Author: Trafficblast

2020 is a big year for Halo, as Microsoft is launching Halo Infinite this year for Xbox Series X (and Xbox One and PC). One major pillar of the game is multiplayer, and this includes a significant esports component. Microsoft made a big announcement about this today, confirming that it has partnered with Esports Engine for Halo Infinite’s esports initiatives.

“It is our mission to deliver the best esports program that Halo has ever seen in its 18 year history and we couldn’t think of a better partner to work with than the long time Halo fans and esports veterans at Esports Engine,” Microsoft said in a statement.

Esports Engine is a comprehensive competitive gaming company that organizes the planning, design, and broadcast of esports. CEO Adam Apicella said in a statement he’s excited to build the “best program for players, fans, teams, and tournament operators around the world.”

Esports Engine had already been working with Microsoft on Halo competitive gaming tournaments for years now, but this new partnership makes Esports Engine become the official “global management partner” for Halo Infinite.

“It’s super exciting to be involved in such a monumental project,” Apicella said.

The Esports Engine team will work alongside Microsoft’s own Halo Championship Series team inside of developer 343 Industries. The two will collaborate on “ecosystem design, format and league operations, broadcasts, and more.”

Financial terms of the agreement between Esports Engine and Microsoft were not disclosed.

Apicella said on Twitter that Esports Engine will hire someone to play Halo Infinite as a full-time job to help assist in event-planning.

While it doesn’t come close to the size of games like DOTA 2, CS: GO, and League of Legends in terms of popularity or prize pools, the Halo competitive gaming scene remains very popular. Tournaments for Halo 5 alone have paid out more than $7 million, according to esports earnings.

Halo Infinite is scheduled to release this holiday as a launch title for Xbox Series X. The game will also play on Xbox One and PC. More details on Halo Infinite are expected to come during the Xbox E3 2020 briefing, if not sooner.

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, one of the most prominent Fortnite streamers and professional eSports players, made comments on social media about the competitive nature of professional gaming. His opinions quickly sparked heated debates across the Internet on how seriously games should be taken.

Ninja tweeted yesterday afternoon, saying that having an “it’s just a game” mindset towards competitive gaming is weak and that players shouldn’t settle for underperforming.

These comments follow a notable outburst from Ninja towards his squadmates earlier this month after he fell victim to four stream snipers. Once he saw a comment suggesting he shouldn’t get upset when it’s “just a game,” Ninja had this to say:

“If anyone ever uses the excuse ‘it’s just a game’ I’m gonna lose my mind! Imagine telling Lebron James, Tom Brady, that when they’re pissed off after losing a game that it’s just a game. Are you kidding me? You’re so stupid. It’s the competitive nature, bro. It’s about respect bro, it’s about pride. It’s so much bigger than a f*cking video game. And anyone that ever uses the excuse ‘it’s just a game’ is a horrible human being, and is lazy. You’re a lazy human being.”

Facts though. pic.twitter.com/puQbtyVI8d

— BR1CK (@BR1CKmixer) February 18, 2020

It is notable that soon after, Ninja said on this same stream, “And everyone that thinks I’m being so serious right now, this is like 90% a joke, 10% serious.”

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Maybe It Really Is Just a Game?

Several people were quick to criticize Ninja for his comments on the “weak mindset” of thinking professional gamers are just playing a game. Some felt there were better ways to handle loss than resorting to anger, while others noted that most play games just for fun rather than competitively.

Competition Drives Greatness

Some reacted to Ninja’s comments positively, noting his views line up with a healthy competitive drive, and that the “it’s just a game” line really is just an excuse for failure.

Just Some Ninja Jokes

While there were plenty of serious reactions to Ninja’s comments, there were also countless jokes poking fun at his apparent seriousness on the matter.

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Tyler “Ninja” Blevins

Last year, Ninja revealed he was leaving Twitch to stream exclusively for Mixer after he became the first streamer to hit 10 million followers in 2018.

Ninja received his own Fortnight skin last month, not long after he streamed Fortnight’s The Rise of Skywalker update with Mark Hamill.

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Colin Stevens is IGN’s video game social coordinator. Follow him on Twitter.

Epic is preparing to launch Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 (C2S2) on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. As always this will mean a period of downtime as the company prepares the big update, and according to the studio its proceeding patches will be bigger than usual. Server downtime will begin on February 20 at 4 AM ET / 1 AM PT.

