EA has announced the next update for Anthem is now live. This update patches Anthem's loot system--specifically buffing the drop rates for Masterwork and Legendary items. The full patch notes are listed on EA's website.
The new update has taken immediate effect on the server-side of Anthem so you don't have to actually download anything. If you boot up Anthem right now, the update should have already taken effect. Because of the update, drop rates for all Masterwork and Legendary items have been increased on Grandmaster 2 and Grandmaster 3 difficulties. Across all difficulties, Masterwork and Legendary items now have a higher chance of dropping from Anthem's harder enemies--which includes Legendary and Epic Titans, Legendary Furies, Legendary Acid Ursixes, and Legendary Luminary Elders.
This new update comes out after BioWare community manager Jesse Anderson put together a lengthy response to a Reddit post that expressed concerns with Anthem. "All I'll say on this is that Anthem is here to stay. Do we have a lot of work to do to fix parts of the game? Yes, and the team is committed to making improvements and releasing new content," Anderson wrote. Anthem did not have the smoothest launch--releasing to mediocre review scores. BioWare even implemented a patch that accidentally fixed a bug that players wanted to stay in the game. However, BioWare seems to be taking most of the criticism in stride, and has repeatedly released follow-up hotfixes and large scale patches for the game in response to community complaints--which Anderson also pointed out in his Reddit post.
"For feedback, we've made a large number of changes based on what players have told us. Not wanting to run to the Forge every time to launch an expedition? We added the ability to launch anywhere in Fort Tarsis, that was because of player feedback. Wanted to visually see loot drop from bosses in Strongholds? Added because of player feedback," Anderson wrote. "If you are talking about feedback on loot in general...I've already said that the team is discussing and that more will be likely be shared in the coming days. I know everyone wants to know when, but I don't have that answer." He continued, "Like Chad Robertson said in a tweet, we aren't happy with where loot is either, so know that it's high on our priority list."
In our Anthem review, Kallie Plagge gave the game a 6/10, writing, "Anthem has good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution. It's a co-op game that works best with no one talking; it buries genuinely interesting character moments and puts its most incomprehensible story bits at the forefront; its combat is exciting until you get to the boss fights and find your wings have been clipped. Even the simple, exhilarating act of flying is frequently interrupted by the limitations of your javelin, and you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment--of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you'll inevitably come crashing back down."
James Gunn has certainly been on a roller coaster of a ride with Disney and his role on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. First, he was fired. Then, Disney wouldn't hire him back. Then, Gunn's script was going to be used. Now, Gunn has been hired back to direct.
Shockingly, Disney has changed its tune about Gunn, according to Deadline. He will both write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which currently does not have a release date.
Back in July 2018, Gunn was fired by Disney when controversial tweets, from many years prior, resurfaced where Gunn made joked about pedophilia and rape. Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn said, "The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him."
In the aftermath, many of the movie's stars had Gunn's back. Most vocal was Dave Bautista, although the entire cast penned a passionate letter in Gunn's defense. Meanwhile, Horn met with Gunn to discuss Gunn's role multiple times, and the chairman found he was persuaded by Gunn's public apology to reinstate him in the third movie.
Gunn has kept himself busy in the meantime, producing the upcoming May horror film Brightburn. Additionally, he will be writing and directing DC's Suicide Squad sequel, set to come out in 2021, which Will Smith recently dropped out of. Idris Elba will replace him as Deadshot.
This is big news for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as both Guardians of the Galaxy movies were massive hits. The first film brought in $773 million, while Vol. 2 raked in $863 million and helped expand the MCU by telling stories that took place in the cosmos. However, don't expect Vol. 3 any time soon. With Suicide Squad 2 expected to begin production later this year, we probably won't see Vol. 3 until 2022.
If you own a PlayStation console and enjoy online multiplayer games, you're probably well-familiar with PS Plus, PlayStation's annual membership subscription that grants access to online multiplayer in games like Overwatch, Monster Hunter World, or Diablo III. While PS Plus membership is usually priced at $60 per year, it's cheaper than ever for a limited amount of time. From now until March 26, you can sign up for (or re-purchase) PS Plus for only $45 (25% off).
The PlayStation Store is offering this deal as part of its Great Indoors Sale this month, which also features games up to 75% off with PS Plus. So once you snag a membership, you can pick up a bunch of games for even cheaper.
If you're already a PS Plus member, you're also allowed to stack subscriptions, so you can still take advantage of the discount and save money in the long-term. Even if PlayStation launches a new console in the next few years (as it's rumored to), your PS Plus subscriptions will likely be valid on that platform.
Notably, PS Plus is also discounted at third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop, likely to price-match the PlayStation Store's current deal. So if you prefer to shop at those stores, you can get the same exact deal, and still swing back over to the PlayStation Store for its latest PS Plus game deals.
Besides access to online multiplayer, PS Plus membership comes with free monthly game downloads (March's free games are available now), better discounts on everyday deals, and online game saves (with 1 GB of online storage for PS4, 1 GB for PS3, and 1 GB for PS Vita).
Xur has returned to Destiny 2 once again, and for the second time in as many weeks, the weekend Exotic vendor has new things to offer. Not only does he have another Forsaken Exotic for Warlocks looking to complete their collections, but he's offering the first Invitation of the Nine, a special bounty that gives new information about Xur's enigmatic masters.
You'll find Xur on Titan this week, hanging out in a small shed on The Rig. Head north from the spawn point and check in a small building toward the edge of the platform. There you can purchase Crimson, a phenomenal Exotic hand cannon that fires a burst of three shots at a time. Kills with Crimson heal you, and precision kills refill the magazine, making it a pretty devastating weapon, especially in Crucible. Crimson is a great hand cannon to take with you on the lengthy Crucible grind if you're working on the quest to get the new Exotic hand cannon Thorn--check out our guide for some handy tips, including where to find the start of the Thorn quest.
