Call Of Duty: Warzone Season 2 Adds New Modes And Introduces More Mysteries

In addition to the mammoth update for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the battle royale game Warzone is getting a big refresh for Season 2 as well. Activision ran down all the key details in a blog post, and we’re highlighting the most important bits here.

New Places To Explore And More Mysteries

With the Season 2 update, Verdansk is expanding the number of points of interest to explore, but one shines above the rest. The cargo tanker Vodianoy–which was previously seen off the coast of Rebirth Island–is now missing from that location. It’s now at the Port of Verdansk, but all is not well.

“Operators within the vicinity are recommended to exercise extreme caution, as the ship is carrying unknown cargo, and its crew are not able to be contacted,” Activision said.

The publisher further teased something strange in Verdansk. “Meanwhile, within Verdansk, something major is beginning to rumble deep underground,” the publisher said. “Although other reports on these new locales are still classified, we’d advise to explore these areas at your own risk.”

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New Game Mode

A new mode called Exfiltration is coming to Warzone in Season 2. In Exfiltration Battle Royale, players must find a portable radio and hold it for a certain amount of time so a chopper can come and save you. The danger is that players or teams holding the radio are highlighted on the map and all other players are shown how much time is left before exfiltration. The rest of the match plays out normally, with the first player/team to get exfiltrated or the last player/team standing winning.

Get to the choppa!
Get to the choppa!

Another new mode, Rebirth Island Resurgence Extreme, is headed to Warzone as well. In this respawn-enabled mode, up to 90 players (an increase from the previous player limit for normal Resurgence) duke it out in what is described as an “incredibly frenetic fight for supremacy.”

Release Date, Timing, And File Size

The Season 2 update for Warzone arrives as a “rolling update” starting on February 24 between 9 PM PT and 11 PM PT, which works out to 12 AM ET and 2 AM ET on February 25.

Activision has yet to disclose the file size of the update, but it’s expected to be substantial.

For more on the Season 2 refresh, check out the stories below to find out what’s coming to Black Ops Cold War multiplayer and Zombies:

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Silent Hill Might Be Getting Two Reboots, With One From The Medium Dev – Report

Konami might not be preparing one, but two new Silent Hill entries, with one Japanese developer preparing for a reveal this summer.

The report, compiled by VGC, suggests that Konami might be preparing two different reboots of the popular horror franchise, with one already well into development at a Japanese studio. Bloober Team, developer of The Medium, could potentially be working on the other, with CEO Piotr Babieno confirming that the studio has been working on a horror IP from a “very famous gaming publisher.”

“We’ve been working for more than a year on another gaming project, another horror IP, and we’re doing this with a very famous gaming publisher,” Babieno said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. “I can’t tell you who. I can’t tell you what the project is, but I’m pretty sure when people realize we’re working on it, they will be very excited.”

This would line up with other hints that Bloober might be working on its own Silent Hill entry. Earlier this year, famed Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka confirmed that he was working with Bloober on another game outside of The Medium. Just a few weeks ago, Yamaoke also appeared on a video where he teased a project he described as “the one you’ve been hoping to hear about.” The video was quickly taken offline, with Konami denying involvement.

VGC reports that Konami previously approached Until Dawn developer Supermassive Games to develop a Silent Hill entry, but plans fell through and the deal was never signed. The Silent Hill being developed in Japan will also reportedly be a departure from the series’ familiar gameplay, which could be why Konami might also have shopped around another more traditional reboot idea.

Bloober Team recently confirmed that it was looking to add more combat mechanics to its next title, after The Medium depended solely on exploration and puzzle-solving. Considering how similar The Medium is to Silent Hill in its presentation, it’s not difficult to imagine Bloober tackling the long-dormant franchise next.

