Author: Trafficblast

Ahead of Apex Legends Season 8: Mayhem’s debut on February 2, Respawn has dropped a brand-new trailer to show fans what they can expect.

The trailer focuses mostly on Apex’s newest legend: Walter Fitzroy, AKA Fuse. He’s an Australian hot head with an eyepatch and a penchant for breaking the rules. According to the trailer he was “born into a world ruled by chaos, and he thrived in the mayhem.” It seems that’s only going to continue as the The Champion of Salvo enters the ring. With his penchant for explosions, chaos, and Aussie accent, he’s a bit reminiscent of Overwatch’s Junkrat, though their playstyles look to be completely different.

Season 8 will also be introducing a new battle pass, a new weapon, and gold magazines in an attempt to continue expanding Apex’s lore and meta. The new addition to your artillery in The Outlands is the 30-30 Repeater lever-action rifle, which looks like it can either fire of a series of weaker shots, or be slowly charged for a more powerful blast.

To check out Fuse and all the other changes coming to Apex, login for Season 8 and see if you can win the fight for fame and glory in The Outlands.

Life simulator The Sims 4 has received the new $10 Paranormal Stuff Pack for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S that adds another vocation, a new home for the Sims to live in, and various roommates all centered around the occult.

The pack is available to purchase from Microsoft, Origin, PlayStation, and Steam stores. Of course, players will need the base Sims 4 game to access the Paranormal Stuff content. Below is a rundown of everything players need to know about The Sim 4’s latest DLC offering.

The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff Pack Release Date, Trailer

The Paranormal Stuff Pack is available now for everyone to purchase. It retails for $10 USD on the Microsoft, Origin, PlayStation, and Steam stores, though those with active EA Play memberships can save 10% on the expansion, as well as all other The Sims 4 content. Developer Maxis and publisher EA shared a reveal trailer showcasing what players can expect from the Paranormal Stuff Pack, which includes new gameplay mechanics and items.

The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff Pack Items

While what exactly is stuffed inside the Paranormal Stuff Pack hasn’t been specified, the above reveal trailer suggests that the expansion will contain the usual fare like accessories and clothing. On top of these, however, players can also build haunted houses and interact with the various ghostly apparitions that roam the halls of the newly constructed homes.

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The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff Pack New Vocation, Gameplay Mechanics

The pack also introduces the Paranormal Investigator vocation, which lets players turn into a medium to communicate with the troubled apparations. There is also the new séance gameplay mechanic players can take advantage of to talk to spirits. In doing so, players can meet a variety of ghosts, from Claude René Duplantier Guidry to Bonehilda the skeletal maid.

The Paranormal Stuff Pack joins a long list of The Sims 4 expansions, including a big December update that added more skin tones and other customization items geared toward better representation for darker skin.

Kevin Hart has officially joined the cast of the Borderlands movie.

Hart has been cast as Roland, a character from the first two Borderlands games and The Pre-Sequel. The press release announcing Hart’s casting only references that Roland is an “ex-soldier turned mercenary” which lines up with the character’s backstory in the game.

In the games, Roland was honorably discharged from the military unit, Crimson Lance, and turned to a life of loot-hunting with the help of shotguns, turrets, and assault rifles.

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Hart will star in the movie with Cate Blanchett as the thief-siren Lilith. The movie will be directed by Hostel director, Eli Roth. Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford is an executive producer on the movie.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Kevin,” Roth said in a press release. “Borderlands is a different kind of role for him, and we are excited to thrill audiences with a side of Kevin they’ve never seen before. He’s going to be an amazing Roland.”

Hart is best known for his stand-up comedy, but has led the box office with multiple action-comedy movies over the past decade, including the Jumanji movies. Hart also appeared in the Ride Along franchise with Ice Cube and Central Intelligence with Dwayne Johnson.

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The Borderlands movie will be written by Craig Mazin, who recently wrote HBO’s critically-acclaimed Chernobyl miniseries. Mazin is currently developing a Last of Us miniseries for HBO as well.

The press release also announces the Borderlands franchise has surpassed 66 million units sold worldwide. Borderlands 2 is the biggest game in the franchise with 24 million copies sold. The most recent title, 2019’s Borderlands 3, has sold over 11 million units.

Here is a list of every video game that is currently being adapted as a movie. That list includes the Uncharted movie, which was just delayed into 2022.

Roth has also said that he wants to put Borderlands cosplayers in the movie as a way to honor the fans.

