For St. Patrick's Day, we're giving away a free "A Day With Pikachu" Figurine to one (1) lucky winner! (Scroll down to enter below).
This is not an instant win. No purchase necessary. Competition ends at 12:00 PM PT on March 17, 2019, in which 1 winner will be chosen at random. The winner will be mailed the Pikachu figurine (MSRP: $15.00).
NO PURCHASE OR WIRELESS DEVICE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD OR AGE OF MAJORITY, WHICHEVER IS OLDER IN THEIR STATE OF RESIDENCE, AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS SWEEPSTAKES VIA YOUR WIRELESS DEVICE, DATA RATES MAY APPLY.
Administrator & Sponsor: GameSpot, a Division of CBS Interactive, Inc. ("CBSI"), 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105.
Prize Provider: TriplePoint, 595 Market Street, STE 1340, San Francisco CA 94105
Sweepstakes Entities: CBSI and TriplePoint.
THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED OR ADMINISTERED BY INSTAGRAM.
1. Acceptance of Rules. By entering the "A Day With Pikachu" Figurine Giveaway (the "Sweepstakes") operated on the CBSI page on the Instagram social web site accessible at the domain "instagram.com/GameSpot" (the "CBSI Service"), you hereby accept and agree to these official rules (the "Official Rules") of this Sweepstakes and the decisions of the Administrator in connection with this Sweepstakes, whose decisions are final.
No purchase, entry fee or use of wireless device is necessary to enter or win. If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smartphone, tablet or other wireless device that allows you access to the Internet, you may also enter the Sweepstakes via any of those devices during the Promotion Period (as defined below). If you chose to access this Sweepstakes via any of those wireless devices, you may be charged data rates according to the Terms and Conditions of the Service Agreement with your wireless carrier.
2. Eligibility. This Sweepstakes is offered and open to persons who are: (a) Registered Users (as defined below); (b) legal residents of the United States; and (c) at least 18 years old or age of majority, whichever is older in their state of residence, at the date of entry in this Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules, "Registered User(s)" means a person who has successfully completed the registration form, obtained a user identification, an associated password on the social website Instagram and follows GameSpot (@gamespot). There is no fee associated with becoming a Registered User. Employees, directors, and the immediate family members of the Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotion agencies and legal and financial advisors are not eligible to participate in this Sweepstakes. For purpose of the foregoing, "immediate family" means parents, spouses, children, siblings or any members of the same households of such employees and directors. This Sweepstakes is void in all U.S. territories and possessions and where prohibited by law.
3. Entering the Sweepstakes: To enter the Sweepstakes, if not already, become a Registered User (as specified above), and enter, during the Promotion Period, by following the instructions below:
1. Follow the @Pokemon page on the Instagram website; and
2. Like the post related to the Sweepstakes on the CBSI Service.
Participants can gain additional entries by tagging their friends in separate comments (one (1) per unique friend) on the post related to the Sweepstakes on the CBSI Service. Participants may receive a maximum of five (5) additional entries to the Sweepstakes via this action.
Limit of six (6) entries per person during the Promotion Period.
4. Promotion Period. The Sweepstakes begins on March 8, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time ("PT") and ends at 12:00 p.m. PT on March 17, 2019 (the "Promotion Period").
5. Prize. The Sweepstakes will award one (1) prize (the "Prize") that consists of one (1) "A Day with Pikachu" figurine. The Prize has an approximate retail value ("ARV") of Fifteen Dollars (US$15.00).
6. Prize Restrictions. No assignment, transfer, conversion to cash or cash redemption or substitution of the Prize is permitted, except Administrator reserves the right to substitute the Prize with a prize of comparable or greater value, should the Prize or part of the Prize become unavailable. Prize is solely for personal use and may not be used in conjunction with any other promotion. All Prize details are at the sole discretion of the Sweepstakes Entities.
7. Odds/Drawing/Winner Notification. Odds of winning the Prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. On or about March 18, 2019, the Prize drawing will be conducted at random by Administrator, whose decisions are final and binding in all respects. The potential Prize winner (the "Winner") will be notified by Administrator, via a message to their Instagram Service account. Potential Winner will be asked to provide their personal information, such as their name, physical address, date of birth and phone number in order to confirm eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Administrator will select up to two (2) alternate Winners. If no contact has been made with the alternates after a reasonable effort has been made during three (3) business days from the first notification attempt to the last alternate, the Prize will not be awarded.
8. Prize Taxes. All federal, state, local and other tax liabilities arising from this Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, winning the Prize, will be the sole responsibility of the Winner.
9. Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release and Publicity Release. Winner may be required to complete, execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release, and where lawful, a Publicity Release (collectively, the "Release Forms"), as well as a W-9 tax form within five (5) days of notification of winning. Failure to return Release Forms timely, or if a Prize notification or a Prize is returned as non-deliverable, or if a Winner is found not to be eligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules, may result in disqualification with an alternate Winner selected in accordance with these Official Rules.
10. Publicity Release Terms. Except where prohibited by law, a Winner's acceptance of the Prize constitutes permission for the Sweepstakes Entities to use Winner's name, photograph, likeness, statements, biographical information, voice, and address (city and state) worldwide and in all forms of media, in perpetuity, without further compensation.
11. Improper Conduct. Administrator, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participation in or use of any or all portions of this Sweepstakes, and refuse to award the Prize, if the Winner engage(s) in any conduct Administrator deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Sweepstakes or detrimental to other entrants of the Sweepstakes. Such improper conduct includes, without limitation, falsifying personal information required during entrant registration or Prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating entries through methods such as automated computer scripts or any other programming techniques, allowing others to use entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating entries, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise tamper with the computer programs in connection with this Sweepstakes. Winner agrees that Administrator may void the Prize or any part of a Prize that a Winner may have won and/or require the return of the Prize or any part of a Prize that the Winner may have won as a result of such improper conduct. Winner further acknowledges that any forfeiture of the Prize and/or return of the Prize shall in no way prevent Administrator from pursuing other avenues of recourse, such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct. WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, EACH OF THE SWEEPSTAKES ENTITIES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
12. Integrity of Sweepstakes. If, for any reason, the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned by reason of infection by computer virus, worms, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which Administrator, in its sole opinion believes could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, Administrator reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Sweepstakes and select the Winner from entries received prior to the action taken or in such other manner as Administrator may deem fair and appropriate.
13. Lost or Corrupted Entries. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage-due entries or mail, if applicable; or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users or tampering, hacking or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Sweepstakes, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Sweepstakes.
14. Damaged Property. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, injury or damage to any entrants or to any other person's computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this Sweepstakes or downloading materials from this Sweepstakes.
15. Sweepstakes Errors. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with errors and/or ambiguity: (a) in the Sweepstakes; (b) in any related advertising or promotions of this Sweepstakes; and/or (c) in these Official Rules. In the event of any ambiguity(s) or error(s) in these Official Rules, Administrator reserves the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes or to correct any such ambiguity(s) or error(s) without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Sweepstakes.
16. Prize and Winner. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you/entrant hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, the selection and announcement of the Winner, the distribution of the Prize, the acceptance/possession and/or use/misuse of any part of the Prize and/or any injury or damage to any entrant's or third person's property related to or resulting from any part of the Prize or any part of this Sweepstakes.
17. Release and Indemnity. Each entrant in this Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, the Winner, hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to person, including death, and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a Prize, participation in this Sweepstakes and participation in any activity related to this Sweepstakes.