Now Playing: 5 Trippy Games In The Spirit of Death Stranding

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Fortnite: Best Way To Deal Damage After Gliding

This week in Fortnite, you’ll be asked to deal damage within 15 seconds of gliding as part of the new Season 5, Week 12 challenges. You’ll need to do 200 points worth of damage to complete this quest, for a total of 20,000 XP. If you’re used to playing the regular Battle Royale mode, you will probably struggle to pull this one off, unless you get lucky–and even then, you’ll have to potentially stretch out this challenge across multiple rounds. There’s an easier way to complete it in one go, which we’ve outlined in our guide below.

How to glide in Fortnite

The “gliding” this challenge refers to is exactly what you think it is–deploying your glider as you skydive onto the map. In normal Battle Royale matches, you can only deploy your glider once, unless you use Rifts or Launch Pads. We don’t recommend relying on this method to complete this quest if you’re looking to get it done quickly. The best way to complete this challenge is to play a team mode that allows you to re-deploy your glider, like Team Rumble or Battle Lab.

The fastest way to deal damage after gliding

To get this challenge done fast, we recommend playing Team Rumble mode. Team Rumble is a great mode to complete this challenge in because it grants two opportunities to re-deploy your glider: when you respawn and when you jump off any ledge. To find this mode, head to game mode options from the lobby where you can select solo, duos, trios and squads. Ignore the standard Battle Royale modes and select Team Rumble, which should be listed down at the bottom left next to Creative mode.

After dropping in, take some time to find weapons and play normally–there’s no rush early on. Once the storm closes in and it gets to the final stages of the battle, there will be ample opportunity to leap off structures, re-deploy your glider, swoop into the middle of a firefight, and pick off some opponents right after landing. Keep doing this and you will complete this challenge in no time.

For more Fortnite Season 5, Week 12 challenge guides, check out where to find a harpoon gun and where to find inflatable llamas.

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Best Buy Is Having A 1-Day Sale On Gaming Desks And Chairs

Best Buy’s deals of the day usually focus on various tech, appliances, and occasionally games, but it’s rare that we see gaming furniture like desks or chairs on sale as part of the daily mix. Today is one of those days, however: A selection of Arozzi gaming desks and chairs have gotten steep discounts as part of Best Buy’s deals of the day. The one-day sale features one of our picks for the best gaming desk, the Arozzi Arena, which is a fantastic ultrawide. And, to no one’s surprise, Amazon is price-matching this deal as well, so you can order from whichever retailer you prefer. The Arozzi deals are available through the rest of today, so be sure to check them out along with the rest of today’s daily deals.

GTA Online Update Adds More Peyote Plants So You Can Trip Out, Man

Rockstar Games has updated Grand Theft Auto V‘s multiplayer mode once more, bringing with it new cosmetics, more events to take part in, special sales, and the most important thing of all: hallucinogenic plants.

Additional Peyote plants are now in the wild across GTA Online. You’ll have to “stray from the beaten path” to find them, Rockstar said. But if you do, you’ll be treated to a trip that will make you see “hellish” visions and transform your body into “beastly” creatures. Eating these plants will also teach you lessons about the meaning of life and the truth of existence. “Consume at your own risk,” Rockstar said.

Peyote plants are collectibles in GTA Online that have been added and removed from the game over the years, but now they are back. They are truly trippy experiences, as consuming them kicks off a vision where your character morphs into land or sea creature like a cat or a shark. Rockstar didn’t announce the list of new plants or reveal where to find them, but people on the internet have already located them and you can find numerous videos on YouTube.

Outside of the special herbs, Rockstar has begun a four-week celebration, thanking fans for their ongoing support of GTA Online, which continues to break records. Rockstar will give out gifts, bonuses, and more during the promotion, beginning with the Dinka Verus ATV that players can get for free from Warstock Cache & Carry until March 3.

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In other news, all contact missions, open wheel races, and biker sell missions are offering double GTA$ and RP this week. Additionally, players can get the Dinka t-shirt for free just for logging in this week, while completing any casino work mission gets you the Neon Stitch mask. In terms of sales, Rockstar is offering the following discounts on GTA Online vehicles.

