PUBG Mobile Out Now For Free In The US And Other Regions

The massively popular PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is now available on mobile. Following a round of beta tests in Canada, PUBG Corp. has rolled out the mobile version of PUBG in “many” regions around the world, including the US.

Described as a “faithful adaptation” of the PC game, PUBG Mobile features the same last-man-standing gameplay experience that helped propel the title to become the third best-selling game in Steam history. Like the PC and Xbox One versions, PUBG Mobile pits 100 players against each other on an increasingly shrinking map, with the object being to outlast all the other players.

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The mobile version of PUBG was developed in collaboration with mobile gaming giant Tencent. “We are working hard to create an authentic PUBG mobile experience that players new and old will love,” said Chen Jerry, Tencent’s Corporate Vice President. “A lot of [work] went into controls and optimization to give players a smooth and intuitive experience.”

Unlike the just-released mobile version of Fortnite, which is currently only available to select iOS users who have signed up for the invite-only test, PUBG Mobile can be downloaded for free on both iOS and Android devices from the App and Google Play stores. Those with iOS can grab the game here, while Android users can download it here.

PUBG Mobile arrives after receiving “large amounts of positive feedback” following Android and iOS beta tests in Canada last week, which took place on March 15 and 16, respectively. However, whereas the mobile edition of Fortnite features cross-play and cross-progression with other versions, PUBG Mobile doesn’t appear to offer either.

This story has been updated.

PUBG Mobile Launches Internationally

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile has been released worldwide following positive beta feedback, PUBG Corp. has announced.

The mobile version of the popular multiplayer game, developed by Tencent and PUBG Corp., is available in many regions around the world on iOS and Android devices. The game’s Android beta test began on March 15, with an iOS beta test following right after on March 16.

After plenty of positive feedback from players, Tencent and PUBG Corp. officially launched the title today, March 19. More regions will be added at a later time.

“We are working hard to create an authentic PUBG mobile experience that players new and old will love,” Chen Jerry, said corporate vice president of Tencent and president of Lightspeed & Quantum Studios Group. “A lot went into controls and optimization to give players a smooth and intuitive experience.”

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Target Offering Buy One Get One Half Off Sale On Games

If you’re looking to catch up on some recent games or even stockpile new releases, now is a pretty good time to visit a Target. The store is holding a Buy One Get One 50% Off sale this week, with advertised games including the brand-new Sea of Thieves and Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom. The sale excludes Switch and Wii U games, as well as Detective Pikachu.

In a similar but much more specific sale bargain, Target is also offering 50% off select Switch games with the purchase of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Finally, the store is offering clearance prices on Amiibo right now. This mostly applies to the apparently overstocked bevy of Animal Crossing characters, but also includes a few other assorted figures.

You can check out the full list of eligible BOGO games here, or shop strictly among the Switch games discounted with Kingdom Battle. These prices are good through March 24.

If you’re also in the market for a console to play those gaming acquisitions on, Target is offering a Cartwheel coupon that takes 15% off a PlayStation Pro. That makes the usually $400 system a cool $340. You’ll need to download the Target app to use the coupon, and this only applies to purchases made in-store, but it’s still a hefty discount on a brand-new console.

School Bomb Threat Hoax Stems From A Minecraft Feud

A Minecraft rivalry was the impetus behind a massive bomb hoax in the UK, impacting hundreds of schools and forcing some to evacuate. It was all a failed attempt to force a rival server to be shut down for abuse.

Sky News reports that the 24,000 threatening emails were spoofed to appear as if they’d come from a Minecraft server called VeltPvP. Velt operators say their opponents in the rivalry have harassed them with illegal activities, of which this is the latest example. Carson Kallen, Velt’s chief executive, said he’s been frequently swatted–the dangerous practice of falsely reporting a crime-in-progress to send police to a person’s home.

One of the hoaxers anonymously said it was “horrible” that their threats scared school children, and that he understood he could be arrested. He accused VeltPvP of their own chicanery, though, saying they had engaged in DDoS attacks against rival servers. Kallen called this accusation “completely false.”