18. Limitation of Liability. IN NO EVENT WILL THE SWEEPSTAKES ENTITIES, THEIR PARENTS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND RELATED COMPANIES, THEIR ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION AGENCIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SWEEPSTAKES OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.
19. Disclaimer of Warranties. THE SWEEPSTAKES AND PRIZE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.
20. Identity Disputes. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of the winner based on an email address, the winning entry will be declared made by the Authorized Account Holder of the email address and/or wireless phone number submitted at time of registration into Instagram and/or entry into the Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules, "Authorized Account Holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational, institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.
21. Binding Arbitration. The parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes. Any controversy or claim, arising out of, or relating to, these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of New York, in the City of New York and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof.
22. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This promotion is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Administrator in connection with this Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof, and any matters or proceedings which are not subject to arbitration, as set forth in Section 21 of these Official Rules and/or for entering any judgment on an arbitration award, shall take place in the State of New York, in the City of New York.
23. Winner's List/Official Rules. For the name of the Winner, send a self-addressed stamped envelope for receipt by March 31, 2019 to "Winner List, 'A Day with Pikachu" Figurine' Giveaway" 1401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. For Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the above address marked "Official Rules: 'A Day with Pikachu' Figurine Giveaway" for receipt by March 31, 2019. Residents of VT may omit postage on the self-addressed envelope. The name of the Winner may be posted, and the Official Rules will be posted on GameSpot.com.
It's not every day that AAA games released in the past year are drastically discounted, but when they are, we take notice. For those who can't afford to drop $60 or more on every new game release, it's more of a waiting game for the best sale. If you've been holding out on anything, today might be your day, as Newegg is offering a 20% off promo code on games and game accessories, some of which are already discounted.
Using the promo code EMCTWUY38, you can get games like Anthem, Kingdom Hearts 3, Marvel's Spider-Man, God of War, and Red Dead Redemption 2 for 20% off. Red Dead Redemption 2 is already 25% off, so using the code, you can get it for just $36. Marvel's Spider-Man recently received a permanent price drop to $40, so with the code, you can get it even cheaper for just $32. God of War is 33% off and also selling for $32 if you use the code; however, its initial discount appears to be ending after today, so don't wait if you want that game. Even a few Nintendo Switch Mario games are included in the promotion--a rare chance to snag them for just $48 each.
The promo code expires on 11:59 PM PT on March 17 / 2:59 AM ET on March 18 or while supplies last, so act fast if you've got your eyes on anything. And remember to use promo code EMCTWUY38 to get the below prices.
Devil May Cry 5 is getting the series' staple Bloody Palace mode in a few weeks. Capcom has confirmed it will be adding the mode to its new action game as a free update across PS4, Xbox One, and PC on April 1.
Bloody Palace has appeared in nearly every Devil May Cry game to date. The mode pits players against increasingly challenging waves of enemies and bosses, all while a timer ticks down. In DMC5's iteration, you'll be able to play as one of the game's three protagonists: Dante, Nero, or V. You can take a look at some screenshots of the mode below.
Devil May Cry 5 launched earlier this month and has already proven to be a critical and commercial success for Capcom. The game debuted at No. 1 in the UK and has garnered positive reviews, including from GameSpot. We awarded it a 9/10 and called it "a brilliant iteration of the series' best qualities" in our Devil May Cry 5 review.
"DMC5 thrives on the stylistic and mechanical prowess of its predecessors. It sticks to tradition above all else, pursuing a few ambitious new ideas along the way, but mostly maintaining the series' focus on intricate fighting systems and campy bravado," GameSpot's Matt Espineli said. "DMC5 proves the series can still be brilliant and imaginative without compromising its longest-held traditions."
Valve has announced two more service features for Steam, just ahead of GDC. The new Steam Link Anywhere extends the Steam Link functionality, while a sockets API makes it easier for developers to offer secure connections.
According to the announcement, Steam Link Anywhere is now in early beta and accessible to anyone with beta firmware, or using the Android Steam Link beta app or Raspberry Pi Steam Link app. You'll have to opt into the Steam client beta with the date of March 13 or newer, and then you can connect to any computer by selecting "Other Computer" from the search. This will let you connect and play your games from anywhere without a local network, but it's limited to users with a high PC upload speed and a strong connection to your Steam Link device.
The sockets API is an infrastructure tool for developers to give their players faster and secure connections, using the same tech as Valve did for CS:GO and Dota 2. Both features will be outlined more extensively at Valve's Steam Platform Update talk at GDC, which will take place on Thursday, March 21 at 12:45 PM PT.
While the Steam Link app is still going strong, Valve discontinued the Steam Link hardware as it allowed its existing stock to be depleted. At the time Valve said it intended to continue supporting the hardware, as well as the software versions of Steam Link.
Microsoft has revealed more information about Xbox Live coming to both Android and iOS devices. Xbox Live support on mobile devices will be possible through Xbox Live SDK, a new cross-platform mobile software development kit created by Microsoft.
"We believe so strongly in community, and Xbox Live really being at the heart of our gaming community," Microsoft gaming cloud chief Kareem Choudhry said in a briefing, according to The Verge. "If you watch what we've done, especially with Minecraft, over the past few years we've taken Xbox Live to as many platforms as Minecraft is on as possible. Really uniting all those communities together with a consistent singular experience for those gamers."
Most of the features tied to an Xbox Live account are also added to a game with SDK, such as achievements, Gamerscore, hero stats, friend lists, and clubs. It's worth noting that Xbox Live support does already exist for Android and iOS titles, but it's been limited to Microsoft Studios games. The new SDK makes Xbox Live support available for all.
During the briefing, Choudhry also spoke about bringing Xbox Live support to Nintendo Switch and Sony's PlayStation 4. Choudhry said that Microsoft has an interest in uniting "the two billion gamers of the world" but also clarified that he had no "specific announcements" as of this time to make about Xbox Live appearing on Switch or PS4. "If you've watched us for the past few years, we've taken a very inclusive approach," Choudhry continued. "Phil [Spencer] has been very proactive on issues like cross-play, cross-progression, and uniting gamer networks, and we're willing to partner with the industry as much as we possibly can."
Microsoft has made several strong pushes in support of cloud gaming in the past few years. The company has just launched Game Stack, a platform specifically designed to help developers build and launch cloud-connected games. Game Stack collects all of Microsoft's developer tools, services, and platforms with Azure and PlayFab--a collection which includes DirectX, Mixer, Power BI, Havok, Visual Studio, Windows, Xbox Game Studios, Xbox Live, and Simplygon. For more details, you can read up on Game Stack on Microsoft's website.
The company has also developed a Netflix-like platform for video games with Game Pass, and has expressed an interest in bringing the full service to more than just Xbox One consoles. Project xCloud--which was demonstrated for the first time during March 2019's Inside Xbox livestream--is also in development, and promises to allow players to stream their Xbox games through their PC or mobile devices.
Blizzard has outlined the first expansion for the new season of Hearthstone, set to release next month. The Rise of Shadows expansion brings together several villains from throughout the history of the game in a Sinister Six-style team, along with 135 new cards to collect.
The plot revolves around the Arch-Thief Rafaam organizing his own "League of E.V.I.L." to pull off a heist in Dalaran. They include King Togwaggle, Madam Lazul, Dr. Boom, and Hagatha the Witch. Blizzard previously teased that this year each expansion will be connected in a single ongoing story, so this gives us an idea of the direction for the Year of the Dragon.
