Starting as just a rumor yesterday, it’s now been confirmed by WWE that Dean Ambrose is opting not to renew his contract in April and will leave the company.
Part of the rumor cycle until now involved Ambrose not being happy with the direction of his character since he returned to the ring last August following a long absence due to injury. Some think he might join Cody Rhodes’ newly-formed All Elite Wrestling while others have said that Ambrose is simply burned out.
E3 2019 is going to be a big year for Xbox at E3, it seems. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said on a recent podcast that Microsoft’s showing at E3 this year will be “as big” as it’s ever been for Xbox, and one reason why might be because Sony is dropping out of E3.
Speaking to Major Nelson, Spencer started off by saying, “This is going to be a fun E3 for us.” He recalled an internal Microsoft conversation about E3 after the “news” that dropped last year about E3, which is presumably a reference to Sony skipping the show.
“There was some news about E3 back in the fall. We had a discussion internally about, ‘Should we go big?’ ‘Should we save some money?’ ‘What does that mean?’ We decided, no [we’re not going to save money], we’re going to do our thing,” Spencer said. “We’re going to go and be as big at E3 as we’ve ever been. I love that opportunity.”
Right now, with about five months to go before E3 2019, Microsoft is in the midst of thinking about how and who the company can get to come on stage, Spencer said. The company is also talking about if the company wants to talk about titles and products coming in the short-term versus the long-term. Spencer said he personally likes to be transparent, but he’s also mindful of being careful not to announce something too early.
Spencer didn’t get into specifics, but he said the content lineup from Xbox for E3 2019 is already “great.” The company also plans to talk about the future of Xbox and more about what the Xbox brand means–beyond console. The Xbox is a console, but there are “millions” of people who spend time and money on Xbox outside of the console family through PC and mobile, Spencer pointed out. At E3, he wants to let people know that they don’t need to own an Xbox to be part of the Xbox community.
Also in the interview, Spencer talked about Xbox’s position in 2019, saying the groundwork that Microsoft put down in recent years will really begin to pay off this year. Quoting George W. Bush, Spencer said, “This is a year where it’s not strategery–we’re going to roll up our sleeves and we’re going to show. I love that. Now it’s go time.”
One of the new platforms Microsoft has in the works for gaming is Project xCloud, which is the working title for the company’s game-streaming service. It’s already up and running, and Spencer said he was using it during his travels at the end of 2018. It’ll probably be “years” before streaming becomes the primary way people play games, but the technology is coming together, Spencer said.
Additionally, Spencer discussed Microsoft’s recent spree of studio purchases. One of the reasons Microsoft bought and set up a total of seven studios in six months was to create a catalog of titles that “surprise and delight” fans, and release on a “regular cadence.” Microsoft has been criticised in recent years for not having enough compelling first-party content, and Spencer acknowledged that Microsoft’s first-party lineup is “so different” than what it’s been over the past five years. He also shared an anecdote from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who apparently said he’s eager and happy about Microsoft investing so heavily in teams that will make exclusive content for Xbox going forward.
One of Microsoft’s announcements at E3 2019 could be a new console. Spencer has already confirmed that Microsoft is working on multiple new consoles. According to Brad Sams, one is a disc-free streaming box and another is a console more powerful than the Xbox One X.
E3 2019 takes place June 11-13, 2019 in Los Angeles. While Sony is backing away, the show is expected to be a very big one full of surprises and reveals of all kinds.
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It may be hard to believe, but January is nearly over. As surprising as the inexorable march of time can be, what’s even better is surprising someone you love on Valentine’s Day with fresh flowers.
The other benefit to ordering early is you can save more money. Lots of the bigger flower sites have sales going on right now, in order to lock in… your order. There are sure to be more sales in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, but if you’re looking to get flowers delivered to someone and you don’t want to pay for rush shipping, there’s no time like the present.
Developer NetherRealm has postponed this week’s “Kombat Kast” broadcast for Mortal Kombat 11 due to storm descending on Chicago, which is where the studio is located.
Chicago has been overrun with snow over the past week, and in the coming days, the temperature is expected to remain below freezing as a brutal Portal Vortex rolls through. With the wind chills accounted for, the temperature could drop to as low as -60 F. The National Weather Service warns that this could cause frostbite on uncovered skin in as little as five minutes.
Presumably the Mortal Kombat 11 stream was postponed so participants would not need to journey into the frozen world, and instead stay safe and warm at home instead. The National Weather Service describes the cold in Chicago right now as being “life-threatening.” It is so cold that people are being advised to avoid taking deep breaths and minimize talking.
NetherRealm community manager Tyler Landsdown said postponing the Mortal Kombat 11 stream is a precautionary measure. “I want the stream to be the best it can be, and if someone can’t get there, well, that’s not as fun!” he said.
Thanks Grr. Everything will be fine. Just best to take precautions. I want the stream to be the best it can be, and if someone can’t get there well, that’s not as fun!
— Tyler Lansdown (@tylerlansdown) January 29, 2019
The new Kombat Kast is now scheduled to take place on Tuesday, February 5. It’ll kick off at 3 PM CST that day, and more news about the fighting game is expected.
The safety of our team is very important to us. Due to the dangerous incoming storm, we’ve decided to move the Kombat Kast to Tuesday, February 5th, at 3 pm CST. We thank you for your understanding!
