New additions to the Xbox One backwards-compatible game catalog have been slow to start the new year, but we've just gotten a good one. Microsoft has announced that Xbox 360 game Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation is now playable on Xbox One, just days before the release of its sequel.
As is typical with backwards compatible games, you can simply pop in the disc to initiate a download and begin playing on Xbox One. The game is unfortunately not currently available for purchase digitally from the Xbox Store. That said, if you have any interest in the upcoming Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, you're in luck; by pre-ordering, you'll receive a free copy of Ace Combat 6. Ace Combat 7, which you can see in the video above, releases on January 18 for both Xbox One and PS4.
Ace Combat 6 was originally released back in 2007 as an Xbox 360 exclusive. Although it didn't offer much in the way of innovation for the series outside of online multiplayer, it was well received in our review, which scored it an 8.5/10.
"Ace Combat 6 makes up for it by providing the most immersive experience yet in an arcade flight combat game, thanks to smooth, gorgeous visuals and polished gameplay," Kevin VanOrd wrote. "And you'll want to play again and again: There are medals to earn, aircraft and special weapons to purchase with the points you receive during missions, and a good selection of Xbox Live achievement points to earn that are spread out evenly among the campaign and multiplayer modes. You can also save replays of your matches, and the cinematic camera views make them a pleasure to watch. Whether you're an Ace Combat veteran or a series newcomer, you won't be disappointed."
Bandai Namco has some big Dragon Ball-related announcements in store for this month. In addition to teasing a new DLC character for Dragon Ball FighterZ, the publisher revealed that a brand-new Dragon Ball game is in development.
No further details about the new title have been announced yet, but Bandai Namco says it will be an action RPG "focusing on the world of Dragon Ball Z." In the same tweet, the publisher hinted that Dragon Ball FighterZ will add "the Warrior from Universe 11" to its roster, presumably referring to Jiren from the Tournament of Power arc in Dragon Ball Super.
In 2019, the project of a New Game focusing on the World of Dragon Ball Z begins! And more news coming to DRAGON BALL FighterZ! The Warrior from Universe 11 is joining the fight! More information to be revealed at the DRAGON BALL FighterZ World Tour Finals January 26th ~ 27th! https://t.co/IFnJchTE4z
— BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment UK (@BandaiNamcoUK) January 16, 2019
Bandai Namco indicated it will reveal more information during the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals, which take place later this month, on January 26-27. "We said that new information on FighterZ would be coming during the Finals, but we're also planning to release other big news," Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 producer Masayuki Hirano said during the recent Dragon Ball Games Super Showcase stream. While it seems Hirano is teasing more information about the new in-development RPG, it could also be that Bandai Namco's "other big news" pertains to the existing Dragon Ball Z titles.
During the same stream, Dragon Ball FighterZ producer Tomoko Hiroki hinted that a second season of DLC is on the way for the game. The first season pass included eight additional fighters, with the most recent--Android 17--arriving back in September.
In other Dragon Ball news, Bandai Namco recently announced that Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission will receive a western release. The game is scheduled to launch for PC and Nintendo Switch on April 5.
By now, if you have been playing Spider-Man, you've probably beaten it, gotten through all the DLC, and spent plenty of time as the friendly neighborhood web-slinger taking selfies in front of famous New York City landmarks. But now, you can celebrate your love of the critically acclaimed game by picking up a couple of cool dioramas from Diamond Select Toys, including the Spider-Man villain, Rhino.
The Rhino diorama, which you can see above, stands at 10 inches tall, and his appearance is based on the look from the Spider-Man PS4 game. It will be packaged in a full-color window box and will cost $70. It will be available for pre-order on January 25.
Additionally, there is a Spider-Man diorama available for pre-order now. The $45 collectible comes in at 10 inches and is wearing his costume from the game, which you can see above. He stands on the Spider-Man logo, ready to thwip someone.
If you're interested in either of these figures, make sure to check out Diamond Select Toys, but Rhino won't be available for pre-order for a couple weeks.
We named Spider-Man one of the 10 best games of 2018, and GameSpot gave Marvel's Spider-Man a 9, and Edmond Tran said in his review, "Minor shortcomings don't detract from Insomniac's achievement in creating a game that feels like an authentic interpretation of a beloved creation. The feeling of embodying Spidey and using his abilities is astonishing, and the time spent on exploring its major characters help make its story feel heartfelt, despite superhero bombast. There have been open-world Spider-Man games before, but none so riveting and full of personality, none that explore and do justice to this many facets of the universe."
Ubisoft has announced a private beta for The Division 2, which will give players their first look at the new setting. The private beta will kick off on February 7 and run through February 10. It will be open to everyone who pre-ordered the game and then registered through the official site, where you can also pick your beta platform of choice.
