The leak was true. Ubisoft pulled back the curtain on a brand-new entry in the Ghost Recon series during Thursday's world premiere livestream, titled Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.
The game is set in Auroa, a fictional Pacific archipelago. This time around, players will find themselves not in the role of the hunter, but the hunted. Auroa is home to Skell Technology, a corporation specializing in AI drone tech. However, when communication with the company ceases, you're sent to the archipelago to investigate.
Throughout the game, you'll encounter a paramilitary group known as the Wolves, who Ubisoft says are just as skilled on the battlefield as the Ghosts. Because of this, the game places a greater emphasis on stealth. You'll be able to employ drones, or avoid detection by crouching in foliage or covering yourself with mud.
This time, perks, abilities, and weapons you'll be able to use in Breakpoint are determined by distinct character classes. Ubisoft says there will be four of these available at launch, with additional classes following in the months after release. The company also confirmed there will be solo, co-op, and PvP modes, and your progress will carry over between them.
Newegg is known for offering some pretty clutch deals on console and PC games, and the digital store's latest video game sale is no different. Two promo codes are currently available: code EMCTATE25, which gives you 20% off select games and accessories including Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and DualShock 4 controllers; and code EMCTATE28, which slashes the price by 50% on a different group of games including SoulCalibur VI, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Kingdom Hearts III, and more. Many of these games are already discounted, so you're getting a discount on top of another discount. Here's a closer look at what's available in each sale:
There are some gems offered in this batch of deals, including Spyro Reignited Trilogy for just $15 on Xbox One, XCOM 2 for only $5 on both PS4 and Xbox One, and SoulCalibur VI for $15 on Xbox One. Battlefield V is down to $20 on PS4--the lowest price we've seen yet--and Kingdom Hearts III is only $30 on both PS4 and Xbox One. The very cute sushi-throwing battle game Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido is also selling for $15 on Nintendo Switch.
See some of our picks below--the price indicated is what you pay after the promo code has been applied.
This sale is smaller, but there are a few deals here that stand out. Diablo III: Eternal Collection for Nintendo Switch is available for $48 (it's selling for $50 to $60 most other places). A couple of great PS4 exclusives, God of War and Marvel's Spider-Man, are each selling for $32. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which launched March 22, is down to $44 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. There's also a decent selection of controllers and gaming headsets marked down, so it's worth checking out those deals too.
Once again, you can check out some of our picks from this batch of deals below, including the price you pay after the code has been applied.
Blizzard announced that with this year's first Hearthstone expansion, Rise of Shadows, it would be trying something a little different for this year's single-player component. Now that the expansion is nearly a month old, the studio is ready to roll out the first part of the single-player adventure, The Dalaran Heist.
The Dalaran Heist launches on May 16, and as previously announced, the first chapter will be free. Each subsequent chapter will cost 700 gold or $7, or you can unlock them all as a set for $20. This is the first in an ongoing story that is meant to last throughout the entire Year of the Dragon, and ties in directly with the flavor of the main expansion. Rise of Shadows had you put together a team of Hearthstone villains, and this story details them hatching their plot.
The chapters include a Dalaran Bank robbery, a prison break at the Violet Hold, making your way through the crowded Streets of Dalaran, ducking into the Underbelly, and finally, ransacking the Kirin Tor Citadel. These will include a new loadout system for your hero including alternate hero powers, non-combat encounters to let you edit and customize your deck as you go, and the Anomaly Mode to replay stages with random rule alterations.
As part of the announcement, a Hearthside chat with missions designer Giovanni Scarpati walks through some of the adventure's features. You can check it out below.
The future is here. Season 9 of Fortnite is officially underway on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, and a lot has changed in the hit battle royale game. Not only are there a load of new skins and cosmetics to unlock, developer Epic Games has introduced new areas of the map to explore. Tilted Towers, which was destroyed toward the end of Season 8, has been replaced by a futuristic, neon-soaked city called Neo Tilted, while Retail Row has morphed into the sleek Mega Mall.
Of course, a new season also brings with it a new Battle Pass, which gives those who purchase it access to an exclusive assortment of challenges to complete each week as the season progresses. Week 1's challenges are now live on all platforms and feature the usual mix of straightforward tasks and those that require a bit more legwork, such as visiting all Sky Platforms. There's also a two-stage challenge that first asks you to ride a Slip Stream, a new type of wind tunnel found in Neo Tilted and Mega Mall.
As usual, the Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks--roughly $10. Purchasing it unlocks two new outfits right off the bat: Sentinel and Rox. The latter is a progressive skin, which means it can be leveled up throughout the season into new styles. If you'd like to get a head start, Epic is also offering a Battle Bundle for 2,800 V-Bucks. This comes with the Battle Pass and the first 25 tiers unlocked, giving you immediate access to those rewards.
Like in previous seasons, each set of weekly challenges in Season 9 is divided up into two categories: those that are available to everyone, and those reserved for players who've purchased a Battle Pass. This means that even if you don't spring for a Pass right away, you'll have access to some challenges, and you'll retroactively unlock any rewards you would have earned if you decide to purchase it partway through the season. This time around, however, Epic is giving players an extra incentive to pick up a Battle Pass: Fortbyte challenges. These missions are exclusive to Battle Pass holders and involve finding new computer chip-like items, which can be obtained either by following clues or reaching specific milestones, such as gaining a certain amount of XP. Each Fortbyte you collect will unlock a small portion of a larger picture that will be revealed by the end of the season.
Season 9 also features a secondary set of missions called Utopia challenges--this season's equivalent of the Discovery challenges from Season 8. As before, these can only be completed by finishing all seven challenges from a given week, and they'll reward you with a special loading screen that features a unique piece of artwork. More importantly, these screens also contain a subtle clue that leads you to either a free Battle Star or Banner hidden somewhere around the island. The Battle Star will level your Battle Pass up by one full tier, while the Banner can be used as a profile icon.
You can see the full list of Fortnite Season 9 challenges below, along with links to our dedicated guides to help you complete them. We'll continue to update this list throughout the season as more challenges become available, so be sure to check back regularly as Season 9 progresses for all the latest tips and guides.
Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 8 Challenges
Week 1
Free
Stage 1 of 2: Ride the Slip Stream around Neo Tilted (1) -- 2 Battle Stars
Visit all Sky Platform (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Deal damage to an opponent within 10s after using a Shadow Bomb (200) -- 10 Battle Stars
Premium
Pick up a Legendary Item in different matches (5) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search chests at Lucky Landing or Loot Lake (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Scoped weapon eliminations (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Stage 1 of 3: Deal damage to opponents from at least 2 stories above (300) -- 3 Battle Stars
Reward: 5,000 XP (after completing four challenges, only for Battle Pass owners)
If you're a PS4 owner who regularly plays online with friends, you're probably very familiar with PlayStation Plus, Sony's premium membership that grants access to not only online multiplayer but also steeper game discounts and free monthly games (May's freebies are two excellent indies). While the perks are great, the annual fees are less exciting--a year of PS Plus generally sells for $60. However, for a limited time, you can grab a 12-month PS Plus subscription for $40 at MassGenie.
The digital code can be redeemed in the PlayStation Store, and even if you're already subscribed, you can stack subscriptions to automatically extend your membership, so you're still saving money down the road.
MassGenie's PS Plus deal is running through May 31 (or while supplies last). The 24-hour countdown timer resets every day, so you have more time than what it indicates to claim the deal. Here's how to claim the Power Deal: On the product page, click the Power Deal circle. You'll be prompted to sign in or create a free account (there's no guest checkout for Power Deals). After you've signed in, you'll be redirected to checkout, where you'll see that the coupon PLAYSTATIONPLUS2 has automatically been applied, dropping the price to $40.
