October 2019 – Page 131

This Strange But Wonderful Game Is Free To Claim This Week

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As part of its weekly free games program, the Epic Games Store has recently been giving out pairs of games, but it looks like we’re back to single-game giveaways this week and next. Starting today, there’s a new PC game up for grabs, and to claim it, you just need a free Epic Games Store account. Once the game is added to your account, it’s yours to keep.

Minit is the freebie for Epic users this week. The black-and-white single-player adventure is played 60 seconds at a time, as a curse repeatedly ends your character’s life after just one minute. However, you’ll keep all items gained–as well as knowledge of any secrets learned–during your short lifespans, which will help you progress. Along the way, you’ll meet various characters that you can help as well as dangerous enemies to defeat, all in the pursuit of ending your curse.

Released in 2018, the game earned a solid 8/10 in GameSpot’s Minit review, which Alessandro Barbosa praised its well-implemented time limit, rewarding exploration, charming visuals, and intoxicating soundtrack. “Minit’s lives might only last 60 seconds, but its extremely well-thought-out world design and engrossing loop of progress make it a curse-filled adventure that is worth dying the world over for,” he wrote. “Its throwback to classic visuals aren’t done for aesthetic alone, as none of its gameplay systems scream antiquity. It’s a slickly presented adventure that continually manages to surprise you with every new area you uncover or item you procure, pushing you to pick away at its seams to uncover every drop of what it has to offer.”

Minit is available to claim for free now through next Thursday, October 17, when it will be replaced by Epic’s next free game, Surviving Mars.

Zombieland 3 Isn’t In The Works, But Emma Stone Has A Great Idea For It

It took a decade to get a second Zombieland movie made. Now that Zombieland: Double Tap is ready to premiere in theaters on October 18, it’s hard not to wonder about what comes next, though. Should the follow-up be well-received, is there a plan in place to revisit the world one more time? Does Double Tap set up a third installment of the franchise?

It does not, but that doesn’t mean this is the end. In fact, star Emma Stone might have already figured out the future of the franchise. “Emma said that something that’s super funny to me, which is she hopes that every ten years, we can make a Zombieland,” director Ruben Fleischer shared during a group interview with a small number of outlets. “Almost like in a Boyhood or something-type way, we can just check in with our characters and see how they’re doing in the post-apocalypse.”

For those that don’t remember, Boyhood is the 2012 film by Richard Linklater that was filmed over 12 years and tracked a child’s life from six years old through college. It’s notable for using the same cast throughout 12 years of production, with new footage filmed once or twice each year.

While chances are this recipe wouldn’t work for a franchise like Zombieland, it certainly is fun to think about. Naturally, any future continuation of the series will depend on how audiences react to Double Tap. “I think we all have so much love for this movie and for each other that it would be a joy to get back together again and make another movie, but it obviously hinges on what audiences think of [Double Tap] and we would also have to come up with a story worth telling again,” Fleischer explained.

However, the director revealed that if another film in the series doesn’t happen, Double Tap could serve as a satisfying ending. “This one resolves in a very satisfying way. And so who knows, maybe over time, we’ll come up with an idea that would make sense to reunite our heroes and see what they’re up to,” he said. “But I think I think these are kind of special movies and we all have a lot of respect for them.”

Zombieland: Double Tap is in theaters on October 18.

Halo Infinite: Check Out 3 New Screenshots

Halo Infinite, the flagship launch title for next Fall’s next-gen Xbox console, codenamed Scarlett, has remained rather quiet since E3 2019. Granted, we did get a new cinematic trailer that showed off the power of Infinite’s brand-new Slipspace engine. But over the past three-plus months? Silence.

That ends today, even if these three new screenshots – taken from the aforementioned trailer – are more of a whisper than a scream. (Check them out in the gallery below!) That shout from the rooftops may have to wait a while, as we’re still a year or so from launch (and in fact, the Scarlett itself hasn’t even been formally revealed yet), so for now, enjoy these new screens of Master Chief and the stranded pilot.

Mario Kart Tour Hits A Huge Milestone In One Week

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It’s been one week since Mario Kart Tour arrived on iOS and Android devices, and despite its aggressive microtransactions, it’s already proving to be a big hit for Nintendo. The game amassed a record-breaking 10.1 million downloads on launch day, and now that number has climbed to 90 million, mobile analytics tracker Sensor Tower reports.

