Month: March 2018

The third Pokemon Go Community Day has come and gone, but players already have an idea of what to expect from next month’s event. Developer Niantic has announced the first details for the next Pokemon Go Community Day, including what bonuses and special Pokemon players will be able to earn this time.

The event takes place on Sunday, April 15, and as usual, it will be held during a three-hour window of time. Typically, Community Days run at different times depending on your region, but so far, Niantic has only revealed the time frame for North America. Like this month’s event, the next Community Day kicks off in the region at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET and concludes at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET.

During April’s Community Day, any Lure Modules that are activated will last for three hours. In addition to that, Eggs will hatch at a quarter of the distance they typically require, allowing you to hatch Pokemon much more quickly for the duration of the event.

The featured Pokemon during April’s Community Day will be the Electric-type sheep Mareep. Niantic hasn’t revealed what exclusive move it will be able to learn during the event just yet, but if the previous two Community Days are any indication, there’s a good chance players will need to evolve Mareep into its final form, Ampharos, before the Community Day ends in order to learn the special move.

Before the next Community Day rolls around, players still have a chance to participate in Pokemon Go’s Easter-themed Eggstravaganza event. From now until April 2, Pokemon that typically hatch from 5 km or 10 km Eggs, like Wynaut or Ralts, can be found in 2 km Eggs. April 2 also marks the day the Legendary Pokemon Lugia will leave Raid Battles. The Diving Pokemon returned to the game earlier this month with the “newly improved” Sky Attack move, and this time it’s easier to capture if players manage to defeat it.

Wrestlemania 34 is filled with matches that could serve as the main event of the show. However, to me, there are two matches that stand above the rest in terms of anticipation, buildup, and potential to be instant classics: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Charlotte vs. Asuka. And while Styles/Nakamura will be fantastic, it’s Charlotte/Asuka that will take the proverbial cake.

The rivalry between the two is new, as the match is built entirely around a Royal Rumble win, but both women’s journeys to the top is just as important. Here is how Asuka and Charlotte got to the main WWE roster and into this Wrestlemania match.

Asuka travelled back and forth between Japan and the United States, beginning in 2004 under the ring name Kana. Most notably, she wrestled for Shimmer, although she never won a title at the promotion. In August 2015, she signed with the WWE and changed her name to Asuka. Early on, she was unstoppable and put on some stellar performances, with her battle against Emma at NXT Takeover: London being the first of many in WWE. In April 2016, Asuka won the NXT Women’s Championship and held onto it until August 24, 2017, when she had to relinquish it due to injury. She did not lose the title once, and her reign lasted an astonishing 510 days. While Asuka was–and still is–undefeated in singles competition, she did suffer three losses and five no-contests in tag and four-way matches. Otherwise, she has been undefeated for two and a half years, racking up 250 wins without a loss.

Since coming to Raw, she remains undefeated, and she won the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match on January 28. New rules for Rumble winners went into effect this past year, as the lone survivors of each match got to choose who they wanted to fight in a title match at Wrestlemania. It didn’t matter what show the superstar was on. After making the WWE Universe wait, Asuka announced on March 11, at the Fastlane PPV, that she was challenging Charlotte for her belt.

Charlotte Flair, the daughter of two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, had a very different journey on her way to becoming the Smackdown Women’s Champion. While she had a few appearances in the final years of WCW–as a teenager–she got her true in-ring start in NXT in 2012. In May 2014, Charlotte won the NXT Women’s Championship after beating Natalya. She was a heel during this time and a member of the BFFs along with Sasha Banks and Summer Rae. She dropped the title in January 2015 to Sasha Banks in a four-way match featuring the other Four Horsewomen Bayley and Becky Lynch. This was a golden era for women’s wrestling in NXT.

Later in July, Charlotte was called up to Raw along with Banks and Lynch as part of the Women’s Revolution. She was the Diva’s Champion for a short stint, and then became the first WWE Women’s Champion at Wrestlemania 32, which later became the Raw Women’s Championship after the brand split. Eventually, Charlotte headed to Smackdown and won the Tuesday night show’s championship as well. She will be the only superstar to hold every women’s championship in the modern era: NXT, Diva, WWE, Raw, and Smackdown. No one else will ever achieve that again, as the Diva’s title will thankfully never return.

