Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is almost here to close out the year for Nintendo, and controller manufacturers aren't wasting any time putting out new controllers to ride the wave of excitement with Smash fans. The series' competitive roots are grounded in the GameCube entry, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and thus using the GameCube controller is for many the preferred way to play. Nintendo isn't blind to this, releasing another round of GameCube controllers emblazoned with the latest Smash logo, just as it did for the Wii U game, but they aren't the only options out there.
Below is a quick look at a few of the options that players can consider when shopping around for new controllers, and even though they aren't the real deal straight from Nintendo, they come with selling points all their own that Nintendo doesn't have an answer for.
Editor's note: these items are highlighted as examples, not as endorsements by GameSpot.
Nintendo GameCube Controller and GameCube Controller Adapter $25/$20
Nintendo's official products are a great place to start if you are looking for a reliable, no frills way to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with a GameCube controller. There are cheaper options available from no-name manufacturers, but you can generally count on the real deal to get the job done.
Though you can likely convince your friends to play a few rounds with you using Joy-Cons, they are far too fiddly to be effective during competitive matches. The GameCube Controller Adapter is the first step to ensure all four fighters are on an even playing field. You will, of course, need an adapter if you use Nintendo's controllers anyway, because of their GameCube-style plug.
PowerA Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch - $50
PowerA is taking a unique approach compared to the other third-party manufacturers on this list. Its controller is built like a GameCube one, but on the inside, it's effectively a Switch Pro controller--it's wireless and support motion controls. It's unfortunately not rechargeable--it requires two AA batteries--and it lacks rumble support, but it's the simplest wireless solution that offers GameCube-like controls on this list.
8Bitdo Gbros. Wireless Adapter for Nintendo Switch - $20
If you definitely want to play wirelessly with a proper GameCube controller, you can alternatively pick up 8bitdo's Gbros. wireless adapter. It allows you to plug in a GameCube controller and have it work wirelessly with Switch, and the adapter has buttons to account for Switch functions not represented on the controller itself. You can also connect NES Classic, SNES Classic, or Wii controllers on the opposite end of the adapter. And the icing on the cake? There's a toggle that lets you convert the adapter to work with a Windows PC.
PDP's new controllers aren't wired for GameCube the way Nintendo's controller is--PDP's connect via USB directly to the Switch. Otherwise, the design is mostly in line with Nintendo's own, with a couple of exceptions. PDP is obviously going for a more colorful approach, with branding to entice Pokemon, Mario, and Zelda fans, but a 10-foot cable and a swappable C-Stick/Analog Stick introduces a unique feature that no other controller on this last can match. It's not a critical feature, but it could make a difference for the right player.
Hori's Smash Bros. Ultimate controllers follow a similar path as PDP's solution: themed controllers with a 10-foot USB cable. Hori does offer a few more color options, and most of the controllers sport a semi-transparent casing. They do not, however, feature the swappable C-Stick option.
Season 7 of Fortnite is nearly here. The new season is scheduled to kick off this Thursday, December 6, and developer Epic Games has been building up excitement by sharing a series of teaser images each day leading up to it. The studio has now shared the final teaser, and it hints that some rather big things are in store for Season 7.
The image, which you can see below, zooms in on the ziplining character spotted in the background of the second teaser. "Ascend to new heights," the accompanying tweet reads, suggesting that Season 7 will feature a greater emphasis on verticality. What's even more interesting, however, is that the image also features a biplane in the background, which seems to hint that Fortnite will receive its first aerial vehicle.
Epic hasn't confirmed many details about Season 7 beyond its start date, but we've gotten a good idea of what to expect from the three teaser images it has shared so far. The first featured an icy silhouette of a character with the caption, "A bitter ice spreads..." seemingly confirming fan theories that the new season will be winter-themed. The image also featured a character snowboarding down the side of the silhouette.
Hints that Fortnite's next season would be snow-themed first began to appear within the game itself a few weeks ago, when players began noticing distant clouds in the ocean surrounding the map. Since then, some users on Reddit have discovered that the clouds are actually shrouding an iceberg that is slowly approaching the island.
We'll find out soon just what changes await Fortnite in Season 7, but we do know something else that'll be arriving alongside it. Epic announced a new sandbox-style mode called Fortnite Creative, which will allow players to design their own games and unique Fortnite experiences. Fortnite Creative will be available to everyone on December 13, but those who purchase the Season 7 Battle Pass will get access to the mode beginning December 6.
In the meantime, you still have a few more hours to complete any remaining Season 6 challenges and unlock the last few Battle Pass rewards. If you need pointers, we've put together some helpful tips on how to complete the game's trickier missions in our Season 6 challenges guide.
Seems like it used to take a long time for games to dip down to half price. Battlefield V has only been out a few weeks and it's already available for $30 (or $40 for the Deluxe Edition). The only catch is that you have to own and have access to a recent Battlefield game. But if you don't? You can still get the standard edition for $40 from various retailers.
The Battlefield subreddit has been abuzz with people posting that the deal has popped up when they've signed in to games like Battlefield 4, Battlefield Hardline, and Battlefield 1. We tested it out on Battlefield 1 on Xbox One, and sure enough, the deal appeared in the game's start menu. So if you have a previous installment and are interested in trying out the new one, boot it up and grab the deal.
Everyone else can get the standard edition of Battlefield V on PS4, Xbox One, and PC for $40 from Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Just click the appropriate link below.
As for how the game is, critic Michael Higham scored it 8/10 in our Battlefield V review, writing, "The Battlefield series has a winning formula that Battlefield V doesn't deviate far from, at least for now. Conquest and the map roster don't mesh well together, however, Grand Operations--and the other modes within it--steal the show and foster some of the greatest moments the franchise has offered."
Battlefield V is scheduled to get numerous free DLC expansions in the coming months, the first of which, Chapter 1: Overture, is available now. A free battle royale mode called Firestorm is scheduled to arrive in March.
Ubisoft has teased an impending Far Cry announcement for The Game Awards with a short video that hints at a post-apocalyptic theme. Though the brief look doesn't explicitly say the announcement is connected with Far Cry 5, the setting appears similar to that game. Spoilers for Far Cry 5 follow.
The teaser begins with a nuclear explosion over a track of farm land, echoing the ending of Far Cry 5 when the cult leader Joseph Seed was proven right after all. His prophecy came true and the world--or at least a sizable chunk of rural Montana--was obliterated by nukes. The connection suggests this game will follow the events of Far Cry 5.
The teaser says the world recovered and vegetation regrew, and the survivors thought the threat had passed. But, in an ominous twist, the narration says they were wrong, as we see a figure picking up a sawblade for an apparent makeshift weapon. This would appear to be a post-apocalyptic Far Cry, complete with scrappy survivors.
The brief video doesn't indicate much about whether this will be downloadable content for Far Cry 5, a new standalone spin-off like Blood Dragon, or an entirely new game. Far Cry 5 already had a full season pass of content, complete with zombies, outer space, and Vietnam.
We'll know more tomorrow when the full reveal airs live during The Game Awards. It all kicks off starting at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT / 1:30 AM GMT (Friday) / 12:30 PM AET (Friday), and you can watch it right here at GameSpot. While some studios are teasing reveals for The Game Awards, others have stepped forward to say they won't be showing their games.
Peter Parker met a tragic end in Avengers: Infinity War, but we can all rest easy knowing he's already bouncing back from his Thanos-related injuries and filming the follow up to his MCU solo debut Spider-Man: Homecoming, the playfully titled Spider-Man: Far From Home. While details about the specifics of the plot have remained unsurprisingly vague, the rumors of Jake Gyllenhaal joining the cast to play villain Mysterio were confirmed by on-set photos of Gyllenhaal in costume. That begs the question: Just who the hell is Mysterio, and what does his entrance into the MCU actually mean for Spidey?
The name Mysterio actually refers to four different Marvel villains dating all the way back to 1964, and while there has been no official confirmation of which version Gyllenhaal is actually playing, the safest bet is the first and most prolific of the lot, Quentin Beck, who premiered in The Amazing Spider-Man #13 in 1964.
Beck's vintage origin story is your typical '60s superhero fare. He was a struggling special effects artist and wannabe actor who eventually realized that his skills as an artist could be used to turn a real profit if he used them to build a villainous alter ego. Of course, after carefully constructing his costume (complete with his iconic fishbowl-style mirrored helmet) and making his debut, Beck was stopped and humiliated by Spider-Man--which, unsurprisingly, led to a life long vendetta. He joined the original incarnation of the Sinister Six, a team that also included Vulture, Dr. Octopus, Kraven the Hunter, Electro, and Sandman.
Over the years, Mysterio became a perpetual thorn in Peter's side. Beck has no real superpowers, but his exhaustive knowledge of special effects trickery and illusions make him formidable in his own way--typically he'd set up elaborate gags involving smoke machines, stage magic, and even robotics to pull of his plots. Occassionally, his smoke based illusions are actually laced with hallucinogenic drugs, making him more similar to someone like Batman's Scarecrow than a hoaky magician. He trained in hypnotism, inventing a second alter-ego he called Dr. Ludwig Reinhart, and generally did his best to try and force his victims to lose their minds with elaborate gimmicks and cons designed to make them believe all sorts of wild lies.