After checkout, the PlayStation Plus digital code will be the tracking ID in your order history. To see the digital code, click "track your package" in the tracking email you receive, and you'll be redirected to your order history where you'll see the tracking ID at the bottom right.
Captain Marvel is one of the biggest movies of 2019, introducing one of the most powerful superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Grossing more than $1 billion in the box office, Captain Marvel was a smash, and very soon, it will be available for you to own, coming with a slew of special features.
On May 28, Captain Marvel will be released to digital storefronts with exclusive content, including featurettes on creating the visual effects, a breakdown of the "Mind Frack" sequence, concept art, and on-set images. Additionally, the digital release will contain all of the special features listed below. The May 28 digital release will be available in UHD, HD, and SD.
On June 11, Captain Marvel will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD at various retailers. The 4K edition comes a 4K, Blu-ray, and digital copy of the movie, while the Blu-ray comes with a digital code, in addition to the main movie. There are retailer exclusives as well, each with its own unique packaging and extras. The Target exclusive comes with a limited-edition 40-page filmmaker book, while the Best Buy exclusive comes in exclusive steelbook packaging.
The release of Captain Marvel is littered with special features. There are six featurettes on subjects like Brie Larson joining the MCU, Nick Fury's first chronological appearance in the MCU, and the Kree and Skrulls. In addition, there is a gag reel and six deleted scenes.
Where To Preorder:
There are a few places you can pre-order your copy of Captain Marvel. If it is a physical copy, keep in mind that won't hit stores until a couple weeks after the digital release. Additionally, different retailers may have exclusives offered with them.
Movie with Intro – An introduction by directors/screenwriters Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck.
Movie with Commentary – Commentary by directors/screenwriters Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck.
Featurettes:
Becoming a Super Hero – Follow Brie Larson's journey as she joins the MCU, and see what it takes to be a Marvel Super Hero in every sense of the word.
Big Hero Moment – Explore how impactful Captain Marvel's entrance into the MCU is, and how she inspires audiences around the world.
The Origin of Nick Fury – Witness some of the MCU's most significant events through Nick Fury's eyes, and see how his influence helped shape the MCU.
The Dream Team – Discover why Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck are the perfect pair to direct Marvel Studios' most powerful hero.
The Skrulls and the Kree – Take a deeper look into the Skrulls and the Kree, their ongoing conflict, and the importance of shifting perspectives in the film.
Hiss-sterical Cat-titude – The cast and crew dish on working with Goose and the raw talent it takes to portray such a complex character on-screen.
6 Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
Digital Exclusives:
Journey into Visual Effects with Victoria Alonso
What Makes a Memory: Inside the "Mind Frack"
Concept Art
On-Set Images
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The first trailer for It: Chapter Two is here. The sequel to 2017's blockbuster Stephen King adaptation It is set 27 years later and features a new cast playing the adult versions of the kids in the first movie.
The trailer opens with a fairly long sequence in which Beverly (Jessica Chastain) returns to her home town of Derry and visits her old apartment. There is now a weird old lady living there, who seems to hold a dark secret. It's a really effectively creepy scene, and is followed by a quickly-cut montage that alternates between the new cast and their younger counterparts--plus a scary appearance from the evil clown Pennywise. Check it out above.
It: Chapter Two also stars James McAvoy as Bill, Bill Hader as Richie, James Ransone as Eddie, Andy Bean as Stan, and Isaiah Mustafa as Mike. Bill Skarsgård returns as Pennywise, one of the guises of the terrifying interdimensional entity of the title. The movie hit theaters on September 9.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Skarsgård spoke about how Pennywise has changed in the years between the two movies. "He's been doing this forever really, so he doesn't change in the sense that you would look differently," he explained. "He looks however he wants to look for any particular prey at the time, but I do think there's a change. His last line--'Fear' --is him experiencing it for the first time, and he's sort of shocked and perplexed and surprised. Like, what is this?
"It fuels hatred and anger towards the kids, who will be adults in this one, so I think there might be an even more vicious Pennywise. He's really going after it."
In related news, a new TV version of King's fantasy series The Dark Tower is on the way. A movie adaptation arrived a few months before the first It movie in 2017 but flopped at the box office. This new version is being overseen by former Walking Dead showrunner Glen Mazzara and is being produced for Amazon.
The Week 1 challenges for Fortnite are now available with Season 9 underway. For the most part they're fairly easy going and mostly intended to push players to check out the new locations, Neo Tilted and Mega Mall, while using the new Slip Stream transportation system. However, one of the challenges requires a little bit of extra effort, so we've put together a guide to make it easier for you.
The challenge asks players to visit all the Sky Platforms on the new Season 9 map. This might be familiar to you if you played a bunch of Season 8. If you cast your mind back to when the Pirate Camps appeared--it's basically the same challenge. All you've got to do is visit the locations and before long you'll have the challenge completed.
The actual platforms are very easy to spot as they'll look like weird, hovering drones. Just hop on board, and then move on to the next one. Below you'll find a map of all the locations as well as a list of where the platforms can be found.
Sky Platform Locations
South-east of the volcano in the newly named area, Pressure Plant
The rollover to Fortnite Season 9 is complete. We've got a brand new Battle Pass that's absolutely packed with cosmetics to unlock, including some very cool skins. But if you want any of those, you'll need to earn Battle Stars so that they level up your Battle Pass and make them accessible. The best way to do that is the weekly challenges, the first batch of which is now available.
Remember, everyone that plays Fortnite will have access to a small selection of the weekly challenges, but there's a second set that's exclusive to players that have spent 950 V-Bucks on a premium Battle Pass. That also includes exclusive unlocks and, overall, is the quickest way to earn Battle Stars, thanks to the extra set of challenges.
In Fortnite Season 9, Week 1, players will need to ride the new Slip Stream travel system around Neo Tilted, one of the new areas. On top of that, they'll need to visit the seven sky platforms, and deal damage to enemies immediately after using the Shadow Bomb item.
Players that have the premium Battle Pass will have to grab a legendary item in five different matches, search seven chests in either Lucky Landing or Loot Lake, take out enemies using scoped weapons, and deal damage to opponents from at least two stories above them.
Free
Stage 1 of 2: Ride the Slip Stream around Neo Tilted (1) -- 2 Battle Stars
Visit all Sky Platform (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Deal damage to an opponent within 10s after using a Shadow Bomb (200) -- 10 Battle Stars
Premium
Pick up a Legendary Item in different matches (5) -- 5 Battle Stars
Search chests at Lucky Landing or Loot Lake (7) -- 5 Battle Stars
Scoped weapon eliminations (3) -- 10 Battle Stars
Stage 1 of 3: Deal damage to opponents from at least 2 stories above (300) -- 3 Battle Stars
Epic Games has released the patch notes for Fortnite's 9.0 update, which details everything that's new to the game for Season 9. On top of that, there's info on all the tweaks that have been made, including a list of items and weapons that have been vaulted.
Season 9 of Fortnite: Battle Royale has begun, bringing new skins, a new battle pass, a new v9.0 update, and more. There's a ton of new content to dig into right now, like checking out the new map areas Neo Tilted and Mega Mall, but it also gives dataminers a lot to work with. And they've been at it already: It seems there's a John Wick event coming to Epic's battle royale game.
According to Twitter user and Fortnite dataminer FortTory, a set of John Wick challenges are on the way to Fortnite very soon. It appears they'll task players with collecting coins, dealing damage with the new combat shotgun, and winning a match of a seemingly new limited-time mode named Wick's Bounty. The challenges also make reference to a new gun named the tactical assault rifle. There's no word on when the LTM or any of this will go live, but it's likely it will be fairly soon.
Beyond this, there's actual concrete in-game evidence of this, as John Wick's house, seen in the first two movies, can now be found on the map. You can get a look at it above.