As always, the expansion will include some new mechanics and card types to fit the flavor of the expansion. The expansion will bring five new Lackeys, 1/1 minions with specialized Battlecries. New spells called Schemes will get more and more powerful the longer you hold the card in your hand. Some cards are explicit callbacks to older cards. For example, the Priest's new Forbidden Words spell is a twist on the Forbidden Shaping card from Whispers of the Old Gods.
Finally, the new cards will introduce a new keyword called Twinspell. When cast, these cards add a second copy of the spell to your hand. The second copy of the spell lacks the Twinspell benefit. These spells are an apparent favorite of a crime-fighting group called the Defenders of Dalaran, so we're likely to see the clash between heroes and villains develop as the story goes on.
Rise of Shadows will launch on April 9, with its solo adventure following a month later in May. As previously announced, that adventure will begin with a free chapter, and then subsequent chapters can be purchased for 700 gold each--or the full bundle for $20.
Before it all kicks off, though, a pre-release event starting April 5 will grant you a free Legendary card that can be used immediately. Plus once it launches, you'll get a new quest chain to earn free packs. A Shadow Bundle during launch week will offer 9 packs and an Arena ticket for $10. Pre-purchases will come in two tiers: a $50 bundle that includes 50 packs, a card back, and a Legendary card, or an $80 bundle for 80 packs, the card back, a Golden Legendary, and the Madam Lazul Priest Hero.
Check out our full gallery of every card revealed so far, which will be updated as more become available.
It's really satisfying being able to pull off a combo that gets you into the SSS ranking in Devil May Cry 5. Featuring a trio of badass devil hunters--returning favorites Dante and Nero, as well as newcomer V--you'll realize that they each bring a dazzling set of skills that show off a remarkable sense of style and energy in a fight. But there's a lot more to slaying demons than simply firing your gun or swinging your oversized, engine-powered sword. As an action game that possesses the depth of complex fighting games, you'll need to learn and understand the subtle mechanics and nuances of its main cast in order to leave an impression on Devil May Cry 5's enemies.
In this guide, we're giving you the rundown on one of Devil May Cry 5's main protagonists--particularly the brash and hot-headed Nero. Whether it's getting a handle of the timing for his Exceed mechanic, or deciding which Devil Breakers you should use, Nero has plenty of options when it comes to taking down demons. If you're willing to take the time and learn how each character functions, you'll be able to get the elusive SSS ranking in no time.
So with that, here's our breakdown on Nero in DMC5. Be sure to watch the gameplay video above at the 03:30 mark to see what SSS rank combat looks like for Nero. If you want to know more about Dante and newcomer V, head on over to our guides for those characters, as well as our walkthrough on how to find all the Secret Missions. For more info on Devil May Cry 5, read our full review.
Overview
As one of the more accessible characters, the charismatic and scrappy Nero features a move set that carries over a number of returning mechanics from DMC4, which includes his familiar long-range grapple moves. With a skill set that emphasizes timing and charging up attacks, Nero's playstyle is all about creating opportunities and executing primed up attacks with his Red Queen sword, Blue Rose revolver, and Devil Breakers. Devil Breakers are Nero's newest weapon, allowing him to bring in a customizable set of special arms into battle. This new mechanic can alter his normal attacks and introduce some exciting moves that can slow down time or give him additional projectile attacks.
Nero is the most agile and acrobatic character in the game, and he possesses excellent evasive skills and prowess at fighting enemies in the air. With his Table Hopper ability, Nero can execute a series of jukes and careful dodges right when an enemy is about to attack, allowing him to move into their blind spot in incredibly slick fashion. Nero also has several attacks that allow him to stay in the air, including his Roulette and Calibur skills. If there's a good way to describe Nero, he's essentially the brawler of the trio, focusing on fast, heavy hits while being able to slip out with a dodge when he needs to.
The Devil Breakers
The Devil Breakers are truly a game-changer for Nero when paired with his basic move set. These special arms allow you to pull off some very powerful, if a bit bizarre, actions for Nero, greatly expanding his repertoire of skills. For instance, the default breaker is the Overture, a close-range arm that conjures up a massive lighting fist that can also be turned into a remote bomb. Also, Gerbera's aerial burst attack--which doubles as a dodge--can be extremely effective when you want to keep yourself and the enemies in the air. Unfortunately, the breakers are very fragile and getting hit while using them will cause it to shatter. So you'll need to carefully pick which moment is best to use them.
One of the main mechanical restrictions for the Devil Breakers, however, is that you can't freely switch off between the arms in your magazine. In order to shift over to your next arm, you'll have to break it yourself (creating a small explosion in the process) or use up the arm's charged attack. With this in mind, you'll want to customize your loadout to complement your particular playstyle and approach. Though Gerbera and Overture are always reliable to have, other worthwhile breakers to use are the Punch Line and the Tomboy. Punch Line is an extremely fast rocket arm that can target a single enemy and hit them multiple times, while the Tomboy overcharges Nero's sword and gun, greatly altering its attack pattern and strength.
Combat Tips
When playing as Nero, the best way to build up to the SSS ranking is to keep moving, evade enemy attacks, and rush in with fast hits on a constant basis. One of Nero's most technical combat skills to master is his Exceed mechanic. With his engine-powered sword, you'll be able to tap the left trigger to charge up his attacks for extra damage. Though you can hold and tap the trigger multiple times to build up energy, the more efficient way to get a charge is by tapping the Exceed button as you simultaneously swing your sword. If you can nail the timing, you'll be able to amplify its attack strength instantly. Mastering the timing can be extremely useful during a fight, as you can chain together multiple charged attacks together during a single combo. Unlocking the MAX-Act skill will allow you to fully charge the Red Queen to its limit with a well-timed tap of the Exceed button.
Nero is also effective at bunching up enemies with his attacks. The Streak combat skill--a rush attack that drives Nero forward with his sword--is a move to push enemies together, but the Exceed-variant of the move will turn it into multiple hits. With a set of enemies bunched up together, you can use one of his Devil Breakers to damage the stunned group. In this instance, Punch Line's normal attack is a solid move, but the Gerbera's special--either the ground attack or the aerial variant--are great choices to use when the enemies are bunched up or when you're fighting in tight spaces.
Nero is extremely proficient in rush-down tactics, but for some extra finesse, he can also use some of his unique taunts--which just so happen to have some advantages in combat. Taunting is normally a good way to build up style ranking, but some of Nero's taunt actions can even charge energy for his sword and gun. In addition to this, Nero is the only character in the game that has an aerial taunt--which is a surprisingly effective way to dodge attacks and get some extra airtime. By taking advantage of Nero's multi-functional arms, his aerial tactics, and his great speed and rush-down potential, you'll be able to work your way up to SSS rank in no time at all.
We've entered Week 3 of Fortnite Season 8, and a new assortment of challenges are now available to complete on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. That's not all; following the return of the Getaway limited-time mode earlier this week, Epic has brought back the related High Stakes challenges from Season 5, along with a couple of new rewards to unlock.
The High Stakes challenges all tie in to the aforementioned Getaway LTM, which returned as part of Fortnite's 8.10 patch. Getaway is a heist-themed mode that divides players up into teams of four and tasks them with finding safes scattered around the island, extracting the llama-shaped jewel stored inside, and making it safely to the getaway van.
