Author: Trafficblast

Face/Off Remake Gets Godzilla Vs Kong Director Adam Wingard

Paramount Pictures has tapped Godzilla vs Kong’s Adam Wingard to direct the upcoming re-imagining of Face/Off, according to Deadline. Wingard will also co-write the script with his writing partner Simon Barrett (You’re Next).

A remake of this 1997 single-malt batty action flick is a tall and truly bizarre order since it will likely be difficult to outdo the original. For readers who have not yet experienced the unique film, you can check out our list of 23 things to know beforehand–but the cult classic where sworn enemies John Travolta (playing Sean Archer, and FBI agent) and Nicolas Cage (playing Castor Troy, a terrorist) exchange faces is a lot for anyone to wrap their minds around. Despite Face/Off’s potent mind-blowing capabilities for just existing in the first place, the film was a commercial success at the time, grossing $245 million worldwide. So, in some ways, it’s no wonder a remake will be attempted and the real question is why it has taken this long.

For Cage, Face/Off represents one of countless roles where the actor has demonstrated an innate ability to transcend expectations and the boundaries of even good taste–he is beyond brilliant in roles that are beyond dumb. It’s thanks to this that he has stayed busy and remarkably prolific, including a recent turn as Nicolas Cage playing Nicolas Cage on Netflix’s History of Swear Words. That film seems tame compared to The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, an upcoming 2021 film in which the actor plays himself as an inadvertent CIA informant against a drug kingpin.

Travolta, meanwhile, has been working steadily since Face/Off but has clearly shied away from unconventional roles. Although he clearly still has a sense of humor about himself, as a recent Super Bowl commercial demonstrates.

Godzilla vs Kong is slated to hit theaters worldwide on March 26 and will also be on HBO Max in the US on that day. For more check out GameSpot’s guide to the biggest movies to watch in 2021.

Disciples Returns After Long Dormancy With Unsettling Trailer For Brand-New Game

The Disciples series is back, with publisher Kalypso Media and developer Frima Studio announcing Disciples: Liberation will be released for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC in Q4 2021. The dark fantasy strategy RPG franchise hasn’t seen a new entry since Disciples III: Renaissance, which came out over a decade ago.

A new (very creepy) trailer for Disciples: Liberation released alongside the announcement (as a heads up: maybe skip it if you’re not a fan of needles or folks messing with eyeballs). In it, you see a man and a woman undergoing a painful-looking ritual being forced upon them by a shaman-looking character, before the woman awakens and goes outside to meet with the man and shaman she saw in her dream–it’s implied that she saw a dark consequence to choices she could have made, but thankfully it seems she managed to avoid that fate.

It's a very unsettling trailer, y'all.
It’s a very unsettling trailer, y’all.

If Disciples: Liberation looks interesting to you, you can sign up for the game’s closed alpha. It’s only taking 200 players though, so maybe curb your expectations if you’re thinking “Oh, I’ll definitely make it in.”

In Disciples: Liberation, you’re tasked with saving the land of Nevendaar, a journey that takes place over the course of more than 270 quests in an 80+ hour single-player campaign that can end in five different ways depending on the decisions you make. The crux of the game is like its predecessors: recruit an army to duke it out in large-scale battles. There’s also an online component where you can challenge your friends in PvP.

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Black Game Developers Showcase Kicks Off Indie Digital Events

Event promotor Media Indie Exchange (The MIX) has announced some of the digital events it will hold throughout the year, starting with a celebration honoring Black History Month.

Starting on February 25, The MIX will host the “Game Changers: Celebrating Black Developers” livestream. It’ll feature a showcase of games created by Black developers, with Black Twitch creators and industry professionals holding 1-on-1 chats with marginalized game makers. The following day, February 26, will see the “Black Voices in Gaming Showcase.” Presented by Humble Bundle Games, this livestream continues the “Game Changers” broadcast. It’ll also feature a special emphasis on Humble’s Black Game Developer Fund and a sponsorship through Kickstarter. Both presentations will be streamed on Twitch’s Gaming channel, with “Game Changers: Celebrating Black Developers” going live at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on February 25 and “Black Voices in Gaming Showcase” starting at the same time on February 26.

The MIX also outlined its March event, which runs from March 13-14. Called Game Dev Direct, the event kicks off with a two-hour broadcast starting at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on March 13. Then at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET is a livestream presented by Paradox Interactive, which will feature an “inside look” at upcoming titles from the Sweden-based publisher, including new trailers, reveals, and interviews with developers from affiliated studios like Another Indie and Headup.

