The recently revealed Avengers: Endgamecostumes for the core team has fans clamoring--and no, it's not because of Natasha's stylishly grown out dye job or Cap's classic chain mail look making an appearance. Their concerns are fixated on the inexplicable inclusion of not Bruce Banner, but The Hulk in the lineup after he infamously refused to make an appearance throughout Avengers: Infinity War.
But it's not just the fact that Hulk is most definitely his mean, green self in the promo image--it's that he looks a little different from the last time we saw him. And that might actually be a big clue as to where both he and Banner are headed in the final chapter of this installment of the MCU.
Brace yourselves, this one is a little weird.
As fans have pointed out, the new Hulk image not only features Hulk sporting a very fashionable bodysuit, it also (apparently) features a very slightly remodeled face. This, of course, wouldn't be the first time the Hulk CGI has gone through some major upgrades--his look has changed in just about every movie he's been in--but this one seems a bit more than just technology leaping forward. This particular render seems to be trying to blend together the look of actor Mark Ruffalo's face with the Hulk we all know and love. This, coupled with the strange back-and-forth between the two halves of the character since Thor: Ragnarok has led fans to believe that we might be seeing the live-action debut of the character known as Professor Hulk.
Despite the rather ridiculous name, Professor Hulk isn't just a version of Hulk who went back to school and got a degree. He's actually a Hulk incarnation that blends both Bruce and Hulk together--sort of. Introduced back in 1991, Professor Hulk was originally a "merged Hulk" that combined the extreme-90s Grey and Savage Hulks--don't worry too much about the finer points differentiating them--with Doctor Banner himself. The Merged Hulk exhibited traits and personality features of all its combined parts and was later developed further into a personality called The Professor.
The biggest and most important takeaway when dealing with The Professor is understanding that he was an incarnation of Hulk that exhibited Bruce's intelligence and personality. Normally, as we've seen exhibited really well in the MCU, Banner and Hulk are two completely separate consciousnesses--they're even able to "argue" with one another over who gets to be dominant in their shared body at any given moment. Professor Hulk has no such issue. As a true mixture of both halves of the Hulk/Banner equation, there is no struggle for dominance or control, just a perfect balancing act between the two of them. Strangely, in the comics, this also meant that Professor Hulk was the largest of the Hulks running around for a while, but the least powerful. Do with that information what you will.
So, what does this mean for the MCU if an incarnation of the good Professor is headed our way? Well, it would certainly be a fitting conclusion to the "trilogy" teased by Mark Ruffalo spanning Thor: Ragnarok, Infinity War, and Endgame--and a fitting, if slightly tragic, finale to Bruce Banner's tenure in the shared universe. As a character driven largely by the push-pull of the duality that consumes his life, finding a balance would be a bittersweet compromise, leaving Bruce changed, but finally free of his "curse," and ideally, Hulk free of his fear.
Of course, if that does happen, there would most likely be an issue with finding out exactly where on Earth a giant green half-monster man could fit in--but maybe Earth isn't where Hulk and Banner will want to stay when the dust settles and Thanos is defeated. After all, both halves of the equation have plenty of experience out in the cosmos by now, and assuming the Thanos fight doesn't wind up fatal, it wouldn't be too far a stretch to picture him heading back to space, even if that means saying more than a few goodbyes.
The first Nintendo Direct of 2019 is only a few hours away. The presentation kicks off today, February 13, at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET / 10 PM GMT, and it'll provide new details on a number of games coming to Switch this year, including Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the first proper Switch entry in the long-running strategy RPG series.
The broadcast is estimated to run for approximately 35 minutes, suggesting there will a ton of news and announcements coming out of it. As usual, Nintendo will host streams of the broadcast on its official website and Twitch channels. You can also tune in right here on GameSpot and follow along with the Direct using the YouTube embed below.
Beyond Fire Emblem, Nintendo hasn't revealed what games will be featured during today's Direct, but we already know of a few that are lined up for this year, including the adorable platformer Yoshi's Crafted World, which launches on March 29. Luigi's Mansion 3, Daemon X Machina, and Switch installments of Animal Crossing and Pokemon have also been announced for this year, although none of those have received release dates yet.
One game we can safely assume won't be featured during today's presentation, however, is Metroid Prime 4. Last month, Nintendo announced that it was effectively restarting development on the game--this time with original developer Retro Studios at the helm--as it wasn't coming together to the company's liking.
