Month: June 2018

After much teasing and speculation, Blizzard has revealed the next character–Hero 28–for Overwatch. The brief teaser shows off a mechanized rolling ball of death, before out pops an adorable little hamster. He’s so cute! And deadly!

This reveal confirms the speculation that the next character would be another sentient animal, similar to Winston. Previous teases have seen his little apparent hamster ball rolling around in the background of other shots. It also seems to confirm that a Reddit user’s speculation was right on the money, having suggested that the next character would be Hammond the Hamster.

Blizzard hasn’t released details on Hammond, so we’re waiting to hear more about his exact power set, Ultimate, and class. A recent patch unified the Offense and Defense classes into one, called Damage, and sorted Symmetra into that role. Hammond may be a Damage class member too.

Meanwhile, we could be getting big changes to Sombra soon. Lead designer Geoff Goodman recently revealed some internal test changes to the character that could make a massive difference to her power level, if implemented throughout the full game.

The end of Fortnite: Battle Royale‘s Season 4 is in sight, but there’s still time to take on the current batch of challenges. Week 9’s have been introduced, providing a slate of seven more objectives for you to complete if you own the Season 4 Battle Pass. That includes yet another treasure map to hunt down and follow–here’s where to find it and how to get your hands on the treasure, as well as the other challenges.

Week 9’s trickiest challenge tasks you to follow the treasure map found in Haunted Hills. Provided you want to do things by the book, you’ll first head to Haunted Hills to get a look at the map, which is pictured below. The map can be found in one of two locations: in a small building just south of the church, or underneath the larger building on the western side. Either way, here’s what you’ll see:

If you know the island’s map well, you may recognize this as showing the silhouettes of Junk Junction’s… junk. Fortunately, that area is located just north of Haunted Hills. Either make your way there next or drop in at the start of the match, and head toward a stack of cars near the northern wall, as directed by the X on the treasure map. Get to the top of the pile and you’ll see the treasure waiting to be picked up. Grab it just as you would open a chest and the challenge is complete.

Epic considers this to be a Hard-tier challenge, which is good news for you–doing it will net you a total of 10 Battle Stars. That helps to rank up your Battle Pass and get your hands on Fortnite’s Season 4 skins and rewards. With Season 5 set to begin in early July, you’ll want to squeeze what you can get out of the current Battle Pass.

You can check out a complete list of Week 9 challenges below. These are, for the most part, quite straightforward, tasking you with eliminating opponents with shotguns, elimination opponents in Anarchy Acres, using a shopping cart (luckily, these have been re-enabled), searching chest in Moisty Mire, and dealing explosive weapon damage. One that might give you some difficulty is visiting the center of named locations in a single match. These are marked by large blue beacons, and you’ll know you’ve reached the center when you see a new flag in the center of the area change to your banner. Your best bet to complete this may be to simply stay outside the storm circle and avoid other players as much as possible.

Fortnite Week 9 Challenges

• Deal damage with Explosive Weapons to opponents (500) — 5 Battle Stars
• Search Chests in Moisty Mire (7) — 5 Battle Stars
• Use a Shopping Cart — 5 Battle Stars
• Visit the center of Named Locations in a Single Match (4) — 5 Battle Stars
• Hard: Follow the treasure map found in Haunted Hills — 10 Battle Stars
• Hard: Shotgun Eliminations (4) — 10 Battle Stars
• Hard: Eliminate opponents in Anarchy Acres (3) — 10 Battle Stars

At the end of Preacher Season 2, Tulip was dead as a doorknob. But because this is Preacher, she of course was never going to stay that way.

In the Season 3 premiere, Tulip exited her own personal purgatory and re-entered the world of the living with the help of Jesse, Cassidy, and, of course, Grandma L’Angell. Grandma is at the center of Season 3’s storyline, although she wasn’t the only new character we met in the Season 3 premiere.

Introduced alongside her were lackies T.C. and Jody, the latter of whom we see again in this exclusive clip from the upcoming Preacher Season 3, Episode 2, “Sonsabitches.” Jody and Tulip meet at last, and although they don’t initially see eye to eye, they wind up finding some common ground.

Preacher Season 3 airs Sundays on AMC.

Since the announcement that DC was stepping into the streaming game, fans have wondered just what its new service would entail. In the past months, details have been scarce aside from announcements of new shows that will air on what the company calls DC Universe. The company announced that the service will contain movies, television series, comic books, and more.

DC Universe includes brand-new series on its service including the live-action series Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, and Titans. And because DC is primarily known for its exceptional animated series, DC Universe will also include a third season of Young Justice, with the subtitle Outsiders, and a new Harley Quinn series as well.

