Journey to the Savage Planet is getting a little bigger soon with the new Hot Garbage DLC. The $8 expansion will see players tasked with exploring a new area, and they’ll be able to unlock new upgrades and fight fierce new foes.
The expansion is coming to the Xbox One and PC versions of the game on April 15, while a PS4 release date has not been announced yet. This is just six days after the game comes to Xbox Game Pass, so new players will be able to expand their game.
The trailer for Hot Garbage shows off the expansion’s new tools, including a jetpack, toxic deshocker, and underwater boots. The jetpack and boots, in particular, will impact how you explore the world, and it looks like this new area will have portals that the player can jump through.
It also seems that Kindred Aerospace, the company behind your expedition, will send a new robot enemy after you in the expansion.
Journey to the Savage planet scored a 7/10 in GameSpot’s review back in January. “Journey to the Savage Planet borrows plenty of familiar elements from other games,” reviewer Richard Wakeling wrote, “yet it does so in a carefree way that sets it apart from other sci-fi exploration games, settling on a relaxing playstyle that’s informed by its single, vivid planet and tightly focused design.”
Big name Twitch streamers and professional esport players such as xQc, Pokimane, DrDisprespect, Surefour, and more have been streaming the beta around the clock since it began early last week. They have even been provided with beta keys to give away live on stream. While Riot allowed streamers to roll out some content and footage last week, it’s the real-time footage that players want to see.
Valorant peaked with about as many viewers as Fortnite did during the black hole event during the black hole event back in Fortnite: Chapter 2. The black hole event, which ended in Fortnite being rebranded as Fortnite: Chapter 2 after its map was destroyed, was a major milestone for the game, while these viewer numbers are reflective of the hype Valorant has built up in the lead up to release.
It still remains to be seen where Valorant ends up compared to the genre titans like Overwatch or Team Fortress 2, but with this many people just tuning in to watch the beta, Valorant may be in for a busy launch.
Valorant is set to release in summer 2020 on PC, but Riot has yet to announce a more specific release date.
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Call of Duty’s goodest boy, Riley the dog from Call of Duty: Ghosts, is coming to Modern Warfare. Activision has announced that the fan-favorite Call of Duty dog will be added to Modern Warfare through the upcoming Season 3 update, but there is a catch.
You need to buy the Season 3 Battle Pass to unlock Riley. People who buy the pass will get Riley in the form of a new finishing move where Riley will probably attack and kill your enemy. This will be the second dog-themed murdering move in Modern Warfare, as the Operator Talon has a dog of his own named Indiana that also bites and kills people as part of a brutal finishing move.
For those who don’t remember, Riley become an instant internet sensation when he was announced for Ghosts during the Xbox One reveal event in May 2013. Developer Infinity Ward tossed up whether or not to kill the dog in the story mode, but thankfully they did not. Riley sustained a bullet wound, but he survived, and now he’s coming to Modern Warfare very soon.
For Ghosts, a German Shepherd named Ruger and a Belgian Malinois called Rico were used for Riley’s motion-capture performance, but presumably Infinity Ward used a different dog for Modern Warfare.
Modern Warfare’s Season 3 introduces a lot of new free content for Modern Warfare and Warzone that players can unlock by progressing through the new Battle Pass or by purchasing new content outright. There are also new multiplayer maps and a new Operator, Alex, from the Modern Warfare campaign. The free-to-play Warzone battle royale mode, meanwhile, introduces a new Quads mode.
All the new content in Season 3
Season 3 Update Launch Time
April 7 at 11 PM PT / April 8 at 2 AM ET / April 8 at 7 AM UK / April 8 at 4 PM AEDT
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Our Xbox crew analyzes what Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said during our interview with him on last week’s episode. We think he said a lot in his clever, indirect way… Plus: an Inside Xbox news recap, rumors about what Resident Evil 8 will be like, and at the very end you’ll hear our live as-it-happened reactions to the PS5’s DualSense controller reveal.
Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, or grab an MP3 download of this week’s episode. For more awesome content, check out the latest episode of IGN Unfiltered, featuring an interview with Valve’s Robin Walker and Chris Remo about the past, present, and future of Half-Life:
It’s already an incredibly fun year of Xbox coverage, and the best is yet to come. Join us!
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Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.
Disney has announced new cinematic release dates for several of its films amid the COVID-19 pandemic, shuffling films like Mulan and Black Widow to later dates. But with a few releases remaining in limbo or continuing to occupy optimistic dates, it’s possible that some upcoming films will head straight to Disney’s streaming platform, Disney Plus. Now, in an interview with Barron’s, Disney executive chairman Bob Iger has opened up about the possibility of moving more films to day one launches on this platform.