Finally, in June, is the Guerrilla Collective. This livestream, which hasn’t been dated, will house news and reveals from a variety of developers and publishers. Details about this event will be announced soon, The MIX said in a press release. Once the event kicks off, demos of many of the revealed games during the Guerrilla Collective livestream will go live.

The MIX 2021 Digital Events

  • February:
    • Game Changers: Celebrating Black Developers, February 25 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET
    • Black Voices in Gaming Showcase, February 26 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET
  • March:
    • Game Dev Direct, March 13-14 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET
  • June:
    • Guerrilla Collective, currently undated

Tactical RPG Kings Bounty 2 Has Been Delayed To August

1C Entertainment and Koch Media have announced that King’s Bounty 2–the successor to the turn-based tactical RPG King’s Bounty— will be released on August 24 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. This is a delay from the game’s original March 2021 release date, due to the developers deciding more time was needed to ensure the best experience for players.

“As a team, we had to make the difficult decision to move King’s Bounty 2’s release to a later point in 2021 to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a King’s Bounty best possible experience,” said Nikolay Baryshnikov, CEO of 1C Entertainment.

According to a producer on the team, the game is basically ready, but it needs a bit more time to get things just right. “We are currently at a stage where the game is complete and playable, but we need more time to finish playtesting, fixing, polishing, and postponing launch will give us the precious months to balancing phase, much needed for such important project for us,” said King’s Bounty 2 producer Denis Maltzev.

“Seeing the love and passion you, as our fans, put behind this project, we are grateful for all your support and ask you for a little more patience with us. We’re hoping that this won’t be a long delay and please make sure to keep an eye on our channels to receive all upcoming updates on the game as we get closer to the new release date.”

King’s Bounty 2 was first unveiled at the Epic Games Showcase, alongside other exciting announcements like a PC port of Axiom Verge 2 (which had previously only been confirmed for Nintendo Switch), the entirety of the Kingdom Hearts series coming to PC via the Epic Games Store, and an update on the development and release of Chivalry 2.

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Fast 9’s Ludacris Has A Discovery+ Special Where The Goal Is To Cook Dinner For His Mom

The recently launched Discovery+ streaming service is rolling out original content, and coming soon is Luda Can’t Cook. The cooking original follows Ludacris–F9 franchise star and a self-admitted terrible home cook–whose endgame is to be able to make an edible dinner for his mother. Is there anything more wholesome than that?

Premiering on Discovery+ on February 25, Chris Bridges–also known as Ludacris–will star on the one-hour long special. He can’t cook, and he’ll be the first one to tell you that. “I have a wife, and she does all the cooking, which is part of the reason I can’t cook because I’m lazy and whenever I’m hungry, I want to eat,” Ludacris said during a panel at the TCA winter press tour. “I don’t want to cook. It’s a timing thing because I’m so busy. My kitchen is pretty fully equipped. I just rely on her to cook everything.”

That doesn’t mean Ludacris hasn’t tried to cook in the past. “I don’t even know how to cook rice,” he admitted. “I’m gonna be honest with you guys, like if I tried to put some rice in there, it’s gonna stick to the pot.”

While his failures in the past in the kitchen may be embarrassing, he does have one dish he is ok with. “The whole ‘Luda Can’t Cook’ thing is only 99% true. I can cook tacos.”

Ludacris will dive head-first into learning how to make Indian food, a pretty complex cuisine for a first-time cook. However, the goal is to make his mom some food. “I feel like I can even get on the level and surpass my mom if I continue on this journey that I’m on right now,” Ludacris said. “And you know it’s good to see her on the show because she gets to see my skills, and you know everything that I kind of grew up with.”

Helping out Ludacris in the kitchen is none other than James Beard Award-nominated Chef Meherwan Irani, showing him the ins and outs of the kitchen. Luda Can’t Cook is executive produced by Will Packer (Girls Trip, Wendy Williams: The Movie) and will arrive to Discovery+ later this month.

For more from the TCA winter press tour, learn more about Kate Winslet’s challenging accent in HBO’s Mare of Eastdown, and Jean Smart’s untitled comedy series.

Free Xbox Games: NASCAR Heat 5, Warhammer Vermintide 2, And Space Crew This Weekend

Microsoft’s Free Play Days promotion rolls on this weekend with three games discounted to the low, low price of $0.00 for a few days only.

NASCAR Heat 5, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, and Space Crew are also completely free for Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers right now through the weekend. You can download the games from the Xbox website or on your console.

The free play promotion has already begun, and it runs until 11:59 PM PT on Sunday, February 14.