The challenges are all fairly straightforward, ranging from playing a certain number of Getaway matches to picking up a jewel and using Grapplers. If you missed out on the event back in Season 5, you'll have another chance to unlock all of the previous rewards, as well as new color variations of the Crystal Llama back bling. You can see the full list of High Stakes challenges below.
High Stakes Challenges
Win a match of The Getaway (1)
Win matches of The Getaway (3)
Win matches of The Getaway (5)
Use a Grappler in different matches of The Getaway (5)
Deal damage to Jewel-carrying opponents (200)
Pick up a Jewel in different matches of The Getaway (3)
Complete The Getaway challenges (2)
The High Stakes challenges will only be around until Tuesday, March 19, so you only have a limited time to complete the tasks and unlock their rewards. To go along with the challenges, the Wild Card skin and a new Wild Card wrap bundle are up for purchase in Fortnite's in-game store.
Week 3's challenges, meanwhile, have you following a loading screen treasure map and destroying cacti in the desert, among other things. Like other weekly challenges, you'll have until the end of Season 8 to complete them. If you need some pointers, you can find guides for this season's trickier challenges in our complete Season 8 challenges roundup.
The challenges for Fortnite Season 8, Week 3 are now live and, among them, is one that asks you to do some detective work, before you go off into the island hunting for Battle Stars. The challenge in question asks players to "search where the magnifying glass sits on the Treasure Map loading screen." Here's where to go and what to do.
As Fortnite challenges go, it isn't actually all that difficult, though the wording is slightly confusing. What it's asking you to do is take a look at the loading screen artwork, which is of a treasure map. On the map is a magnifying glass, and the area it's focused on is where you need to head to during a match. Specifically, it's southwest of Polar Peaks and east of Frosty Flights.
Head to the grid reference C8 and go to the left side of that quadrant, and you'll spot the Battle Star there. Grab it and and get to work on the remaining challenges so you can inch ever closer to getting the cosmetic unlock of your dreams.
If you're planning on unlocking everything, or have your heart set on something deep into the Battle Pass, you'll need to spend the time and effort to do challenges each and every week. By doing so, you'll gather Battle Stars and level up the Battle Pass much quicker. To help you along, we'll be creating guides for challenges on a weekly basis. You can stay on top of it all by using our full Season 8 challenges guide.
If you're looking for even more challenges to do, Fortnite's The Getaway Limited Time Mode has returned, along with High Stakes challenges. By completing this extra set of challenges, you can unlock a crowbar Harvesting Tool, Llama back bling, a loading screen, spray, and contrail. Challenges generally involve winning matches in The Getaway LTM, using a specific item, or taking out certain enemies.
We're now in Week 3 of Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 8, which means new challenges are cycling in. As always, you'll need to do these to unlock those oh-so-precious Battle Stars, which will in turn level up your Battle Pass and make new skins and other rewards available so you can customize your character. Challenges are split into two categories, with a free set available to everyone playing and a second set exclusive to those that have spent V-Bucks to purchase a Battle Pass. Here's what to look for from Week 3.
In the free section, players will need to complete two separate multi-stage challenges. The first begins by visiting Fatal Fields and Salty Springs in a single match, while the second starts by destroying 30 cacti in the desert. The third free challenge asks players to place different Trap Slot items in a match, twice--make sure you to place those immediately upon getting them, before anyone can kill you.
In the premium Battle Pass section, the first challenge involves looking at the loading screen and finding where the magnifying glass sits on the treasure map featured in it. Additionally, players will need to search chests at Sunny Steps or Fatal Fields, deal 500 points of headshot damage to enemies, and get an elimination with an SMG, pistol, and sniper rifle (but, luckily, not in the same match).
Fortnite Season 8, Week 3 Challenges
Free
Stage 1 of 3: Visit Fatal Fields and Salty Springs in a single match (2) -- 1 Battle Star
Stage 1 of 3: Destroy Cacti in the Desert (30) -- 1 Battle Stars
Place different Trap Slot items in a single match (2) -- 10 Battle Stars
Premium
Search where the magnifying glass sits on the Treasure Map loading screen (1) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search chests at Sunny Steps or Fatal Fields (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Deal headshot damage to opponents (500) -- 10 Battle Stars
Get an elimination with an SMG, Pistol, and a Sniper Rifle (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Developer Epic Games has released Fortnite patch 8.10, which introduces the new Baller vehicle. On top of that, it has given older skins a bit of a makeover. "We've seen you being vocal about wanting to see the face behind the masks of some of our helmeted outfits," it said in a statement, "so we've done a pass on previous outfits."
The skins that have been updated are Scarlet Defender, Elite Agent, Renegade Raider, Waypoint, Overtaker, and Whiteout. Epic has said it will be "working on more outfit styles and other broad stroke improvements" to Fortnite's art in the future.
Throughout Season 8 of Fortnite, we'll be creating guides for challenges on a weekly basis. You can stay on top of it all by using our full Season 8 challenges guide.
With Avengers: Endgame now just over a month away, the Marvel marketing machine is gearing up to hit us with the usual bombardment of promotional material. A thrilling new trailer, which has a lot of new info about the movie, has been released, and it is accompanied by a striking new poster.
While the previous poster was really just a teaser, this new one reveals all the heroes in truly cosmic style. Unsurprisingly it only features those Avengers who survived the shocking end of last year's Infinity War, including Captain America, Thor, Iron man, Black Widow, and Ant-Man. It also includes Captain Marvel, and shows the villainous Thanos in the background. The poster credits also confirm both Benedict Wong and Jon Favreau will appear in the movie, as Wong and Happy Hogan respectively. Check it out below.
Avengers: Endgame releases on April 26, 2019. It's directed once more Joe and Anthony Russo, and the cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Brie Larsson, Danai Gurira, and Jeremy Renner. There have been rumors that some of the MCU's longest-serving stars might be leaving the series after this film (in particular Evans), but nothing has been confirmed to date. We do know Endgame will be followed by Spider-Man: Far From Home in July.
Plenty of unofficial holidays exist purely because of how a particular date looks--we're looking at you, Mario Day--but among these, Pi Day might be the most iconic. Every year on March 14, math nerds everywhere celebrate pi (Ď€), the ratio that defines the circumference of a circle to its diameter and an irrational number that happens to round to 3.14. Even if you're not a huge fan of pi (maybe it just gives you flashbacks to high-school geometry), you should know that ThinkGeek is running a major sale for Pi Day--everything on the site is 31.4% off for today only. All you have to do is use the promo code PIDAY19. Only pre-order items are excluded. The sale ends tonight at 8:59 PM PST / 11:59 PM EST.
ThinkGeek positions itself as the go-to destination for collectibles and licensed merchandise around gaming and geek culture, and its range of offerings is expansive. From Rick and Morty action figures and a Legend of Zelda ocarina to a Captain American shield doormat and a giant Snorlax bean bag chair, ThinkGeek has unique offerings for practically every fandom under the sun. You'll stumble across random, wonderful things you never knew you needed, like this glowing Pac-Man lamp that plays Pac-Man music when you plug it in, or Jon Snow's direwolf, Ghost, in plush form. If you're planning an upcoming cosplay, you might just find the accessory you need. And it's all on sale, so now's the time if you've been eyeing any kind of merch, wishing it were cheaper.