"Although this is very regrettable we must let you know that the current development progress has not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to Metroid Prime series," senior managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi said in a video message. "Nintendo always strives for the highest quality in our games and in our development phase, we challenge ourselves and confront whether the game is living up to that quality on a daily basis.
"From this perspective, we have determined that the current development status of [Metroid Prime 4] is very challenged, and we had to make a difficult decision as a development team. We have decided to re-examine the development structure and change it."
While Metroid Prime 4 is likely a long way off, there are plenty of Switch games on the horizon this year. You can get a look at the biggest ones in our gallery of Nintendo exclusives coming in 2019.
Update 01 first adds in a few Valentine's Day-themed items to the Apex Legends store: specifically, the "Shot Through The Heart" skin for the Longbow DRM, and the "Love Of The Game" Pathfinder banner frame. Both of those will only be available February 13-19, and won't be in the store until 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET / 1 AM UTC.
You can also earn the "Live Die Live" banner badge between February 13 and 19, which unlocks when you revive a squadmate sometime during the week.
Apart from that, the patch is mostly focused on fixing bugs in Apex Legends. An exploit that apparently allowed players to infinitely duplicate items in their inventory has been fixed, as has an issue that was causing some players' friends lists to show everyone as offline.
Some issues in the King's Canyon map have been fixed, which should help keep you from getting stuck in weird places or falling through invisible holes. And for PlayStation 4 players who snagged the PlayStation Plus Play Pack, Respawn has updated a couple of cosmetics with new art.
Read the full patch notes below.
Apex Legends February 13 Update Patch Notes
Valentine's Day
Added "Live Die Live" Banner Badge: Revive a member of your squad between 2/13 and 2/19 to earn this limited time badge.
Added Valentines Day cosmetic items to the store. They will be live and available in the store starting 2/13 until 2/19 and then they're gone!
"Through the Heart" Longbow Epic DMR skin
"Love of the Game" Pathfinder banner frame
Stability / Bugs / Performance / Quality of Life
Various improvements and tweaks to UI.
Extended timeout that was causing players with slower hard drives to crash.
Addressed a number of client and server stability issues.
Fixed exploit where you could keep duplicating items in your inventory.
Addressed a number of stability and performance issues.
Fixed issue where players would get a gray screen in lobby when connecting for the first time.
Fixed issue where your friends list showed all your friends as offline and unable to party.
Shortened duration of Bloodhound's Eye of the Allfather clones to remain in the world by 1 second.
Gear
Arc Star now displays a grenade warning indicator.
King's Canyon
Addressed a number bugs with map geo like holes you could fall through and areas that players could get stuck in plus a bunch of other polish issues.
PlayStation Plus Play Pack
Art updated for the Playstation Plus Play Pack to the Flatline skin and Banner Card and changed the names to Deep Blue. This will affect all players that already have been rewarded the skins as well.
We still have a lot of work to do and we hear those frustrated by disconnects and crashes and are working to improve stability and performance as well as provide more visibility for everyone.
Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might not seem like the most obvious of comic book team-ups, but they do have their similarities. Both fight crime at night in a big city, are known to inflict considerable pain on their enemies, and have animal-based superhero names (of course, the Turtles ARE actually turtles). Fans can now enjoy their first onscreen team-up in the new animated movie Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
As reported by Syfy.com, the film is a collaboration between DC Entertainment and Nickelodeon. It's based on the 2015 Batman/Turtles crossover comic by James Tynion IV and Freddie Williams II, and will see the heroes meet up via a "transdimensional encounter," and end up fighting various villains from Batman's rogues gallery.
Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles releases on 4K, Blu-ray, and Digital in late spring. The voicecast includes Troy Baker (The Last of Us), who will play both Batman and the Joker, Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story) as Raphael, Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) as Michelangelo, Baron Vaughn (Grace and Frankie) as Donatello, and Eric Bauza (The Woody Woodpecker Show) as Leonardo. A first image from the movie has been released--check it out below.
The cast also includes Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom as Batgirl, DC animation veteran Tara Strong as both Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) as The Penguin, and John DiMaggio (Adventure Time) as Mr. Freeze.
By Anonymous on Feb 13, 2019 09:30 pm On the premiere episode of Fan Theories, Ryan explains why he thinks Iron Man is going to die in Avengers: Endgame, and how Tony Stark could live on in the MCU as the new Jarvis!
By Anonymous on Feb 13, 2019 08:30 pm As Metro broadens its horizons, it loses some of the series' focus. But Exodus makes up for it with thrilling encounters and a crew you'll want to follow to the ends of the earth.