Another Fortnite leaker, Lucas7yoshi, has uncovered a new John Wick cosmetic set that seems to have the codename "assassin suit." Fortnite received a series of John Wick-style cosmetics named the hired gun set all the way back in Season 3, over a year ago. With John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum coming to theaters on May 17, now would be a perfect time for an official crossover event to occur.
Nintendo has announced its plans for E3, once again including a pair of tournaments and a special Nintendo Direct presentation in lieu of a formal press conference. The Nintendo Direct will detail its plans for Nintendo Switch throughout 2019.
The Direct presentation will kick off on June 11 at 9 AM PT--the morning the E3 show floor opens, as usual. After that, Nintendo will follow up with its three days of Treehouse streams, which often include developer chats revolving around the games revealed during the presentation.
Before any of that happens, though, Nintendo is planning two game tournaments for the weekend prior to E3. First on June 8 at 11 AM PT, the company will host the Splatoon 2 World Championships. Then, once that wraps up around 2 PM PT, the company will host a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship tournament, composed of 3v3 teams.
A new season of Fortnite is exciting for many reasons, but perhaps the biggest among them for many fans is the opportunity to get new skins and styles. Making your character look cool as you take out enemies in the hopes of achieving that Victory Royale, or completing challenges to earn Battle Stars, is a big part of the Fortnite experience, and now that we're in Season 9, there's a lot of new looks to get excited about.
Yes, Season 9 has plenty of skins and styles that you're going to have to work hard to get. If you're not familiar with the process, here's a quick overview: Every player is given a Battle Pass when they start playing Fortnite and, as part of that, there are tiers and cosmetic unlocks tied to those tiers. By completing challenges you unlock Battle Stars, which level up the pass and push it through the tiers, unlocking the skins and other goodies as you go along.
However, there's also a premium Battle Pass that can only be acquired by spending 950 V-Bucks on it. This premium pass not only has exclusive cosmetic unlocks, but also exclusive weekly challenges, which means those that have one can unlock more and unlock it faster. You can learn more about the Fortnite Season 9 Battle Pass here. If you decide to purchase one, you'll get the Sentinel and Rox skins immediately, and they're pretty cool. Rox, in particular, is a really nice outfit as it evolves over time. However, for the remaining skins, you'll have to put in the work and earn them. You can take a look at all the new skins, and also the styles that alter them slightly, in the gallery below.
Fortnite Season 9 takes players to the future, specifically in Tilted Towers and Retail Row, which were destroyed during the climax of Season 8 and then remade for Season 9 as Neo Tilted and Mega Mall. You can get a closer look at Fortnite's new locations here.
But that's not all that's new in the season, as developer Epic Games has also introduced an interesting new transportation system: Slipstreams. You can read about that, as well as all the other various changes, tweaks, and new additions included in the update by reading the Fortnite Season 9 patch notes.
Fortnite: Battle Royale's Season 9 didn't come in quietly. In fact, as players who attended the Unvaulting event will attest to, it was quite an explosive transition into the new season. After jumping into the mysterious vault at the center of Loot Lake and then freeing the Tommy Gun, players were launched back into the sky above the island. There they watched as the volcano that appeared early in Season 8 erupted, destroying Tilted Towers. This was the setup for Season 9 and, now that it's begun, we finally have a look at what's changed--and it includes two major new named areas, Neo Tilted and Mega Mall.
Season 9 has a futuristic theme and, if you watch the trailer, you'll know that a few new areas have appeared to support this theme. The first is Neo Tilted, which replaces the Tilted Towers of old and has a very vibrant, city of the future vibe to it. There's neon lighting, floodlights piercing the sky with pearlescent beams, and a blimp floating about.
Neo Tilted is home to Slipstreams tunnels, which are a new type of map element. Players can leap into them and ride wind currents to quickly move around the map. Check it all out in the image below.
Another area that has appeared in the wake of the volcano's eruption is the Mega Mall, which replaces Retail Row. The Mall looks to be a little bigger than Retail Row and, like Neo Tilted, there is a Slipstream tunnel that snakes around it. All the stores you'd expect to see in a mall are present and accounted for, there's restaurants, toy stores, arcades, and more. Alongside the Slipstream, there are various air vents located around the Mega Mall, which are handy for getting around the larger space. Take a look at the Mega Mall in the image below.
Naturally, there are various other small tweaks to the map, but these two locations are the biggest changes. We expect players will be visiting them regularly, as Epic likes to tie new locations closely to weekly challenges. (Week 1 challenges include visiting all the sky platforms.) This season, there's an extra set of challenges focused on finding Fortbytes, a new pickup that will reveal the secrets of the season. You can learn more about Fortbytes here.
A new Battle Pass is also available, which means there's new unlocks to be had. If you're not familiar with how all that works, head over to our Fortnite Season 9 Battle Pass guide, where we explain what a Battle Pass is, how you can get one, what you'll get for having one, and more.
Fortnite players are used to having challenges and mysteries thrown their way regularly and, with the start of Season 9, Epic Games has a new way to keep players on their toes. For the new season, a collectible called Fortbytes is being introduced for those who purchase the Battle Pass, and they're the key to solving the mystery of Season 9. Here's how they work and what you need to know.
When you load up the game and head to the Challenges section, you'll now find a new entry in the events category. Here you'll find the Fortbyte challenges, which task players with using clues to find the new, special items on the island. These items are small, glowing computer chips and, once acquired, will uncover a small piece of a larger picture. Some of these Fortbytes are also unlocked by meeting certain conditions such as earning 175,000 XP, reaching specific Battle Pass tiers, or going to certain areas. The ultimate goal is to collect all the Fortbytes from across the season and decrypt the mystery. You can find a list of Fortbyte challenges below.
Fortnite Season 9 Fortbyte Challenges
1: Awarded for gaining 175,000 XP
10: Awarded for gaining 60,000 XP
13: Found at a location hidden within loading screen number 2
25: Awarded at Battle Pass tier 40
35: Awarded for gaining 225,000 XP
36: Accessible by Sentinel on a frozen island
39: Awarded for completing six challenges from Week 2
44: Awarded at Battle Pass tier 20
46: Awarded at Battle Pass tier 100
57: Awarded by finishing top 10 in squads, duos, or solo 25 times
66: Awarded by finishing top 10 in squads, duos, or solo 75 times
71: Awarded for completing six challenges from Week 1
84: Awarded at Battle Pass tier 60
85: Awarded for gaining 30,000 XP
87: Awarded by finishing top 10 in squads, duos, or solo 50 times
90 Awarded by finishing top 10 in squads, duos, or solo 100 times
96: Awarded at Battle Pass tier 80
99: Awarded for gaining 125,000 XP
It's important to reiterate that Fortbytes and are exclusive to those that have spent V-Bucks on a Battle Pass. They are, effectively, another set of unique challenges that function similar to the way as the Battle Pass-exclusive weekly challenges, which means if you don't own the Battle Pass, you won't be able to see any of it. You can read our Fortnite Season 9 Battle Pass guide to find out how it works and what it includes.
Fortnite Season 9 brings a number of other new additions, tweaks, and changes to Epic Games' battle royale title. You can read the full Fortnite Season 9 update patch notes to get a breakdown of it all. If you haven't already seen it, check out the first trailer for Fortnite Season 9, as it sets up all the weird changes that have happened on the island through a short and sweet story about a couple of lads getting locked in a vault.
Mark it on your calendar, Fortnite Season 9 began on May 9, and brought with it a whole bunch of new things for players to obsess about--10 weeks from now, you'll be getting all nostalgic about this moment, probably. Fortnite developer Epic Games has detailed the major patch that is ushering in all the exciting changes to the game and, as with previous seasons, there are significant changes to the map, fresh gameplay opportunities, and much more. Obviously, there's a new Battle Pass too, and below you'll find a breakdown of all the key details, including pricing information, what you'll get as part of it, and how to make the most of the Battle Pass.