The service pushes to be more than just a Netflix for DC’s back catalog of shows and movies. In addition to the previously announced new television series coming to DC Universe, it’s bringing comic books to the table as well. Not everything DC has published will be available on the app though. The selection will be curated but will still contain contain thousands of DC comics.

“This hand-curated selection from our decades of comic creations gives fans a thematic digital longbox to carry with them on the device of their choosing or lets them watch exclusive video content on a big screen followed by the comic that inspired it,” explained DC Entertainment publisher Dan DiDio.

In addition, the service will contain a DC encyclopedia, news, interviews, daily video segments, and a shop for DC Collectibles. There is a lot going on with this service, but the focus seems to be on movies, television, and comic books, as you can see in screenshots for DC Universe below. A monthly pricepoint for the service has yet to be announced, and another thing absent from this announcement was the inclusion of the DC Cinematic Universe movies (Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League). At launch, DC Universe will be available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.

“DC Universe is so much more than a streaming service. It’s a welcoming place for everyone to immerse themselves in their own level of DC fandom, with the epic characters, stories, and experiences they have come to expect from DC,” said Jim Lee, chief creative officer and publisher, DC Entertainment. “We are investing in and creating original, high-quality shows including the new Titans series, and curating the most beloved nostalgic content, while at the same time elevating the comic reading experience to new heights. Nothing this robust has ever been offered to fans before.”

Additionally, you can sign up today for an opportunity for beta access to DC Universe website which will begin in August 2018. There is no set date for release of DC Universe, but DC Entertainment expects to have it go live this fall.

Here’s the full list of shows and comics DC has announced for DC Universe:

Original Series

• Titans
• Doom Patrol
• Swamp Thing
• Young Justice: Outsiders (Animated)
• Harley Quinn (Animated)

Classic Movies & TV Shows

• Superman (I-IV)
• Batman Begins
• The Dark Knight
• Batman Ninja
• Birds of Prey
• The Flash (1990)
• Teen Titans
• Super Friends
• Legion of Superheroes
• Young Justice
• Static Shock
• Lois & Clark
• Constantine (2014)
• Adventures of Superman
• Max Fleischer’s Superman Serials
• Superboy
• Batman; The Animated Series
• Wonder Woman ‘77

Animated Movies

• All Star Superman
• Batman vs. Robin
• Batman: Year One
• Batman Beyond: The Return of Joker
• Green Lantern: First Flight
• Gotham by Gaslight
• Justice League: Doom
• Justice League vs. Teen Titans
• Superman: Doomsday
• Wonder Woman

Comic Book Series

• 52 (2006)
• Action Comics (1938)
• Adventure Comics (1958)
• Aquaman (2011)
• Batman (2002)
• Cyborg (2015)
• Deathstroke (2014)
• Detective Comics (1939)
• Green Arrow: Year One (2007)
• Green Lantern (2011)
• Harley Quinn (2013)
• JLA (1997)
• Justice League (2011)
• My Greatest Adventure (1963)
• Suicide Squad (2011)
• Superman/Batman (2004)
• Swamp Thing (1972)
• Teen Titans (1965)
• The Flash (2011)
• Wonder Woman (2011)

When Crash Bandicoot hit the scene in the ’90s, it didn’t take long for him to become the de facto PlayStation mascot. He didn’t reach the same level of popularity as Mario or Sonic, but the original Crash games were charming platformers that resonated with audiences thanks to expressive characters and diverse environments. And unlike his peers, Crash was born in 3D; Mario and Sonic merely adopted it.

With the arrival of the N. Sane Trilogy collection, we now have the chance to revisit the first three Crash games in style, and while they look better than ever, they’re otherwise direct replicas of the original games. Developed by Vicarious Visions, the N. Sane Trilogy collection features remastered versions of Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped. Gone are the rudimentary character models in favor of more realistic-looking creatures and environments, and a new lighting system bakes a measure of realism into the otherwise cartoonish world, giving the games a quality similar to 3D cartoons from the likes of Pixar or Dreamworks.

While it’s easy to look at these games and appreciate the care that’s gone into their presentation, actually playing them stirs up conflicting emotions. There’s no way around it: they remain dated despite their fresh look. Enemies rarely react to you, preferring instead to follow pre-determined paths and animation loops. And many obstacles are needlessly discouraging; Razor-thin tolerances for success and one-hit deaths make for a frustrating pairing. You can control Crash using an analog stick now, but smoother pivots and jumps don’t alleviate the otherwise stiff gameplay lurking behind Crash’s goofy exterior.

Not all levels are out to get you, however, and for the most part the N. Sane Trilogy offers a modest challenge that’s perfectly suited for casual enjoyment. The ease at which you can fly through some stages allows you to experience a wide range of scenarios as well: you will carefully navigate the electrified waters of an eel infested sewer one minute and ride on the back of a tiger through a gauntlet of angry locals atop the Great Wall of China the next. There are also a handful of levels that allow you to reenact the famous boulder sequence from Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, though you may be running from a massive polar bear instead of a boulder depending on the particular game in question.

