The deadliest hunter in the galaxy is on his way to Fortnite, as this week’s 15.20 update added several Predator-themed challenges to the game.
Completing these new tasks will unlock Predator cosmetic items in Fortnite’s secret battle pass character tab, although the actual Predator skin won’t be seen for a few more weeks.
Now that the downtime for the v15.20 has ended, Fortnite also has new weapons for players to get their hands on. The Lever Action Shotgun can drop enemies quickly if they get too close to you, while the Exotic-class Hop Rock Dualies are a pair of dual pistols that come equipped with a low-gravity effect.
Also included in the update are a few minor tweaks, such as characters now being interactable in Team Rumble as they offer weapon upgrades and IO Agents dropping health items. Numerous minor bugs have also been fixed, which Epic detailed on its Trello board:
Fortnite v15.20 bug fixes
General
Flip Reset Lobby Track inadvertently removed from players’ Lockers.
Multipoint Edge Glider deforming midair.
Michonne Outfit visual issues with cape Back Blings.
Battle Royale
Hypernova Outfit appearing as a different Outfit in the Lobby and in-match.
Rebooted players may see an already completed Bounty.
Save the World
Quest progress not instantly updating in the HUD and Quest Log.
Broken Pickaxe animations.
Mobile
Voice chat issues on Android.
The player loses all movement after jumping through Zero Point.
The popular Floor is Lava mode will also return next week, along with a skin of popular Spanish Fortnite streamer TheGrefg. The content creator shattered Twitch’s all-time concurrent viewership record this week when he revealed his skin, although if you’d prefer to turn over a new leaf instead there’s also a new Bushranger skin to collect.
If you’d prefer a different intergalactic hunter skin in Fortnite, you can still grab the Mandalorian outfit, although there’s a lot of grinding to be done to get your hands on that shiny Beskar armor.
Interesting changes could be on the way to Fortnite in the future, as Epic Games has purchased the gaming software company RAD Game Tools. The company–whose software has been used in over 25,000 games–will have its technology will be integrated into Epic’s to help speed up loading times and downloading speeds in games.
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Pikmin 3 Deluxe, the updated edition of the fantastic Wii U game, released in October but was somewhat overshadowed by all of the big holiday releases and console launches. We didn’t see any deals on the real-time strategy game during Black Friday or over the holidays either. If you’ve been holding out and are looking for a Nintendo Switch game to tide you over until Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury releases next month, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is on sale for its lowest price yet. Right now, you can snag Pikmin 3 Deluxe for $45.39 at Walmart.
The discount will show up when you add Pikmin 3 to you cart. It comes with free two-day delivery, so you’ll likely get your copy in time to play over the weekend.
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Pikmin 3 Deluxe Video Review
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Along with quality-of-life improvements, Pikmin 3 Deluxe features new story missions starring Olimar and Louie and the ability to play through the campaign in local co-op with two players. Pikmin 3 was one of the quirkier Wii U exclusives, and if you missed out the first time around, it’s a great experience for fans of strategy and puzzle games.
The enhanced port earned an 8/10 in GameSpot’s Pikmin 3 Deluxe review. “Although Pikmin 3 Deluxe may not offer much in the way of substantial new content, the game still holds up wonderfully thanks to its unique gameplay and carefully constructed levels, and the tweaks and additions that have been implemented here help smooth over the whole package for newer players,” editor Kevin Knezevic wrote. “Even three installments in, there is no other series quite like Pikmin, which helps Pikmin 3 still feel fresh seven years after its original release.”
Little Nightmares II just isn’t suited to action sequences. We recently got one more chance to go hands-on with Little Nightmares II ahead of its release, playing through the first two levels of the game. The first level was the Forest that we got to play during our first hands-on with Little Nightmares II, but the second, the School, was brand-new. And it was here that Little Nightmares II started focusing more on platforming and combat sequences, which weren’t as satisfying as the more puzzle- and stealth-focused levels we’ve played before.
In the School, protagonist Mono is quickly separated from deuteragonist Six, the original Little Nightmares‘ protagonist, as the two find themselves lost in a building that’s inhabited by the Bullies, trouble-making porcelain children, and stalked by a monstrously grotesque teacher. While the Bullies are pranksters that prefer to set deadly traps and only roughhouse Mono if they get too close, the Teacher is far more proactive, responding to every little sound and stretching her neck out like a gross snake to twist her head into biting range.
