Category: Games

Some Disney+ subscribers experienced crashes while watching the season finale of WandaVision in the hours following its release.

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The crashes appear largely isolated to those on the West Coast of America, where fans will have been tuning in to watch WandaVision from midnight PT. This localisation can be seen on the maps provided by Downdetector, a sister site of IGN that tracks technical issues at websites, game services, and streaming platforms. The site also notes a spike in reports from around the time the episode was made available.

Some affected viewers took to social media to complain, posting images of the error message displayed.

Not what you want to see when you stayed up to see #wandavision pic.twitter.com/hxCAO9yLJD

— Bill Goodykoontz (@goodyk) March 5, 2021

Fans have posted to Twitter in previous weeks about their frustrations with Disney+ instability, which appears to have affected some people’s attempts to view WandaVision and other shows on the platform in previous weeks. But with this week being the season finale of WandaVision, many will have wanted a hassle-free experience.

For more from WandaVision, check out our season finale review, but make sure you watch the show beforehand to avoid spoilers. For something less spoilery, take a look at what the show’s director has to say about Vision’s much-debated line about grief.

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Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Entertainment Writer. 

Bethesda has shared some details on what to expect from Fallout 76 throughout the month of March. This includes plans to re-open the game’s Public Test Server–giving players a chance to test new features–and a handy refresher on the month’s upcoming community activities.

Fans have been awaiting the return of the Public Test Server (PTS) in order to get some hands-on playtesting with Fallout 76’s next update. Bethesda plans to re-open the PTS in mid-March, at which point players will be able to try out upcoming features such as S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts, C.A.M.P. Slots, the new Daily Ops expansion, and more.

Before then, however, is the Caps-A-Plenty weekend, which is currently live and runs until 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT on March 8. This event allows you to fill up your coffers by visiting vendors throughout Appalachia and selling unwanted gear for up to 2,800 Caps per day.

There are also numerous community activities taking place during March. The first of which is the Community Spotlight, which goes live later today. This month, Bethesda is highlighting community member JessicaStar by featuring an interview with the podcast host, mod, CAMP builder, and live streamer on Fallout.com.

Next up, on March 15, players can submit their photos for consideration in the next round of Around Appalachia. This season’s theme is “Winter Silhouettes,” and challenges any players who fancy themselves as a photo mode expert.

Much like Around Appalachia, C.A.M.P. Creations is another community event that gives players the chance to see their creations highlighted on the official Fallout website. This month’s theme is “Settlers,” and it tasks builders with constructing creative new C.A.M.P.s. You can submit your Appalachian abodes here.

Bethesda also continues to run weekly streams for Fallout 76 every Wednesday at 10 AM ET / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT, where you can chat with members of the game’s community team.

They always say good things come to those who wait. Well… I think we’ve waited long enough.
A QUIET PLACE PART II
MEMORIAL DAY pic.twitter.com/hqkE0YcUj8

— John Krasinski (@johnkrasinski) March 5, 2021

In the wake of the Pyra/Mythra combination character releasing in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nintendo has released a new update that buffs several characters with reduced vulnerability and less damage with special attacks.

You can look at the full table of changes on the official Nintendo support page, but the majority of the changes allow fighters to not take as much damage with powerful attacks or reduce their vulnerability. Fighters changed include:

• Link
• Captain Falcon
• Jigglypuff
• Zelda
• Pichu
• Ganondorf
• Zero Suit Samus
• Wario
• Diddy Kong
• King Dedede
• R.O.B.
• Villager
• Little Mac
• Mii Brawler
• Mii Swordfighter
• Mii Gunner
• Palutena
• Shulk
• Isabelle
• Joker
• Hero
• Banjo & Kazooie
• Byleth
• Min Min
• Steve & Alex
• Sephiroth

Rex’s spirit can now be enhanced as part of the update, as well. The hero from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, where Pyra and Mythra also originated, Rex uses personified weapons in battle, and he was already an existing spirit in Smash.

