Author: Trafficblast

KartRider: Drift’s Second Closed Beta Is Live Now

Kart racing fans rejoice! KartRider: Drift‘s second closed beta is now live, and players who have been accepted can download the game and jump right into Nexon’s latest free-to-play racing game.

If you’ve been wanting to get into the beta but haven’t been able to yet, our KartRider: Drift beta code giveaway is still active for a few more hours so enter now! Players can continue registering for the game even while the beta is active—the cut-off date is June 8.

Those who experienced the first wave of beta testing for KartRider: Drift will notice a number of in-game improvements, including a totally redone UI, a cleaner HUD, a rearview mirror, and other balance changes to make your racing experience more realistic. This second wave of the closed beta also introduces a new character, Diz, and new courses for players to try out along with a variety of cosmetic upgrades.

No Caption Provided

For those who have obtained access but who are new to kart racing, there’s now a Racing School mode as well which lets you strap on your training wheels to enjoy some low-stakes practice races. Those accessing KartRider: Drift’s second closed beta will also benefit from daily login bonuses including new karts, and a White Cloud Balloon item when the game officially launches.

As of June 3, the beta is now live globally and can be accessed via the Nexon Launcher, Steam, and on Xbox One (with the exception of China and Japan). The game has cross-platform capability, which means that you and your mates don’t have to all be on same type of console to enjoy racing each other. There is no firm release date for the title yet, but we’re keeping our eyes peeled. For more information on the closed beta specifically, check out the official KartRider: Drift website.

Now Playing: KartRider: Drift – Announce Trailer | X019

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Gwent: Master Mirror Expansion Brings Back An Ominous Figure From The Witcher 3

Gwent, the card game spin-off of The Witcher 3, has a new expansion coming. On June 30, players will be able to play the Master Mirror expansion, which brings back the ominous Gaunter O’Dimm.

As the trailer below shows, O’Dimm has been pulling the strings behind the scenes for some time now, and this expansion will bring him to the forefront in the card battling game. The trailer suggests that this will have some major implications for Gwent’s storytelling.

The expansion will add 70 new cards, including several faction-specific cards and a new Legendary card type. There are 11 new neutral cards coming, too, as well as new statuses and abilities.

If you preorder now, you can get the Gaunter O’Dimm skin and an evolving cardback. You’ll be able to equip them immediately.

Gwent discontinued support for the PS4 and Xbox One versions earlier this year, although they can still play the single-player spin-off Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Harry Potter Actor David Thewlis Clears Up Confusion About His Avatar Sequels Involvement

Among the new cast members for James Cameron’s Avatar sequels is Harry Potter actor David Thewlis. He’s now confirmed more details about his role in the sequels, clarifying that he’s not in Avatar 2, but he will definitely be in Avatar 3 and possibly Avatar 4 and 5 if they are made.

Speaking to Collider, Thewlis said there has been some misconception that he’s in Avatar 2. “I’m not in Avatar 2. I’m going to be in Avatar 3, which was shot at the same time as Avatar 2, and the plan is that I will be in Avatar 4 and 5, as well,” he said. “I just wanted to clear that up because somebody got that wrong recently.”

As announced previously, Avatar 2 and 3 are filming back-to-back, but whether or not Avatar 4 and 5 are produced will depend on the success of the first of the sequels.

Also in the interview, Thewlis said he was initially hesitant about working with Cameron–who he heard could be difficult to work with–but that wasn’t his experience on set.

“I loved working with Jim Cameron. I was a bit nervous ’cause I’d heard stories that he’s quite a hard task master,” Thewlis said. “I’d heard stories about the filming of Titanic, and that he could be quite difficult. He wasn’t difficult, at all. He was nothing but an absolute pleasure, and I had a great laugh with him. He’s something of a genius. He does everything. He’s an engineer, an artist, a filmmaker, and a writer. He’s just an extraordinary character.”

Thewlis also spoke about the unique nature of the Avatar sequels being very CG-focused films that required him to wear a motion-capture suit. “I didn’t really know what I was doing because I’d never shot in that way before,” he said.

“It’s not really like making a film, at all. It doesn’t resemble it, in any way,” Thewlis added. “Everything was completely new to me. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. There were lots of younger actors on set, who had to tell me what to do next because I felt like an old man. It was a great challenge, and I look forward to doing more of it.”