Sometimes the lies were pretty goofy. Other times, they were considerably less so. he tried to force Peter into believing he'd been shrunk down to action figure size. He later tried to con Aunt May out of house and home using a revolving door of disguises and assumed identities designed to gaslight and confuse her. Eventually, and with the help of Kingpin, he set his sights on Daredevil, trying to manipulate him into insanity using mood altering drugs and by targeting and manipulating his friends. At one point he actually tried to convince Matt that a baby was the biblical antichrist. True story.
That particular plan didn't work out all that well and ended with Beck apparently committing suicide after Daredevil unmasked and beat him within an inch of his life. Of course, in typical comic book fashion, the death didn't stick. And although Beck's resurrection was never completely explained in any concrete way, the simplest answer was that he had staged his own death and gone into temporary hiding--though some stories insinuate that he really did die, and in fact spent some time in Hell before being magically revived.
Beck resumed his antics, rejoining with the Sinister Six as the need arose. He briefly retired (and built himself a robot daughter--don't ask) in Las Vegas, but was prompted to pick up the Mysterio mantle yet again after getting wrapped up in some complicated, demonic dealings with Ben Reilly, the Scarlet Spider.
All told, Mysterio's place in the Marvel universe is malleable. He's a bit less prolific and recognizable than someone like Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus, and that slightly-less-than-top-tier notoriety, coupled with his expansive repertoire of skills, means he can fit into stories in any number of ways. He's been the campy comic relief, the dangerous mastermind, the bumbling gloryhound, and the vicious sociopath, depending on the needs of the moment.
Thematically speaking, it seems more likely that we're going to be seeing Gyllenhaal as one of Beck's softer sides in Far From Home, especially considering the multilayered approach Homecoming took to his Sinister Six teammate Vulture. It's certainly not impossible that we're going to see a Mysterio on the big screen who is furious at Spider-Man for ruining his shot at fame and stardom, but it's maybe a bit improbable.
There's also the potential for Gyllenhaal's character to borrow from the other incarnations of Mysterio: Daniel Berkhart, a con who temporarily replaced Beck at both Beck's behest and after being hired to impersonate him by J. Jonah Jameson; Francis Klum, a mutant with teleportation powers who briefly took over the mantle while Beck was dead; and Mysterion, a mysterious new incarnation who was brainwashed and forced to join a team called the Superior Six lead by Otto Octavius. While none of the other Mysterio mantle wearers have quite the history Beck does, the MCU's willingness to play fast and loose with classic characters means they probably shouldn't be ignored.
One of the benefits you get for subscribing to the Nintendo Switch Online service is access to a growing library of classic NES games. Nintendo has been rolling out new titles for the service every month since it launched this past September, and now the company has confirmed that another batch of titles is scheduled to arrive next week.
Three more classic NES games are coming to the service on Wednesday, December 12. This month's lineup consists of the falling block puzzle game Wario's Woods, the notoriously challenging sidescroller Ninja Gaiden, and the puzzle adventure game Adventures of Lolo. You can take a look at them in the trailer below.
This marks the third batch of NES games that Nintendo has added to the service since it launched. October's update brought NES Open, Super Dodge Ball, and Solomon's Key to the library, while Metroid, TwinBee, and Mighty Bomb Jack arrived in November. With December's additions, there are now 30 NES games available on Switch.
On top of the three new titles added each month, every batch of NES games thus far has come with an additional surprise: a special save data for a game in the library. In October, Nintendo added a version The Legend of Zelda that gives players access to Link's entire arsenal of weapons and a ton of Rupees from the outset, while November's update brought a special save of Gradius that starts you off with a fully-upgraded ship.
While Nintendo hasn't confirmed if another special game save will arrive with its latest batch of NES games, the company has previously teased that more "fun new entry points into fan-favorite games" are coming, so we'll likely see another surprise addition next week. The company also says that more NES games will be added in 2019 beginning in January, but it has yet to announce what the next titles will be.
NES games on Switch can be played with a special set of NES-style Joy-Con controllers. These resemble the classic NES gamepad and are only available to order through Nintendo's website for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Each set comes with two controllers and costs $60. Nintendo says the first shipment will be sent out next week.
This was truly a year ruled over by horror and, for our money, it got no better than the Netflix original series The Haunting of Hill House. This adaptation of the 1959 novel elevated horror in a way rarely seen on TV, where cable is loaded with shows like The Walking Dead and American Horror Story. What's more, it took horror to a place not unlike films like Hereditary and A Quiet Place, showing just how far this genre can be stretched.
While it utilized jump scared to keep viewers on the edge of their seat, The Haunting of Hill House spent its 10 episodes building immeasurable amounts of tension and sympathy as we watched this tale of a family being ripped apart by a force stronger than they were collectively. On the surface, this is a show about the Crain family, a couple and their children who spent a portion of their lives living in a haunted house. That's truly just the beginning, though.
Because this isn't a haunted house show, as much as the title might lead you to believe it is. This is a family drama. Yes, it's loaded with horrific scares and some truly disturbing imagery, but The Haunting of Hill House never forgets that the through line of the series is the Crain family and the trauma they continue to experience--and inflict on each other as a result of it--long after they've left the titular home. Watching this show, it's hard not to feel distraught over what life in Hill House have done to the Crain children and how they continue to inform them as adults. Then, when the old house of spirits comes calling again, it's a waking nightmare for each of them.
It's not just the story that makes The Haunting of Hill House stand out, though. The casting of the adult Crain children--and the young actors who play them as kids--is remarkable. It's easy to see not only a family resemblance in all of them, but also similarities between the adults and their kid counterparts.
Another impressive creative choice comes in the sixth episode, which is set almost entirely in a funeral home. In it, there is a continuous 17-minute tracking shot that goes throughout the mortuary--and even into Hill House--without breaking away once. In this one shot, viewers are shown each individual member of the Crain family present as they grieve the loss of one of their own. It's an incredibly ambitious and impressive feat. And as creator Mike Flanagan has explained, it certainly was no easy task.
In the end, though, regardless of how good the cast is or how stellar the directing, cinematography, and camera work turned out, the only thing that's going to hook viewers into The Haunting of Hill House is the Crain family themselves. This is a show that lives and dies on their story. That's why an episode like "The Bent Neck Lady" can rip your heart out and leave you in a ball of tears that have nothing to do with horror. Instead, you're just devastated as you realize that, for some in the Crain clan, all hope is lost.
That's a stunning realization that even some of the best shows on TV wouldn't be able to tackle as effectively as Hill House. Yet this series carries it out almost flawlessly, leaving you wanting more from the story of the Crain family of Hill House, but realizing there's no more of their story to tell.
Still, while this one season of TV may be all viewers see of the Crain family, there is plenty of incentive to watch Hill House again. The drama may be what engages you during your first time through, but it's the horror Easter eggs that will have you coming back for more. Whether you realize it or not, the ghosts of Hill House were hiding in plain sight all along, and a second watch of the series should show you just how scary life in that creepy old house was.
There has never been a movie quite like Avengers: Infinity War, and there likely will never be one again. The culmination of ten years of shared universe world building by Marvel Studios, the movie was touted as the "biggest crossover event in history" for good reason--it brought together the casts of no less than six individual franchises from every corner of the MCU, boasting a roster of A-list actors so massive it necessitated a "class photo" style shoot that only barely managed to cram everyone into frame.
But beyond its scope and scale, Infinity War also represented something fans of the MCU have been desperately craving for years: payoff. After first being teased in The Avengers back in 2012, Infinity War's big bad, Thanos (Josh Brolin), finally made his real deal cinematic debut, and brought with him the weight of six whole years of anticipation. A masterclass in slow burn narratives coming to explosive boiling points, Infinity War was at once a love letter to the MCU's legions of devoted fans and a bold, unprecedented act of experimentation in filmmaking and franchise building--not only because it was huge and not only because it managed to wrangle an appropriately comic book event sized cast, but because it dared to deviate from Marvel's carefully crafted "the good guys always win" mold in a way that some might even call traumatic.
Turns out, we've had good reason to be anxious about Thanos's arrival for all these years--and for as bleak as Infinity War's last shot may have been, it was still oh so worth it.
Infinity War managed to take the disparate pieces of Marvel's scattered lore and, against all odds, blend them into one cohesive unit, plucking the humor and irreverence of comedies like Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians of the Galaxy with the high-stakes action of thrillers like Captain America: Civil War and Black Panther. And it did so with the unselfconscious ease of something that knew exactly what it was--there was no time wasted in trying to re-familiarize viewers with who and what they were watching. The movie just expected its audiences to be already up to date. This was a movie with some serious prerequisite reading--which, in any other franchise, probably would have been frustrating. But here, in the MCU, it only managed to make a decade (or more) of fandom feel worth it. It was dense, sure, and packed to the brim with plotlines to track and characters to follow, but it managed to never feel bloated or stagnant.