According to Sensor Tower, that makes Mario Kart Tour Nintendo’s fastest mobile game launch to date. By comparison, the previous game to hold that distinction, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, hit 14 million downloads in its first week, while Super Mario Run garnered 13 million (although unlike the other two titles, players had to spend $10 to unlock everything beyond Super Mario Run’s first three levels).

Sensor Tower shares some other interesting data on how Mario Kart Tour is faring. Thus far, it seems the game is more popular on Android than iOS devices, accounting for nearly 60% of its downloads. However, iOS owners have spent far more money on the game; more than 75% of its gross revenue comes from the App Store. The US leads in terms of downloads and revenue.

According to Sensor Tower, Mario Kart Tour has grossed more than $12 million in its first week on the market. However, Nintendo’s most successful mobile game is still far and away Fire Emblem Heroes. Since it launched back in early 2017, the title has generated more than $618 million. Pocket Camp currently sits at second with $111 million in revenue, while Dragalia Lost is close behind at $106 million.

Mario Kart Tour’s first Tour event is still live, and it offers a chance to unlock two special characters: Pauline and Musician Mario. While there isn’t multiplayer in Mario Kart Tour yet, Nintendo says the feature will be coming in the future. For more on the game, be sure to check out our Mario Kart Tour impressions.

Best Deal On PS Plus For PS4: Get One Year For $45

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The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

If you’re a PS4 owner who likes playing games online, you’re probably familiar with PlayStation Plus, Sony’s premium membership that grants access to not online multiplayer but also free monthly games and exclusive discounts. PS Plus sells for $60 a year and doesn’t often waver from that price point outside of major sales like Prime Day and Black Friday–but if you’re looking to renew or extend your subscription at a discount, you can currently find a 12-month membership for just $45 at Newegg.

To snag the discount, add the PS Plus membership to your cart and apply promo code EMCUTTW35 during checkout. You’ll see $15 slashed off the price, dropping your cost to $45. Once you check out, you’ll receive the PS Plus code via email to redeem in the PlayStation Store.

See deal at Newegg

The nice thing about PS Plus memberships is that they stack, so even if you’ve got some time left on your current membership, you can extend your subscription at a discount when you find deals like this one.

Right now, you can claim October’s free PS4 games if you have a current PlayStation Plus membership. This month, you can claim The Last of Us Remastered, which is the perfect opportunity to either replay or experience this acclaimed adventure for the first time as we get closer to The Last of Us Part 2‘s release in February. You can also grab sports game MLB The Show 19 for free anytime in October.

Check out more of the best PS4 deals for October 2019, including PSN’s current Games of a Generation sale, which has Red Dead Redemption 2 for $36, Battlefield V for $24, Monster Hunter World for $20, and more.

Borderlands 3 Patch Notes: Character Balance, Stability Improvements, And More

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Borderlands 3 is continuing to update frequently, both with performance improvements and character balance. Today Gearbox is planning a one-two punch of both, pairing a patch and a hot fix across all platforms by 3 PM PT.

The patch focuses largely on performance and stability, while the hot fix makes some adjustments to FL4K and Moze and rebalances some enemy encounters. Both are coming at roughly the same time, though, so you’ll feel the effects of everything at once. FL4K got mostly buffs with adjustments to their Rakk Attack and Barbaric Yawp abilities, and a slight nerf to their Leave No Trace ability. Moze gets a nerf to her Means of Destruction ability to avoid infinite grenades builds.

“Our goal is to make sure all three Action Skills for each Vault Hunter are viable, but we have noticed some skills have been outperforming others,” Gearbox says in the patch notes. “To encourage more build diversity, we made some adjustments to FL4K and Moze this week.”

Other changes adjust the balance of three key boss fights: Gigamind, Katagawa Ball, and Billy the Anointed. In each case, they’ve been made a little weaker and easier to handle. You can see the full patch notes below.

For more on Borderlands 3, check out our favorite Legendary guns. Or claim some of your own by cashing in Shift Codes.

