Razer has unveiled its newest wireless keyboard and mouse, which are specifically designed to work with Xbox One. Called Razer Turret, the mouse and keyboard set retails for $250 USD.
There's nothing stopping you from using the Razer Turret on a PC, but the mouse and keyboard come with certain features that make it ideal for Xbox One. The Turret comes with both Razer Chroma and Xbox Dynamic Lighting, which pair up and cause the keyboard to light up in sync with the games you play. There's also an Xbox dashboard key that allows you to immediately return to your console's home page.
The wireless mouse and keyboard offer up to 40 hours of play on one charge, with the keyboard and mouse having a lifespan of 80 million keystrokes and 50 million clicks respectively. Part of the keyboard can also extend, providing a smooth surface for the mouse--which is stylized after Razer's Mamba Wireless--so you can play with the Turret on your lap without a desk or a table if you prefer.
The Razer Turret is available for pre-order on the Microsoft Store, but it doesn't have a definitive release date beyond Q1 2019. There's currently a limited-time offer on the Turret where you net a $25 USD Xbox gift card with a pre-order.
Following the release of Operation Absolute Zero on Xbox One and PC, Treyarch has rolled out another update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. This one focuses primarily on tweaking armor durability and repair in Blackout mode, but it also makes a handful of changes specific to the PC version of the game.
As Treyarch detailed on Reddit, armor has been given an all-around nerf in Blackout mode. The durability of Level 2 and 3 armor has been reduced to match that of Level 1 armor, while the number of armor plates that can be carried at once has dropped from 10 to five.
Moreover, Treyarch has increased the amount of time it takes to use an armor plate by one second. The developer has also "slightly increased" Paladin weapon damage against armor.
"While we're pleased to see Armor lasting through more than one gunfight with this redesign, we agreed that Level 2 and Level 3 Armor was a bit too durable," Treyarch wrote. "With the durability dialed back on these, players should be able to destroy their enemies' Armor more frequently."
Along with the armor adjustments, Treyarch has added Weapon Camo support to Blackout. Now, players can apply any Camos they've earned in multiplayer, Zombies, or the Black Market to their weapons in the battle royale mode. The developer has also addressed a handful of issues across all platforms, including some stability improvements to the newest Zombies chapter, Dead of the Night.
In terms of PC-specific changes, Treyarch has fixed a bug that prevented players from changing their reticle color, as well as one "where a console prompt would be displayed in the tutorial screen when opening the Create-A-Class menu for the first time." You can find the full patch notes for the December 19 update on Reddit.
With the end of December drawing near, Microsoft has announced the Xbox Games With Gold for January 2019. It's a solid lineup of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games that anyone with an Xbox Live Gold membership will be able to download for free during various times throughout the month. Let's take a look at the first games that will be available in the new year.
Between January 1-31, Xbox One owners can download Celeste. This pixelated platformer is all about jumping and dashing through expertly designed (but seriously challenging) obstacles as you make your way to the peak of a mountain. It has simple, tight controls that you'll need to master in order to make it through terrain riddled with things like pits, spikes, bounce pads, and toxic black goo. Thankfully, the checkpoint system is forgiving enough that you're never put too far back after your many inevitable deaths.
The other Xbox One freebie is the racing game WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship. This realistic rally game puts you face to face with all manner of challenges, including mud, fog, darkness, and ice, plus car troubles like engine breakdowns and punctured tires. If you're up for it, you can grab WRC 6 between January 16 and February 15.
The Xbox 360 Games with Gold for January are acclaimed titles as well, and thanks to backwards compatibility, you can play them both on Xbox One. You can pick up the two-player action/puzzle game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light from January 1-15. And between January 16-31 you can grab Far Cry 2, an open-world shooter some fans consider superior to its numerous sequels.
That's what's coming in January. Right now it's not too late to download some of December's Games with Gold, including QUBE 2, Never Alone, and Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.
