Back in October and November, Destiny 2's Festival of the Lost brought back Thunderlord, a lightning-slinging machine gun of original Destiny fame. Since the timed quest to retrieve it expired, though, any players who didn't earn Thunderlord have been hoping it to earn it randomly from the pool of Exotics that sometimes drop as they play. As part of the festivities of its Arc Week event, though, the Thunderlord quest is back, and if you haven't completed it, you absolutely should.
The multi-part Exotic quest to grab Thunderlord is back with Update 2.2.1, and you've got until April 23 to grab it. Part of the experience is the chance to revisit the Cosmodrome, a location from the original Destiny that's not available in Destiny 2 in any other way. After the quest vanishes again, you'll have to get your Thunderlord from the Exotics pool, which means the chances of it dropping are extremely low.
To start the Thunderlord quest and hunt down the killer of Master Ives, the Cryptarch from Destiny's Reef area, head to Amanda Holliday in the Tower. She'll give you Master Ives' journal, which requires players to search for the missing pages from Ives' diary out in the world. Here's how to solve the mystery and get Thunderlord.
Step 1: The Crytarch's Journal
Clearing that first step is actually pretty easy to accomplish. There are 10 pages to acquire, and players can get them either by finding Legendary engrams in various activities--including Gambit, the Crucible, Strikes, and everything else you already do in Destiny 2--or from killing tougher Fallen enemies in the EDZ on Earth.
Actually snagging all the pages is an easy feat to knock out if you head to the EDZ. You're looking for Fallen with orange-colored health bars, which are otherwise known as Elite bad guys. You need the orange enemies in particular; you won't get pages from Majors, who have yellow health bars, like the ones designated as high-value targets, for instance.
The quickest way to find Elite Fallen to kill in the EDZ is to find a public event and join it. The Glimmer Mining event that takes place in various places in the EDZ is a solid bet, especially if you knock it up to its Heroic level. You won't get a page for every Elite you kill, but the drop rate is pretty high--one or two public events should do it.
If you don't feel like messing around on Earth, you can also spend some shards at the Cryptarch in the Tower to quickly gather up the Legendary engrams you need to complete the step. That method will cost you 250 Legendary shards if you buy 10 engrams to get all 10 pages. Given how easy it is to get the pages in the EDZ or by earning Legendaries organically, though, you probably don't need to waste the shards.
Step 2: Hunting The Fallen
The second step is almost as quick and easy as the first. It returns you to the EDZ, this time to complete four Lost Sectors. You'll start with a batch of three that need cleaning out: Atrium, Widow's Walk, and Terminus East. If you're not familiar with the names, those are the three Lost Sectors located in the Trostland area of the EDZ.
You'll find Atrium in the church where Devrim Kay hangs out, Widow's Walk in the northwest corner of the area, and Terminus East in the northeast corner. Once you've wrecked the Major enemies in all three, you'll get a new step that directs you to yet another Lost Sector, called Whispered Falls.
Jump on your Sparrow and drive west to the Outskirts area, and look for the Lost Sector up in the hills in the west end of the area. It's north of the narrower portion of the map you drive through to access Winding Cove.
Kill the Major in Whispered Falls and you'll need to wait for Amanda Holliday to summon you back to the Tower. She'll eventually give you new coordinates, which will send you to the third and final stage of the quest.
Step 3: Return To The Cosmodrome
Your final step for the mission unlocks when you're prompted to return to Amanda Holliday. She'll identify a strange teleporter in Earth's European Dead Zone you should go check out--it's actually a Mission that starts you on the final step of the quest. To get there, warp into the Winding Cove location in the EDZ, then ride east toward the Outskirts. You'll find the mission start in the northern part of the canyon in the Whispered Falls Lost Sector. Fight your way inside to reach the teleporter.
Starting the mission warps you back to the Cosmodrome, the place where Destiny players first started way back in the beginning of the original game. You're basically following the path of the very first Destiny mission, fighting through Fallen into the Wall around the Cosmodrome. Keep following the mission markers until you get inside, where you'll face a big battle with a Fallen Captain called Kikliss, Murderer, and a huge batch of minion enemies.
This is the toughest fight of the mission by far, so bring your best guns and try to keep moving. Smaller Fallen enemies will continually spawn into the battle, so Supers that take out lots of enemies at once or are good for crowd control will help. Once you damage Kikliss enough, a giant Servitor will join the fight, which makes it even more annoying. Try to keep space between you and Kikliss while you focus your fire on the Servitor, since it can make other enemies invincible--including the boss.
Killing the Servitor should make it a little easier to take down Kikliss, which is your main objective for the mission. Once you do, you'll be prompted to fight your way back out the Cosmodrome. Back outside, you'll get a message from Amanda Holliday suggesting that this could be your last time back in the Cosmodrome, and you'll see an objective prompt reading, "Leave The Cosmodrome?" It seems Destiny 2 is suggesting there might be more secrets to find hidden in Russia, so take your time in leaving to look around. We haven't found whatever secret the game is hinting at just yet, but we'll update this guide when we do.
If you approach the teleporter near where you started, you'll be sent back to orbit and prompted to return to Holliday in the Tower. When you do, she'll wonder about what the Fallen who killed Master Ives were really after, but she'll also thank you for avenging his death. Your final reward is a "trinket" she found in his stuff, which is none other than the sparking machine gun Thunderlord. The Exotic goes in your Heavy weapon slot, and carries the "Reign Havoc" perk, which causes lightning strikes from the sky as you rack up kills with bullets.
Nintendo is launching its first virtual reality headset (of sorts) this month in the form of the new Labo VR kit. Not only do the included VR Googles allow you to experience Labo minigames in virtual reality, they will be compatible with two of Switch's biggest games, Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, following free updates for both titles later this month.
Ahead of the updates, Nintendo has revealed a few more details--as well as a handful of new screenshots--for Super Mario Odyssey's upcoming VR mode on the game's official Japanese Twitter account (via Siliconera). The VR mode will take the form of three "mini missions" set in the Cap, Seaside, and Luncheon Kingdoms, with the main objective being to collect coins and music notes.
The notes will be scattered throughout each kingdom, and when you collect enough of them, you'll obtain different musical instruments that you can then give to NPCs to assemble a band. Once all of the performers have received an instrument, you'll be able to watch a special concert in the Metro Kingdom. You can take a look at some new screenshots of the mode below.
Both Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be updated to support the Labo VR Goggles on April 25. While the former will receive a dedicated VR mode, the latter will be entirely playable in VR (with the exception of pre-rendered cutscenes). You'll be able to toggle the option on or off at any time from the game's menu, and you won't need to create a new file in order to play it in VR.
The Nintendo Labo VR kit launches on April 12 and will be available in two configurations. The full suite will retail for $80, while the starter set--which includes the Labo VR software and the materials to make the VR Goggles and Blaster Toy-Con--will cost $40. The remaining Toy-Cons can be purchased in $20 expansion sets. You can read our impressions of the Labo VR kit here.
If you managed to go into Shazam totally blind without being exposed to any spoilers, congratulations! You just experienced one of the most fun twists in superhero movie history: the surprise introduction of the Shazamily. During Shazam's climactic fight, Darla, Mary, Eugene, Freddy, and Pedro all got to Shazam themselves for the first time, transforming into their super-powered, adult alter egos and helping Billy to defeat Dr. Sivana and the seven deadly sins.
It was a fun, exhilarating moment on multiple levels. For one thing, it was a payoff for things the movie had been hinting at from the start. It fulfilled the thematic promise of Billy's search for a family. And it was great to see the cleverly cast adult actors (including The OC's Adam Brody) who played the superheroic versions of the kids.
In some ways, it seems like an unlikely twist. In the current superhero movie landscape of sequels, prequels, and ever-expanding connected cinematic universes, it's easy to imagine a different version of Shazam that focused entirely on Billy Batson and saved the Shazamily for the sequel--maybe with a teaser thrown into the post-credits scenes. But for once we got to live in the best possible timeline, and Shazam really nailed this crucial twist.