What Is The Fortnite Battle Pass?
The Battle Pass is effectively what allows players to unlock new items that can be used to customize their character. These include skins, emotes, wraps, gliders, and back bling--basically, it's all the rad stuff you see players wearing and think, "Dang, that's cool, I want that." These items are earned by playing Fortnite--taking out enemy players, scoring Victory Royales, completing the weekly challenges, and generally having a good time in Fortnite. While doing this, you'll accrue Battle Stars, which in turn level up the Battle Pass and unlock cosmetic items attached to the levels.
As with previous Battle Passes, there are over 100 levels to upgrade through. For Season 9, when you buy the Battle Pass, you'll automatically get two skins: Sentinel and Rox, which you can see images of below. Rox is a progressive skins, which means it can be levelled up to evolve into new styles.
How Do Battle Pass Challenges Work?
Thankfully, you're not required to have a Battle Pass to enjoy playing Fortnite. This is because, by default, everyone is able to unlock a limited number of cosmetics. This is because everyone starts off with what is a free, baseline level of the Battle Pass. With this version, however, it takes considerably longer to level up the Battle Pass and unlock cosmetics, and many of the coolest items are exclusive to paid Battle Pass owners. Weekly challenges are the quickest way to level up a Battle Pass, and while free players will have some challenges to do, there's a portion of the weekly challenges that are exclusive to those that have spent V-Bucks on a Battle Pass. More challenges to do means more Battle Stars can be earned, which in turn results in the Battle Pass leveling up quicker.
How Much Does A Battle Pass Cost?
The Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks from the in-game store. V-Bucks is a Fortnite-specific currency that you can purchase with real money. 1,000 V-Bucks go for about $10 in the US. Alternatively, you can purchase the Battle Bundle, which is 40% off and gives you the Battle Pass with 25 tiers unlocked, as well as the Bunker Jonesy skin. This bundle is priced at 2,800 V-Bucks.
Season 9 Battle Bundle Contents
Battle Bundle is available now through August 1 and instantly grants players with items "valued at over 10,000 V-Bucks. These include:
Rox Progressive Outfit
Sentinel Outfit
Bunker Jonesy Outfit
Sentinel Wrap
Ripe Rippers Harvesting Tool
Turbo Spin Glider
Ripe Wrap
300 B-Bucks
1 Music Track
70% Bonus Season Match XP
20% Bonus Season Friend Match XP
What Are The Rewards?
When you purchase a Battle Pass, you'll immediately receive a few skins including the Sentinel and Rox. However, beyond that there are futuristic wraps, which chance the visual style of whatever they're applied to, mechanized pets, emotes, back bling, sprays, and more. The ultimate goal, however, is a progressive outfit that unlocks at tier 100. This skin is called "Vendetta" and you can see an image of it above. It's also worth noting that if you owned a Season 8 pass, you'll start Season 9 with a 30% personal XP boost. You can see all the Fortnite Season 9 Battle Pass rewards here.
What's New In Season 9?
The Battle Pass might seem like a lot of work, and it certainly is--requiring hours of dedicated play, but it also worthwhile if you're an avid Fortnite fan. But how does Season 9 mix things up from a gameplay standpoint, you may be asking? Well, the biggest change that we've seen in Week 1 of Season 9 is the new Slipstreams. These are new ways to get around the map quickly and, since you can either hop in yourself to be carried around the island, lob projectiles in, or drive small vehicles through, there's sure to be plenty of opportunities to make mischief. There is gameplay depth to using Splistreams too, as you can build speed and influences trajectory, so you'll need to spend a bit of time getting familiar with how they work. You can read more about what's new in the Season 9 patch notes.
Fortnite Season 9 begins today. Epic Games is rolling out the update and has also released a new trailer to give players a nice, cinematic, overview of what to get excited about. The trailer shows two characters--one the male Fortnite model and the other the Banana, which it turns out is actually an anthropomorphic banana and not a person in a costume--running into a vault.
They spend an unspecified, but lengthy, amount of time in the vault doing things like playing arcade games and working out. At one point food shortage becomes an issue and poor old banana gets the short end of the stick. Before long, they're freed, and emerge to see a new futuristic world with glistening skyscrapers, neon colors, and strobe lighting. This futuristic vibe is the theme of Season 9 and, in line with this, new areas such as Neo Tilted and the Mega Mall have appeared on the island.
As revealed in the patch notes, Fortnite Season 9 also offers players interesting new ways to play the game. Perhaps the most immediately noticeable addition are Slipstreams, which can are new transportation system. By hopping into the various Slipstream portals peppered around the map, players can quickly move around the island and, should they wish, can even do so in small vehicles. There's some gameplay nuances to the way they work, as players can alter velocity, bob up and down to build speed, and influence the angles they are launched out of a slipstream at.
You can read about everything that's new and changed for Fortnite Season 9 in the patch notes. There's more information on how weapons are being tweaked, everything that's being vaulted, and more, so make sure to give it a read before you drop onto the island again.
Fortnite: Battle Royale's Season 9 officially begins today and developer Epic Games has released lengthy patch notes detailing everything that is being added, tweaked, and changed to the wildly popular battle royale title. Naturally, there's a new Battle Pass complete with a whole load of fresh rewards to unlock, but there's also some big difference to the way you play Fortnite in Season 9.
One of the changes comes in the form of Slipstreams, which are wind tunnels that will carry players around the map much quicker. Numerous tubes have appeared around the Fortnite island, and players can hop in to quickly travel around. Interestingly, projectiles and vehicles can also enter the Slipstream, which is sure to cause some mayhem. These Slipstreams can be found in the two new named map areas: Neo Tilted and Mega Mall.
There are also new Air Vents around the map, and these fire gusts of air that players can use to launch themselves short distances. Despite how high you're sent into the air, players will not receive fall damage. Finally, there's Fortbytes, a new collectible that is exclusive to Battle Pass owners. There are 100 in Season 9 and, once all of them are found by a player, they will decrypt the secrets of Season 9.
On the weapon side, the Combat Shotgun has been added. It's semi-automatic and holds 10 shells at a time, and it reloads two shells at once. There are Rare, Epic, and Legendary versions, and you'll find them as floor loot as well as in chests, supply drops, and vending machines. A variety of other weapons have had their damage or availability adjusted, and a bunch of items have been added to the Vault (meaning you won't find them in the game for now). Those include buried treasure, the pump shotgun, balloons, clingers, and the poison dart trap.
Check out the full patch notes for Fortnite Season 9's Battle Royale mode below. You can head over to the official Fortnite website to see what's new with the Creative and Save The World modes.
Weapons + Items
Added Combat Shotgun
Semi-Automatic
Holds 10 Shells.
Fires 9 pellets per shot for 73 / 77 / 81 base damage.
Tight spread and fast fire rate.
Headshot multiplier of 1.70x.
Reloads 2 shells at a time.
Available in Rare, Epic, and Legendary variants.
Available from Floor, Chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines
Adjusted Tactical Shotgun damage
Base damage increased from 66/70/74 to 71/75/79
Reduced Drum Gun availability from 16.732% to 7.155%
Reduced Boom Bow availability from 1.292% to .755%
Unvaulted Grenades
Vaulted Clingers
Vaulted Buried Treasure
Vaulted Pump Shotgun
Vaulted Poison Dart Trap
Vaulted Scoped Revolver
Vaulted Suppressed Assault Rifle
Vaulted Thermal Assault Rifle
Vaulted Balloons
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Turbo building after gliding now works correctly.