In our review, we singled out the unlikely balance Infinity War managed to strike with it's gargantuan cast. "Incredibly, Infinity War actually manages to do every single one of these characters justice. Some of them only get a few lines in the movie, or just a couple of awesome shots during a huge battle, but that's understandable. The fact that Infinity War actually feels like a well-balanced movie, with time for small, emotional moments between characters in addition to the multiple budget-breaking battles, is undeniably impressive."
And it's not just that balance that makes Infinity War stand out--it's the fact that it manage to strike that balance, all while ostensibly focusing on a villain who had, prior to this movie, only lurked in the shadows. Make no mistake: Infinity War is Thanos's movie, the same way movies like Iron Man or Captain America belong to Tony Stark or Steve Rogers, it's as much his origin as it is everything else. The potential for things to go off the rails for that fact alone--the juggling act required to both build up and sell what amounts to be a brand new character in a believable way, while simultaneously showcasing an entire roster of tried and true fan favorites--was so high the fact that the movie came together at all, let alone that it managed to be good, is nothing short of miraculous.
It really has all been leading to this. Ten years, eighteen plus films, and the tireless dedication of both fans and filmmakers alike coming together to make a movie experience unlike anything else 2018 had to offer.
Despite the surprises, Sekiro appears to similar to From's previous work in a number of ways. It's a third-person action-adventure RPG, for a start, with a similar combat system to the company's portfolio that includes hit games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Shadows Die Twice adds a few new features to the fan-favorite formula, the most notable of which is the ability resurrect yourself after death. This ability will be limited, so you can't just keep resurrecting forever, however it can also be used to your advantage. Allow yourself to be killed and enemies will walk away, pleased with their success, opening themselves up for you to come back to life and stab them in the back.
Sword combat has received a few changes by incorporating both Prosthetic Tools, such as the Grappling Hook, and special Sword Arts to supplement regular attacks. Stealth will also play a part, with the player able to skulk around quietly and perform lethal sneak attacks. Without further ado, then, let's get into everything we know about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Release Date And Collector's Edition
Activision announced Sekiro's release date for PS4, Xbox One, and PC at Gamescom in August 2018. The game will launch on March 22, 2019, accompanied by the release of a collector's edition. That special version comes with the full game, a steelbook case, a 7" shinobi statue, art book, physical map, digital soundtrack, and replica game coins.
Does Sekiro Have Multiplayer?
From's recent games have included a form of multiplayer in which other players can join your game and help or hinder your progress. Sekiro, on the other hand, will not include any way of interacting with other players.
"This title is designed, from the beginning, to be a single-player experience," From Software's Yasuhiro Kitao said at E3. "As a part of that, one of the focuses of the game is, instead of having a choice between various classes from the beginning, you must play as a ninja. As a result, [the team] has really been able to focus in on what those mechanics are and make them as deep as possible."
Does Sekiro Have Difficulty Options? Will It Be As Hard As Dark Souls?
Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne are famed for their difficulty, with ultra-hard bosses and infrequent checkpoints providing a tough challenge for players. This led to some players asking for From's games to include difficulty options, but the developer has declined that particular request for Sekiro.
"We don't want to include a difficulty selection because we want to bring everyone to the same level of discussion and the same level of enjoyment," director hidetaka Miyazaki told GameSpot earlier this year. "So we want everyone … to first face that challenge and to overcome it in some way that suits them as a player."
The creator continued: "We want everyone to feel that sense of accomplishment. We want everyone to feel elated and to join that discussion on the same level. We feel if there's different difficulties, that's going to segment and fragment the user base. People will have different experiences based on that [differing difficulty level]. This is something we take to heart when we design games. It's been the same way for previous titles and it's very much the same with Sekiro."
Where Does Sekiro Fit In With Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, And Bloodborne?
Despite the similarities between Sekiro and From's previous games, the developer insists this is an entirely separate entity. "Sekiro was not designed as an evolution of Soulsborne, of the Souls series," series creator and Sekiro director Hidetaka Miyazaki told GameSpot. "It was designed from the ground up, from scratch, as an entirely new concept, as a new game. So we don't know if you'd call this an evolution of the series in this sense."
The director continued: "Of course with Sekiro, we don't intend to disappoint or turn away fans of previous From Software games, that core fan base. We want to keep the challenge. We want to keep that core experience very much intact for those people."
Where Can I Pre-Order Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice?
Pre-orders for Sekiro are now live in a bunch of different outlets. Check out our full US pre-order guide for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice for the rundown, including details on that collector's edition.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds started out as an early-access PC game before coming to Xbox One last year for a period of console exclusivity. That period is officially coming to an end, because PUBG is set to release for PlayStation 4 on December 7. It took a while, but better late than never.
The PS4 version will include most of the content the other versions contain, although custom matches and event mode will be arriving later. Publisher PUBG Corp. also notes that "map and mode selection will be turned on after servers fill up to a suitable population that can support these features." You can find more details on the PUBG PS4 FAQ.
If you're a PS4 owner who's been jonesing to see what all the fuss is about with this blockbuster battle royale game, you might be wondering where you can get it and what bonus goodies you can expect. Read on, and all your questions will be answered.
Pre-Order Bonus
Pre-order PUBG for PlayStation 4, and you'll get some Naughty Dog digital goodies: a Nathan Drake outfit from Uncharted and Ellie's backpack from The Last of Us.
Pre-Order PUBG PS4 Disc Edition
This version comes with the pre-order bonuses listed above, and it comes on a disc.
Sony is offering three digital editions of the game on PSN. The Looter's Edition is the standard edition. Although the game description states it comes with "unknown avatar," it seems safe to assume that means it will come with the Uncharted and Last of Us cosmetic items detailed above. It also comes with a PS4 theme based on the game's Miramar map.
The Survivor's Edition costs an additional $20, and includes everything from the Looter's Edition, as well as the Vikendi Event Pass, 2,300 G-Coins, and 20,000 BP.
The Champion's Edition costs $10 more than the Survivor's Edition and comes with all the same items, except it includes 6,000 G-Coins rather than 2,300.
The Game Awards show is imminent, and we've already seen developers teasing big announcements for the event. The show will boast ten new game announcements along with updates on current games, alongside the awards. But while some companies like Obsidian are eager to tease that they'll be showing new wares, others have taken the opportunity to set expectations by stating they definitely won't.
Rocksteady has announced it won't be showing its next game at the show, and also took a moment to dispel some persistent rumors about what that next game actually is. Game director Sefton Hill wrote that the team is looking forward to the show, but they're "still hard at work in [their] development bunker." He ended the statement by flatly stating, "Spoiler: it's not Superman." That marks the first time the studio has openly addressed the rumors that it is working on a Superman game to follow its acclaimed Batman: Arkham series.
CD Projekt Red, by comparison, has already announced its next game: Cyberpunk 2077. However, to stave off expectations that we'd get a fresh look at the award show, community lead Marcin Momot said on Twitter that it won't be sharing any new details.
Similarly, Naughty Dog has stepped forward to state that The Last of Us 2 won't be appearing at The Game Awards either. This one seemed the most likely of any, because we already know the game is relatively close. Given that Sony bowed out of a PlayStation Experience event this year, the Game Awards seemed like the next most likely venue for another look at the anticipated sequel.
Epic Games has announced Fortnite Creative, a new mode that will give players the opportunity to design games and build unique Fortnite experiences with friends. Fortnite Creative will be available to play on December 13, but those that pick up the Season 7 Battle Pass can check it out from December 6.
"It's a brand new way to experience the world of Fortnite," Epic says on its website. "Design games, race around the island, battle your friends in new ways and build your dream Fortnite. It's all happening on your own private island where everything you make is saved."
Epic has said it plans to add new features and make improvements to Fortnite Creative in coming updates. "Like Battle Royale and Save the World, we're committed to making this bigger and better over time," it explained.
As noted in the video above, Epic is expecting initial rollout of Fortnite Creative to be "rough" and is encouraging those interested to get in early via the Battle Pass. Fortnite Season 7 is set to launch on December 6 and, alongside it, the new Battle Pass will be available. In addition to early access to Fortnite Creative, the Battle Pass entitles owners to a special set of challenges every week for as long as the season lasts. In turn, this means they can accrue Battle Stars faster and unlock cosmetics quicker.
Fortnite Creative mode is one of the many ways Epic Games is encouraging players to keep returning to the game. The company has made a point of trying to both vary and broaden the kind of experiences it offers, and the successes resulting from this has had a knock on effect on Epic as a business. On December 4 it revealed its own marketplace, which competes directly with Valve's Steam.
The Epic Games marketplace seems to be very developer friendly, giving creators 88% of their revenue. There is no profit-sharing and, instead, it's an 88/12 split between developers and Epic for listing on its marketplace. Developers that use Unreal Engine to create their game will have the 5% engine royalty covered by Epic out of its own 12% cut. Although this incentive encourages developers to use Unreal Engine, Epic says games created using other engines are also welcome.
Nintendo has plugged the upcoming Game Awards, with the implication that we could see something related to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at the event. The tweet doesn't explicitly promise any reveals, though, so it could just be tying the two together for promotional purposes.