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Petey Oneto is a freelance writer for IGN. If Claptrap is in this movie, then I’ll go see one of the other dozen video game movies that will be in theaters.

The upcoming Lord of the Rings game that focuses on Gollum has been delayed to 2022. The game was previously planned to release in 2021, but the delay came as part of the announcement that French publisher Nacon had signed on to co-publish the game with developer Daedalic Entertainment.

“The two companies decided to join forces to ensure that the game will meet the expectations of fans of The Lord of the Rings and fully leverage the power of the new generation of consoles,” Nacon said in a press release.

The Gollum game is described as a “story-driven action adventure” title that focuses on Gollum’s journey as a creature who is obsessed with the One Ring. Players will apparently get to decide if Gollum’s evil side will come out or if he can retain the sense of goodness he had as Smeagol.

Daedalic and Nacon are working together with Middle-earth Enterprises on the new Gollum video game, which is in the works for PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Nacon is making moves of late, as this news follows on from the company’s multi-million dollar acquisition of Australian developer Big Ant Studios. As for Daedalic, the company recently announced it will publish the new 2D action game Hidden Deep.

The Gollum game is not the only new Lord of the Rings title in the works, as Amazon is developing a new free-to-play Lord of the Rings MMO.

The delay of the Gollum project is just the latest such delay for a major licensed property. The new open-world Harry Potter RPG, Hogwarts Legacy, has also been pushed to 2022.

A huge Anglo-Saxon burial site in Northamptonshire in the United Kingdom was recently discovered and archaeologists unearthed over 3000 pieces of jewellery, weapons, and more.

There are about 154 burials at this site and these burials and the nearly 3000 objects found within the span of them date back to around 1,500 years ago, according to LiveScience. These burials and objects were spread across a 15-hectare site that includes a 4000-year-old Bronze Age burial site as well. Seven different structures – three burial mounds and four other buildings – were discovered at this Bronze Age site.

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“The Overstone Leys site contains by far the biggest Anglo-Saxon cemetery ever found in Northamptonshire,” Project Manager at Museum of London Archaeology, Simon Markus, said in a MOLA release about the discovery. “It is rare to find both an Anglo-Saxon settlement and a cemetery in a single excavation. The excavations will help us understand the way people lived in both the Anglo-Saxon period, around 1,500 years ago as well as the Bronze Age, nearly 4,000 years ago.”

Markus said the human remains, objects, and buildings found at the site will help them learn more about the Anglo-Saxon and Bronze Age diets, health, origins, and day-to-day life of the people that lived during that period of history.

Fifteen rings, 150 brooches, 2,000 beads, 75 wrist clasps, 15 chatelaines, 40 knives, 25 spears, 15 shield bosses, and an assortment of other things like cosmetic kits and bone combs were unearthed at the site, according to the MOLA. The archaeologists also uncovered Anglo-Saxon textiles preserved after becoming mineralized by being buried next to a metal brooch.

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These sites don’t feature anything from the Vikings side, but is within the same era that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla takes place. And who’s to say that a trip to an Animus wouldn’t uncover something secretive within these buried objects? For more history and science, check out this story about some Viking DNA discovered that reveals most weren’t blond or blue-eyed and then read about how scientists extracting DNA from insects preserved in resin have no intention to raise dinosaurs using it.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Sophia the Robot and three other models from Hanson Robotics will go into mass production this year and are expected to begin rolling out of factories in the first half of 2021.

This news comes by way of a new report from Reuters after a tour through Hanson Robotics’ Hong Kong factory conducted by Sophia the Robot, whom you might recognize as the viral robot from years ago that was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia back in 2017. Hanson Robotics believes now to be a better time than ever to roll out these robots as they can help not only the healthcare sectors of the world, but the retail and airline industries as well.

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“Social robots like me can take care of the sick or elderly,” Sophia said during the tour, according to Reuters. “I can help communicate, give therapy and provide social stimulation, even in difficult situations.”

Hanson Robotics founder and chief executive, David Hanson, said the company is planning to sell thousands of robots of many different sizes in 2021, although he didn’t give an exact number as to how many. He did say that four models, including Sophia, will roll out to the public this year.

Reuters noted that according to the International Federation of Robots, worldwide sales of professional-service robots jumped up 32% to $11.2 billion from 2018 to 2019. Those numbers have likely risen during the current COVID-19 pandemic as robots are seen around the world helping in the healthcare sector and Hanson said he believes that in a world of COVID-19, more automation is needed to keep people safe.

