Author: Trafficblast

Riot’s strategy card game, Legends of Runeterra, has officially launched after three months in open beta. From April 28 to April 30, the game is being launched around the world on both PC and Mobile, with regions releasing the game at different points over the course of the two days.

The full release comes with an all-new card set called Rising Tides, and a range of new champions and cards from League of Legends have been introduced. The update also adds 11 champions, six keywords, a new cosmetic board, two cosmetic guardians, new card backs, over 120 new cards, and a series of new emotes.

Regions have been updated as well, with the pirate-themed region Bilgewater officially becoming its own region and the region roads for existing regions have been expanded on.

Log-in bonuses have been added, incentivizing players to log on each day and complete daily missions for free cards. Players will be rewarded for the first seven days they log in, with rewards ranging from cards to Expedition tokens. The final reward is a new deck with two Ashe champion cards.

Beta players don’t need to worry, as the update does not wipe out any progress made so far. All purchases and progress made before the full release has been carried over.

Both the mobile and PC editions can be linked to a single account, with cross-platform play available from launch. Any Android device with an OS 5.0, 2 GB RAM, and a GPU Adreno 306 equivalent or better will be able to run the game. iPhones with at least iOS9 and an Arm64 processor should be able to run this game, although Riot does not recommend 1GB RAM devices such as the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPad Air 1.

PC devices require 64-bit Windows 7, 8.1, or 10, a 3GHz processor, 4 GB RAM, and a GPU with 512MB+ VRAM. Mac OS is currently not supported.

According to the official website, Legends of Runeterra will not be launching in China or Vietnam at this time.

For new players jumping into the game, check out our analysis on how Legends of Runeterra works and just how it differs from all the other strategy card games available.

Warning: this review contains full spoilers for The Flash: Season 6, Episode 17. If you need a refresher on where we left off, here’s our review for Season 6, Episode 16.

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The second half of The Flash: Season 6 doesn’t feel quite as fast-paced as the first. Maybe it’s that there are more moving parts to juggle in the aftermath of Crisis, or simply that new episodes have aired more sporadically over the last few months. Either way, “Liberation” is a big step in the right direction for the series. This episode helps push the Mirror Master storyline into its next phase while even linking back to the first half of Season 6 and working to tie everything together. Ignoring the inescapable fact that this season isn’t going to get the conclusion originally planned, things are shaping up nicely for the next several weeks. Mostly, anyway.

Several running plot threads come to a head in “Liberation,” with Eva making her big play to escape the mirror dimension and Barry finally coming to terms with the fact that the person he thought was Iris is actually an impostor. Continuing the general Season 6 theme of finding a balance between humor and tragedy, there’s a welcome dose of comedy to Barry’s discovery. The scene where Cecile confronts Barry at home is basically the Arrowverse’s take on that infamous Pepe Silvia meme from It’s Always Sunny.

That moment helps cleanse the palate before things take a much darker turn in the latter half of the episode. Eva once again proves how adept she is at manipulating Team Flash and turning them against one another when they should be confronting a common enemy. And even after Cecile frees Barry to go confront Mirror Iris, we see just how unequipped he is to deal with a foe who can hide behind the faces of those he cares for most. Barry’s depleted speed definitely stacks the deck against him, but this episode is successful in showing how Mirror Master can be a formidable threat even against a speedster at full power. The battle between Barry and Mirror Iris uses the mirror mechanic to its fullest, culminating in that cool moment where Iris shatters the ceiling mirror and strikes at Barry from countless directions at once.

Another big strength of this episode comes with its focus on giving the mirror doppelgangers a clearer sense of personality and motivation. It’s much easier to appreciate these characters as, well, actual characters now. We understand the subservient bond they share with their “mother,” even as we see Mirror Iris beginning to develop feelings of independence and longing for a humanity she can never achieve. That helps give the eventual death of Mirror Iris a weight and significance that might otherwise be lacking. Even Mirror Kamilla’s sacrifice has an aura of tragedy, showing us just how callously Eva will throw these creations away once they served their purpose.

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On that note, it’s quite a treat seeing Sendhil Ramamurthy return as a captive Ramsey Rosso. As novel as the two-pronged approach to Season 6 has been, it’s also nice to see some extra connective tissue form between the two halves. And given that Ramsey never quite seemed like he got his due as the main villain of a half-season story arc, the implication that he still has a big role to play in the series is a welcome development. I do wish there were a clearer sense of why Eva needed Ramsey’s metahuman blood to achieve her escape, other than just “because it furthers the plot.” But regardless, it’s nice knowing we can look forward to Bloodwork’s return, whether that means he resurfaces later in Season 6 or his “long game” pays off further down the road. If Legends of Tomorrow has proven anything, it’s that there’s no reason to discard good villains after one season of television.