Bethesda has closed out the year by laying out a roadmap of what we can expect the beginning of 2019 to bring to Fallout 76. The studio outlined a few details of patches coming in January, and promised more info to come early next year.
In the blog post, the studio noted that a mid-January patch will fix the lever-action rifle reload animation, some perk cards, and the crowds at Whitespring. The studio promised that going forward in 2019, patch notes will be accompanied by a brief explanation from developers detailing the rationale behind balance changes and adjustments. It's also working on a new mode without PVP restrictions, allowing you a little more flexibility in how you play. That will be coming in the first quarter of 2019.
It's fair to say that Fallout 76 has had a rocky launch. The game itself released in a buggy state, leading to a poor reception including in GameSpot's own review, which scored it a 4/10. It's been a series of mishaps since then, from an investigation into a PC refund policy to a bait-and-switch with canvas bags in the Collector's Edition, and finally a personal data leak. For its part Bethesda has continued to support the game with patches and has promised to listen to community feedback going forward.
"Bethesda has stated it intends to continue supporting the game for a long time, but at launch, Fallout 76 is a poor experience," wrote critic Edmond Tran. "There are echoes of the series' admirable qualities, but look past that facade, past the cute Vault Boy animations, past the familiar radio tracks, and you'll find no heart--just an inconsequential wasteland doomed to be nuked over and over again."
Despite its issues, it seems to have had a solid launch, selling decently well in physical copies according to data tracking firm NPD.
Some seriously high-profile games are on sale right now for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Even if you're not typically a mobile game player, you might want to pick up some of these titles to have access to games like Civilization VI and Final Fantasy VII any time in your pocket. Let's take a look at what's available and for how much.
First up is Sid Meier's Civilization VI for iOS. This is the complete computer game, but it's been revamped for touch controls and is compatible with iPhone and iPad. The game is free to download, but that only gets you 60 turns of play. Once you run out, you'll have to pay to unlock the full game. The unlock normally costs $60, but it's currently on sale for $15, which amounts to a hefty 75% discount.
But to sweeten the deal further, over the coming days Aspyr Media is giving away all of the expansions for free to anyone who owns the core game. So if you buy Civ VI now, you can get free civilizations and scenarios for Poland, Australia, Persia, and more between December 20 and January 1. Paying $15 for all of that is a great deal, considering the usual price for the core game is $60 and each DLC runs between $5 and $9. You'll just have to remember to pick up your free expansions every two days.
12/30 - 1/1: Free -- Khmer and Indonesia Civilization & Scenario Pack (Reg: $9)
In a separate deal, Square Enix is running a huge sale on its classic RPGs for iOS and Android. You can pick up Chrono Trigger for just $5 and get big discounts on every Final Fantasy mobile port that's available. For instance, Final Fantasy VII is on sale for $10, and Final Fantasy IX is $13. If you're in the mood for a more strategic take on the series, you can grab Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions for $7 ($8 for the separate iPad version).
The first trailer for the Men in Black reboot is here. The film is titled Men in Black International and sees Thor Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson take over from Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as the covert alien investigators.
The trailer follows the formula laid down by the previous movies, with Thompson playing a new recruit to the MiB agency, and Hemsworth assigned as her partner. Emma Thompson reprises her role as Agent O from Men in Black 3, and Liam Neeson appears as the head of the British branch of MiB. There's loads of alien-chasing action and wisecracking humor--in short, everything you'd expect from a Men in Black movie. Check the trailer out above.
Men in Black International is set to be released on June 14. It's directed by F. Gary Gray, who helmed last year's blockbuster The Fate of the Furious, as well as the hip-hop biopic Straight Outta Compton. The cast also includes Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible: Fallout), and Rafe Spall (Prometheus).
All three original Men in Black movies were big box-office hits. Although the third movie was not as well received critically as the first two, it still made $624 million at the worldwide box office. In total, the whole series has made more than $1.6 billion.
The third week of Fortnite Season 7 has been relatively kind in terms of challenges; there's nothing too tricky or taxing, and for the most part you should be able to complete them quite naturally by playing. However, one among them stands out as requiring some good knowledge of the Fortnite island to complete.