These include:

  1. RC Bandito — 50% off
  2. Invade And Persuade Tank — 50% off
  3. BF Ramp Buggy — 50% off
  4. Mammoth Thruster — 50% off
  5. RO-86 Alkonost — 25% off
  6. Grotti Itali RSZ — 25% off
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Head to Rockstar’s website to see a full rundown of the latest GTA Online weekly update.

GTA Online is poised for further growth in 2021 with a standalone edition of the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X. Additionally, GTA V is releasing on the next-gen consoles with a variety of improvements and enhancements. The game is already a juggernaut with 140 million copies sold.

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Fortnite: Inflatable Tubeman Llama Location Guide

The new challenges for Fortnite’s Season 2, Week 12 are live, and they vary pretty wildly compared to the Valentine’s Day theme of last week. One of these tasks you to destroy inflatable llamas near gas stations, and it can be tricky if you don’t know where to look. If you do know where they are, however, you can land right on top of them and get the challenge completed quickly.

Where To Destroy Inflatable Llamas

Destroy llamas in both of these spots and you'll complete the challenge
Destroy llamas in both of these spots and you’ll complete the challenge

The easiest spot to go in order to destroy inflatable llamas is Salty Towers, located near the middle of the map. Just glide down there directly from the battle bus and you’ll see two inflatable tubeman llamas located just next to the gas station. If you die, you can very easily return to this location again and finish the job. You can also head over to Sweaty Sands next, where you’ll find another llama on the western edge. However, there are several other gas stations on the map, some of which have llamas.

You'll see the llamas right next to the gas station at Salty Towers
You’ll see the llamas right next to the gas station at Salty Towers

And that’s all there is to it! Once you’ve destroyed three of them, you will get 20,000 XP as your reward. It’s one of several new challenges available this week, which also include damaging other players with your harpoon and finding a portrait in a shipwreck.

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Netflix Gives Fate: The Winx Saga A Second Season

Netflix has renewed Fate: The Winx Saga for a second season, which will begin production in Ireland later this year. The first season debuted on the streaming service on January 22, so it’s safe to say that the teen drama has quickly proven popular.

Fate: The Winx Saga follows the coming-of-age journey of five fairies attending Alfea, a magical boarding school where they, according to the official synopsis, “must learn to master their powers while navigating love, rivalries, and the monsters that threaten their very existence.” The cast set to reprise their roles include Abigail Cowen as Bloom, Hannah van der Westhuysen as Stella, Precious Mustapha as Aisha, Eliot Salt as Terra, and Elisha Applebaum as Musa. Additional casting news for season two will be announced at a later date.

The Netflix version is a live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated series which ran for 208 episodes and four hour-long specials since starting in 2004 until 2009 and later being revived in 2011 and is still going strong. The Netflix version is just getting going–its first season spanned six episodes, and Season 2 will, according to a release, will consist of eight one-hour episodes.

“The six episodes on Season 1 only scratched the surface of this incredibly rich world and the powerful fairies who inhabit it,” says showrunner Brian Young. “As Bloom’s story continues to evolve, I can’t wait for you to learn even more about Aisha, Stella, Terra, and Musa! And you never know who might show up at Alfea next term.”

Why It’s No Surprise That Nintendo Is Making Splatoon 3

One of the big announcements from the February Nintendo Direct on Wednesday was the reveal of Splatoon 3, the latest sequel in Nintendo’s colorful shooter series. Some people were surprised that Nintendo is pushing ahead with a third entry despite the franchise not dominating headlines in the way that Mario Kart, Zelda, and Smash often do. The surprise, in the eyes of some, may also stem from the fact that Nintendo chose to announce a sequel to Splatoon as opposed to its other franchises.

Follow The Money

But it’s really no big shock that Splatoon 3 is happening. As with most entertainment products, following the money is a good place to start. The original Splatoon for Wii U sold an impressive 4.95 million copies. That’s a big number by itself, and it’s more impressive when you consider the Wii U itself only sold 13.5 million systems over its lifetime.