The Game Awards will air on Thursday evening, just hours before the launch of Smash Ultimate. This wasn't lost on Nintendo, which told its fans to tune in live before the game launch. It's possible, though far from definite, that the company has a reveal planned for the event. It could be presenting info regarding the upcoming Smash DLC, for example, or another project altogether. The Game Awards itself has teased ten new announcements along with updates on released games.
Of course, tying the two together could be completely innocuous, as Nintendo is up for some awards itself. The company may just be promoting a big industry event, with plans to attend.
The Game Awards will kick off on Thursday at 8:30 PM ET / 5:30 PM PT / 1:30 AM GMT (Friday) / 12:30 PM AET (Friday). You can watch it right here at GameSpot. In the meantime check out the full list of nominees.
Rainbow Six Siege's latest update has gone live for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, meaning Operation Wind Bastion's new Operators, Nomad and Kaid, are now available. The update also includes a new map, named Fortress.
Operation Wind Bastion is themed around Morocco, with Fortress being set in the north African country and the two new Operators hailing from the GIGR special forces. Kaid, a Defender, comes equipped with three deployable electroclaws, which electrify any metallic object within a small radius. That means, if placed correctly, one electroclaw could electrify multiple reinforcements, deployable shields, or razor wires.
Nomad, meanwhile, is an Attacker. Her primary weapons come attached with a device that launches wind-powered proximity mines. When an opponent approaches, the mines blast all enemies back and off their feet. Opposing players are rendered unable to use their weapon for a short duration, and must get back on their feet. The mines can be used defensively to protect your flanks or offensively to flush enemies out.
Operation Wind Bastion also includes additional weapon skins and a headgear bundle. In addition, five existing Operators are receiving balancing changes: Mute, Clash, and Smoke are being buffed, while Lesion and Zofia are being nerfed. The full list of changes can be read in Operation Wind Bastion's patch notes.
In the Operation's preview stage, we thought Kaid felt overpowered, so it will be interesting to see how the new Operators feel now the game is live for all. Operation Wind Bastion is the fourth and final Season of DLC from Siege's third year, though Ubisoft has stated its plans to continue supporting the game for years to come.
Battlefield V's first free DLC, Chapter 1: Overture, is right around the corner. Developer DICE confirmed on Twitter that, after a short delay, the expansion will arrive on Wednesday, December 5. It was originally targeted to launch a day sooner, but DICE discovered some issues, and as a result, decided to push the release back.
DICE said it was "working around the clock" to fix the issues that caused the delay, though the studio hasn't explained what the problems were in the first place. Whatever the case, the good news is that the delay was a short one. DICE apologised for the extra wait and thanked fans for their patience. "The team agreed it was best for the game's health to hold off and fix the issues," DICE said about the delay.
Good news! The #Battlefield Chapter 1: Overture update is locked and loaded for deployment tomorrow, December 5th. Our sincerest apologies for the delay. The team agreed it was best for the game's health to hold off and fix the issues, so thank you for being so understanding! pic.twitter.com/2x3NvbGU7s
Chapter 1: Overture is the first instalment in Battlefield V's Tides of War live service element. Whereas previous Battlefield games charged players for extra content, DICE is giving it all away for Battlefield V, and instead selling cosmetic items. Microtransactions are not available in Battlefield V yet, but are presumably going to launch soon.
In a post on Reddit, DICE revealed some key details on Chapter 1: Overture's rollout schedule. It will start to arrive on December 5 at midnight PT, which works out to 3 AM in New York, 8 AM in London, and 6 PM in Sydney. There will be one hour of downtime on each platform as the patch rolls out; here is the schedule:
PC - Wednesday, Dec 5th at 1am PT / 4am ET / 9am UTC / 10am CET
PlayStation 4 - Wednesday, Dec 5th at 2am PT / 5am ET / 10am UTC / 11am CET
Xbox One - Wednesday, Dec 5th at 3am PT / 6am ET / 11am UTC / 12pm CET
The Chapter 1: Overture update adds a new map, Panzerstorm, a new tutorial mode of sorts in Practice Range, a new single-player chapter where you play as a German soldier, vehicle cosmetic customisation options, and a series of gameplay balance changes. You can see the full patch notes here [PDF].
A new Tony Hawk skateboarding game is in the works, but it might not be the one you want. Listings on Google Play and the Apple App Store show that a new free-to-play title, Tony Hawk's Skate Jam, is coming on December 13 to Android and iOS devices.
The iOS listing states that Skate Jam will have a "classic career mode," as well as "global skate jam tournaments." What's more, players can expect street, park, and vert skate disciplines, as well as "dozens" of skateboards to collect from Hawk's own Birdhouse brand.
"Tony Hawk's Skate Jam will set a new bar for authentic tricks, controls, and music in a mobile game, thanks to Tony," reads a line from the game's description.
As for playable skateboarders, the game mentions that Skate Jam will let you play as Tony Hawk himself, but no other skaters were mentioned.
Skate Jam is in development at Maple Media, a mobile game studio that previously released skateboarding games Skateboard Party and Skateboard Party 2.
The iOS store listing shows that Skate Jam is 1.4 GB, and confirms that it will feature microtransactions. The game will sell coin packs, though it's not clear yet what you can buy with them. Some kind of a "Starter Pack" will also be available. The listing states that a full announement of Skate Jam is coming soon.
Small Coin Pack -- $2
Medium Coin Pack -- $5
Large Coin Pack -- $10
Extra Large Coin Pack -- $20
Jumbo Coin Pack Coin Pack -- $50
Legendary Coin Pack -- $100
Starter Pack -- $2
Tony Hawk worked with Activision on numerous skateboarding games, starting with the 1999 original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. 2015's Pro Skater 5 is the latest entry in the long-running series. A mobile game called Tony Hawk's Shred Session was soft-launched in 2014, but it was never seen through to an official release.
Making is to 100 episode of TV in the modern landscape is no easy feat. So many shows last only a season or two before meeting an untimely end. That's what makes The Flash's achievement so special and worthy of celebration. What you might not have expected, though, was an episode that also served as a game changer for not just this season, but the series as a whole. Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Flash's 100th episode, "What's Past is Prologue."
While visiting the past was a nice way to honor all that the show has become, what was especially important is how it shaped the future--namely how it involves Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy). "I really didn't think I'd have a big part of it because I always sort of felt like the 100th episode should represent everyone that had been in the show so I was so surprised when I knew I was going to be such a huge part of it," Kennedy told GameSpot on The Flash 100th episode red carpet.
She did play a massive role, though, which involves her own future. After meeting the Eobard Thawne (Tom Cavanagh) that tormented her father throughout Season 1 of the series, it was revealed she's actually working with him--or some version of him--in the future, long after her father disappeared. What her goal is, though, has yet to be revealed.
"There's something going on but we don't understand it exactly what it is," she said. "Obviously, as the season goes on, that will make sense but I think the biggest thing is, is Norah good when there's a part of Norah that's bad? What are the reasons she's there?"
That's the question on the minds of every fan after realizing Barry Allen's (Grant Gustin) daughter is working with his most dreaded enemy in some way. What would bring her to it and what happens now that she sees the man he truly was?
Of course, looking at it from Cavanagh's point of view, bringing back Thawne is an exciting challenge. How do you revisit a former character but keep it fresh and new?
"I always think if you're fortunate enough to be on a long-running TV show, maybe you don't necessarily have to reinvent but it's best not to get too staged in, you know, what you present to the viewership because I think they know you know an occasional ignition in one way or another," he explained. "I think that with taking the classic villain, keeping him the classic villain, but showing a different error or different side or different aspect, if you will, with it was enjoyable."
That was also the route showrunner Todd Helbing and his writers wanted to take when it came to penning the script for the episode and deciding where it would lead as the season goes on. "We don't wanna just do the same villain over and over and if we had the exact same attitude with Eobard Thawne, that we've seen this whole time, that's not going to be interesting either," he said. "So, he was part of the pitch from the beginning and I think what we really wanted to do was just see a different attitude from Thawne that we hadn't, see him in a different light and, you know, there's a big theme of legacy this season. And so, when we started talking about that with every other character and then we got to Thawne, it's like, 'What does legacy mean to him?' So that's what we start to touch on in the background."
What does this mean for Sherloque, though? The version of Wells helping the team out in current day was certainly teased to show a connection to Eobard. In the 100th episode, they both refer to Nora as a "clever girl," referencing Jurassic Park. However, as Helbing revealed, the two are not the same person.
"I'll just say he's has a different agenda than Thawne." the showrunner teased. As for what that agenda is, and whether it's good or evil, you're going to have to wait for the season to play out. We'll also have to wait to see whether Barry and Nora traveling back in time will have any impact on the timeline. "I feel like towards the end of the season is where we're going to see what kind of repercussions episode 100 had," Gustin said. Helbing, meanwhile, teased, "There's something that will happen probably way down the line that you realize but, no, right now we're not playing it in the same way like that we do."
With such a massive episode that featured so many major moments, you're going to have to wait for any kind of immediate follow-up. Next, The Flash--along with Arrow and Supergirl--head into the massive "Elseworlds" crossover. The event kicks off on December 9. Make sure to check out our "Elseworlds" photos and spoiler teases so you're ready to take it all in.