— NetherRealm Studios (@NetherRealm) January 29, 2019
Mortal Kombat 11 launches on April 23 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. For lots more, check out GameSpot’s interview with series creator Ed Boon.
Lena Headey, the actress known for playing Cersei Lannister, has described her last day on the set of Game of Thrones as “weirdly tedious”.
In a video interview with Variety, the actress at first didn’t want to reveal anything for fear of spoilers. She did eventually confess one very small piece of information saying “My last day on set was really weirdly tedious because I just had to shoot going up and down these stairs and that was it.”
Lena Headey teases what we can expect from Cersei Lannister in the series finale of #GameOfThrones | #Sundance #VarietyStudio presented by @ATT pic.twitter.com/vdD92gcF6I
This review contains spoilers for The Flash Season 5, episode 12, “Memorabilia.” Our regular reviewer, Jesse Schedeen, was unable to review this week’s episode – he’ll be back next week.
While the war between Team Flash and Cicada continues, this week’s episode technically sidelines the meta serial killer, and opts for a horror-tinged memory-within-memory Inception story. Cicada poses a threat, but only as a defense mechanism within his niece’s unconscious mind. “Memorabilia” also serves as something of a superhero therapy session for the West-Allen family as more of Nora’s story is revealed. The largely enjoyable episode still feels slightly like it’s treading water before Eobard Thawne returns to the fore, but there’s at least some significant reveals, cool Easter eggs, and lighthearted ensemble moments along the way.
A mobile game in the style of Five Nights at Freddy’s probably isn’t what most people had in mind when excitement for a new Alien game started to stir. As a consolation, Alien: Blackout packs decent thrills for a quick playthrough, and its retro-future computer display interface and sound effects fit the tone and atmosphere of the universe perfectly.
Calling Alien: Blackout a survival-horror game would be a gross exaggeration. It’s really more of an objective-based, hide-and-seek puzzle game with a sprinkle of scary tension and stress to push you as you direct your ship’s crew to avoid a rampaging xenomorph using a computer terminal that displays them and their pursuer as dots. The voice acting is really well done, especially for main character Amanda Ripley (the daughter of Ellen who also starred in 2014’s Alien: Isolation), and there’s quite a lot more story than you’d expect out of a mobile game, even if it is pretty by-the-numbers without any significant hooks or twists. You should expect your muscles to tense up when the alien is spotted or you need a crew member to hurry up and hide, but it’s far from the anxiety-riddled paranoia of other actual survival-horror games.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s 2.0 patch just dropped, adding Piranha Plant as a DLC character and letting you play its Spirit Boards with up to four players. Another round of balance changes also arrived alongside side those additions and, similar to last time, Nintendo veered away from giving hard data on how it changed its fighters.
Despite being widely praised for its transparency around Metroid Prime 4 just last week, the Smash Bros. patch notes continue to be frustratingly opaque. This time Nintendo at least gave a full list of which fighters and moves were changed (a big step up from the barren “game balance adjustments” line from the last patch), but it still didn’t provide a detailed account of damage adjustments and number changes like nearly every other online game does. The 2.0 patch is a massive move in the right direction, but Nintendo should still do better.
Version 2.0.0 of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now and brings with it the addition of Piranha Plant to the roster.
The patch notes, which can be read here, confirm that Piranha Plant is now available to those who purchase or have purchased Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by this Thursday, January 31.
Speaking of which, if you have purchased Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or plan to before Thursday, be sure to redeem your code given to you by Nintendo to unlock Piranha Plant for free. Players can redeem the code through June 2019, but the offer for the code ends this Thursday.
The latest patch for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has arrived, and it’s a big one. Version 2.0.0 is available to download now, and the biggest piece of news is that it adds a new character: Piranha Plant. Everyone who registers their game by January 31 gets Piranha Plant for free, while the character will be available for everyone to buy at a later date. Here are instructions for how to register your copy of Smash Bros. Ultimate to get Piranha Plant for free.
For more on Piranha Plant, check out the announcement trailer above and a second video below. “Ready your flowerpots for battle with this poisonous powerhouse starting today!” Nintendo said.
Piranha Plant pipes up in #SmashBrosUltimate as a new playable fighter! Ready your flowerpots for battle with this poisonous powerhouse starting today! Piranha Plant is a free bonus for players who have registered Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and redeemed their code before 1/31. pic.twitter.com/qDDjHOJXbk
— Nintendo Versus (@NintendoVS) January 30, 2019
The new 2.0.0 patch makes a number of changes and improvements as well. Starting off, you can now play Spirit Board with up to four players; notably, you’ll the battle if anyone is knocked out. The patch also adds more spirits to the in-game shop, including Partner Pikachu and Partner Eevee.
Elsewhere, the patch makes balance changes to many fighters; almost all of the characters got buffed in some capacity in ways like power increases and vulnerability decreases. You can see a full breakdown of the character-specific changes here on Nintendo’s website.
Beyond Piranha Plant, Nintendo will release five other DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the first of whom will be the aforementioned Joker. Each fighter will be released individually alongside a new stage and multiple music tracks for $6, but players can get all five at a discounted price through the $25 Fighters Pass.