Borderlands 3 Patch / Hot Fix Notes (Oct 3)

Stability

Addressed a reported issue where an infinite loop could occur when hitting the Guardian Rank experience ceiling

General Fixes and Improvements

The Hollow Point Guardian Rank skill no longer damages allies
Hollow Point Guardian Rank skill has been re-enabled
Addressed a reported issue where some players were unable to unlock the Ultimate Vault Hunter achievement on Xbox
Addressed a reported issue where mouse functionality may have been lost when hot joining a friend’s session on PC
Addressed a reported issue where some players’ inventory would not be saved in their bank

Vault Hunter Adjustments

FL4K

Rakk Attack! is great for constant damage output, especially when paired with Anointed gear. The base skill still seems to be lacking, so Rakk Attack! now has a guaranteed status effect on any enemy that it damages. Leave No Trace was returning much more ammo than intended, and we have added a re-trigger delay to keep its ammo return within expectation. Barbaric Yawp has an increased bonus, as we didn’t feel that the amount of investment had an equal payoff. In addition, we felt that FL4K’s pets were demanding too much attention, which was interfering with players trying to stand still for any length of time, so we disabled the ability for them to move you around.

Rakk Attack! status effect chance as been increased to 100%.
Leave No Trace now has a re-trigger delay of 2 seconds
Barbaric Yawp stat bonus increased by 100%
Pets no longer push around player characters
“Touch Pet” prompt is now a lower priority and should no longer interfere with looting or vending machines

Moze

Infinite Grenades is not an intentional build for Moze—even if it is hilarious. To lower the power (and spam) of this build, a re-trigger delay has been added to the grenade portion of Means of Destruction.

Means of Destruction now has a re-trigger delay of 2 seconds

Miscellaneous Changes

Adjusted the balance of Gigamind, Katagawa Ball, and Billy the Anointed

These three boss fights had concerns with their health and shields that made their combat loops more difficult than we intended. Gigamind had a little too much health, so that was reduced slightly. Katagawa Ball will no longer regenerate its shields; we found that while players contended with the adds during the fight, it would unfairly regenerate its shield, negating the players’ progress. Finally, Billy had 25% of his health removed; we agree that this fight often dragged on needlessly. We will be monitoring each of these bosses and may make further adjustments in the future.

Bloated Rakks no longer spawn so many Rakklesnakes

This change should make the Cistern of Slaughter in particular much more fun.

Adjusted the cooldown values when they are displayed for Zane’s skills
Amara’s Glamour will now turn enemies on each other, as described in the Action Skill
Modified the loot spawn for Sera of Supremacy
Spiderant Emperors occasionally wouldn’t drill back out of the ground, which created a potential progression blocker in the Proving Ground of Survival; we have adjusted this and the issue has been addressed
Resolved an issue that could have prevented enemies from spawning while in Devil’s Razor
Lavender Crawly’s physics were adjusted to prevent them exiting the world like a popped balloon
Further safe guarded Apollo from being launched out of world as well
The Rampager will no longer enter an idle at state at inappropriate times
Saurian Slingers attacks were addressed
Guardians now use all their attacks in Playthrough 2
Guardian Wraiths now reliably use all their ranged attacks
NPCs in the Slaughter maps were reported to sometimes attempt to automatically revive players in the arena. Going forward they will no longer attempt to revive players
Minimized the glow effect when opening Eridian ammo chests, can more easily see the ammo inside when opened

Take A Look At The New Birds Of Prey Costumes At NYCC

Cosplayers, start your engines.

Sure, Joker may be arriving in theaters this week but he’s not the only major DC villain prepping for a major debut. Harley Quinn has rounded up a gang of Gotham’s finest to face off against Black Mask and Mr. Zsasz in Birds Of Prey Or The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn, and of course, everyone has to be dressed for the occasion.

We got an up-close and personal look at the brand new costumes for the movie on the ground at New York Comic-Con before the show floor opened to the public. Take a look.

These costume reveals come hot on the heels of a brand new trailer which released earlier this week, gearing us up for a neon-splashed, ultra violent good time for the Clown Queen of Crime and her pals. In the trailer, we also got to see Roman Sionis aka Black Mask and Victor Zsasz in action, but their outfits were sadly not on display at the booth.