The size of ThinkGeek's inventory can be overwhelming, so to make things easier, you can shop by interest, including specific video games or brands like Zelda, Dragon Age, Pokemon, and Fortnite. You can also shop within product categories, so if you're looking for something specific like board games or desk decor, it's super easy to find what you need.
If you have a ThinkGeek store near you, this Pi Day deal extends to in-store apparel and accessories as well. You can search for any nearby ThinkGeek stores here.
Left 4 Dead and Evolve developer Turtle Rock Studios has announced a new co-op zombie shooter to be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Back 4 Blood is said to be a premium game that borrows from Turtle Rock's history of making a co-op zombie shooter, while also having a slate of new features and current-gen tech.
The studio released a FAQ with some additional details. It shies away from any commitment like post-launch content or microtransactions, and stresses that Back 4 Blood is a new original IP unrelated to Left 4 Dead. It also says that it will have a campaign and PVP, but it is not a battle royale.
We can also glean some information from how the key figures are talking about the new project. Creative director Phil Robb said the studio is growing its team and using what it's learned from the past for this new project. Meanwhile, design director Chris Ashton stressed that the team has had this project in mind for a long time.
"It's hard to overstate what an awesome opportunity this is," Ashton said. "We get to return to a genre that was born in our studio with over 10 years of additional experience and zombie ideas racked up in our brains. We also have some of the best teammates in the business at WBIE, who understand our development process and are equally committed to our player-first mentality. We love being able to announce, so we can start working with the community right away."
Following Left 4 Dead, Turtle Rock made Evolve for 2K. Evolve borrowed some ideas from L4D, but added a fifth player as an asynchronous monster. It received a positive reception and gained a respectable audience, but Turtle Rock stopped actively developing it in 2016. Most recently, the studio was said to be working on a dark fantasy game for Perfect World. In the FAQ, it says that project has ended.
Battlefield V's take on battle royale has been much anticipated ever since publisher EA first said it would be jumping on the genre bandwagon. Although it did not make it out in time for the game's initial release, following a delay, we've finally gotten our first glimpse at Battlefield V's take on the mode of the moment with a new trailer for Firestorm. Take a look below.
It's unfortunately devoid of any gameplay, as the entire thing is showcased from a cinematic perspective. Although the video is our first official look at the mode, another video leaked online just recently, showing off a bunch of the game's modes and the general setup of a match. We now know much of that information was true. Just as in other battle royale games, such as PUBG or Fortnite, you can play in Solos, Duos, or Squads, while each match will begin with players parachuting out of a plane, then scrambling to find weapons and other items to help them survive. The mode will launch on March 25.
EA has previously said that Firestorm will support up to 64 players. Unlike the rest of the game, the mode isn't developed by DICE, but rather Criterion, the studio behind the Need for Speed series. The mode derives its name from the ring of fire that gradually closes in on the battlefield as matches progress. Firestorm will arrive for free as part of Battlefield V's third chapter of content, Trial by Fire, which kicks off later this month.
In the meantime, the final event of Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes, dubbed Unstoppable Force, is now live. Along with two Weekly Challenges, the event brings back the fan-favorite Rush mode, but it'll only be around until March 20.
This year's British Academy Games Awards are happening soon, and BAFTA has now revealed the full list of nominations for 2019. God of War leads the way with 10 nominations, while there are six nominations each for Red Dead Redemption 2, Florence, and Return of the Obra Dinn. Celeste, meanwhile, is up for five awards.
The awards are voted on by BAFTA membership. The only award decided by the public is Mobile Game of the Year, which you can vote for here. The nominees for that are Brawl Stars, Clash Royale, Fortnite, Old School Runescape, Pokemon Go, and Roblox.
You can see the full list of nominees below. Which games do you think should win? Let us know in the comments!
BAFTA Game Awards Nominations 2019
Artistic Achievement
Detroit: Become Human
Gris
God of War
Spider-Man
Red Dead Redemption 2
Return of the Obra Dinn
Audio Achievement
Battlefield V
Detroit: Become Human
God of War
Spider-Man
Red Dead Redemption 2
Tetris Effect
Best Game
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
Celeste
God of War
Red Dead Redemption 2
Return of the Obra Dinn
British Game
11-11: Memories Retold
Forza Horizon 4
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Room: Old Sins
Overcooked 2
Two Point Hospital
Debut Game
Beat Saber
Cultist Simulator
Donut County
Florence
Gris
Yoku's Island Express
Evolving Game
Destiny 2
Elite Dangerous
Fortnite
Overwatch
Sea of Thieves
Rainbow Six Siege
Family
Lego The Incredibles
Nintendo Labo
Overcooked 2
Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu / Eevee
Super Mario Party
Yoku's Island Express
Game Beyond Entertainment
11: Memories Retold
Celeste
Florence
Life is Strange 2
My Child Lebensborn
Nintendo Labo
Game Design
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
Celeste
God of War
Into the Breach
Minit
Return of the Obra Dinn
Game Innovation
Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
Celeste
Cultist Simulator
Moss
Nintendo Labo
Return of the Obra Dinn
Mobile Game
Alto's Odyssey
Brawl Stars
Donut County
Florence
Reigns: Game of Thrones
The Room: Old Sins
Multiplayer
A Way Out
Battlefield V
Overcooked 2
Sea of Thieves
Super Mario Party
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Music
Celeste
Far Cry 5
Florence
God of War
Gris
Tetris Effect
Narrative
Florence
Frostpunk
God of War
Spider-Man
Red Dead Redemption 2
Return of the Obra Dinn
Original Property
Dead Cells
Florence
Into the Breach
Moss
Return of the Obra Dinn
Subnautica
Performer
Christopher Judge as Kratos in God of War
Danielle Bisutti as Freya in God of War
Jeremy Davies as The Stranger in God of War
Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra in Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan in Read Dead Redemption 2
The new trailer for Avengers: Endgame is here. The hugely anticipated follow-up to last year's blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters next month, and it's directed once more by Joe and Anthony Russo.
The trailer starts much the same as the last one, with Tony Stark floating in space, feeling lonely and regretful. It then shows us a black-and-white montage of the remaining Avengers, all mourning the loss of their colleagues following the shocking climax of Infinity War. But our heroes aren't going to stand by and let Thanos claim victory, so set about forming a plan to bring their friends back. It also features an appearance from Captain Marvel, some cool Avengers spacesuits, some new hairdos, and more. Check it out above--and see the latest poster at the end of this story and a breakdown of the latest trailer.
Avengers: Endgame releases on April 26, 2019. Virtually all the major actors from the MCU are set to return, so that means Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, and so on. It had been rumored that this might be the last Marvel movie for some of the MCU's longest-running stars--in particular Evans--but nothing has been confirmed about their future in the franchise. We do know Endgame will be followed by Spider-Man: Far From Home in July.
In related news, Captain Marvel hits theaters last week. It has proved to be another huge success for the studio--for more, check out the biggest questions we have after seeing Captain Marvel. We've also got a roundup of Captain Marvel Easter eggs and a breakdown of the post-credits scenes.
The commercial disappointment of 2017's Alien Covenant might have made the future of the classic sci-fi/horror series uncertain, but fans still have plenty to look forward to this year. It's now 40 years since the release of the original movie, and to mark this anniversary, Fox has produced a series of short Alien films.
The six shorts are set to screen at three comic conventions this month, and a trailer has now been released. The shorts are a result of a collaboration between Fox and crowdsourced studio Tongal, who choose six ideas from over 500 pitches submitted by fans.