Splatoon 2 for the Nintendo Switch was an even bigger hit, selling 11.90 million copies as of December 31, 2020. Combined, the two games have reached 16.85 million units sold, which is a massive result that demonstrates there is a clear business opportunity to make a third one.

In fact, Splatoon 2 is the ninth best-selling Switch game to date. The bigger story here would be if Nintendo decided not to make Splatoon 3 because there is very obviously a market and an interest in more games. With sales of 11.90 million copies so far, Splatoon 2 for Switch is several million units ahead of the best-selling Wii U game of all time, Mario Kart 8 (8.45 million units).

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Live Services

Outside of the commercial opportunity, Nintendo’s creative teams have demonstrated an ability and a desire to expand on and improve the Splatoon series with each new release. And that’s exciting to think about for Splatoon 3.

Splatoon 2 made a number of improvements over the original game, adding a more robust single-player mode and adopting additional online modes. Multiplayer games and live services are a key vector of growth for Nintendo, so it makes sense to continue the online-focused Splatoon series going forward as people continue to embrace playing online and spending money on expansions and microtransactions.

A Unicorn

Splatoon 3 does represent a unicorn of sorts for Nintendo. Historically and typically, Nintendo only releases one entry in its multiplayer-focused franchises for each console generation. Some might have expected Nintendo to do the same with Splatoon, but that won’t be the case. Business practices change all the time in response to recent trends. So while Nintendo may only tend to release one Smash or Mario Kart game per system, that doesn’t mean it’s a hard and fast rule for every Nintendo platform and franchise.

What’s New In Splatoon 3

For Splatoon 3, Nintendo isn’t changing the formula–you still play as Inklings and Octolings that can change form, spraying ink to cover surfaces to gain control. New for Splatoon 3, however, are additional abilities and weapons, including the brand-new bow and “squid surge” and “squid roll” abilities. A new character customization tool is in the game as well, while it appears Nintendo has also gone a step further toward representation with more options for non-binary characters. The sequel also takes players to a new location–the Splatlands–which is an awesome-looking region featuring the bustling city of Splatsville.

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Nintendo only just announced Splatoon 3, and the game isn’t out until 2022, so it’s still early days when it comes to learning about what’s new and exciting about the next sequel, but what we’ve seen so far looks impressive.

Splatfests Are A Big Deal

Outside of that, the Splatoon series is a powerful mechanism for Nintendo to hold various promotional campaigns that help raise the profile of the series and the company itself. Splatoon 2’s Splatfest events featured collaborations and crossovers with mega-brands such as McDonald’s, Pocky, Nike, and TMNT. Nintendo likely doesn’t want to walk away from these opportunities to expand its reach, but instead continue to embrace and grow them, which is where Splatoon 3 could come in to help.

Whether you expected it or not, Splatoon is now one of Nintendo’s core franchises alongside Mario and Zelda.

For more on the February Nintendo Direct, check out GameSpot’s recap of all the big announcements and reveals.

Now Playing: Splatoon 3 Reveal Trailer | Nintendo Direct

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Anime Series Jujutsu Kaisen Explained

Do you have a Demon Slayer-sized hole in your heart while you patiently wait for the movie to come out? Or maybe you’re just on the hunt for the next gloriously gory yet strangely heartwarming anime to add to your queue? Then now’s the time to get in on Jujutsu Kaisen! You might think you’ve seen this story before, but we’re here to tell you why this increasingly popular action-packed shonen anime deserves your attention.

Just how popular is Jujutsu Kaisen? “At launch, the series was trending on Twitter across four countries,” a Crunchyroll representative tells IGN. “[It] is one of the most popular series on Crunchyroll and has remained as one of the top titles over the last two anime seasons.”

A series of infographics released by Crunchyroll in January, 2021, indicates that Jujutsu Kaisen was a top anime in North America in 2020, alongside My Hero Academia S4. It also made the list of “frequently favorite” anime for the service in 71 counties and territories.

Read on for a breakdown of what the series is about, where you can watch it, and more…

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What Is the Jujutsu Kaisen Anime?