With all the Bullies running around, the school is more heavily inhabited than the Forest and Hospital levels we’ve played before. There are more combat sequences where you have to lift a hammer or pipe to smash the Bullies in your way or platforming sections where you must carefully run, jump, and climb around and through obstacles, while the Teacher’s head is twisting about the room, looking for you.
These sequences can be frustrating because Little Nightmares II is a very cinematic horror experience–the camera turns in specific ways to frame each individual shot, and Mono doesn’t move all that quickly or gracefully. During the moments when you’re trying to solve a puzzle, sneak past a monster, or are just moving on to the next location, these cinematic shots are to the game’s benefit, letting you soak in the world. But when Mono is tasked with quickly dispatching enemies or carefully making a difficult jump, sometimes the angle of the camera can make it harder than it has to be. And so you can end up dying. A lot. My memory of the School is divided into distinct chunks, each separated by a platforming or combat gauntlet where I died several times in the exact same place and just had to step away from the game for a few minutes.
Now, the School wasn’t all bad. In between all the dying over and over again were a few puzzle and stealth moments, and I loved those. Two stick out: having to find the necessary pieces to recreate a chess game in order to open a secret room, and carefully moving a platform in place with a squeaky lever by timing your actions to the piano being played by the Teacher while she’s trying to unwind after a long day of harvesting human brains. Little Nightmares II is at its best when you’re freaking out and trying to figure out how to move on, which doesn’t happen if you die at the same place repeatedly until it feels like you lucked into the right timing to continue.
Admittedly, this is one level. I’ve now played through three levels in Little Nightmares II. I really enjoyed the Forest and Hospital–both levels did have action-oriented moments of platforming or combat, but they handled them in ways that weren’t as frustrating as the School. For example, in the Forest, Six helped you figure out where to run and jump to avoid the Hunter as he chased you, and in the Hospital, you froze the Patients in place by shining a flashlight in their general direction, something much easier to do than perfectly timing a sluggish hammer swing. In both instances, failing to make it through felt like my own mistake, not the game’s controls and camera angles getting in my way. And, when I did fail, I regularly accomplished the task on my next try, which I liked because it maintained the momentum of the game’s horror. So from what I’ve played, I’ve technically enjoyed more than I’ve disliked.
But this last preview has made me a bit worried. When the combat sequences and platforming are kept to a minimum, Little Nightmares II really shines. There’s a real air of mystery to the world–like why are there just empty outfits all around the city where the School is located, almost like every adult just disappeared where they were standing? That mystery contributes to the mounting sense of dread, which is only helped along by the odd camera angles that shape everything in the most unsettling way possible. But those same angles aren’t ideal for a game geared more towards action. Hopefully, Little Nightmares II is mostly filled with levels like the Forest and Hospital, because I can’t see the game being all that fun if it ultimately focuses more on platforming and combat over puzzle-solving and stealth. Unless, of course, the structure and framing of the game changes in later levels.
We’ll just have to wait and see, though it won’t be long. Little Nightmares II launches for Xbox One, PS4, and PC on February 11. Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions of Little Nightmares II are also in the works, scheduled to release sometime later this year.
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Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury has gotten a new overview trailer, which reveals a number of new details, including a Snapshot photo mode, and details on how Fury Bowser is a timed event in the new spin-off adventure.
You can check out the trailer below, or read on for all the new details.
Super Mario 3D World now includes a version of Super Mario Odyssey’s Snapshot Mode, which allows you to freeze time, adjust the image, and change filters.
Collectible stamps – previously used for the Wii U Miiverse – are now usable in Snapshot mode, and can be applied to walls in your shots.
Bowser’s Fury: New Details
Bowser’s Fury, a full spin-off adventure, takes place in a kingdom of cats, Lake Lapcat, featuring cat-themed enemies, architecture and more.
You’re tasked with collecting Cat Shines spread across the kingdom.
Bowser Jr. will appear for solo players, aiding the player, but can be controlled by a co-op partner. It’s not clear if online co-op is supported.
After ‘a certain amount of time’ playing in Lake Lapcat, the gigantic Fury Bowser will appear, dropping from the sky and changing the weather.
Fury Bowser’s appearance sees spikes falling from the sky and changing the terrain.
Fury Bowser will attack players using powers that can destroy cover.
After an unspecified amount of time, Fury Bowser will retreat, returning Lake Lapcat to normal for a time.
