Month: April 2021

Alanah’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Charalanahzard

You may know Alanah Pearce from Funhaus, IGN, or maybe even her voice acting work in Cyberpunk 2077. Needless to say, Alanah has had a long and diverse career in the games industry, and is now working at God of War developer Sony Santa Monica Studio as a games writer.

Alanah could be one of the busiest people in the industry. When she’s not writing a game, she’s uploading videos to her YouTube channel, making short films like One Year, streaming and raising money for charities such as AbleGamers, and hosts her very own podcast Play, Watch, Listen, featuring industry sweethearts like Troy Baker, Austin Wintory, and Mike Bithell. And yet, still, she took time out of her day to answer 24 questions about her work, her routines, and Australian delicacies.

In the above video, Alanah goes over her favorite swear word, her favorite Batman collectible, whether or not she can break an egg by squeezing it in her hand, and many more.

You can follow Alanah on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Charalanahzard

Though Xbox Series X restocks are happening on a semi-regular basis these days, Microsoft’s flagship console continues to sell out extremely fast every time it appears online. If you’re still looking to buy the Xbox Series X, you’ll have another chance this week–if you’re willing to pay for it over time. GameStop has announced it will restock Xbox Series X consoles through Xbox All Access this Wednesday, April 21, at 7 AM PT / 10 AM ET. It doesn’t sound as though standalone consoles will be sold during this particular restock.

Xbox All Access is Microsoft’s monthly payment plan that lets you pay down your console over 24 months instead of shelling out the entire cost upfront. In addition to the console itself, the Xbox All Access plan gets you Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which includes free monthly games, access to the Game Pass library for console and PC, xCloud game streaming, and an EA Play subscription.

For the Xbox Series X, you’ll pay $35 per month over that two-year period, which comes out to $840 total. However, when you add in the cost of Game Pass Ultimate, you’re actually getting a slight deal. The Series X costs $499 on its own, and you’d pay $360 for Game Pass Ultimate over that period, which comes out to a $19 savings with the Xbox All Access bundle. Sure, it’s not as attractive an option as paying for just the console upfront–if you can afford it–but it’s also a better option than some of the pricier bundles GameStop has offered in the past or buying from a reseller.

Another potential upside is that in the past, Xbox All Access bundles haven’t sold out as quickly as standalone consoles. For one, you actually have to qualify for the offer, and they’re way less likely to get snapped up by resellers as well. According to GameStop, it’ll be a “sizable drop,” whatever that means, so if you’re truly desperate to get your hands on an Xbox Series X, you’ll want to be ready at 10 AM ET on Wednesday to see if you can snag a bundle.

If director Zack Snyder had gotten his way, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice would have had a completely different, more “poetic” title. Speaking at Justice Con over the weekend, Snyder recalled the back-and-forth he had with Warner Bros. over the title.

He said the studio was only interested in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder pitched the title “Son of Sun and Knight of Night,” but it was apparently rejected.

“I remember when there was a back-and-forth that I had with the studio, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was like the only title that [Warner Bros. liked],” Snyder said, according to ComingSoon.net. “The whole ‘v’ instead of ‘versus,’ it was like this crazy negotiation. I was like, ‘Guys, can’t we just do something like Son of Sun and Knight of Night, or something that’ a little bit more poetic?’ And they were like, ‘Absolutely not’ [Laughs]. I was like, ‘Is it a court case?'”

Writer Chris Terrio added that it was discussed that they might call the movie “Justice League: [Subtitle]” to give viewers the idea that the movie told the story of the start of the Justice League. “Like Justice League: Foundations, or Justice League: Rising,” he said.

Warner Bros. ended up using the title Justice League for the 2017 film that was recently re-released in a lengthy Snyder Cut on HBO Max.

In other Batman news, it was recently confirmed that Michael Keaton is coming back to play Batman in the upcoming The Flash movie. Ben Affleck will also play Batman in the movie as part of some kind of interdimensional storyline.