By Anonymous on Feb 13, 2019 08:30 pm Metro Exodus brings a tense atmosphere and epic sense of space. We encounter these feelings and a lot more as we make our way clearing out a Taiga Bandit Camp. Captured on PC. Metro Exodus comes out on February 15th, 2019.
Beyond the dark, oppressive tunnels and radioactive surface of Moscow are the societies that emerge from a nuclear apocalypse and prospective lands habitable for new life. It's a sensible change in setting that broadens Metro's horizons, though it sometimes loses the focus the series is known for. Still, the firefights and stealth deliver a familiar and incredible tension, complemented by streamlined survival mechanics necessary to face terrifying threats. But with Artyom and friends punching a one-way train ticket in hopes of greener pastures, Metro Exodus becomes a journey more about the enduring relationships and ties that bind an earnest crew of survivors.
In the opening hours, returning protagonist Artyom is shown with a tenacious insistence that human life exists outside the metro. It gets him into serious trouble, and it's further revealed that a larger conspiracy is at play. Your departure seems all too sudden and a bit of a disservice to the hardships endured in the previous games, but the heat of the moment and gut instincts of your companions help ease you into the premise of a year-long expedition to wherever the railroads lead.
The way the map works in Metro Exodus is a nice touch.
Thus, Metro Exodus takes the franchise in a bold direction by having a few significant chapters dedicated to open sandbox-style environments where you're free to roam, explore non-critical points of interest, and follow the main story path. Exploration tends to not be a reward in itself as these open areas are sparse and struggle to incentivize you to venture far off. Doing so pits you against mutants that force you to expend valuable resources for very little in return. Navigating isn't entirely enjoyable whether it be because of the sluggish rowboats in the Volga or empty lands of the Caspian. It sometimes feels as if Metro's methodical movement was thrown into much larger spaces it wasn't meant for. Thankfully, the game reins it in for its other chapters, especially when you make it to the lush forest of the Taiga that masterfully guides you to and from open areas and confined spaces at a tempered pace.
It's a sensible change in setting that broadens Metro's horizons, though it sometimes loses the focus the series is known for.
During your time in the open areas, optional side quests will organically populate your map by way of environmental hints or characters mentioning a point of interest in dialogue. These aren't traditional side quests that get logged into a checklist; instead, they're opportunities to experience more of Metro's tense combat scenarios and lead to potentially finding new equipment, scavenging additional resources, or extracting smaller stories that feed into the bigger picture.
Despite the addition of open environments, Exodus primarily plays similarly to previous games, and for the majority of the time it channels the series existing strengths. Carefully laid out levels strike a balance between freedom of approach and linear, focused paths to objectives when you face human enemies, creating a fine flow within missions. Sure, some guards will have their backs conveniently turned or make silly moves in combat, but the overarching thrill that you can swiftly kill or be killed lingers. Another Metro staple of fighting mutated beasts delivers a different style of tension. Irradiated spiders, nimble mutants, and lurking amphibians strike fear as you brace for their attack in ravaged pitch-dark corridors and flooded buildings. Even the harmless spiders that crawl on your arm and across your face further build a terrifying atmosphere. It's a state of vulnerability covered in a layer of dread that Metro gets right yet again.
Hardly do you ever feel either unfairly disadvantaged or overpowered, as weapons fire with impact and can be a challenge to handle. Each firearm has a roster of modifications that you'll scavenge from enemy weapons--sights, scopes, barrels, loading mechanisms--which give you control of how you want to fight. This wide variety of customization options can turn a dinky revolver into a formidable long-range weapon or a janky Kalashnikov into a devastating assault rifle--it's a satisfying system that gives gunplay an additional layer of depth. Modding can also be done using your backpack at any time, giving you the chance to adapt to situations as they arise.
Workbenches and your backpack are saving graces in Metro Exodus, since there are no longer any shops to buy equipment and items. Gone is the clever system of trading in military-grade bullets for critical items; in its place is a crafting system that's both manageable and fitting for the survivalist mentality Exodus instills. You'll accumulate scrap metal and chemicals to craft medkits, filters, and ammo, and maintain weapon condition. Even when you're juggling systems such as keeping your flashlight charged and changing out gasmask filters, it never becomes overbearing and adds an enjoyable challenge of gear management even as you're fending off foes throughout.