Pointedly, the cast on Cassandra Cain’s arm was left covered by her windbreaker in the display case. From the trailer, we can tell her cast has been written on quite a bit–so the fact the writing has been obscured for the convention show floor might indicate there are some spoilers to be found in the graffiti. You know, in case you want to give yourself some good old-fashioned eye strain in the name of spoiler hunting. Also notable is Renee Montoya’s decidedly Harley themed bustier, which was never properly featured in the trailer. During her scenes, she seemed reluctant to join Harley’s cause, but judging by the outfit, it seems like she was won over one way or another.

Birds of Prey hits theaters February 7, 202

Grand Theft Auto 5 Streaming Only On PS Now, At Least For Now

Sony recently made big moves to make its long-running PlayStation Now service more competitive against services like Xbox Game Pass, and that includes making deals with publishers. Rockstar will reportedly only allow Sony to stream Grand Theft Auto 5, at least for the time being.

Wired reports that while Rockstar hasn’t struck a formal exclusivity arrangement with Sony, SIE CEO Jim Ryan says the game will only stream on PS Now “to the best of my knowledge.” The quasi-exclusivity reportedly stems partly from Take-Two being reluctant to launch its own subscription service like EA and Ubisoft. Paired with a recent big update to GTA Online, Rockstar was up for negotiating.

“I’d prefer not to disclose the terms, but let’s say it’s a good deal for Rockstar,” said Ryan.

Whatever the deal, it appears targeted only at streaming services. That potentially cuts out impending competitors like Google Stadia, which launches next month, and Microsoft’s xCloud, which is beginning public testing this month. But since it’s not officially an exclusive, Rockstar could potentially still take it elsewhere.

Rockstar was officially confirmed as a partner for Google Stadia, but without any announced games. It was one of only three developers, alongside EA and Capcom, that were included in a footnote saying that they would “announce content at their discretion.” Rockstar has not announced any Stadia games or if they’ll be available at launch, but the revelation that PS Now may be the sole streaming platform for GTA 5 appears to narrow down the list of possibilities.

My Hero One’s Justice 2 – 15 Minutes Of Offscreen Gameplay

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Gandalf Should Be A Woman In New Lord Of The Rings TV Show, Actress Says

An actress from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie franchise has spoken up to say she believes a woman should play a female Gandalf in the new Lord of the Rings TV show.

Robyn Malcolm, who played the small part of Morwen in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, told Stuff.nz that it’s time for women to get more front and center.

“Those old legends, those old mystical stories, they’re so based within a patriarchal landscape,” Malcolm said. “Why not look at the magic of a matrilineal world where the magical powerhouses are women?”

Ian McKellan played Gandalf in Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies.

Malcolm said she would like to see New Zealand-based actresses Rena Owen or Rachel House play Gandalf in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV show. She also named people like Alfre Woodard as among her top personal choices for the role. If the producers want to sign someone with more name recognition, Malcolm said actresses like Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, or Eileen Atkins should be considered.

Malcolm went on to say that because Lord of the Rings is based in fantasy, she doesn’t worry about “Tolkien purists” who might not agree with making Gandalf a woman.

“We’ve had female Hamlets,” she said. “Why not?”

The Lord of the Rings TV show takes place during the Second Age, but there is no word on any of the characters who might appear in it or by what means the show will handle time.

There is no word yet on when the Lord of the Rings show will premiere, but we’re beginning to find out who will star in it. Black Mirror actor Will Poulter and Markella Kavenagh are in talks to play the lead roles, according to reports.

Behind the camera, Amazon has assembled an all-star team of writers and producers. The writers room for the untitled Lord of the Rings show includes Gennifer Hutchinson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), Helen Shang (Hannibal), Justin Dohle (Stranger Things), Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones), and Stephany Folsom (Toy Story 4).

J.A. Bayona, the director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, is directing episodes one and two of the Lord of the Rings show.

Kate Hawley is the costume designer; she previously worked on Edge of Tomorrow and Suicide Squad. Rick Heinrichs, who won an Oscar for Sleepy Hollow and also worked on The Last Jedi, is the production designer; Jason Smith, who worked on The Revenant, Super 8, and The Avengers is the visual effects supervisor. Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey is also working on the new Amazon show, as is Lord of the Rings movie trilogy illustrator and concept artist John Howe.

The Amazon show also has numerous producers, including people who have worked on Westworld, Boardwalk Empire, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Departed.

In other news, a new Lord of the Rings video game focused on Gollum is in development at Daedalic Entertainment, while a AAA online Lord of the Rings game is also on the way.