If you have several controllers connected to your Switch, you can disconnect them via other controllers when using the fighter-selection screen. Just press the A button over the player bracket for the controller you’re not using, and it will disappear.

Super Nintendo World Power-Up Bands for Toad, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Yoshi are also now usable as Amiibo figures in the game. Of course, this would require a trip to Japan, and you need a Universal Studios annual pass to get in right now.

The Pyra/Mythra fighter was added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on March 4, and it’s a unique combination-character. You can swap between the two characters at will for more variety, keeping your opponents off-balance. Bravely Default 2 spirits have been added, as well. Nintendo’s full patch notes are below.

Ver. 11.0.0 (Released March 4, 2021)

• Offline
  • The following spirits will appear in the Shop on the Vault menu:
    • Lora
    • Amalthus
    • Jin
    • Malos
    • Pneuma
  • You can now enhance Rex’s spirit.
  • When multiple controllers are connected, unused controllers can now be disconnected using other controllers in the fighter-selection screen in Smash.
    • This can be done by pressing the A Button over the player bracket of the controller you want to disconnect.
• General
  • The following downloadable content will be usable after purchase:
    • Pyra/Mythra Challenger Pack
    • Arthur’s Helm + Armor
    • Felyne Hat
    • Hunter’s Helm + Mail
    • Rathalos Helm + Mail

    Note: You cannot make videos of replays that contain DLC you have not purchased (fighters, stages, music, Mii Fighter costumes, etc.).

  • The Toad Power-Up Band (amiibo) is now supported.
    • If you go to amiibo in Games & More and tap the Toad Power-Up Band, you can receive a reward. The Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Yoshi Power-Up Bands can be used as Figure Players.
  • Game-balance adjustments have been made. Please see the details of fixes and changes to fighters.
  • Several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience.

GTA Online‘s latest weekly update has arrived, and if you found yourself in the mood to introduce your knees to your chin, then the return of the Grotti Brioso 300 will leave you in a good enough mood to pull off an Italian heist job. A compact car featured in the Cayo Perico Heist update, the Brioso 300 is an agile and quick little vehicle that can be purchased from Southern San Andreas Super Autos Rockstar revealed in a new blog post.

This week will also see double rewards handed out in a variety of events. All Air Freight Cargo Sell Missions are paying out double until March 10, and if you’ve been looking to jump into airport real estate there’s now a 60% discount on all hangar properties available. Completing any Air Freight Cargo Sell Mission by the end of this week will also unlock the Neon Glow Necklace and the Red and Blue Bangles, which can be picked up from March 15.

Other double rewards this week can be earned in aerial capture-the-flag event Stockpile, air races, and sea races. All six A Super Yacht Life missions will also fork out double the GTA cash and reputation points, although you’ll need a super yacht of your own to take part in the missions. You can score a Galaxy Super Yacht for half-price right now if you need a naval ride. If you discover hidden caches and treasure chests during these missions, you’ll score even more cash and RP than usual.

On the fashion circuit, you can show off your team spirit with the Panic ProLaps Basketball top if you complete the Cayo Perico Heist finale before March 17. To get the matching shorts you’ll need to successfully stuff a secondary target into your loot bag during that heist.

As for discounts, you can grab a deal on not only the aforementioned superyachts and a personal hangar, but also 40% off a Buckingham Akula attack helicopter and 40% off a P-996 Lazer fighter jet.

GTA Online Weekly Deals

• Buckingham Akula — 40% off
• P-996 Lazer fighter — 40% off
• Hangars — 60% off
• Galaxy Superyacht — 50% off
• Mammoth Avenger — 40% off
• Avenger Workshops — 40% off
• FH1-Hunter — 40% off
• Savage — 40% off
• Principe Deveste Eight — 40% off
• Pegassi Zorrusso — 40% off

Star Wars fan Andrew Winegarner has created a comic book adaptation of Colin Trevorrow’s Star Wars Episode IX script “Duel of the Fates.”