For armor, Warlocks win this week with a Forsaken Exotic after missing out on getting one last week. It's Chromatic Fire, a chest armor piece that makes precision kills with your Kinetic weapon detonate enemies with elemental blasts. For Titans, there's Wormgod Caress, a set of gauntlets that increase your melee damage for every melee kill you get, with streaks lengthening the effect's duration. Finally, Hunters can snag the Orpheus Rig Exotic boots, which gives you more shots in the Moebius Quiver version of the Shadowshot super, and gives you ability energy for every enemy tethered by it.
Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they'll cost you:
Chromatic Fire (Exotic Warlock Chest Armor) -- 23 Legendary Shards
You can also buy a Fated Engram, if you can afford it. Dropping 97 Legendary Shards on the item will grant you one Year One Exotic you don't already have for that character. Xur also offers the Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.
Xur is also packing an Invitation From the Nine, a bounty that's new with the Jokers Wild expansion content. The first one requires players to farm enemies in the Lake of Shadows Strike, and you can expect a new one every week. The goal is to finish off nine of them to earn some special rewards.
As the SXSW Gaming Festival kicks off today in Austin, there's another way the rest of us who aren't there can get in on the fun (well, sort of): by heading to Steam. The Texas Sale from SXSW Gaming has kicked off, so now until Sunday, March 17, you can get discounts as high as 75% off on an amazing batch of games. Here's a quick look at the best deals:
Both Borderlands and Borderlands 2 are 75% off right now, and with Gearbox Software teasing an announcement for Borderlands 3 at this year's PAX East, there's no better time to dive in and get acquainted with this stellar series. While Borderlands' standard edition isn't on sale, its Game of the Year edition is for just $7.49; meanwhile, Borderlands 2 is only $5.
On sale for just $3.29, Dishonored is an absolute steal right now. The stealth action game is set in a city struck by plague and full of infected citizens, and your character is an assassin named Corvo, who is pursuing revenge.
Prey is marked down 50%, so you can get it for just $15 this weekend. The survival horror first-person shooter is set in a space station that's been overrun by hostile aliens, and you play as a character named Morgan, who must explore the station and attempt to escape.
Packed with adrenaline-pumping action, the 2016 reboot of Doom is marked down to just $15 (25% off) this weekend. Playing as a space marine, you'll battle your way through Hell while fighting literal demons using a variety of different guns and other weapons.
The entire Banner Saga series is on sale too, both individually and with a few different bundle options. The strategy RPG, which is deeply impacted by players' choices, is set in a world inspired by Viking legends and centers around a war between humans and an ancient race known as the Dredge.
Have you burned through all of Amazon Prime Video's movies and TV shows? If so, tell me your secret. Anyway, April is right around the corner, and that means there will be tons of new content to binge. If you have Hulu, the list for April is out as well.
On April 1, Amazon is dropping most of its offerings for the month. There are plenty of movies of note, including all three Blade movies, but you might want to skip Blade: Trinity. It's bad, but the first one still holds up. The Marvel character help kick off the new renaissance of superhero movies, and the movie features Wesley Snipes as a vampire hunter, doing what he does best.
Speaking of vampires (what a transition!), also hitting the service on April Fool's Day is the Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt classic Interview With The Vampire. The movie is about a journalist, who interviews a vampire, who tells his story of life, love, and betrayal. If that's too much for you, then you could also watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, which features wrestling superstar Kevin Nash as Super Shredder.
There are a few Prime original series hitting the service that month as well. The most notable is Season 2 of The Tick, and the first season of which was a lot of fun. On April 5, the Tick and his partner Arthur continue their fight against crime, and it's just as silly as the original comic book series and Fox animated series.
Below, you'll find the full list of everything coming to Amazon Prime Video fro the month of April.
Coming To Amazon Prime Video In April
April 1
Murder, She Wrote, Seasons 1-5
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Addams Family Values (1993)
An Invited Guest (1999)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
Blade (1998)
Blade II (2002)
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Blown Away (1994)
Case 39 (2009)
Days of Thunder (1990)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Die Another Day (2002)
Dragonslayer (2011)
Escape from L.A. (1996)
An Everlasting Piece (2000)
Everything Must Go (2010)
Foxfire (1996)
Funny About Love (1990)
Goldfinger (1964)
In a World... (2013)
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Law of the Lawless (1964)
Liberty Stands Still (2002)
Little Monsters (1989)
Live and Let Die (1973)
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Octopussy (1983)
Primal Fear (1996)
Racing with the Moon (1984)
Sharkwater Extinction (2018)
Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
Starsky & Hutch (2004)
Stories We Tell (2012)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
The specific running times of individual episodes is rarely discussed in the build-up to a new season of a TV show--but most shows aren't Game of Thrones. For more than a year there has been much speculation about how long each of the six episodes of the show's eighth and final season will be. HBO has now revealed these running times ahead of the season's April 14 premiere.
The length of the first two episodes was confirmed last week, and both clocked in at just under an hour. However, as expected, the next four run much longer. All of them are around the 80 minute mark, which supports HBO boss Richard Plepler's description of the final season as like "watching a movie". The estimated runnings times are as follows:
Episode 1: 54 mins (April 14)
Episode 2: 58 mins (April 21)
Episode 3: 82 mins (April 28)
Episode 4: 78 mins (May 5)
Episode 5: 80 mins (May 12)
Episode 6: 80 mins (May 19)
The full trailer for Game of Thrones Season 8 was released last week. It focuses on setting up the the epic battle against the Night King and his army of the dead at Winterfell--for more insight, check out GameSpot's trailer breakdown.
