Sea Of Thieves Captain’s Log: Uncharted Waters And Unpredictable Voyages

Based on a couple days on the open seas, “unpredictable” is the best way I can describe Sea of Thieves. There have been some surprising highs when the game’s potential shone through and made me eager to forge ahead in search of riches and mayhem. There have also been depressing lows that made me dread having to continue. There are some facets I’ve yet to experience; I haven’t completed a raid, nor have I come close to maxing out my reputation with any of the world’s three factions. Needless to say I will press on, but there’s already a lot on my mind despite how shallow the overall experience is.

Presently, my wanna-be pirate avatar is rising through ranks by completing three types of tasks: capturing small animals, digging for treasure, and killing skeletons of legendary captains that have risen from the dead–mostly unremarkable variants of basic skeleton enemies distinguished by their hats and slightly elevated stats. In isolation, these activities are too simple and easy to get excited about, but they provide a purpose and a destination. It’s the unexpected things that happen along the way that you ultimately look forward to.

Those unexpected things could be merely a floating item chest or a message in a bottle with a map for another quest. While not the rule, a message in a bottle can lead to lucrative objectives, which are often accompanied by special enemies that call for unusual tactics. Just last night, one such voyage sent my crew to an island populated with skeletons that could only be seen at night when illuminated by a lantern, and another type that was only vulnerable when splashed with sea water, which caused their metal-encrusted bones to tense up. The variety was appreciated, as was the unusually valuable treasure we found. But even then that joy was fleeting, because all treasure is designed to be converted into gold, and gold can only be used to purchase cosmetic upgrades.

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One of the big issues for me is that no matter how much or how well I play, my character, their equipment, and any ship I sail on will forever remain at a base level of performance and ability. Sea of Thieves offers a lot of gear, but none of it results in a practical benefit. If I don’t scale, how will the game continue to challenge me in meaningful ways? So far, that answer seems to be through cryptic riddles and clues that lead to more treasure. I’ve encountered few interesting examples in roughly ten hours at sea, but I always know in the back of my mind that it will all just result in gold, which can only be used to buy more pretty wearables. The community is all abuzz about becoming legendary pirates, a status symbolized by notably fancy ships. Of course, all the pomp and regalia in the world won’t stop a fresh-but-capable crew from kicking your ass.

With these thoughts in mind, it’s easy to forget that there are plenty of worthwhile moments that emerge outside of the standard gameplay loop. Stumbling into other players may be a surprisingly uncommon occurrence, but it’s nonetheless one that rarely passes without some form of engagement. The first question that enters your mind–do you shoot first–is so far pointless to consider. Very few players seem interested in playing nice at the moment, which could speak to the initial excitement of manning a cannon-packed pirate ship for the first time, or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Sea of Thieves doesn’t give you a compelling reason to play nice. So far, the most I’ve gotten out of running into a friendly pirate was a minute of triggering our instrument emotes and dancing in place. It’s cute, but let’s be honest: it pales in comparison to winning a hard fought battle while coordinating with your trusted crew to load cannons, patch up hull breaches with planks of wood, and maybe even sneaking off your ship to covertly strike your opponents face-to-face on-deck. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to take their treasure, too.

So maybe I’m part of the problem, but I can’t help but reason that guilt away. Until I’m incentivized to be friendly, it will continue to be a pirate’s life for me, pillaging, killing, and profiting, with occasional drunken stupors to make my mates laugh while I trip over my feet and barf uncontrollably under a pale moonlight. It sounds dumb precisely because it is, but what’s better than a moment of shared idiocy among friends?

It’s also worth pointing out how utterly dreary it is to play alone. If I can impart any advice to new players: don’t bother. Not only will you feel incredibly lonely while sailing for minutes on end without sight of ship or shore, it’s too easy to spiral into a series of quick deaths if someone does appear and kills you aboard your ship. Spawn camping is currently a major issue, and the only solution to get out of a cycle of death and rebirth is to manually sink your ship from a menu during your temporary stint in the afterlife. Even then, there are times when you’ll respawn on your ship as it’s in the process of sinking.

