fixed a bug that prevented the payload from healing attackers if they were damaged while pushing it on Assault/Escort and Escort maps
Fixed a lighting issue that caused a skyscraper in Hollywood's skyline to appear pitch black
Blizzard executive producer Allen Adham has announced that more of the developer's IPs may get the mobile game treatment. The news comes out after the announcement of Diablo Immortal, a mobile title that's part of the Diablo franchise.
"In terms of Blizzard's approach to mobile gaming, many of us over the last few years have shifted from playing primarily desktop to playing many hours on mobile, and we have many of our best developers now working on new mobile titles across all of our IPs," said Adham during a BlizzCon 2018 press conference, according to a Reddit user. "Some of them are with external partners, like Diablo Immortal; many of them are being developed internally only, and we'll have information to share on those in the future. I will say also that we have more new products in development today at Blizzard than we've ever had in our history and our future is very bright."
Blizzard's four main franchises are Diablo, Warcraft, StarCraft, and Overwatch. The developer has already enjoyed success with Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, a free-to-play collectible card game based on the Warcraft series, that originally released on PC before being ported to mobile.
Diablo Immortal is a sequel to Diablo II and prequel to Diablo III, focusing on the adventures of certain series characters between those two games. After its announcement, Immortal faced widespread backlash from Diablo fans, many of whom were hoping the next game announced for the series would be Diablo IV. However, after playing Immortal ourselves, we're surprisingly impressed with what's been done. According to Blizzard, more Diablo is on the way, and not all of it is going to be for mobile.
Rockstar has announced that it is working on an issue that is affecting Red Dead Redemption 2. Currently, a bug in the game can cause Sadie, Jack, John, and Abigail--four of Arthur Morgan's camp companions--to disappear after the completion of chapter two.
"If you completed the mission 'Polite Society, Valentine Style' at the start of Chapter 2, but needed to use the Retry Checkpoint feature, then Sadie, Jack, John, and Abigail will only appear in camp when they have missions for you to complete," Rockstar wrote in a Q&A blog post. "We are aware of the issue and are currently working on a fix to be included in an upcoming Title Update."
While Rockstar works on a solution for the bug, the developer advises all players who have yet to complete "Polite Society, Valentine Style" to do so without retrying from a checkpoint. If you fail the mission, make sure you immediately abandon and restart it, or load an earlier save. These are currently the only ways to avoid encountering the glitch.
If you've already encountered the bug, you'll have to keep playing RDR2 until chapter four to see Sadie, Jack, John, and Abigail in the camp again. You will miss the four character's unique conversations unless you reload a previous save from before "Polite Society, Valentine Style" to avoid the glitch.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for Xbox One and PS4. In our review, Kallie Plagge gave the game a 9/10, writing, "Red Dead Redemption 2 is an excellent prequel, but it's also an emotional, thought-provoking story in its own right, and it's a world that is hard to leave when it's done."
Ubisoft has announced that, prior its release in China and other Asian territories, Rainbow Six Siege will receive several adjustments that censor certain maps and in-game icons. Instead of separating Siege into two different builds, the censorship will be applied to all versions of the game across the globe. The update will go live for Year 3, Season 4, alongside Operation Wind Bastion.
"We have a commitment to ensure that the Rainbow Six Siege experience remains true to its roots," Ubisoft assured in a blog post. "We are adjusting art and visuals, but are not compromising what makes Rainbow Six Siege the game you know today." In accordance with certain restrictions in Asian territories, Ubisoft is removing Siege's more overt references to violence--such as skulls and blood--as well as gambling and sex. In-game icons are also being made less violent. The symbol for melee attacks and damage--currently a knife--is being made into a closed fist, for example.
In terms of blood censorship, only environmental examples--such as aesthetic splatter on a wall--will be removed. Minor blood splatter from Operators being shot will not be affected.
Siege's last major update, the Year 3, Season 3 mid-season patch, adds balancing changes to the game's Operators and weapons--specifically Clash and Maestro, as well as the SMG-11 and Vector. The update implements a large amount of bug fixes as well.
Rainbow Six Siege is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Well, everything about WWE's PPV Survivor Series has changed now that Daniel Bryan is the WWE Champion and Charlotte is replacing Becky Lynch in the women's champion vs. champion match. Since then, the rumor mill has been pretty silent, but there are still plenty of older rumors which may or may not come true.
It is less than a week before WWE's big fall event, Survivor Series. The PPV has the rosters of Raw and Smackdown fight each other to determine which is the dominant brand, and the vast majority of the matches will revolve around this theme.
We'll see champions fighting champions with Brock Lesnar taking on AJ Styles and Ronda Rousey battling Becky Lynch. As of this writing, there will be no titles on the line as Survivor Series is all about brand supremacy. Is Raw or Smackdown the better show? Well, Smackdown is, no matter who wins.
This event is coming to the WWE Network and PPV on Sunday, November 18. The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California will host Survivor Series, which starts at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT, and while a pre-show hasn't been announced yet, we're assuming a two-hour long Kickoff Show will open up the PPV.
The card is slowly coming together, and with the card come rumors from industry insiders, fan theories, and dream concepts that will never come to fruition. We scoured the internet for all the most plausible rumors that have people talking and found that there's nothing too shocking planned for Survivor Series yet.
Below are the latest rumors for Survivor Series. We'll keep you updated if anything changes or these get confirmed prior to the PPV.
Possible Tag Team Match
Newly crowned Raw Tag Team Champions, AOP, will more than likely take on Smackdown's Tag Team Champions, The Bar. The match hasn't been announced yet, but considering all the other champions are booked in Survivor Series matches, this seems like a no brainer. However, it may be relegated to the Kickoff Show.
UPDATE: The match was added.
Full Men's Survivor Series Teams
According to PW Insider, the Raw vs. Smackdown Men's match will contain Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, and Dolph Ziggler on Raw's team and Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, The Miz, and Randy Orton on Smackdown's team. Shane McMahon and Baron Corbin will work in opposite corners as managers for the event.
UPDATE: Bobby Lashley was added to the men's team. However, Kurt Angle will not be involved. Instead, Finn Balor made the Raw team. And Randy Orton will not be on Smackdown's team. Instead, Shane McMahon took his place. However, there are more rumors that McMahon will be removed from the match on the November 14 episode of Smackdown.
Shane Heel Turn
Shane McMahon will be using his Crown Jewel World Cup win as part of a heel turn, using the "Best in the World" monicker. This is all part of a long-time plan on Smackdown, according to Wrestling Observer.
Luke Harper Injured
The Bludgeon Brother is seen wearing a cast in a photo from comedian Brad Williams. That may explain why he hasn't been on TV recently.
Why Strowman Isn't The Champ
Most WWE fans were baffled at Brock Lesnar beating Braun Strowman at Crown Jewel. However, it may be because the Monster Among Men has a bunch of heat backstage. According to Wrestling Inc, Strowman doesn't show up to work on time and has a bit of a reputation for leaving these same shows early. Additionally, he's working with some knee injuries as well, which is why he looks a little awkward running around.
Why Bliss Won't Be Wrestling At The PPV
You've probably noticed Alexa Bliss will not be competing at Survivor Series, as she's now just the captain of the Raw women's team. The reason why is because she may have had multiple concussions in a short period of time, with her last match being back on October 19, via Wrestling News. She's not 100% out, but her actually fighting at the show is extremely unlikely.
Cross-Brand Attack!
Much like last year's Survivor Series, there is a good change we could see members of Smackdown or Raw appear on the opposite shows this week, to help build some story for the Raw vs. Smackdown Survivor Series matches.
UPDATE:Becky Lynch and the Smackdown women's roster appeared on the November 12 episode of Raw and beat down the women's Survivor Series Raw team.