All six take the classic claustrophobic deep space set-up of the first film. They include "Alone," in which an abandoned crewmember on a derelict hauler finds hidden cargo, "Containment," about four survivors trapped in an escape pod, and "Harvest," where a crew have just minutes to escape from a ship before it is destroyed. Check the trailer out below.
The first four shorts will screen at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle on March 15 and Chicago's C2E2 in Chicago on March 23, while the remaining two can be seen at WonderCon in Los Angeles on March 30. The Wondercon screenings will also be followed by a moderated panel with the filmmakers. For those not able to make the convention screenings, the films are set to be released weekly by IGN, starting on March 30.
These shorts will mark the final Alien releases by Fox. The deal between Disney and Fox which sees the former take over Fox's entertainment assets is set to be completed next week, meaning the Alien franchise joins the likes of Predator, Avatar, and the X-Men at Disney. Prior to the release of Covenant, director Ridley Scott was speaking about making another movie in the series, but it's now no longer clear when we'll see another Alien movie.
A new update for Epic's popular battle royale game Fortnite will introduce a button that allows players to undo a purchase. This is above and beyond Epic's earlier plan to introduce a refund token system. With the "undo" button, players will be able to do just that--undo a purchase. However, there is a small catch.
After making a purchase, you can undo it within a five-minute time window. Another thing to be aware of is that you won't be able to use the undo functionality if you start a match after the purchase.
Explaining the new feature on Reddit, an Epic engineering developer said, "We neither want to add friction for players nor do we want to benefit from accidental purchases or players regretting a purchase."
"As an ongoing iteration, we are going to introduce an 'undo' button to the store page that allows you to easily refund without using up a token within a 5-minute time window, assuming you haven't started a match since purchase," it added.
There is no word on when the "undo" button will be added to Fortnite.
As a free-to-play game, Fortnite relies in part on microtransactions for its sustained growth and to fund new features and content over time. The game reportedly makes lots and lots of money from microtransactions, and it's nice to see the developer now taking steps to help those who accidentally buy something.
Overwatch's newest hero, Baptiste, will arrive for everyone next week. Blizzard announced today that Baptiste will launch on the game's live servers on March 19.
Here's a new sizzle reel that Blizzard released to hype the announcement:
Everyone sign their life insurance policies? đź—¸ Baptiste reports for duty 03.19.19 pic.twitter.com/jo7LMmftik
Overwatch's 30th hero, Baptiste is a combat medic who serves as a support class in Blizzard's hero shooter. His primary weapon is the Biotic Launcher, which is a burst-fire rifle that fires three rounds at a time. His secondary fire heals allies. He also jump extra high thanks to his powerful Exo Boots.
Check out the video in the embed above to see Baptiste in action.
Now that The Division 2 is rolling out, we've quickly discovered some Easter Eggs, and of them relates to other Ubisoft games.
At a certain point early in the game, you'll unlock an upgrade to the Theatre Settlement that helps bring joy to the apocalypse through the art of video games. To boost morale, a video game section of the Settlement becomes unlocked. And wouldn't you guess it, but the children have decided to play none other than Ubisoft's sword-fighting game For Honor.
Not only that, but in another nod to a Ubisoft game, there is a Grow Home board game clearly visible on the table. You can see images of the Easter Eggs embedded in this post.
The Division 2 is a very big game, and it surely contains other Easter Eggs that have not yet been discovered. For reference, the first game had an Easter Egg related to Chris Farley's beloved "Van Down By The River" sketch from Saturday Night Live.
The Division 2's Gold and Ultimate Editions are available now, while the standard version launches on March 15. GameSpot is currently playing through the game, and while our full review is coming later, you can read our early impressions here.
It appears Lucasfilm is gearing up to make some announcements about Star Wars: Episode IX. The company has confirmed that a panel dedicated to the upcoming film will be held during the Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago next month.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams will appear on the panel, but that's all we know for sure. The panel will feature "surprises and special guests," according to the latest episode of the Star Wars Show. It's unknown if any of the cast will appear on the panel or if we'll finally get a trailer.
The panel will take place on Friday, April 12, and thankfully it'll be streamed live. Episode IX is the final instalment in what's called the "Skywalker Saga."
It was originally expected to be directed by Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow, who had a different vision. Abrams, you may recall, directed 2015's The Force Awakens.
Episode IX was initially announced with a May 2019 release date, but Lucasfilm delayed the film to December following the change of directors. It may be for the best, as Disney already has a massive release in Avengers: Endgame coming in late-April.
Episode IX brings back Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, and John Boyega, while Keri Russell, Dominic Monaghan, and Richard E. Grant are making their Star Wars franchise debuts with the new film.
It's not just Episode IX that may get revealed at Star Wars Celebration. The new third-person Star Wars game from Apex Legends developer Respawn, Jedi Fallen Order, will be formally unveiled at the show--so keep checking back for more!
Following the Overwatch League that launched in 2017, Activision is creating another city-based professional gaming league focused around Call of Duty. ESPN has more information about the league, including how much it may cost to set up a new franchise. According to sources speaking to ESPN, Activision is charging a franchise fee of $25 million per team. That's higher than the reported $20 million fee that Activision charged for Overwatch League teams.
The report says existing Overwatch League team owners get first dibs on negotiations for Call of Duty teams in their existing home markets.
ESPN's sources said Activision Blizzard executives have recently sat down with potential buyers; none were named outright, but some are said to be established Call of Duty pro teams and those who are already invested in Overwatch League.
The new Call of Duty pro league is rumoured to begin in 2020, though Activision has yet to make any official announcements. The company has not commented on ESPN's report about the franchise fee and other details.
Activision already operates the Call of Duty World League, but this new league would be more significant, and, as mentioned feature a city-based structure like the Overwatch League and traditional sports leagues around the world.
After a debut season that Activision deemed successful, the Overwatch League's 2019 season began in February. The league added eight new teams and almost 100 new players for the new season. It has teams in cities around the world, in places like London, New York, Boston, Seoul, Shanghai, and Atlanta. The players earn a minimum salary of $50,000 USD per year, and they stand to make much more from competitive earnings, along with endorsement deals.
The Overwatch League attracted big-name investors, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and New York Mets owner Jeff Wilpon.
If you've been needing to bulk up your wardrobe, now's the time: ThinkGeek is running a major sale on all T-shirts this week where buying two shirts will get you a third one for free. All you have to do is add three T-shirts to your cart and use the promo code B2G1TEE, and the price of one shirt will be discounted. If you select shirts of different prices, the cheapest one will be free (luckily, most of these shirts are around the same price). You'll notice some of these shirts are already discounted, and they're all included in the buy two, get one free sale.
From collared button-downs to casual tees, there are plenty of solid options to choose from, and they're all officially licensed merchandise. ThinkGeek is known for carrying a vast selection of merch from practically any fandom, and that's reflected in this sale, where you'll find tees repping a ton of different interests. Some (but not all) of the games, shows, and movies included:
Captain Marvel
Dungeons & Dragons
Star Wars
The Legend of Zelda
Fortnite
Overwatch
Spider-Man
Deadpool
Dragon Ball Z
Futurama
Pokemon
Ready Player One
Rick and Morty
The Incredibles
Check out a few of our favorite options below, and head to ThinkGeek to shop the entire T-shirt sale. The sale ends March 17 at 8:59 PM PT / 11:59 PM ET. Due to ThinkGeek's store-wide Pi Day sale, the buy two, get one free deal will be paused on Thursday, March 14, but resume on Friday and continue through the weekend.