Director David Sandberg told GameSpot that this was the plan from the start. "That was always the idea," he said. "We wanted to have that payoff--you get to meet these kids and see their personalities, and then have that transferred into superhero form. That was always the big thing about the movie--that's going to be the big payoff."
"It's a delightful moment," Zachary Levi, who plays Shazam himself, told GameSpot. "The movie has so much wish fulfillment in it, and then you get it like times five, right? Five more kids get to be their super-self. I mean, that's f***ing dope...I thought that about it when I read it in the script, and was like, 'This is so cool! We're team building in our own franchise--total Voltron superheroes,' you know?"
Part of the magic is that the kids' superhero forms really do look like juiced up versions of themselves. That's down to good casting, including Meagan Good as the adult version of Faithe Herman (Darla), Michelle Borth as Grace Fulton (Mary), Ross Butler as Ian Chen (Eugene), D.J. Cotrona as Jovan Armand (Pedro), and of course, Adam Brody as Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy).
"It makes your job as a director so much easier if you cast people who basically are these characters," Sandberg said. "If you cast it right, your job just becomes 10 times easier." That began with Zach Levi, who the director fondly referred to as "a big child," and extended to casting the other Shazams later. Sandberg also said the most important thing was making sure the adult actors' personalities matched their younger counterparts.
As an aside, it's worth noting--as Sandberg pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter--that Brody and Cotrona were also at one point cast as The Flash and Superman, respectively, in George Miller's Justice League: Mortal, production on which stalled around 2008. "So, afterwards, we said, 'Oh, s***! They finally get to be superheroes in a DC movie,'" Sandberg told THR. "They didn't even know they were auditioning for superheroes."
Of course, if you pay attention to these things, you might have seen the Shazamily twist leak ahead of time. But the filmmakers went to great lengths to prevent that from happening as much as possible. For example, in order to prevent spoilers when they auditioned the actors that would play the adult versions of the kids, they wrote new scripts that weren't actually from this movie. "We just wrote special scenes with characters that have their traits, basically--Darla would be the fast talker, and so on," Sandberg said. "And so, when they auditioned, they had no idea what it was for really, or what it was actually going to be, but we still had close enough personalities to be able to cast from them."
Levi said he's glad he wasn't responsible for any of the leaks. "I'm really good at keeping secrets. Loose lips sink ships, as I learned from my time in the Navy during the Second World War," he joked. "You don't want to spoil anything. It's really interesting that people like to spoil things. They like the feeling like they're the ones who gave the secret information. But that's the worst. It's way cooler to not tell people and let it be a surprise."
As Sandberg pointed out, the Shazamily reveal works best as an unexpected twist. "I think it works so well when you don't see it coming--and even if you suspect that it's coming, but you're not sure, it still works really well," the director said.
One of the events detailed on Bungie's content calendar for the Jokers Wild expansion and Season of the Drifter is Arc Week, an event that's never been in Destiny 2 before. Last week, Bungie explained what Arc Week actually is--a week dedicated to Guardians' Arc-based subclasses that sees them being amped-up, all at once. With its latest patch, Destiny 2's Arc Week is officially underway, but Update 2.2.1 also brings a host of other changes that should make life a little easier for Destiny players.
The Arc subclass changes are some of the most significant in the patch, to be sure, as Bungie's patch notes show. Each increases the effectiveness of perks, abilities, and Supers for each character class. The durations of just about every Arc ability has been lengthened, which should make all the classes a lot more fun to play with. If you haven't messed around with an Arc Super ability in a while, this week is definitely the time.
In keeping with the Arc theme, Bungie is also bringing back the quest to unlock the Exotic Arc machine gun Thunderlord. The quest became available last fall during the Festival of the Lost, but ended soon after, forcing players to rely on random drops to get the machine gun if they'd missed it. If you're still Thunderlord-less, though, you can start the quest during Arc Week and finally get a lightning-spitting Exotic of your own. Use our guide to get you started.
Another big change in Update 2.2.1 is the addition of new Exotic catalysts. These are special drops related to Exotic weapons that increase they're capabilities, making them even better than they are when you first get them. All the catalysts currently in the game require quite a bit of grinding, but the rewards are usually worth it. Bungie's latest update brings four new catalysts to the game, for Hard Light, Rat King, The Prospector, and Suros Regime. The first three have a chance to come as rewards for regular Strikes and Nightfall Strikes; the last comes from Crucible matches.
For players chasing special rewards and Triumphs, Update 2.2.1 also has some major quality-of-life changes. It increases the drop rates for many special rewards, like the ship, Sparrow, and ghost shell that come from completing activities in the Dreaming City. Those items are tied to completing Destiny 2's Seals, a set of major accomplishments that hardcore players chase. These changes should make completing several a few Seals quite a bit less punishing.
You can read the full patch notes below.
Destiny 2 Update 2.2.1 Patch Notes
Sandbox
Titan
Striker—Code of the Juggernaut
Frontal Assault:
Buff duration increased from 10 to 16 seconds
Buff timer is now displayed on the HUD
Buff now increases weapon damage
25% in PvE
20% in PvP
Knockout:
Buff duration increased from 3 to 5 seconds
Buff is no longer disabled after a melee attack
In addition to breaking a shield, buff now triggers once you deal 60% damage to a target
Any damage dealt after 60% refreshes the timer
Increased bonus melee damage from 25% to 60%
General bug fix
Fixed an issue where Titans using Code of the Missile could perform the wrong melee
Hunter
Arcstrider—Way of the Warrior
Combination Blow:
Bonus melee damage can now be stacked 3 times
Buff increases melee damage by 60% per stack in PvE
Buff increases melee damage by 22.7% per stack in PvP
This ability was previously 1 stack and increased melee damage by 50%
Kills with this ability now heal 40 health in addition to starting health regen
Deadly Reach:
Increased buff duration from 6 to 8 seconds
Buff is no longer consumed by a melee hit
Arcstrider—Way of the Wind
Disorienting Blow:
Increased the melee disorient distance from 4 meters to 6 meters
Increased duration of disorient on players from 1.5 to 2 seconds
Focused Breathing:
Increased dodge recharge bonus while sprinting from 50% to 100%
Combat Meditation:
Increased bonus grenade and melee regeneration while bloodied by 25%
Lightning Reflexes:
Increased damage resistance while dodging from 25% to 40% in PvP
Increased damage resistance while dodging from 63% to 70% In PvE
Warlock
General Arc Changes
Stormcaller Super
Damage scales up to 150% over 5 seconds of continuous use of the attack
Updated FX and audio to support this functionality
Stormcaller—Attunement of Conduction
Chain Lightning Melee
Can now chain up to 5 times, up from 1, and each individual target can be hit twice
Chain damage decreased from 50 to 31 damage per hit
Arc Web
Increase chain range from 10 meters to 12 meters
Can now chain to many more targets, and back and forth between targets
Chaining Arc damage now reduces the cooldown of your grenade
Works with Arc Web chains and chains from Chain Lightning melee
Earn 3% energy per instance of damage in PvE
Earn 10% energy per instance of damage in PvP
Stormcaller—Attunement of the Elements
Electrostatic Surge:
Increased bonus regeneration rate of Rift by 600% per nearby friendly Guardian
Added a UI notification when the buff is active
Now extends Rift duration from 15 to 20 seconds
Arc Soul:
Extended duration from 8 to 12 seconds.