It's been a long time coming, but Kingdom Hearts III is almost here. Set for a worldwide release on January 29, 2019 for PS4 and Xbox One, the next game in the incredibly complicated yet whimsical action-RPG series will conclude the main story with Sora, Donald Duck, Goofy and other friends as they face off against the evil Organization XIII and the swarming blight known as the Heartless. Since its debut, the Kingdom Hearts series blended together the exuberance and wonder of a Disney spectacle with the mechanics of an JRPG, offering something that really shouldn't have worked as well as it did.
There's a lot anticipation for Kingdom Hearts III, but at the same time there's a number things that will be important to clear up. Just ahead of the game's release, we've compiled a number of important details regarding Kingdom Hearts III, when it first debuted, the platforms it will launch on, and whether it'll be safe to dive into this game if you're a first timer. Here's everything we know about Disney and Square Enix's upcoming action-RPG spectacle.
Kingdom Hearts III is the next game in the long-running series that debuted in 2002 on the PlayStation 2. Created by Tetsuya Nomura, Kingdom Hearts is an action-RPG amalgamation of the memorable movies and games from both Disney and Square Enix (particularly the Final Fantasy series). Over the course of the series, Sora and his allies have travelled across the expansive multiverse, forming bonds with many familiar characters such as Aladdin, Mulan, and Hercules, while also facing off against foes such as Scar from The Lion King and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII.
Kingdom Hearts III will continue the tradition of offering richly realized worlds to explore, with each locale having a set of iconic characters to team up with. Though technically not the third game in the series--it's really the eighth--KHIII will be the conclusion of the main storyline focusing on Sora and his friends and their travels across the Disney/Square universe. During their adventure, they'll encounter many returning characters and explore new worlds, which have a greater level of freedom and advanced combat mechanics.
Can I Start With KH III?
While the Kingdom Hearts series is known for its incredibly involved and complex plot, possessing an interconnected web of character relationships and timelines, it's still possible to jump into Kingdom Hearts III fresh. Much like other games, KHIII will offer a way for newcomers and fans who need to brush up on the story an opportunity to get up to speed with the new game. There will be numerous text files and docs that detail the major events throughout the series, key characters, and how it all led up to this point.
Debut And The First Trailer
Kingdom Hearts III made its debut during Sony's E3 2013 press conference, revealing new visuals and designs for Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the locations they would visit--all powered by Unreal Engine 4. In this trailer, we saw some familiar scenes with the key characters before witnessing Sora fight off swarms of Heartless in a reimagined Twilight Town from KHII.
Where Does It Fit In The KH Timeline?
KHIII is the latest game chronologically on the series timeline. Though the numbered entries are seen as the core entries in the series, several important events have happened in the spin-off games that are vital for anyone looking to get the full story. While Kingdom Hearts Union X [Cross] (yes, that's the actual title) is a mobile/browser title, it also expands the overall plot. It shows off the events prior to the Keyblade War--one of the more notable events referenced throughout the series.Aside from the main games, the side-stories in Birth By Sleep and Dream Drop Distance not only reveal the backstories for many key side-characters, they reveal events that have come to shape the present story in Kingdom Hearts III. Here's a list of every KH game in chronological order.
Debuting at E3 2015, the next trailer revealed footage of the Kingdom of Corona world from Tangled, along with Olympus Coliseum from Hercules. In the trailer, we also got to see footage of the new combat mechanic known as Attraction Flow, and saw two new characters exchange in cryptic dialog discussing the fate of other characters.
What's New In Kingdom Hearts III?
The gameplay in Kingdom Hearts III is very similar to how it was in Kingdom Hearts II, albeit with a much larger scope. In addition to larger environments to explore, players will now be able to have five characters in a party at once, with two guest characters joining the trio. Continuing from Kingdom Hearts II, Sora will be able to call upon his allies and trigger special combination attacks and special moves. Summoning also makes a return as well, allowing you to call forth famous Disney characters like Wreck-It-Ralph and Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
However, Kingdom Hearts III tosses in several new abilities, which helps to bring combat to the next level. One of the new combat abilities is known as Attraction Flow, allowing Sora to conjure up a vehicle that's based on a famous Disneyland ride--such as Splash Mountain or the teacups from the Mad Tea Party attraction. By taking control of these rides, Sora can quickly deal heavy damage to multiple enemies. Another new twist is the addition of the various Keyblade transformations. While the previous games had you collect a whole assortment of special keyblades, many of which referenced classic Disney films and Final Fantasy games, KHIII takes things further by having each weapon possess its own signature move--giving you another new skill to use in battle.
All The Confirmed Worlds (So Far)
With every Kingdom Hearts game comes an assortment of levels that strongly contrast with each other. Kingdom Hearts III is no different, and we've already gotten a taste of where we'll be able to travel to in the upcoming game. Though the final game still has a number of worlds that have yet to be revealed, here's a quick rundown of the worlds we know of so far.
Kingdom of Corona (Tangled)
Olympus Coliseum (Hercules)
San Fransokyo (Big Hero 6)
Monstropolis (Monsters Inc.)
Toy Box (Toy Story)
Arendalle (Frozen)
The Caribbean (Pirates of the Caribbean 3)
Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie the Pooh)
Twilight Town (Kingdom Hearts)
The Third Trailer
During D23 2017, Square-Enix and Disney released a new trailer showing off a first look at the Toy Box world from Toy Story. During the footage, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are transformed into action figures and have to battle Heartless in Andy's room. They eventually meet up with Woody and Buzz Lightyear, and soon find themselves exploring the outside of Andy's room and towards a massive toy-store where they control large mecha toys and confront another member of Organization XIII.
What Systems Is It On And What's Its Release Date?
Kingdom Hearts III will be available for PS4 and Xbox One on January 29, 2019. Though the series has mostly been a fixture of the PlayStation consoles, with a few appearances on Nintendo's handhelds, this game will mark the first time that the series will be available on a Microsoft console. Kingdom Hearts III will be available worldwide for PS4 and Xbox One on January 29, 2019. However, the game will be out in Japan nearly a week before on January 25.
Will It Come To PC?
As of now, there is no word on a PC release for the game. Though it's not outside the realm of possibility for it to make its way to PC, since Kingdom Hearts III will be the first multi-platform release, Square Enix have been quiet about a PC launch for the series.
How Can I Catch Up?
If you find yourself with the urge to revisit the previous games, or you simply want to see what all the hype is about, then you'll be pleased to know that Square Enix has re-released both the previous core Kingdom Hearts games in the 1.5 + 2.5 Remix edition for PS4. Originally released on PS3, these collections remaster the two games with new visuals and add in some new content.
Featuring the Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts I and II, along with remasters of Birth By Sleep, Chain of Memories, Dream Drop Distances, and Recoded--ReMIX on PS4 also include a brand-new epilogue episode for Birth By Sleep [Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep - A fragmentary passage], running on the same engine as Kingdom Hearts III, giving many a brief taste for what's to come in the next game. Unfortunately, this edition is only available on PS4, so Xbox One owners will have to wait for the digest in Kingdom Hearts III or play the ReMIX on PS4.
Will there be a Theme Song?
Much like other mainline entries in the series, there's always an opening number to kick off the new adventure--and KHIII is no different. In the new song, Face Your Fears, series vocalist Utada Hikaru returns for the main theme. In an interesting twist, the theme song is also produced by Skrillex, who made a name for himself over the last decade with his work in the dub-step sub-genre. The song will be released shortly before the launch of the game on January 18.
The Fourth Trailer
During E3 2018, we saw the next trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3--revealing the first look at the worlds for Frozen and the return of Pirates of the Caribbean. First shown during Microsoft's E3 press conference, Sora and friends encounter Elsa in the frozen wilderness, who's under attack from Heartless. We also saw a return visit to the Pirates of the Caribbean world, adapting the events from the third film At World's End.
Is There A Special Edition?
Square Enix plans to release a deluxe version of the game on both PS4 and Xbox One for $230. The bundle comes packed with Sora, Donald, and Goofy action-figures based on their appearances in the Toy Box, along with a steelbook and an artbook. There are also plans to release a special PS4 Pro bundle for Kingdom Hearts III, which is available for pre-order on the official Square Enix online store.
The Xbox One's backwards compatibility catalog continues to grow bigger still. As announced on Twitter by Major Nelson, the new Xbox 360 additions to the backwards compatibility library on Xbox One today include three titles from 2K Games: The Darkness, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, and Duke Nukem Forever.
And in a round of extra-good news, each title is currently on sale. The Darkness, which features Faith No More and Mr. Bungle singer Mike Patton doing the voice of a horrible monster, can be had for only $4 USD. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, which was originally announced as a first-person shooter before changing directions, is also available for $4 USD. Duke Nukem Forever is also available for only $4 USD. The Gearbox Software-developed game is the Chinese Democracy of video games, sort of, in that, like the Guns 'N Roses album, many believed it would never release. But it did.