In the paid Battle Pass tier of challenges, the game asks you to search between three ski lodges for five Battle Stars. Unless you've been paying extra close attention and have a good lay of the land, you may not know where to find said ski lodges, and the exact location to search. To save you the time and effort, we've done the challenge and can point you in the right direction. The ski lodges are between Frosty Flights and Happy Hamlet in the southwest corner of the island.
Take a look below and you'll find a map with the pinpoint information on where to go. Simply head to that part of the map and you'll very easily spot the Battle Pass icon. Grab that and boom, you're done. Easy as pie.
If you need a breakdown of what else is involved in this week's Battle Star grind, check out our Fortnite Season 7, Week 3 challenge list. Of course, the challenges from previous weeks are also available to complete, if you haven't already. That'll get you a few extra Battle Stars, which may be enough to tip you over the requirement to get a particular cosmetic you're after. We've got a comprehensive Fortnite Season 7 challenge guide to help you out with those too.
As part of the festive season, Epic Games has kicked off the 14 Days of Fortnite event. Up until January 2, Fortnite players will be able to take part in new and returning limited-time modes, buy seasonal outfits from the in-game shop, and earn daily rewards.
It's that time of the week again, Fortnite fans. The latest batch of challenges is now live, which means there are more Battle Stars to be earned. If you've been on the grind for a while, you'll know how this goes, but if you're new to this, we'll get you caught up quickly. Challenges are split into two categories, with one set available to everyone and a second set exclusive to those that have paid for a Battle Pass.
As you complete challenges you earn Battle Stars, which in turn level up your Battle Pass and give you access to more cosmetics, including those oh so precious skins, among others. We're now in Season 7, Week 3, and the free set of challenges include riding a zipline in five different matches and getting two eliminations with a Legendary weapon. On top of those two, there's a multi-stage challenge you can begin by landing at Lonely Lodge. Once that's done, you'll see further stages.
Meanwhile, paid Battle Pass owners will need to search seven chests at Polar Peak or Tomato Temple, ring a doorbell in two different named locations in a single match, and begin another multi-stage challenge by dealing 200 points of damage with a Shotgun. Finally in this tier, one of the challenges will require you to search between three ski lodges.
Free
Ride a zipline in different matches (5) -- 5 Battle Stars
Stage 1: Land at Lonely Lodge (1) -- 1 Battle Star
Search chests at Polar Peak or Tomato Temple (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Ring a doorbell in different named locations in a single match (2) -- 5 Battle Star
Search between three ski lodges (1) -- 5 Battle Stars
Stage 1: Deal damage with Shotguns to opponents (200) -- 3 Battle Stars
There's going to be plenty for Fortnite fans to do over the Christmas period as developer Epic Games has launched the 14 Days of Fortnite event. Up until January 2, Fortnite players will be able to take part in new and returning limited-time modes, buy seasonal outfits from the in-game shop, and earn daily rewards.
The Uncharted movie project has hit another stumbling block, as its director has reportedly now stepped down from his role. Shawn Levy was due to helm the Uncharted movie, but he is apparently busy with other projects.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Levy will direct Free Guy, another video game-themed film which was recently greenlit by 20th Century Fox. His involvement in that project means he has stepped down from directing Uncharted, for which Sony is now searching for another director.
THR states Tom Holland is still set to portray Nathan Drake, but Levy's resignation is a blow to the project, which has been in the works for years and has previously had three other directors fail to get it off the ground. The movie is reportedly a prequel to the games, with a script having been written by Blacklist director Joe Carnahan.
Levy's new project, Free Guy, tells the story of a man who realizes he lives inside a video game and his attempts to prevent its developers from shutting down his world. The project stars Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, and Lil Rel, and begins shooting in April.
