Author: Trafficblast

There’s another hidden Exotic weapon to chase in Destiny 2. Among the many new things today, the latest update to the game has added Bad Juju, another well-loved Destiny 1 weapon. Don’t expect it to be shoved right in your face; you’ll need to know where to go, and it all starts with a chest on Nessus. We’ve put together a guide on how to start the Bad Juju quest to help you understand how the process works.

Bad Juju’s existence in the game was revealed in the Moments of Triumph added to Destiny 2 with Update 2.5.1.1, which also added a fix to the Season of Opulence’s Menagerie activity. It’s listed in the “Exotic Arsenal” Triumph, alongside two other guns: Whisper of the Worm and Outbreak Perfected. Both of those guns were accessible only through hidden activities that players discovered in the game after an update like this one.

Whisper and Outbreak are updated versions of Destiny 1 weapons, so it seems likely Bad Juju will be slightly different from what players remember. The powerful pulse rifle had some pretty sick capabilities, though: kills with the weapon could charge your Super, increase Bad Juju’s damage, and reload part of the magazine, making it extremely effective.

Getting Bad Juju involves a new location called the Tribute Hall that was added with update 2.5.1.1. To get started, you’ll need to head to Nessus and visit Werner 99-40 and open the new treasure chest standing beside him, and then head to the Leviathan.

The second Pokemon Go Fest event of the summer took place this past weekend in Dortmund, Germany, and as usual, developer Niantic held a series of Global Challenges during the event that players around the world could participate in. As a reward for completing enough of these challenges, the studio has made some more bonuses available within the game for a limited time, and it’s bringing the Legendary Pokemon Entei back for a special Raid Day soon.

From now until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST on July 16, all Pokemon Go players will receive triple the normal amount of XP for catching and hatching Pokemon. On top of that, you’ll earn twice as much XP from Raids as normal, and any Lucky Eggs you use will last for an hour rather than their usual 30-minute duration.

In addition to those bonuses, Entei, one of the three Legendary dogs from Pokemon Gold and Silver, will be making an encore appearance in Raid Battles this weekend. You’ll have another chance to battle the Legendary in five-star Raids from 4-7 PM local time on Sunday, July 14, and this time around, you may encounter its Shiny form. You’ll also be able to receive up to five free Raid Passes during that time, which you’ll need in order to participate in a Raid.

Entei is the second Legendary dog to return to Raids so far this summer; last month, Niantic held a special Raikou Raid Day as a reward for completing enough Global Challenges from Chicago’s Pokemon Go Fest event. One more Pokemon Go Fest is scheduled to take place in Yokohama, Japan, from August 6-12, and if players can likewise complete enough challenges during that event, the final Legendary dog, Suicune, will return to Raids.

In the meantime, Pokemon Go’s current Legendary, Groudon, is leaving Raid Battles on July 10 (although you’ll still have a chance to encounter it through July’s Field Research tasks). That same day, Armored Mewtwo will make its debut in the game, and it’ll be available through the end of the month. Another Pokemon Go Community Day is also taking place on July 21, and this one will feature the Gen 3 Water starter, Mudkip.

There are few genres so centered around individual movie releases as horror. The popularity of the different horror subgenres–whether zombies, slashers, possession films, killer dolls, or haunted houses–are almost always created by the huge success of a single film. From Night of the Living Dead and Halloween to The Exorcist and Scream, these genre classics inspired dozens and dozens of imitators over the following years, before their popularity waned and something else took their place.

Sometimes a horror wave isn’t a specific genre–the current popularity of Stephen King adaptations cover many different types of movies, but are all unified by the appeal of the iconic writer. The same was true of found footage in the 2000s. Found footage means nothing more than a movie comprised of footage “filmed” by its protagonists, and was used throughout the decade in everything from the cheapest films imaginable to mainstream blockbusters such as Matt Reeves and JJ Abrams’ Cloverfield. But it all started in one place.