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One of the robots Hanson Robotics is launching this year, Grace, has been created specifically for the healthcare sector.

“Sophia and Hanson robots are unique by being so human-like,” Hanson said. “That can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated.”

That speaks to the larger mission of Hanson Robotics. The company’s “About” page says its, “innovations in AI research and development, robotics engineering, experiential design, storytelling and material science bring robots to life as engaging characters, useful products, and as evolving AI.”

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Not that there’s necessarily anything to worry about when a company says its trying to bring robots to life as engaging characters with evolving AI, but just in case, somebody get in touch with Sarah Connor. In the meantime, read about how humans abusing sad robots was the subject of a recent study and then read about this study that found humans want AI robots to look human, but only up to a certain point. Check out our list of the 12 greatest giant robots ever after that.

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Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes. 

Epic has announced the next exclusive skin for Fortnite Crew subscribers, Vi of the Fox Clan. The colorful (and very thematic) warrior comes equipped with some specialty items that you can mix and match with your other skins, along with other subscriber benefits.

Vi will be available starting January 31 at 7 PM ET, and will rotate out again at the end of February. In addition to the V skin itself, you’ll also get the Foxbow Quiver Back Bling, Crooked Claw Pickaxe, and Drift Shift Wrap. Those cosmetics are in addition to the regular benefits of access like the current battle pass and 1,000 V-Bucks.

Fortnite Crew is a recurring $12 per month subscription fee that began in November. The 1,000 V-Buck bonus is delivered every month upon your resubscription date.

Fox Clan is a part of the latest ongoing story in Fortnite, a group of warriors brought through dimensional rifts. There’s been speculation that the February Crew update would introduce the Fox Clan member who has been leaving messages to other clan members on the game’s social media channels.

Epic also noted that this means you only have a little time left to grab January’s Crew skin, Green Arrow as modeled after the CW show Arrow.

After a slight delay, King Arthur: Knight’s Tale has entered Steam Early Access on PC. Described as a hybrid between turn-based tactical games and more traditional character-centric RPGs by its developer NeoCore Games, King Arthur: Knight’s Tale also has a darker spin on classic Arthurian mythology as players lead Sir Mordred in a quest to gather the Knights of the Round Table and rebuild the kingdom of Camelot.

The Early Access version of the game currently includes features from the very beginning of the campaign, including two story missions and several side missions, seven playable heroes from four different classes, a level cap of 5, and some of the Camelot management mechanics. Inspired by games such as XCOM, King Arthur: Knight’s Tale also focuses heavily on managing your heroes, their skills, and growth.

A permadeath system places a strong focus on not only fine-tuning each hero so that they can survive each battle, but their loyalty can shift during the course of the game, possibly even deserting your group and eventually turning against you.

When the full game is out, NeoCore says that it’ll have 20 story missions and various side quests that take place across a wide variety of fantasy environments that were built by using photo-scanned environments.

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There’ll also be several enemy factions, more than 50 types of enemy units, and 10 boss fights to prepare for, while endgame content will pave the way for a massive showdown against Balor, the monstrous god-king of the Fomorians. For a more visual idea of what to expect, you can check out the trailer above or you can read through our King Arthur: Knight’s Tale interview to discover how NeoCore plans to turn the idea of chivalry on its head.

The space-based Factorio-like Dyson Sphere Program has garnered serious traction on Steam, with over 200,000 copies sold in two days. Released back on January 21 in Early Access, Dyson Space Program is a factory simulator similar to Satisfactory and Factorio, where players are challenged to build an industrial installation that rapidly escalates in automation and complexity.

Dyson Sphere Program sets itself apart from its competitors by taking place at a galactic scale. The ultimate goal of the game is to build titular Dyson Spheres, which are hypothetical constructs from the pages of sci-fi author Olaf Stapledon. Theoretically, if humanity could build a gigantic sphere around a given star, we could harness much of the star’s power output to meet the energy requirements inherent to intergalactic travel.

Several of the game’s Steam reviews describe Dyson Space Program as a step forward for the factory-building genre. However, they note that the game lacks certain quality-of-life features that players might expect, such as the ability to easily dismantle groups of buildings.

Since the game is developed by a small team based in China, and it’s still in Early Access, some of its tutorials haven’t been translated to English yet. However, if you’re a fan of games like Factorio and you’re looking for a new game to play, Dyson Sphere Program seems like a solid choice. Currently, the game is only available on Steam, and it costs $20.