Insomniac Games' Spider-Man is one of the best PlayStation 4 releases of 2018 and undoubtedly the best Spider-Man game of all time. Since its launch the studio has supported the title with DLC that includes extra story missions and, more importantly, brand new outfits for everyone's favourite web slinger. Thus far we've had the Spider-Clan outfit from Marvel's Mangaverse, Spider-UK from Edge of Spider-Verse, and numerous other cool costumes. It's been great.
However, we've now hit a bit of rough spot with Spidey outfit releases. In the newest update for the PS4 game, Sony and Insomniac will include the suit from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies, in which Peter Parker and his crime fighting alter-ego were played by absolute charisma void Tobey Maguire.
For those that grew up with these movies and enjoyed them, this is great news and I'm happy for them; they get to cut about New York in a Spidey outfit they know and love. And it's free, so you really can't complain.
We have a special holiday gift for #SpiderManPS4 players. Today's game update will include a highly requested suit. Hint: It's webbed and it's FREE for owners of Marvel's Spider-Man! pic.twitter.com/6DLTxPFSaE
But I can complain. And I will. Because, unfortunately, for many others out there this only serves to remind us of that sad six-year period where everyone was so desperate for a superhero movie that didn't make them embarrassed to be comic book fan that they doublethinked themselves into believing that trilogy was good. It wasn't.
At most the entire Raimi series had one or two moments that were exciting and Alfred Molina was ok as Doctor Octopus, I guess. For the most part though, those movies were awkward, cheesy, and completely failed to look beyond the surface of what makes Spidey interesting. And you cannot kiss someone while upside down and have a good time; it feels as bad as it looks.
Complaining aside, Insomniac has done a great job in rendering the suit in-game, based on the screenshot above. It's a cool looking outfit and the webbed design makes it distinct in the lineup of many, many costumes that have existed over the years. Now that there's a good Peter Parker wearing it, it can actually be done some justice.
Spider-Man was released for PS4 in September and, in his review, Edmond Tran awarded it a 9/10. "Minor shortcomings don't detract from Insomniac's achievement in creating a game that feels like an authentic interpretation of a beloved creation," he said. "The feeling of embodying Spidey and using his abilities is astonishing, and the time spent on exploring its major characters help make its story feel heartfelt, despite superhero bombast.
"There have been open-world Spider-Man games before, but none so riveting and full of personality, none that explore and do justice to this many facets of the universe. Insomniac has created a superior Spider-Man experience that leaves a lasting impression, one that has you longing for just one more swing around New York City, even after the credits roll."
The next major DLC release for Spider-Man on PS4 is Silver Lining, which launches on December 21 and will wrap up the City That Never Sleeps story arc. As the name indicates, Silver Sable will play a big part in this chapter, as she's not very happy that Hammerhead has been stealing her weapons.
Without warning, Sony has launched a brand-new Lemmings game for mobile. Simply titled Lemmings, the game is out now for iOS and Android.
It appears the new game attempts to stay true to the Lemmings releases from the '90s, while modernizing the series for mobile devices. "We took the Lemmings experience that people know and love and re-engineered it to make the most of smartphones and tablets," developer Sad Puppy wrote on the PlayStation Blog. "We've designed levels that are played in portrait orientation, as this is the most comfortable position to hold a device with one hand.
"We worked tirelessly on touch controls, removing secondary elements like camera control and making it as simple for players to assess the level, plan a strategy and execute it. It's the Lemmings game you know and love, redesigned for the best experience on your device. Under your direction, they'll dig, climb, build, block and fall through levels, with an ease of control that is both fun and challenging."
Lemmings is free-to-play, with an energy system and optional in-app purchases available for those who wish to spend a bit of cash. Note the game's description states an internet connection is required to play.
The first Lemmings game came to the Amiga in 1991, before being ported to a number of other devices. After publisher Psygnosis was acquired by Sony, Lemmings became a PlayStation-exclusive series. The most recent entry was a 2006 remake of the first game in the series for PS2, PSP, and PS3, also titled Lemmings.
The first two John Wick movies provided even the most jaded film fan with some of the most exciting action of recent years, and expectations are high for the upcoming third entry. John Wick: Chapter 3 arrives in May, and a new image has been released.