Voidwalker Nova Warp
Reduced initial charged detonation energy cost by 20%
Reduced energy cost of holding the charged detonation by 7%
Reduced time required to fully charge the charged detonation from 0.9 seconds to 0.7 seconds
Reduced Dark Blink cost by 20%
Increased base Super duration from 18 seconds to 22 seconds
Dawnblade Everlasting Fire
Tuned the amount of Super gained from Everlasting Fire
Initial return increased from 10% to 13%
Return then decays linearly over the course of 30 kills from 13% to 0.75% returned per kill
Abilities Bug Fixes
Fixed an issue where the Warlock ability "Bloom" was not dealing any damage
Improved consistency of Handheld Supernova
Fixed a bug in which canceling Blade Barrage allows players to traverse across the map
Weapons
Weapon Changes
The Last Word
Added a timer to the Fan Fire perk
The Wardcliff Coil
Reduced PvE damage by 25% against bosses and vehicles
General Weapon Bug Fixes
Fixed a material on Coldheart that was no longer shiny
Fixed an issue where ready audio on Veist Submachine Guns was not playing on PS4
Updated the Meganeura perk's description to be more accurate
Fixed an issue where Grenade Launcher initial ammo had been unintentionally reduced
Fixed an issue bug where the Powerful Statement ornament was visible in Loaded Question's ornament socket before it had been obtained
Fixed an issue where Thorn dismantled faster than other Exotic weapons
Fixed an issue where the ATB Long Range scope was erroneously highlighting enemies when equipped on the Long Shadow Sniper Rifle
The Recluse now appears in Collections only when it has been obtained to match the behavior of other pinnacle PvP weapons
Fixed an issue that caused poor scope behavior on the Prospector's ornament "Caution: Heavy Machinery"
Fixed an issue where Wish-Ender did not highlight targets while user was invisible
Fixed an issue where Jötunn was recorded as a Scout Rifle
Fixed an issue where the Vow could not be infused above 650
Fixed an issue where the accuracy ring was not visible on the reticle of Linear Fusion Rifles when using a controller on PC
Armor
Armor Bug fixes
Using Getaway Artist with Storm Grenades now correctly spawns a super-charged Arc soul
Crown of Tempests once again works with Ball Lightning
Stronghold will no longer drain heavy ammo while guarding with Black Talon
Investment
Rewards
Increased drop rate of items in the Last Wish Raid
Starlight Shell (Dreaming City Ghost Shell): 2% → 20%
Silver Tercel (Dreaming City Sparrow): 5% → 20%
Increased drop rate of Lore Books
Cayde's Stash Lore
Cayde treasure map chests: 40% → 100%
Planetary chests: 4% → 50%
Dreaming City Lore
Public event completed: 2.5% → 50%
Ascendant challenge completed: 2.5% → 100%
Blind Well completed (Tier 1–3): 5% → 50%
Lost Sector completed: 1.25% → 100%
The Marasenna lore book was missing two entries: Revanche I and Palingenesis III; these entries now unlock after you unlock all other entries.
Tangled Shore Lore
While Tangled Shore is the Flashpoint
Public event completed: 6.5% → 50%
Heroic adventure completed: 16% → 50%
Lost Sector completed: 3% → 50%
Gunsmith reputation packages now only reward Gunsmith Weapons
Four new Exotic weapon catalysts are now available to drop in Nightfall, strikes, and the Crucible
Prospector (Nightfall, strikes)
Rat King (Nightfall, strikes)
Hard Light (Nightfall, strikes)
SUROS Regime (Crucible)
Xûr's inventory now offers random rolled perks for armor
Fated Engrams from Xûr now have the chance to reward Forsaken Exotics
Quests/Bounties
Power Surge Bounties that have expired or been deleted are now available on the Drifter, though each bounty can still be completed only once per character
Power Surge Bounties now specify "Requires Annual Pass and Level 50" if either requirement is not met
Reaping in the Wilds Gambit Prime bounty now progresses from all high-value targets in free roam
Players who sided with the Vanguard on the Allegiance quest can now also bank Motes in normal Gambit to progress on the Prime Research quest step
Quest progress for the Survival Guide or Hidden Messages quest steps will now re-initialize properly; if you are stuck on these quest steps, you should abandon them and pick them up again from the Drifter to update the "tapes discovered" count
The weekly lockout reset for Invitations of the Nine has been moved to Thursday Reset (1700 UTC); players will now have two extra days to complete them before being locked out of a new Invitation the following Friday
Lost Sector Gambit Prime bounty now progresses from all Lost Sectors
All four weekly role bounties for Gambit Prime now grant powerful head rewards
Yes Sir, I'm A Closer weekly Gambit Prime bounty now awards 4 points for a win and 2 points for a loss, with a completion value of 20 points
Pursuits
Ada-1 will now offer all seven weapon frames each week
Players can still complete only two powerful frames each week, at which point remaining frames are removed until weekly reset
Fixed an issue where players could acquire pinnacle weapons once per character; pinnacle weapons are meant to be acquired only once per account
Drifter's weekly role bounties will now properly count Motes wagered in the Reckoning when the Mote is a lower tier than the activity itself
Gambit Prime now counts to unlock the weekly Gambit clan engram
When recycling Synths at the Drifter, the error "Your Glimmer is full" will now be properly displayed on all four Synths
Fixed an issue with the Sentry emblem where killing Giant Blockers wasn't incrementing the "Blockers killed" stat
Fixed an issue where the Gambit Prime weekly challenge didn't display completion in the UI
Triumphs
Fixed an issue where Triumphs from previous seasons were counting Glory Win Streaks in the current season
Fixed an issue where the Triumph "The Best Offense" was not giving credit for all orbs generated
The Haul Triumphs "Greater Powers" and "IX" can now be completed and will initialize for players who have already completed them as soon as they enter Orbit
General
Arsenic Bite now drops with random rolls; removed Vestian Dynasty from the general loot pool
Fixed an issue where the BrayTech RWP Mk. II could not be infused above 600
Increased drop rate of Polestar II Ghost Shell from 1% to 4%
Fixed an issue where Obsidian Crystal would sometimes not drop from the Unidentified Frame quest step
Activities
Reckoning
Reckoning Tier 2 and Tier 3 boss kills now always have a chance to award a Gambit Prime weapon
Chances for weapon rewards increase each time a boss is killed without a weapon drop
Players near the bank should no longer be able to see waypoints until they jump through the portal
When players jump through the portal, they should be placed in one of three active locations:
Anytime before players begin capturing the bridge: over the horde mode area
Anytime after players begin capturing the bridge, before they fully capture the bridge: at the beginning of the bridge
After players fully capture the bridge and begin the boss fight: at the end of the bridge
Fixed an issue where the Tier 1 Deceived Nokris was not summoning its Taken Warbeasts
Gambit Prime
Some Reckoning weapons now have a chance to drop as match completion rewards from Gambit Prime
Chances increase after each Gambit Prime match without a weapon drop
An invasion kill now heals 8% of the Primeval's health, down from 12%
The invasion portal cooldown time during the Primeval phase has been increased to 40 seconds, up from 30 seconds
This cooldown triggers after a player has been killed or successfully returns from an invasion
Fixed an issue where all Gambit medals that shipped in Forsaken were not displaying in the HUD when players earned them in Prime
Fixed an issue where the Primeval Hobgoblin was not functioning properly in Gambit Prime
Boss reintroduced to Gambit Prime
Fixed an issue where killing players in subsequent Wells of Light would unintentionally count towards earning the "Well Well Well" medal
Fixed on issue on Deep Six and New Arcadia where the Ascendant Primeval Servitor wasn't summoning Immunity Blights
The Burrow front on Six Deep had some minor adjustments to reduce combatant/environment collisions
Gambit
High-value targets now have a chance to spawn during the first round of a Gambit match; the chance for the HVT to spawn in the second round has been increased
Private Matches: Sudden Death can now be enabled or disabled via the Rounds to Win options
Fixed an issue where the "Open 24/7" medal could be acquired during a Sudden Death round of Gambit
Fixed an issue where the "Rainmaker" medal could be acquired during a Sudden Death round of Gambit
Gambit intro cinematics now run at unlocked framerates on PC
Fixed an issue where Scorn Captain's immunity totems were not properly shielding combatants
Fixed an issue where Drifter was announcing "Portal's Up" after the round had ended
Reduced the number of required Blockers to send for the Taken Herder, Shepard, and Whisperer Triumphs
Reduced the number of required number of Motes to bank in order to achieve the Protect the Runner Triumphs
Fixed an issue where players who are restricted from the Crucible/Gambit due to poor network quality were unable to launch Gambit Private Matches
Fixed an issue where Infamy ranks could be repeatedly reset without needing to progress through the ranks between each reset
Strikes
Fixed an issue where the gravlift would sometimes be missing in the Warden of Nothing strike
Nightfall tickets now have min/max and +-25 for incrementing power reduction; this will allow players to get to the +100 power reduction easier to increase the score multiplier
Crucible
Competitive
Fixed an issue where players who are disconnected from Destiny servers could not rejoin games in the Competitive Crucible playlist.