The cost of digital services and goods sold by foreign companies like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Spotify in Canada will be rising by 3% starting on January 1, 2022, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The announcement solidifies plans that were being publicly explored by the country’s finance department off and on throughout 2020–and was initially explored as a way to offset the pandemic’s impact on budgets.

“The government is committed to ensuring that corporations in all sectors, including digital corporations, pay their fair share of tax on the money they earn by doing business in Canada,” the Canadian government said when releasing its latest federal budget (via THR). The government also forecasts it will raise roughly $2.72 billion in revenue over the next five years, or $544 million annually.

In a November 2020 economic update reported on by Reuters, Canadian finance minister Chrystia Freeland said the country “will act unilaterally, if necessary, to apply a tax on large multinational digital corporations, so they pay their fair share just like any other company operating in Canada.” It was also made clear that these new rules will not apply to startups or emerging companies–and that there’s an interest in preventing “high-income individuals employed at large, long-established, mature firms” from exploiting other tax loopholes.

Dwayne Winseck, a media industry researcher at Carleton University in Ottawa, told the CBC in December 2020 that while this legislation has become highly politicized and has been derisively nicknamed the “Netflix tax,” the goal for this is to “create a level playing field.”

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This week’s Red Dead Online update is focused on last cowboy standing pursuits, as the Gun Rush PvP mode adds a few more hardcore elements. Developer Rockstar detailed all this and more in its latest blog post, which you can read the highlights of below.

Gun Rush Deals Out Double Rewards This Week

Red Dead Online kicks this week’s update off with a hardcore take on Gun Rush and Gun Rush Teams. A battle royale with a western flavor, Gun Rush this week will pit players against each other in a shrinking area where they can’t use Ability cards or Tonics. A number of weapons are fortunately scattered around the arena though, and emerging victorious from this environment will earn you a 50% discount on any hat up to Rank 15.

Whether you ultimately win or lose though, all participants will walk away with double the cash and experience points prizes that they’d normally receive on all hardcore versions of Gun Rush and Gun Rush Teams in the Featured series.

A New Source Of Employment Bonuses

Double payouts can be expected this week when you pick up a telegram from your pen-pal “J,” and completing any A New Source of Employment missions will reward you with a free treasure map.

Rewards For Outlaw Pass No. 5 Members

All Outlaw Pass No. 5 members receive a reward for a free role outfit or emote, five fast travel vouchers, and 2,000 character experience points. Playing Red Dead Online between now and April 26 also earns you 3,000 Club XP, two Miracle Tonics, and all Camp setup fees will also be waived.

Discounts

Wheeler, Rawson, and Company has several deals on camping supplies, pamphlets, and ammo available this week.

• All ammo – 50% discount
• All pamphlets – 40% discount
• All products sold by wilderness outfitters – 40% discount
• Deluxe campfire – 40% discount

Prime Gaming Benefits

Red Dead Online players who connect their Rockstar Games Social Club account to Prime Gaming will receive a free Bounty Hunter license and a free Trimmed Amethyst bounty wagon livery. Connecting before May 10 also unlocks a free Varmint rifle, 30% off the Hunting Wagon, and 50 free Trader Goods.

Red Dead Redemption 2 has become a huge hit for Rockstar since it launched in 2018, selling more than 36 million copies so far. Red Dead Online, which arrived not long after the game debuted, has seen player numbers continue to rise since the multiplayer component became a standalone offering.

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Just because Fortnite isn’t currently on Apple devices doesn’t mean Fortnite can’t be on Apple devices, as in decorating your iPhone or Apple Watch with a new line of merch from Casetify. The Fortnite X Casetify Collection has been revealed and gives fans of Epic’s battle royale several new ways to show off their fandom.