The picture comes via Entertainment Weekly. As fans of the series will know, retired hitman Wick's troubles began in the first movie when his beloved dog, left by his dead wife, was killed. But it looks like our hero, played once more by Keanu Reeves, has some new canine friends in Chapter 3. The dogs belong to Sofia, a new character played by Halle Berry. Check the image out below.
In an interview with EW, Reeves revealed that Berry's character "has a past with John," and ends up helping him as he is hunted by rival assassins. In addition, director Chad Stahelski provided some information about Sofia's furry pals. "Whereas John's puppy was symbolic of his wife, Halle's two dogs are symbolic of someone she's lost," he said. Stahelski also revealed that there is an action scene centered around them.
John Wick: Chapter 3 hits theaters on May 16, 2019. Ian McShane and Lawrence Fishburne will reprise their roles from previous movies, and the new cast includes Asia Kate Dillon (Orange is the New Black), Mark Dacascos (Cradle 2 the Grave), Jason Mantzoukas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place), and Angelica Huston (Isle of Dogs).
There is also a John Wick TV spin-off named The Continental in the works, which was announced by Starz earlier in the year. The channel's president Chris Albrecht said that the show will "include the thunderous fight sequences and intensely staged shootouts between professional assassins and their targets that fans have come to expect in the John Wick movie franchise as well as introducing some new, darkly compelling characters who inhabit this underground world."
Dr. Emma Fisher finds herself aboard the space station Observation. Something catastrophic has occurred, but she's not sure what or how. All she has to guide her is the station's artificial intelligence, SAM, but it's unclear whether it has her best interests in mind.
2001: A Space Odyssey is a clear influence for Observation, and developer No Code--which previously made 2017's Stories Untold--doesn't shy away from that. Observation oozes a retro aesthetic, tapping into the dusty nostalgia in those of us who grew up with cathode-ray tube monitors and fuzzy VHS tapes. It comes as no surprise then that the game's Creative Director previously worked on Alien Isolation. The same attention to detail that brought the Sevastopol to life is present aboard the Observation.
Click image to view in full screen
In an interesting twist, however, you play through the lens of SAM--rather than the surviving Dr. Fisher--and you must reboot your systems and get the station back online to figure out exactly what has happened. The UI is cleverly designed to not feel human, yet navigating the system menus in the environment with a PS4 controller feels satisfyingly deliberate and heavy, as if you are physically connected to the circuit boards within SAM. This makes solving puzzles all the more rewarding, as your powers of deduction are put to the test against a foreign yet intuitive computer interface. Running memory diagnostics or calibrating the station's systems feel less like computer processes and more like manual labor--in a good way.
SAM is reminiscent of HAL 9000, 2001's ominous sentient computer that--spoiler alert for a film from 1968--turns against its own crew. Knowing this kept me in a skeptical mood the entire time I was playing Observation, and it made me increasingly cautious as I slowly unraveled the cosmic conundrum at hand. It's an unsettling feeling, heightened by the loneliness of space, and fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey will find themselves with a prejudice against SAM that's impossible to ignore.
As Dr. Fisher digs, the mysteries deepen and, through it all, the need to know what role SAM may or may not have played compelled me to continue. As I began to decipher events and figure out how it all unfolded, however, things got... weird. But I won't go into detail on that. Observation will be a relatively short game, perhaps a handful of hours long, so it's best you go in blind and uncover this for yourselves.
You'd be forgiven for thinking this game might be the perfect fit for VR, but it makes a lot of sense that it doesn't, as this could make it feel too 'human'--the charm of this game is in being immersed in the role of SAM and having the disconnect of being separated from the world you're supposed to exist in. While the PC version does support keyboard and mouse, this game was designed with controllers in mind and there's something satisfying about using an analogue stick to slowly drag a cursor across a user interface that looks like it was designed in the 70s.