More details on the beta are said to be coming soon, but we can glean some details from what we already know. The Division 2 continues the story of a society-disrupting pandemic, but moves from the first game's setting in New York City to the US capital, Washington DC. The sequel will bring back the realistic loot-driven RPG elements from the first game, with more focus on player choice to impact the world.
The first game established that a pandemic was spread by infected dollar bills distributed during Black Friday shopping, at which point the Division was dispatched to restore order and contain the outbreak. They apparently failed, however, and now Washington DC is a hollowed-out husk, so the secret government agency is being put back into the field.
The Division 2 on PC will be using the newly launched Epic Games Store for distribution rather than Steam, and Ubisoft recently revealed its system requirements. It's coming on March 15 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.
A new Ghostbusters movie is headed our way in 2020, and it will be set in the world of the original Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989). It is being written and directed by none other than Jason Reitman (Up In The Air, Juno), son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman.
A teaser video for next year's film, which has been worked on in secret, was revealed to Entertainment Weekly, and while the video is short, it does give us some idea as to what this movie may be about. You can check it out for yourself below.
We see a lonely barn in the middle of the night, and there's a light coming from inside of it. We zoom in on the barn, and there are some familiar sounds, including that classic Ghostbusters' score. There's something under a tarp, and the wind blows it off revealing a beaten up and tad rusty Ecto-1.
What's going on here? Reitman explains, just from this teaser, what we can expect. "I've always thought of myself as the first Ghostbusters fan, when I was a 6-year-old visiting the set. I wanted to make a movie for all the other fans," Reitman says. "This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot. What happened in the '80s happened in the '80s, and this is set in the present day."
Did the Ghostbusters have a fall from grace or have there simply been no more ghosts in the world since the team gooed-up the Statue of Liberty? And who is the person in the barn with the Ecto-1 under a tarp? Sadly, we won't know any real answers until sometime in 2020 when the next chapter in the Ghostbusters franchise comes to theaters.
The PlayStation Network winter sale had a good and surprisingly lengthy run, but now it's finally ended. The new crop of deals is significantly less robust, but there are still a few bargains that may be worth your while. Plus if you're looking for new dynamic themes and avatars, hoo boy!
Meanwhile Dead or Alive 5 Last Round has a slew of DLC packs on sale, offering a variety of different costume sets at price ranges from $10 to a whopping $65. Plus the store is offering dozens of avatars and dynamic themes, in case the new year has you feeling in the mood for a refresh.
Dragon Ball FighterZ's season pass wrapped up back in September with the release of Android 17, but it appears that a new DLC character is on the way to the fighting game. Ahead of the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals this weekend, Bandai Namco teased that "the Warrior from Universe 11 is joining the fight."
No further details about the upcoming DLC character have been revealed yet, but Bandai Namco is presumably referring to Jiren, one of the Pride Troopers hailing from the aforementioned universe and the most formidable foe Goku and his companions faced off against during the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super. The publisher says it will reveal more information during the World Tour Finals, which take place on January 26-27.
If Jiren is indeed added to the roster, he would mark the ninth DLC character released for Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco hasn't teased if any other additional fighters are also planned for the game, but this does open the doors for a second season of DLC, which hopefully means there's still a chance Master Roshi can join the fight.
Dragon Ball FighterZ first launched for PS4, Xbox One, and PC last January, with a Nintendo Switch version following this past September. We awarded it a 9/10 in our Dragon Ball FighterZ review, calling it "a Dragon Ball fighting game that can go toe-to-toe with the best of the genre."
In addition to the new Dragon Ball FighterZ character, Bandai Namco announced that a new Dragon Ball game is in development. The publisher didn't share any details beyond that, but we'll likely learn more about it during the Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals later this month.
The success of last year's Karate Kid spin-off show Cobra Kai showed that YouTube Premium was becoming a major player in the ever-evolving world of streaming. The next big show to hit the service is the dark teen comedy thriller Wayne, which hits the service today, January 16. An exclusive new clip has been released.
The show features rising star Mark McKenna (Sing Street) as the titular Wayne, a troubled 16-year-old who hits the road with his friend Del to get back the 1978 Pontiac Trans Am left to him by his dad from some very bad people in Florida. In the clip we see the Trans Am in the wrong hands, plus Wayne and Del getting in the way of a very large truck. Check it out above.
Wayne also stars Ciara Bravo (Big Time Rush, Red Band Society) as Del, plus Joshua J. Williams (Cloak and Dagger) and Mike O'Malley (Glee). It's created by Shawn Simmons and produced by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who are best known for writing both Deadpool movies, as well as the horror comedy Zombieland. They are also working on Zombieland 2.
In a recent interview with Slashfilm, Wernick spoke about what drew him and Reese to the show, and how it compares with their other work. "We're drawn to things that are left of center, always," Wernick said. "It always appeals to us, something that's not your traditional fare. The mixing of tones is something that I think we're best known for, something we've done in Zombieland and obviously in the Deadpool franchise.