Avatar 2 is scheduled to come to theatres in December 2021, with Avatar 3 following in 2023. Should those movies succeed at the box office, Avatar 4 will follow in 2025 and Avatar 5 in 2027.

Cameron and producer Jon Landau recently flew to New Zealand to resume production on the sequels–right now, they’re staying hunkered down as part of their mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Now Playing: Best Shows And Movies To Stream For June 2020 – Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+, Shudder

This Star Wars Battlefront 2 Mod Replaces Han Solo With Joe Exotic

Calling all those who are fans of both Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Tiger King. Yes, that’s not a typo. There’s a new Star Wars Battlefront 2 Mod that reskins Han Solo as the infamous Joe Exotic from Netflix’s hit show.

Tiger King made our list of the biggest Netflix exclusives in 2020 and Joe Exotic’s popularity has skyrocketed accordingly. While a controversial figure amongst viewers, there’s no doubt that he’s made it into this year’s pop culture lexicon, so this Star Wars Battlefront 2 mod doesn’t come completely out of left field.

This mod is currently available on Nexus Mods, and it reskins the in-game Han Solo model to look just like Joe Exotic. We’re talking hairstyle changes, fashion faux pas, and more. Users who have downloaded the mod have been leaving comments requesting a Carol Baskin skin for another Star Wars Battlefront 2 character, but it doesn’t look like the original creator has delivered on that particular front.

No Caption Provided

(Source: TheAsianRedneck on NexusMods)

The most popular mods for Star Wars Battlefront 2 now appear to be related to lightsabers and clone variations, but this Tiger King reskin has recently jumped to eighth place on the popularity list for now. It remains to be seen if Joe Exotic’s appeal will have any longevity for those wanting to do battle on Tatooine but for now, it’s a light-hearted addition to EA’s multiplayer space opera action shooter.

For those who haven’t kept up with the title in a while, the latest set of updates to Star Wars Battlefront 2 have been the original trilogy updates, adding new locations from the same set of movies as well Palpatine and Chewbecca as playable heroes in select game modes.

Now Playing: Star Wars Battlefront 2 -The Age of Rebellion Update Gameplay Trailer

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

A Lost NES Game Based On A Tom Cruise Classic Has Been Found And Restored From Old Floppy Discs

Days of Thunder, the 1990 Tom Cruise film, received a spin-off game on NES back in 1990–but a different game based on the movie that was in development was scrapped, and never saw the light of day. Now, 30 years later, this alternate version of Days of Thunder has been reconstructed into a playable title by video game historians.

Chris Oberth was working as a programmer at Mindscape in 1990, and thanks to The Video Game History Foundation a never-before-seen game by him has been reborn. Oberth passed away in 2012, and the VGHF was later approached by a friend of Oberth’s family asking if its members could “make sense” of some of the materials Oberth left behind. In early 2020, the foundation was granted access to Oberth’s materials, in which they discovered a disc labelled “NINTENDO HOT ROD TAXI FINAL”.

Oberth was known to have worked on an unreleased Days of Thunder game, thanks to a three-part interview with The Retrogaming Times, and after some investigation and sorting through materials the team found close to 40 floppy disks, containing multiple encrypted and split files that would need to be reconstructed to get the game properly running.

The full read is fascinating, but the long-story-short version is that they got the game up and running–you can check out footage from it below.

While the game’s source code will eventually be published, and you’ll likely eventually be able to play a ROM of the title, the game also received a short publishing run with the permission of Oberth’s family; those copies sold out very quickly.

If you want to support game preservation and history, The Video Game History Foundation has a Patreon and a donation page.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

Borderlands 3 Update Delayed Due To Unrest Over Racial Injustice

Borderlands developer Gearbox Software has joined the chorus in supporting Black Lives Matter and pushing back some of its scheduled plans for Borderlands 3 in solidarity with the movement. In a statement on Twitter, the developer said it’s delaying the release of the Takedown at the Guardian Breach update.

Additionally, the studio is muting its Twitter channel–with the exception of this announcement–out of respect for “what’s going on in the world right now.”