Although Game of Thrones is nearing the end, there is a prequel spin-off on the way. X-Men: First Class' Jane Goldman will serve as showrunner and has developed the story with creator George RR Martin. The show is expected to start filming early this summer, and premiere in 2020 or 2021.
Hello Games has announced its next big expansion for No Man's Sky. The "Beyond" update is slated for this summer and will be free to all players. It was accompanied by a brief trailer showing a hanger, the title, and not much more.
A blog post introducing the update says that Hello Games had planned three large features, and ultimately decided to roll them all into one expansion. Though two of those are remaining under wraps for the time being, the first component the team is outlining is called No Man's Sky Online. The newly revised online component will allow players to meet up and play together more easily, but the studio cautions that it doesn't consider this a shift to an MMO. It will remain free for all players, won't contain microtransactions, and won't require a subscription (aside from Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus on consoles).
As for the other pieces of Beyond, Hello says it will "talk more about each component when we know we can be precise."
Last year, No Man's Sky had a large-scale update called Next that served as a major overhaul, and earned it a spot among our best expansions of 2018. Since then it's gotten a steady stream of content updates, like The Abyss that added more underwater exploration, and Visions with a host of new biomes, flora, and fauna. Beyond appears to be scaled similarly to Next.
The game has come a long way from its initial release, which was criticized for not quite meeting its lofty ambitions. Part of that was simply not fulfilling some of the promotion surrounding the game, so the blog's comment about not opening up about pieces of Beyond yet seems as if Hello has learned how to manage expectations.
April is almost here, and that means there is new content coming to streaming services like Hulu. The click-and-play online subscription service is primarily known for giving users the ability to watch TV series the day after it airs, but has since become a way to stream live TV as well as watch replays, movies, and whole TV seasons.
Next month, Hulu is unloading plenty of movies, and the roster looks pretty great. On April 1, both Addams Family movies come to the service. The series follows a weird, gothic family living in the '90s that does what they want to do and says what they want to say. Also, it spawned an MC Hammer song and music video that has been stuck in my head for over 20 years.
Additionally, Dragonslayer comes out that day. "What's Dragonslayer?" We discussed the movie last month, as it's the most mature movie ever released by Disney. This was during the time where the company was experimenting with more adult content during the late '70s and early '80s. The film follows a wizard apprentice who goes on a journey to take down a dragon who has been terrorizing the kingdom of Urland.
If you're one who enjoys anime, there are a couple of fantastic selections you'll want to watch. On April 2, the second season of One-Punch Man hits--pun intended--Hulu. The series follows a hero who is incredibly powerful and grows bored finding a worthy opponent. One-Punch Man is on the lighter side of anime and pretty funny. If you're looking for something to crush your soul, then look no further than April 28 when part 2 of Season 3 of Attack on Titan comes to Hulu. The series features cities being attacked by giants who eat the inhabitants, including main characters. Don't get attached to anyone.
Below, you'll find a full list of everything coming to and leaving Hulu for the month of April.
Everything Coming To Hulu In April
Available April 1
Alone: Complete Season 5 (History Channel)
Ancient Aliens: Complete Seasons 1, 2, 3, 13 (History Channel)
Behind Bars: Rookie Year: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
Born Behind Bars: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
Cults and Extreme Belief: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
Intervention: Complete Season 20 (A&E)
Into The Dark: I'm Just F*cking With You: Episode 7 Premiere (Hulu Original)
Little Women: LA: Complete Season 4 (Lifetime)
Mountain Men: Complete Season 1 (History Channel)
Raising Tourettes: Complete Season 1 (A&E)
The Real Housewives of Potomac: Complete Season 3 (Bravo)
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
The Addams Family (1991)
Addams Family Values (1993)
Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003)
An Everlasting Piece (2000)
At Close Range (1986)
Barton Fink (1991)
Beethoven (1992)
Beethoven's 2nd (1993)
Beethoven's 3rd (1999)
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
Big Fat Liar (2002)
Blow (2001)
Blown Away (1994)
Bounce (2000)
The Cable Guy (1996)
Case 39 (2009)
The Clearing (2002)
Cold Mountain (2003)
Curious George: Follow that Monkey (2009)
Darkness (2002)
The Dark Mile (2017)
Days of Thunder (1990)
Diamonds are Forever (1971)
Die Another Day (2002)
Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (2007)
Dragonslayer (1981)
Eastern Promises (2007)
Escape from L.A. (1996)
Everything Must Go (2011)
The Falcon and the Snowman (1985)
Foxfire (1996)
Funny About Love (1990)
Funny Cow (2017)
Gloves Off (2017)
Goldfinger (1964)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Happy Feet (2006)
Hollywood Homicide (2003)
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
I Think I Love My Wife (2007)
In A World… (2013)
The Jerk (1979
Jersey Girl (2004
Kill the Irishman (2011)
Law of the Lawless (1964)
Liberty Stands Still (2002)
License to Drive (1988)
Like Mike (2002)
Little Monsters (1989)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Living Daylights (1987)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Minus Man (1999)
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Octopussy (1983)
One Million American Dreams (2018)
Painkillers (2018)
Penelope (2006)
Playing By Heart (1998)
Practical Magic (1998)
Primal Fear (1996)
Project Nim (2011)
Racing with the Moon (1984)
Scary Movie 2 (2001)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Sex Drive (2008)
The Shining (1980)
Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
The Spy who Loved Me (1977)
Stories we Tell (2013)
Sunshine Cleaning (2009)
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
Ultraviolet (2006)
Undisputed (2002)
Uninvited Guest (1999)
Up in Smoke (1978)
Up in the Air (2009)
White Noise (2005)
The World is not Enough (1999)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Available April 2
One-Punch Man: Season 2 Premiere (Viz)
A Quiet Place (2018)
Air Strike (2018)
Weightless (2018)
Available April 5
Marvel's Cloak & Dagger: Season 2 Premiere (Freeform)
Available April 7
Rick Steves' Europe: Complete Season 10 (PBS)
Available April 8
Finding Your Feet (2018)
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
Available April 9
Destroyer (2018)
Available April 10
The Bold Type: Season 3 Premiere (Freeform)
Chio's School Road: Season 1 (DUBBED) (Funimation)
How Not to Summon a Demon Lord: Season 1 (DUBBED) (Funimation)
Apex Legends is doing very well for itself as the newest contender in the battle royale space, and now you can parlay those battlefield skills into a college education. Becker College has announced a scholarship program tied to an upcoming esports event, which will allow top-performing players to receive $5,000 for schooling.