"We always say extraordinary circumstances in an ordinary world is something that appeals to us. This obviously I think falls into that, especially with the mixing of tone. We want you not only to laugh. We think of this as a comedy but we also think of this as many other things: action adventure, it's a road trip and has an emotional story, a love story between two kids who are coming of age."
Hitman creator IO Interactive has opened a new studio in Malmo, Sweden, the company has announced. The developer says the new site will "strengthen IO Interactive's commitment to deliver exceptional content to the Hitman franchise," though it also hints at other projects in the works.
"Furthermore, this will expand our muscles for creating brand-new and exciting endeavours, new universes, new franchises," said IOI CEO Hakan Abrak. "In other words, IOI Malmo and [existing studio] Copenhagen are one family."
As yet there's no clue what IOI is working on beyond additional Hitman 2 levels and missions, though it has previously stated it wanted Hitman (2016) to consist of three seasons of content. The studio is primarily known for creating and developing the Hitman franchise, but it has also worked on the Kane & Lynch series and the 2003 shooter Freedom Fighters--though it should be noted the studio does not own the latter two brands.
Hitman 2 received a positive critical reception, including an 8/10 from GameSpot. "The addition of other minor mechanical changes--like concussive weapons, a picture-in-picture enemy activity alert, and visible security camera sightlines--help to improve Hitman 2 overall as a dense and accessible stealth assassination game," wrote critic Edmond Tran in our Hitman 2 review.
"But the new locations are the real stars, impressive and inventive sandboxes ripe for picking apart with exciting experiments. Hitman is about experiencing the anticipation of seeing whether a plan will work when you try it for the first time. It's about feeling the tension of briskly walking away from a bad situation, hoping you can lose the suspicious guards. It's the satisfaction of knowing the machinations of a level so well that when a target moves into a particular place at a particular time, you have the perfect way to intervene. Hitman 2 is a familiar experience, but in the Hitman world, familiarity is an incredible strength."
A major new exhibit about The Lord of the Rings and its author J.R.R. Tolkien is opening at a New York City museum this month--and it sounds like a can't-miss event for fans.
The exhibit, Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, celebrates Tolkien and his work. Said to be the largest collection of Tolkien material assembled for several generations, the exhibit includes drawings, manuscripts, and maps that Tolkien himself put together for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.
The exhibit will also contain illustrations that Tolkien etched for places like the gates of Moria, Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, and Lothlorien.
The exhibit was organised in collaboration with The Tolkien Estate, The Tolkien Trust, and members of the Tolkien family. The works on display come from the Tolkien Archive at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, Marquette University's collection of original materials, and also from private lenders. You can see a teaser for the exhibit in the video embedded above.
In addition to the main exhibit, the Morgan Library and Museum will have lectures, discussions, workshops, and symposiums related to Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. You can visit the Morgan website to see a full rundown of events.
The exhibit will be on display at the Morgan Library and Museum from January 25 through May 12, 2019. It's located at 225 Madison Avenge in New York City.
In other news about The Lord of the Rings, Amazon is producing a Lord of the Rings prequel TV show, while a movie about Tolkien starring Nicholas Hoult as the author is in the works.
The untitled Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle sequel has added yet another big name to its cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lethal Weapon actor Danny Glover will appear in the movie, joining other newcomers like Danny DeVito and Awkwafina. All of the major stars of the first movie--The Rock, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas--are also expected to return for the sequel.
"From Awkafina to Danny DeVito to now one of my action heroes, Danny Glover--it's been awesome having so many actors and OG legends raise their hands wanting to come and play in our Jumanji universe," The Rock told THR.
In the 2017 film, Jumanji is a video game that teenagers in detention get sucked into. They then become new people in a jungle world, and it appears the sequel will do this all over again. For now, The Rock isn't giving away the details on who becomes who just yet.
"'Who turns into who?' will always be the fun magic sauce for our audience," he said.
Welcome to the Jungle was an enormous success, banking more than $962 million on its way to becoming the 43rd biggest movie in the history of film. Jake Kasdan, the son of legendary Star Wars writer Lawrence Kasdan, directed the 2017 film and he's coming back for the sequel.
The Jumanji franchise is based on the Chris Van Allsburg book, and it was first made into a movie in 1995 with Robin Williams in the lead role.
Plot details are under wraps for the Jumanji sequel, but The Rock teased that Kasdan gave a "dynamite pitch" for the plot. The film hits theatres in December 2019.
Ariana Grande got a Pokemon tattoo. The 25-year-old pop sensation revealed her very large Eevee tattoo recently through her Instagram story. Additionally, tattoo artist Kane Navasard showed off the tattoo in another post on Instagram, writing that the ink was for "the best Pokemon trainer in the game, [Ariana Grande]."
It's a nice-looking tattoo. With colour it might have looked too flashy; the black-and-white style is more classic. You can see the tattoo in the image below.