The Darkness, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, and Duke Nukem Forever are coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility today (and all three are currently on sale) https://t.co/qPMRNs2ZLopic.twitter.com/z4sEROLxUs
As always, if you own these games already, you can simply put the disc into your Xbox One and start playing. If you own them digitally you can find them in your game collection and redownload them. Check out our full list of backwards compatible games for more.
Epic Games has confirmed that it has stopped actively developing the new, community-infused Unreal Tournament game. Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney confirmed to Variety that the free game is still playable and available to new users, but Epic itself has stopped working on it.
"Unreal Tournament remains available in the store but isn't actively developed," he said.
This may be sad for those who were playing and enjoying Unreal Tournament, but it's no surprise to learn Epic has stopped working on it. Back in September, Epic said the team working on it moved over to Fortnite to support that game's ongoing development. As of September, the game was officially "on hold," and that appears to continue to be the case.
Announced in 2014, the new Unreal Tournament was developed on Epic's Unreal Engine 4 and aimed to be "true to its roots as a competitive FPS." Epic was planning to develop the game "in the open," as a collaboration between Epic Games, Unreal Tournament fans, and Unreal Engine 4 developers. Epic also planned to offer a marketplace where fans can buy and sell new content.
Unreal Tournament is not the first game Epic stopped working on after Fortnite grew in popularity. In January this year, Epic announced its free-to-play MOBA Paragon was shutting down, with refunds available to everyone. More recently, some Fortnite: Save the World players have said they feel second-class as the battle royale mode gets seemingly more attention than the paid game. Save the World will transition to a free-to-play game like Fortnite: Battle Royale, but the transition was recently delayed to 2019.
Fortnite is hugely popular on a level that seems unprecedented in gaming, so it makes sense that Epic would pour significant resources into its ongoing development. Still, it remains to be seen if Epic becomes a one-game studio now that Fortnite is riding high. Of course, the studio also operates the massively successful Unreal Engine, while it also announced a new Steam competitor; so even if the studio's game development output is relatively lower, the studio is absolutely keeping busy with huge projects.
Madden NFL 19 is erasing Kareem Hunt. After TMZ posted a video of the former Kansas City Chiefs running back assaulting a woman, Hunt was quickly dropped by his team, and now EA Sports is wiping the digital version of Hunt from the newest Madden games. Hunt is being erased from the main game, the mobile game Madden Overdrive, and the card-based Ultimate Team mode.
"We are in the process of removing Kareem Hunt from the Madden NFL 19 roster, Madden Overdrive, and Madden Ultimate Team," an EA Sports representative told TMZ.
Anyone who has Hunt on their Ultimate Team roster will receive a replacement player who has identical stats.
Removing a player from Madden is not unprecedented. EA also wiped Aaron Hernandez and Ray Rice from Madden after their own assault charges emerged. Rice was removed after video emerged of him punching his then-fiancee, while Hernandez was dropped after he was charged with murder.
TMZ released a video last Friday that showed Hunt assaulting a woman in a hotel back in February. The Chiefs cut Hunt from their roster after the video emerged, and no team has picked him up.
EA Sports also found itself in the midst of controversy this year when the rape investigation into FIFA 19 cover star Cristiano Ronaldo was re-opened.
If you've been looking forward to the upcoming March movie Captain Marvel, then the past few days have been a whirlwind for you. The latest trailer has dropped, and it looks pretty amazing. We also learned her story is getting a bit of retooling, which is a good thing since her comic book origin is very confusing. And now, Hasbro has revealed the first set of toys based on the movie.
Hasbro expands its highly-articulate Marvel Legends line with figures based on the upcoming movie. The new set consists of five figures: Captain Marvel with interchangeable hands and head, Captain Marvel in Bomber Jacket with her cat Goose, Talos, Nick Fury, and Star Force Commander. The line will be available for purchase in Spring 2019 and all the figures will cost $20 each.
In addition, there will also be a Photon Power FX Glove toy available in January for $16. The electronic glove lights up and makes noise. Hasbro will also be releasing four dolls priced $13-$25: Captain Marvel Power FX Electronic Doll, Captain Marvel Doll and Goose, Captain Marvel (Star Force) Doll, and Cosmic Captain Marvel Doll. The dolls are in the 11.5-inch scale and all feature 11 points of articulation. They will hit stores this January.
While the movie starring Brie Larson doesn't hit theaters until next year, there's a lot of talk about the new trailer, especially when fans found out Annette Bening is playing a Kree whose name hasn't been revealed to fans yet. Captain Marvel follows the story of a cosmic superhero engaged in an intergalactic war who finds out she was once from Earth. She heads to her original home to learn more and finds there are shapeshifting aliens on the planet as well, some of which are disguised as old women that end up getting punched.
After Captain Marvel hits theaters on March 8, 2019, we'll get to see Larson in the role once more as she suits up for the unnamed Avengers 4, which comes out May 3. The post-credit sequence of Infinity War showed off the Captain Marvel logo, so she'll have to be the one that comes and saves the day for all of the superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Earlier this week, Netflix confirmed that the acclaimed sitcom Friends will stay on the streaming platform through the end of 2019, following rumours of it being removed in January. Now, a New York Times report reveals the gargantuan licensing fee that Netflix is paying licensor WarnerMedia to keep Friends on the streaming network for another year.
Two people said to have knowledge of the matter told NYT that the price tag was $100 million. According to the report, that's up from the $30 million that Netflix previously paid WarnerMedia annually to keep the beloved show on its platform in the United States. Friends isn't available on Netflix everywhere; for example, in Australia it streams on Stan, not Netflix.
The controversy, if you want to call it that, started after people noticed that the Friends page on Netflix's website stated--for a period of time--that the show would leave in January. According to NYT, Netflix's deal with WarnerMedia was indeed set to expire at the end of 2018. However, Netflix and WarnerMedia owner AT&T were in discussions "for at least a few months" about coming to terms on a deal to extend the licensing agreement.
WarnerMedia is set to launch its own streaming platform at the end of 2019, and obviously, Friends is a property that would help get people to sign up. Indeed, AT&T boss Randall Stephenson said during an investor conference this week that he "definitely" wants Friends on WarnerMedia's platform, while acknowledging it is "important to Netflix as well."
Referencing the new deal between WarnerMedia and Netflix, Stephenson confirmed it is non-exclusive, so Friends could appear on Netflix and WarnerMedia's own network simultaneously.
WarnerMedia and Netflix are already discussing a licensing fee for Friends after 2019, but it's expected to be much less than $100 million given that it wouldn't necessarily be exclusive to Netflix, according to the report. The sources added that another possibility is for Friends to leave Netflix after 2019. Officially, Friends is only confirmed to stay on Netflix through the end of 2019.
Critically acclaimed, Friends ran for 10 seasons from 1994 through 2004. Its May 2004 finale drew 52.5 million viewers in America, according to The New York Times. As of 2015, the show was bringing in $1 billion every year from syndication, with stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry making $20 million a year from that based on their 2 percent share of syndication revenue, according to USA Today.
Before Red Dead Online launched in November, developer Rockstar Games said it couldn't guarantee that player progress and stats wouldn't be wiped after the beta ended. The good news today is that Rockstar has confirmed that, at least right now, it has no plans to reset anything.
Back in November, Rockstar warned that it might have to reset player ranks and stats in Red Dead Redemption 2's multiplayer mode. The developer pointed out that it is not uncommon for large-scale betas to reset ranks and player stats ahead of the full release. As one example, progress in the annual Call of Duty betas get wiped before launch. So it's especially good news to hear now that Rockstar doesn't plan to reset stats or rank for Red Dead Online after the beta.
As Rockstar said earlier this week, it is hoping to release a new update for Red Dead Online this week to address general stability and the issues with the game's economy balancing.
Red Dead Online, which is the free multiplayer mode for Red Dead Redemption 2 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, features new story missions set before the events of the single-player campaign that can be played solo or with others. It also features a variety of co-op and PvP modes, including Red Dead's own battle royale mode.
Rockstar says to expect "lots more updates to the Red Dead Online beta in the coming weeks and months." It hasn't shared much about what to expect in terms of future updates to the game, though Grand Theft Auto V welcome numerous and significant updates over time.
Microtransactions are coming to Red Dead Online in the future, and players will be able to purchase the in-game currency gold with real money. Gold can also be earned by playing, and it's used to buy certain weapons and other items, as well as a shortcut to lower your Honor level.
NBC has renewed the wacky and wonderful comedy The Good Place for a Season 4 to air in 2019-2020, the network has confirmed. In a statement, NBC programming bosses Tracey Pakosta and Lisa Katz congratulated show creator Mike Schur and the cast and crew for their contribution to making The Good Place a "thoughtful, mind-bending, and hysterical series."
"We can't wait to see what unexpected stories the new season will bring," the pair said in the statement, which was noted by The Hollywood Reporter.
Kristen Bell stars in The Good Place, alongside William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil. Ted Danson and D'Arcy Carden also star in the comedy-drama about aliens, the afterlife, and the devil. The show contains numerous unexpected twists and turns, and with only three seasons to catch up on, we won't spoil the big details here if you haven't caught The Good Place yet and want to catch up.