“There are some (movies) we’ve decided to put on Disney Plus,” he says, referencing Artemis Fowl, which was originally planned for a cinematic release. “In some cases we’ve moved things onto Disney Plus faster than we would have,” he continues, citing Frozen 2 and Onward as examples.
Iger goes on to say that more films originally planned for a cinema release might go straight to Disney Plus in the future. “In terms of movies going ahead after Artemis, there may be a few more that we end up putting directly onto Disney Plus,” he says, “but for the most part a lot of the big tentpole Disney films, we’ll simply wait for slots.”
What counts as a “big tentpole film” isn’t entirely clear, but it’s worth noting that the long-delayed X-Men spin-off The New Mutants is yet to land a new date. Pixar’s Soul, which is targeting a June 9 release, could also be a contender depending on how the next two months pan out, and whether cinemas are able to reopen.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare‘s Season 3 update is coming soon, and with it comes more Trials that you can complete to earn even more XP to help you rank up faster.
There are four new Trials in the Season 3 update, each of which pays out a whopping 10,000 XP if you can reach the 3-star ranking. Complete them all and you can earn 40,000 extra XP.
As announced on the Activision blog, the trials take place on a variety of maps, including Vacant, Hackney Yard, Piccadilly, Docks, Stack, and Euphrates Bridge, among others. As always, the challenges are varied. For example, Shooting Range requires you to locate and kill all targets as fast as you can and using as little ammo as possible. The Marksman challenge, meanwhile, asks you to take down enemies at range against the clock. You can see a full rundown of the four new Trials below.
Modern Warfare Season 3 Trials
Gun Course – Played on Vacant in two variations (with or without Smoke), make your way through the course as fast as possible while clearing all enemy targets and avoiding civilian casualties
Risky Parkour – Available on three stages, each with a unique course (Hackney Yard, Piccadilly, Gun Runner), move through each checkpoint and finish the course as fast as possible. Beware of the heavy toxic gas on low ground.
Shooting Range – Available on Docks (rifles) and Stack (shotgun), locate and shoot all targets in the area, quickly, while conserving ammunition.
Marksman Challenge – Playable on Euphrates Bridge in two variations (sniper rifle and handgun), engage waves of long-distance targets and beat the clock. Missed shots burn time.
This review contains spoilers for the series finale of Schitt’s Creek, titled “Happy Ending.”
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There is no better and no worse time for Schitt’s Creek to be ending. Given the current state of the world – and the seemingly constant cloud of anxiety we’re all living under – the final season of this wholesome Canadian comedy has been a balm to soothe even the most cynical soul, and while the show couldn’t possibly be going out on any more of a high, there’s no denying what a void it will leave as Johnny and Moira Rose drive off into the sunset, leaving the titular town and its eccentric characters in the rearview mirror.
The benefit of the show ending on its own terms is that co-creators and stars Daniel and Eugene Levy have been able to craft a meticulous and prolonged farewell over the course of Season 6, bringing the series full circle and allowing the Roses to bloom (sorry) into the people they always had the potential to be, while still keeping them unabashedly true to themselves.
The previous 13 episodes have cemented the character development we’ve been watching in our core four over the past six years, tying up the loose ends of Moira’s career resurgence, Alexis’ struggle for independence, Johnny’s shift in priorities, and David’s fear of commitment, to allow the series finale to serve as pure fan-service in the best way – a celebration of the bonds these people have forged, whether they’re family by blood or by choice.
While Schitt’s Creek has continually broken new ground in its portrayal of queer relationships, its true power is in treating the remarkable as unremarkable – so although there’s something undeniably powerful about the series culminating in David and Patrick’s wedding, to anyone who has watched and loved the show, really, they’re just David and Patrick, two humans we love and root for, so why shouldn’t they get the happiest of happy endings (complete with a literal happy ending) for the series finale?
Like any sitcom couple, their wedding day is beset by complications, but everything turns out just fine in the end, thank goodness, capped off with another welcome musical interlude or three (complete with callbacks to two of the show’s best needle drops – the Season 2 finale’s Rose family dance party to “Precious Love,” and Noah Reid’s game-changing serenade of “Simply the Best,” plus a nod to David and Patrick’s Mariah Carey-inspired “I love yous”) and a typically bonkers Moira Rose performance from the unparalleled Catherine O’Hara.
Schitt’s Creek has always felt like a rare comedic gem because of the empathy it has for its characters, even at their most ridiculous – the characterization is every bit as important as the punchlines, evoking the same good-hearted spirit as Parks and Recreation – and in the finale more than ever, I’m struck by how much I just enjoy spending time with these people, who somehow never manage to be grating, even when they’re at their most self-centered. (Watching the post-finale documentary special, Best Wishes, Warmest Regards, it’s obvious that the cast feels the same – it’s easy to imagine just how many of those tears in the finale were real.)