It’s also worth pointing out the unique approach taken to the closing epilogue scene. These scenes are almost always used as stingers – a chance to toss in one more unexpected plot twist before the credits roll. But in this case, we’re treated to a heartfelt moment where both Barry and Iris reach out to one another and pledge to reunite. It’s a nicely emotional way to cap off the episode, as well as providing a reminder of what’s at stake as Barry struggles to figure out how to deal with the Eva problem.

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Only one subplot serves to drag down an otherwise strong episode here. The brief detour in Caitlin’s chilly apartment feels like an unnecessary bit of fluff tacked onto an episode that didn’t need it. Granted, the series is clearly setting up something bigger with Caitlin here, but why not save this quick preamble for the main event? Not to mention that it’s very difficult to muster excitement for any new plotline that involves Caitlin’s family. The series may have improved a lot this season, but that dredges up bad memories of Seasons 4 and 5.

In these times of quarantine and social-distancing, people are looking for more content to consume at home, and Star Wars writer Gary Whitta is here to help with something very special.

Whitta, who wrote Star Wars: Rogue One as well as the Denzel Washington movie Book of Eli, has started a talk show that takes place inside Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s called Animal Talking, and it promises to deliver the kind of wholesome programming that we’re all looking for these days.

Whitta created a set in his Animal Crossing basement featuring a desk and a couch for the interview subjects. There are even decorative plants, lights, and a drumset for the house band. It looks great.

The pilot episode featured actress and host Naomi Kyle, while Whitta said he hopes Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood–a known fan of New Horizons–may come on the show at some point.

The next set of guests includes former GameSpot video producer Mary Kish, along with comedian Mike Drucker and Raquel Lily as the music act. You can check out the very first episode of Animal Talking below.

New Horizons has been a massive success for Nintendo, scoring strong reviews and selling exceptionally well. Nintendo’s next earnings report is coming up on May 7, and it’s expected that the company will share more details about the commercial performance of the game at that time.

Hi-Rez Studios’ free-to-play online battle arena Smite has joined the Epic Store family. To celebrate Smite’s release on the Epic Games Store, Hi-Rez Studios is giving away a bunch of in-game content and sales exclusively for the Epic Store.

Players who download Smite on the Epic Games Store will receive a bundle of in-game content, including five gods, skins, and voice packs worth over $50. Current Smite players who link their Hi-Rez accounts to their Epic accounts will also receive this free bundle.

Cross-play and cross-progression has also been added between the Epic Games Store and all other Smite platforms once players have linked their Hi-Rez accounts.

The two most popular Smite bundles, the Smite Ultimate God Pack and Smite Digital Deluxe Edition 2020, are on sale until May 26. These discounts are exclusive for the Epic Store.

Smite is available to play on PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.

If you haven’t already claimed For The King from the Epic Store as this week’s free game, the application will now require users to use a two-factor authentication to claim this game and free games going forward until May 21.

Epic Games users will need to enable the two-factor authentication setting on their account, with a prompt popping up if users attempt to claim a free game without enabling the setting first.

Epic is bringing in two-factor authentication in order to help protect user accounts from unauthorized access, adding an extra level of security for accounts when signing in.

Last year, Epic was sued after a security breach allowed hackers to access the personal information of users with Epic Games accounts. The lawsuit was centered around Epic’s failure to maintain adequate security measures and notify users of the security breach in a timely manner. While the lawsuit was dismissed, it seems Epic is taking steps to improve account security.

After enabling the two-factor authentication, players can claim a free copy of the strategic RPG For The King up until April 30. The next free games lined up are the famous horror title Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and the action RPG Crashlands, which will be available from April 30 to May 7.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered is coming to Xbox One and PC this week following a month of exclusivity on PlayStation 4. The game releases on April 30, and Xbox One and PC users can start pre-loading right now, or very soon.

Pre-loading is now available on Xbox One, while PC players can begin pre-loading from 5 PM PT. The PC edition is exclusive to Battle.net, and there is no word yet on if it will also come to Steam.

The Modern Warfare 2 Remaster features the entire campaign from the 2009 original with better graphics, textures, and animations. The game includes the campaign only; there is no multiplayer.