Becker has partnered with Team Genji and Helix Esports for the program. Helix is hosting an Apex Legends amateur tournament in New Jersey in early April, and Team Genji will be on-site to perform analytics. Those who score among the top players at the tournament can claim the one-time scholarship at Becker, if they apply and are admitted to the college. Eligible finalists will be invited to apply, so there will be no ambiguity whether or not you made the cut.
Scholarship recipients will also be given a try-out for Becker's own Apex Legends team, which will begin competing in Fall 2019. You can read more details and sign up through the official site.
Respawn is planning to launch the first Apex Legends battle pass in March, though it hasn't given a release date yet. We did get an apparent sneak peek at what it will consist of, though, given an accidental update to the Origin site. That showed a new hero named Octane, and suggested the battle pass will be priced at 950 Apex Coins (roughly $10). Respawn acknowledged that the leak was legitimate, but warned against putting too much stock in information gleaned from data mining.
The Special Episode, as it's called, costs $6 / £5.39, and each of its five stages are playable in single player or in two player co-op. It should be noted, however, that the DLC is not coming to the 3DS or Wii U versions of Treasure Tracker.
The paid DLC pack follows a free Captain Toad update in February that added co-op and one new stage ahead of time. Those features improved on what was an already an enjoyable game.
In our Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Switch review, Daniel Starkey awarded the game an 8/10. "Despite a smattering of minor complaints, Captain Toad stands as a pint-sized version of Nintendo's stellar first party pedigree," he said. "It's among the best Mario spin-offs around and a delightful iteration on old ideas.
"The sharper screen on the Switch and addition of about a dozen new areas and modes make this version a strictly better choice, and the short, relatively simple stages of Captain Toad lend themselves to a portable environment. Of course, it also carries with it the weaknesses of its forebear. Even with the bonus content, Treasure Tracker is a bit short. You're left with the sense that there could be plenty more and that the idea of rotating through levels doesn't get its full due."
The upcoming Halo TV show produced by Steven Spielberg was originally going to be directed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt. However, at the end of 2018 he dropped out due to scheduling issues, with Black Mirror director Otto Bathurst taking over. Now, Wyatt has shared even more insight into his exit from the show.
Speaking to Collider, Wyatt said he had to leave the Halo TV show because changes to the production schedule conflicted with his other commitments. He said that in his role as a director, he wasn't with the project from day one, and as such, he wasn't in control of the factors that ultimately led to the production becoming extended. Had he been the showrunner, he said he might have been able to stay aboard, he said.
However, with the decision to extend the production by "months if not years," Wyatt had to step away to do other things. Overall, the version of the Halo TV show that exists today "wasn't within the framework" for what Wyatt originally signed up for.
The Halo TV show's showrunner--that is, the person or team who controls the creative direction of a show--is Kyle Killen who previously worked on Awake.
The new director, Otto Bathurst, directed the very first and very shocking episode of Black Mirror before going on to work on Peaky Blinders. He also directed the new Robin Hood movie featuring Jamie Foxx and Taron Egerton.
The Halo TV show will air on Showtime, whose parent company, CBS, also owns GameSpot. The last we heard from network president of programming Gary Levine was that the Halo show is "evolving beautifully with rich characters, compelling stories, and powerful scripts." Showtime said previously that Halo is the network's "most ambitious series ever," and that's notable given Showtime is behind some massive productions such as Homeland, Shameless, Billions, and more recently the Jim Carrey show Kidding.
Treyarch is giving players plenty of incentives to jump into Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 this weekend. On top of the ongoing Shamrock & Awe event, the developer is holding a free access period for all of the game's Black Ops Pass multiplayer maps, with a double XP event on top of that for good measure.
Beginning at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET on March 15, players across PS4, Xbox One, and PC will be able to jump into all four of the maps included in the paid Black Ops Pass--Elevation, Madagascar, Casino, and Lockup--at no charge. The free period is scheduled to run until the same time on Monday, March 18.
In addition to that, Treyarch is doling out double rewards in all of the game's modes this weekend. Those who dive into multiplayer or Zombies will receive twice as much XP as normal, while Blackout players will get double Merits. On top of that, Treyarch is offering 2x tier progression this weekend, allowing you to unlock Black Market rewards much faster.
Beyond this weekend's events, Treyarch has also rolled out a new patch for Black Ops 4. This one primarily addresses numerous bugs and implements stability improvements across modes. Among other things, the developer has adjusted the new Hellcatraz Gauntlet in Zombies and reduced the Purifier's damage and range in Blackout. You can read the full patch notes on Reddit.