Iron Banner
The curated roll "Wizened Rebuke" Fusion Rifle awarded from completing the "Atlas, Unbound" Triumph will now appear in Lord Saladin's inventory so that players can inspect it prior to acquisition
Once earned, the weapon may be viewed in Collections
The curated roll "Wizened Rebuke" Fusion Rifle can now be reacquired from Collections for the same cost as other Masterworked, curated roll weapons
The Heavy as Iron emblem may be earned when securing 2500 kills under the effects of the Iron Burden
Removed ship "Volk-CER" from Collections due to an issue impacting the ship
Expect this to return in a future Season
Patrols
Fixed an issue where the architects would sometimes kill Guardians for absolutely no reason in a very specific area of the Dreaming City
Combatants
General
Fixed an issue where the Taken Hydra rotating shield would flicker when shielded by Taken Goblins
Fixed an issue where the Ultra Taken Hobgoblin was using the Swarm attack more frequently than intended
UI
General
Player will now always see equipped titles when inspecting another player
The weapon ornament "Powerful Statement" is no longer visible in the socket preview for Loaded Question before being obtained
Postmaster "open bundle confirmation" dialogue now shows appropriate strings when it pops up; would previously cause occasional crashes
Material cost no longer appears red on vendor tooltips if the item is not purchasable, but you have enough material
Fixed the description on some bounties to correctly read " ability kills" instead of " kills"
PC
General
Fixed an issue where performance on PC would slowly degrade over time
Destiny 2's Season of the Drifter is in full swing, and while you might have already fought your way to Thorn, there are new events on their way. This reset marks Arc Week, a full week dedicated to improving the Arc subclasses, and the season is about to see a new spring event called the Revelry. And there's always that new Power level cap of 700 to try to hit, which is where the weekly Ascendant Challenge and its Powerful gear drop comes in.
This week, the curse has been reset in the Dreaming City, which means the Shattered Throne dungeon is no longer available--a bummer for anybody who needs to finish it to unlock Izanagi's Burden from The Black Armory. It also brings us back to Week 2's challenge, which is available for one more day before Tuesday's weekly reset. Below, you'll find a complete guide on where you need to go and what to do to complete this week's bounty to earn Powerful gear.
The Ascendant Challenge always involves you heading through a portal to the Ascendant Plane, but the particulars of what you're doing are entirely different from week to week. To start out, you'll need a consumable item called the Tincture of Queensfoil. With a Tincture in hand, make your way to the Garden of Esila area near the southernmost point of the map, as seen in the image below. Consuming the Tincture will provide you with the Ascendance buff that allows to see a Taken portal that's somewhat hidden on a cliffside. Jump in, and you'll be teleported to the Ascendant Plane's Forfeit Shrine.
Once you're there, you'll have to fend off Taken--or just avoid them--while trying to secure three Arc Charges around the area. Once you pick one up, head toward the center starting area, near the giant Blight ball. Walk into the bright point at the bottom to dunk the charge you're holding. Repeat the process two more times and you'll receive an endless supply of Super energy that will help you to kill all of the remaining Taken in the area. Once they're dealt with, you can complete the bounty (netting you Dark Fragments and Powerful gear) and open a chest.
Given that the bounty (not the chest) offers Powerful gear--a reliable way of increasing your Power level--this is an activity you'll definitely want to take part in once you're able. But bear in mind it is a challenge, so be sure to come prepared. It can be done solo, but having multiple teammates to grab charges and draw the enemies' attention can help immensely.
Meanwhile, if you're hunting still hunting gear in The Black Armory, be sure to check out our guides to getting Izanagi's Burden and the Jotunn fusion rifle. Also, don't bother collecting Powerful gear bounties to turn in next week when the new season starts--Bungie is dropping an update that changes things so you can stockpile gear drops for a big boost as soon as the level cap rises. You'll have to play through Season of the Drifter content like everyone else to raise your level to the new cap.
Nintendo is holding another tournament in Switch's battle royale-inspired Tetris game, Tetris 99. The second Maximus Cup runs this weekend from April 12-14, with another $10 worth of My Nintendo Gold points at stake. And this time around, you don't need to be a Tetris master to have a shot at winning.
Unlike the first Maximus Cup, which ranked participants by the number of first-place wins they racked up during the tournament, all players will receive a different amount of points depending on what place they finish during this weekend's competition. Every 100 points you amass will count as one "Tetris Maximus"--equivalent to a first-place win. You can see the full point breakdown below.
1st Place -- 100 points
2nd Place -- 50 points
3rd Place -- 30 points
4th - 10th Place -- 20 points
11th - 30th Place -- 10 points
31st - 50th Place -- 5 points
51st - 80th Place -- 2 points
81st - 99th Place -- 0 points
As before, the top 999 players with the most points during the Maximus Cup will receive 999 My Nintendo Gold points, which can be redeemed for specific rewards on the My Nintendo website--such as discounts on select 3DS or Wii U games--or used to purchase games and DLC from the Switch Eshop. Gold points can typically only be earned by buying Switch titles, so if you fancy yourself a good Tetris player, this is a good chance to earn some free Eshop credit.
The second Maximus Cup begins at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET on April 12 and runs through 11:59 PM PT on April 14 (2:59 AM ET on April 15). Nintendo will notify the winning players via the week of April 28. You can read the full rules on the official Tetris 99 website.
Tetris 99 is free to download, but only for players who subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online service. Memberships cost $4 USD per month, $8 USD for three months, and $20 USD for 12 months. Nintendo also offers a $35 annual Family Membership that can be shared between eight Nintendo Accounts across multiple Switch consoles.
After a few days of teases, Blizzard has further detailed its upcoming Storm Rising event for Overwatch. As expected, this story segment will be the latest rotation of the Overwatch Archives seasonal event, starring a few fan-favorite characters in their younger days for a four-player co-op PvE mission.
You'll play as Tracer, Genji, Winston, or Mercy as they go after a Talon operative, the Omnic Maximilien. Max is hiding out in Cuba while a storm presses down on the island, and the four heroes need to track him down before he can using the cover of bad weather to escape yet again. Storm Rising will be playable alongside the two returning Archives missions, Uprising and Retribution.
Of course it's not an Overwatch event without additional cosmetics, and you'll be able to earn more than 160 spiffy new ones during the event. Storm Rising will run from April 16-May 6, so we're likely to see some of them teased in the meantime. A video (above) shows off the environment and your target.
The previous teasers already suggested the four-player team would be going after Maximilien, a well-known member of Doomfist's organization. Today's announcement doesn't shed any further light on Sojourn, the mysterious figure who chewed out Commander Morrison (Soldier 76) and authorized the Storm Rising mission. Blizzard appears to be setting up another important story character who may become playable someday, or otherwise factor into the story.
Blizzard has been known to drop hints well in advance of actually introducing new characters, though. Maximilien has already been known in the lore, and Doomfist was mentioned in the very first teaser-trailer for Overwatch, years before he was added to the game. The trailer that accompanied the announcement of Ashe also introduced another upcoming character, Echo. Blizzard says it already has six characters planned out which amounts to "years" of releases. One of those was the recently released Baptiste, so counting Echo that leaves four others still a mystery.
The Addams Family is set to return to the big screen. The spooky family were last seen in a pair of live-action movies in the 1990s and will next appear in a new animated film, which hit theaters in October. The first trailer has been released.
The trailer starts by explaining that "some families are more different than others," before introducing all the familiar members of the Addams clan. There's dad Gomez and mom Morticia, their kids Wednesday and Pugsley, plus Uncle Fester and manservant Lurch. It looks like the movie is aimed at a younger audience than the '90s movies, but there's some good jokes in the trailer, including a nice It reference. And of course, the iconic theme music is in there too. Check it out below.
The Addams Family has a hugely impressive voice cast. It stars Oscar Isaac as Gomez and Charlize Theron as Morticia, plus Stranger Things's Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, Chloe Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester, and Allison Janney as villainous Margaux Needler. The movie is directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, who previously helmed Sausage Party. It releases on October 11.