Ronda Rousey Gets Her First Loss
According to Rajah and a few other places, Ronda Rousey will get her first official loss at Survivor Series. However, it won't be a clean win for Becky Lynch. Apparently, Nia Jax and Tamina will interfere, giving Lynch the win. However, there is another rumor that Charlotte will interfere, which again, will give Lynch the win.
UPDATE:Because of Becky Lynch's injury, this will most likely not happen.
The Worst Becky Lynch Rumor Yet
Obviously, there is a ton of hype around the Becky Lynch/Ronda Rousey match at Survivor Series, but what if we told you that WWE is planning on canceling that match? According to WWG writer Robert Workman, WWE is considering pulling the match from the card. Why? Well, the company may have to follow concussion protocol after Lynch's nose got busted open on Raw. Please don't let this happen.
UPDATE: Lynch was removed from Survivor Series and replaced by Charlotte.
Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, November 18 for live coverage and a review of the event.
We're now less than two weeks out from Black Friday 2018. Xbox One deals are on the menu, as evidenced by many of the early ads that retailers have already released. Black Friday itself takes place on November 23, but we already know a lot of what to expect--as well as the fact that, in may cases, you'll be able to take advantage of these deals even before Black Friday itself. Whether it's Xbox One consoles, games, or accessories, you're in luck--there's a lot on sale, all of which we've outlined below. If you're looking for something more digestible, check out our rundown on the best Xbox One Black Friday deals.
While there are still more ads to come, early ads from Target, Best Buy, and Walmart have give us a good idea of what to expect. If it's a console you're after, both Xbox One X and Xbox One S will be discounted significantly. Kohl's will offer an Xbox One X 1TB bundled with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and $120 Kohl's Cash for $400, while Best Buy has a special-edition version of the system bundled with Battlefield 5 and a second controller for $430.
In terms of Xbox One S, Kohl's has an Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle and $60 Kohl's Cash for $200. (Enter promo code CHEERFUL at checkout--or print out the coupon in the Black Friday ad--and you'll save an extra 15% on Kohl's deals.) Other stores will have the system for around $200. Additionally, extra Xbox One controllers will be available for $40 at Kohl's, Target, and the Microsoft Store, among other places. The Microsoft Store will also offer a month of Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold for $1 each.
In terms of games, stores will have some excellent discounts on a number of big-name titles. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will be $40 at Walmart, while the toys-to-life game Starlink: Battle for Atlas Starter Pack is $35 at Best Buy (down from $75). Other terrific deals include Assassin's Creed Odyssey for $30 at Best Buy and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds for $15 at Target and Best Buy.
There's too much to round up in the text here, so hit the full lists below for all things Xbox that will be on sale--you'll even find cheap backwards compatible games on sale. We'll continue to update this as more deals are revealed, so stay tuned, and follow all of our coverage in our full list of Black Friday deals.
The end of the year is almost here, which means we're nearly in the holiday season--and that means that it's nearly time for Black Friday 2018. Last year didn't bring with it much in the way of Nintendo Switch deals, but now it's approaching its two-year anniversary, and that's led to more offers on both its games and the console.
This year, Black Friday takes place on November 23. Many stores have already released their ads, and in some cases, their offers will be available hours or even days in advance. In terms of the Nintendo Switch console, we're seeing an identical deal popping up in a lot of places since we first saw it in Target's preview ad. Target, Walmart, and Best Buy will sell the system for $300, as per usual (or $299 in Walmart's case), but the system will be a special bundle that comes with a free copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Unfortunately, if you were hoping for a sub-$300 Switch, we have yet to see anyone drop the system's price. If the aforementioned bundle doesn't appeal to you, Kohl's has a more expensive option that also comes with $90 in Kohl's Cash.
A large number of Switch games are on sale, although the sheer scale of these deals is not the same as on PS4 or Xbox One, as you'd expect. Still, there are some good offers: last year's surprisingly excellent XCOM-like, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, drops to $20 at Best Buy; Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate drops to $35 at Target, Walmart, and Best Buy; Arms goes to $35 at Walmart; and Bayonetta 2 (which includes the previous game) will be $40 at Best Buy.
Below, you'll find all of the Black Friday deals on Switch consoles, games, and accessories that we've spotted so far. More deals should be announced in the day ahead, and we'll keep this page updated. For even more, check out our full Black Friday deals coverage.
The Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition box set is available now. Read on to find out what we thought of it.
What is there to say about Batman: The Animated Series that we haven't been repeating to ourselves and our friends over the last two decades? It's the cartoon that defined a generation of comic book fans and introduced us to the likes of Mark Hamill's Joker, a brand new character in Harley Quinn, and an animation style that fit its subject so perfectly that no live-action version of the Dark Knight could possibly compete.
Every fan of Batman: The Animated Series knows all of this, though, and chances are they have the series on DVD--or have been binging it on the DC Universe streaming service. With that in mind, you might be wondering why Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing the complete series on Blu-ray. Could it possibly be worth it to go out of your way to pick up this set yet again?
In a word: absolutely. The new Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray set is something you're going to want if you're a fan of the classic cartoon. While this may be the show's first time being released on Blu-ray, Warner Bros. didn't simply dump the episodes onto a new format in hopes of getting Batfans to double dip.
Instead, all 109 episodes of the show (Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures) have been remastered in high definition and have never looked better. The colors in the episodes come to life like never before and are bound to look fantastic on your giant TVs. It's not just the colors that pop, though. The picture has also been cleaned up, giving a much sharper and less grainy look at the Dark Knight's animated adventures.
As you can see in the images above, the remastering of the series is no small feat. As great as Batman: TAS is, the previous DVD and digital releases have never looked very good. The picture has been blurry with dull colors for far too long. This is the treatment the show deserves.
It's not just the remastered episodes you get, though. The set also comes with Blu-ray copies of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero, the two feature-length continuations of the show. As with the TV series, these movies look great, though they were never in as bad a shape as the show.
As great as all these high-definition transfers are, though, they're not the main event of this particular set. Instead, it's the brand new special features that are included. For your viewing pleasure are a handful of episode commentaries, several featurettes, and most important, a brand-new documentary.
The Heart of Batman runs over an hour in length and talks to dozens of those involved with the show, touching on just about every aspect of what made it so good. GameSpot previously debuted a clip that focused on the villains the series created and developed. If that clip is the kind of thing that interests you, you cannot miss the full documentary.
There's also some collectibles included in the set, for those who like physical special features. Each copy comes with a series of lenticular cards, along with three exclusive mini Funko Pop vinyl figures--Batman, The Joker, and Harley Quinn. They're by no means necessary and wouldn't be enough to sell this set on their own. As an added bonus, though, it's pretty nice.
So what's not so good? The only real issue with the set comes in the digital copies. When I first redeemed the digital code, I was given the four standard definition volumes that have been previously released. They didn't look great and Mask of the Phantasm and Sub-Zero weren't included. That was a major disappointment. Thankfully, Vudu quickly rectified the problem a couple of days later, converting my copies to HDX and crediting the films to my account. Now I have access to wonderful-looking copies of the show and movies.
Still, the digital copies include none of the special features, as far as I can tell. That means The Heart of Batman, along with episode commentaries and featurettes, are disc-only. Given that most new releases include the special features with the digital copies, this is a letdown.
Honestly, though, that shouldn't be enough to dissuade you from picking up this set. There's so much to dig through and Batman: The Animated Series has truly never been more pleasing to the eye. If you're a fan of the cartoon, or simply want to watch it for the first time, it's worth it to make sure you lay your eyes on the best possible version of it.
Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition is available now.
Prior to the game's release, Fox wrote down his answers to questions about the new game that he thought people might have. He released his answers only after Deltarune: Chapter 1 came out, so his opinion on certain aspects of the game's development might have changed in response to the positive reception.