The aforementioned Shamrock & Awe event is now live on PS4 and will expand to Xbox One and PC next week. It adds new content to all of Black Ops 4's modes, along with St. Patrick's Day-themed goodies in the Black Market. Everyone who simply logs into the game during the event will also unlock the "Precious" gesture and a new animated calling card.
If you're active on Steam, you're probably very familiar with Steam's free weekend sales, where a couple of games are given a free-to-play trial period for players who may not otherwise try them. This weekend's games have been announced, so let's take a look at what's free to play on Steam right now, as well as discounts for the games themselves.
Steam's latest free weekend kicks off with Two Point Hospital, a business simulation games released last year in which you play as a hospital administrator who runs a hospital--including designing the layout and hiring staff--with the goal of quickly curing patients of various made-up, comical illnesses. In GameSpot's Two Point Hospital review, critic James Swinbanks described the game as "modern and enjoyable," with "irresistible charm and wit."
"The exaggerated, cartoon look and relaxed approach to management make it inviting enough for most players, while the deeper aspects of its economy are enough to keep seasoned players engaged," he wrote.
Two Point Hospital is free to play now through Monday, March 18 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It's a great time to give the game a try, as new items will be available in-game this weekend, and the second DLC, Pebberley Island, launches on Monday. If you like Two Point Hospital, the game will also be 33% off all weekend.
If you like digital collectible card games like Hearthstone, you'll probably like Faeria, which is also free to play on Steam this weekend. A cross between card game and board game, Faeria is a strategy game with a unique living board that you can shape into lakes, mountains, deserts, and more, creating your own unique territory (which allows for unique abilities) while also pursuing your opponent. All 300 cards can be collected in under 50 hours, according to Steam. Free to play through Sunday, Faeria is also 50% off at just $12.49 until Monday, March 18 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. The premium bundle is also on sale for just $28.56 (61% off).
Several developer tools are also free on Steam this week and through the weekend. Create the RPG of your dreams with RPG Maker MV, or make a retro-style pixel game using Pixel Game Maker. If visual novels are more your jam, then you can use (you guessed it) Visual Novel Maker to bring your story to life. And of course, they're all discounted to purchase this weekend: RPG Maker MV is just $20 (75% off), Pixel Game Maker MV is $63.74 (25% off), and Visual Novel Maker is $36 (40% off) until Tuesday, March 19 (you get an extra day with these).
For an even better deal, the Maker Series is available as a bundle for $76.14 (63% off), with several different packages and DLC for RPG Maker and Visual Novel Maker. Pixel Game Maker is still in Steam Early Access, so that software isn't part of the bundle and will continue to be updated.
While not part of this weekend's free-to-play Steam sale, it's worth mentioning that Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT's free edition is now available indefinitely on Steam. The RPG is a console port of Dissidia Final Fantasy, which traded turn-based action for real-time battles. In our Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT review, GameSpot's Alessandro Fillari felt the game faltered in many aspects, but did offer a diverse range of interesting characters, clever combat, and a charming story. Since it's now free to play, you might as well check it out.
Gearbox Software is headed to PAX East later this month in Boston, and the developer will apparently have a lot to show and discuss. The studio has now released a third teaser image, and this one really looks like Borderlands.
A pixelated photo posted to Gearbox's Twitter account shows what appears to be a Borderlands character staring at ... something in the distance. Despite being fuzzy, the image seems to depict a Borderlands-like setting.
It's a decidedly different look from the teaser image released earlier, which shows some kind of robotic creature on an operating table. That teaser image doesn't contain the kind of cel-shaded presentation that the Borderlands series is known for.
Interestingly, today's teaser, and the one released the day prior, were labeled as teaser images for "another game" to be revealed at PAX. This suggests that Gearbox may have two or more games to reveal at the show.
In addition to operating as a development studio, Gearbox is a publisher as well. The company most recently published We Happy Few and Bulletstorm: Full Clip, so it's possible Gearbox announces a published game at PAX East in addition to the expected Borderlands 3.
Whatever Gearbox has to reveal, it'll likely happen during the company's 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, Mass. event.
We're another week deeper into Season 8 of Fortnite, and Epic has rolled out a new set of challenges to complete on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. Week 3's tasks run the gamut from destroying cacti to searching where the magnifying glass sits on the Treasure Map loading screen, with precious Battle Stars up for grabs for each challenge you complete. But a new secret Battle Star is also now available; here's what you need to know about getting it and where you'll need to go.
The ostensible reason to clear as many challenges as you can is to level up your Battle Pass and unlock the new Season 8 rewards, but there's an added incentive. If you finish all of the challenges from a given week, you'll complete a related Discovery challenge, which will reward you with a special loading screen that contains a subtle clue pointing to a free Battle Star or Banner--depending on the week--hiding somewhere around the island.
Finish three full weekly sets of challenges in Season 8 and you'll unlock the loading screen below. This one depicts Sidewinder, one of the new skins introduced this season, fleeing a trap-infested temple with a golden serpent artifact under her arm. Look on the back wall just beneath her right elbow, however, and you'll spot the clue--an etching of a temple.
Your first inclination will likely be to head to Sunny Steps, where the new Aztec-like pyramids are located, but the clue is actually pointing to a smaller shrine to the south of the area and east of the massive volcano. You can see its exact location on the map below. Chart a course there at the beginning of a match, find the shrine, and the Battle Star will appear on the steps. Collect it then finish the match and your Battle Pass will level up by one tier.
If you need further help finding the hidden Battle Star, you can watch where we go to collect it in the video at the top of this guide. However, like usual, the Battle Star won't appear in the game unless you've completed the required number of challenges and unlocked the above loading screen, so you can't simply head to the right place and expect to find it if you haven't put in the necessary work.