According to THR, The Good Place is averaging 4.6 million viewers in its current season over its first nine episodes. The last episode of Season 3 this fall will air on Thursday, with the final three episodes of Season 3 landing in January 2019.
Schur, the creator of The Good Place, also worked on The Office, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. On The Office, he played Dwight Schrute's cousin, Mose Schrute.
Every Xbox One bundle is $50 off right now in the United States, and this includes the higher-power Xbox One X consoles and the Fortnite bundle, Microsoft has announced.
The discount goes even deeper if you just want a console. The Xbox One X, which normally sells for $500 USD, is now available at retailers for $400 USD. Microsoft does not appear to sell the Xbox One S in a non-bundle, but you can get that system starting at $250 in bundles that come with games like Fortnite, Minecraft, NBA 2K19, Battlefield V, Forza Horizon 4, and PUBG.
The Xbox One X, meanwhile, has numerous bundles available going for $450, including those that come with Battlefield V, Fallout 76, PUBG, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, and others. You can visit the Xbox website to see a full rundown of all the Xbox One S and Xbox One X bundles.
It's not just Xbox consoles that are on sale this holiday. Beginning on December 9, Microsoft is offering $10 off the Phantom Black and Sport White Xbox One controllers. Another deal Microsoft is offering is $10 credit for the Microsoft Online store when you buy three months of XBL Gold.
It's not immediately clear when the Xbox One console and accessory deals will end, but Microsoft describes the offers as being available only for a limited time.
In the past, competitor Sony responded to Microsoft's Xbox console deals with offers of its own, so it will be interesting to see if the company does so again this time.
So much can change in a year. This time last year, it was PUBG, dominating on Steam and sporting an exclusive deal with Microsoft for the Xbox One version, which was driving the most discussion and helping propel the battle royale phenomenon even further. Today, Fortnite is a veritable juggernaut on the level that few could have expected or even imagined. It is a bona fide hit that has been so unbelievably successful it's spurred changes to long-standing policies within the industry and impacted wider entertainment culture.
Developer Epic Games started out the year by announcing it was effectively shutting down its previous game, Paragon, and offering refunds to everyone. The studio apologised for failing the game's audience and not being able to deliver them the game they might have wanted. While this is sad for those playing the game and wanting to see it further developed, it appeared to have been a sensible business decision given Fortnite's popularity. Epic (seemingly) narrowing its focus to cut loose non-Fortnite projects speaks to the popularity of the game, the scale it has reached, and the work necessary to deliver on that vision.
Another major early 2018 development for Fortnite was when the game launched for mobile devices. Fortnite's mobile version has been a revenue juggernaut, reportedly making $2 million/day for a period of time, and a total of more than $300 million as of October--on iOS alone. Not bad for a game that is technically free. The Android edition of Fortnite, meanwhile, made headlines for how developer Epic released it. Instead of launching through Google's own store, Epic decided to release it via its own website.
Most games need the visibility of the Google Play store to find an audience, but Fortnite is an exception, and in bypassing the store, Epic avoided paying Google its store fee. One estimate said Google missed out on $50 million or more because of this. The closed nature of Apple's ecosystem relative to Google's meant that Epic was forced to launch Fortnite through the App Store. This move was the first major example in 2018 of Epic flexing its muscles and leveraging the popularity of Fortnite to blaze its own trail. What's more, the way in which in-game items and progress move between the mobile, console, and PC editions of Fortnite is relatively uncommon in the gaming world. It reflects Epic's wider ambition to break down the barriers between platforms--and that's something people seem to generally enjoy.
Another way that Fortnite impacted the gaming world in 2018 was related to policy changes among the established platform-holders. After holding out for more than two years, Sony finally allowed the PS4 to connect with outside networks for cross-play--but only with Fortnite for the time being. Fortnite being so popular that it pushed an established giant like Sony--in the midst of a hugely successful generation of hardware--to change its policies is truly a testament to how powerful Fortnite is. Epic also used its weight and clout to convince Nintendo to drop its weird requirement to use a phone for voice chat; with Fortnite, voice chat works natively. What's more, all three major consoles--Xbox One, PS4, and Switch--have Fortnite-themed hardware bundles, which is the first time that's ever happened in the world of gaming.
Companies like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo recognise how all-powerful Fortnite has become, and they're bending to the will of a developer in a way this industry has basically never seen before. They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and the platform-holders surely see Fortnite as a means to help their own brands fly higher.
Fortnite also further demonstrated to the industry this that narrative can have a place in multiplayer-only games. Fortnite cleverly wove some amount of narrative into the experience through numerous in-game events and stories throughout the year. Take, for example, the time the sky began to rip apart. What did it all mean? Fans searched the world for clues, eventually culminating in Epic revealing a new item, the Rift, that allows players to teleport to a new location on the map.
Then there was impending comet--players saw it in the sky for weeks before it crashed onto the map, destroying Dusty Depot and leaving a massive crater with alternate gravity properties. There was also mysterious purple cube that one day simply appeared on the map, causing all kinds of wacky and weird things to happen. The cube, who was affectionally known as Kevin, eventually exploded, and sent players into an endless void. Epic's genius is getting people to care about the Fortnite world outside of the moment-to-moment gameplay. It might not have been the first multiplayer game to feature compelling story elements, but the loose, ongoing narrative surely helped it to keep bringing players back.
In addition to expanding to mobile, Fortnite launched for Nintendo Switch this year, bringing the battle royale game's presence to yet another major platform. Fortnite has been hugely successful on Switch. As part of an earnings report, Nintendo revealed that half of every Switch sold worldwide had Fortnite installed, which is a very impressive feat. Effectively, this seems to suggest that Fortnite may represent the kind of "killer app" that every platform needs to attract an audience. It further speaks to the power of Fortnite and the brand overall in that it can perform well no matter what platform it is on. The implication here is that, should Fortnite be able to remain popular, platform-holders like Nintendo (as well as Sony and Microsoft) may need to factor it in--in some capacity--for their future platforms.
Another way Fortnite impacted the larger gaming world this year was through its demonstration that delivering compelling new content on a regular basis can pay huge dividends. Epic releases new updates about once per week, introducing new modes, cosmetics, weapons, balance changes, and more. This helps make Fortnite feel fresh all the time--and it gives wavering players FOMO. This has surely contributed to the wider culture around Fortnite, especially among younger audiences who may feel compelled to keep coming back to see what's new. There are countless challenges to complete, skins to unlock, and modes to play, and this heavy pull to come back to the game is surely beneficial to Epic in a business sense.
Some soury news around Fortnite came in May when PUBG Corp., the developer of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, filed a lawsuit in Korea against Epic. PUBG Corp. claimed copyright infringement due to the similarities between PUBG and Fortnite. However, PUBG Corp. later dropped the lawsuit, though it remains to be seen if there was a settlement and what the terms might have been. Epic was involved in a number of other lawsuits throughout 2018, some against it, and others it filed against players for cheating and other reasons. Given the size and stature of Fortnite, it's no surprise that Fortnite has found itself embroiled in legal matters, but as of yet, the litigation does not seem to have had much of a public-facing impact on the game.
In better news for Fortnite, the game's success and prominence entered another stratosphere in April when Fortnite announced a gigantic partnership with Disney and Marvel for an Avengers: Infinity War promo that saw Thanos come to the battle royale game. As further evidence of Fortnite permeating wider pop culture, Fortnite also partnered with Epic to bring jersey skins for all 32 NFL teams to the game for a limited time. More recently, players discovered Ralph from the Wreck-It Ralph film series in the game as part of what appeared to be a stealth-marketing campaign for the new film, Ralph Breaks the Internet.
These examples clearly demonstrate that major global brands recognise the value and power of being even tangentially associated with Fortnite--even if it's just a marketing tool. In that way, Fortnite has became a platform of sorts through which massive, established brands want to be involved with. What Epic will need to be mindful of is ensuring the partnerships make sense and don't come across as overly cash-grabby (though indeed Epic is surely profiting from these deals).
The mainstream attention on Fortnite also made the game a target. Fortnite caught some heat in November when Scrubs star Donald Faison called out the game for ripping off his "Poison" dance for an emote. Show creator Bill Lawrence acknowledged that someone from the Fortnite side reached out about using Faison's dance, but in the end, Faison isn't getting any royalties. Before that, rapper 2 Milly accused Epic of stealing his dance for a Fortnite emote. And before that, Chance the Rapper said he takes issue with Fortnite's use of the dances in the battle royale game. "Black creatives created and popularized these dances but never monetized them. Imagine the money people are spending on these emotes being shared with the artists that made them," he said back in July.
Fortnite's dances are based on or inspired by the performances of real artists, and it would be good to see Epic take further steps to publicly and in a front-facing way acknowledge and respect the origins of the dance moves. Fortnite is making an unthinkable amount of money from microtransactions, so it is nice to see Epic pour some of it back into the game's community. In June this year, Epic announced a massive investment for Fortnite esports competitions both big and small. Epic said it would put in a staggering $100 million into global Fortnite competitions. The gargantuan figure towers above what other games pay for their tournaments, but importantly, the $100 million covers every Fortnite competitive event in the 2017/2018 season, not just one. For example, Dota 2's The International 2018 event had a total prize pool of almost $25 million.