The Addams Family was created by Charles Addams. It first appeared as a comic strip in 1938, and was adapted into the popular TV show during the 1960s. In 1991, Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) directed the hit movie The Addams Family, which was followed by Addams Family Values two years later.
Those keeping their eyes on the PlayStation Classic's ever-dropping price will be interested to know Sony's mini retro console is now cheaper than ever. Right now, you can pick up the PS Classic for just $34 at Rakuten. It's currently listed for $40, but if you use the code SAVE15, you'll get $6 off. Note that you'll have to create a free Rakuten account to use the coupon code; the site doesn't allow guest accounts to redeem them.
The PS Classic's price has dropped consistently since it released December 3, 2018 with a launch price of $100. Since then, its price has fallen to $60, then $40, and now $34. When compared to Nintendo's NES and SNES Classics, which quickly sold out following their release, the PlayStation Classic has not garnered nearly as much hype, with many fans (including GameSpot's Peter Brown) feeling it doesn't match the quality of competing mini retro consoles or do justice to the original PlayStation system, especially for $100.
"The PS Classic doesn't feel like a celebration of PlayStation's formative years the way Nintendo's systems do," Brown wrote in our PlayStation Classic review. "Nor is it a smart adaptation of a capable emulator working behind the scenes."
That said, the console is now nearly 70% cheaper than it was at launch, and $34 may be enough to entice fans with fond memories of the PlayStation to give this mini model a try. As to whether the price will drop again? Only time will tell.
Our first look at Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is days away, with an official reveal planned for Star Wars Celebration. The Celebration panel will take place on April 13, but ahead of that big event the studio and EA have updated the official site with a new look at the game's logo, and dropped a clue on social media.
As you might expect, the new logo puts a heavy emphasis on the word "Jedi," as the order of warrior-monks is one of the most enduring parts of Star Wars pop culture. One of the few details we know about Jedi Fallen Order is that you play as a Padawan--essentially a rookie Jedi--who survived the Emperor's purge in Revenge of the Sith.
The EA Star Wars Twitter account also dropped its own teaser, which appears to show an image of a shrouded lightsaber and the phrase "Don't stand out." This is likely a reference to the story, in which the remaining Jedi have gone into hiding. This game is said to be set against a backdrop of a dark time for the galaxy, as the Emperor consolidates his power and hunts down the few remaining Jedi. We don't have a name or other identifying information about the protagonist, so it's difficult to say yet how this new story will tie into the main narrative of the saga.
It has been more than five years since the release of Splinter Cell: Blacklist, so fans are understandably eager to find out what's next for Sam Fisher. In a new interview, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot offered an explanation for what's taking so long to bring the franchise back.
He told IGN that Ubisoft won't bring back the franchise until it can do something novel with it. Not only that, but some of Ubisoft's development teams became too anxious to want to work on a new Splinter Cell game due to pressure from fans, Guillemot said. And third, Ubisoft's other big franchises like Assassin's Creed are "taking off," which has led the company to focus on them instead of Splinter Cell.
"When you create a game, you have to make sure you will come with something that will be different enough from what you did before," Guillemot said. "Last time we did a Splinter Cell, we had lots of pressure from all the fans saying, 'Don't change it; don't do this; don't do that.' So some of the teams were more anxious to work on the brand.
"Now there are some things and some people that are now looking at the brand; taking care of the brand. At one point you will see something but I can't say more than that," he added. "Also because of Assassin's Creed and all the other brands taking off, people wanted to work on those brands more. so we have to follow what they like to do."
Further fuelling the rumors about a new Splinter Cell is the news that original Splinter Cell designer Clint Hocking has returned to Ubisoft where he is working on "unannounced projects." Guillemot was asked if Ubisoft might bring back Splinter Cell for the next generation of consoles, which are apparently coming soon, but Guillemot wouldn't be drawn into that conversation.
It is known that there will be a massive battle scene in Game of Thrones Season 8, and now one of the actors who fights in it has described what it was like working on it.
John Bradley, who plays Samwell Tarly in the fantasy series, told Entertainment Weekly that director Miguel Sapochnik has a "forensic sense of detail." As you may remember, Sapochnik also directed the Battle of the Bastards Season 6 epic fight sequence.
"[Director Miguel Sapochnik] has such a forensic sense of detail the way he can see the point of view of all these different characters in his head and know what each individual beat meansto them. It's so inspiring," Bradley said.
Bradley also shared an anecdote from filming the sequence. He said he got carried away while shooting the sequence and did things himself as an actor that Sam probably wouldn't have.
"When doing these huge fight sequences, you get carried away sometimes. You want to make yourself look as good as possible. Miguel said to me, 'I know that you want to show you're quite good at this. But remember your character. Sam's not that good at this," Bradley said. "You have to play him because that's what's going to be truthful. So stop being so good!"
The battle scene from Season 8 sees living characters like Sam, Jon Snow, Daenerys, Sansa, Arya, Brienne, and others fighting against the Night King as his army; it's the showdown that's been teased since the show started years ago. The battle is reportedly the "longest consecutive battle sequence ever committed to film," eclipsing the 40-minute Helm's Deep battle scene from The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers.
Filming the episode took 11 weeks of night shoots. According to a report, up to 750 people worked all night for almost three months in sub-freezing temperatures and enduring cold rain, mud, and heavy wind.
Game of Thrones returns for its eighth and final season April 14 on HBO.
Avengers: Infinity War ended in heartbreaking fashion, with Thanos wiping out half of the universe's population--and that included some of the superheroes fans have come to know and love like Spider-Man and Black Panther. It had some adult themes, it's safe to say.
But what if the story was told in a children's book? That's the thrust of a silly new segment from Jimmy Kimmel's late night show. He assembled many members of the Avengers to read aloud from a fake book called "Twas The Mad Titan Thanos." The best part of the skit is not knowing about the jokes and set-ups, so we won't spoil that for you here. Check out the video below, and be sure to stick through until the end.
Avengers: Endgame hits theatres on April 26. There are many theories as to what will happen as it relates to the Avengers' plans to defeat Thanos; you can find out more about GameSpot's own theories in this roundup of what we think might happen.
This month's Avengers: Endgame is said to be the final film in the MCU for its Phase 3. Marvel has plans for many more movies, of course, but don't expect the film studio to announce them anytime soon.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told IGN that he can't even confirm if Marvel will be at San Diego Comic-Con in July because that, in a way, would be "sort of a post-Endgame spoiler."
Feige did confirm that Marvel will start to talk about its Phase 4 films "soon after" Spider-Man: Far From Home opens in July. That film hits theatres on July 5, and San Diego Comic-Con takes place later in the month, so it is at least theoretically possible that Marvel will attend.
Marvel has a five-year plan for new MCU films, and the "first few years of which" will be announced relatively soon, after Endgame and Far From Home, Feige said.
Now that Disney owns Fox, it controls franchises like X-Men, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four. But will characters from those series join the MCU?
"It'll be a while," Feige told i09 specifically about the possibility of X-Men joining the MCU. "It's all just beginning and the five-year plan that we've been working on, we were working on before [the Fox deal was finalised]. So really it's much more, for us, less about specifics of when and where [the X-Men will appear] right now and more just the comfort factor and how nice it is that they're home. That they're all back. But it will be a very long time."
Feige went on to say that the next five years of Marvel films is "not apples to apples" in regards to the past and future output from Marvel. "It is two very distinct things and I hope they'll feel very distinct," he said. "But there is a similar mentality going into it, which is, 'How can we continue to tell stories with some of the characters that audiences already know and love in a unique way, in a different way, in surprising way, of which we have a lot of plans and ideas and work already going into it?' [Then] 'How can we introduce new characters that even hardcore fans, comic fans, have barely known or barely heard of.' That's really exciting too."
One of the new Phase 4 Marvel movies could be Shang-Chi, which is Marvel's first superhero film with an Asian lead. It's reportedly the movie that Marvel is filming in Sydney, Australia.