Grande is a big fan of the Pokemon series, it seems, telling a fan that she played the Nintendo Switch game Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee for 15 hours during a recent day off. "Honestly," she said. She also cosplayed as Eevee one at least one occasion.
This was not Grande's first tattoo. She also has Chihiro from the Studio Ghibi movie Spirited Away on her arm, as well as the Harry Potter spell "Lumos" written on her hand. She has many, many more, and you can do a quick Google search to see them all.
Ariana Grande is no stranger to video games. She appeared in the Final Fantasy video game Brave Exvius, and now Katy Perry will be featured in the game as well.
Celebrating its fifth anniversary this year, The Elder Scrolls Online has steadily grown into an experience that many fans of Bethesda's RPG franchise wanted back when it debuted back in 2014. As an open world MMO, players can freely explore the many regions of Tamriel embarking quests, exploring dungeons, and acquiring rare loot. With the releases of previous expansions set in familiar areas, including Morrowind and Summerset, the scale and content of the online world has steadily seen improvement. During a livestream hosted by Twitch, the developers of ESO revealed the next major expansion set in the land of Elsweyr, along with an ambitious set of DLCs and updates releasing this year.
Set for launch on June 4, the Elsweyr expansion takes place in the homeland of the Khajit. Not only will new quests and events open up for veteran players in the region, but it will also be a new starting point for newcomers. As a part of their annual event for the Season of the Dragon, the developers plan to launch four unique DLCs throughout 2019. In the reveal trailer for Elsweyr, dragons have once again found their way to Tamriel, prompting the many adventurers in the land to face off against the new threat. In addition to being tied into the all new story quests, these dragons will also be a part of major world events.
Prior to the reveal, GameSpot spoke with ESO creative director Rich Lambert about their plans for the game in 2019, and how the community has expanded in big way in recent years.
"Elsweyr been one of the most requested places from our fans; it's the homeland of the Khajit," said the creative director. "There's bits and pieces of the land in other DLCs, such as Reaper's March and Khenarthi's Roost, but those are really on the outer edges of the province. So we're really going into the heartland, showing what Khajit culture is, and how they've evolved over the ages."
With the Season of the Dragon annual event, the developers plan to update many of the core pillars of the MMO with four key updates. Beginning in Q1 with Wrathstone, the first DLC will add in new dungeon content for experienced players. In the second DLC--releasing on June 4--the region of Elsweyr will open up for all players, focusing on new quests and storylines within the desert land of the Khajit. The final two DLCs releasing in the back half of 2019 will also place a heavy emphasis on on additional story and dungeon content as well.
The highlight of Season of the Dragon will no doubt be Elsweyr, which adds in a massive new zone to explore. However, there will also be numerous other updates and quality-of-life additions that will switch things up. The year-long event will also see a new class thrown into the mix, which is the Necromancer. Using their dark magic, they'll be able to summon spirits and manipulate the dead to fight in battle. However, their dark arts will arouse all kinds of attention from NPCs throughout the land. Using the Necromancer's abilities in towns will prompt citizens and guards to confront the player--similarly to when players used shouts in the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. These interactions also tied into the game's Justice system, which judges your character based on in-game choices.
Furthermore, there will also be new world events. In addition to in-world battles against the massive dragons, some regions will also catch the attention of Daedric deities, who've become bored of the state of the world. In order to spice things up, they'll introduce a little chaos by spawning powerful artifacts in the world. Those who can find them can wield the ancient weapons, transforming them into a demi-god. With drastically amplified stats and unique spells and skills, you'll need to unleash carnage on other players, or else succumb to the artifact's insatiable hunger for chaos.
The Elder Scrolls Online is in for a big year, and the new forms of content look to bring some interesting opportunities for players to explore more of the world. In the years since ESO's debut, the developers spent a lot of time listening to what the fans wanted, which they they credit the game's current success.
"We spent a lot of time reflecting on what the fans wanted, in trying to bring that Elder Scrolls feel into the game," said Lambert. "That's where One Tamriel came from, Thieves Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, and that's where the Justice System came out as well. It really changed the feel of ESO, and players have enjoyed it since. The game has never been stronger, which is awesome."
For more info on Elder Scrolls Online, including what's to come with Elsweyr and the Season of the Dragon, be sure to check back with GameSpot.
A new Ghostbusters movie is coming. Entertainment Weekly reports that Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, will co-write and direct the new film that is not connected to the 2016 edition featuring an all-female cast of ghost hunters. Specific plot points for Jason Reitman's new movie are being kept under wraps for now, but he did confirm that it's set in the present day. It is not a reboot, but it's a continuation of the original series. [Update: Beyond this news, we've also now gotten a new Ghostbusters teaser trailer.]
"This is the next chapter in the original franchise. It is not a reboot," he told EW. "What happened in the '80s happened in the '80s, and this is set in the present day."
The new Ghostbusters movie will start shooting later this year, and it's expected to hit theatres in summer 2020. The other writer is Gil Kenan, who earned an Oscar nomination for Monster House.