My journey is still ramping up, and I’m hoping the rocky start will give way to something more fulfilling. If there’s one thing I appreciate so far, it’s that I can always look forward to a few laughs when playing with my crew of choice. That alone is enough to keep me coming back for now, but I can’t imagine a group of goofs has the lasting appeal a game like Sea of Thieves critically requires.

21 Virtual Reality Movies, Ranked

Whether it’s Ender destroying the world in Ender’s Game or a VR serial killer being unleashed on the world in Virtuosity, virtual reality tech has been a useful storytelling tool for years.

Take a stroll with us as we revisit our 21 favorite VR movies, ranked from worst to best according to our sister site Metacritic. The results may surprise you.

New Predator Movie Teaser Is Coming Soon

Expectations are high for The Predator, the reboot of the classic sci-fi action franchise which is set to hit theaters in September. Very little from the movie has been revealed so far, but writer Fred Dekker has now confirmed that a teaser trailer will be with us very soon.

Dekker took to his Facebook page to explain that the movie was currently undergoing reshoots in Vancouver, as well as noting that the movie’s “body count is alarming.” Dekker followed his post with the words fans have been wanting to hear for some time: “And yes, a teaser trailer will be coming soon…” Check his post out below:

Last week it was announced that the movie was moving back from an August release to September 14. This is the second time it has shifted release date–it was originally set come out in February. The Predator is directed by Shane Black, who previously made Iron Man 3 and the cop comedy The Nice Guys. It stars Boyd Holbrook (Narcos, Logan), Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight), Keegan-Michael Key (Keanu, Key & Peele), Sterling K. Brown (The People v. OJ Simpson), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse), Thomas Jane (The Expanse), and Jacob Tremblay (Room).

Although no footage has been revealed yet, a promotional motion poster for the movie was spotted at a licensing expo in London in November. In addition, we’ve seen a similarly-themed poster, plus some behind-the-scenes images.

Specific story details are also under wraps for now, but in an interview last year, Jane did provide some hints as to movie’s plot. The actor explained that the film will focus on a group of “shellshocked” soldiers, who are arrested and are in the process of being transported to an army hospital. However, one of the soldiers is being targeted because he has seen the Predator ships come to earth.

“They’re going to take that bus, drive it down to a ditch and shoot us all just to get rid of this one guy,” Jane said. “But, of course, we take the bus over. We’re all like, ‘Let’s go kill these f***ing Predators ourselves!’ And we’re just crazy enough to believe that this guy really did see a UFO and there’s these aliens out there. So that’s kinda cool!”

Black himself acted in the original Predator from 1987, which starred Schwarzenegger and was directed by John McTiernan. To date there have been four further films, including the direct sequel Predator 2, two Alien vs. Predator movies, and 2010’s Robert Rodriguez-produced Predators.

Justice League Is Now Officially DC’s Least Successful Film

When the Marvel movie The Avengers hit theaters in 2012, it was by far the most successful movie that the studio had released until that point. That was not surprising, given it gathered all the MCU’s biggest heroes together in one film. So there was initially every reason to expect that superhero rivals DC’s team-up, Justice League, would becomes its biggest movie too. But with the film’s theatrical run now over, it has ended up as the lowest grossing of all five movies in the DC cinematic universe so far.

Justice League finished its run with a worldwide gross of $657.9 million. While this would be a substantial amount for most movies, it is below even the second least successful movie in the DC universe, Man of Steel. That film grossed $668 million in 2012, from a lower budget–$225 million compared to Justice League‘s rumored $300 million. The middle three DC movies all made way beyond this: Suicide Squad grossed $746.8 million, Wonder Woman $821.8 million, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice $876.3 million.

