Month: February 2019

A new game sale is now underway in the Microsoft Store. This week, publisher Take-Two is offering discounts on a variety of titles across Xbox One and Xbox 360, while Xbox Live Gold subscribers will find exclusive deals on Diablo III: Eternal Collection and other acclaimed games for both platforms.

On the Xbox One side, players can pick up BioShock: The Collection and Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for $15 apiece as part of this week’s publisher sale. The critically acclaimed strategy game XCOM 2 is also on sale for $15, while the mob game Mafia III is $10. Sports fans, meanwhile, can get Take-Two’s latest annual basketball and wrestling games, NBA 2K19 and WWE 2K19, for $19.80 each.

In this week’s Deals with Gold, Xbox Live Gold members can pick up some of 2018’s biggest releases at a discount, including Just Cause 4 for $40.19, Monster Hunter World for $25, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider for $30. Additionally, Overwatch Legendary Edition is $30 for Gold members this week, while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition is $15 and Diablo III: Eternal Collection is $19.80.

Take-Two’s publisher sale extends to Xbox 360 as well. Players can pick up BioShock and BioShock 2 for $8 each, while BioShock Infinite is available for $9. Borderlands and its sequel are also on sale for $8 apiece, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is $12. Xbox Live Gold members can also get The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition for the low price of $3.

Beyond those deals, a few other titles are discounted as part of Microsoft’s anime sale, although those prices won’t be available for very long. Until February 14, Xbox One owners can pick up Capcom Beat ’em Up Bundle for $16, Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition for $7.50, and the Devil May Cry HD Collection for $18.

This week’s sales are scheduled to end on February 18, so you have until then to take advantage of most of these discounts. You can find some other notable deals below; the full list of discounted titles is available on Major Nelson’s blog.

This Week’s Xbox Game Deals

Xbox One

Xbox 360

* denotes a Deal with Gold

Apex Legends has been available for just over a week, and already the community has discovered an Easter egg that Respawn thought would take much longer. By finding all ten Nessy plushies scattered throughout the map, you can get a very special visit from the Loch Ness Monster herself.

The Apex Legends subreddit noticed that a message reading “A Nessy appears” would sometimes appear on the kill feed. That was a clue regarding the hidden Nessy dolls, and subsequently at least one Twitch streamer has captured footage of exactly what happens if you find all ten. Standing near the edge of the map you can make out the hazy shape of the legendary sea creature as she comes to say hello.

“I had a bet with our producer, Drew [McCoy], on how long it would take,” said Chad Grenier, lead design scripter, in a comment on Reddit. “I thought he was crazy when he said a week, turns out he was just about spot on at 8 days! I figured a month at least. You are all unreal. I’d still like to see a good video clip of it when it’s not in the circle though. Guess I need to make the next one much harder.”

Apex Legends has been a massive success for Respawn, hitting 25 million players in just its first week, including more than 2 million concurrent players at its peak. With that many eyes on the new free-to-play game the community was bound to find it sooner or later. Currently Respawn and Twitch are hosting a special streamer tournament, and later this week the studio will introduce some new Valentine’s cosmetic items.

“Apex Legends is a mix of smart shooter ideas that makes for a competitive, team-based game that gets at all the best parts of battle royale while addressing a lot of the weaknesses,” critic Phil Hornshaw said in GameSpot’s review. “Respawn’s intense focus on team play makes Apex more than just a worthy addition to the genre; it’s an indicator of where battle royale should go in the future.”

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Apex Legends just surprise-launched last week, but Respawn already has imminent plans for its first live event. Respawn recently teased that it will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with some special loot to collect.

A blog post from Respawn’s Vince Zampella says it will be “introducing some limited-time Valentine’s Day themed loot” later this week. It doesn’t mention just what those new cosmetics will be, exactly when the update will drop, or how long it will last.

These new items might be randomly distributed in Apex Packs, the game’s version of loot boxes. Those tend to grant random cosmetics and crafting materials. You can also unlock Legendary skins for the various characters.

This news came alongside word that the game had reached 25 million players in just its first week, including well over 2 million concurrent players. The studio is also kicking off the Apex Legends Twitch Challenge, which pits 48 streamers against each other in the battle royale game for your amusement. Apex has already become a massive success on Twitch, toppling the other most popular categories easily.

For more on getting the most out of your time in Apex Legends, read up on everything the game doesn’t tell you and tips to improve your play. You might also be hunting for the best weapons to use as you scour before the combat starts.

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The Division 2 will have an open beta after all. Ubisoft confirmed the impending beta will launch for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 1, giving you a chance to try it before the full game launch on March 15.

Word of a possible open beta began circulating recently, when the official account mentioned rewards for participation in either the private or open betas. This came just after a community developer mentioned an open beta during a livestream. Participating in the beta will grant you a DC Patriot weapon skin, and completing the Invaded mission will get you a Capitol Hill arm patch.

The private beta was reserved for pre-orders or those drawn randomly, and came with its share of technical hiccups. Ubisoft even recommended restarting every few hours to stave off one bug. It included two main missions, five side missions, open-world activities, a Dark Zone, and an endgame Invaded mission.

The first Division took place in New York City following a pandemic bio-engineered virus that made the social order break down. This sequel moves a few hundred miles south to Washington DC. For more on The Division 2, check out everything we know and our favorite new features. Microsoft recently announced two Division 2 Xbox One bundles. Those will come alongside the game on March 15.

2018’s Aquaman brought in more than $1.1 billion at the box office, making it one of the most commercially successful movies of the year. Success at that level pretty much guaranteed a sequel would happen, and now Warner Bros. is reportedly starting to lay the groundwork for it.

According to The Wrap, Warner Bros. has hired the first movie’s co-writer, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, to come back to write the script for the sequel. However, it’s unclear if James Wan, who directed the first Aquaman, will return for the follow-up. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wan is in the midst of making a deal with Warner Bros. to produce the sequel, however.

With more than $1.1 billion globally at the box office, Aquaman is DC’s biggest hit since The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. It was reported that Warner Bros. would make Aquaman 2 before the first movie even hit theatres, so it is no surprise at all that the film is advancing through the early stages of development.

In December, THR said Aquaman actress Amber Heard was paid at least $1 million to appear as Mera in the film. For the sequel, Heard will earn more, according to the report. Aquaman actor Jason Momoa will presumably get a bigger payday for the rumoured sequel as well.

In addition to Aquaman 2, Warner Bros. THR says Warner Bros. is developing a Aquaman spinoff called The Trench that is a horror movie. The film will reportedly have a smaller budget than Aquaman and other tentpole DC films, and it won’t feature the stars of the mainline Aquaman.