Regarding when fans can expect the next chapter, Fox said that Chapter 1 took "a few years" to make, which is longer than development of Undertale's demo. As of right now, Fox doesn't want to spend more than seven years on any one project, so finishing Deltarune is "actually impossible" unless he recruits more people. "So I'm going to try making a team," Fox said. "Because I really want to make this. But I may not be able to succeed because I have no experience successfully directing a team and I have no idea who I'm going to work with."
Fox currently has no timetable for Deltarune, but he promises that he'll release all the chapters at once if the game is made. "I'm not doing pre-orders because I don't like those," he added. "It just seems like the best way not to burn anybody."
In his Q&A, Fox also addresses whether or not Deltarune will have multiple endings like Undertale. "No matter what you do the ending will be the same," he said. He also iterated that Deltarune's world is not the same as Undertale. Despite the two's similarity in setting and characters, Deltarune is a game featuring "different characters, that have lived different lives." He does add that Deltarune is "just a game you can play after you complete Undertale" though, so future chapters of the game might make more sense or take on additional meaning if you complete Undertale first.
The rest of the Q&A mostly deals with Fox's own complaints with Deltarune: Chapter 1--namely the battle system--and his affirmation that he's never going to use Kickstarter again. Fox took to Twitter after the Q&A's release to thank those who helped him on Deltarune: Chapter 1 and clarify a few more details. Most noticeable is his tweet about his inspiration for Deltarune. Although Undertale came out first, Deltarune was the original game he wanted to make.
Deltarune: Chapter 1 is available for PC. Undertale is available for PS4, PS Vita, PC, and Nintendo Switch--with the Switch version on sale this Black Friday.
We're another week into Season 6 of Fortnite, which means a new set of challenges is now available to complete on your platform of choice, whether that be PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, or mobile. As usual, Week 6's challenges are broken up into two categories--Free and Battle Pass--and consist of some fairly straightforward tasks. However, there is one that may give you a bit of trouble if you don't know where to look, so we've put together this handy guide on finding the sheet music and pianos in Pleasant Park.
One of the Hard-level challenges for Battle Pass owners in Week 6 is to find sheet music in Pleasant Park. This itself is simple enough; you'll see a stand with the sheet music in one of the houses in the area, and you'll need to collect it to unlock the next step of this four-stage challenge. Once you've found the sheet music, you'll need to play it on two giant piano keyboards scattered around the island.
You won't need to travel very far to make it to the first piano; it can be found on the hill just to the west of Pleasant Park, fairly close to where the sheet music was located. Once you've made it to the piano, you'll need to jump on the keys in the right order to move on to the next step. Fortunately, you'll see a stand with the sheet music near the keyboard, so all you need to do is follow the order written on it to complete this step. However, you'll need to be alone in the area before you can play the music, as other players who also try to use the same piano will interrupt your progress.
Once you've completed this step, you'll be tasked with collecting another piece of sheet music, this one located in a building in Retail Row. After you've found it, you'll need to head just east of the area to find the second piano. Just as before, play the keys in the right order and you'll complete the challenge. For a closer look at exactly where you need to go, you can watch us complete the challenge in the video at the top of this guide.
With that done, you'll be one step closer to unlocking the new Season 6 cosmetics and rewards. The other challenges from Week 6 are all fairly straightforward. Most require you to either eliminate opponents with a particular weapon or place the new Chiller trap in different matches, all of which can be accomplished with a little persistence. You can see the full list of Week 6 challenges below. For tips on previous missions, be sure to check out our complete Fortnite Season 6 challenge roundup.
Fortnite Season 6, Week 6 Challenges
Free
Place Chillers in different matches (3) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search a Chest in different Named Locations (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Shotgun Eliminations (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Battle Pass
Land at Shifty Shafts (Part 1 of 5) -- 1 Battle Star
Deal damage with a pickaxe to opponents (250) -- 5 Battle Stars
Find the Sheet Music in Pleasant Park (Part 1 of 4) -- 2 Battle Stars
Elimination with a Common weapon (Part 1 of 5) -- 2 Battle Stars
On Friday, November 23, American retailers will be offering up deep discounts on its items for the day-after-Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday. Consumers will be hitting the streets in order to pick up big ticket items like televisions, gaming consoles, and more on the cheap. However, if you're one of the many hordes of folks planning on getting involved in the yearly event, you may be wondering when everything starts--and the answer in some cases is days before Black Friday proper.
There are plenty of stores you may want to hit up on Black Friday, and they all have different hours. Some places, like Walmart and Meijer are open 24 hours straight, while others like Target and Best Buy will be closing during the wee hours of the morning. It can be quite a bit to keep track of, especially if you're the type of Black Friday shopper that likes to hit up multiple stores during the event.
Luckily, we got you covered and have a list of all the major retailers and its store hours. As the countdown to Black Friday continues, more stores will reveal when they will be opening and closing, and we'll keep you updated. Additionally, a few of these retailers will have deals starting earlier than Black Friday, including Best Buy--as long as you're a member of the My Best Buy program. If you're looking for deals, check out our roundup of all the Black Friday deals, so far.
Many of the stores do not list the closing hours for its stores, so you may want to check with your local retailer as hours may vary. Here is a complete list, thus far, of stores you may be interested in checking out in alphabetical order, so take good notes before you brave the terror of Black Friday shopping.
Best Buy:
In-store: Thursday, November 22 at 5 PM to 1 AM on Friday, November 23 locally
Re-opening on Friday, November 23 at 8 AM locally
Elite Plus and Elite Members get access to deals on Sunday, November 18
All My Best Buy members get access on Monday, November 19 and Tuesday, November 20
KMart:
In store: Thursday, November 22 starting at 6 AM to Midnight locally
Re-opening on Friday, November 23 at 6 AM to 10 PM
Kohls:
Online: Thursday, November 22 at 1:01 AM ET [Doorbusters]
In-store: Thursday, November 22 at 5 PM (Store closings vary by location)
Macy's:
Online: All-day Thursday, November 22
In store: Thursday 5 PM-2 AM locally
Friday, November 23 6 AM to 1 PM
Saturday, November 24 8 AM to 1 PM
Meijer:
In-store: Some deal start on Sunday, November 18 at 6 AM
Doorbusters start on Thursday, November 22 at 6AM
Microsoft Store:
Online: Thursday, November 22 at 12 AM ET
Office Max:
Online: Thursday, November 22 starting at 12:01 AM
In-store: Friday, November 23 at 8 AM locally
Sam's Club:
In-store: Friday, November 23 at 7 AM
Sears:
In-store: Thursday, November 22 at 6 PM
Staples:
Order online on Thanksgiving
In-store: Friday, November 23 at 7 AM
Target:
In-store: Thursday, November 22 at 5 PM to Friday November 23 at 1 AM locally
Re-opening on Friday, November 23 at 7 AM locally
Walmart:
Online: Wednesday, November 21 at 10 PM ET / 7 PM PT
Only a few years after Fallout 4's release, Bethesda surprised fans by officially announcing Fallout 76, the next entry in its beloved post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. The new game was revealed in a trailer after a series of teases, and Bethesda discussed it in more detail at E3 2018 and at QuakeCon 2018. We even got an opportunity to play the game at a recent hands-on preview event. But the game is out now, and we've only just began to make strides in Bethesda's sprawling adventure.
To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Fallout 76, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: the platforms it's on, its online functionality, its anti-griefing features, and where the game falls in the series' timeline.
If you've been playing the beta, you'll be happy to know that the game is receiving a launch day update containing a ton of new content. In the meantime, be on the lookout for our full review, as well a slew of guides to help you get started in the game.
Fallout 76 is a prequel to all of the previous Fallout games. Set in 2102, you play an inhabitant of Vault 76 who emerges from the shelter 25 years after the bombs fell on America. Your task is simple: explore what remains of post-apocalyptic America and rebuild civilization.