The next Stephen King novel to be adapted for the screen is his 2006 book Lisey's Story, which is being turned into a TV show for Apple's nascent original programming division. Now it's been reported that veteran actor Julianne Moore, who won an Oscar for Still Alice, will star in Lisey's Story. She will also executively produce it, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
King himself is writing all eight episodes of the first season, while he's executively producing as well. Star Wars: The Force Awakens director JJ Abrams and another executive of Bad Robot, Ben Stephenson, are also executive producers on the show.
For Moore, the show is notable because it's the first time she's playing a lead role on a TV show after multiple decades working in film, though she did win a Daytime Emmy for her recurring role on As The World Turns. She has been nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Still Alice.
Moore plays Lisey in a story set two years after her husband's death. "The series explores a series of events that causes her to begin facing amazing realities about her husband that she had repressed and forgotten," Variety reported.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, multiple outlets bid for Lisey's Story before Apple ultimately won out. It's not immediately clear when Lisey's Story will premiere or who else will star in it. According to THR, "high-profile" directors are being sought for it.
This is just the latest screen adaptation of a King novel. There have been so many over the years, including movies like The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, and Green Mile, as well as the more recent films like It and Pet Semetary. In terms of TV productions, there have been shows based on King's The Mist and Under the Dome, just to name a couple.
A new movie about The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien is coming to theatres next month. Among other things, the film confirms the correct pronunciation of the man's last name.
It is "Tol-Keen," not "Tol - Kine" or any other variation.
A clip from the new movie, Tolkien, was released on Twitter and it clears up any potential confusion about how to pronounce the legendary author's surname. Watch as actor Harry Gilby, who plays young Tolkien, stands up in class to correct his teacher.
Tolkien hits theatres on May 10. It's directed by Dome Karukoski (Heart of Finland), based on script from David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford.
Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men series) plays the adult Tolkien, while Lily Collins (To The Bone, Stuck In Love) plays Tolkien's wife, Edith Bratt.
Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds is getting involved with a new TV show, and it might not be what you expect. Reynolds is producing the new ABC game show "Don't."
As reported by Variety, the original game show is a "comedic physical game show" where families of four take part in mental and physical challenges where they "don't" do something. Examples include "don't forget," "don't slip," or anything else, it seems.
ABC cruelly canceled Two Guys, A Girl & a Pizza Place 18 years ago. 'DON'T' is so good, it'll fast become the 2nd best show ABC has ever produced. And ABC will worship me. And my sitcom will be back on the air. @TraylorHoward@NathanFillion and @RichardRuccolo, you're on notice. https://t.co/YwIIjSMEgL
Here's more from Variety's description of the show:
"Each episode will focus on one family as they go through the 'Don't' tests. If they succeed, they'll win a cash prize. But if the family fails a challenge, one of them will be eliminated. When just one contestant is left, the last remaining family member must compete on their own. Whatever money they've earned, the family keeps."
Reynolds has a history with ABC, as he starred on the late '90s sitcom Two Guys and a Girl (which was originally titled Two Guys, A Girl & a Pizza Place). More recently, the Deadpool franchise joins ABC owner Disney after that company bought the Deadpool series from Fox. He also has some experience with game shows, as he showed up on a South Korean game show as part of viral marketing for Deadpool 2.
"All my life, the word 'don't' has tortured me," Reynolds said. "From 'don't curse' to 'don't play ball in the house' to 'don't eat the crab salad you left in the sun for three days.' I cannot wait for my personal trauma to become the next great ABC family show," Reynolds said.
HBO's beloved and long-running fantasy show Game of Thrones kicks off the beginning of the end when Season 8 premieres this coming Sunday. Ahead of that, HBO has released a nice video in which the stars of the series discuss memorable events from the past decade, and it's a treat to watch. Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys shares a story of how she fell off her horse on the first day of filming, while Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion, recalls how he originally had no interest in taking the job in the first place.
The actors also talk about the most shocking and surprising scenes over the years, their favourite actors to work with and locations to shoot in, and what they'll miss and remember about the show when it's over.
It's very special and nice to hear, especially from the younger actors who grew up on set like Maisie Williams, Emilia Clarke, and Sophie Turner, how working on the show and learning from more veteran actors helped them grow in confidence that has crossed over into their professional and personal lives. Check out the video below.
George R.R. Martin does not want HBO's Game of Thrones to end. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter from the final season's NYC premiere, Martin said he would have wanted the show to run longer. But while the main show is ending, there might be a prequel series someday, and of course he continues to write new books.
"I don't think it should be the final season. But here we are," Martin said. "It seems to me we just started last week. Has it been longer than that? The time has passed by in a blur. But it's exciting. I know it's an end, but it's not much of an end for me. I'm still deep in writing the books. We saw five other sequel shows in development. I think I'm going to be hanging around Westeros while everyone else has left. (Laughs.)"
Martin said in 2018 that Game of Thrones could have run for as many as 13 seasons, thanks in part to the breadth of detail and history from the book series. Showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff originally only wanted seven seasons, so Martin and company were successful at convincing them to do at least one more than they set out to.
The "five other sequel shows" is a reference to the Game of Thrones spin-offs that HBO has in various stages of development. The first of these hasn't started shooting yet, though the producers are "getting very close" to beginning, Martin said. HBO has committed to filming a pilot episode for the show, but there is no guarantee it'll get picked up to series. Whatever the case, Martin said he's excited about the cast and crew for what he described as a "very different" show than the mainline Game of Thrones program.
"They have a great director and an amazing cast. I've been following along closely. I have my fingers crossed," he said. "It's different. It's definitely very different. It's set thousands of years in the past. You're looking at a whole different era of Westeros. No dragons, no Iron Throne, no King's Landing. It will be interesting to see what the fans make of that."
Jessica Jones director SJ Clarkson is directing the show, which will star Naomi Watts. X-Men: First Class' Jane Goldman will serve as showrunner.
Preacher, the AMC TV show based on the comic book and led by Superbad's Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, is coming to an end. It has been announced that the drama will end after its fourth season. It was Rogen who confirmed the show's cancellation, writing on Instagram, "It's been a wild ride. Thank you all."
Rogen also released the first teaser for Preacher Season 4, which confirms an August 4 premiere date. Check it out below.
Preacher stars Dominic Cooper (Need for Speed, Mamma Mia) as a preacher named Jesse Custer from Texas who isn't exactly the model of faith. The show also stars Custer's vampire friend Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun) and girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga). The comic book series on which it is based was created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.
As Deadline reminds us, Rogen and Goldberg are leaving Sony TV--the producers of Preacher--for a new deal at Lionsgate.
Preacher Season 3 aired in 2018. The show's showrunner is Sam Catlin, who wrote and produced episodes of AMC's Breaking Bad.
It looks like Microsoft is gearing up to announced a half-dozen more Xbox Game Pass titles this week. The Xbox Game Pass Twitter account posted a cryptic tweet where it asked, "What if we announced six more games on April 10?"
It would be a bad look to post this tweet and not follow up with new Xbox Game Pass announcements on April 10, so this is pretty much confirmation that it'll happen. However, there were no teases about what games might be announced.
☁☁☁☁☁☁☁ ☁ What if we ☁ ☁ announced ☁ ☁ 6 more games ☁ ☁ on April 10th? ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁☁☁☁ 💠🤔
The latest addition to Xbox Game Pass was Minecraft, which arrived last week and represents one of the catalog's biggest releases ever.
Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's all-you-can-play subscription service on Xbox One that provides members access to a growing catalog of games that users can download and play for as long as their membership remains active. In addition to Minecraft, some of the other marquee titles include Halo 5 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection, as well as Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Just Cause 4, all the Gears of War games, Doom, and more.
The service costs $10 USD/month, but new subscribers can sign up for $1 USD/month. It's only available on Xbox One, but Microsoft has talked about bringing it to every device.
Xbox Game Pass is separate from Project xCloud, which is Microsoft's upcoming game-streaming service that will enter public trials later this year.
Although it hasn't been confirmed, it looks like Anno 1800 is becoming an Epic Games Store exclusive. Originally scheduled for a Steam release, Anno 1800 will be discontinued on Steam after its release date of April 16.