Update: Battlefield V's Firestorm reveal trailer has gone live. Along with giving us our first real look at the highly anticipated battle royale mode, developer DICE has confirmed when the mode will launch on PS4, Xbox One, and PC: Monday, March 25. You can watch the new trailer below. The original story follows.
Battlefield V's third chapter of content, Trial by Fire, kicks off later this month, and one of the most anticipated features it'll bring to the game is Firestorm, Battlefield V's take on battle royale. Developer DICE hasn't yet announced when Firestorm will go live, but we'll get our first real look at the mode very soon.
DICE is broadcasting Firestorm's reveal trailer tomorrow, March 14. We don't yet know how long the video will be or what it will showcase, but it's scheduled to go live at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. You'll be able to tune in right here on GameSpot and watch the trailer via the embed below.
While tomorrow's trailer will provide our first official look at Firestorm, fans got an early look at the mode recently when Firestorm's tutorial video recently leaked online. According to that video, the mode will support Solo, Duo, and Squads options, and just as in other battle royale games, each match will begin with players parachuting out of a plane, then scrambling to find weapons and other items to help them survive.
EA has previously said that Firestorm will support up to 64 players. Unlike the rest of the game, the mode isn't developed by DICE, but rather Criterion, the studio behind the Need for Speed series. The mode derives its name from the ring of fire that gradually closes in on the battlefield as matches progress.
In the meantime, the final event of Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes, dubbed Unstoppable Force, is now live. Along with two Weekly Challenges, the event brings back the fan-favorite Rush mode, but it'll only be around until March 20.
Gearbox recently teased something that is almost certainly Borderlands 3, and now it has issued a second teaser for another game. This time the studio was less coy, outright stating that it will be showing the new game at PAX.
But while the first hint was relatively clear--the number three on a dusty road, suggesting Borderlands 3 news--this one is decidedly less so. It does state that this is "another game," so it's not just another clue for Borderlands, but other than that it's just a stark scene. In it we can see some kind of machine or robot hooked up to wires in a laboratory.
Speculation has ranged from something to do with We Happy Few to a new Duke Nukem to an entirely new IP. Whatever it is, it's likely to be unveiled during Gearbox's panel in panel at PAX East's biggest hall. That panel, to take place on March 28, promises "never-before-seen reveals, exclusives, and surprises." It will also be live streamed for those not attending the Boston, MA event.
Gearbox's first teaser was said to be a likely factor in Take-Two stock ticking upwards, which was then bolstered further by an unfounded rumor that Sony was discussing a possible acquisition of the publisher. That report was erroneous, however, and the stock price seems to be increased from where it had been, but stabilizing lower than its peak.
The Division 2 is here, now available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC if you've bought one of the game's special editions. An online action role-playing game, The Division 2 places an emphasis on squad-based combat, with teammates firing from cover and working together to take down groups of enemies. Which isn't to say, you can't tackle The Division 2's world alone. If you want to be a lone wolf who traverses the violent streets of Washington DC, you can.
Taking place seven months after the events of the first game, The Division 2 reworks its predecessor's loot-focused shooter gameplay. Enemies still take more bullets to go down than what's believable, but they're not the bullet sponges found in The Division. Ubisoft has also crafted The Division 2 to have a greater focus on endgame play, incorporating more than one Dark Zone, powerful late-game loot, and raids--which can be tackled with up to eight players. From what we've seen so far, The Division 2 seems to improve upon its predecessor's format in every way. So if you missed 2016's The Division, you might want to consider picking up its sequel.
What You Need To Know
The Division 2 is the follow-up to 2016's The Division, continuing the story of a broken US after a smallpox epidemic struck the country on Black Friday 2015. With the country falling apart, the US government activates the sleeper agents that work for the Strategic Homeland Division, who have been secretly living amongst the populace for years. Division agents are ordered to aid humanitarian efforts and emergency responders, as well as respond to emerging criminal groups with highly advanced military grade hardware and weaponry. The first game took place in New York City in the winter following the outbreak, while The Division 2 moves the setting to the country's capital, Washington DC, in the spring.
Release Date And Price
The Division 2's official release date is March 15, but the game has technically already come out via its staggered launch schedule. Pre-ordering the standard edition of The Division 2 gets you the game on March 15. It's also the cheapest version of the game, with a retail price of $60 USD. You can play the game right now by buying the Gold and Ultimate editions of the game--the former has a retail cost of $110 while the latter goes for $120. There are also Dark Zone Definitive and Phoenix Shield editions of the game as well, which are the Ultimate edition plus physical collectibles. The Dark Zone Definitive Edition has a retail price of $190 and Phoenix Shield goes for $250.
Review
We don't have a full review of The Division 2 yet, but GameSpot editor and senior video producer Edmond Tran has compiled his initial impressions of the game before publishing a full review. "But it's only been a day, and I've only played for about ten hours," Edmond writes. "I've finished 27% of the primary missions and my character is level 12 out of a possible 30. A lot of my observations here might not be particularly groundbreaking if you spent a large amount of time with the original The Division or The Division 2 beta, but there's still a lot of the campaign left to see, and an allegedly enormous endgame. It's important that I take the time to get to that point and see everything for myself, and I'm eager to see whether The Division 2 will still have the chops to keep me hooked when I hit the level cap and stop having a story to chase. Back to sightseeing, for now."
Our Impressions
We've kept an eye on The Division 2 since its announcement, and had our first opportunity to publish impressions for the game during E3 2018. Below, you'll find the list of some features we've done for The Division 2.
If you just want a taste of The Division 2, watch the first eight minutes of the game below. We've also captured gameplay for what it's like to hunt other players in The Division 2's Dark Zones.
One of Destiny's most notorious guns was Thorn, a hand cannon that became the blight of the competitive mode known as the Crucible. Players who had it, loved it--the gun basically infected anyone hit by its bullets with poison, resulting in players getting kills even after they'd already lost a battle. Needless to say, anyone who didn't have Thorn hated it. Now, Destiny most-loved and most-hated gun is finally making its way into Destiny 2.
The Thorn Exotic weapon quest is part of the Jokers Wild content expansion from Destiny 2's Annual Pass, and dropped with the March 12 weekly reset. It not only brings Thorn back into the Destiny world, it continues a bunch of lines of the story of the Drifter, the weird, possibly evil guy who runs Destiny 2's Gambit multiplayer mode. Thorn is the gun wielded by the legendary bad guy Dredgen Yor, who was finally defeated by Shin Malphur with his legendary gun, The Last Word. Last season, players got The Last Word, as well as some hints that the Hive were working to recreate Thorn. It looks like they might have succeeded, and that'll likely have some more story implications going forward as well. Check out our lore rundown for the full skinny on Thorn and The Last Word.
Like other recent Exotic quests in Destiny 2, capturing your very own Thorn is a pretty lengthy endeavor. It's going to require some grinding, although this time, Destiny 2 has made things a bit easier by adding options: in many steps, you can either play events like Nightfall Strikes or Escalation Protocol, or you can head to the Crucible and earn your Thorn through battles with other players. There's still one big Crucible step that's going to take a while to work through, though.