Longtime fans will likely recognize Vault 76; although it's not a place we've visited before, this isn't the series' first mention of it. Both Fallout 3 and 4 reference it and, according to the Fallout Wikia, this West Virginia-based vault was occupied by 500 of of America's best and brightest minds. Unlike the more grotesque experimental vaults in the Fallout universe, Vault 76 is a control vault intended to be opened 20 or so years after a nuclear war. But if the Vault was supposed to open 20 years after the bombs fell, why have 25 years gone by? The story has a few surprises in store for those willing to tackle its myriad challenges.
Fallout 76 uses the Creation Engine, the same engine used to make Fallout 4, but it will purportedly feature much more graphical detail than its predecessor. Game director Todd Howard has said that Fallout 76 has new rendering and lighting technology, which allows for "16 times" the detail.
Who's Developing It?
Bethesda Game Studios, the Maryland-based developer responsible for the Elder Scrolls series and both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, is at work on the game. In addition, Bethesda Game Studios Austin--formerly BattleCry Studios--assisted in fine-tuning the Creation Engine to support multiplayer functionality.
Is It An Online Survival Game?
Fallout 76 is a much different sort of game from its predecessors. It's "entirely online," but don't worry, you'll be able to play it solo too. According to Bethesda, the idea to take this approach to open-world survival came four years ago, when it started to work on building a multiplayer Fallout experience. Howard described the game's approach to survival as "softcore," which means death doesn't equal loss of progression.
You can form a party with up to three other players. You won't be able to manage your placement in servers when you login, as you'll automatically be inserted into a session with others upon booting up the game. Of course, you also have the option simply join alongside your friends and play together.
Howard commented that Fallout 76 will have dedicated servers that will support the game "now and for years to come." At launch, there will only be public servers, but Bethesda plans to introduce private servers that will allow players to invite friends to play in order to prevent undesirable behavior.
Some classic mechanics from past games will be changing to accommodate the shift to online play. For example, V.A.T.S has been reconfigured to work in real time, while still allowing players to target specific enemy body parts. But this time around, it has been updated to be more of a tool that allows you to spot out dangers in the environment.
How Big Is The World?
According to Howard, Fallout 76's world is four times the size of Fallout 4. There are six different regions to explore, and each has its own unique style, risks, and rewards. Confirmed areas include the West Virginia State Capitol, The Greenbrier, Woodburn Circle, New River Gorge Bridge, and Camden Park. Contained within each area is a variety of new creatures to encounter, some of which are based on West Virginian folklore. You can take at the full map in the image below.
What Can You Do?
Like previous games, players spend the majority of their time exploring and completing quests. However, Fallout 76 does not feature any human non-player characters, as all surviving humans are controlled by active players. Instead, the game uses a combination of robot NPCs, collectible recordings, and environmental storytelling in order to give players what they need to piece together quests and the story at large.
Given the game's premise of rebuilding the world, there's base-building elements similar to Fallout 4. You're able to set up a bases anywhere using an item called the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or C.A.M.P. These can be placed down in the world and allow you to construct an impromptu camp. We got to see the player laying down walls and decorating the base with pool tables, toilets, and other household objects. As the "mobile platform" part of the name implies, your CAMP can also be picked up and relocated, allowing you to move your base anywhere in the world.
While you can help build the world, you can also destroy it. If you have the necessary nuclear launch codes, it's actually possible to access a missile silo to fire a nuke at any point on the map. Doing so irradiates the chosen area, but it also allows for the opportunity to discover rare weapons, gear, and items. Be wary; nuking an area also causes more powerful enemies to show up, making it more difficult to survive. But don't be discouraged by this, the C.A.M.P. blueprint system makes it easy for players to quickly rebuild their homes, and if they're privy to an incoming threat, they can pack their things and move to a new location.
As an online experience, player choice is incredibly important, going as far as giving players the freedom to choose who are the heroes and who are the villains. Early footage showcased multiple players engaging in combat and participating in friendly activities, which seems to indicate that players have the freedom to choose their paths in the world of Fallout 76.
How Does Character Creation And Progression Work?
There are similar character creation tools as Fallout 4. However, you're free to change your appearance at any point. In addition, you can also utilize the game's new photo mode during the creation process to better see how your character looks, as well as snap some shots you can share on social media.
The SPECIAL system returns and it's a bit different. Like previous games, SPECIAL encompasses the following stats: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. You're given one point to put into any of those stats every time you level up. The first thing you do when you emerge from the vault is pick a SPECIAL and then you pick a perk in that particular SPECIAL. Essentially, every SPECIAL is a pool of points for your perks.
But unlike previous games, perks are now cards you can equip and unlock as you rank up in a given SPECIAL; though, you're free to swap cards out at any time if you want to alter your build. Each SPECIAL characteristic you develop has a perk card cap of 15. These perk cards can be enhanced further from one to five points to increase their power.
You can obtain additional perk cards via Perk Card Packs (four random cards), which you earn every two levels initially (1-10), and then every 5 after that. You can also pick one perk card per level, usually from your SPECIAL choice. There are hundreds of Perks cards you can unlock, so naturally SPECIAL ranks cap out after a while (you gain a rank up in a SPECIAL each time you level up). At level 50, you'll stop increasing SPECIAL ranks, but you'll still get card packs.
How Does PvP Work?
When you shoot someone you do a little bit of damage, which can be equated to lightly slapping them in order to challenge them to a duel. In response to this, the other player can choose to ignore or engage. If they engage in a battle with you, they'll start to take full damage. The one who is killed in this consenting PvP match has the option to seek revenge. Doing so gives that person the opportunity to get double the rewards granted they're successful.
If you'd rather choose to ignore a PvP match, there's no way to escape being killed--despite the small damage dealt to you during the initiation phases. However, if you are killed by a player under these circumstances, that player becomes a Wanted Murderer and will receive no rewards from having killed you.
A Wanted Murderer is marked on the map as a red star and a bounty is placed on their head. Players looking to cash in on this bounty aren't visible on the Murderer's map. If the murderer is killed, the money from that bounty is taken out their stock.
In order to give players time to properly acclimate to how Fallout 76 plays, PvP won't be available to players until level five. And if you perish from any PvP encounter, the only thing you'll lose is the junk you've been collecting, which can be reclaimed after death if not already picked up by other players. You can always store junk in stashes found around the world, so as to safeguard a portion of your stock. Armor and weapons are retained in your inventory after death.
How It Plays: Our In-Depth Preview
We recently got a hands-on with a build of Fallout 76. It plays similarly to Fallout 4, but it features some new additions that subtly shift the paradigm established by past entries in the series. We got to experience three hours of the game, exploring a decent chunk of the opening area while taking on quests and generally working cooperatively with the players around us. There's a lot to unpack about how the upcoming multiplayer open-world RPG, so be sure to watch the video above and read our full thoughts in our in-depth preview detailing what we got to play.
Any Voice Chat?
It's possible to chat with your teammates and even strangers you discover out in the world. It's area-based so your ability to hear other plays will vary. But if you want nothing to do with strangers, it's possible to mute their voices entirely.
Guides And What To Do First
Fallout 76 is a massive game that just might overwhelm you right at the start. To help ease the pain of emerging from Vault 76, we've gathered together tips and recommendations of where to go first. More guides are scheduled to come in the next few days as we jump even deeper into the game.
Release Date
Fallout 76 is being developed for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is currently scheduled to be released on November 14. Unfortunately, there's no word about a Nintendo Switch release, which didn't seem out of the question after the Skyrim re-release made it to that platform.
Battlefield V is now going live for subscribers to EA or Origin Access, after a long wait punctuated by a last-minute delay. This one takes the series back to the iconic setting of World War 2, but does a return to the Greatest Generation make for a great game?