"This is very early, and I want the film to unwrap like a present," Jason Reitman told EW. "We have a lot of wonderful surprises and new characters for the audience to meet."
Regarding the new characters, Justin Kroll of the website Variety said Jason Reitman may be looking to cast four teenagers in the lead roles. In the original films, the main characters were played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, and Rick Moranis. Ramis passed away in 2014.
Hearing he is currently looking to cast four teenagers for the lead roles
Reitman has four Oscar nominations, and some of his best-known films include Juno, Up in the Air, and Thank You For Smoking.
Ivan Reitman will produce the new Ghostbusters movie, and he told EW, "It will be a passing of the torch both inside and out." He said his son Jason came to him with the idea for the new film, and it left him in awe. "
"I was quite surprised when he came to me with Gil and said, 'I know I've been saying for 10 years I'm the last person who should make a Ghostbusters movie, but…I have this idea.' Literally, I was crying by the end of it, it was so emotional and funny," he said.
The open-world Star Wars game in development at EA Vancouver has been canceled. That's according to a new report from Kotaku that credits the information to three sources who reportedly have inside knowledge of the matter. [Update] Additional sources have told Kotaku that the open-world Star Wars project has been canceled in favour of a smaller-scale title that can be released sooner.
[Original story] According to the report, EA Vancouver's Star Wars title was a "reboot" of the Star Wars project that Visceral Games was working on until EA closed that studio in 2017. EA Vancouver continued to use some of the assets from Visceral's game, but transitioned the title to become an open-world experience, Kotaku reported.
Executive Patrick Soderlund, who has since left EA, previously confirmed that Visceral's Star Wars game was a "story-based, linear adventure game." However, responding to market trends and player feedback, EA decided to "pivot" the design to make it a title that players could "come back to and enjoy for a long time to come," which suggested it was becoming more multiplayer-focused. At the same time, Soderlund announced that EA Vancouver would lead development on this title and that it was also delayed. Now, it is canceled outright, apparently.
The Star Wars game Visceral had in development was being headed up by Uncharted veteran Amy Hennig. She said it may be "spiritually similar" to Uncharted but that it will also be its own thing. Hennig has since left EA altogether.
EA did not respond to GameSpot's request for comment at press time, but keep checking back with us for the latest.
While EA Vancouver's Star Wars game may be canceled, the publisher continues its work on a third-person Star Wars action game, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, from Titanfall studio Respawn Entertainment.
Kotaku also reported that EA Vancouver's Star Wars game was very early in development and that no jobs were lost as a result of the reported cancellation. The game was said to put you in the shoes of a "scoundrel or bounty hunter" who hopped around different open-world planets. As for why the game was supposedly canceled, sources said EA management wanted to launch something on the more immediate horizon. As a result, EA is now reportedly working on a smaller-scale Star Wars game to launch in late 2020.
In 2013, EA signed a multi-year, multi-title deal with Disney for Star Wars video games. That licensing contract was said to run for 10 years, so it may expire in 2023 unless the terms were adjusted without being discussed publicly.
EA previously found itself embroiled in Star Wars controversy when Star Wars: Battlefront II's microtransactions made headlines and led to wider discussions from governments around the world about loot boxes in video games.
The final Forge of The Black Armory, Bergusia, is now available to Destiny 2 players. The opening of the Bergusia Forge has provided players with the final steps of the Mystery Box Exotic weapon quest, allowing them to finally unlock the powerful Izanagi's Burden sniper rifle. But the Izanagi sniper isn't the only awesome new gun to come with the final forge--it's also given players access to the Exotic weapon known as Jotunn.
Like all Exotics, Jotunn is a special weapon and there's nothing else quite like it in Destiny 2. The fusion rifle looks more like the arm-mounted blasters belonging to Mega Man or Metroid's Samus Aran than a Destiny gun. It also fires a powerful, tracking blast that makes it devastating in the Crucible, which is great news since this week sees the return of the Iron Banner competitive event.
The good news for Destiny 2 players is that getting Jotunn is nowhere near as complicated as tracking down guns like Whisper of the Worm or Izanagi's Burden. The bad news is that whether you wind up with Jotunn is also dependent on luck. But there are certain things you have to do to get the gun at all. Here's everything you need to know to earn Jotunn and start bringing some Nordic pain to other players.
Unlock The Forges
First and foremost, you'll need all four of The Black Armory's Forges unlocked in order to get a chance at Jotunn. That means completing the Black Armory missions associated with the Volundr, Gofannon, and Izanami forges. The most complex one is the Izanami Forge, so use our guide to maximize your time and unlock it as quickly as possible.
The final Forge required to unlock Jotunn is the Bergusia Forge. Thanks to the efforts of the Destiny 2 community in solving the Niobe Labs puzzle, Bergusia is unlocked for all players once you've got access to the other three. That's key: You'll need to ignite the Bergusia Forge for a chance at Jotunn.