Literally translated as “Sorcery Fight,” Jujutsu Kaisen started in Japan as a hugely popular shonen manga series by Gege Akutami. Its first season as a highly anticipated anime kicked off in Japan in 2020. The story might sound familiar… at first. A charismatic young man finds a new home in a secret school dedicated to studying sorcery. He becomes a part of this supernatural world after he eats a finger belonging to a cursed spirit.

Yes, you read that right.

jujutsu-2Jujutsu Kaisen is the story of Yuji Itadori, an easygoing high school student who joins the occult club at school. When they accidentally summon grotesque creatures by messing with a cursed object, Itadori fights to save his friends’ lives. A sorcerer, drawn to the school by the dangerous object, reveals that it grants powerful cursed energy when swallowed. Desperate to save everyone, Itadori swallows the talisman—a decomposed finger. As a result, he’s possessed by Sukuna, the king of curses, and his life changes forever.

Curses are monstrosities formed by an overwhelming amount of negative emotions, like shame or regret. The curses are drawn to places where those feelings are strongest. Unsuspecting humans are frequently attacked and killed by these horrors, and it’s up to brave and powerful sorcerers to destroy them before they cause more harm.

As the new vessel for the malevolent spirit, Itadori shares his body with one of the most powerful curses of all. He’s sentenced to death by the curse-fighting sorcerers, who deem him too dangerous to leave alive, but an unconventional teacher at the sorcery school has an idea to postpone the execution.

Sukuna’s 20 fingers are scattered around the world. If Itadori can track down and ingest every finger, he’ll absorb even more of the curse into his body. If Itadori is then killed, the curse will be completely destroyed along with him. The young student accepts the mission to put an end to Sukuna once and for all. He enrolls in Jujutsu Tech High School to learn sorcery techniques to aid in the search for the remaining fingers.

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Why Should You Watch?

You’ve never seen a “magic school” like this. Sure, the mainstays are all here: a likeable protagonist, close friends, unusual allies, and quirky teachers. There’s even a multi-episode arc featuring a battle against a rival school. But there are also elements that break the mold and indicate the stakes are very high in this world. Without spoiling too much, fans of Jujutsu Kaisen find out quickly that consequences matter in this story and no character is safe from them.

That intensity, combined with flashy punches and kicks and disturbing imagery, could be overwhelming in any other series. But Jujutsu Kaisen flawlessly balances horror and action with humor and heart. Itadori is instantly charming. He can be naïve, thoughtful, and adorable, all while being possessed by an ancient evil. His mentor, Satoru Gojo, shares that same balance: awe-inspiring power paired with a playful personality. Gojo is already a fan favorite.

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On the flip side of those lighthearted moments are gorgeous visuals that elicit a visceral reaction. Unsettling body horror, gore, and grotesque creatures ramp up the action even more and stick with you long after each episode is over. These moments ooze with dark energy that’s almost palpable. When—or if—the evil is defeated, there’s a real sense of relief that something horrifying is over.jujutsu-4

How to Watch Jujutsu Kaisen

When you’re ready to give the first episode a try, you’ll find it right now on Crunchyroll. The first 13-episode arc recently wrapped up and the next arc only just began in January. Crunchyroll releases subtitled episodes the same day they air in Japan, so you’ll always be up to date. The series is available dubbed in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German, and you can also find the English dub streaming now on HBO Max.

If you can’t wait week to week to find out what happens next, over 100 chapters of the currently running manga are at your fingertips thanks to Viz and Shonen Jump.

As we mentioned earlier, the anime is increasingly popular these days. Of course, nothing is definite in the world of entertainment, so it could be that the series loses steam. But the numbers certainly seem to be on its side for now.

So if you love horror and humor, don’t miss your chance to jump on the Jujutsu Kaisen hype train now.

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Kelly Knox is a freelance entertainment writer who also contributes to StarWars.com, DCComics.com, Nerdist, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @kelly_knox to talk Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, and comics.