While reviews are starting to roll in, some sites are publishing early impressions or reviews-in-progress, including GameSpot. And in a year when Battlefield's major competitor, Call of Duty, has eschewed a single-player campaign, the presence of one in Battlefield V seems to be standing out. The consensus agrees that the package as shipped already has a lot to explore thanks to the campaign and multiplayer, even knowing more is on the way. Its battle royale mode Firestorm is coming next year, and DICE has built a reputation for long-term support.
GameSpot's Battlefield V early impressions found it maintained the scale we've come to expect from a Battlefield game. "There's a lot more to dig into, like the fortification system, squad reinforcements perks, and how destruction may change map dynamics, and spending more time with the game will paint a better picture," wrote critic Michael Higham. "At the end of the day, it's still Battlefield, and Battlefield V is shaping up to be a good one at that."
Read on for more reviews from around the industry, or check GameSpot sister site Metacritic for more reviews.
Game: Battlefield V
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Developer / publisher: DICE / Activision
Release date: Out now (limited) / Wide release November 20
Price: US $60 / £50 / AU $69
GameSpot -- No Score
"As of now, it feels as if Battlefield V is a variation on a well-established theme. It maintains the series tradition of grand spectacle with incredible sound design, impactful weaponry, and large-scale multiplayer chaos." -- Michael Higham [Full review]
Gaming Trend -- 9/10
"After spending quite a while with the game, I'm blown away that there's still so much to discover. With dozens of collectibles to find in the single player campaign, a seemingly-unlimited number of weekly challenges, and the Tides of War looming large on the horizon, Battlefield V is the best this series has ever been, and easily the best FPS of the season." -- Ron Burke [Full review]
PC Games N -- 9/10
"Battlefield V delivers the series' finest single-player campaign yet, painting the horror of war from rarely seen perspectives. That tension carries through to the multiplayer, which has been tuned to hammer home your vulnerability in a firefight." -- James McMahon [Full review]
CG Magazine -- 8/10
"Despite the bad press at the start, I have a lot of faith in DICE as a developer and they have delivered a fantastic shooter this year with Battlefield V after listening to their community and taking their feedback seriously." -- Cole Watson [Full review]
Digital Trends -- 6/10
"Battlefield V is a fine World War II shooter and it has the potential to turn into a great one with a few updates and the addition of its post-launch modes, but with Black Ops 4 providing such a rich and engaging competitive experience and last year's Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus offering a better (and more upfront) Nazi-shooting campaign, there's little reason for this game to be your first choice. That's partially a testament to the strength of its competition, but Battlefield V fails to impress the same way Battlefield 1 did. By all means, give it a try if you're a fan of DICE's previous work, but know that you'll have to put up with some pretty glaring faults." -- Gabe Gurwin [Full review]
We're still a ways off from the last season of Game of Thrones, slated to air sometime in early 2019, but some info about the show's last six episodes is finally starting to come out. Specifically, we know how the final battle for Westeros against the White Walkers will begin: with the Mother of Dragons arriving in the North.
Entertainment Weekly released a long cover feature full of tidbits about the final season, and while HBO has been extremely protective of spoilers and secrets, showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff did give a few hints about what we can expect. Up first is the beginning of the final season, in which at least a few of the leaders of Westeros converge on Winterfell, the seat of House Stark and the fortress that's the centerpiece of humanity's defense against the Night King's undead army.
The opening of Season 8 will mirror that of Season 1, with Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) riding to Winterfell with her armies in preparation for the arrival of the Army of the Dead. It's a deliberate call all the way back to the first episode in 2011, when King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) rode to Winterfell to ask his old friend, Ned Stark (Sean Bean), to return to King's Landing as his Hand of the King. That request kicked off years of warfare and led to many tragic deaths, and given that this is Game of Thrones, it's definitely not unreasonable to expect Daenerys's arrival could result in the same.
"It's about all of these disparate characters coming together to face a common enemy, dealing with their own past, and defining the person they want to be in the face of certain death," co-executive producer Bryan Cogman told EW. "It's an incredibly emotional, haunting, bittersweet final season, and I think it honors very much what George set out to do--which is flipping this kind of story on its head."
Season 8 in general will be about characters we've been following throughout the show finally meeting each other, and the results of those interactions, and potential conflicts. Game of Thrones has always had the threat of the White Walkers looming in the distance, but the show is really about the characters and politics of Westeros and their endless battles for power. Those dynamics still exist in Season 8; for one thing, Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), the Lady of Winterfell, is not super happy that her brother Jon Snow (Kit Harington) bent the knee to Daenerys last season.
Regardless of whether the humans work out their differences--there's still the treacherous Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) down south in King's Landing, likely plotting something awful--the dead are coming. EW's report also discusses the massive battle that will inevitably take place in Winterfell, noting that one episode is going to be wall-to-wall action in Winterfell. According to Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, the battle in Season 8 makes the massive Battle of the Bastards at Winterfell in Season 6 "look like a theme park." In fact, the epic scale of Season 8 once led Benioff and Weiss to speculate about releasing it as three standalone movies instead of a season of TV.
Other than the broad strokes, the rest of what might happen in Season 8 is still largely unknown. There might be a few clues in the recently released Game of Thrones tie-in game, Reigns: Game of Thrones, but we're stuck speculating until the show's 2019 release. Game of Thrones won't end there, though--the show's first prequel, set thousands of years before the current series, is now casting.
Apparently, author George R.R. Martin was wrong about the name of HBO's officially untitled prequel series set thousands of years before Game of Thrones. In a recent blog post, Martin, who penned the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books on which Game of Thrones is based, let slip the show was called The Long Night. That name comes with a huge number of lore implications for the story. Now he's walked back that reveal in another post, presumably after some pushback from HBO.
In the first post, Martin confirmed that Naomi Watts had been cast in the show, which is being run by Kingsman and Kick-Ass writer and producer Jane Goldman and co-created by Martin. He dropped the name of the show, which HBO hadn't revealed, but which corresponds to a major event in Game of Thrones history: specifically, the creation of the White Walkers. Apparently that was a tidbit that HBO wasn't ready to fully confirm.
Martin wrote in another post on November 5 that HBO had told him the upcoming series is still untitled. "HBO has informed me that the Jane Goldman pilot is not (yet) titled THE LONG NIGHT. That's is certainly the title I prefer, but for the moment the pilot is still officially UNTITLED. So… mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa."
Still, the idea that Martin thinks the show is, or could be, called The Long Night probably means the speculation that comes along with that name is still valid.
The Long Night refers to a time around 8,000 years before the current events of the show, during what's known in Game of Thrones lore as the Age of Heroes. It was specifically a very long winter--the world of Game of Thrones has weird seasons that can last years, and the Long Night lasted even longer. According to the Starks' servant Old Nan, "There came a night that lasted a generation, and kings shivered and died in their castles even as the swineherds in their hovels. Women smothered their children rather than see them starve, and cried, and felt their tears freeze on their cheeks."
What was extra awful about the Long Night was the arrival of the Others, or White Walkers, for the first time in Westeros. Descending from the North, the White Walkers led an army of the dead that, Nan says, routed armies, swept through castles and towns, and showed no mercy. According to Westerosi legend, it was only when an unknown figure called the Last Hero sought out and allied with the magical folk called the Children of the Forest that the White Walkers were defeated.
Setting the Game of Thrones prequel in the Age of Heroes already suggested the Long Night would be its subject matter, and Martin leaking the title is further confirmation the show is likely to cover a lot of that legendary ground. From what we've already seen on Game of Thrones, the prequel series is likely to upend fan expectations by showing a truer version than the stories that were passed down around Westeros. From previous rundowns of the premise from HBO, we also know that the series will deal with a few legendary figures, specifically Bran the Builder, the founder of House Stark (who also built Winterfell and the Wall), and Lann the Clever, the founder of House Lannister.