Talk To Ada-1
Next, you'll need to head to the Tower Annex and talk with Ada-1, the Black Armory vendor. Specifically, you want the two weekly bounties Ada offers, one which is tied to completing Black Armory Forge ignitions, and the other which requires you to complete daily bounties. Both are good for Black Armory Schematics, which you'll need to purchase Powerful frames from Ada.
Complete the weekly bounties and get yourself your first Powerful frame. These are the other key element to unlocking Jotunn.
Calibrate The Powerful Frame
If you've been working on Forges up to now, you should have made one item of all the Powerful frames that have been available in each Forge, which should speed up your progress. It doesn't matter which frame you pick, as long as it's one of the gold Powerful ones. Follow the steps on the frame to calibrate it, which will eventually bring you back to Ada-1 to complete it. When that happens, the frame will tell you to head to ignite one of the first three Forges--Volundr, Gofannon, or Izanami--to complete the frame. Ignore that part and head to Bergusia Forge in the southern part of the EDZ, near the Outskirts.
Ignite Bergusia Forge
The thing about Bergusia Forge is that you can complete any Powerful weapon frame there, regardless of what Forge the frame tells you to use. In the past, if you wanted to make the Hammerhead machine gun, you'd need to ignite Volundr Forge; to get the Tartara Gaze sniper, you'd be stuck igniting Gofannon. Any frame will work at Bergusia, though, and it's the only place that Jotunn drops right now.
With your completed Powerful frame in your inventory, head to Bergusia and ignite the Forge. In most cases, you'll simply complete your Powerful frame and get the weapon you were working on, whatever that might be. But there's a chance for Bergusia Forge to drop Jotunn during these activities. Jotunn only drops if you're already forging a Powerful weapon frame, so don't bother grinding the Forge after you complete your first two frames. If you're willing to unlock all the Forges on two more characters, you can have up to six chances a week at getting the Exotic to drop.
Unfortunately, that's all there is to it. There's nothing more you can do to enhance your odds of getting Jotunn to drop, and there's a big element of randomness still in the process. But the drop rates seem pretty good, anecdotally--in fact, two people got Jotunn on the same run when we played it for this guide. Don't give up hope if you don't get Jotunn on your first couple of tries, because it's worth the effort.
Treyarch has rolled out a new update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. As the developer previously detailed, all three of the game's modes have gotten some attention with this week's patch, but the most was saved for Zombies, which has received a new in-game event and other content.
Beginning January 15, Treyarch is holding a 115 Day Celebration in Zombies--a reference to the element used to create the undead monsters in Black Ops lore. During the event, players will receive twice the normal amount of XP, weapon XP, and Nebulium Plasma. The 115 Day Celebration is live on all platforms and is scheduled to end at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT on January 18.
Additionally, PS4 players can now take on Gauntlets in Zombies mode. Treyarch describes these as "30-round challenges with unique rules governing gameplay in each round." Players will earn medals and rewards depending on how many rounds they're able to complete, as well as a "unique reward" for their Emblem if they manage to clear round 30 without failing.
Finally, Treyarch has introduced three new Elixirs that players can craft in Zombies. These are currently available on PS4; they are all Epic rarity and confer the following buffs on players according to Treyarch's blog:
Perk Up: Gain 4 additional random Perks that are not in your loadout.
Refresh Mint: Refreshes the cooldowns for Equipment, Perks, and Special Weapons for your entire team.
Conflagration Liquidation: Spawn a Bonfire Sale power-up.
Treyarch has more content on the way for Zombies mode, including a new Perk, Mastery Camos, and classic weapons. These are slated to arrive in the "coming weeks." The developer also has other new Zombies features and updates planned for this year, such as new Gauntlets and Faction Callings, which are "designed to feature a full season of 12 unique challenge events across all Zombies maps and game modes that reward players with never-before-seen character customization loot."
Disney's new live-action Pinocchio movie has suffered what sounds like a major setback. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey said in a new interview that director Paul King (Paddington 1 and 2), pulled out of the project over the holidays for family reasons.
McGarvey told Discussing Film that King personally chose him to be the cinematographer for the Pinocchio movie, so now that he's out, it means McGarvey is as well. He initially said the Pinocchio movie "has been canceled," but he went on to say that Disney is looking for a new director, and then production may start again. Or it might not, McGarvey said.
"I don't think it's a secret anymore, but the film has been canceled. Over the holidays, over Christmas, the director pulled out of the film for family reasons," he explained. "Disney are trying to find a new director. They're trying to get it going but I'm unlikely to be involved now because Paul King, who directed Paddington 1 and 2, wanted me to be his [director of photography] on the film.
"Who knows, the director they eventually bring on, it will probably be delayed by some time now; it probably won't shoot until July or August, if it does at all."