Will Dr. Fisher make it back to Earth, or does SAM have other ideas? I'm certainly excited to see how things unfold, and the retro aesthetic is a treat both to look at and interact with. Sci-fi fans can look forward to playing Observation on PS4 and PC in Spring 2019.
In honor of the end of GOG.com's Big Winter Sale, we're giving away 500 PCgame codesfree from their catalog. The PC game codes will be a mysterycode, redeemable on GOG's platform, and are DRM-free. (Scroll down to enter below.)
A new month is just around the corner, which means Pokemon Go players have another Community Day to look forward to soon. Developer Niantic has announced the first details on next month's event, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 12, and will feature the final Gen 2 starter Pokemon: Totodile.
Throughout the event, Totodile will spawn much more frequently in the wild than it normally does. Based on previous Community Days, players will also presumably have a chance of finding a Shiny Totodile during the event, although Niantic has yet to confirm this.
Moreover, if players manage to evolve Totodile into its final form, Feraligatr, up to an hour after the Community Day ends, the Pokemon will know a special event-exclusive move that it wouldn't typically be able to learn. Niantic has yet to reveal what this move is, but it will be announced closer to the Community Day.
In addition to increased Totodile spawns, Niantic will offer a couple of bonuses during January's Community Day. First, Incubators will be four times as effective as normal, allowing you to hatch Eggs at a quarter of the distance they would typically require. On top of that, Lure modules will remain active for three hours, rather than their standard 30-minute duration.
As usual, January's Community Day will only run for three hours, and it kicks off at different times depending on what part of the world you live in. You can find the full event schedule for each region below.
In the meantime, Pokemon Go's third annual holiday event is now underway, bringing a handful of new Gen 4 Pokemon like Bronzor, Snover, and Skorupi to the game. Niantic is also offering different bonuses during the event every few days until it ends on January 2. On top of that, a new Gen 4 Legendary Pokemon, Heatran, has begun appearing in Raid Battles around the world.
Bethesda has released another update for Fallout 76. This week's patch is fairly minor; it requires no download on PS4 or Xbox One (although players on PC will still need to download it), and it addresses a handful of issues across all platforms, as well as a few specifically related to the PC version.
Most notably, Bethesda has resolved a PC-specific bug that could crash the game when you select the "Exit to Desktop" option. Additionally, the developer says it has "fixed a setting that was left in a debug state." According to the studio, "This could allow out of date clients to connect, breaking gameplay."
In terms of general fixes, Bethesda has added Korean language support to all versions of the game. It has also fixed an exploit that allowed items to be duplicated, as well as a bug that could prevent enemies from taking damage from explosives and other heavy weapons. You can find the full patch notes for the hotfix below.
Bethesda has been releasing a steady stream of updates for Fallout 76 since the game's launch this past November. Last week, the developer made some major CAMP improvements. It also gave players the ability to respec their SPECIAL once they reach level 51.
Korean language support has been added to Fallout 76.
This was added to console versions of the game on December 18.
PC players who have their language set to Korean will see an increased download size of a few hundred megabytes today.
Bug Fixes
Stability and Performance
PC: Addressed an issue that could cause the game client to crash after selecting Exit to Desktop.
PC: Fixed a setting that was left in a debug state. This could allow out of date clients to connect, breaking gameplay.
General
Exploit: Addressed an exploit that could allow items to be duplicated.
Combat
Weapons: Addressed an issue that could prevent high-damage and explosive weapons from dealing damage to enemies, or cause enemies to heal immediately after taking damage.
Regardless of what you think of his new movie poster, Sonic the Hedgehog has managed to stay relevant since Sega first introduced the spiny speedster in 1991. If you play games on PC, you can get a whole bunch of Sonic titles on Steam right now for a fraction of their normal value. All you have to do is grab the Humble Sonic Bundle for $1-$15 between now and December 31.
Finally, if you pay $15, and you'll receive all of the previously mentioned games, as well as Sonic Forces and last year's highly acclaimed game Sonic Mania. That's a great price for a collection of games that's currently valued at $185.