That brings us to Wrestlemania 34 on April 8. Asuka chose Charlotte as her opponent, and there could not be a better matchup for the women currently in the division. They are polar opposites with their styles, as Charlotte is an American-trained athlete, who works much more like an ’80s or ’90s star with some modern-day pizazz thrown in. Asuka utilizes more kicks and punches and works with a stiffer Japanese style of wrestling–or “Strong Style” if you prefer. What the two do have in common is the use of submission wrestling and a “never give up” attitude. Charlotte is strategic and cunning, and Asuka is controlled chaos.

What we really have to weigh here is Asuka’s streak. Is Wrestlemania the perfect place for her to get her first single’s loss since coming to WWE? Yes. Is the time now? I don’t think so. Even when you ignore the rumors that Asuka’s win will set up a year-long run as champion, only to lose to Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania 35–which I really hope isn’t true–Asuka and her streak are still new to the WWE Universe. Sure, NXT fans have been seeing her for a few years, but she’s only been on Raw for six months now. She’s still new to the average fan of WWE’s programming. There is still a lot of time to build up just how dominant Asuka is, to really put Goldberg’s WCW streak to shame–which Asuka broke almost a year ago, prompting a congratulations from Goldberg.

The whole match shouldn’t be about making Asuka look like a dominating force and Charlotte simply putting her over though. It’s going to be a battle, as both women are two of the best competitors WWE has to offer currently. Expect this match to be longer, filled with ups and downs, and for Charlotte to look just as tough as Asuka. This should be a clean, straightforward match with no shenanigans or controversial endings. It doesn’t need it.

It’s apparent that Asuka will beat Charlotte and win the Smackdown Women’s Championship, but what could that mean for Charlotte? Will she continue to feud with Asuka or jump ship to Raw during the rumored Superstar Draft happening at Backlash? If she does make the jump, she’ll more than likely take on Ronda Rousey before the former UFC fighter starts her slow build to the aforementioned story with Asuka. Regardless of future storylines, we’re in for an exciting match at Wrestlemania.

If you’re interested in more breakdowns of upcoming Wrestlemania matches, check out all our predictions here and stay tuned to GameSpot for more Wrestlemania coverage.

Part of Fortnite: Battle Royale’s success stems from the fact that it’s free-to-play; anyone on PC, PS4, or Xbox One–and now, some on mobile–can dive right in and start playing. But there are a number of ways to spend money on the experience if you so choose, and now there’s a new option in the form of a Starter pack that provides good value.

In-game purchases in Battle Royale are all done with V-Bucks, a currency you can earn through Save the World mode and the game’s Battle Pass but is primarily purchased with real-world money. The Starter pack centers around this: For $5 / £3.19, you get 600 V-Bucks. Those can be spent on cosmetic Battle Royale items, put toward the Battle Pass (which provides access to weekly challenges), or spent on Save the World items, schematics, and characters.

The Starter pack also includes two cosmetics for use in Battle Royale: the Rogue Agent outfit and the Catalyst Back Bling (a recently introduced type of item that, as the name suggests, puts a decoration of some sort on your back). You can see what those looks like in the images below.

The pack is a pretty good value if you’re looking to spend money on the game. Pricing on V-Bucks varies, as larger bundles get you more for your money, but the cheapest bundle costs $10 / £8 for 1,000 V-Bucks. Getting 600 for $5 / £3.19 is thus a nice deal, even if you’re not interested in the two cosmetics. However, this won’t be a reliable source of V-Bucks for you, as the bundle can only be purchased once per account.

You can now purchase the Starter pack on all platforms, including mobile (which remains an invite-only test on iOS). Meanwhile, a new weapon is on the way to the game “soon” called the Guided Missile, though we don’t know when it’s set for release.

Activision has revealed the next DLC expansion for Call of Duty: WWII, and it’s on the way for some players very soon. The War Machine pack releases for PS4 on April 10 and introduces new maps, a War Mode mission, and other content to the WWII shooter.

Like other Call of Duty DLC packs, The War Machine adds three new multiplayer maps to the game: Egypt, Dunkirk, and V2. Egypt marks the first time the Call of Duty series has taken players to the country and has them battling around the Great Pyramids and other familiar landmarks. Dunkirk drops players in the French seaside city and features a “large, open and dangerous beach area flanked by tight interiors.” V2, meanwhile, is an “ultra-fast paced map” set in a secret rocket test site in Germany.