2K Games, which publishes the Borderlands series, said it’s adding another $1 million USD to the 2K Foundations Program and expanding its scope to include fighting racial injustice and inequalities in black communities around the world.

“Black lives matter,” the statement says.

Gearbox also confirmed that the ongoing Revenge of the Cartels event in Borderlands 3 will be extended until the Takedown at the Guardian Breach update arrives.

Gearbox isn’t alone in delaying an update due to the unrest around racial inequality around the world. Infinity Ward has delayed the Season 4 update for Modern Warfare/Warzone, while Epic Games has pushed back the launch of Fortnite’s next season. Sony, meanwhile, delayed its PlayStation 5 event.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

Now Playing: Borderlands 3 Video Review

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

John Boyega’s Black Lives Matter Speech and Lucasfilm’s Response

Star Wars’ John Boyega delivered an impassioned speech Wednesday in London during a Black Lives Matter protest over the recent killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. During his speech, Boyega noted that his activism might hurt his career but that it’s a price he’s willing to pay. However, Lucasfilm has since come out in support of their Star Wars lead, declaring him a “hero” that they stand with.

“Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f*** that,” Boyega shouted to a crowd of fellow protestors assembled in London’s Hyde Park.

Hoarse and deeply moved, Boyega declared, “I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing — and that isn’t the case anymore, that was never the case anymore. We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd.”

Boyega’s most recent employer, Lucasfilm, declared him “our hero,” promising that “Lucasfilm stands with John Boyega.”

John Boyega isn’t the only Star Wars actor to take to the streets and join the protestors. The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal participated in a march in Los Angeles this past weekend, documenting it on his social media accounts.

Check out this overview of ways you can donate, contribute, and support Black Lives Matter, such as contributing to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Path Of Exile’s Harvest Expansion Will Be Released On June 19

Path of Exile‘s latest expansion, Harvest, has been announced. It will be available to PC players from June 19, and Xbox and PlayStation players from June 24. This expansion will introduce a new challenge league, feature extensive balance changes to the existing game, and also visual improvements on top of other additions.

Harvest will revolve around an area called the Sacred Grove, which will provide players with both rare items and formidable foes to face down. Exploring new areas will grant you with items called Seed Caches, and their contents will have to be planted by players within the Sacred Grove. Planting rare seeds will grant you with rarer monsters to fight or harvest, and each will have specific rewards. Players will be able to use the Grove to their advantage to customize their builds and to obtain beneficial items that suit their individual needs.

This June expansion for Path of Exile will also introduce changes to the current crafting system. The Sacred Grove will allow players to have more control over directed crafting in the game by allowing you powerful crafting options upon defeating any monster in the area. Players will also have to tend to the Grove in order for it to dispense rewards to its fullest potential; think building pipes, systems, and other things to keep your harvest healthy.

The official splash page for the Harvest expansion on the Path of Exile website has more information about other changes that are being made to the game, including but not limited to a redo of the two-handed weapon system and improvements for game performance related to frame rate issues.

For those who are looking to the future, Path of Exile 2 is still in development, and will reportedly address all the “deficiencies” of the current title. However, there has not been any word on a release date yet.

Now Playing: Path of Exile: Harvest – Official Trailer And Developer Commentary

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Lovecraft County Teaser Trailer Shows A Mix Of Supernatural And Very Real Horror Elements

HBO has released a trailer for Lovecraft Country, the new series from Misha Green (Underground). The trailer shows the show’s main character, Atticus Black (Jonathan Majors, a story-loving young man who goes looking for his “birthright”–a seemingly haunted house in Lovecraft Country.

The show, which is set in Jim Crow-era 1950s America, is executive produced by Jordan Peele (Get Out).

The trailer below shows off the spooky tone of the show, as well as its stellar cast, which includes Abbey Lee, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Courtney B. Vance, Michael K. Williams, and Wunmi Mosaku. This is the show’s second trailer–here’s the first.

It also shows that the show will mix imagined demons with realistic portrayals of racism and police violence. You can watch the full trailer below.

The show is scheduled to debut in August, although an exact date has not been set. It’s definitely on our to-watch list.

GameSpot would like to encourage readers to donate to Black Lives Matter, and to seek out black voices in media.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.