The Blair Witch Project wasn’t the first found footage horror movie, just as Halloween wasn’t the first slasher movie. But it was the one that ushered the concept into the 21st Century and provided a filmmaking template for dozens of cash-strapped filmmakers. This was a film that cost a measly $60,000 to make and yet earned nearly $250 million worldwide. And while no subsequent filmmakers expected to recoup 4,000 times their production budget like Blair Witch did, the success showed that a few friends and a domestic grade camcorder was all you needed to be in with a shot at making a small profit.

But while this might be the reason why horror in the 2000s was defined by the sheer number of found footage movies, it doesn’t explain why The Blair Witch Project was such a phenomenon to start with. It’s crucial to remember that this was the late-1990s. The internet as a domestic service was in its infancy–while plenty of homes were online by this point, the possibilities of the internet as a commercial tool were still being explored by individuals and organisations. And even more importantly, there was no social media. Online discussions were conducted via bulletin boards, meaning a slower, more controlled spread of information as opposed to the constant, relentless, and instant information (and misinformation) dump we all experience today.

All of this played to Blair Witch’s advantage in terms of building buzz. The movie had already screened at the Sundance Film Festival six months before its release, but back in 1999, all this meant was a handful of reviews in industry trade publications. Mainstream magazines and websites rarely covered festival hits until they reached theaters. But even though directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez were only hoping for a TV sale, Artisan Entertainment saw the movie’s great commercial potential and bought the film for $1.1 million at Sundance. Artisan set up a wide July release, right in the middle of 1999’s blockbuster season, 20 years ago this week.

That’s where the fun began. The Blair Witch Project is widely credited as the first movie to use online “viral” promotion, and the filmmakers did it in a way that would be impossible today. The plot of the movie–three student documentary filmmakers go missing in the woods while investigating the spooky legend of a local witch–fed directly into the marketing campaign, to the extent that the campaign became a part of the movie’s narrative. Artisan and Haxan Films, Myrick and Sánchez’s production company, collaborated on creating content for the movie’s official website in the build-up to its release. The site featured mock police reports about the missing students and “interviews” with some of the residents who live near the woods where the Blair Witch reportedly lurked. In an era before every aspect of our online lives is constantly deconstructed and analysed, this was incredibly effective, causing confusion about whether these reports were real or not. It helped build buzz for the movie in a way that had never been seen before.

Artisan and Haxan’s publicity genius didn’t stop there. What remains so impressive is that they never broke cover–the campaign was consistent and focused on one thing: make people believe that The Blair Witch Project was a document of real events. There was never an “official” trailer, which is unheard of for a movie hitting thousands screens across the US in July. Instead, there were a pair of spooky and realistic short videos that gave no real clue that they were advertising a movie. The approach even went as far as changing the IMDB entries for the movie’s three stars to ‘missing, presumed dead,’ while missing person flyers were handed out at film festivals. In 2019, it would take just a few minutes on Google or Twitter for the entire conceit to come crashing down, but 20 years ago it worked brilliantly.

Of course, the idea that everyone who stepped into a theater to watch The Blair Witch Project on the weekend of July 14 thought they were about to watch something that actually happened is itself a myth. By that point, the hype machine was in full swing, reviews and articles about the movie’s production were everywhere, and audiences knew this was a fictional film, not some shockumentary. But it didn’t matter–the mystique of the movie had been set, making it an absolute must-see. And for that first viewing, with the backstory of the movie bleeding into the events that unfolded on-screen, it was a scary movie like few audiences had experienced for a long time.

The Blair Witch Project was released after a period where American horror had moved into a safe, mainstream place following the success of Scream in 1996. Wes Craven’s post-modern classic inspired a new wave of knowing slasher movies, but these were polished, commercial releases featuring casts of recognisable actors and little danger. Blair Witch was the complete opposite. It was raw, it was cheap, it was incredibly realistic, and it was damn scary. It broke conventions in terms of its structure and refused to bend to audience expectations.