The stink bomb damage audio and effects were not playing if you damaged yourself.
Fixed the Shadow bomb occasionally not making the player invisible on the Xbox One the first time it's used.
Misplacement of Launch Pads in mid-air has been resolved.
Pirate Cannon camera issues due to network latency have been resolved.
The Reboot Card deposit sound effects no longer play in replay mode while the Van is on Cooldown.
The Reboot Van card sound effects will no longer be heard when a squadmate disconnects.
Gameplay
Slipstreams
These tunnels of wind passively carry players down the stream.
Players can move faster and change direction when actively trying to move down the Stream.
Use directional input to gain extra velocity. Experiment with bobbing up and down for higher speeds.
Players are launched when exiting the tube based on their movement speed and exit angle.
Projectiles and Vehicles can also enter the Slipstream.
Air Vents
The powerful gusts of air from these environmental items can launch players short distances and grant immunity to fall damage.
Fortbytes
Fortbytes are a series of 100 collectible computer chips available to Battle Pass owners. As you collect Fortbytes, you'll decrypt a mysterious image. Collect them all to unlock rewards and uncover the secrets of Season 9.
On the first day of Season 9, there are 18 Fortbytes available to find. At least 1 new Fortbyte will be unlocked each day. Check the Challenges Tab for detailed information on which Fortbytes are currently available and when the others unlock.
Fortbytes cannot be collected after Season 9 ends.
Disconnected players will stay in the world for 60 seconds. They still take damage and count for elimination points.
Bug Fixes & Improvements
Resolved an issue with the UI showing health gains incorrectly if the player canceled the consumable close to completion time.
PS4 controller lighting not always matching your pin color when in Squads.
Players not able to use Hold to Swap if they previously picked an item up normally
Adjusted turbo building to be more forgiving under poor network conditions
Fixed cases of jittery movement under certain conditions.
Limited Time Mode Rotation:
Trios: Classic Battle Royale with Three-Person Squads.
Solid Gold: Fight to the finish using Legendary weapons!
One Shot: Low Gravity. Every player has 50 health. Sniper weapons are the only weapon, Bandages are the only healing item. Jump high and aim well!
Events
Players who have already qualified to be in the World Cup will be marked with a World Cup badge on the event leaderboards
Leaderboards now have a button to sort games by the number of top leaderboard players in them. This will help identify the most critical active games from a leaderboard standing view.
The in-game HUD now has different icons for points for Arena matches and weekend tournament matches.
Performance
Improved frame rate on Nintendo Switch, particularly when large numbers of characters are onscreen.
Addressed some cases of invisible characters after skydiving.
Audio
Better tactical audio when inside player-built structures:
Enemy Pickaxe impact within ~one building tile radius has new, louder sound.
Wallbreak by enemy close/behind player much clearer/louder.
Explosion audio improvements- shorter, higher dynamic range sounds that will make explosion audio clearer and punchier.
UI
Bug Fixes & Improvements
"Swap" text appearing in the pickup UI will no longer appear when picking up more resources than the player can carry.
The initial storm warning timer was incorrectly showing as 0.
Spectators and replay watchers can now report users.
Fixed party invites not showing up in the UI if the user logged out and back in again.
Spectating
Spectating a player's match will now automatically follow that player.
Mobile
Auto fire will now trigger on vehicles.
Added option for increasing elimination feed line count in the HUD Layout Tool.
Dragging/Dropping from the quickbar is now allowed while jumping.
The location of the boost button on Android for the X-Stormwing has been moved to avoid triggering the Home button.
Squad formation is now accessible.
Bug Fixes & Improvements
The delay with interacting when using the quickbar slots has been resolved.
Weapon icons now correctly display icons on the quickbar.
Fixed sliders that were broken in the Dead Zone tab of the Controller Options.
Auto fire adjustments:
Semi-automatic weapons now fire correctly.
Increased acquisition delay for shotguns.
Dynamite trajectory indicator is now correctly displayed during use.
Ziplines can no longer be ridden past their endpoints.
Autorun no longer takes more than two taps to initiate after jumping from Battle Bus.
Cooldown Timer visual for boost buttons on vehicles is now displayed correctly.
The camera no longer shakes when entering the X-Stormwing.
Left virtual thumbstick no longer becomes invisible when holding left or right and pressing the fire button.
The Harvest Tool UI button in HUD layout is no longer invisible.
The stair railing in Pleasant Park no longer clips through the door.
Variant numbers partially hidden in the preview screen by the "X" button.
The Dream cosmetic is now correctly displaying:
The butterfly
Eye glow effect
Widow's Bite pickaxe visual effect issue has been resolved.
The Cooldown ring timer showing briefly when switching seats in Cannon.
Interact Icon is no longer missing with certain consumables.
Input Blocked text will no longer appear when opening the inventory.
The Item Shop arrows now display correctly on iPhone XS Max.
Legendary filmmaker James Cameron has responded to the news that Avengers: Endgame has surpassed his own Titanic to become the second-biggest box office success ever.
Posting on Twitter, Cameron addressed his message to Marvel Studios executive Kevin Feige and everyone else at Marvel. He said, "An iceberg sank the real Titanic. It took the Avengers to sink my Titanic. Everyone here at [Cameron's production company Lightstorm Entertainment] salutes your amazing achievement. You've down that the movie industry is not only alive and well. It's bigger than ever!"
The message was accompanied by a cheeky graphic showing the Avengers logo sinking the Titanic.
Endgame made $2.227 billion worldwide after just 13 days, which was good enough to pass Cameron's Titanic ($2.187 billion). Endgame now only trails another Cameron movie, Avatar, which is the highest-grossing movie in history with $2.78 billion at the box office globally.
After the big success of the choose your own adventure Black Mirror episode, Bandersnatch, streamer Netflix announced it would produce more interactive episodes. We've already had the Bear Grylls interactive show, and now Netflix has announced its first-ever interactive comedy for the recently ended Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Netflix confirmed that the "special" will star Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, and Carol Kane in their roles from the main show. Creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock are also working on the episode in which viewers will get to choose what the characters do. Unlike Bandersnatch, however, the stakes will presumably be lower and less dire.
The untitled Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt special will premiere in 2020. "Fans will be able to make choices on behalf of our characters, taking different story paths with, of course, different jokes. I think it's a great fit for our show and will be a great way to officially complete the series," Fey said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt premiered in 2015 and ran for four seasons, the most recent of which came out in January this year. It was thought that the comedy might be over at that point, but now we know it's not.
In March this year, Netflix VP Todd Yellin said the company would be "doubling down" on interactive programming like Bandersnatch. "It's a huge hit around the world, and we realized, wow, interactive storytelling is something we want to bet more on," he said, as reported by Variety. At the time, he said the new interactive shows wouldn't necessarily be sci-fi like Bandersnatch, but they could be comedies or romances.
The comedy is coming in the form of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but there haven't been any interactive romantic shows on Netflix yet. Yellin said they could use their interactivity to allow viewers to choose if a person dates another person.
Sony Pictures has released a new clip from the upcoming superhero horror movie Brightburn, and it is very disturbing. Seriously.
If you're just catching up, Brightburn tells the story of a young man, Brandon, who has superpowers--but he does not use them to help people. Quite the opposite. In this new Red-Band trailer, a woman is closing up a diner when Brandon terrorizes her. Be warned, there is good reason that this is a Red-Band trailer. Watch at your own risk.
Elizabeth Banks and David Denman play a couple who adopt a child who crash-lands on earth. The boy, who is played by Jackson A. Dunn, is not a good boy. "Maybe adopting an alien baby you find in the woods isn't the best idea," advises director David Yarovesky.
Brightburn opens May 23 in Australia and then a day later on May 24 in the United States over the Memorial Day weekend. The movie is produced by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn; his brothers Brian and Mark Gunn wrote the script.