This is all to say that Crash is what it’s always been: a charming collection of platforming challenges that shift gears from one stage to the next. By putting three games next to each other, the N. Sane Trilogy overflows with nostalgia. The warm and fuzzy feeling you get from seeing familiar Crash levels presented in a way that mirrors what you held in your imagination is undeniable. But so too is the reality that Crash games aren’t timeless. No amount of lighting or funny animations can make up for the rudimentary 3D platforming on display. You could even say that the look of these games belies their true nature.

The culprit behind Crash’s dated feel is the passage of time. Vicarious Visions, for its part, succeeded in revitalizing Crash from an artistic perspective while preserving the charm that made him appealing when he first showed up, but years have passed since the original PlayStation was relevant, and we are well past the formative years of 3D gaming. It’s easy to imagine how a dyed-in-the-wool Crash fan will fall in love all over again via the N. Sane Trilogy, but if you’re experiencing Crash for the first time–or the first time in a while–it might pain you to realize that Crash’s original adventures aren’t as inventive or surprising as they were 20 years ago.

Editor’s note: The score has been updated to reflect the Xbox One, PC, and Switch versions of the game.–June 28, 2018, 8:00 AM PT

When it comes to the PS4 lately, it seems like PlayStation Plus members have all the fun. Not only do they get free games each month and exclusive deals like the PS Plus Specials sale going on now, but they occasionally get additional special offers. The latest deal for PS Plus members is a 33% discount on the game-streaming service PlayStation Now.

Between now and September 25, PS Plus members who sign up for (or renew) a PS Now membership will get a three-month subscription for $30. That’s not a bad deal, considering the normal price is $45. If you sign up, note that the subscription auto-renews unless canceled, and the discount only applies for the first three months. After that, it goes back up to $45.

PS Now is basically Sony’s “Netflix for games.” It lets you play a selection of over 650 PS4, PS3, and PS2 games by streaming them to your PS4 or PC–which means you don’t have to download the games to play them. A solid internet connection certainly helps, though.

Most of the games available through PS Now are PS3 games, with standouts like Red Dead Redemption, Fallout: New Vegas, and the first three Uncharted games. More recently Sony has begun adding PS4 games, including Until Dawn, God of War 3 Remastered, and Killzone: Shadow Fall. Some PS2 games are also available on the service, including Ape Escape 2 and Dark Cloud 2. You can see the full list of games available on PS Now here.

Each month, Sony also adds a new batch of games to the service. Below are the new additions for June 2018.

June PlayStation Now Games

• Adam’s Venture: Origins
• Aegis of Earth: Protonovus Assault
• Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
• Firefighters: The Simulation
• Kinetica
• Okage: Shadow King
• Seasons After Fall
• Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo
• Sniper Elite 3 Ultimate Edition
• Table Top Racing
• Wild Arms 3
• WRC 5 FIA World Rally Championship

If you’re a fan of the TV series Voltron and you’re going to be attending San Diego Comic-Con this July, you’re in luck because Lego will be selling a gigantic, buildable Voltron figure at the show. Based on the hit ’80s anime series, as well as the current Netflix series–Voltron: Legendary Defender–this giant robot is made up of smaller cat-like robots that come together to form the iconic hero. Now, you can build it yourself with a lot of patience and time, as well as some disposable income.

If you aren’t going to be at SDCC, don’t worry, you can still get your hands on Voltron as this will be available for purchase on August 1. This is Lego’s biggest “buildable” action figure to date, coming in at 2,321 pieces. Obviously, a Lego set of this scale is going to have a hefty price-point. This Voltron set will cost $180, and while it’s not as expensive as something like the $800 Millennium Falcon–which is to scale–Voltron is still pricey, but then again, it’s five robots coming together to make a larger robot.

What’s really interesting about this Lego design is that it stays true to the source material. The set consists of the five cat-like robots, which connect to each other using what Lego calls “extra-strong joints.” So, much like a Power Rangers’ Megazord toy or Transformers’ Devastator, you’re getting toys that come together to create another toy, in some sort of reverse-toyception. When the lion-robots come together to form Voltron, the figure will stand at 15″ tall, while the lions–expect the black one–themselves are 3″ tall. Additionally, the figure comes with Voltron’s sword and shield.

For an in-depth look at this toy from almost every angle, check out the rest of the gallery ahead. If you’re looking for more toys and nostalgia, check out some classic TMNT action figures, cartoons starring animals from the ’80s and ’90s, and weird cartoons based on movies.