We'll update this story when we confirm which PC game store Anno 1800 is going to.
"Sales of Anno 1800 will be discontinued on Steam after April 16th due to a publisher decision to make the game exclusive to another PC store," a notice on Anno 1800's Steam page reads. "The publisher has assured us that all prior sales of the game on Steam will be fulfilled on Steam, and Steam owners will be able to access the game and any future updates or DLC through Steam."
The notice doesn't list what other store is getting the exclusive, but given what's happened over the past few months, it makes sense to assume it's Epic. Since 2018, several titles have left Steam just prior to release and gone to Epic instead. Some games have even been pretty major triple-A titles too, such as Metro Exodus and The Division 2. Prior to Anno 1800, Borderlands 3 was the latest triple-A title to join the Epic Games Store as an exclusive, although it's only an exclusive for six months as opposed to other titles' year-long exclusivity.
Also, when Ubisoft announced The Division 2 would be an Epic exclusive, Epic revealed that its partnership with Ubisoft would continue with "additional select titles." No further details were supplied at the time, but Epic did tease that those titles are all scheduled for release "during the coming year." Anno 1800 fits that criteria, so it would make sense to see the game launch on Epic come April 16.
There's been a lot of vocal discontent for games that launch exclusively on Epic, especially if the titles were initially scheduled for release on Steam. After the announcement that Metro Exodus would be leaving Steam for Epic, both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light were heavily review bombed by players disappointed in the decision. The same happened to Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel after the reveal that Borderlands 3 would be an Epic timed exclusive.
Just days after the release of Shazam, screenwriter Henry Gayden is reportedly already set to write the Shazam sequel alongside director David F. Sandberg and producer Peter Safran. That's according to a new report from The Wrap.
While details of the plot, returning cast, and release time for Shazam 2, or whatever it ends up being called, are still unsurprisingly vague (what do you expect? The movie just came out) the confirmation of a sequel is really no surprise. After all, those post-credits stingers left a pretty major cliffhanger dangling in the air.
An additional report from io9 further states that Gayden has a deal to write the Shazam sequel, and that the studio is hopeful for Sandberg to return as director, although that's not yet confirmed. Also unclear is how Black Adam might factor into the story, if at all. However, Dwayne Johnson stated in a new Instagram post that the Adam standalone movie could begin filming in 2020.
With any luck, we'll see a full return of the cast for Shazam 2, including Asher Angel's Billy Batson and Zackary Levi's Shazam, who anchored the first film with plenty of heart and humor as well as Mark Strong's surprisingly sympathetic Dr. Sivana who, we can only hope, has a few more villainous tricks left up his sleeve.
And while we wait for more Shazam details to come trickling in, don't forget that there are other DCEU movies just over the horizon. Take a look at the brand-new trailer for Joker, Joaquin Phoenix's standalone villain origin story heading for theaters on October 4, and keep an eye out for the very latest from Birds of Prey, on track for February 2020.
Bethesda has announced that the new repair kits coming to Fallout 76 can be earned in-game or bought with real world money. The kits are designed to repair weapons and armor without needing to waste resources.
"Repair Kits are new utility items that will help you spend more time looting and shooting, and less time toiling away at a workbench fixing your gear," Bethesda wrote in the latest Inside the Vault blog post. "We've received lots of requests for Repair Kits, and we're excited to add them in the weeks following Patch 8." Patch 8 is scheduled for tomorrow, April 9.
Patch 8 adds two types of repair kits: basic and improved. Basic kits are single-use and repairs any one item to 100% condition. You'll be able to unlock them in the in-game Atomic Shop with Atoms--Fallout 76's microtransactions that can be bought with real money or earned by completing challenges. Improved kits are also single-use, but they repair a single item to 150% condition, allowing them to last much longer than they normally would. The improved repair kits can only be earned for completing in-game content, such as defeating the Scorchbeast Queen.
Following Patch 8, more of Fallout 76's Wild Appalachia expansion will release on April 16. A new dungeon, called The Burrows, will be unlocked for you to explore with a squad of other players. Bethesda plans on releasing further details about the The Burrows during next week's Inside the Vault, but promises the dungeon will be a "daunting new subterranean battleground." Next week's Inside the Vault will reveal more details about Fallout 76's upcoming in-game camera and memory book features too, which brings a new quest and challenges on April 16.
Player vending, which allows you to set up your own store to sell items to others, has been delayed. No longer coming in Patch 8, player vending is now scheduled for Patch 9, which is currently expected to release sometime in May.
Wild Appalachia is the first of three large content drops scheduled for Fallout 76 in 2019. Nuclear Winter, coming this summer, brings a new game mode and features to Fallout 76, along with a new prestige system and two challenging raids. This fall, Wastelanders adds a story expansions that includes a new main questline, factions, events, and features.
Niantic is bringing another Legendary Pokemon back to Pokemon Go for a limited time. Beginning next Monday, April 15, the Eon Pokemon Latios will make an encore appearance in the hit mobile game as part of a special Raid event, giving players their first opportunity to capture it in nearly a year.
Latios is scheduled to appear in Raid Battles for a full week, leaving the game again on April 22. As before, you'll first need to team up with other players in real life and battle the Legendary Pokemon before being able to catch it. Niantic teases that you'll also have a chance of coming across a Shiny Latios during the Raid event.
Latios first appeared in Pokemon Go alongside its twin, Latias, last May. The other Eon Pokemon returned for its own special Raid event back in February. Both Latios and Latias are dual Dragon/Psychic-types, which makes them vulnerable to Ghost and Dark Pokemon like Gengar and Tyranitar. Other Dragons like Salamence and Pokemon Go's current Legendary, Giratina, will also be effective against it.
Ahead of the Latios Raid event, Niantic is holding another Legendary Lunch Hour this week, on April 10, from 12-1 PM local time. During that hour, there will be an increase in five-star Raids featuring Giratina in its Origin Forme, which has more attack-oriented stats than its standard Altered Forme.
Following the Legendary Lunch Hour, Niantic will host the next Pokemon Go Community Day this Saturday, April 13. That event will run from 3-6 PM local time and will feature increased spawns of the rare Dragon Pokemon Bagon. Niantic also announced a series of Pokemon Go Fest events for Chicago, Germany, and Asia later this summer.
We're rapidly approaching the release of NetherRelam's Mortal Kombat 11, and the developer continues to gradually reveal the game's roster ahead of launch. Alongside returning characters like Kung Lao and Liu Kang, NetherRealm recently announced another brand-new fighter named The Kollector, and now the studio has confirmed another series mainstay is coming back: Kitana. A new trailer/TV advertisement reveals that the fan-wielding warrior will be a part of the Mortal Kombat 11 roster.
The minute-long trailer's nothing more than a tease, featuring no actual gameplay footage. Instead, it starts with eyes whitening out and an announcer pondering what people fight for. A series of people walk in a straight line in what looks to be a dark, abandoned warehouse, representing confirmed Mortal Kombat 11 characters Sub-Zero and Raiden before Kitana whips out her fans and toss one at Scorpion, initiating a short but sweet CG fight. It may not be that long of a trailer, but it's tantalizing nonetheless. You can watch the trailer above.
Mortal Kombat 11 will feature no loot boxes whatsoever, according to a rapid-fire Game Informer interview with series creator Ed Boon. In the same interview, Boon confirmed that while The Matrix's Neo won't appear in Mortal Kombat 11--he did get dangerously close to appearing in Injustice 2--the game will boast 25 characters at launch, with "30-something to finish." Before The Kollector was announced, Mortal Kombat 11 saw a new fighter enter the fray, the Elder God Cetrion.
Ahead of the game's release, we recently had the chance to try out the Nintendo Switch version of Mortal Kombat 11. Though the graphics are obviously downgraded and development isn't being done in-house--NetherRealm handed the port job off to Miami-based Shiver Entertainment--the fighting mechanics and consistently smooth frame rate haven't been compromised. You can conveniently take your gore with you.
Mortal Kombat 11 launches on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 23.