Thankfully no one was hurt, and police have assured the public it does not consider these to be “viable threats.” The schools have been given additional security advice as well.

Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom Review Roundup

After suffering a few delays, Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom finally makes its anticipated debut on PS4 and PC this week. Despite being a follow-up to the beloved PS3 RPG, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Revenant Kingdom bears little direct connection to the first game, taking place hundreds of years in the future and following the adventures of Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, a deposed boy-king on a journey to form his own kingdom.

The story isn’t the only area where Revenant Kingdom diverges from its predecessor. The game features a radically different battle system than the original, eschewing the Pokemon-like familiars of the first Ni No Kuni completely in favor of faster-paced real-time battles. In addition to that, Revenant Kingdom features kingdom building and strategy elements, often tasking players with commanding a small army of troops in RTS-like battles.

While these new elements may not always tie together in a cohesive way, they help set the title apart from its beloved predecessor. They also make it one of the year’s most ambitious releases, taking roughly 35 hours to complete by our estimates. In GameSpot’s Ni No Kuni II review, critic Peter Brown said the game “compels you to care and put your best foot forward” and features “something worthwhile around every corner, and usually something pretty to admire along the way.”

Ahead of its release, other outlets have also started posting reviews of Ni No Kuni II. As usual, we’ve collected a sample of them below to give you an idea of what critics think about the anticipated JRPG. For a broader look at Ni No Kuni II’s critical reception, be sure to visit GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

  • Game: Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
  • Developer: Level-5
  • Platforms: PS4, PC
  • Release date: March 23
  • Price: $60 / £50

GameSpot — 8/10

“Ni No Kuni 2 is a robust game that offers ample ways to spend your time, and even if they aren’t all up to the same level of quality, it’s easy to appreciate how they collectively contribute to the bigger picture. It’s chock full of excellent battles and surprising moments that make for a far more memorable experience than you initially expect and leaves you impressed by your own accomplishments. If you didn’t play the first game, don’t let this one pass you by too.” — Peter Brown [Full review]

IGN — 7.8/10

“Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom distinguishes itself from its predecessor by layering fast-paced, real-time combat and an engaging kingdom building system atop more traditional RPG systems and quests. It’s a shame it delivers so few truly memorable characters and restricts so much of its storytelling to text on screen, but by the end of Ni No Kuni 2 the broader themes certainly resonate and the 40+ hour journey has been well worth it.” — Cam Shea [Full review]

Polygon — 9/10

“Ni No Kuni 2 aims for a lot of different targets: world-spanning story, management sim, recruitment game and solid combat experience. Against all odds, it manages to hit them all in a way that very few games in its genre can manage. There’s no part of the game that feels more or less important, and there were no moments in the game where I thought I was slogging through exposition or kingdom management to pad hours in my playthrough. There’s not a wasted breath or a plot point that doesn’t manage to pay off in a significant way. Ni No Kuni 2 is a solid contemporary JRPG that brings a lot of design ideas that I love into sharp, clear focus while staying entertaining and engaging throughout.” — Cameron Kunzelman [Full review]

US Gamer — 3.5/5

“Ni No Kuni 2 is a sweet-tempered and attractive RPG with a strong castle-building mechanic, but it’s dragged down by a jarringly ugly overworld, mandatory fetch quests, and a lot of padding. It’s a pleasant throwback for fans of the genre, but it ultimately fails to meet the high bar set by other big-budget JRPGs.” — Kat Bailey [Full review]

Game Informer — 8/10

“Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom may not nail everything it attempts, but it gets the important things right. Building your kingdom is satisfying and engaging, even with the weak narrative hooks. The cycle of rewards became an obsession, and had me staying up late to recruit just one more ally, or complete just one more upgrade. Combat could be tighter, and other supporting elements could use some polish–but like any kingdom, this experience isn’t about individual contributions. It’s about how those contributions come together, and the fun of this experience as a whole outweighs its flaws.” — Joe Juba [Full review]

GamesRadar+ — 4.5/5

“Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is the RPG adventure that’s like shooting sunshine right into your veins. So clear your calendar, because Level-5 is about fill it with monsters, magic, and city management.” — Rachel Weber [Full review]

WWE Hall Of Fame Will Induct Mark Henry During Wrestlemania 34 Weekend

The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is getting sexual. WWE has announced that Mark Henry, who wrestled under the monikers Sexual Chocolate and the World’s Strongest Man, is the latest inductee–joining a jam-packed roster of talent being honored this year.