I vividly remember watching The Blair Witch Project for the first time on its opening weekend in central London. While today the vast majority of movies open simultaneously in the US and UK, this wasn’t the case 20 years ago, and British film fans like myself had to wait a long three months for it to finally hit UK theaters. In a way, an October release made more sense–it is the month of horror after all. But it meant by this point, absolutely no one thought the film was anything but a work of fiction. But it didn’t matter. The immediacy of the film, the uncomfortable realism, and the naturalistic performances quickly removed the barrier that often lies between the viewer and the screen, and had me utterly gripped, fully immersed in Heather, Mike, and Josh’s nightmarish situation. I’ve seen hundreds of horror movies since, but the visceral effect that those final ten minutes had on me that first weekend remains a powerful memory to this day.

But while no horror movie is as effective the second time round when it comes to scares, this was especially true of Blair Witch. Despite the rave reviews, huge box office, and reports of absolutely terrified audiences, this is a film that is now remembered more for its influence on the genre than its power to scare. I rewatched it at home several months after my first viewing and it contained only a fraction of its power. It quickly became clear that not much really happens, and viewed on the small screen without a terrified audience around me, it was impossible to recapture that first experience. Even the movie’s ending, so utterly petrifying only a few months earlier, seemed a bit silly. So wait, he’s just standing in the corner?

Nevertheless, even if the film does not hold up to repeat viewings, the filmmakers did something remarkable with The Blair Witch Project. It was the perfect film for the era, one that simply couldn’t have built its reputation in the same way either five years earlier or five years later. Like many of the genre’s most influential classics, it was an independent film made far outside the Hollywood system, and for a brief moment, it truly reminded audiences how scary a horror movie can be. Happy birthday Blair Witch.

Amazon Prime Day 2019 is nearly upon us, and this year more than ever, that means sales at a wide variety of non-Amazon retailers. The latest to throw its hat into the ring is PC manufacturer Dell, whose response to Prime Day is to host Black Friday in July from now through July 15 at 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET. The sale includes some serious discounts on items across every section of the store, including gaming PCs and laptops, monitors, and accessories. Signing up for Dell’s loyalty program (which has no fees or subscription charges) can also net you an additional 3% back on purchases when you spend $500 in a 12-month period (which isn’t that hard if you buy a computer).

Alienware 34-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor — on sale for $800 (was $1,500)

You could set yourself or a loved one up with a brand-new gaming rig at a serious discount from just the purchases made in this sale alone. For instance, you could get an Alienware Aurora gaming desktop, with a crisp 34″ curved monitor, a gaming keyboard and mouse bundle from Logitech, and an Astro headset, all together for $2,425, saving a whopping total of $1,385. Check out some of the sale’s gaming highlights below:

Before Prime Day comes around on Monday, you can brush up on our general tips for getting the best deals. Gamers will also want to take note of Twitch Prime’s freebies on offer this year. We’ll be posting all the best gaming-focused deals from Prime Day as they go live, as well as rounding up all of the other non-Amazon sales so you can compare and make sure you’re getting the best deals possible.

See more Amazon Prime Day 2019 coverage:

The latest set of weekly deals on PSN (North America only) has gone up, offering loads of discounts on big games and compilations. You can snag some great prices on retro PlayStation 4 games as long as you act fast.

This week’s discounts include a PlayStation Retro sale, so the store has plenty of old-school action up for grabs. The sale seems especially primed toward compilations of games, like a Spyro + Crash Remastered Bundle for $41, the BioShock Collection for $15, and the Mega Man 30th Anniversary Bundle for $40. The Wipeout Omega Collection is just $8, and the Castlevania Anniversary Collection is $14. Many of the bundles are also selling the individual games at a discount too, if you’re only interested in one piece.

A few standalone deals are worth noting as well. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is down to $25. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is $18. Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered is $15 and Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 is $13. Psychonauts is just $2.50. Plus, if you need to catch up on Destiny 2, you can get the entire Forsaken annual pass for $15.