Additionally, The War Machine adds a new War Mode mission called Operation Husky. This map was co-developed with Raven Software and tasks players with gathering intelligence on the location of German targets. It also introduces aerial dogfights to the game; after transmitting their intel to HQ, players will have to shoot down enemy planes in order to clear the area for Allied bombers.

Rounding out The War Machine pack is another chapter in the Nazi Zombies mode, called The Shadowed Throne. This chapter “takes the Barbarossa storyline to an entirely new level.” As Activision teases, “Berlin is burning, and Doktor Straub’s monstrous army is hellbent on purging his city of the Allied invaders.”

Thanks to Sony’s timed exclusivity deal with Activision, The War Machine pack will release for PS4 about a month before it arrives on Xbox One and PC. The DLC is included in Call of Duty: WWII’s $50 / £40 / AU $65 season pass, which also grants players access to the game’s first expansion, The Resistance. That can be also purchased separately for $15 / £11.59 / AU $20.45.

Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy XV, has been put in charge of a new Square Enix development house. He’ll serve as the studio head as well as the Chief Operating Officer of Luminous Productions, which Square says will develop AAA games and innovative game content.

The announcement (via Siliconera) also notes that the core team will be made up of staff from Final Fantasy XV as well. They’ll be preparing an announcement regarding their new project for later this year. The official site is setting the tone for its new philosophy with a few slogans:

• “Imagine. Scheme. Obsess. Create. Iterate. Start over. Repeat. Repeat. Begin again.”
• “Imagination has no limits. Boundaries can be pushed. An obsessive drive to turn ideas into reality.”
• “The future of imagination begins here.”

Final Fantasy XV was a record-breaker for Square Enix, marking the fastest start in the franchise. This was after a long and shaky history, having been announced as a spin-off for Final Fantasy XIII more than a decade ago. Most recently it was ported to PC with plenty of goofy cross-promotional tie-ins. Not everything that carries the name has been a breakout star, though. Its mobile spin-off is closing down this June.

With interest in Destiny 2 seemingly having dropped off greatly since launch, developer Bungie continues to work on revamping the game. Following the first DLC and subsequent updates meant to address fan complaints, another major update is now being rolled out that makes some significant changes–including letting players generally deal more damage and move more quickly.

Full patch notes for update 1.1.4, which is out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, have been released, and they are quite extensive. As outlined in a recent video (below), Bungie wants players to feel more empowered. To accomplish this, PvE damage for numerous weapon types has been increased, in some cases significantly–shotguns deal 35% more, linear fusion rifles deal 50% more, and sniper rifles deal either 20% more (against yellow bar enemies) or 40% more (against red bar enemies). These buffs coincide with other weapon balance tweaks, like being able to store more ammo and increasing accuracy or aim assist. Specific weapons and perks also see adjustments.

Each class has also been touched to varying degrees; Hunter’s Arc Staff Super and Warlock’s Dawnblade Super should be more effective, and the various Warlock glide abilities have been improved. All players, regardless of class, will now get their Super more frequently, and the so-called melee Supers–Fist of Havoc, Sentinel Shield, and Arc Staff–each enjoy a movement speed boost.

It’s not just those Supers that see a bump to movement speed, though. Bungie says it’s increased the “output of every increment of the Mobility stat, from 2-10.” Provided you invest in that stat, it allows for “a significant boost in player speed.”

Unique rewards are being introduced for Nightfalls, presenting you with Legendary weapons and Exotic accessories that can be earned only from specific missions. You’ll also no longer face the same Nightstrike back-to-back when playing through a Strike playlist. And, in another extremely welcome change, Exotic repetition has been reduced, and you should no longer ever get the same Exotic when decrypting consecutive Exotic Engrams.

Crucible has also been updated in a variety of ways. You should see maps repeated less often, and Iron Banner is now 6v6, as was the case with standard Crucible matches in the first Destiny. Quickplay matches now have a 10-minute time limit (with score limit adjustments to match). Power ammo will spawn more quickly in Control, Clash, and Supremacy matches, and you’ll be able to obtain Power ammo by killing a player who is carrying it in any mode. Now, when someone with Power ammo dies, they’ll lose all of it, and 50% of what they had will drop on the ground for 30 seconds for anyone to pick up.