Here's everything you need to know to get yourself Thorn, including where to start, and plenty of tips to speed up the process.
Go Find A Broken Thorn
Before you can start the quest, you have to find the remnants of a Shadow of Yor's weapon. You can do that by locating Shin Malphur's camp, which is hinted at in one of the lore items related to Aunor, the Warlock who's been sending you messages in Season 6 to warn you about the Drifter. To get it, you'll need to head to Trostland in the EDZ. Check out our written description for some help, or watch the video above.
Once you get the Melted Hunk of Metal from the camp, take it to Banshee-44 for your next step.
Gathering Materials: The Essence
Next, you'll need to gather several kinds of materials to rebuild the gun. The first requires Hadronic Essence, a material Warlocks used to use to upgrade their stuff. To get those items, you'll need to kill Warlocks in the Crucible, complete bounties on Io, or complete Nightfall Strikes. You'll move the fastest if you do Nightfalls: each completion will net you 15 Hadronic Essence, so four runs will complete the step. If you prefer bounties or Crucible, things will go a bit slower, with bounties and Warlock kills earning you five essence Hadronic Essence each.
The Steel
If you figured that after Warlock materials you'd need to get some from Titans and Hunters, you were right. The next step requires Plasteel, another material from Destiny grinds past. These you can get from bounties on Titan, killing Titans in the Crucible, and from completing the Blind Well event in the Dreaming City. As with the last step, bounties and kills yielded five Plasteel each, while the Blind Well was quicker--it kicked out 10 Plasteel with each Heroic completion. You need 50 in total, so five Blind Wells will do it, and this is a good chance to check off your Gateway Between Worlds weekly bounty from Petra as well.
The Wire
The last item you need comes from Hunters: Sapphire Wire. This one will take you to Mars if you're going the PvE route, where you'll need to complete Escalation Protocol levels. Of all the PvE approaches, Escalation Protocol is the slowest, yielding only 5 Sapphire Wire for each level you complete. However, combine it with two bounties from Ana Bray and you can complete the step with one complete Escalation Protocol run, which includes seven levels, since bounties also yield 5 Wire each. You can also head to the Crucible and kill Hunters, but with so many people working on Thorn, it seems like EP is the quicker way to go.
Weaponize The Unknown
Once you've finished your work rebuilding Thorn, you'll need to infuse it with Light to make it more than just a gun. As is usually the case with these sorts of things, that means heading to the Crucible and grinding kills.
There's good news here, and bad news. The bad news is that you'll need a lot of kills, although just how many depends on what you decide to take with you. The quest requires either hand cannon kills or Void kills, and you can combine progress with a Void hand cannon if you have one. You'll also get quicker progress in either the Competitive play mode or the Iron Banner--although that means waiting for IB to show up. Competitive also feels like a bad option for most players, thanks to game types like Survival that result in slower matches and fewer kills. If your skills are up for it, though, Competitive will give you the quickest progress (and you might advance some of those various Crucible Pinnacle weapon bounties if you're still working on those).
The good news, however, is that you can die and lose all you want without losing progress, so you should just go wild on Void stuff and try to rack up as many kills as possible. It seems you'll need around 200 kills with Void hand cannons in the Valor group of matches, and around 300 kills with Void weapons that aren't hand cannons, or hand cannons that aren't Void. Note that you also need to make sure yours are the final blows that kill enemies for them to count toward Thorn. You also get faster progress if you can manage precision kill streaks with Void hand cannons, so equip a helmet with hand cannon targeting if you can.
Savathun's Song
After you finally grind through the Crucible, you'll need to head to the Farm on Earth. Remember that? It was the social area while the Tower was captured during the Destiny 2 story campaign. There, you'll visit Tyra Karn, the Farm's Cryptarch, for your next Thorn step.
That'll leave you with one last challenge: an amped-up version of the Savathun's Song Strike, an annoyingly tough version of an old standby. The modifiers here are killers. There's Blackout, which means you'll be dealing with no radar and extremely deadly enemy melees, and Harsh Elements, which increases the damage from elemental attacks--which means basically all of them. Staying alive is the big challenge throughout the Strike, so get a full fireteam and take it slow; even if you're over-leveled, this one is tough. You'll find a lot more Shriekers in this one, and with Harsh Elements they can take you down very quickly, so carry something like Jotunn to knock them out.
It's the final room of the Strike that's given us the most difficulty. It's the usual Savathun's Song fight, which is tough because of the modifiers but definitely doable. Your big priority here, surprisingly, is the elimination of Thralls, because unchecked, they will definitely wipe your squad before you realize you're being attacked. The really hard part is the last phase, when Savathun's Song warps to the back of the arena. At that point, two major Hive knights will spawn in that you must defeat in order to get credit for the Strike--no killing Savathun's Song early.
At this point, it becomes a war of attrition and your major focus should be on staying alive. Kill Thralls and try to shoot down Savathun's Song's floating explosive orbs, which will track you around corners and blow you up. Thralls will keep coming so keep your eyes open, then try to blast the two Knights with Supers. Our most effective approach was to focus fire on one to eliminate it, regroup, and then go for the other. We suggest going after the one on the left first, which will circle around and shoot you from the side in the areas where cover is most effective for this fight. Once the Knights are eliminated, grab the orb and dunk it on the boss. If things are going badly, try to take cover, eliminate Thralls, and wait for a clear chance to respawn your team. A Warlock with Well of Radiance can really help here, and a Hunter who can go invisible to make some clutch revives is recommended as well.
Complete the Strike and Thorn is yours. It's a great addition to your Crucible loadout--you might have been killed by it a few times in your quest to earn your own--but note that it's not quite the Light-eating powerhouse it was in Destiny 1, so don't get too cocky.
With all eyes on Avengers: Endgame, it's clear that big changes are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, it's hard to know exactly what those changes will be. While some future projects have already been revealed--including new Spider-Man and Doctor Strange movies, a Black Widow prequel, and shows on the Disney+ streaming service--there are big pieces of the MCU that remain a mystery.
In the midst of all of that, though, Marvel looks to be introducing new characters to the fold as it continues to build out its superhero universe. One of those characters, "Master of Kung Fu" Shang-Chi, was previously revealed to be getting his own standalone movie. This will be the studio's first film featuring an Asian actor in the lead. Though no release date has been announced, a director for the film has been found. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Destin Daniel Cretton will helm the project, with Wonder Woman 1984 screenwriter Dave Callaham handling the script. The Shang-Chi movie hasn't been cast, though THR reports Marvel is planning to put together a largely Asian and Asian-American ensemble.
While this will be Cretton's first superhero film, the director has some impressive credits to his name. He previously served as writer and director on the movies Short Term 12 and The Glass Castle, both of which starred Captain Marvel's Brie Larson. He's currently working on his newest project, Just Mercy. The film sees him teaming once again with Larson, as well as Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan.
As for how Shang-Chi will fit into the larger MCU, that should be an interesting hurdle to tackle. In the comics, the character has the superhuman ability to create duplicates of himself, which could be useful when an army of heroes are needed. Beyond that, it's simply his mastery of the martial arts that makes Shang-Chi stand out. While he may not shoot photon blasts or be able to fly, he has more than held his own against superhuman villains in the past.
Before we get to Shang-Chi, though, there's lots to come from the MCU, whether it's Avengers: Endgame or the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home. Whatever the case, it's clear that Marvel's not going anywhere and that's an exciting thing.
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