Here is the full plot description for Brightburn: "After a difficult struggle with fertility, Tori's dreams of motherhood come true with the arrival of a mysterious baby boy. Brandon appears to be everything Tori and her husband Kyle ever wanted-bright, talented, curious about the world. But as Brandon nears puberty, a powerful darkness seems to manifest within him, and Tori becomes consumed by terrible doubts about her son. Once Brandon begins to act on his twisted urges, those closest to him find themselves in grave danger, as the miracle child transforms into a vicious predator unleashed on an unsuspecting Kansas town."
In an earnings call, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said it expects Jedi Fallen Order to sell between 6 million and 8 million units; the new Need for Speed title to sell around 4 million copies; and the new Plants vs. Zombies title to shift in the low single-digit millions. These figures are presumably covering the current fiscal year and not necessarily over their respective lifetimes.
Little is known about the new Need for Speed and Plants vs. Zombies titles, but they are expected to be released in 2019 between October and December. Both titles are presumed to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The Plants vs. Zombies title is confirmed to be a shooter, so it could be the rumored Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 3. EA's Need for Speed studio is Ghost Games, but the studio hasn't announced its next title yet.
Jedi Fallen Order is in development at Apex Legends and Titanfall studio Respawn Entertainment. The first story trailer was released during this year's Star Wars Celebration. One of the six writers for Jedi: Fallen Order, Chris Avellone, said that story is "very important" to developer Respawn. "I think they do a good job of introducing various narrative layers into their games already, but they think the story is an important part of what they perceive to be a Star Wars game," Avellone explained. "That's one of the reasons I like Respawn, because when they tackle something like that, they understand what the important points are."
Scheduled to release November 15 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes place in the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith.
Oscar winner Mel Gibson will play a "rowdy, unorthodox" Santa Claus in a new film called "Fatman," according to Variety. According to the report, the movie will begin filming in Canada in early 2020. There is no word as of yet about who will star alongside Gibson in the film.
Variety's description of the plot states that that Gibson will play a version of Santa Claus who is "fighting his business decline, while a neglected and precocious 12-year-old hires a hitman to kill Santa after receiving a lump of coal in his stocking."
Fatman will be directed by brothers Ian and Eshom Nelms, working off a script they wrote. They previously worked on Waffle Street, Lost on Purpose, and Small Town Crime.
Gibson is just the latest big-name actor to play Santa. Tim Allen portrayed the character in The Santa Clause series, while Richard Attenborough played him in 1994's Miracle on 34th Street. More recently, Kurt Russell played Santa in the popular Netflix movie The Christmas Chronicles.
Gibson is a two-time Oscar winner who earned his awards for for 1995's Braveheart.
Bill Skarsgard was praised for his performance as Pennywise the killer clown in the 2017 Stephen King movie It, and he's returning to play a more sinister version of the clown in this year's sequel. In a new interview, Skarsgard talks about how playing the clown affected him personally.
He told Entertainment Weekly that he went home after wrapping up It: Chapter II, and at night, he was visited by Pennywise. "I was home, done with the movie, and I started having very strange and vivid Pennywise dreams. Every night, he came and visited," he said.
Looking forward to IT CHAPTER 2? You should be. I've seen it, and it's terrific. The trailer is coming Thursday, at noon. You'll float.
Just like in the films, Pennywise assumed different forms when he visited Skarsgard in his dreams. "It was in the shape of either me dealing with him, sort of Pennywise as a separate entity of me, and then also me as Pennywise in circumstances that I didn't appreciate," he said.
Even though Skarsgard says he was visited by Pennywise in his dreams, the actor said it was like an exorcism to finish Chapter II. "Him exiting my body and getting rid of the Pennywise toxins," Skarsgard said.
Also in the interview, Skarsgard said Pennywise--having been "defeated" in the 2017 film--returns 27 years later in the sequel as more terrifying and bloodthirsty. "He's inflicted fear on his prey, and he's very focused on fear, but he's never experienced it himself," he said. "Now he's experienced something that he has been inflicting on others and … there's a shift leading into the second movie."
The actor teased that Pennywise is not bound by continuity in the sense that a traditional character would be, and this allows him to go to some horrifying places. "We can explore his unpredictability now that we've established the character for the audience. We can still sort of shock them," he said.
The first trailer for It: Chapter Two will be released on Thursday morning, so keep checking back with GameSpot for more.
Chapter Two picks up 27 years after the events of the first movie. The kids are now adults, and Pennywise the Clown is back to terrorise them once more.
The cast is full of big names. James McAvoy plays Bill and Jessica Chastain portrays Beverly, while Bill Hader stars as Richie, Jay Ryan as Ben, James Ransone as Eddie, Andy Bean as Stanley, and Isaiah Mustafa as Mike. Bill Skarsgard returns to play Pennywise. The children who played the child characters from the original movie will return as well in flashback scenes.
Andy Muschietti, who directed the original, is back as well for the sequel. It: Chapter Two hits theatres on September 6.
Did you know that the original Pokémon movie is still the highest grossing anime movie in the US? No matter how many critically acclaimed Studio Ghibli movies come out, there's no denying the power of Pikachu and the Pocket Monsters.
But the original Pokémon movie, or Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back, didn't get anywhere near the critical praise that other anime movies have received outside Japan. Western critics called the movie an obvious attempt at selling toys, and called out the movie's contradictory anti-violence message that goes against the very point of the anime and games.
Yet in Japan, Pokémon: The First Movie was better received critically. While the complex philosophical themes were criticized for being too difficult to understand for children, the film's exploration of cloning and genetic modification was praised, according to Joseph Tobin's book, "Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon."
Before Detective Pikachu is unleashed in theaters and makes us all party like its 1999, let's put on our tiny detective hats and see what the hell happened to the original Pokémon movie and solve the twisty mystery of why the Japanese version is much, much better.
Twisty Indeed
The basic plot is that Ash and his friends are invited to a mysterious lair on a remote island to meet the world's greatest Pokémon trainer, who is organizing a private tournament with the best trainers around. When they arrive, they realize the trainer is actually a powerful psychic Pokémon named Mewtwo, who has created an army of clones and plans to take over the world and kill everyone. Except this last bit is completely different in the Japanese version, and Mewtwo's motivation is actually a lot more developed.
You see, when Pokémon: The First Movie was released in Japan in 1998 it was accompanied by an audio drama that aired on Japanese radio before the movie, and was added as an animated prologue to the movie's TV broadcast later on. It was called The Birth of Mewtwo. The ten-minute short served as a prologue detailing how Mewtwo came to be. Though the short was added in North America to the sequel Mewtwo Returns, it is completely absent from the original movie where it belongs.
It tells of a group of scientists, led by a Dr. Fuji, who found a fossilized sample of the DNA of Mew, the original mythical Pokémon. They successfully clone Mew and enhance it to create Mewtwo, the most powerful Pokémon alive.
When Mewtwo gains consciousness, it uses its psychic powers to communicate with a cloned Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander that reside in the lab, as well as Ambertwo, the clone consciousness of the deceased daughter of Dr. Fuji, and they all become friends. This happiness isn't allowed to last, and complications with the cloning process cause Mewtwo's friends to fade away Thanos-style and die. We watch as poor, little Mewtwo witnesses its only friends in the world die, and starts crying. This is a being that doesn't know who it is and what it's meant to do, two questions that carry its whole character throughout the movie. Traumatized by watching a smaller version of The Snappening, Mewtwo starts activating its psychic powers, which prompts the scientists to put him in stasis for years.
(The short also explains that Pokémon tears are special--because their tears are filled with life. This explains how they can magically revive Ash when he turns to stone later in the movie.)