Epic announced the downtime via the Fortnite Status Twitter account. In a follow-up, the account also noted that patch sizes will be larger than normal with the start of the new season.

Very little is known about the new season, other than some teasers that have accompanied an ARG with globe-trotting clues. Those all seem to indicate spycraft is the theme for this next season, although some teasers we’ve seen have referenced cats, bombs attached to rats, and other odd shenanigans. Just what it all means will be made clear tomorrow, when the new season launches at 9 AM ET / 6 AM PT.

That also means you have just a few hours left to complete any remaining challenges, like the current fishing challenge or the seek-and-destroy challenge. Those will be necessary to top out your Battle Pass and earn all the cosmetic rewards this season has to offer, and maybe to help earn you enough V-Bucks to purchase your way into the next season as well.

The game recently added a new Rickroll dance, and around the same time, added the ability to mute licensed emote audio. Coincidence, surely.

As one of the oldest heroes in the Marvel Universe, Wolverine has an impressively long list of enemies. Now he can add another major Marvel villain to that list, as his newest ongoing series pits him against none other than Dracula, lord of vampires.

Read on to learn why Wolverine and Dracula have sparked a new rivalry, and why this iconic hero more closely connected to vampires than we ever realized. Beware of spoilers for Wolverine #1!

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Marvel’s newest Wolverine series picks up during the new Dawn of X status quo, as the vast majority of the world’s mutants now dwell on the island nation of Krakoa. But while Logan is content to share a home with major villains like Apocalypse, Mister Sinister and even Mystique, there’s one enemy he refuses to accept as a brother and neighbor – Omega Red.

Not that he’s given much choice in the matter. A badly wounded Omega Red appears seeking sanctuary on Krakoa. Despite Wolverine’s protestations, Magneto obliges and orders Logan to seek out the mysterious enemy capable of cutting right through Omega Red’s carbonadium armor. Wolverine’s mission takes him to a bar in Paris, one he discovers too late is full of vampires. Fortunately, his Canadian bacon is saved by a mysterious vampire hunter named Louise.

Wolverine and Louise team up and follow the vampires’ trail into the Parisian catacombs. Wolverine is bitten repeatedly but manages to behead the group’s leader. Fortunately, his healing factor renders him largely immune to vampire bites. He assumes his mission is a success, but Louise knows the true enemy is still out there.

As it turns out, Wolverine was the real target all along. Dracula ordered his minions to acquire samples of Logan’s unique blood. Absorbing that blood gives Dracula a major power boost, enough to make him capable of walking in broad daylight. Even Omega Red was part of that plan – willing bait used to lure Wolverine out in the open. This issue ends as Dracula meets with Omega Red and bestows upon him the carbonadium synthesizer, a device needed to stabilize his body’s immune system. In return, Omega Red is now Dracula’s spy on Krakoa, promising a much bigger confrontation between mutants and vampires.

As this issue reveals, Wolverine shares a much closer connection to vampires than anyone previously suspected. One of the supplemental pages describes vampires as “his closest cousin,” pointing out that Logan’s blood has similar healing properties but isn’t vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation in the way vampire blood is. If Dracula’s power boost is any indication, Wolverine may be the key to creating a new breed of mutant/vampire hybrid with none of the weaknesses of the latter.

This isn’t the first time the X-Men have crossed paths with Dracula. Dracula once tried to claim Storm as his bride way back in 1982’s Uncanny X-Men #159, while the miniseries X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula showed how these two villains have a rivalry dating back to Victorian times. Dracula even briefly fought alongside the X-Men in the 2010 crossover Curse of the Mutants, after his throne was usurped by his son Xarus. That story established Wolverine’s immunity to vampire bites, though it also seems to have put his mutant healing factor on Dracula’s radar.

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Let us know what you think of Wolverine’s new role as a vampire hunter in the comments below. And for more on the current state of the X-Men franchise, find out how Marvel is using Free Comic Book Day to launch a major new X-Men story and see all of IGN’s most anticipated comics for 2020.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Considering how many video games involve launching brightly-colored projectiles out of cool-looking futuristic devices, there’s been a surprising lack of officially licensed NERF Blasters based on iconic in-game arsenals. In the last couple years, that’s begun to change thanks to Hasbro’s Fortnite and Overwatch-inspired NERF and Super Soaker toys. And now, thankfully, Halo is getting the same treatment, just in time for Halo Infinite.