April is officially underway, which means we're almost halfway through 2019. This year has already has seen some major titles arrive across PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and while this month is fairly quiet compared to March, there are still some big-name games on the way to each platform.
There are plenty of other titles on the way this month as well, from SteamWorld Quest: The Hand of Gilgamech and BoxBoy + BoxGirl, the first Switch installment in HAL's clever puzzle-platforming series. You can see all of the biggest game releases for April 2019 below. For a wider look at what's ahead this year, be sure to check out our complete list of game release dates in 2019.
Nintendo Labo VR Kit (Switch) -- April 12
Nintendo's marquee Switch release this month is the Nintendo Labo VR Kit, the fourth set in the company's growing line of DIY games/peripherals. The full package comes with a game card and an assortment of crafting materials used to assemble six unique Toy-Con accessories, which when combined with the Switch hardware will allow you to play a handful of minigames--and even some Switch titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--in basic VR. The full Labo VR Kit costs $80, while the starter set runs for $40.
More than a year after it first released on Xbox One and PC, Microsoft and developer Studio MDHR are bringing their critically acclaimed platformer, Cuphead, to Nintendo Switch on April 18. Not only will the Switch version will feature the same challenging run-and-gun gameplay and hand-drawn 1930s-style visuals that made it such a beloved hit on other platforms, it'll also receive Xbox Live support through a post-launch update, allowing you to unlock Achievements for the game even when you play on Nintendo's hybrid console.
Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC) -- April 23
The latest entry in NetherRealm's long-running fighting game series, Mortal Kombat 11, arrives on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch later this month. Picking up after the events of 2015's Mortal Kombat X, the game tells a time-bending story in which past and present versions of characters come face to face and must stop the machinations of Kronika, the Keeper of Time. It also boasts an impressive roster of fighters, from returning favorites like Scropion and Liu Kang to entirely new characters like the Elder God Cetrion.
It's been a long time coming, but Sony's PS4-exclusive zombie survival game Days Gone is finally set to release on April 26. The game puts players in the role of Deacon St. John, a bounty hunter who travels around the open-world, post-apocalyptic remains of the Pacific Northwest on his motorcycle, battling zombie-like creatures known as Freakers and coming to the aid other survivors.
Investigations, interrogations, serial murders, and a whole lot of plot twists--it's all here in the upcoming puzzle-adventure mystery AI: The Somnium Files, the latest game from Zero Escape director Kotaro Uchikoshi and the team at Spike Chunsoft. It's not much of a surprise that AI borders on bizarre and grotesque, as you can see in the latest trailer (see below). Having seen it in action briefly and getting a taste of its early gameplay, it appears to be in the same vein of Uchikoshi's past work, but with it's own unique flair.
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (colloquially known as 999), Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, and Zero Time Dilemma formed a trilogy of mind-bending narrative experiences built around puzzle-solving. But Uchikoshi has traded the twisted escape room premises of those games for putting you in the shoes of a detective. With Uchikoshi and assistant director Akira Okada on-hand during my demo time, I asked about their approach in creating something new and thematically different that still had the spirit of past games.
"What I had in mind is that I wanted to make this for adventure game fans around the world, including investigations into a separate dream world," Uchikoshi said. "I can't go into details right now, but as an adventure game, you want to expand as much as you can so everybody can have fun. Everyone knows what an adventure game is like, but in 2019 I wanted to make that a little more fresh."
People who haven't played adventure games: first go home, try to drink a gallon of tequila, make sure your mind's loose, and then just accept what it is. Then you'll get used to the game, and it'll just suck you in. - Kotaro Uchikoshi
There is a thematic twist that's new for Uchikoshi, which shares a few similarities to aspects of Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain or even Suda51's The Silver Case. Okada even points to games such as The Walking Dead and Life Is Strange as influences. However, a lot of AI: The Somnium Files' DNA can be traced to Zero Escape, since you're still trying to investigate and unravel mysteries from a first-person perspective, at least when you're taking the role of the main protagonist Kaname Date.
As Date, you talk to folks around the crime scene and examine your surroundings, but that's only half the work. His cybernetic eyeball named Aiba (pun intended)--and partner in crime-solving--can enter an alternate dimension to unlock deeper secrets, new pieces of evidence, and more abstract thoughts of the specific characters involved. It almost reminds me of Persona 5's Phantom Thieves entering the Metaverse to uncover the true nature of others, and ultimately affect those people's reality. Aiba gets a moe anthropomorphization in these sequences, where you roam around a deformed version of the crime scene from a third-person point of view. The catch is you have a limited amount of time to investigate this dimension, and interacting with story-critical objects will consume time depending on the action you take. Thus, AI offers branching narrative paths dictated by your decisions and actions.
I got a sense of pressure in these moments and asked Okada how they approach balancing difficulty for a narrative-based adventure game.
"In general you would play more and more of the game, doing puzzles, and that was the challenging part, for me as well, playing a ton of puzzles and trying to balance the levels together," Okada responded. But in general, playing the game multiple times will help the player out, help understand the puzzles." It seems that players have to live with the result they earn in AI, at least for chunks of the game, and that's how branching paths are constructed--something like 428: Shibuya Scramble came to mind. Okada continued, "We think a lot about accessibility, options for difficulty, options for games that aren't entirely story based. So I think that's still a big concern."
A heavy narrative is the driving force in AI: The Somnium Files, and in that department, there's been a bit of an unconventional lead-up to this game. If you haven't been following, I'll catch you up a bit. Uchikoshi first revealed AI as his next game at Anime Expo 2018, and held a panel covering some of the design philosophies. Promotion for the game then pivoted to shining the spotlight on one important character: Iris Sagan, an in-universe influencer and pop star under the stage name A-set. She spilled into the real world with songs, music videos, and interactions with fans through Twitter and YouTube--hell, I even 'interviewed' her and Uchikoshi at the start of all this. We learned a lot about her, like her favorite Hatsune Miku song and opinion on the best boy/best girl of the Danganronpa series.
However, it was pretty clear where things were going once Iris' own YouTube videos were corrupted with creepy subliminal messages. A few horrifying videos went up a couple weeks ago, one of which was just camera footage of her apartment left running without a trace of her presence, and another showing a bi-pedal polar bear about to chop her in half with a saw blade. Since then, her channel has had two hilarious video in promotion of the game featuring her commentary on Uchikoshi himself and different parts of the game's lore. In the game itself, we've seen her crying for Date's help and on the verge of getting killed Saw-style in the latest trailer. It's wild.
There's been a heavy focus on Iris, but what about the other characters? We don't know much about Date yet, other than the fact that he works for the Tokyo MPD and lost his memory six years prior. So I asked about how they approach creating characters and what we could expect from the game's cast, to which Uchikoshi responded, "First of all, the care and balance of personalities is very important to me. So the character types don't double up. If we have a sad person, we don't want another sad person. And the game is based on a murder mystery, so we kind of want you to try to figure out who these characters are, while everyone's working together."
One of A-set's new videos features a cheery Uchikoshi-san.
Admittedly, I couldn't get much out the rest of the game's cast, but character design appears to be a major appeal. Having employed the talent of Yusuke Kozaki (known for his work on No More Heroes, Fire Emblem, and Pokemon Go), it's an important aspect. Okada agreed, saying, "I think since the illustration and art is visually attractive, during the whole game, while you're playing, it'll draw you to the story also. Looking at the characters, that's how I started getting hooked. The visuals would get you first, then the mysteries will get you to keep on playing."
AI seems to be really going for it with its outlandish pretense, and I wouldn't expect anything less from Uchikoshi. I think his continued response to my questions about why people should keep an eye on his new game says a lot. "So, for the people who already played adventure games, I understand they'll really like this one," Uchikoshi said. "But people who haven't played adventure games: first go home, try to drink a gallon of tequila, make sure your mind's loose, and then just accept what it is. Then you'll get used to the game, and it'll just suck you in." Please don't try this at home, or anywhere, really.
You can take up the role of detective and adorable eyeball sidekick in AI: The Somnium Files when it launches for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on July 25, 2019.
Editor's Note: Translations for the interview portions with Kotaro Uchikoshi and Akira Okada were done by Spike Chunsoft.
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