Buying even the first tier of this bundle gets you 10% off a Humble Monthly subscription. A portion of the proceeds from this Humble Bundle go to Save the Children or the charity of your choice.
Halo studio 343 Industries has announced a partnership with the non-profit Limbitless Solutions to provide special Halo-themed prosthetic limbs to kids in need. As the studio explains in a blog post, Limbitless Solutions is a prosthetic maker that specializes in rapid prototyping and 3D printing to make fully functional arms that can grip and gesture, all at a lower cost than many other prosthetics.
Limbitless donates its prosthetics free-of-charge, and the 343 partnership is lending some Master Chief flavor to their options. Beginning sometime in 2019, those browsing the Limbitless selections will be able to select a prosthetic modeled after Master Chief's Mk. VI armor. A second "multiplayer" variant will let them select the same model with their own color customization.
"One of our core missions here at the studio is to 'inspire heroes and deliver wonder,'" the blog reads. "Normally, this is most often and understandably applied to the nature of making games... There are, however, times where opportunities to inspire heroes and deliver wonder present themselves outside the scope of game code, cutscene scripts, or sandbox balancing." The prosthetics are said to be offered to "young heroes who routinely and triumphantly beat the odds."
The most recent Halo game news we've heard was Halo Infinite, which debuted at E3 2018 but without many details. Since then 343 Industries has been dripping out news slowly, regarding the game as a service and Master Chief's new look. 343 head Bonnie Ross was recently announced as the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 2018 Hall of Fame recipient.
Getting new games is great, but paying for them is generally less fun. Between now and December 22, you can cut out the "less fun" part and get the Windows PC game Anno 1602: Creation of a New World (or Anno 1602 AD, as it was known in the US) for free from Ubisoft right here. Additionally, you can sign up to take part in a closed beta for the upcoming game Anno 1800. The beta will run January 31-February 4.
To get your free game, just head to the giveaway page, click the link, and sign in or create an Ubisoft account. Once you do that, the game is added to your Uplay library, where it's yours to keep and play forever.
Anno 1602: Creation of a New World launched back in 1998. It puts you on a ship en route for a new land, where you'll build a settlement, trade with the natives, and start an army to defend your growing town. Five sequels and numerous spinoffs have come out over the years, with Anno 1800 set for release on February 26, 2019. The original game is currently free to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary.
In GameSpot's Anno 1602 review, Bruce Grey wrote, "While it can't boast innovative design or unusual gameplay, 1602 A.D. has a peculiar charm all its own. The game captures the feel of the historical period very well and carries you along without the extreme highs and lows that characterize more fast-paced and violent games. Those who prefer to play action-packed computer games will be disappointed by 1602 A.D., but if you're looking for a more relaxing game, you'll find a pleasant diversion in this engaging colony builder."
If that sounds like your kind of game, make sure to grab your free copy before it goes back up to regular price on December 22.
Epic Games has opened a new Fortnite merch store, offering a host of different apparel so you can outfit yourself like one of 100 people dropped onto an island to fight to the death. The highlight of the Retail Row collection is a Durr Burger Onesie modeled after the outfit available in the game. It can be yours for just $70 and will start shipping in late January.
If a onesie is too rich or ridiculous for you, you have other options. A Skull Trooper pullover hoodie goes for $60, and a variety of t-shirts are available for $25 apiece. Those include shirts with character prints of the Durr Burger logo, Green Bush, DJ Yonder, Drift, and Skull Trooper. Plus if you just want to sport the Fortnite game logo, you can do that too in a variety of different colors.
It's a pretty limited storefront for now, but you can sign up for updates and get discounted offers through the newsletter.
In the game proper, Epic just kicked off the 14 Days of Fortnite event, which offers seasonal items, rotating limited time modes, and special challenges. You can also grab some freebies on the PlayStation 4 version for a limited time. It's also terribly clever, because 14 days is of course "a fortnight." Ho ho, we see what you did there Epic.
Meanwhile, Epic is fending off multiple lawsuits involving the true star of Fortnite: dances.