SHOP PSN’S GOLDEN WEEK GAME DEALS »

See some of our picks from this week’s sale below, and browse the full collection of offerings at the PlayStation Store.

• Spyro + Crash Remastered Bundle — $41
• BioShock: The Collection — $15
• Mega Man 30th Anniversary Bundle — $40
• Odin Sphere Leifthrasir — $30
• Hitman HD Enhanced Collection — $24
• Yakuza Kiwami 2 — $25
• Dark Souls Remastered — $24
• Jak and Daxter Bundle — $16
• Destiny 2 Forsaken Annual Pass — $15
• Darksiders 2 Deathinitive Edition — $6
• Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen — $18
• Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-Tered — $15
• Shadow of the Colossus — $13
• Shenmue 1 & 2 — $18
• Castlevania Requiem — $12
• Wipeout Omega Collection — $8
• Psychonauts — $2.50
• Castlevania Anniversary Collection — $14

Though Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is on the horizon, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is still receiving updates. A new Black Ops 4 update has arrived on PlayStation 4 and with it comes an assortment of additions and features, including a new multiplayer mode, an added Specialist, and more.

Operation Apocalypse Z is the latest update for the first-person shooter and it launches first on PlayStation 4 on July 9, with PC and Xbox One to follow soon. On the PlayStation Blog, Activision outlined the contents of the new Black Ops 4 patch.

The headlining feature is the return of Reaper, a Specialist who debuted in 2015’s Black Ops 3. The combat robot wields the Scythe heavy machine gun (which applies a suppression effect on targeted enemies) and an ability called Radar Shroud (a deployable jammer that prevents enemies in its radius from using the minimap).

The Black Ops 4 patch also includes fan-favorite game mode Sticks and Stones, a free-for-all where players use nothing but crossbows, Ballistic Knives, and Combat Axes to be the last one standing. Additionally, the “Alpha Omega” Zombies mode is available to Black Ops Pass owners. Developer Treyarch shared a roadmap for Operation Apocalypse Z, which features what’s currently available and what’s arriving during the season.

Along with the roadmap, Treyarch posted a trailer, below, of what fans can expect from the Black Ops 4 update.

You can read the full Black Ops 4 patch notes below.

Summary

• Multiplayer
  • Reaper now playable in Multiplayer, earnable at Tier 1 in the Contraband stream (PS4).
  • 3 Black Ops Pass maps added to rotation: Der Schatten, Remnant, and Havana (PS4).
  • Sticks and Stones game mode now in Featured Playlists (PS4).
  • Map Pack Moshpit added to Featured Playlists, including Der Schatten, Remnant, and Havana (PS4).
  • New weapon tuning for the Daemon 3XB.
  • Featured playlist updates on all platforms.
• Zombies
  • “Alpha Omega” Zombies experience now available for Black Ops Pass holders (PS4).
  • New Perk: Blood Wolf Bite (PS4).
  • 2 Epic Elixirs added: Phoenix Up and Head Drama (PS4).
  • New Black Ops 4 version of “Damned””Alpha Omega” Zombies music now plays in the lobby (PS4).
  • Support added for new Black Market weapons and new MKII Weapons (PS4).
• Blackout
  • “The Haunting Fog” and “Alcatraz: Nightfall” map updates (PS4).
  • Quads Fog and Alcatraz Horde limited-time modes (PS4).
  • Zombies Wonder Weapons now available in the Mystery Box (PS4).
  • Outfit Mission added to unlock “The Numbers” Outfit for Reaper (PS4).
  • Zombies-themed music now plays during infiltration (PS4).
  • New Humiliations now available (PS4).
  • Featured playlist updates on all platforms.
• Global
  • New Contraband stream added to the Black Market, including “Wundergewehr 115” Koshka Mastercraft at Tier 20 and earnable Ultra Weapon Bribe at Tier 40 (PS4).
  • Reaver C86 auto-crossbow and Argus shotgun now available in Reserves (PS4).
  • New weapon camos, MKII Weapons, Zombies-themed outfits and more now available in the Black Market (PS4).
  • Various fixes for Contracts in Multiplayer and Zombies.