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Additionally, each game is currently on sale, so when the free weekend ends you can pick up the games for a lower-than-usual price.

NASCAR Heat 5, for example, is discounted to $20 USD, while game’s Gold edition is marked down to $30. Vermintide 2 is on sale for $7.50 USD, while Space Crew is only $13.40 USD as part of the promotion.

If you’re still on the hunt for a new Xbox Series X or S console, check out GameSpot’s handy restock guide to find out everything you need to know to give yourself the best chance to get one the next time stock is resupplied.

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Destiny 2 Harbinger Paracausal Feather Locations – Week 1 (Feb 9-16)

The Season of the Hunt may be over, but Destiny 2‘s tough Exotic mission, Harbinger, is still available in the game. In addition to fighting through some tough battles, you can also hunt through the mission for Paracausal Feathers to complete the Bird of Prey mission. Their locations rotate each week, but fortunately for you, we’ve scoured the EDZ’s Reservoir and located all five of this week’s feathers. You’ll find them all in the guide below.

Completing Harbinger earns you fresh rolls of the powerful Exotic hand cannon Hawkmoon, and if you complete Bird of Prey by earning 100 Paracausal Feathers, you can unlock a special Exotic ship called Radiant Accipiter. Don’t worry, though–you earn additional feathers by beating bosses in Harbinger, and finding the hidden feathers adds even more to your total. If you find them all this week, expect to finish Harbinger with around 37 feathers. Read on for the complete list of where to find this week’s feathers.

Paracausal Feather 1: Catwalk Near The Taken Centurion Emissary

The easiest feather to find is right in the middle of the room where you fight the Taken Centurion. Just make sure to check the catwalk.
The easiest feather to find is right in the middle of the room where you fight the Taken Centurion. Just make sure to check the catwalk.

Once you’re in the Reservoir area, you’ll enter a big room with turbines, in which you’ll find each of Savathun’s three emissaries. Damage each one enough and it’ll flee deeper into the Reservoir, requiring you to hunt them down and eliminate them. You’ll find the Taken Centurion Emissary in a big blue room with catwalks running through it. Look for the feather on top of the catwalk in the center of the room.

Paracausal Feather 2: Cage Near The Taken Wizard Emissary

This second feather is easy to miss inside a rusty chain-link cage. Look for the red button, seen here, to open it.
This second feather is easy to miss inside a rusty chain-link cage. Look for the red button, seen here, to open it.

This one’s a bit tougher to find and very easy to miss. When you find and kill the Taken Wizard Emissary, take the exit out of the room that leads you down a ramp. When you enter the next room, which will contain Taken Goblins, look for a red light on the wall. This marks a switch you can interact with, which unlocks a chain-link cage across from the red light where the third feather is hidden.

Paracausal Feather 3: Cistern Near The Taken Captain Emissary

When you reach the cylindrical room with water at the bottom and big, rusted machinery sticking to the walls, make sure you climb as high as you can to find the feather.

You’ll find the Taken Captain Emissary in a small room connected to a cylindrical cistern. Keep climbing in this room to a small quarter-circle catwalk way at the top, where the feather waits on top of a crate.

Paracausal Feather 4: Hallowed Rift

Your path through the Hallowed Rift should take you to this well-lit platform with the catwalk above it; look for the feather before you move on.

Your path through the jumping puzzle this week is a bit confusing, requiring you to stick to some very narrow ledges that wrap around the edges of the first room. Keep climbing until you reach a place where you can jump across to several gray pipes. Follow the path from there toward one big, rusted pipe with a Taken Hobgoblin guarding it. Kill it and follow the pipe to its end, then look up and to your left to a ledge where a Taken Acolyte waits. From that ledge, jump across to the rusted doors on the far side of a chasm. Head to your left through another door, which will lead you to a collapsed tunnel with train tracks. Take that tunnel to its end and jump down to the right to the ledge below, where the feather waits on a rock.

Paracausal Feather 5: Just Before The Boss

Follow the ledge to the right of the boss room entrance to find the final feather. It's around the corner and so can be tough to spot at first.

The final feather is waiting right outside the boss room. Stop right in front of the energy field blocking the boss room (you need to kill the Unstoppable Champion to remove it) and look for a ledge to the right that wraps around the rock wall, going around a corner. Follow that ledge to find the last feather at a dead-end that’s just out of sight.

Now Playing: Destiny 2 – Season Of The Chosen Battlegrounds Gameplay

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Pigs Can Play Video Games

Pigs are known to be very smart animals, and now scientists have demonstrated that they are capable of playing video games.