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The motorized NERF Halo MA40 is directly inspired by the one in Halo Infinite, and features a removable 10-dart clip (darts included) which will require 4 “C” batteries (not included) to launch at your younger siblings and/or annoying co-workers, who are hopefully wearing protective eyewear (also not included) – it also features a rail riser allowing tactical customization using other compatible NERF components. Best of all, it comes with a code to unlock the NERF MA40’s color scheme in-game so your friends online know that you’re a gigantic 10-year-old. Or possible a literal, actual 10-year-old, since the NERF Halo line is for ages 8 and up.

The NERF Halo MA40 has an MSRP of $49.99, and if that’s out of your price range, worry not! Hasbro also revealed a pair of NERF Microshot blasters based on the Needler and SPNKR, both of which come with two NERF Elite dart and an MSRP of $9.99.

While we’ve got your attention, Hasbro also revealed some gorgeous new retro-styled NERF Super Soakers, which is great news for ’90s kids who haven’t outgrown spraying each other with pressurized liquids (by which we mean water, and nothing else. We do not endorse the use of any non-water liquids in a Super Soaker.)

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The Super Soaker XP100 and XP30 both feature the classic “pump it up until your arm hurts and then squirt your friend in the mouth for thirty solid seconds until the Super Soaker makes a noise like a hissing cat and you have to go refill it with the hose” feature. That’s uh, our description, not the official Hasbro one. Also, if you don’t like pumping things up, there’s the XP20, which just squirts when you push a plunger. The XP20, XP30, and XP100 will be available exclusively at Target with MSRPs of $7.99, $12.99, and $17.99 respectively.

Keep an eye out for more cool toy reveals in the next week, as Toy Fair is happening this weekend in New York, and it’s essentially the toy industry’s version of E3. Oh, if only we covered it like we cover E3.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]Max Scoville is a host and producer and gigantic toy nerd for IGN. You can see him putting his dolls in weird poses on Instagram @MaxScoville

 

 

 

After leaving Early Access and getting marred by some technical issues, Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem will receive a brand-new patch that makes some significant nerfs to a few of the game’s abilities.

One particular nerf hits the minor passive ability Bane of Tyranny. The ability is part of the Siege Breaker branch of passive skills, and when unlocked it granted a ridiculous damage multiplier of +50. But developer Wolcen Studio has scaled that back, bringing Bane of Tyranny to a more modest 0.5 multiplier instead.

The Secure Parry minor passive ability was nerfed as well, going from 10% health regeneration per Inexorable point down to 0.1%. Additionally, Wolcen Studio increased the Acute Tracking node to hold a maximum of 10 Cold Blooded points instead of the five maximum previously.

Elsewhere in the patch, Wolcen Studio fixed a number of network issues and bugs, such as problems revolving around date loading and retrieval, missing audio, duplicating items, text typos, and more.

The latest update will be applied sometime this week, though Wolcen Studio has yet to provide an exact date when the patch will arrive. The team also said that in an effort to prevent further issues from occurring, patches will be implemented once per week and server capacity will be limited for a while. This is a temporary situation though, as Wolcen Studio confirmed that it’s working to upgrade its server infrastructure.

Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem has seemingly been a success for developer Wolcen Studio, with Steam Charts reporting that the Diablo-inspired isometric RPG reached a peak Steam concurrent player count of 127,542, up from the studio’s previously confirmed 1,934. Still, the massive jump in players doesn’t mean Lords of Mayhem is a shoo-in for PS4 and Xbox One, though Wolcen Studio would “like to extend it to consoles.”

People say variety is the spice of life, and Netflix in March definitely has an eclectic slate of movies and TV shows for you to binge.

To kick things off, the streamer is releasing several high-profile original series, including Castlevania Season 3, Ozark’s third season, the premiere of the Altered Carbon: Resleeved anime, and the premiere of Netflix’s new teen fantasy series, The Letter for the King. Here’s how the streamer describes the show:

“When a ruthless prince threatens to cast the world into darkness, a young knight in training named Tiuri (Amir Wilson) embarks on an epic quest to deliver a secret letter to the king. Along the way, he unexpectedly finds himself at the center of a magical prophecy foretelling the rise of a hero who can defeat the prince and restore peace. If he’s going to survive the journey, Tiuri will have to learn what it means to be a true knight — and a true leader.”