Along with Week 3's new challenges, Epic has brought back the heist-themed Getaway mode and its related High Stakes challenges for a limited time this week. Complete those by Tuesday, March 19 and you'll be able to unlock new and returning rewards, including the crowbar pickaxe skin. You can read more details about the Getaway mode in Epic's 8.10 update patch notes. We also have tips to help you complete this season's trickier challenges in our full Season 8 challenges guide.
The quest to unlock Destiny 1's loved and reviled Exotic hand cannon Thorn in Destiny 2 is now live, and some players have already worked their way through to unlock the powerful, legendary gun. The Thorn quest isn't too difficult in general, until you hit the last step: a tougher version of the Savathun's Song Strike that includes a bunch of tough-to-handle modifiers and additions.
The Strike is likely to put most players through their paces, thanks to the modifiers making all the Hive enemies found within it hit a lot harder. We've put together a guide for getting Thorn that can help--beginning with the information you need to actually find the Thorn quest's start--but it's going to come down to grit, gumption, and skill to actually defeat Savathun's Song and the Arbiters to get a Thorn of your very own.
Players have been working over Savathun's Song for quite a while now, and they've gotten pretty good at it. In fact, even in the Nightfall version of the Strike, it's usually possible to hit the boss so hard you kill it in one phase, rather than having to deal with it warping all over the arena and calling in tons of Hive reinforcements. It certainly makes the Strike a lot easier.
That was probably the thinking in one run we did of the Thorn version of the Strike, Chasm of Screams, in which we found that Super abilities such as Blade Barrage could still wallop Savathun's Song, even if the difficulty had been amped up. After several failed attempts to finish the Strike and claim Thorn, our team--composed of folks gathered from the Destiny 2 app's Looking For Group feature--decided to try to take down Savathun first and go after the other bosses at the end of the Thorn Strike afterward.
Turns out, you should definitely not do that. Under no circumstances should you kill Savathun's Song before the last phase of the Chasm of Screams Strike.Doing so automatically fails you, forcing you to run the whole Strike over again.
The thing that sets Chasm of Screams apart from the regular version of Savathun's Song is the Arbiters, a set of Hive Knights that appear throughout the Strike. You have to kill all of them, and that includes the two that spawn right at the end of the fight with the boss. If you take out Savathun's Song before they spawn, the Strike will end as normal--and you won't get Thorn.
We've got plenty more tips about how to speed your way through the Thorn quest and take home the villainous hand cannon. You might also want to read up on the lore behind Thorn, its rival The Last Word, and what they've all got to do with the Drifter.
It was approximately five minutes into the newest Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg-produced comedy Good Boys, where child actor Jacob Tremblay mutters "F*** yeah!" after creating a female avatar with big breasts on a World of Warcraft-like online game and prepares to masturbate, that I realized I was witnessing the world premiere of the live-action South Park movie I never knew I needed.
Your enjoyment of this movie depends heavily on your thoughts on South Park, 11-year-olds cursing, and mistaking anal beads for nunchucks. But like the best episodes of the 22-year-old Comedy Central series, Good Boys isn't only about how many swear words you can fit into a tight 95-minute movie (though it definitely gives South Park's infamous "It Hits the Fan" episode a run for its money). Indeed, the best moments of Good Boys are the little moments when the kids are just being kids, too innocent to realize that the doll they are kissing is not a CPR dummy, and naïve enough to treat an innocent kiss with the gravitas of marriage, while also being reckless enough to run across a busy freeway.
While the raunchiness of Good Boys will instantly bring Superbad to mind, the film also shares a lot with coming-of-age movies like Stand By Me. Max (Jacob Tremblay like you've never seen him before) is at the age when he's starting to prioritize the cute girls in his 6th grade class more than his group of friends from kindergarten, who they refer to as the "Bean Bag Boys". When he gets the gang invited to their first "kissing party," they see the opportunity to change their lives forever.
Rounding out the Bean Bag Boys are Thor (Brady Noon), whose musical theater ambitions war with his fear of being labeled a nerd, and the dopey, rule-following Lucas (Keith L. Williams), who is reeling from the news of his parents' divorce (Retta and Lil Rel Howery in short but impactful roles). In a scene that can best be described as the living embodiment of the "crying cooking" meme, the kids sing "Walking on Sunshine" during music class, as tears stream down Lucas's cheeks while he tries his best to keep up with the song and dance number.
Making his directorial debut, The Office writer Gene Stupnitsky, who co-wrote the script with Lee Eisenberg, nails that specific moment in a kid's life when they are eager to prove that they're mature, but are still naïve about the ways of the world. These are boys who view recreational drug use as serious as murder, discuss taking three sips of beer like it's climbing Mount Everest, and still can't figure out how to open a childproof vitamin lock.
Also like the best South Park episodes, Good Boys evolves from a simple story of boys wanting their first kiss, to a convoluted tail of blackmail, drug dealing, and high-speed bike chases, with stakes so high you'd swear you're watching Mission Impossible at points. A third act drug deal at a frat house turns into a paintball shootout that looks like Boogie Nights with 11-year-olds and had everyone at the film's SXSW premiere in stitches.
If there's one negative aspect to Good Boys is that in their effort to shock the audience with pre-teens swearing, the film becomes a bit repetitive. After the 60-minute mark you will wish Jacob Tremblay's Max would drop something other than the F-bomb, and the film's multiple gags about the boys mistaking sex toys for other things gets tired. Thankfully, whenever a gag is about to become tiresome, the film switches gears and pulls a Butters, going for adorable and sweet to counter the raunchiness of the story.