For the most part, Metro Exodus does away with the supernatural by leaving the clairvoyant Dark Ones in the past. In venturing into the unknown, the game tends to rely on familiar post-apocalyptic tropes. You have the cultists who've brainwashed locals to shun technology, a society of cannibals who put up an orderly front, and slavers who exploit and abuse others. But Exodus uses them to lay the groundwork for its better moments between characters and the struggles they endure. And despite the story being less centered around Artyom--who oddly remains a silent protagonist outside of loading screen monologues--Exodus unfolds in a much more personal fashion. The broader examinations of humanity and psychological twists have been dialed back to make room for a more grounded story about the necessary sacrifices you make for the ones you love.
These characters are brought to life with an impressive amount of dialogue that seems to go on forever, but because the moments of levity have a degree of charm and earnestness, you'll want to stay and listen.
The best parts of the story are found in chapters between the action where you simply hang out aboard the Aurora, the train that functions as headquarters. Here you have the chance to tune the radio to eavesdrop on transmissions that play off of in-game events or listen to some sweet tunes, but more importantly, it's your opportunity to unravel the endearing personalities that make up your crew. These characters are brought to life with an impressive amount of dialogue that seems to go on forever, but because the moments of levity have a degree of charm and earnestness, you'll want to stay and listen. It's not without a few lines that feel contextually out of place, though the natural flow of dialogue and interactions between the team communicates just as much about them as the stories they tell.
Anna shares her thoughts about the life she hopes to build with you as she rests her head on your lap. Damir's commitment to his ethnic roots and what remains of his homeland of Kazakhstan leads to a bittersweet exchange. Stepan, the big softy, is an uplifting presence who also fills the air with his acoustic guitar. And Miller is the hardened leader exemplifying the tough love of a father figure who wants the best for you and his daughter Anna. These are just a few of the characters that represent the best in Metro Exodus' narrative.
Anna is one of the several great characters in Metro Exodus' story.
The exact narrative threads can change, however; Metro's morality system makes a return, subtly judging your actions without explicitly revealing itself. What's important is that it doesn't always force you into non-lethal approach; if you want to cut the throats of the heartless slavers or take a shotgun to a cannibal's head, by all means do so, and as long as you don't hurt the innocent, you're in the clear. And with a keen eye or sharp ear, you may also come across unexpected events that'll pay off depending on your course of action. Consequences don't make themselves immediately apparent, but can lead to fascinating results as the story progresses.
It's worth noting that technical issues are strewn throughout Metro Exodus. In one playthrough (pre-day one patch), I've fallen through the game world just after an auto-save, inexplicably lost upgraded equipment I couldn't get back at a workbench, and had some rare, but noticeable framerate drops at modest settings with a fairly high-end PC. They didn't break the game, but can frustrate and negate hard-earned progress. In the few hours spent with the PS4 version, the game was stable, and as expected it ran on a lower framerate than a capable PC. It's not always a smooth ride, though it doesn't take away from the gripping journey that the game takes you on.
You may miss the mystery and intrigue of the previous games, but Exodus puts together a charismatic crew of friends and family that you'll want to follow to the ends of the earth.
At first glance, Metro Exodus gives you that wide-open, free, and dangerous world unbound by tunnels, though the scope of its tale focuses on what drives you personally and the lengths you're willing to go to protect what matters most. The open sandboxes may not be strongest addition, but the game still embraces the sense of vulnerability and post-apocalyptic terror alongside impactful weapons used in refined combat and stealth scenarios. You may miss the mystery and intrigue of the previous games, but Exodus puts together a charismatic crew of friends and family that you'll want to follow to the ends of the earth.
The first trailer for Frozen II is here. The long-awaited sequel to Disney's 2013 blockbuster animated movie Frozen continues the icy adventures of Elsa and Anna, and hits theaters in November.
The trailer doesn't give much away, but it's certainly dramatic. Much of it shows Elsa trying again and again to cross an extremely stormy sea using her powers of ice magic. Elsewhere, we see Anna looking concerned about a hall of weird icy diamonds, Kristoff riding his horse, and the three walking through a spooky forest. Check it out above.
Frozen II releases on November 22. All of the key cast members from the first movie will be back, including Kristen Bell as Anna and Idina Menzel as Elsa, plus Jonathan Groff as Kristoff and Josh Gad as Olaf.
New cast members include Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown (Black Panther, American Crime Story). It's directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, who helmed the first film. A new poster has also been released, which you can see at the end of this story.
While plot details are largely unknown at this stage, Buck previously hinted that Elsa might have a little more fun in this one. "[In Frozen] she had such a dramatic journey, and at the end she's just starting to feel like she can open up and have some fun again," he told Fandango. "That's what was really good about the short [2015's Frozen Fever]--we could have fun with Elsa. And that personality... you will see in the next one."