You can see everything that’s changed in the full patch notes on Bungie’s website.

Epic’s aggressive rollout of new content for Fortnite: Battle Royale continues. With a Starter pack now available for purchase, Epic has teased the next bit of playable content that will be added, and it’s another explosive weapon.

As teased through the in-game updates screen, something called the Guided Missile is on the way to Battle Royale. You can see a small image of it below; the description states, “Remote control destruction from above.”

Beyond that, we don’t really know what to expect from this weapon, including just how it will work. Is this a homing rocket? Or, more likely, are you able to aim the rocket after you fire it? What rarities does it come in? Whatever the particulars, we’ll know before long, as the tease also states that it will be released “soon.” That could mean another weapon will be “vaulted”–removed from the game temporarily to avoid having too many items active at once–as has been the case recently with some other items.

While players’ arsenal will expand further with the Guided Missile’s release, one thing that we still haven’t gotten yet is the Jetpack. This was intended to have launched weeks ago, only for Epic to delay it at the last minute. We unfortunately still haven’t gotten an update on where development on it stands, though this hasn’t stopped Epic from releasing more new weapons, cosmetics, and limited-time modes like the just-concluded Blitz.

It’s nearly time for Ready Player Oneto hit theaters, giving fans their first chance to see the virtual world first created by author Ernest Cline’s novel of the same name in 2011. With Steven Spielberg directing, the movie attempts to fully immerse viewers in this future world that’s a mix between dystopian and a dream come true.

While there’s plenty to look forward to seeing in Ready Player One–including robots, dinosaurs, Master Chief, and so much more–what happens when the technology shown in the film becomes something you can actually use? In recent years, virtual reality has become far more common in gaming–with the PlayStation 4 even getting its own VR add-on. While the Oasis in the film is still far more advanced than anything you can play now, it’s not unreasonable to believe something similar could be developed in the next few years.

What would you want to see if you could set foot in the Oasis and what would your avatar look like? GameSpot asked these questions and more of the Ready Player One cast at WonderCon. After filming the movie and fully immersing themselves in the nostalgia on display, they’re all more than ready to journey into its virtual world.

After you check out their answers, take a look at the ridiculous amount of Easter eggs and references in the film’s trailer, along with a special collection of posters that take their cues from several classic movies. Ready Player One arrives on the big screen on March 29.

Sony is holding another sale across PS4, PS3, and Vita, with a few big game collections and bundles included. If you’re going to jump into a game series you missed, you might as well do it with both feet and save a few bucks in the process. The bulk of the discounts are on PlayStation 4, and Plus subscribers get extra savings as usual.

BioShock: The Collection is a whopping 80% off at $12 ($18 without Plus), and the same price goes for Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. The XCOM 2: Collection includes the base game and War of the Chosen expansion, along with four more DLC packs, for $50 ($60). Mafia 3 is $24 ($30) and WWE 2K18 is $30 ($36). The newly released Scribblenauts Showdown is down to $20 ($24). You can also pick up some discounted currency for For Honor and Smite. Finally, the Morrowind expansion for Elder Scrolls Online is down to $20.

The choices on PlayStation 3 and Vita are a little slimmer. PS3 has discounts on Armageddon Riders ($3), BlazeRush ($3), Blue-Collar Astronaut ($2), and Planets Under Attack ($2). Vita has taken some bucks off Slain: Back From Hell ($4), Uncanny Valley ($3), Son of Scoregasm ($6), and Plantera ($2).

These prices go until April 3, which is also the deadline for grabbing March’s PlayStation Plus games. We’ve outlined some further highlights below, and you can check out all the discounts for yourself.

This Week’s PSN Deals Highlights

PS4

• The BioShock Collection ($12)
• Borderlands: The Handsom Collection ($12)
• XCOM 2 Collection ($50)
• Scribblenauts Showdown ($20)
• Mafia 3 ($24)
• WWE 2K18 ($36)
• Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind ($20)
• Snake Pass ($10)
• Thimbleweed Park ($10)

PS3

• Armageddon Riders ($3)
• BlazeRush ($3)
• Blue-Collar Astronaut (2)
• Planets Under Attack ($2)

Vita

• Slain: Back From Hell ($4)
• Uncanny Valley ($3)
• Son of Scoregasm ($6)
• Plantera ($2).