There are also the Children of the Forest, who we know from Game of Thrones Season 6 were the original creators of the White Walkers. The Children made the first of the undead creatures in response to the original humans to settle Westeros, the First Men, basically kicking them off their land and cutting down their forests. The Long Night created an uneasy truce in the wake of that conflict.
Finally, we're likely to see some interesting things going on across the Narrow Sea in the prequel, as well. The generation-long winter didn't just befall Westeros, it impacted the entire world, and the eastern civilizations have their own legend about what happened. That's the story of Azor Ahai, the hero in the Lord of Light religion, who used the glowing sword Lightbringer to battle "the darkness." It's not clear what exactly that means, or whether Azor Ahai and the Last Hero are one and the same.
Martin didn't reveal any other information about the show when he let the name slip, but he did write that there still are other Game of Thrones prequels in "active development." Without revealing any potential stories for the other shows, he mentioned that "the readers among you might want to grab a copy of Fire & Blood," his upcoming book, when it's released on November 20. That story is also a Game of Thrones prequel, but goes back through the 300 years before the original books to detail the history of the Targaryen family--another fascinating time in Martin's world, filled with intrigue, war, and dragons.
Meanwhile, we do know that Season 8 of Game of Thrones made at least one cast member cry, and that it'll have the biggest and most brutal battle in the series' history. There was also a least a short time when showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss were considering trying to make three standalone movies out of the final season. And while there aren't too many details out there about what to expect from the end of Game of Thrones, a recently released tie-in video game might hold some clues.
Update: Treyarch has rolled out the latest patch for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. As advertised, this update brings the classic Nuketown map to multiplayer on PS4, along with a huge list of fixes and balance changes across all modes on each platform, plus more stability improvements in Zombies. You can find the full patch notes on Reddit. The original story follows.
Some new content is on the way to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 very soon. As Treyarch teased in the patch notes for the game's latest update, the developer is bringing back the fan-favorite Nuketown map, and it's arriving for free this week for some players.
First introduced in the original Call of Duty: Black Ops, Nuketown has gone on to become one of the most iconic multiplayer maps in the series. It has been remade in every subsequent Black Ops game, each time sporting a different look while retaining the same general layout. In Black Ops 4, Nuketown takes the form of a small Russian city in the dead of winter. You can take your first look at it in the trailer above.
Thanks to Activision's timed exclusivity agreement with Sony, Nuketown will arrive first on PS4 beginning today, November 13, with an Xbox One and PC release set to follow later. Treyarch hasn't announced exactly when the map will come to those two platforms, but this time, its PS4 exclusivity period is only seven days (rather than 30 as it was for previous Call of Duty games), so Xbox One and PC players will presumably get their chance to revisit Nuketown sometime next week.
Treyarch has a lot more free content planned for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Next month, the developer will introduce the first of several new Specialist characters to the game. Treyarch also plans to hold more seasonal, weekly, and other limited-time events in the game, and the battle royale-inspired Blackout mode is also slated to receive its own set of regular map updates, expansions, and new modes.
Treyarch continues to tweak and improve Black Ops 4 with a regular stream of updates and patches. The latest focused on resolving some lingering stability issues in Zombies mode and made a few tweaks to Blackout and multiplayer. We also have our own ideas on how Blackout mode can improve in the future.
They don't call it the Wasteland for nothing in the Fallout series. The series' nuclear war-ravaged world is complete with things like mutated creatures, radiation-soaked zombies, and plenty of other frightening creatures that hunt anybody foolish enough to go wandering around. But despite the hardships of the post-apocalypse, the Fallout series has also always had its survivors, whether they're farmers learning to cultivate an irradiated world, organizations hoping to rebuild society, or warlords trying to rule whatever's left.
Fallout 76 takes a different approach. Rather than the usual single-player RPG that finds players leaving an underground Vault to explore the Wasteland and meet the people who live in it, Fallout 76 removes NPCs and replaces them with other players.
The result is a Fallout game that feels a bit strange. Through about eight hours in various sessions of the Fallout 76 beta, it's been hard to shake a feeling of loneliness while playing a game devoid of characters. Even though you're surrounded by other players from the start, there's a feeling that West Virginia is already dead, and you're picking clean its corpse.
The creepy feeling comes early in the game, after you leave Vault 76, where you've waited out the first 20 years of nuclear fallout. Your job as one of Vault-Tec's best and brightest is to rebuild the world. You're a little late doing that at the start of the game, thanks to over-partying the night before the Vault opens. As a result, the main quest at the beginning of the game has you following the Vault's former Overseer as she travels the world hoping to find and take control of three remaining nuclear missile silos--ostensibly to keep those weapons from ever being used again.
Tracking the Overseer's path through the Wasteland takes you the town of Flatwoods near the Vault, where you learn about some folks trying to make the post-apocalypse a better place: the Responders. This group, mostly consisting of former first-responders like paramedics and firefighters, roam the Wasteland looking to help people, and have set up several communities for that purpose. When you arrive in their town, you take part in an automated process to join up as a volunteer. It's a tutorial that has you wandering around town, trying to find the people who can teach you to cook, clean your water, and perform other essential survival tasks. The state of the town makes what you're going to find a foregone conclusion, though, and before long you confirm that none of the nice people of Flatwoods has survived.
Your Responder volunteer training continues apace, thanks to audio diaries left behind by the Responders who didn't make it, and which give you a sense of the lives they lived as they fought to survive their new world. Before long, you intercept a Responder radio signal that directs you to their headquarters at Morgantown, a larger city with an airport. The signal is pretty desperate: the Responders are expecting an attack by zombie-like people called the Scorched, and they need all hands on deck in order to repel it.
Spoiler alert: They didn't.
Fallout 76's lack of NPCs turns its setting into a ghost world, with the player arriving just after the worst has already happened. Stumble on the cabin of an old moonshiner and you might find evidence of his existence, but not the man himself. Head over to Grafton, a town where the mayor is broadcasting a radio signal asking for assistance, and you find the humans are dead and a computer is running the show. The world of West Virginia was full of people before--it just isn't anymore.
Contrast that with previous Fallout games and it becomes clear why Fallout 76 just feels a bit off. In past games, pretty much the first thing players do is stumble into post-apocalyptic civilization, where the people of the Wasteland aren't just eking out lives for themselves, but often thriving. One of the first people you meet in Megaton, the first town in Fallout 3, is its sheriff, which shows that the settlement isn't just a bunch of people barely hanging on, but one that has laws, and someone to enforce them. Places like Diamond City in Fallout 4, or the Strip in New Vegas, show just how strong civilization can become. These aren't just places where you pick up quests, they're evidence that Wasteland life continues. They make the world feel substantial and lived-in, and they give your actions in that world stakes.
Fallout 76 makes its approach a little more uncanny by constantly supplying audio diaries and information about those lost souls in whose wakes you follow. A group of audio tapes left by the Responders called Survivor Stories gives the characters just enough backstory to make their absences more haunting. Your path following the Overseer is similarly replete with bits of character-building audio, as your leader visits the important places from her pre-Vault life and talks about her memories. All these tiny stories are well-written and well-acted, which makes them stand out even more. There was life in the Wasteland in Fallout 76--we just missed it.
Adding other players to Fallout 76 at the expense of NPCs is a trade that sacrifices something essential about the Fallout games. The series has always been both somber and satirical in equal measure, but at its heart it was at least a little bit hopeful. The world didn't end when the nukes fell, it just changed.
Filling the Wasteland of Fallout 76 with players doesn't make it feel any less dead. We might build camps and buildings, but it's likely we'll all eventually put on party hats and aviator sunglasses, flash goofy emotes at each other, and try to murder each other. There's a transitory lightness to the multiplayer side of games like this that no amount of audio logs can overcome.