In a recent Twitter post, Winegarner announced that he had been working on the project for “the past year.” He shared a link to the webcomic adaptation that he created after first illustrating two of his favorite scenes from Trevorrow and Derek Connolly’s leaked Episode IX script, involving battles between Rey and Hattaska Ren on Bonadan, and Ren against Vader on Remnicore.

After creating these initial comic strips, Winegarner took the rest of the story to the drawing board as he went on to create seven issues of his webcomic adaptation of Duel of the Fates. The first issue is fully colorized whilst the later issues feature black-and-white scenes, as the creator continues to fill out the details and bring the axed script to life.

Hey, Star Wars fans. I’ve been working the past year on a comic book adaptation of Colin Trevorrow’s Star Wars Episode IX script “Duel of the Fates” and I’d like you to check it out! (It will be 7 issues total when completed.)
Hope you enjoy it!https://t.co/XfrNX5wHvQ pic.twitter.com/2Ay070L9oS

— Andrew Winegarner (@AndyWinegarner) March 4, 2021

“Like many fans, I was disappointed with The Rise of Skywalker, a retread of Return of the Jedi that didn’t seem to follow the trajectory of the story set up in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi,” Winegarner explained. “I was thrilled that Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly’s Duel of the Fates leaked, both the script and amazing pre-production artwork, which I incorporate into my adaptation.”

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The leaked Duel of the Fates script opens in a time when the First Order has all but completely dominated the galaxy. Communication between planets has been cut off, leading the Resistance to hijack a Star Destroyer and launch a surprise attack on Coruscant in order to activate a hidden Jedi beacon that can pierce the First Order’s communication blockade and rally the Resistance’s allies.

Trevorrow confirmed that the leaked script was legitimate after concept art from his axed version of Episode IX surfaced online last year. The artwork depicted Force Ghost Luke Skywalker blocking Kylo Ren’s lightsaber with his hand, Rey using a double-bladed lightsaber to battle Ren, C-3PO comforting his severely damaged sidekick R2-D2, and General Leia Organa delivering a message to BB-8.

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The Rise of Skywalker turned out to be completely different from Trevorrow’s version of Episode IX, and ultimately JJ Abrams’ version received mixed reviews from fans of the franchise, with some wishing that the movie had been split across two episodes. Even so, the final chapter in the long-spanning saga successfully managed to attract an audience as it crossed over $1 billion at the global box office.

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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter. 

Diablo 2: Resurrected players who still have access to their original Diablo 2 saves will be able to use them in the remaster.

In an interview with IGN Middle East, Diablo 2: Resurrected producer Matthew Cederquist confirmed the news, adding that Blizzard brute-forced the feature in and was surprised to find it worked.

“Back when we were working on [the remaster], we wondered if the old save files would work and we kind of shoved it in and it worked! And we were like, ‘okay, that’s the best feature ever,'” Cederquist said. This means players will be able to pick up where they left off if they still have access to the files, with all of the audiovisual upgrades exclusive to the remaster in tow.

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The number of people who still have 20 year-old saves to hand is probably pretty slim, but it’s a lovely nod to how reverential the team is being about bringing the original game to modern machines. Resurrected is effectively playing the original game, with a layer of updated 3D clothing on top. As executive producer Rod Fergusson told us at BlizzCon, “it’s a remaster, not a remake. We wanted the game.”

Diablo 2: Resurrected will feature 4K graphics, 7.1 surround sound, upgraded 3D Models and remastered cutscenes when it launches later this year – but you’ll be able to switch back and forth between the original looks and the new ones with the press of a button. It will be available on a wide variety of platforms, including PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One,  Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch.

Earlier this week, we learned that Diablo 2: Resurrected will offer a single-player and a multiplayer alpha. Players can sign up to the game’s technical program via Battle.net. The game was revealed during this year’s Blizzcon, which also offered announcements such as the Blizzard Arcade Collection and World of Warcraft The Burning Crusade Classic.

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Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.