The news was first reported by USA Today, which spoke to Henry about the honor. According to the former ECW and World Heavyweight Champion, finding out he was becoming a Hall of Famer was emotional. “A couple of tears fell, and you felt like, instantly, all of the pain and torment that you put your body through, the sacrifices that you made–they were worth it,” the former Olympic weightlifter remembers. “It paid it all off.”

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Though Henry retired from active competition after the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale in 2017, WWE says he is still being utilized as a talent scout and mentor for the company, assisting talent like Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, and Apollo Crews. He joins a Hall of Fame class that includes Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim, and celebrity inductee Kid Rock.

At this point, there is no word on who will induct Henry. Sadly, chances are the honor will not go to the giant hand he fathered with fellow Hall of Famer Mae Young. If you’re too young to understand that reference, thankfully the internet remembers everything.

The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Friday, April 6, and air on the WWE Network. Two days later, WWE will present Wrestlemania 34.

The 12 Greatest Giant Robots Ever

The concept of a man-made mechanical creature, man or monster or anything else for that matter, has excited sci-fi storytellers since nearly the beginning of the science fiction genre. But it’s one thing to create a robot that can fit through doors and sit at the dinner table, and it’s another thing altogether to create a giant robot that can tromp through cities, knocking over buildings, fighting giant monsters, and looking danged good in the process.

Giant robots are now a well-established part of the popular culture, and are regularly featured in movies, comic books, video games, television, toys and beyond. But not all giant robots are created equal, and some have left a bigger footprint than others. Heck, some of them are just plain cooler than others. And those are the robots we are going to highlight today.

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Family Guy Reveals Stewie’s Big Secret

After 16 seasons and more than 300 episodes, Family Guy just revealed a big secret about Stewie.

No, he didn’t come out as gay — although he does think that he and The Flash’s Grant Gustin “would make the most adorable Instagram couple” — but instead, thanks to a therapy session with a child psychologist, Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voiced by the dulcet tones of Ian McKellen), he finally admitted that his iconic British accent is “nothing more than an affectation,” and he actually just sounds like a young American kid.

The meta-joke laden hour, written by Gary Janetti, had fun toying with fans’ expectations that this might be a coming out story for the littlest Griffin (as well as featuring a snotty Hamilton performance, because why not?). “This whole thing isn’t because I’m gay, so calm down; I can already see you licking your chops,” he told Dr. Pritchfield at one point, basically speaking directly to the audience. “If anything, I’m less gay than I used to be.”

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New Justice League Comic Uses Animated Series Roster

DC’s flagship Justice League comic is getting a major roster overhaul this summer, but one that should be plenty familiar to fans of the 2001 animated series. The relaunched Justice League #1 will introduce a new team consisting of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Cyborg, Aquaman, The Flash (Barry Allen), Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl.

As DC previously announced, Dark Nights: Metal writer Scott Snyder will be taking the reins of the series (following May’s Justice League: No Justice crossover series). However, today the company revealed that Jim Cheung (Spider-Man: The Clone Conspiracy) and Jorge Jiménez (Super Sons) will be the first two artists on the series. Cheung will draw Justice League #1 (due out on June 6) and Jimenez will draw issue #2 (due out on June 20).

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Fortnite’s Biggest Streamer Is Making $500,000 a Month From Twitch

Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, the Fortnite streamer whose popularity has skyrocketed in recent months, is making over $500,000 a month from Twitch.

According to CNBC, via Eurogamer, Blevins is pulling in over half a million dollars a month from a combination of sources, but the lion’s share of his income comes from Amazon Prime and Twitch Prime subscriptions. According to Blevins a recent promotion granting Prime subscribers in-game loot in Fortnite is “one of the main reasons for the influx of subscribers.”

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