In an unusual move for an R-rated Seth Rogen film, Good has great messages about the dangers of drug use, consent, and bullying without it coming across as preachy. Keith L. Williams shows he was born to do comedy as the deadpan Lucas acts as the Jiminy Cricket of the group, unable to tell a lie, and constantly reminding his friends that you always ask a girl for consent before you kiss her. He makes it his mission in life to show Max's horny teenage neighbors that drugs are bad and destroy communities. Brady Noon's Thor reminds of a younger Jonah Hill, trying to act cool in front of people, but guarding the biggest and most vulnerable heart of them all. The normally innocent Jacob Tremblay cursing like a sailor is obviously a big selling point for the film, and he makes the most out of juxtaposing his cherubic look with the waves of profanity that come out of his mouth.
The trio have great chemistry, instantly convincing you that they are long-time friends who fear nothing more than growing apart. The film leaves their future open-ended, and I for one would not mind this becoming a series of films following this group of friends into high school, college, and beyond. It helps that unlike the South Park gang, there is no Cartman in the Bean Bag Boys, so it's impossible not to fall for their genuine friendship.
Good Boys manages to balance the raunchiness of an R-rated sex comedy with the sweetness and good intentions of a coming-of-age movie. These combine into a powerful story about childhood friendships and the difficulties of making them last.
The Good
The Bad
Great chemistry between the actors
Some of the gags become repetitive
One Cartman away from an actual live-action South Park reboot
Laughs never stop or get in the way of the story's heart
Goes from 0 to 60 in its increasingly insane scenarios
Boogie Nights-inspired drug deal will leave audiences in stitches
The latest Avengers: Endgame trailer has fans in a tizzy, thanks to a brief moment on the ol' Barton farm featuring Clint, apparently, teaching a young girl to shoot a bow and arrow in, what we can assume, is the post-Civil War peace before the Snap ruined everything. Comics fans immediately clocked a hidden potential in the otherwise innocuous slice-of-life bit: That girl could be the MCU's take on Kate Bishop, the other Hawkeye.
Or, more likely, it could be Clint's young daughter, Lila, last seen in Age of Ultron.
But let's indulge the possibility for a second and take a look at who, exactly, Kate Bishop is, where she would fit into the MCU, and why everyone is so excited that there's even a slight chance of her being brought into the fold.
Kate Bishop was first introduced fairly recently back in 2005 with a Young Avengers special that cast her as a relatively normal civilian-slash-wealthy-heiress who was brought into the superhero lifestyle almost by accident. Luckily, she just so happened to be extremely proficient with a bow, as well as a master of multiple forms of martial arts, even if she was just a human teenager. Kate joined up with the Young Avengers and helped bankroll her new team, provide costumes, and generally stand up to all the mainline Avengers who told them to stop--a tenacity which eventually earned her the Hawkeye codename (as well as Clint's original bow) from Captain America himself.
Where was Clint during all of this, you ask? It's a little complicated. He faked his own death and secretly adopted the Ronin identity. It was a whole situation, but the long and the short of it was a distinct lack of Hawkeye in the Marvel Universe, even though Clint was technically still around.
Clint's ruse was eventually dropped, however. After his official return to the public eye, he came to collect his bow and his name--which was a bit of an issue, considering Kate wasn't done with them yet. They very nearly fought over it, but eventually came to a sort of careful, begrudging respect for one another. Clint actually found himself endeared by Kate's take-no-prisoners tenacity, and agreed to let her continue to be Hawkeye right alongside him.
Not a bad turn of events, all things considered.
From that point, Kate and Clint developed a sort of student/mentor relationship--though it was hardly traditional. Clint was less a teacher and more a sort of long suffering, older brother figure--a dynamic that anchored the now iconic Hawkeye solo comics series by Matt Fraction and David Aja in 2012.
It was largely through that particular series that fans began to flock to Kate as an A-Lister in Marvel's line up. She and Clint formed a sort of superheroic sitcom with one another that allowed her to shine as a totally unique take on Hawkeye, even though she shared a name and color scheme with the original.
So--is that Kate in the Endgame trailer? Probably not. It's more than likely that what we saw was Clint and his daughter on their farm during Clint's post-Civil War house arrest (notice the ankle bracelet). However, that doesn't mean it's totally impossible. For one, the MCU isn't exactly beholden to the comics for Kate's origin story, meaning she could be Clint's relative this time around, or even his grown up daughter. For another, there's no context in the scene that suggests the girl with the bow is a Barton family member at all--for all we know, Clint started teaching archery during his house arrest.
If it is Kate, then the implications are pretty massive. There's suddenly potential for a Young Avengers spin-off right there and up for grabs, as well as a neatly built bridge to the Hawkeye solo film Clint's small but dedicated fanbase has been begging for for so many years. It could even mean a slow pivot of Clint's MCU characterization toward the Clint Fraction and Aja popularized in their stories.
But we really don't recommend getting your hopes up. In all likelihood, if the MCU were going to bring someone like Kate Bishop in, they'd do it with a lot more fanfare than a throwaway scene in a trailer. Anything is possible, but probably not this.
If you don't yet have Rayquaza in Pokemon Go, you're in luck. Players who missed their chance to catch the Legendary Sky High Pokemon will be able to catch one beginning today, March 15. Niantic is bringing the Pokemon back for a special Raid event that runs through the weekend, giving you a limited amount of time to get your hands on one.
From March 15-18, Rayquaza will make an encore appearance in Raid Battles around the world. Before you can capture the Legendary Pokemon, you'll first need to team up with other players in-person and battle it. If your group manages to defeat it, you'll receive a handful of Premier Balls along with an opportunity to catch it.
Rayquaza is a dual Dragon/Flying-type, which makes it particularly susceptible to Ice-type attacks, so you'll want to bring along Pokemon such as Mamoswine and Lapras to battle it. Dragon is also one of the few Pokemon types that is vulnerable to itself, so other Dragon Pokemon such as Giratina and Salamence should prove to be effective as well.