Without characters, Fallout 76 has no narrative balance against the people just screwing around in the Wasteland, and therefore, nothing to make the world feel substantial. It's sad, because the fascinating, engrossing stories of the people who once populated Fallout's West Virginia are there. They're just not around to make you care anymore.
When you're not robbing folks, riding from town to town, and trying to keep your gang out of trouble in Red Dead Redemption 2, chances are pretty good you'll be hunting. Tracking and killing animals keeps you and your gang fed and earns you crafting materials, as well as goods to sell to make money to get Arthur better equipment. But for any hunter in Red Dead Redemption 2, the ultimate prize are the various Legendary Animals scattered around the map, whose pelts yield unique rewards--if you're canny enough to bring them down.
In Chapter 2, you'll be introduced to your first Legendary Animal in a story mission with Hosea, in which he and Arthur set out to hunt a huge grizzly bear. You can return to the hunt later if you're so inclined, but it's possible to take the bear on your first encounter with it, if you're skilled (or more likely, lucky). If you manage to kill and skin the big grizzly, you'll get a Legendary Bear Pelt, a unique item in the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 that can be used to make special new gear.
The question is, what exactly do you do with the huge Legendary Bear Pelt once you have it? Red Dead 2 isn't very clear on this point. In fact, there are special requirements for using the pelts of Legendary Animals--you can't just sell them to any store in a town, or donate them to Pearson back at your camp. In the case of the Legendary Bear pelt, there's a good chance you won't even have heard of the person yet who you need to interact with in order to use it.
Here's what you need to know about hunting the Legendary Bear, where you'll find it, and what to do once you've killed it.
Where To Find The Bear
The easiest way to get to and deal with the Legendary grizzly is in Chapter 2, when you take on the mission Exit Pursued By a Bruised Ego from Hosea. Arthur and Hosea will head out to find the Baharati Grizzly Bear in the Grizzlies East region, north of O'Creagh's Run, and once you've finished the mission, the bear will be hanging around in the area for you to hunt. Once you've fought off the bear during the mission, Hosea will decide to take his leave of hunting giant killer animals with some "I'm getting too old for this s---" dialogue. At that point, you can choose to stick around and finish what you started and take down the bear.
It's worth noting that the bear is no pushover and it can definitely kill you if you're not careful. If you're not outfitted super well at this point in the game, you might want to take some time in the world to earn better gear and improve Arthur's well-being before you commit to the fight. That said, it's possible to kill the bear here and now--we did it with Arthur's stock weapons that he had at this point in the game.
Bring down the bear and you'll be able to skin it, taking a whole bunch of stuff, including the Legendary Bear Pelt. This is the unique item you need for crafting special clothing you can't get anywhere else.
You've Got The Legendary Bear Pelt--Now What?
Once you have the pelt, you'll probably be pretty confused about what to actually do with it. Regular shopkeepers won't take the pelt off your hands, and neither will Pearson in camp. You need to go to a specific person to deal with the pelt: the Trapper.
If you talk to Pearson, he may well off-handedly mention the Canadian fur trapper who hangs around in the area, which will mark the Trapper's location on your map. He roams around, so make sure to check your map for his icon before heading out. He also has a shop in Saint Denis, located in the southeast corner of the map, in the outdoor market, where you can reliably find him.
When you find the Trapper, you'll be able to check out his goods, all of which are unique clothes made from the pelts of Legendary Animals. The thing is, you'll need more than to just take down the bear if you want the whole outfit. Various Legendary Bear items also require other pelts, as well as for you to spend some money. Here's what you'll need to craft each piece of the Legendary Bear outfit:
Legendary Bear Head Hat: Legendary Bear Pelt, $40,
Completing the outfit also requires the Boar Riding Gloves, which require a Perfect Boar Pelt and two Perfect Rabbit Pelts, and will cost you $15.
Though each of the bear items notes that a Legendary Bear Pelt is required, there's only the one. Once you've taken down the Baharit Grizzly, you'll have fulfilled the Bear Pelt requirement for each clothing item.
What Happens If You Lose Your Bear Pelt?
You'll likely sling the Legendary Bear Pelt onto your horse and then find yourself riding for quite a ways to track down the Trapper, whether you're headed south to Saint Denis or out into the wilderness. In all that travel time, misfortune can easily befall even the most careful of cowboy, and if your horse falls or you're killed, you'll likely lose the Legendary Bear Pelt.
That's okay! Don't panic. Whether you carry the pelt physically to the Trapper or not, once you've killed and skinned the Baharati Grizzly Bear, the pelt is unlocked. That requirement will be fulfilled on the Trapper's list even if you don't actually carry the skin all the way to him. You can still access the clothing items once you have everything you need for the recipes.
There are a whole lot of other Legendary Animals to find out there in the big world of Red Dead Redemption 2--check out our guide on where to locate them all. And try our clothing guide for information about where you can get more clothes to customize Arthur's look.
The internet is a lot of things to many different people. It can be a way to keep up with friends, a professional workspace, a battleground, or a powerful tool for harassment. For Vanellope, the glitchy star of the arcade kart racer Sugar Rush, it represents unlimited possibilities, the potential for evolution and change--an escape from monotony. That same monotony is what keeps Wreck-it Ralph, the lovable bad guy of the game Fix-it Felix, on the path of goodness. And for him, the internet is a frightening frontier that draws his most villainous characteristics to the forefront.
In that respect, Ralph Breaks the Internet, the sequel to 2012's Wreck-it Ralph, captures something real: The internet brings out the worst in some people. But that reality doesn't make for a particularly fun or lighthearted movie. Ralph Breaks the Internet is almost as funny as the original, and it's especially nice to catch up again with these characters and see what they're up to these days. But it's also kind of a drag.
Ralph Breaks the Internet follows Ralph (John C. Reilly) and Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) as they journey to the online world to buy a new part they hope will save Vanellope's game. You're mostly fine if you've never seen the original or it's been a while; returning characters like Felix (Jack McBrayer) and Calhoun (Jane Lynch) are sidelined and play unimportant roles, and all you really need to know is that this is basically Toy Story for video game characters. When the arcade closes for the night, the game characters go "off the clock," traveling around through power cords, meeting for root beers in the bar from arcade classic Tapper, and generally leading their own lives.
The movie does a good job establishing where Ralph and Vanellope are at in their lives: Ralph is happy to go to "work" every day as the villain of the game Fix-it Felix Jr., while Vanellope is growing bored of racing the same tracks over and over. Thus, you get the different ways they view the internet--and the movie's main conflict.
From a practical standpoint, the new setting is rich with both overt and subtle comedy. The internet is a teeming, endless metropolis in Wreck-it Ralph 2, and Disney Animation filled each frame with inside jokes, memes, and references to online culture. At the same time, the movie often reaches for low-hanging e-fruit, lazily plucking lame dad jokes, especially at Ralph's expense, like when he's trying to come up with relevant trends and the new character Yesss (Taraji P. Henson) reprimands him for suggesting something that was hot "15 seconds ago."
The whole world accessible at your fingertips? Ralph just doesn't get it. He's essentially your parents, which is fine, since plenty of moms and dads will see Ralph Breaks the Internet with their kids. If Reddit memes were the main source of comedy, half the audience would walk out scratching their heads. That said, there are some jokes that just don't land in the slightest, like an uncomfortable tribute to the mole gag from Austin Powers in which Ralph keeps slipping up and mentioning a character's physical deformity out loud. There's absolutely nothing funny about it, and there are similar examples throughout the movie.