According to the BBC, scientists in the UK conducted research that they say demonstrates that certain swine are intelligent enough to control an arcade-style joystick and understand the connection between their actions and the results on screen. The exact nature of the game the pigs played was not described, however, but who are you to judge a pig who can play video games?

The four pigs–Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony, and Ivory–were recently trained by the researchers to play a basic video game with their snouts. The scientists said it was “no small feat” that the swine were able to play the game and understand what they were doing. It’s also remarkable because pigs are far-sighted and they don’t have hands or thumbs.

The pigs were given rewards to incentize their participation, but even after the dispenser that gave them the food rewards broke, they continued to play.

“This sort of study is important because, as with any sentient beings, how we interact with pigs and what we do to them impacts and matters to them,” lead author Dr. Candace Croney said.

As anyone who has played a video game will tell you, it’s not always easy, and the pigs can relate to that struggle.

From the report:

“Out of the two Yorkshire pigs, Hamlet, was better at the game than Omelette, but both struggled when it got harder – hitting the single target just under half the time.

The Panepinto micro pigs had a bigger gamer skill gap – while Ivory was able to hit one-wall targets 76% of the time, Ebony could only do it 34% of the time.”

Farmer Kate Daniels told BBC Radio 4 that the results of the study are no surprise, because pigs are very intelligent. “I don’t think this will come as a surprise to anyone that works with pigs,” she said. “They’re not playing Minecraft–but that they can manipulate a situation to get a reward is no surprise at all. When you look a pig right in the eye, you can tell there’s intelligence there.”

For what it’s worth, similar studies have been conducted with chimpanzees and monkeys, and they performed better, but they have opposable thumbs.

You can read the full study in the Frontiers in Psychology paper.

Fortnite Season 5, Week 11 Hearts Wild Challenges Guide: Crossbow, Fish Date, More

The new Fortnite Season 5, Week 11 challenges are available in the game now, and they are all Valentine’s Day-themed for Hearts Wild. Love is in the air, and you’re going to get sent all over the map to help the map’s residents find their soulmates while you try to stay alive and even deal some damage with a very famous weapon. It may take you a few matches to complete these, but we’ll help make your life a little easier with our guides.

Table of Contents [hide]

Deal damage with crossbows

Crossbows are quite common right now
Crossbows are quite common right now

Your Legendary challenge this week is to deal damage with a crossbow. The weapon is back in the game and can be found scattered all over the floor in many buildings. It’s actually Cupid’s crossbow, and all you have to do to complete this challenge is deal enough damage with it.

Find and deliver a love potion

You only need to pick one of these locations
You only need to pick one of these locations

For this challenge, you’ll get 20,000 XP for finding a love potion and another 20,000 for delivering it to a set location. The love potion can be found at Stealthy Stronghold, Coral Cove, and Fort Crumpet. Just go to one of those locations to find it, then deliver it to either Slurpy Swamp or Shanty Town. In Shanty Town, it’s near the very end of the town in the upstairs area.

Then deliver to one of these locations

Catch three different kinds of fish

This one is pretty straightforward, and it’s the first half of a quest to help out Fishstick. Head to the Lazy Lake dock to get a fishing pole, then start fishing and catching different types around the edge of the lake. You’ll have three different types in a matter of minutes to get your 20,000 XP reward.

Serve the fish at a date

They aren't located in the restaurant itself, but just outside it

To do the second half of this challenge, you need to serve a fancy meal for Fishstick’s date. There are a few different restaurants available for this, but the easiest one to reach is Durr Burger. It’s located south of Holly Hedges, and Fishstick is at a table just outside the building itself. You’ll get another 20,000 XP for completing it.

Find a rose

We can almost hear Seal singing

You only need to find one rose to complete this challenge, and we recommend the Orchard location. It’s north of the Coliseum and if you go into the house located there, you’ll find the rose sitting on the floor next to several more in a vase. Pick it up for another 20,000 XP.

Find chocolates

For this challenge, you actually need to get three separate boxes of Valentine’s Day chocolates. You can find them at Pleasant Park, Holly Hedges, and Retail Row. The one in Pleasant Park is located on a desk, while the one we found in Retail Row is on a bed, and the one at Holly Hedges is on a dining room table. You’ll get another 20,000 XP for finding them.

Help Lovely celebrate Hearts Wild

This challenge is incredibly easy, despite not having much direction from the game itself. Once you’ve completed the other challenges–except the Legendary challenge we’ll discuss below–just find any NPC you can talk to on the map and give them the Valentine to complete it for another 20,000 XP.

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