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Justice League was beset with issues both before and during production. While Batman v Superman still stands as the biggest DC movie so far, it was met with an extremely negative reaction from both critics and fans (as was Suicide Squad). Despite assurances from DC Films head Geoff Johns that Justice League would be a more “hopeful and optimistic” movie, it started shooting only a few weeks after those Batman v Superman reviews, leading to speculation that the tone of the film would have to be changed during production.

Snyder quit the movie in May 2017 following a family tragedy, with Avengers director Joss Whedon taking over. Extensive reshoots took place, which actor Joe Morton confirmed were to lighten the tone. In addition, the movie became notorious for the issue of Superman actor Henry Cavill’s mustache, which he had grown for his role in this summer’s Mission Impossible: Fallout. With Mission Impossible producers Paramount refusing to let Cavill shave for the reshoots, Justice League‘s visual effects team were forced to remove the ‘tache digitally.

Despite Justice League‘s box office failure, there are still several more DC movies on the way. James Wan’s Aquaman is is due in November this year, while Shazam is currently in production ahead of its April 2019 release. Wonder Woman 2 hits theaters in December 2019, and Suicide Squad 2 is expected to start shooting later this year.

Latest Sicario 2 Trailer Is Bleak, Bloody, And Exciting

2015’s Sicario was one of the best thrillers of recent years, and it led to director Denis Villeneuve making the high profile sci-fi movies Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. The sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado hits theaters in June, and although Villeneuve and star Emily Blunt aren’t returning, co-stars Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro are back.

A new trailer has arrived, following December’s first promo. It reveals plenty of the plot–perhaps too much, so be careful if you don’t want anything spoilt beforehand. But it looks like another dark, tense, and exciting film, with Brolin’s morally ambiguous CIA agent starting a drug war in Mexico with the help of del Toro’s mysterious enforcer. Check it out below:

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is released on June 29. It is directed by Stefano Sollima, who is best known for the acclaimed Italian crime show Gomorrah. The cast also includes Isabela Moner (Transformers: The Last Knight), Catherine Keener (Get Out), Matthew Modine (Stranger Things), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Magnificent Seven), and Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice).

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, del Toro spoke about making the sequel with a different director. “Stefano had to come in [to a situation] where Josh and myself have played these characters before,” he said. “So he had to deal a little bit with of that. I think he did a really good job of allowing both Josh and myself to put ourselves on the table about the characters and how they would react in situations and all that stuff. So it was very inclusive that way.”

Pokemon Go Easter Event Returns Tomorrow

A new event is set to begin very soon in Pokemon Go. Ahead of this month’s Community Day, Niantic is bringing back the Easter-themed Eggstravaganza event, making it easier for players to hatch certain Pokemon and providing extra bonuses for a limited time.

Beginning tomorrow, March 22, players will be able to hatch an “even greater variety” of Pokemon from Eggs. In particular, monsters that typically hatch from 5 km or 10 km Eggs, like Wynaut or Ralts, can be found in 2 km Eggs for the duration of the event. Some Pokemon, such as Pichu and Togepi, will also hatch more frequently.

In addition to that, every Egg that players hatch during the Eggstravaganza event will come with extra Candy. Niantic is also offering double Stardust throughout the event as an added bonus, and special boxes that contain Super Incubators, Star Pieces, and other items will be available for purchase from the in-game shop.

Pokemon Go’s Eggstravaganza event runs until 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on April 2. That is also the same day that the latest Legendary Pokemon, Lugia, is scheduled to leave the game. Following its initial run as a Raid Battle boss last summer, Lugia returned to Pokemon Go earlier this month. This time, the Legendary Pokemon knows the “newly improved” Flying move Sky Attack, and Niantic says it will be easier to capture than before if players manage to successfully defeat it.

Niantic is hosting the third Pokemon Go Community Day event this weekend, on March 25. As before, the event will run for a three-hour block of time. The featured Pokemon for this month’s Community Day is the classic Red and Blue starter Bulbasaur, and if players manage to evolve it into a Venusaur during the event hours, it will learn the powerful Grass-type attack Frenzy Plant.