When Disney finds a new director, this person will likely choose their own director of photography, and from the way McGarvey was speaking, it sounds like it wouldn't be him.
McGarvey earned two Best Cinematography Oscar nominations, for the movies Atonement and Anna Karenina, both of which were directed by Joe Wright.
King is not the first director to drop out of Pinocchio, as Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro was originally eyed to direct. He's not doing the Disney movie, but he is set to write and direct an animated musical adaptation of Pinocchio for Netflix. Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) was also attached to direct the new Pinocchio before dropping out.
2K Sports and the NBA have announced a major extension on their licensing deal for the NBA 2K series in a move that's said to be worth north of $1 billion.
The official line is that this is a "significant, multiyear global partnership extension." Terms were not disclosed, but The Wall Street Journal reports that Take-Two, which owns 2K, is set to pay as much as $1.1 billion over seven years to the NBA and its players' union. That information is credited to a source who is said to have knowledge of the deal.
According to the report, the $1.1 billion over seven years is "more than double" what Take-Two paid the NBA for its previous licensing deal that was announced in 2011. The figure is said to be based on a percentage of sales of NBA 2K games.
One of the reasons why the licensing fee might be so much bigger this time around is because the NBA 2K series is believed to be an even bigger revenue juggernaut now that the franchise includes microtransactions. This has been a company-wide push, as Take-Two has said it aims to put microtransactions in all of its franchises going forward. NBA 2K's use of microtransactions, which started in 2013, has been controversial, but they are still in the game and will no doubt continue to be used in future titles.
The latest NBA 2K game, NBA 2K19, was a smash hit. It sold more than 10 million units, and it drove even more money from its microtransactions. In total the NBA 2K series has shipped more than 86 million units since it first launch 20 years ago.
Take-Two chief Strauss Zelnick said he's excited to work together with the NBA to "find new and innovative ways to captivate and engage basketball fans, and expand further the success of the NBA 2K brand."
The NBA also has a licensing deal with Electronic Arts for the NBA Live series. However, it's not immediately clear if the NBA has reached a new deal with EA as well.
In addition to the NBA 2K series, 2K Sports published last year's NBA Playgrounds 2, which is an arcade-style title.
Something strange is once again afoot in Fortnite. With only a few weeks remaining in Season 7, it appears developer Epic has already begun laying the groundwork for Season 8 of Battle Royale mode, as players have discovered a couple of mysterious new objects around the map.
Perhaps the most notable is a strange, icy sphere that can be seen floating above the castle in Polar Peak, the new snowy mountain introduced at the start of Season 7. At the moment the sphere is simply floating in the air, but its sudden, inexplicable appearance is certainly reminiscent of the infamous purple cube that materialized last summer and ultimately led up to the start of Season 6.
The sphere isn't the only strange object to mysteriously appear in Fortnite. Players have managed to destroy the iceberg near Happy Hamlet, revealing a bunker underneath--although it's unclear where it leads or what purpose it serves. On top of that, players have spotted mysterious, giant eggs locked in prison cells beneath Polar Peak's castle.
What these objects portend for the game is anyone's guess. By this point, however, it's become something of a tradition for strange in-game phenomenon to usher in a new season of Fortnite, so we likely won't have to wait too long to see how these tie into the impending Season 8.
In the meantime, Epic recently rolled out Fortnite's 7.20 update, which brought back glider redeploy and introduced a new gun: the Scoped Revolver. Players also still have a few more weeks to complete any remaining challenges before the new season arrives. You can find tips on those in our complete Season 7 challenges guide.
A new update for Microsoft's racing game Forza Horizon 4 removes the "Carlton" and "Floss" dance emotes, which are similar to the ones that led to lawsuits against Epic over their use in Fortnite. Microsoft quietly removed the dance emotes in the Xbox One and PC game's latest update. The patch notes posted on the Forza website only state that "The 'Carlton' and 'Floss' avatar emotes are no longer available."
Microsoft provided no explanation for why the dance emotes were removed, but it seems likely that the company saw what happened with Fortnite and wanted to avoid legal action being taken against its game. This is only guesswork. A Microsoft representative offered the following statement to GameSpot on the removal of the emotes: "Forza Horizon 4 features a large portfolio of content and is continuously updated."
Alfonso Ribeiro, the actor from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, sued Epic Games for using "The Carlton" in Fortnite, while Backpack Kid also sued Epic for using "Floss" in the game. Those cases, which seek to see the game stop using the emotes and pay damages, are ongoing. Epic has also been sued by rapper Terrence Ferguson, who claims Epic stole his Milly Rock dance for Fortnite's "Swipe It" emote.
Actor Donald Faison's trademark dance from the show Scrubs also appears to be replicated in Fortnite as an emote, and Faison says Epic "jacked" his dance for the game.
GameSpot's search of the database containing nationwide court records for the United States yields no apparent results for any lawsuits against Microsoft over dance emotes in Forza Horizon 4.