Vikendi is a 6x6 square map, making it smaller than both Erangel and Miramar, which are both 8x8 squares in size, but larger than Sanhok, which is 4x4. Despite its smaller size, Vikendi comes packed with places to drop. You'll find mountains, open fields, frozen lakes, cities, the Cosmodrome, forests, a dinosaur theme park that hides a central maze, and a lot more. There are also three weather patterns--Day, Moonlight, and Snow--on the map, as well as unique vehicles, weapons, and quirks.
Instead of the SCAR-L, Vikendi has the G36C assault rifle. It takes 5.56mm ammo and offers less recoil than other rifles at the cost of a lower fire rate. You'll find the new snow mobile and snow bike on Vikendi as well. The former gives you more control and the ability to drift, but it doesn't handle asphalt well. The latter can handle all terrain and is much faster, but you lose control when turning. The unique aspect of Vikendi is the addition of snow, which causes everyone on the map to leave behind footprints that opponents can trace back to the source.
Also live now is the Vikendi: Survivor Pass. Playing PUBG and completing certain milestones outlined in the pass will net you exclusive skins and rewards. The Survivor Pass is free, but you'll need to pay $10 USD if you want the extra exclusive missions with faster leveling and additional rewards.
Vikendi is only live on PC for now, but the map is coming to consoles in January 2019. PUBG is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
The first trailer for Hellboy is here. The movie is a reboot of Guillermo Del Toro's action fantasy series, based on Mike Mignola's comic books. Stranger Things star David Harbour plays the titular demonic hero, and the movie hits theaters in April.
The trailer delivers plenty of spectacular action-packed footage, and Harbour looks tremendous in the role. However, fans who had read previous comments from director Neil Marshall about the movie's much darker approach might be surprised at how lighthearted the trailer is--the jokes and wise-cracking tone are very reminiscent of Del Toro's movies. But it still looks like huge fun--check the trailer out above.
Hellboy hits theaters on April 12 2019. It also stars Milla Jovovich as the Blood Queen, Ian McShane as Professor Broom, Sasha Lane as Alice Monaghan, and Daniel Dae Kim as Ben Daimo. Marshall is best known for his work on Game of Thrones and the recent Netflix show Lost in Space, plus movies like Doomsday and The Descent.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Harbour explained that the movie won't be an origin story--as the film starts, Hellboy is already working for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development. "It's not an origin story, but it's his coming to terms with where he came from," he said. "He's been Hellboy for a long time, but there's a new turn of events at the start of the film, where people start to bring up the fact that he might bring about the end of the world, and it's really the first time he's heard anything like that. The question that comes up in the movie is where does he really belong?"
Nintendo has announced a new in-game event for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The Fire Emblem Fest will be a two-part event featuring a variety of Spirits drawn from the tactical RPG series, with the first part set to begin on December 20.
Much like last week's Spectacled Spirits event, the Fire Emblem Fest will run for three days. During that time, characters from throughout Fire Emblem's history will appear much more frequently on the Spirit Board, including the Legend-class Spirits Caeda and Azura, as well as the Ace-class Spirits Eliwood and Eirika.
Additionally, players will receive extra SP for defeating the Spirits. Nintendo notes that some of the Spirits that appear during the first part of the Fire Emblem Fest will change for the second part, so you won't want to miss your opportunity to get them while they're more readily available. The second part of the event is slated to take place next month.
The Fire Emblem Fest is the second event announced for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Nintendo says there will be a new event in the game every week. During the aforementioned Spectacled Spirits event, characters who wear glasses, such as Jeff from EarthBound and Brittany from Pikmin 3, appeared more frequently on the Spirit Board.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been a critical and commercial success since it launched earlier this month. The game smashed sales records for the series around the globe and was selected as one of GameSpot's 10 best video games of 2018. "There are so many wonderful things packed into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that, even in the short time between its release and our Best Of The Year discussions, it has filled us with an immense amount of joy," we said.
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