In Super Mario 3D World, When used, the Cat Mario amiibo will summon an invincible White Cat Mario power-up.
In Super Mario 3D World, the Cat Peach amiibo summons a random power-up.
In Bowser’s Fury, we know both the Bowser and Bowser Jr. amiibo will cause power-ups. It’s not clear yet what they’ll specifically do, but we’ve seen Mario transform into an invulnerable statue version of Cat Mario, also earning coins.
We awarded the Wii U version of Super Mario 3D World a 9.6/10 in our review, saying it’s “marvelous, and its constant variety and fantastic light-hearted co-op play proves that Nintendo still knows exactly how to tweak the Mario formula in fun ways.”
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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Lucasfilm Games is now in business with Bethesda for its new Indiana Jones game and Ubisoft for its own Star Wars project, but where does this leave EA, the publisher of Battlefront, Jedi: Fallen Order, and other Star Wars games? Lucasfilm Games boss Douglas Reilly said in an interview on the Star Wars website that Lucasfilm is staying in business with EA, and the publisher is working on “a number of projects” right now.
“We’re really proud of the games we have created with EA,” Reilly said. “We will continue working with them and our relationship has never been stronger. While we may not have a lot of details to share at the moment, we’ve got a number of projects underway with the talented teams at EA.”
EA also shared a message on Twitter reaffirming the company’s love of Star Wars and intention to continue making more games (and pointing out how cute BD-1 is). However, no specific plans are shared, nor is there any indication of whether future games will be of the console/PC or mobile variety.
✅ We love Star Wars. ✅ We look forward to continuing our partnership with Lucasfilm Games. ✅ We’re making more Star Wars games. ✅ BD-1 is still the cutest.
Outside of Bethesda, Ubisoft, and EA, Reilly told fans to expect additional announcements from Lucasfilm Games that you might not expect.
“This is really the culmination of years of preparing to come out and say, ‘We’re here, we’ve got a team of people, we’re going to make a lot of great games, and here’s some new things you weren’t expecting from us to do that we’re now starting to do,'” Reilly said. “And that’s going to continue throughout the next year or so, where we’re going to continue to announce projects that are more representative of the legacy of the old Lucasfilm Games that we’re now trying to live up to.”
Fans who can’t wait to see what’s next from True Detective creator Nic Pizzolatto are going to have to remain patient. The Hollywood Reporter is indicating that the writer-director is negotiating to be let out of his contract with FX and Fox 21/Touchstone Television. No comment from the parties involved has been released, so it’s not exactly clear why the relationship is coming to an end.
What is clear is this means the show Redeemer is no longer moving forward, at least at FX. Due to reunite Pizzolatto and Matthew McConaughey–whose unforgettable performance as the damaged detective Rust Cohle in True Detective Season 1 still haunts everyone who saw it–Redeemer was created by Pizzolatto and inspired by Patrick Colman’s debut novel titled The Churchgoer, Redeemer. McConaughey was to star as a minister who loses his faith, becomes a security guard, and searches for a missing woman in Texas. Rather than finding her, he wanders through a criminal conspiracy that connects with his past.
Their pairing has proven a winning combo in the past. Season 1 of True Detective received 12 Emmy Award nominations, including McConaughey’s nomination for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and Pizzolatto’s nomination for Writing for a Drama Series, and won five awards.
Redeemer had been given a series order at FX in January 2020. It’s unknown if the show will still be viable at other networks or is (hopefully not) dead in the water.
PS5 exclusive Returnal has received another gameplay trailer highlighting the rougelite’s fast-paced action, with developer Housemarque providing a deep dive into many of its systems.
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Returnal’s combat is described as a third-person take on Housemarque’s classic bullet hell, arcade-inspired shooters, such as Resogun, Nex Machina, and Super Stardust HD. Each run, however, will change up the action in drastic ways. Protagonist Selene is only able to use one weapon at a time, but weapon traits allow you to modify the base function of each of the ten available. These can be stacked as the run continues, unlocking powerful combinations specific to the weapon you’re using.
Each weapon also features a distinct alt-fire, with Housemarque explaining how the DualSense’s adaptive triggers have been used to allow for half pulls of the triggers to switch from aiming to firing. Weapons are supplemented by tools and gear that further expands your arsenal. The trailer shows Selene using a grenade that vaporizes all enemies near her, while another fires sharp spikes up from the ground to do damage around her.