The Remaster was developed by Activision’s subsidiary, Beenox. The original game was developed by Infinity Ward, which also created 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone.

Modern Warfare 2 was memorable, in part, for its graphic and controversial “No Russian” sequence. The mission is featured unchanged in the remaster, and GameSpot’s Phil Hornshaw said it fails now more than ever.

This report has been updated with Universal’s response below.

AMC Theaters says it will no longer show Universal Pictures releases when their cinemas finally reopen due to the studio’s decision to release some their movies early to VOD rather than wait to show them in theaters.

The major theater chain blasted Universal following a report touting how well Trolls World Tour had done on VOD and the studio saying it sees this as a roadmap for other possible releases. With movie theaters shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic — including AMC, which closed down in mid-March — Universal opted to release their Trolls sequel digitally this month rather than wait to release it in cinemas later in the year or next year. It was a big gamble for Universal, as theater owners fumed over the studio’s decision to ditch cinemas, but it reportedly paid off big time for the studio.

What makes digital releases even more appealing to studios is that they retain 80 percent of the profits from a VOD release, which is significantly higher than the 50 percent of profits they take home from box office receipts with theatrical releases. As it turned out, Universal made more revenue from Trolls World Tour after three weeks in digital release than they did from five months of the original Trolls in theaters. While Universal isn’t expected to employ this digital model for huge franchise releases such as a Fast & Furious title because of how much money those movies do typically rake in theatrically, the studio is already embracing it for smaller movies, such as Judd Apatow’s comedy The King of Staten Island, which is now going straight to VOD.

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In a letter sent Tuesday from AMC Theatres chair-CEO Adam Aron to Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley, AMC said “Universal’s unilateral actions and intentions have left us with no choice. Therefore, effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theaters in the United States, Europe or the Middle East.”

The theater chain may be playing a game of chicken with Universal seeing as how the coronavirus is being mulled by many observers as a possible death knell for the theatrical experience. AMC is flirting with bankruptcy, while a new Reuters poll indicates that only 40 percent of Americans are open to attending movies, concerts, amusement parks, or sporting events until a vaccine can be found. Universal, like Disney, is heavily dependent on both movies and amusement parks for business so they are pivoting to streaming options for revenue during this time of crisis.

AMC’s letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, went on to state:

“This policy affects any and all Universal movies per se, goes into effect today and as our theaters reopen, and is not some hollow or ill-considered threat. Incidentally, this policy is not aimed solely at Universal out of pique or to be punitive in any way, it also extends to any movie maker who unilaterally abandons current windowing practices absent good faith negotiations between us, so that they as distributor and we as exhibitor both benefit and neither are hurt from such changes. Currently, with the press comment today, Universal is the only studio contemplating a wholesale change to the status quo. Hence, this immediate communication in response.”

The reference to “any movie maker who unilaterally abandons current windowing practices” seems a not so thinly veiled dig at Warner Bros. for pivoting to release Scoob! to premium VOD instead of theatrically.

AMC did go on to say in the letter that they are “willing to sit down with Universal to discuss different windows strategies and different economic models between your company and ours,” but ultimately they found “Universal’s unilateral pronouncements on this issue (to be) unpalatable to us.”

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Universal issued the following statement in response to AMC’s letter:

“Our goal in releasing Trolls: World Tour on PVOD was to deliver entertainment to people who are sheltering at home, while movie theatres and other forms of outside entertainment are unavailable. Based on the enthusiastic response to the film, we believe we made the right move.  In fact, given the choice of not releasing Trolls: World Tour, which would not only have prevented consumers from experiencing the movie but also negatively impacted our partners and employees, the decision was clear.

Our desire has always been to efficiently deliver entertainment to as wide an audience as possible.  We absolutely believe in the theatrical experience and have made no statement to the contrary.  As we stated earlier, going forward, we expect to release future films directly to theatres, as well as on PVOD when that distribution outlet makes sense.  We look forward to having additional private conversations with our exhibition partners but are disappointed by this seemingly coordinated attempt from AMC and NATO to confuse our position and our actions.”

Universal recently rescheduled Fast & Furious 9, Jurassic World: Dominion, and Minions: The Rise of Gru — all major franchises for the studio — for theatrical releases in 2021. The studio’s next 2020 titles include Candyman (Sept. 25), Bios (Oct. 2), and Halloween Kills (Oct. 16).