You can’t help but wish for a supersized, hourlong finale to try to prolong the inevitable – to luxuriate in the absurdity of these characters for just a little longer – but in truth, the last three episodes have felt like a cohesive closing arc, only separated by the necessity of a weekly rollout. For those who will binge the entire season, it’s likely that this will feel like a perfectly formed send-off, so it seems silly to nitpick the finale for feeling too brief, too quick to leave us – but that doesn’t alter the bittersweet feeling that lingers as the credits roll, knowing that this is the last time we’re all going to be here like this, able to pop in and say hey to one of the most dysfunctional and lovable families to ever grace our screens. In the immortal words of Tina Turner, Schitt’s Creek was simply the best, and we were lucky that we got to visit, even if the stay was shorter than we might’ve wanted.
Quibi, or “Quick Bites,” is the newest challenger to enter the great streaming war against rivals Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV+, and the upcoming HBO Max and NBCUniversal Peacock services. But where those aforementioned companies offer more traditional TV and movie viewing experiences, Quibi charts its own course with a mobile-only streaming platform that features videos with runtimes of ten minutes or less.
Co-founded by former DreamWorks Animation boss Jeffrey Katzenberg and tech executive Meg Whitman, Quibi will be home to 175 original programs in its first year of operation. Katzenberg told the Los Angeles Times that he hopes Quibi will be “the third generation of film narrative,” by combining the strengths of movies and episodic television into one cohesive force. The service was initially intended to provide entertainment for subscribers who commute to work via public transportation or want to watch something quick during a lunch break. However, with the current state of our world forcing many people to stay at home with ample amounts of time to binge, Quibi’s original plan could be in jeopardy.
So, with an already crowded market of streaming services vying for your attention (and money), does Quibi offer enough at launch to stand apart?
Check out the gallery below to see what we thought of Quibi’s movies and TV shows at launch:
Quibi’s video streaming platform is split into three categories: “Movies in Chapters,” long-form narratives split into 10-minute episodes; “Unscripted and Docs,” reality TV shows and docuseries; and “Daily Essentials,” news shows from outlets like NBC, ESPN, and the BBC. While the streamer has a long way to go before it catches up with Netflix and Disney+ in terms of the size of its library, Quibi launched with over 25 titles that each offered three episodes, with new installments released daily. Compared to Apple TV+’s meager debut, which included just a handful of shows, Quibi gets a gold star here for offering a variety of content to new subscribers.
Starting with Quibi’s “Movies in Chapters,” the initial titles appear impressive at first, especially with star-studded casts that include Sophie Turner, Liam Hemsworth, and Christoph Waltz, among other recognizable Hollywood names. However, although Quibi excels in its ability to acquire star power, the stories in which they are featured lack the creative punch needed to stand out.
Take Most Dangerous Game, for example, where Waltz and Hemsworth go head-to-head in an action-thriller where humans hunt other humans for sport. It’s a by-the-numbers story that’s light on the action for the first few episodes. If anything, Quibi’s short-form approach to storytelling doesn’t allow the viewer to really get into the narrative because, after seven or eight minutes, the episode (sorry, chapter) is over.
While other titles like When the Streetlights Go On and Flipped are worth checking out if you decide to sign up, Quibi’s “shorter is better” model still doesn’t make sense if you look at the streaming landscape as a whole. If the recent release of Netflix’s popular Tiger King documentary has taught us anything, it’s that viewers are game to sit through several hours of content if they deem it to be entertaining… shorter isn’t always sweeter.
Then there’s the way the shows and movies are formatted for mobile viewing. One of the most baffling aspects of Quibi is its choice to opt for a mobile-only streaming service. Amazon, Netflix, and Disney+ (among others) offer mobile streaming options as well, but also allow their content to be watched on your desktop or TV, if you don’t want to squint at your phone. Quibi also films its content in both vertical and horizontal formats, which is a purposeful departure from its rivals. So, if you’re watching Most Dangerous Game in vertical mode on your phone, the image fills the screen, offering you a different aspect ratio. In horizontal mode, you get a more cinematic look, with a widescreen perspective that shows you more detail (and characters) in each frame. The Movies in Chapters definitely look better this way, since most prestigious TV shows these days are shot more like films. Maybe it’s just me, but the vertical option makes many of the productions look cheap.