Yesss is an algorithm, a digital being who runs the internet's largest trend site, BuzzTube. As a concept, she's fairly on the nose--she's so hyper-aware of every new trend that the other characters can barely keep up. That's what the plot demands, and Henson seems to have fun with the role. The other main new face, Shank (Gal Gadot), fits well in Ralph's universe: She's essentially this movie's Calhoun, albeit with a softer edge, despite hailing from the hyper-realistic online racing game Slaughter Race. The relationship she and Vanellope form is genuinely touching.
The part that feels most out of place is also the one that's received the most attention leading up to Ralph 2's release: the Disney Princesses scene that sends Vanellope on a surprisingly self-deprecating trip through Disney history. It's undeniably a well-executed, hilarious scene, brimming with impressive details like the fact that almost all the original voice actresses return. Sure, it's all a bit contrived, but it's also OK to simply enjoy Disney being so self-aware. Whether Cinderella would ever really smash her glass slipper into a shank and brandish it at a little girl is beside the point.
Ralph Breaks the Internet does manage to confront the internet's ugly side, which feels like the elephant in the room for any viewers who spend a significant amount of time online. We're all aware of the trolls, harassment, propaganda, and lies that assault every corner of the internet, and Ralph learns a hard lesson when he encounters the "comments room" after his videos go viral. Yesss's assertion that you just need to ignore the trolls isn't as wise as the movie seems to think it is--we should know by now that doesn't actually work--but at least it's something.
More troubling is the turn Ralph takes as a character. He's always been a bad guy; he spent most of the first movie trying to earn a "medal" just to prove that he wasn't, while ultimately accepting that being a bad guy doesn't mean he has to be a bad guy. If you enjoyed that character development, brace yourself for a backslide, as Ralph easily slips back into his old, selfish, villainous ways in this movie. What is the message here? That some people really are just villains? His arc seems designed as a warning to all the online bad guys of the real world, but the final act trades any subtlety for a huge action set piece, and the movie's central conflict takes a very strange turn. Ultimately, Ralph goes a little too bad, and it's resolved a little too easily, for the movie to feel satisfying.
Ralph Breaks the Internet is a funny, detailed look inside the online world that viewers of all ages should enjoy. Its take on internet culture is just not very nuanced, which doesn't come as a total surprise. After all, there's no pleasing everyone.
The Good
The Bad
Internet humor for all ages
Ralph's negative character development
Nice to catch up with these characters
Misguided platitudes like "just ignore the trolls"
Blizzard has rolled out a new update for its popular shooter, Overwatch. Patch 1.30 is now available on all platforms--PS4, Xbox One, and PC--and makes a handful of changes to several of the game's maps and characters, along with introducing its newest hero, Ashe.
Unveiled during BlizzCon 2018 earlier this month, Ashe is the the leader of the Deadlock gang and the 29th character to join the Overwatch roster. She arrived on the Public Test Region shortly after her reveal at BlizzCon, but this marks the first time she's available on all platforms. However, at the moment you'll only be able to use her in unranked play; she won't be available in Competitive Play until two weeks after her release.
Ashe is an offensive hero and one of Overwatch's more versatile characters. Her main weapon, The Viper, is a lever-action rifle capable of firing in semi-automatic bursts with a high spread. She can also aim down its sights for precision shots. On top of that, Ashe comes equipped with a Coach Gun, which allows her to deal a lot of damage at a close range and can even send Ashe flying backward if fired at the ground.
Another unique ability at Ashe's disposal is Dynamite. She can throw the explosive onto the battlefield; it will then explode after a short amount of time or immediately if shot. Finally, her Ultimate is BOB, her robotic butler/bodyguard introduced alongside her in the Reunion animated short. When summoned, BOB will charge forward and fire at foes with his arm cannons.
In addition to Ashe, Patch 1.30 makes some general changes to all heroes, as well as a few specific to Mercy, Reaper, Symmetra, and Roadhog. The power of Mercy's ultimate has been increased, while Reaper has been tweaked to make him a more suitable for close-range combat. Roadhog received the biggest set of changes; you can see them all in the patch notes below.
Overwatch November 13 Update Patch Notes
Hero Updates
Mercy
Developer Comments: Mercy's ultimate was charging a bit too slowly after her base healing was reduced in a previous update. These changes should restore some of her ultimate's strength and let it build up more quickly.
Reaper
Developer Comments: Reaper's specialty is fighting at a very close range. The more consistent spread pattern and increase in healing from his passive ability will make him more capable of standing toe-to-toe with his enemies.
Symmetra
Developer Comments: It's still difficult to use Symmetra's Photon Projector beam effectively, even after its range was increased. By speeding up the primary fire charge rate, it takes less time to ramp up to its full damage potential and will be a stronger option when she's presented with targets to charge up on.
Roadhog
Developer Comments: Roadhog is receiving several large changes to make his abilities more consistent. His Chain Hook had issues with breaking when enemy targets jumped or fell behind environment collision. It will now slow them down in the air more when the hook lands, and wait less time before it starts reeling them in. Since Chain Hook's cooldown now begins immediately upon use, so it no longer varies based on Roadhog's distance to the hook target. We've also moved some of the projectiles closer to the center of the spread pattern on his Scrap Gun, which gives him a more consistent damage output for its primary and alternate fire. Previously, there was a long-standing bug that caused close-range targets to fly much further than expected. After this bug was fixed, we still wanted to keep some of the knockback burst it provided, so we've increased the overall velocity cap to maintain some of that functionality.
Map Updates
Reduced the setup timer for Assault, Escort, and Assault/Escort maps from 1 minute to 45 seconds
Assemble Your Team timer increased from 10 to 25 seconds in the second round on Assault, Assault/Escort, and Escort maps
Bug Fixes
A.I.
Fixed a bug that caused Mei bots to attempt landing headshots on Wrecking Ball while he was immune to them in Roll mode
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck near Point A on Eichenwalde
Heroes
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte's Whip Shot from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
Doomfist
Fixed a bug that prevented victims of Doomfist's Rocket Punch from ragdolling if they were eliminated by it
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist's Rising Uppercut from damaging enemies
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomist's Seismic Slam from dealing damage if he hit by a knockback ability the moment he landed
Junkrat
Fixed a bug that caused Junkrat to return to his idle animation if he was stunned while using RIP-Tire
Lúcio
Fixed a bug that caused some allied heroes to say their "under attack" voice lines when receiving a friendly Sound Barrier
Orisa
Fixed bug that prevented Orisa's Fortify from canceling Doomfist's Rising Uppercut air control effects
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that allowed Reinhardt's Earthshatter to hit Brigitte when she blocked it with her Barrier Shield if she was strafing during high latency periods
Roadhog
Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from destroying breakable objects when pulling the target backward
Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog's Whole Hog visual effects to cover a wider area than the spread of projectiles
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra to charge up her primary weapon on enemy ice walls
Torbjörn
Fixed a bug that prevented Santaclad Torbjörn's ultimate voice lines from playing when activating Molten Core
Fixed a visual issue that prevented Molten Core's magma globules from appearing in the correct place with his Barbarossa or Blackbeard skins equipped
Fixed an animation issue that caused Torbjörn's claw arm to suddenly appear when Overload and Molten Core were used in quick succession
Tracer
Fixed an issue that caused Tracer to accelerate slightly slower and decelerate slightly faster than other heroes
Wrecking Ball
Fixed a bug that prevented Wrecking Ball voice lines from playing when previewed after opening a Loot Box
Zarya
Fixed a bug that allowed heroes to charge through a Graviton Surge without getting trapped
Hero Gallery
Fixed an issue that caused some heroes legs to twitch when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that prevented players from rotating heroes in the Hero Gallery while the UI was hidden
Social
Fixed a bug that allowed players to hear the voice lines of heroes controlled by players they muted
Maps
Fixed a bug that prevented the payload from healing attackers if they were damaged while pushing it on Assault/Escort and Escort maps
Fixed a lighting issue that caused a skyscraper in Hollywood's skyline to appear pitch black
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