Rockstar Games is said to be working on next-generation projects, and the company will do so without veteran Jeronimo Barrera, who worked on almost every game the studio put out over the past 20 years. Barrera left Rockstar in mid-December, and he gave an exit interview of sorts to Variety. He said he left Rockstar after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 because it felt like a "natural progression" to step away after the western came out.
"I looked at what I would be doing for the next few years if I stayed on and where I was in life with my family, my kids, my desire to make cool s**t. I felt like it was hitting all of the right points," he explained.
In his role as vice president of product development at Rockstar, Barrera said he was in charge of "steering the ship in the right direction." He also contributed to the effort that saw Rockstar's studio around the world come together to work together on single games instead of their own projects.
"I thought it was the best decision ever to get everybody on board to centralize the technology and the pipelines," he explained. "It was a natural move and we were making sure that we had all of our best efforts making the best game possible. Not needing to reinvent the wheel every time."
As for what he'll do next, Barrera wouldn't say, but he spoke about how the video game industry is in the midst of a "new game" where technology is advancing at a rapid clip.
"If I had stayed at Rockstar it would have been more GTAs, more RDRs and less of this other stuff going on out there right now," he said.
Barrera leaves Rockstar on a high note. Red Dead Redemption 2, which is Rockstar's most recently release, was a critical darling and it's shipped an astonishing 23 million copies so far.
By Anonymous on Feb 13, 2019 08:04 am Jump Force pits all of your favorite anime characters into an insane brawl with some of the flashiest ultimate awakening finisher moves yet. Here are all the Ultimate moves from every character available in the early stages of the game.
In addition to renewing The Simpsons, Fox has now renewed two of its other marquee animated shows for new seasons to air in the 2019-2020 season. Family Guy and Bob's Burgers have been renewed, sources told The Hollywood Reporter. The renewal orders actually came quietly months ago, the site reported, though Fox has yet to officially announce the news.
Family Guy and Bob's Burgers might not make a lot of money or attract the highest number of viewers, but they make lots and lots of money from streaming and merchandising deals, THR said. The same is reportedly true for The Simpsons.
Family Guy is in its 17th season, while Bob's Burgers is in its ninth. According to THR, the deal to renew both shows was made months ago ahead of the closing of Disney's deal to buy the majority of Fox's assets, including Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, and The Simpsons, for $72 billion.
In 2017, following the tepid reception to Mass Effect: Andromeda, a report said that the Mass Effect franchise was put on ice. That may be the case, but now a pair of BioWare higher-ups have spoken about their eagerness to make more Mass Effect games ... someday.
Mark Darrah, the executive producer Anthem and the Dragon Age series, told Polygon that BioWare is "definitely not done with Mass Effect."
He said the Mass Effect universe is ripe with storytelling opportunities. "We could pull on the threads we put down with Andromeda; we could pull on threads from Mass Effect 3. There's a lot of interesting space to be explored."
BioWare general manager Casey Hudson is also quoted in the piece. He said the Mass Effect franchise is "very much alive."
"I'm thinking all the time about things that I think will be great. It's just a matter of getting back to it as soon as we can," he said.
BioWare producer Michael Gamble weighed in on Twitter, saying BioWare is "of course" not finished making more Mass Effect games.
Sources told Kotaku in 2017 that BioWare is giving the Mass Effect franchise a rest instead of getting to work right away on another game to follow Andromeda. That title was the first that BioWare Montreal served as lead developer on; the developer previously acted as a support studio for other BioWare projects.
BioWare's next big game is the multiplayer shooter Anthem, which launches later this month for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The studio is also working on a new Dragon Age game, and the first teaser can be seen here.
Would you like to see more Mass Effect games? Let us know in the comments below!
On top of Ubisoft's ongoing PSN sale, a new selection of game deals are now available in the US PlayStation Store. Just as it has on Xbox this week, publisher Take-Two is offering deals on a range of games for PS4, PS3, and Vita--but they'll only be discounted for a limited time.
If sports games are more up your alley, the latest entry in Take-Two's annual wrestling series, WWE 2K19, is on sale for $19.80. Basketball fans can pick up NBA 2K19 for the same price ($19.80), while NBA 2K Playgrounds 2, a more arcadey take on the sport in the vein of NBA Jam, is down to $15.
You can see some other notable deals below; the full list can be found on the PlayStation Store. Much like the aforementioned Ubisoft sale, these deals will only be available until Friday, February 19, so you have until then to take advantage of the offers.
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