On the movie front, you can watch The Shawshank Redemption, Space Jam, Hook, and Martin Scorsese’s gangster classic, Goodfellas.

Check out the slideshow gallery below for a spotlight of some of the most notable March Netflix offerings, followed by the full list (U.S. Netflix only):

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Coming Soon in March (Exact Date TBD)

• ARASHI’s Diary – Voyage (New Episodes) — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• The English Game — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Ladies Up — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

Avail. 3/1/20

• Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Always a Bridesmaid
• Beyond the Mat
• Cop Out
• Corpse Bride
• Donnie Brasco
• Freedom Writers
• Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
• GoodFellas
• Haywire
• He’s Just Not That Into You
• Hook
• Hugo
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
• Life as We Know It
• Looney Tunes: Back in Action
• Outbreak
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse
• Resident Evil: Extinction
• Richie Rich
• Semi-Pro
• Sleepover
• Space Jam
• The Gift
• The Interview
• The Shawshank Redemption
• The Story of God with Morgan Freeman: S3
• There Will Be Blood
• Tootsie
• Valentine’s Day
• Velvet Colección: Grand Finale
• ZZ Top: That Little Ol’ Band from Texas

Avail. 3/3/20

• Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

Avail. 3/4/20

• Lil Peep: Everybody’s Everything

Avail. 3/5/20

• Castlevania: Season 3 — NETFLIX ANIME
• Mighty Little Bheem: Festival of Colors — NETFLIX FAMILY

Avail. 3/6/20

• Guilty — NETFLIX FILM
• I am Jonas — NETFLIX FILM
• Paradise PD: Part 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Protector: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Spenser Confidential — NETFLIX FILM
• Twin Murders: The Silence of the White City — NETFLIX FILM
• Ugly Delicious: Season 2 — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Avail. 3/8/20

• Sitara: Let Girls Dream — NETFLIX FILM

Avail. 3/10/20

• Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Marc Maron: End Times Fun — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

Avail. 3/11/20

• The Circle Brazil — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Dirty Money: Season 2 — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• Last Ferry
• On My Block: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Summer Night

Avail. 3/12/20

• Hospital Playlist — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 3/13/20

• 100 Humans — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• BEASTARS — NETFLIX ANIME
• Bloodride — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Elite: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Go Karts — NETFLIX FILM
• Kingdom: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Lost Girls — NETFLIX FILM
• The Valhalla Murders — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Women of the Night — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 3/15/20

• Aftermath

Avail. 3/16/20

• The Boss Baby: Back in Business: Season 3 — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Search Party
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
• The Young Messiah

Avail. 3/17/20

• Bert Kreischer: Hey Big Boy — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
• All American: Season 2
• Black Lightning: Season 3
• Shaun the Sheep: Adventures from Mossy Bottom — NETFLIX FAMILY

Avail. 3/18/20

• Lu Over the Wall

Avail. 3/19/20

• Altered Carbon: Resleeved — NETFLIX ANIME
• Feel Good — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 3/20/20

• A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• Archibald’s Next Big Thing: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Buddi — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Dino Girl Gauko: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Greenhouse Academy: Season 4 — NETFLIX FAMILY
• The Letter for the King — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Maska — NETFLIX FILM
• The Platform — NETFLIX FILM
• Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Ultras — NETFLIX FILM
• Tiger King — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Avail. 3/23/20

• Sol Levante — NETFLIX ANIME

Avail. 3/25/20

• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
• Curtiz — NETFLIX FILM
• The Occupant (Hogar) — NETFLIX FILM
• Signs — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• YooHoo to the Rescue: Season 3 — NETFLIX FAMILY

Avail. 3/26/20

• 7SEEDS: Part 2 — NETFLIX ANIME
• Blood Father
• Unorthodox — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 3/27/20

• Car Masters: Rust to Riches: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Decline — NETFLIX FILM
• Dragons: Rescue Riders: Hunt for the Golden Dragon — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Il processo — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Killing Them Softly
• Ozark: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• There’s Something in the Water
• True: Wuzzle Wegg Day — NETFLIX FAMILY
• Uncorked — NETFLIX FILM

If you enjoyed Netflix’s Locke & Key, learn more about the biggest differences between the graphic novel and the show in the video below:

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David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

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