PlayStation 4

Multiplayer

• Specialists
  • Reaper
    • Reaper now available in Multiplayer after being unlocked at Tier 1 in Contraband.
    • Weapon: Scythe – High-damage machine gun with a fast fire rate and suppressing status effect.
    • Equipment: Radar Shroud – Deployable jamming device that conceals an area from enemies’ mini-maps.
• Black Ops Pass Maps
  • Der Schatten, Remnant, and Havana added to rotation for Black Ops Pass holders.
• Game Modes
  • Sticks and Stones
    • Now live in Featured Playlists.
    • Free-for-all mode where players only use crossbows, Ballistic Knives, and Combat Axes.
    • Score varying points by getting kills with crossbows and Ballistic Knives.
    • Reset your enemy’s score to zero with a successful Combat Axe kill.
    • UAV periodically sweeps, marking the score leader with a gold dot on the mini-map.

• Weapons
  • Reaver C86
    • Added Create-a-Class support for the Reaver C86 auto-crossbow.
  • Argus
    • Added Create-a-Class support for the Argus shotgun.

Zombies

• “Alpha Omega”
  • New Zombies experience now available for Black Ops Pass owners.
  • The Aether story continues in a new experience taking place in an overrun Broken Arrow testing facility in Nevada, where both the Primis and Ultimis characters are playable for the first time.
• Perks
  • Blood Wolf Bite
    • New Perk now available in Chaos and Aether maps.
    • Spawns a wolf companion to fight alongside you.
    • Modifier: Wolf attacks have the chance to spawn a mini-Power-up.
• New Epic Elixirs
  • Phoenix Up
    • Revives all teammates and allows them to keep their Perks.
  • Head Drama
    • While active, any bullet that hits a zombie counts as a headshot.
• Weapon Support
  • Support added for Reaver C86 auto-crossbow, Argus shotgun, and new MKII Weapons.

Blackout

• Map Updates
  • “The Haunting Fog”
    • An eerie fog has covered the map, bringing with it blood-red waters, dead vegetation, new Wall Buys at the Asylum, signs of a violent apocalypse throughout the map, and more.
    • Applies to Quads, Duos, and Solo matches; heavier fog theme is exclusive to the Quads Fog limited-time mode.
  • “Alcatraz: Nightfall”
    • Night has fallen across the entire island, along with a brooding storm in the distance.
• Limited-Time Modes
  • Quads Fog
    • Tactical limited-time mode featuring a thicker fog than the standard map.
  • Alcatraz Horde
    • Alcatraz limited-time mode featuring an increased horde of zombies over the entire island, along with new Hellhound and Brutus enemy types.
• Wonder Weapons
  • Various Zombies Wonder Weapons can now be rewarded from Chaos Mystery Boxes and Zombies mini-bosses.
• Infiltration
  • Zombies-themed music now plays during infiltration in Blackout.
• Zombies AI
  • Zombies can now destroy doors and attack player Equipment, including the Sentry and Barricade.
• Outfit Mission
  • Reaper’s Outfit Mission now available to unlock “The Numbers” Specialist camo.

Global

• Black Market
  • New personalization items added to the Black Market: weapon camos, MKII Weapons, Daemon 3XB Mastercraft, Zombies-themed outfits, Weapon Charms, Death Effects, Gestures, Jump Pack, and more.
  • Reaver C86 auto-crossbow and Argus shotgun now available in Reserves.

PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Multiplayer

• Weapon Tuning
  • Daemon 3XB
    • Reduced 6-hit kill range by 5 meters.
    • Reduced 7-hit kill range by 6 meters.
• Featured Playlists (July 9-16)
  • PS4
    • Sticks and Stones
    • Map Pack Moshpit (featuring Der Schatten, Remnant, and Havana)
    • Prop Hunt
    • Bolt-Action Barebones
    • Barebones Deathmatch Moshpit
  • Xbox One
    • Stockpile
    • Prop Hunt
    • Bolt-Action Barebones
    • Barebones Deathmatch Moshpit
    • Endurance Chaos Moshpit

Blackout

• Featured Playlists (July 9-16)
  • PS4
    • Alcatraz Horde
    • Quads Fog
    • Quads
    • Duos
    • Solo
  • Xbox One
    • Alcatraz
    • Hot Pursuit
    • Quads
    • Duos
    • Solo

Global

• Contracts
  • Addressed an issue where Contracts could shift slots, making it difficult to select new Contracts.
  • Addressed an issue where Barebones playlists weren’t properly tracking progress toward the “Challenger” Contract in Multiplayer.
  • Addressed an issue where the “Ticket to Ride” Contract in Zombies would not properly track the use of telepads.
  • Addressed an issue where players would have to get a direct hit in order to progress the “Shotgun Kills” Contract in Zombies.
  • Addressed an issue where Perks and bonus point Power-ups that spawn from the Reign Drops Elixir did not count toward the “Power Master” Contract in Zombies.
  • Closed an exploit where players could complete the “Hoarder” Contract in Zombies by dropping and picking up weapons multiple times.

PC

Multiplayer

• Featured Playlists (July 9-11)
  • Quickplay
  • Stockpile
  • Bolt-Action Barebones
  • Prop Hunt

Blackout

• Featured Playlists (July 9-16)
  • Quickplay
  • Alcatraz Duos
  • Hot Pursuit
  • Solo

The eighth generation of Pokemon games kicks off this November with the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield for Nintendo Switch. Regardless of which version you decide to pick up, the core adventure will be the same across both titles, so you can generally expect to encounter the same characters, Gen 8 Pokemon, and story beats whether you’re playing Sword or Shield. However, as has been the case since the series’ inception, each version will also boast some distinct elements, so the experience will differ somewhat depending upon which version you play.

Traditionally, the biggest difference between Pokemon games is which monsters you can capture in the wild, but some installments have shaken things up in more dramatic ways with version-exclusive locations and characters. There is still much we don’t know about Pokemon Sword and Shield, but we’ve already gotten a look at some of the ways in which the two games will differ, and we’ve broken them down below. Be sure to check back as Nintendo and The Pokemon Company reveal more details about the titles and we continue to update this list as we learn more. Be sure to also check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield release date and pre-order guide.

Version-Exclusive Gyms

In a first for the series, Pokemon Sword and Shield will feature some version-exclusive Gym Leaders. As we learned from the games’ latest trailer, some cities in the Galar region will be home to different Gyms depending on which version you’re playing. It’s unclear at present just how many Gyms will differ between the two games, but we know of at least one. In Pokemon Sword, players will challenge Bea, a Fighting-type expert. However, the same Gym in Shield will be led by Allister, a Ghost-type trainer.

Version-Exclusive Pokemon

Just as in the past, Sword and Shield will each be home to a handful of Pokemon that can’t be captured in the other version. We don’t yet know the full list of version-exclusive Pokemon in each game, but The Pokemon Company has confirmed a handful of older monsters that can only be found in Sword or Shield.

Sword-exclusive Pokemon

• Deino
• Zweilous
• Hydreigon
• Jangmo-o
• Hakamo-o
• Kommo-o

Shield-exclusive Pokemon

• Larvitar
• Pupitar
• Tyranitar
• Goomy
• Sliggoo
• Goodra

Different Legendaries

Like previous Pokemon games, Sword and Shield are each represented by a different Legendary Pokemon. The cover of Sword is adorned by Zacian, which wields a sword in its maw and moves about gracefully, while Shield’s cover is graced by Zamazenta, which boasts an armor-like mane. Not many details about the two Legendaries have been revealed as of yet, and they may not necessarily be exclusive to their own versions. However, it’s safe to assume each Legendary will at least play a bigger story role in the game it represents.