The collection features some of Fortnite’s most iconic original characters like battle-hardened pink teddy bear Cuddle Team Leader, the goofy Durrr Burger mascot, the llama showstopper DJ Yonder, and Peely, the bipedal banana each featured on Apple iPhone cases compatible with models starting at the iPhone 7 all the way to the iPhone 12. The collection will be first available on May 6, but those interested can get added to the waitlist starting today.

If you want the full range of Fortnite X Casetify merch, you can extend your fandom to your wrist with Apple Watch wristbands including one made to look like a VIP pass you’d wear at a live event and another featuring a collage of Fortnite phrases and characters. If all that emoting makes you thirsty, there’s also a water bottle in the collection featuring a similar collage design on a black metal bottle. You can complete the collection with an AirPods case that includes a keychain so you don’t misplace it.

The full range will be priced between $35-52 and products will ship worldwide. If you prefer your Fortnite purchases be in-game, don’t miss the new Gaming Legends character, Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West.

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Apple is hosting its first big event of the year today. The Spring Loaded event is expected to debut new iPad and Mac hardware models, along with software announcements for iOS devices. Here’s all the details.

How To Watch

The Spring Loaded event will begin at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It will be streamed through the Apple site. Apple advises using its own recent iPhone, iPad, or Macs with Safari browsers, but it also notes that you can stream using other browsers like Chrome and Firefox. It will also be available through YouTube.

Ordinarily Apple would host such an event in-person, especially to show off its high-tech campus at Apple Park. The pandemic has changed those plans, however, and Apple has switched to all-virtual presentations for the time being. It has already announced that its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June will also be an online-only event. That event tends to house the biggest Apple announcements.

Apple Spring Loaded Start Times – April 20

• 10 AM PT
• 1 PM ET
• 6 PM BST
• 3 AM AEST (April 21)

What to Expect

CNET reports that Apple is rumored to focus primarily on the iPad family with today’s announcements. That could mean upgraded chips and new screens featuring mini-LED displays for better brightness and battery life. This could be a harbinger of things to come for other Apple hardware as well, as MacBook laptops and iMac desktops are rumored to be switching to mini-LED sometime in the future too.

The new iPads may be of interest for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, as Microsoft recently announced it will be opening limited beta tests of its cloud streaming functionality on iOS devices. That feature is included with Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions, though Apple’s restrictions mean it will run through a browser-based app instead of directly through your Xbox Game Pass app.

The company also might debut its iOS 14.5 update. Notable features rumored to be coming in that big software update include new emojis, privacy updates, and new interactions with the Apple Watch. The biggest change for privacy-conscious users will be new requirements for apps to ask your permission in order to use tracking features. That update could be coming in the next few weeks.

On the far end of the rumor spectrum, Apple also may be ready to debut AirTags. This long-rumored device is a small tracker you can attach to your personal belongings so that you’ll be able to find them using the iPhone’s “Find My” app. Reports have circulated about AirTags for quite a while, and competitors like Samsung are starting to offer such devices, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Apple uses this opportunity to show off its own version.

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Nintendo’s favorite handyman in green is officially joining his brother in the world of Lego. Following last year’s Lego Super Mario line, Nintendo and Lego have announced Luigi’s debut with the Lego Super Mario: Adventures with Luigi Starter Course. The confirmation comes after a recent update that had Lego Mario literally calling out for Luigi, which turned out to be a tease for the upcoming Luigi set.

Similar to the Adventures with Mario Starter Course, Luigi’s 280-piece collection of plastic bricks will include all the parts needed to create an obstacle course and also features a Pink Yoshi, a Bone Goomba, and a Boom Boom for players to defeat.

$60 | Releases August 1

Preorders for the Lego Adventures with Luigi Starter Course are live now at the Lego Store, Best Buy, and Target, with orders shipping August 1. The Luigi set costs $60, the same price as the Mario starter course.

Check out the official Lego Luigi Starter Course announcement below. And if you’re interested in picking up Lego Super Mario while you wait for the Luigi set to release, you can grab the Mario starter course for $48 at Amazon right now, down from $60.