Then the actual movie begins. Mewtwo wakes up wondering who it is, where it is, and why it came to be. When it doesn't get the answers it wants, Mewtwo blows everyone up.
This short prologue alone gives us an entirely different Mewtwo, one that isn't just a despot wanting to kill everyone, but a confused creature in the middle of an existential crisis.
In a series of blogs, Takeshi Shudo, chief writer for the original series of the anime and the first movie, detailed his original plans for Pokémon: The First Movie. He wrote that prologue in order to make a film that not only entertained kids, but mentally stimulated their parents with some tough questions of existentialism. The conflict of his film came from Mewtwo's struggle to find meaning to its existence. This is far less ambitious in the version of the movie localized for Western audiences; in the original, there is no wanting to annihilate the world and rule it. All Mewtwo wants is answers to the questions regarding its identity, purpose, and most of all, value.
Mewtwo then decides the best way to do this is by testing its power. If Mewtwo is stronger than the strongest Pokémon trainers, or even Mew, then surely its life has value? If Mewtwo's clone army can defeat natural-born Pokémon, then they must have a more valid reason to live than the originals, right? While Mewtwo does mention that humans aren't fit to rule the world, when asked, he mentions that Pokémon aren't fit either--he's just trying to figure out his place the only way he learned how.
I Mewtwo, Therefore I Am
The original version of Mewtwo is not just a maniacally evil and genocidal psychopath, but a villain with depth and an arc. So what happened?
Turns out, Nintendo and 4Kids happened. The official, very '90s US website for the movie clearly states that "Pokémon: The First Movie had to be virtually reimagined for American audiences." Nintendo, which owns all rights to Pokémon in America, brought 4Kids Entertainment (who also localized Yu-Gi-Oh! and One Piece in the US) on board to essentially "Americanize" the movie. 4Kids is infamous for heavily censoring the shows they buy, removing things like guns, cigarettes, and religious symbols, and even changing Japanese food like rice balls for more recognizable American food like jelly donuts. In the year between the Japanese and US releases of the movie, 4Kids's Norman Grossfeld "dramatically rewrote the script, incorporating all-new story elements," according to the website. They also re-scored the entire movie with music that Grossfeld thought "better reflected what American kids would respond to," which explains the weird inclusion of Christina Aguilera and M2M, and also the very excellent "Brother My Brother," which plays during the final battle.
These changes did not sit well with the writers and producers of the Japanese original. As written in an essay and quoted by Tobin in "Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon," executive producer Masakazu Kubo wrote that "The people at Warner gave us some hassle over the script. According to them, the Japanese original does not distinguish clearly enough between the good guys and the bad." According to Kubo, the distributor told him that the viewers would not be able to know who to identify with and who to cheer on. "In other words, the heroes and villains needed to be identified clearly."
It is a perfectly reasonable concern. After all, kids would not understand that Mewtwo was supposed to be the villain. He only kills a bunch of people at the beginning of the movie, fights against Ash and turns him to stone, and the movie is called "Mewtwo Strikes Back," but, you know, kids are dumb! The only way they will know that Mewtwo is the villain is if we make him want to take over the world and kill every single human. Otherwise, the kids may not identify with Ash, the main guy from that super popular TV show the movie is based on.
In the end, Grossfeld changed quite a bit, including the opening narration that talks about the meaning of life, the pop music, well known gaffes like a character calling a Pidgeot a Pidgeotto, and everything pertaining to the climax of the movie.
After Mewtwo unveils his army of clones, Ash foolishly attempts to punch the villain in the face, but is sent flying away, before Mew arrives and saves Ash. Then Mewtwo declares that it is more powerful than Mew and will prove it in battle, while also psychically blocking his clone army's abilities so they can fight the old-fashioned way, with tooth and nail instead of flamethrowers and water-cannons.
Mew sides with the original Pokémon to fight Mewtwo. Watching Grossfeld's version for the West, one can see Mew as almost a messianic hero who defends Ash and the other Pokémon from Mewtwo's evil and saves them with an anti-violence message, saying that "shows of force prove nothing, real strength comes from the heart." Meanwhile, watching the original Japanese version based on Takeshi Shudo's script you see a different side of the little Pokémon, with Mew saying that the originals are the only real living creatures and they won't lose to the copies. Mew in this movie goes so far as to say it can't forgive the existence of a copy made by humans, so they fight--seemingly to the death.
While the heartbreaking fight is going on, we cut to the human characters witnessing the carnage, and here is where the biggest and worst change happens. In the US dub, which was then translated in all Western countries, the characters realize that violence is wrong, and Pokémon should absolutely never fight one another. It's a very strange message to have in a movie based on a franchise that's all about having Pokémon fight each other.
Only this isn't the message of Shudo's original script. Since the whole point of Mewtwo was that it wanted to find its place in the world and the fighting was a way to show that the clones' lives had more value, the human characters' moment of realization involves them talking about how both originals and copies are still living creatures and therefore their lives have value. When Ash gets petrified and the Pokémon tears bring him back, both Mew and Mewtwo finally realize that all lives are meaningful--whether human or Pokémon, original or lab-grown.
This message is far more fitting of the franchise's mythology, since Pokémon don't really fight to the death, they just "faint." It's a shame that 4Kids never understood the message, and did everything it could to make a compelling and complex film into a merely entertaining but dumb kids' movie. Takeshi Shudo may have had some weird ideas--he wanted to end the anime with the revelation that it was all in Ash's head, including a movie involving a Spartacus-like revolution led by Pikachu where Pokémon rebelled against their trainers--but there's no denying that the Japanese version of Pokémon: The First Movie had a way more fitting message, even if lacked that killer pop soundtrack.
Supermassive CEO and executive producer Pete Samuels told Game Informer said the team wants to tell new stories, and it's doing just that with its new game Man of Medan, which is part of the multi-title Dark Pictures anthology. "After Until Dawn, [many] started to request a sequel, and it still happens today, so we know there is a fanbase that likes this kind of thing," he said.
"A lot of [creating the anthology] is about our desire to serve that fanbase from our perspective and to serve us ourselves in what we love to do, which is do more stories and characters, and do it more frequently than one or two every few years," he added.
Game director Tom Heaton said working on an anthology series is more exciting because it gives the studio more freedom and opportunity to take on a new subject with new characters each time. "You're not tied to historical characters that you have to use," he said.
Until Dawn features eight playable characters, all of whom you control, and you must make choices that determine whether they live or die. There can be many different endings. This presents a problem for Until Dawn if it were to have the same characters, of course. "If we were making sequels, we don't know who survived," producer Dan McDonald said. "I mean we could probably work it out from your game save, but we don't want to make a sequel to that. We want to make a different story with different people."
Man of Medan follows a group of four young Americans and the ship captain in the South Pacific on a diving trip in search of a World War II-era wreck. This do not go to plan, and the four face "unimaginable stress and terror" as they try to escape the ship. As with Until Dawn, players will make choices that determine the fates of the main characters.
Also similar to Until Dawn, Supermassive is bringing on big-name actors to play the characters in Man of Medan including X-Men actor Shawn Ashmore and Pip Torrens from The Force Awakens. Man of Medan launches this summer on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
There's a new Exotic weapon to chase in Destiny 2 with the recent release of Update 2.2.2--and like some of the best stuff in the Destiny games, it's a secret full of puzzles and tough fights. In order to unlock the new version of Outbreak Prime, a Destiny 1 favorite Exotic, you'll need to first find out how to start the quest to unlock it. It's completely secret; Destiny players stumbled upon it soon after the update and spent the entire day figuring out everything about unlocking it.
The trick to finding the weapon is knowing how to start the quest: Here's what you need to do and where you need to go. We've also got a full guide on unlocking your Outbreak Perfected if you don't feel like trying to figure it out for yourself.