There appears to be some amount of uncertainty regarding whether or not a dance move can even be trademarked. However, it remains to be seen what specific legal tactics that Ribeiro, Backpack Kid, and others will use in their cases against Epic against Fortnite. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on this story.
We're midway through January, which means the second half of this month's free Games with Gold are now available. Through the end of the month, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can grab another pair of titles at no charge on Xbox One and Xbox 360, and they'll be yours to keep and play so long as you have an active subscription.
On the Xbox One side, the off-road racer WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship is free download from now until February 15. Xbox 360's free game, meanwhile, is Far Cry 2, which is still regarded as one of the best entries in the open-world shooter series. It's up for grabs until January 31, and thanks to backwards compatibility, it's also playable on Xbox One.
On top of those two titles, Gold subscribers still have a little more time to download the poignant 2D platformer Celeste, which is free throughout the entire month of January. Regarded as one of 2018's best games thanks to its challenging gameplay and touching story, Celeste follows a young woman's struggle to reach the top of a mountain. Developer Matt Makes Games also has a free DLC expansion on the horizon for it, making this a good opportunity to experience the game if you haven't yet.
Gold members still have a few more hours to grab January's other freebies, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Never Alone, before they go back to their full price. You can find the full list of this month's free Games with Gold below.
In addition to the new freebies, a new sale is now underway in the Microsoft Store, offering deals on a variety of Xbox One and 360 games for Gold and non-Gold members alike. The sale runs through January 21 and includes nearly the entire Far Cry series, as well as Halo 5: Guardians, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and SteamWorld Dig 2.
If you simply can't wait to see the new M. Night Shyamalan movie Glass, you're in luck! Universal Pictures is giving away tickets to early screenings around the United States on January 16.
Glass is the third part in Shyamalan's trilogy that also includes 2000's Unbreakable and 2016's Split, bringing Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) and David Dunn (Bruce Willis) face-to-face with Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) and his Horde of personalities for the writer/director's take on an epic superhero story. The tale, set largely at a psychiatric hospital housing the three men, also stars Sarah Paulson as Dr. Ellie Stable, a psychiatrist who believes she can treat those that believe they have superhuman abilities.
Notably, the film also sees the return of supporting characters from both previous films, as well. Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard reprise their Unbreakable roles as David's son and Glass's mother, respectively, while Anya Taylor-Joy returns as Casey Cooke, one of the girl's kidnapped by the Horde in Split.
Glass won't be in theaters until January 18, but you have the chance to check it out two days early. All you have to do is head over to the site Universal Pictures has created for the event, find the screening closest to you, and secure your tickets to see the film before the rest of the world. Each person has the ability to request two screening tickets.
Treyarch has announced a free trial for Blackout, the battle royale mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. The trial will be available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC beginning this Thursday, January 17.
Once you've downloaded the trial, you'll be able to participate in Blackout matches with other players. This trial does not include the full game, so you won't have access to either of Black Ops 4's Multiplayer or Zombies modes. The Blackout trial starts on January 17 and continues to January 24. If you're a fan of Call of Duty's battle royale mode, play on PC, and don't care too much about the other parts of Black Ops 4, there's a $30 version of the game that cuts out Zombies and only includes Blackout and Multiplayer.
Treyarch has also released a new update for Black Ops 4 on Xbox One and PS4. The update adds an improved looting interface in Blackout--a highly requested feature on consoles--which replaces the movable pointer. On PS4, Gauntlets and new Elixirs have been added to Zombies as well. These additions are scheduled to come to Xbox One and PC at a later date.
Blackout is the first battle royale mode in a Call of Duty game. Similarly to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite, the mode pits up to 100 players on one map. In order to improve your chances of survival, you need to scavenge for weapons, armor, and items. Survivors are pushed together over the course of a match as the survivable area on the map shrinks over time. Once killed, you won't respawn, so victory is given to the player or squad left standing by the match's end.
Blackout mixes up the battle royale formula by implementing elements from some of Call of Duty's other multiplayer modes, such as computer-controlled zombies. The new mode takes place on Call of Duty's largest map to date, one that's partially composed of other multiplayer battlefields like Nuketown and Hijacked.
Although it's probably the selling point of Black Ops 4, Blackout is hardly the only good part of the latest Call of Duty game. In our Black Ops 4 review, Kallie Plagge gave the game an 8/10, writing, "Black Ops 4 isn't short on content, and its three main modes are substantial. Multiplayer introduces more tactical mechanics without forcing you into them, and it largely strikes a good balance. Zombies has multiple deep, secret-filled maps to explore, though its returning characters don't hold up and prove distracting. Finally, Blackout pushes Call of Duty in an entirely new direction, making use of aspects from both multiplayer and Zombies for a take on the battle royale genre that stands on its own. Sure, there isn't a traditional single-player campaign, but with the depth and breadth of what is there, Black Ops 4 doesn't need it."
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