Housemarque explains that each run will reset your weapons and tools, but persistent upgrades will be unlocked as your progress. Once unlocked, these enter the pool that items of pulled from during a run, giving you more possibilities with each new attempt. Runs will also feature parasites that latch onto you and offer both buffs and debuffs. For example, the trailer shows one that gives Selene more health but casues enemies to leave acid behind when defeated.
The Batman spin-off, Gotham PD, has reportedly found a new showrunner in Joe Barton after Terence Winter’s departure from the series.
According to Variety, Barton will take over as executive producer and showrunner on the HBO Max spin-off series after Winter exited the project due to creative differences last November. A report at the time claimed that Winter’s vision for the series didn’t match up with what Matt Reeves and several other producers on the project had in mind for the show.
Barton previously created and wrote an eight-part crime-thriller called Giri/Haji for BBC Two and Netflix. His other credits include The Ritual and Invasion, an upcoming sci-fi thriller starring Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer. He is also set to serve as the showrunner on Netflix’s Half Bad, which is based on Sally Green’s fantasy novel trilogy of the same name.
HBO Max will play host to the new series, which is reportedly being referred to as Gotham Central internally. This title is a likely nod to the Gotham PD-focused procedural comic book series created by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Michael Lark. It ran from 2002 to 2006 and focused on the city’s police department and the struggles of working as a police officer in a city like Gotham.
The upcoming police procedural will act as a prequel to 2022’s The Batman, following events in Gotham City during presumably Robert Pattinson’s Batman’s first year as the caped crusader. This would place the series about a year before The Batman movie on Matt Reeves’ Gotham timeline, as Patinson’s take on the character is set during the Dark Knight’s second year in Gotham.
There’s currently no release date for the series, whereas The Batman is scheduled for release on March 4, 2022. Originally it was intended to be a summer movie, but it was pushed back from its June 25, 2021 release date a number of times after production was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s no guarantee the release won’t slip further back, but we’re hoping Reeves can meet the new timetable.
It’s a good time to be a bounty hunter in Red Dead Online, as this week’s update focuses on the gunslingers who bring in outlaws dead or alive. You can earn extra role XP and RDO$ by hunting down some notorious criminals, while also claiming some discounts.
This week you’ll get double role XP on Legendary Bounties and double RDO$ on Prestigious Legendary Bounties. In particular, those Prestigious targets include Gene “Beau” Finley, Carmela “La Muñeca” Montez, and Virgil “Shepherd” Edwards. You can also claim 50% RDO$ bonus on the original 10 Legendary bounties.
No matter what your role, jumping into Red Dead Online this week will grant you a 1,000 Bounty Hunter XP reward, and 100 rounds of Express Repeater ammo.
If you’re looking for a use for all that cash, you can take advantage of some discounts this week as well, especially for bounty hunter gear. You can get 50% off bounty hunter outfits and emotes, and 30% off bounty hunter weapon variants, wagon tints, accessories, saddles, gun belts, and off-hand holsters, along with 30% off the Schofield revolver, bolt-action rifle, and repeaters. Plus the Bounty Hunter License and Prestigious Bounty Hunter License are 5 Gold Bars off. These discounts will be available through January 18.
Red Dead Online launched as the online mode for Red Dead Redemption 2, but Rockstar recently broke it out into a standalone game. To begin the new year, the studio let players reset their honor to a neutral state, so they can approach this year as more of a goody-two-boots or a scumbag.
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The Uncharted movie and The Last of Us series are “just the beginning” of Sony’s efforts to expand into new media, according to PlayStation boss Jim Ryan.
Speaking at CES 2021, Ryan touched on Sony’s plans to increase integration between all of its entertainment properties. He indicated that there could be more PlayStation adaptations on the horizon, as he referred to the upcoming Uncharted movie and HBO’s The Last of Us show as “just the beginning of the expansion of our storytelling into new media and even wider audiences.”
In his brief show appearance, Ryan said the company is “really thrilled to bring some of the best PlayStation IP to new media like film and television” because these types of projects align with the company’s core focus and strategy. He noted that, ultimately, “Sony is a creative entertainment company, and entertainment has never been more important.”
Towards the end of last year, Sony Pictures Chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra revealed that his studio had been actively developing 10 video game adaptations, including seven TV shows and three movies based on PlayStation properties, though he didn’t specify whether the Uncharted movie and The Last of Us TV series were included in that count.