To start down the path to get Outbreak Perfected, you need to head to Titan. Despite early speculation, there's no activity you have to play in order to find the start of the quest--you can reach the location just walking around while you're exploring the planet. Land on the Rig, then head south into the Tidal Anchor area.
You'll recognize this section of the game from several story missions you've completed on Titan (including "Bad Neighbors," the Adventure that was first thought required for Outbreak Perfected). Work your way through the Tidal Anchor area until you hit the big control room with various switches and a big window. Continue forward into the next room just below it, which also has a big window. You'll know you're in the right place if you come through the door in the room and find a scannable Hive crystal floating in the corner immediately to your right; at the left end of the room, you should see a door leading into a room with red lighting. That's where you're headed.
In the red room, you'll see a big door ahead of you that's sealed, and one to your left, both with the number 7 printed on them. Walk to the left door and you should get an "Unlock" prompt to interact with it. That'll open the door, leading you into a new room with a glass wall dividing a control area from the rest of it.
Head to the right side of the room, toward the Fallen version of the computer that stands near a sealed door. Beside that will be a slight ramp, at the top of which is a bin full of scrap metal and other junk--something that normally just looks like level decoration that you'd otherwise ignore. Check the bin, however, and get a prompt to "Examine Fallen device." Do so and you'll get an Exotic quest item called a Fallen Transponder.
You're now on your way to unlocking Outbreak Perfected. You'll next need to decipher some riddles and break some codes, before completing a timed mission similar to The Whisper, the one needed to earn Whisper of the Worm. Check out our full guide for help, including our Zero Hour mission video that shows the right path through the mission's maze-like corridors.
Ubisoft has announced Title Update 3, set to go live in The Division 2 this month, will not increase the game's Gear Score to 515 like previously stated. Instead, the maximum Gear Score will remain at 500.
"Our intention, as always, is for players to enjoy the content they love and continue to make progress with their Agent," a blog post on The Division 2 website reads. "After talking about loot and Gear Score in a lot of meetings, chats and video calls and many white boards being filled with thoughts, notes and graphs, we decided that with all the changes coming with [Title Update 3], increasing the Gear Score at this point would have created a couple of issues."
The post goes on to list some of those issues, including how raising the Gear Score to 515 would have made all Gear Score 500 items outdated ahead of the raid that's also included in Title Update 3. "We don't want to invalidate your progression and we heard that feedback loud and clear from our community," the post reads. Ubisoft also doesn't want The Division 2 to become too focused on chasing higher Gear Scores, as "it should be about finding a playstyle and build that you enjoy."
To reinforce this, Ubisoft has made several changes to Title Update 3 ahead of its release. These changes are listed below. The list of in-game adjustments and add-ons coming in Title Update 3 are listed in the full patch notes on The Division 2's website.
The Division 2 Title Update 3 Changes
We have increased the rewards for daily Priority Hard and Challenging missions. Once you've reached Gear Score 500, those activities will guarantee Gear Score 500 drops.
Heroic Mission bosses, Stronghold bosses and Bounty bosses, as well as Control Point Alert Level 4 reward containers guarantee Gear Score 500 items if your average Gear Score is at 500.
DZ contaminated loot does not drop below player's average Gear Score. When you've reached an average Gear Score of 500, Contaminated loot will guarantee Gear Score 500 items.
We've balanced loot across the board to reduce the chances of items dropping at a lower Gear Score than that of your character.
The Division 2 is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
Mortal Kombat 11 released just a couple of weeks ago on April 23, and while it's becoming increasingly common for new games to go on sale in a matter of weeks, we were particularly shook by the speed of MK11's price cuts. Amazon has been selling Mortal Kombat 11 for $10 off ($50) since release day, and multiple other retailers have offered the game at a discount at some point. Now, we're seeing the game at its lowest price yet, and PC gamers who have been holding off may want to jump on this particular deal.
For the next week (or while supplies last), Newegg is offering a Steam key for Mortal Kombat 11 for $44. When you add the game to your cart, you'll be able to see the price; the discount is applied automatically. If you're interested in the Premium edition, that version is also marked down to $75 (generally sells for $100) and you'll also receive a Steam key when you buy. The Premium edition includes the base game and the Kombat Pack, which gives you access to six new DLC playable characters, a week of early access to DLC characters, exclusive character skins, and exclusive sets of gear.
The game earned a 9/10 in GameSpot's Mortal Kombat 11 review for its deep, accessible combat system, cinematic story, diverse character roster, and rewarding new single-player mode, the Towers of Time.
"MK11 isn't just a sequel for series fans and NetherRealm devotees, it's a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly," wrote critic Edmond Tran. "Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There's a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp."
Niantic has been gradually introducing Gen 4 Pokemon to Pokemon Go over the past few months, but two that remain conspicuously missing from the game are Glaceon and Leafeon, the Ice- and Grass-type evolutions of Eevee. However, if a new leak is anything to go by, the two Eeveelutions may be on the way to the game soon.
Dataminer Chrales, who has a long track record of leaking new Pokemon Go features before they're officially announced, discovered text for three new types of Lure Modules. The Glacial Lure, according to the text, attracts Pokemon "that love the cold;" the Mossy Lure has the same effect on Pokemon that "love mossy scents;" and the Magnetic Lure draws in those that "possess a magnetic field."
Each of the three new Lure Modules also reportedly cause some Pokemon to evolve, which suggests this is how players will be able to obtain Glaceon and Leafeon in Go. In the mainline Pokemon games, Eevee would only evolve into one of those two forms if it leveled up while near the Ice or Moss Rock. Similarly, Magneton and Nosepass would only evolve into their respective final forms, Magnezone and Probopass, if leveled up in a magnetic field. The three new Lure Modules appear to be Niantic's way of replicating that process in Pokemon Go.
Niantic has yet to officially confirm the new Lure Modules, so it remains to be seen when they'll arrive and how players will be able to obtain them. In the meantime, new Gen 4 Legendary Pokemon are available in Raid Battles. The Legendary lake trio, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie, are appearing in Gyms until May 27; however, each one is currently only available in a specific region.
Pokemon Go's next Community Day is also just around the corner. The monthly event returns next Sunday, May 19. The featured Pokemon this time will be Torchic, one of the three starters from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. A Detective Pikachu event is also underway until May 17. During that time, you'll be able to find increased spawns of Bulbasaur, Jigglypuff, Snubble, and other Pokemon that appear in the movie, and you may even come across a Shiny Aipom or a Pikachu wearing a detective's hat.
Avengers: Endgame, the biggest movie of the year--and one of the largest of all time--will be hitting the upcoming streaming service, Disney+ this fall. It will not be available on launch day for the new service, but it will be hitting one month after Disney+ is available to consumers.
During an investors call, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed that Endgame will be coming to the Disney+ streaming service on December 11. This is one month after the service debuts, on November 12. Many expected Endgame to be on the service on Day One, but Disney has stated that there will only be four Marvel movies available on launch: Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Iron Man 3, and Thor: Dark World. However, there will be a ton of Star Wars content available at launch.
Alongside the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, Disney+ will be debuting original content featuring familiar faces from the MCU. Aside from previously revealed series featuring Loki, Falcon and Winter Soldier, and Vision and Scarlet Witch, there is a Hawkeye show going into production which will feature Clint Barton passing on the torch to Kate Bishop. If these Marvel shows have the same high production value as Mandalorian--which we got to see some footage of at Star Wars Celebration--then these Marvel shows will have nearly the same production value and quality as the Marvel movies.
The new service will be major competition for the streaming giant Netflix, as Disney+ will cost $7 a month or $70 for a yearly subscription. Is it a Netflix killer? That remains to be seen, but Disney+ will undoubtedly cut into Netflix's hold on the streaming market.
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