Epic's massive investment was a smart move for the developer, too, as it pretty much guaranteed that top-level players would continue to play to earn a slice of that money, which in turn keeps people on their couches at home watching and supporting the base game overall.
Fortnite is a free game but it makes money from the cosmetics it sells through its in-game store. When something is successful, other studios take notice. Activision's Call of Duty series added a battle royale mode of its own this year with Black Ops 4's Blackout. The mode features a progression system that seemingly borrows heavily from Fortnite's battle pass and seasonal system. EA's Battlefield V is also going to have a battle royale mode; it's called Firestorm, and it launches in March 2019. Even Rockstar Games is taking notice; the studio released battle royale mode for Red Dead Redemption 2's online mode (though GTA V launched a battle royale mode for GTA Online all the way back in August 2017, so it's not new for Rockstar). The point is that Fortnite, building off the success of PUBG before it, has impacted the larger gaming community right up to the top players. It's an incredibly impressive feat, and it further demonstrates that oftentimes some of the most innovative ideas originate at small studios before catching on in a more mainstream way.
Fortnite's insane success has also led to improvements in developer relations--at least for those who use Epic's Unreal Engine. Thanks to the extra money Fortnite has brought in, Epic was able to shift its own revenue-sharing arrangement in a move that further benefits developers, and potentially in the end, consumers as well. Epic formerly used the industry-wide 70/30 percent revenue-sharing agreement with developers who used its Unreal Engine, but after Fortnite's success, Epic changed the agreement to 88/12 with developers making more and Epic taking less. The 70/30 revenue split goes back more than a decade, and it's implemented across digital stores for not only games, but other forms of media as well. Epic shifting the split so significantly could spur further change across media, or at the least encourage more developers to use Unreal Engine (which in turn benefits Epic in the longer run). In what could be an even bigger development, Epic just recently announced a Steam competitor in the form of the Epic Store. Impressively, the store will also utilise the 88/12 revenue split, which may encourage developers to release their games on it.
But just how popular is Fortnite? In June this year, Fortnite reached 125 million players, a figure that grew to 200 million as of November, an increase of 60 percent. This represents strong growth and even more evidence that Fortnite is no fad. There is no word on how the player population breaks down between platforms, but it's easy to find matches everywhere, so you can imagine player figures are high across all systems.
Some of Fortnite's other major achievements in 2018 included the game reaching an unthinkable and unprecedented 8.3 million concurrent players, Epic picking up a further $1.25 billion in venture capital funding, and celebrities like Jimmy Fallon, Ellen, and the Saturday Night Live crew riffing on Fortnite during episodes of their shows. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox played the game so much this season that they had to remind themselves to eat. Some of the other notable stories around Fortnite this year include how Fortnite was cited in hundreds of divorce filings and how the mainstream media labeled the game addictive, violence-promoting, and damaging to young people. One story in particular said Fortnite was addictive in the same way that heroin is. It's sad but not surprising.
2018 was Fortnite's biggest and best year yet, but no game lasts forever. It will be intriguing to see how Epic plans to continue to shake things up and make the experience feel new and exciting in 2019 and beyond. Outside of its work on the Unreal Engine, will Epic become a one-game studio, pouring its resources into supporting and expanding Fortnite to make hay while the sun shines?
That would seemingly make sense for the time being, but I'd be surprised if the studio wasn't at least in the planning stages on other new projects. After all, while Fortnite might be riding high today, no one expects it to stay on top forever.
The Black Armory, Destiny 2's first expansion of the post-Forsaken era, is here, and players are already diving in to try to learn the mysteries of its four special forges. Those forges, which are scattered across the solar system, are part of the game's new activity, in which three players try to defend a forge from enemies. First, though, you have to find the forges and start them up, and the first of the four is located in the EDZ on Earth.
There's more to the first forge, the Volundr Forge, than meets the eye, though. Hidden just at the edge of the area, where you fight to protect the forge, as Reddit user H1gash1kata discovered, is a cave with a secret of its own. Find it, and you'll discover a treasure chest that hides an item called a Mysterious Box, which starts a Pursuit that will end with an Exotic weapon reward.
To find the box, you'll first need to unlock the Black Armory mission that sends you to find the forge. You'll start by interacting with Ada-1, the new Black Armory vendor, in her spot in the newly added Tower Annex area. She'll entrust you with a Machine Gun Frame item, and you'll need to kill enemies to repair and calibrate it for the forge.
The calibrations aren't too difficult, with requirements like racking up Hive kills, multi-kills, and kills on "Powerful" enemies (so those with orange health bars or better), but you'll need to do them with a Power weapon--we recommend Thunderlord. Your first two requirements are in the EDZ; after that, if you head to Mars and complete the Flashpoint or some Escalation Protocol fights there, you should have the first three steps of the quest completed pretty quickly.
Once you return to Ada-1 with the completed Machine Gun Frame, you'll get a mission in the EDZ that sends you to find the Volundr Forge. Follow your Ghost's tracker north from the Gulch and you'll find your way through Cabal tunnels to a location called Smidur's Cavern. Here you'll find the forge itself, which is a big, floating, V-shaped machine surrounded by Cabal guys. You'll know you're in the right spot when you have to jump a big chasm marked by a destroyed bridge.
When you reach the bridge, jump to the far side (and clear out the enemies), then stand at the edge of the gap the bridge used to cover and face the forge. From here, do an about-face so you're facing back toward the far side of the collapsed bridge, where you came from. Look to your right along the cliff face ahead of you and you'll see a small cave opening, along with an obvious path of platforms to reach it.
Head over to the cave to discover the chest inside. Open it and you'll receive the Mysterious Box Pursuit. It has some weird requirements. The Pursuit describes four insignias on the box, each with a different lock--a fishhook, a butterfly, a hand, and a Black Armory insignia.
As of right now, nobody's quite sure what those things mean or how to clear the four locks. With so many different elements and much of the Black Armory not yet available to players thanks to content rolling out over time, it's possible we won't know the solution to this one for a few weeks, much like the Thunderlord quest was time-gated. We'll update this post as soon as we discover how to make progress on the quest--but feel free to leave any tips or amazing discoveries about either the Mysterious Box or The Black Armory in the comments below.
With anime's burgeoning popularity, it makes sense that the biggest streaming services would look into increasing their portfolio. This is something Hulu's planning to do, as the streaming giant's recently announced that it has partnered with Funimation to bring a bunch of new shows to the platform at the same time they air in Japan.
According to a report by Variety, the deal will begin in 2019. While this Funimation partnership will produce new, original anime for Hulu, it also gifts the platform the entirety of Funimation's catalog, including already-streaming shows like One Punch Man, Sword Art Online, and more than 600 others in both dubbed and subbed formats. With this contract finalized, it means Hulu will be the only place to watch both dubbed and subbed versions of popular anime like Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia.
This partnership comes just a few months after Crunchyroll and Funimation's breakup. While together, the sites worked hard to simulcast anime in both English and Japanese. In doing so, select anime, such as Overlord, had both options available the same day as their Japanese release. After nearly two years working together, the two decided to end the relationship on November 9. Since then, Funimation has not been part of the VRV bundle, a subscription package with dozens of animation streaming services such as Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, and Machinima.
Last year, it was announced that Sony Pictures Television acquired Funimation for approximately $150 million. Thanks to the purchase, it seems Funimation plans use Sony as a launchpad to further distribute anime "through [Sony's] global footprint of television networks and existing digital offerings." It remains unclear how the Hulu/Funimation partnership will affect Funimation acquisition by Sony.
It's been a long time coming, but we can finally rest assured that Crackdown 3 is heading our way soon. This open-world shooter for Xbox One and PC is set to launch on February 15, 2019. It puts you in the shoes of a super-cop in a city overrun by gangs. As you level up, you'll be able to leap up the sides of skyscrapers and throw vehicles at enemies in your pursuit of justice.
If you're ready to lock down your copy of this Microsoft exclusive, you might want to know where to buy it, how much it costs, and what comes with it. We have you covered on all accounts below.
No Pre-Order Bonus
As yet, no pre-order bonuses have been announced for Crackdown 3 announced. We'll update this section if that changes.
Included in Xbox Game Pass
Before you crack open your wallet to shell out cash for Crackdown 3, consider subscribing to Xbox Game Pass instead. It's a service that lets you download and play an assortment of games on Xbox One, including all titles published by Microsoft Studios (like Crackdown 3) the day they launch. You get a 14-day free trial, and it's $10 per month after that.
Crackdown 3 (Physical)
Collectors may be disappointed, but only one edition is planned for Crackdown 3. At the time of this writing, the cheapest place to buy it is Newegg, where you can save $10.
The digital version of Crackdown 3 is playable on both Xbox One and on Windows 10, complete with cloud saves that let you pick up where you left off, regardless of what hardware you're using. So if you have a gaming PC, this could be the smartest option. Once again, Newegg has it $10 cheaper than the competition.
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