Where Quibi excels is in its docuseries and daily news shows. One of the standouts is LeBron James’ I Promise, which centers on a school in Akron, Ohio founded by James where at-risk youths are given a chance to flourish in a nourishing academic environment. It’s a heartwarming look at how the public school system in America could change for the better. Generally, the quality of the docuseries is due to the subject matter and not the shortened running time. And there are still some duds in the bunch, like Will Arnett’s Memory Hole and the underwhelming revival of MTV’s iconic prank show, Punk’d.
Quibi’s User Interface
Photo courtesy of Quibi
While we do have gripes with the fact that Quibi is only offered via a mobile app, its UI is butter smooth, with no noticeable lag while switching between horizontal and vertical viewing modes. The Quibi app is currently available to download on both Android and Apple devices. And like many of its streaming counterparts, the service allows subscribers to download movies and shows for offline viewing. Depending on your phone’s specifications (and Wifi connection), many of the shows are presented in 4K with crisp video and audio quality.
Quibi also comes fully equipped with a handy “continue watching” option so you can pick up a show where you left off. This might sound like a resounding “duh,” but Disney+ launched with a bug-filled version that caused the company to remove this particular feature in order to work out the kinks. Another convenient (if not expected) feature lets you follow shows if you click the bookmark icon, which notifies you when a new episode is available to stream.
If you find yourself unable to decide what to watch, Quibi offers “More to Explore” buckets, which highlight programs that will make you “Laugh out Loud” or “Be Inspired.” There’s also a “Coming Soon” section that gives you a sneak peek of upcoming series like Dummy, starring Anna Kendrick. As far as the “streaming functionality basics” go, Quibi checks all of the boxes so the UI doesn’t get in the way of your viewing experience.
Quibi’s Price
Photo courtesy of Quibi
Quibi currently offers a 90-day free trial for new subscribers, which is a pretty good deal considering the platform launches with over 25 titles. At $4.99 per month (with ads) Quibi is on the cheaper end compared to Netflix and Amazon’s $12.99 price plan. But unlike Netflix, Quibi doesn’t charge extra for 4K content, which is a plus. It’s just a shame there’s no smart TV or set-top box app you can download to enjoy all of that 4K beauty on a big screen.
Quibi offers a better value than Apple TV+ (also $4.99), promising to deliver 175 new shows in its first year. Apple, on the other hand, is still lagging behind most of the competition in terms of its library. Disney+, at $6.99 with a digital catalog of over 500 titles, is hard to ignore at this price point if you’re looking to just add one new service, but it’s important to keep in mind that (so far), Disney+ isn’t offering TV-MA content. So if you’re looking for more R-rated fare, Quibi might be worth a try, especially with that 90-day free trial.
Microsoft and Turn 10 have announced that Forza Street will be released for free simultaneously on iOS and Android devices on May 5. Pre-registration will remain limited to Android devices with Google Play and Galaxy Store access.
Players who download and play the game in the first month after release will get a Founders Pack, which includes the 2017 Ford GT and some in-game currency and credits to spend. This reward will be available in the message center, ready to be spent on collecting and upgrading cars.
The mobile title is designed to be played anywhere at any time, with car-lovers as the designated target. Races are much shorter than in the main Forza titles, with some races and story-driven modes lasting just under a minute. The emphasis will remain on the cars themselves, with collecting and upgrading your cars as the main focus of the app. The game is not as meticulous a simulation, or as serious a racer, as the mainline Forza series–in fact, you don’t actually steer the cars in Street.
Xbox Live users can start building their collection now on Windows 10, with all progress carrying over to the app on release.
Netflix has launched a batch of updated and improved parental controls, allowing more granular control of the content displayed to kids and the ability to lock adult profiles with PINs. Other changes include the ability to see a child’s viewing history and the option to disable autoplay on TV shows in kids’ profiles.
Netflix has outlined the updates in a new blog post, attributing the changes to feedback received from members.
Lock your kids out of your profiles with PINs.
“Choice and control have always been important for our members, especially parents,” wrote Netflix’s Kids Product Manager, Michelle Parsons. “We hope that these additional controls will help parents make the right choices for their families.”
Content can be filtered by rating, and the filters are built using the ratings systems relevant to the country you’re accessing Netflix from.
Australian settings pictured, but the ratings slider will be bespoke to your region.
Additionally, individual shows and movies can be hidden entirely from particular profiles simply by adding the titles to a block list from a simple dropdown menu search.
Well, he shouldn’t have bitten the mailman.
The new controls are live now and can be accessed via the control settings in the desktop and mobile Netflix apps.
Looking for quality Netflix content to watch while you’re trapped at home? Check out IGN’s list of the best Netflix Original movies.
Luke is Games Editor at IGN’s Sydney office and his dog doesn’t really have a Netflix profile. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.