Niantic periodically brings back previous Legendary Pokemon for special Raid Weekend events such as this one. Last month, the Eon Pokemon Latias returned for a limited time, and Niantic has teased that its twin, Latios, will also come back for a Raid event in the near future.
In other Pokemon Go news, the game's next Community Day event takes place on Saturday, March 23. The featured Pokemon this time will be Treecko. The Legendary Pokemon Dialga is also set to show up in Raid Battles until March 28. Meanwhile, developer Niantic recently shared new details about Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, its upcoming Go-style game based on the Harry Potter franchise.
Ubisoft has announced what gameplay changes are included in the upcoming remaster for Assassin's Creed III. The game will be receiving additional updates on the Switch version as well, most of which take advantage of the console's unique features.
For the Switch version, AC3: Remastered will receive a few additional gameplay changes. The Switch version will include touch screen support for navigating the game's menu. There will also be motion control for aiming with long-range weapons. The design of the UI will be tweaked for the Switch version to better adapt to the console's feature of going back and forth between docked and handheld, and HD rumble support has been added as well.
AC3: Remastered is scheduled to release for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on March 29, and for Nintendo Switch on May 21. The game will release as a standalone title, but is also included in Odyssey's Season Pass.
The rest of the March Monthly Update details changes coming to Odyssey in the coming weeks. The new Abstergo-themed cosmetic items for Kassandra/Alexios and the Adrestia and her crew are coming out March 19, as is another Legendary ship lieutenant called Captain Octopus. A new Lost Tales of Greece, titled A Friend Worth Dying For, will be available March 26. Odyssey is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
When YouTube decided to revive The Karate Kid as a TV show, it was met with justified skepticism. But just like Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) did not see Daniel's (Ralph Macchio) crane kick coming at the 1984 All-Valley Karate Championship so was the world not ready for how good Cobra Kai would be. Going into Season 2, the surprise factor is gone, and expectations are through the roof. So how does Cobra Kai respond? After viewing the first two episodes at SXSW, it's clear it does so by striking first, striking hard, and having no mercy for your free time, because you're going to want to binge this show as soon as it hits YouTube.
At the end of Season 1, we witnessed a flash from the past as a member of Cobra Kai illegally hurts a student of Miyagi-dojo during a karate tournament. Only this time, Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) took the first place trophy for the infamous dojo instead of the other way around, leaving Johnny drunk and depressed he turned a sweet kid into a jerk, and that his own son got hurt in the process.
So how does Cobra Kai follow that up? With an explosive scene between Johnny and the very much alive worst-sensei-in-the-world John Kreese (Martin Kove). Showrunners Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald, and Hayden Schlossberg waste no time giving the fans what they want, from character reunions that rival Game of Thrones, to all the 80's music you'd need in a 30-minute episode, to references to the Karate Kid films that will make you grin from ear-to-ear.
What made Cobra Kai so good, however, was that it wasn't just about nostalgia, as the younger cast is just as interesting and likable as the older characters. Because the surprise factor from the first season is gone, Cobra Kai doesn't need to give us any huge developments but simply give more of what we loved the first time around. This season's mantra seems to be "Don't fix what isn't broken," and it works. We dig deeper into Johnny's regrets and his desperate wish for redemption, while Daniel LaRusso is now the underdog trying to defeat the dominating dojo after he decides to reopen Miyagi-Do. Seeing the Miyagi-Do set perfectly replicated is nothing short of magical, and production designers Ryan Berg and Moore Brian deserve huge credit for bringing the dojo back to life without missing a detail.
Macchio and Zabka are excellent, going deeper into their characters' trauma and struggle to escape their past, while also exploring more of their relationship to the younger cast. Kove is as terrifying as ever, even if there's a hint of regret in the old sensei's eyes. And of course, the kids are more than alright. While there is more dramatic weight to the story, Cobra Kai never loses sight of the fun, and we get one hell of an entertaining start to the season as we could expect, including more over-the-top training schemes from both dojos, and more Hawk (Jacob Bertrand) simply being Hawk. Those who were scared of possible changes in character at the end of last season need not to worry, as the show takes great care in making all the characters feel as grounded and realistic as they were in Season 1.
In an era of endless reboots and revivals, Cobra Kai is the rare show that takes a stand against nostalgia and offers a grim reality where we don't manage to get over our heyday and our past traumas. Meanwhile, it continues the "no such thing as bad students, only bad teachers" lessons of Mr. Miyagi, and it is a treat to watch the legacy characters struggling to find their place in a world they no longer recognize while providing plenty of laughs because of it.
What's great this time around is that the show has such a wide ensemble, this season gives time to side characters that were underserved last season, the standout being Courtney Henggeler's Amanda LaRusso, who was the sole voice of reason last season, and gets more time to shine in these first episodes. They also introduce some new and wacky characters that have the potential to become fan favorites by the end of the season.
While the two episodes screening at SXSW barely scratch the surface of what the show is teasing for the rest of the season, it is one hell of an appetizer before the main course. The episodes are as funny as ever, the music is as head-banging cool as you want it to be, the themes are as deep as any prestige drama, and most importantly, Cobra Kai is just plain fun. The ending of Episode 2 only makes it harder to wait a month before the entire Season 2 premieres on YouTube. In the meantime, it is hard to resist the urge to do some karate at home when no one is watching, thinking to yourself you are perfectly able to do a crane kick while listening to Joe Esposito's "You're The Best Around" while in reality, you're more likely to be the one kid to be put in a body bag.
Cobra Kai Season 2 premieres on YouTube Premium on April 24.
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