WWE Elimination Chamber 2021: Match Card, Start Time, How To Watch, And Predictions

Before the two-night Wrestlemania event arrives in April, there are a couple of PPVs on the road to WWE’s biggest event of the year, and the first stop is Elimination Chamber. On February 21, championships will be defended and WWE’s top wrestlers will face each other in one of the company’s most diabolic contraptions: The Elimination Chamber.

This Sunday, the next WWE PPV will put six people inside the steel structure, releasing them one by one in this elimination match. In addition to that, there will be various other matches, many of which will be for championships, and the only way to watch it is on the WWE Network.

The show will once again take place at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, home to the Thunderdome. Check out the start times for the event below, and per usual, UK viewers will have the worst start time.

Start time:

  • 4 PM PT
  • 6 PM CT
  • 7 PM ET
  • 12 AM GMT
  • 11 AM AEDT

There will also be a Kickoff Show which you can watch for free on YouTube and Twitter, and that starts one hour prior to the main card times listed above.

How to watch:

The best way to check out this year’s Elimination Chamber is by watching it on the WWE Network. The streaming service costs $10 a month and will allow you to watch the Rumble live. Aside from live events, the WWE Network has a huge catalog of episodes of Raw, Smackdown, NXT, WCW Nitro, and even original series.

However, this will be one of the final months for the network, as WWE’s content is moving entirely to Peacock beginning with this year’s Wrestlemania.

Matches for Elimination Chamber are still coming together, and one or two more matches may be added to the card before Sunday. Check out what has been booked below.

Match card:

  • Drew McIntyre vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus (Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship)
  • Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro vs. Jey Uso vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Corbin (SmackDown Elimination Chamber match)
  • Roman Reigns vs. Winner of Smackdown Elimination Chamber match (Universal Championship)
  • Bobby Lashley vs. Keith Lee vs. Riddle (United States Championship)
  • Asuka vs. Lacey Evans* (Raw Women’s Championship)

*This match is most likely not going to happen. Evans said on Raw that she’s pregnant, which could be part of the story, but there are rumors popping up online that Evans is for real pregnant. If true, someone else will take Evans’ place for the match that evening.

Predictions:

If you want to hear some predictions, make sure to check out a bonus episode of GameSpot’s wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies, where hosts Mat Elfring and Chris E. Hayner discuss who they think will be the winners and losers of the upcoming PPV. New episodes of Wrestle Buddies are typically released every Thursday on the podcast platform or app of your choice, including Spotify, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts. You can also keep up to date with the podcast by following it on Twitter.

Make sure to come back to GameSpot on Sunday, February 21 for live coverage of Elimination Chamber featuring results and more.

Jackass 4 Crew Trying To Get Bam Margera Help

The crew making the stunt movie Jackass 4 is trying to get star Bam Margera help after he posted a series of videos and other documentation that suggested he was going through a mental health crisis. Variety reports that there is “currently an effort to get Margera help” amid his latest breakdown, which the actor said was due to a bipolar condition.

In a series of videos on Instagram, that have since been deleted, Margera lashed out at the production team and said nasty things about the film after he parted ways from it. However, Margera has since said that he has manic bipolar disorder and that he now believes in the film.

“It’s going to be f**king awesome, and it’s going to be in a way where everyone wins in the end. So I love everybody,” Margera said in a recent video, adding that he was taking time away to see a specialist for his health.

Margera was said to be filming Jackass 4–with a wellness coach overseeing his involvement–before he disappeared from set. It was later discovered that Margera took himself to a rehab center in Florida to address his health.

Jackass 4, like many other movie productions, has faced setbacks and delays due to COVID-19, but it’s still planned to release on September 3.

The Jackass film franchise is a spin-off of the the MTV series, which was co-created by Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze, the latter of whom would go on to earn an Oscar nomination for Being John Malkovich and then win an Oscar for the Joaquin Phoenix movie Her.

Specific details are unknown at this point, but if history is any indication, you can expect Jackass 4 to focus on Knoxville and his friends performing all manner of dangerous and awkward stunts played for laughs and shock value. The fourth Jackass movie was announced in December 2019.

The first Jackass movie debuted in 2002 with numerous sequels coming thereafter. In total, the franchise has grossed more than $335 million at the box office. The Jackass films were directed by Jeff Tremaine, who also directed the Bad Grandpa movie starring Knoxville. Tremaine returned to direct Jackass 4 as well.

No Man’s Sky Free Companions Update Lets You Adopt Alien Pets And Much More

One of the most compelling comeback stories in gaming, No Man’s Sky, continues to grow and evolve with new content. The latest update, Companions, is coming soon, and it allows players to tame and adopt creatures from across the galaxy.

Once you successfully bond with one of the critters, you can summon them wherever you are. There are also extra-cute baby versions of alien creatures. “They will need your care as they grow from spawn to maturity,” reads a line from the update’s description.

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Players can play with their pets, feed them, and give them attention to advance their level of bonding. Creature Pellets is the name of the new pet food that you can feed them.

Your adopted pets can prove to be very helpful on your adventures.

“Keeping your animal companion well cared for brings a host of practical benefits, including: scanning for resources; marking hazards; providing torchlight; hunting hostile creatures; locating buildings; digging up valuable treasures; and deploying their own shoulder-mounted mining lasers,” the developers said.

The alien creatures have a neural link with your player’s exosuit, so you can understand what they are thinking and what they want. “Companions may share their feelings towards their owner, comment on the lifeforms and geography they encounter, or simply express their inner world,” according to the developer.

The FAQ page for the Companions update also states that you can have up to six and you can rename them whenever you want. The creatures can also be outfitted with special decorative accessories. Additionally, the creatures can lay eggs, which you must incubate in your exosuit.

For more on No Man’s Sky Companions, check out the trailer below and the full patch notes at the bottom of this post.

ANIMAL COMPANIONS

  • Creatures that have been fed can now be interacted with to access options for milking, riding and adoption.
  • Players may adopt up to six creatures at any one time. New companion slots are available to be purchased with nanites.
  • Your companions can be renamed, and then customised with a new range of accessories and decals.
  • Some accessories, such as the torch or mining lasers, will be used by your companion as they explore the planet.
  • Each companion has their own personality, which will influence how they behave and think. Some species are more likely to have certain traits than others, but each creature is unique.
  • The creature harness has a neural link with the Exosuit, enabling rudimentary translation of your new companion’s thoughts and wishes.
  • Companions will assist their owners during planetary exploration, but have needs of their own. They will periodically require food or attention if they are to thrive.
  • Companions will need to be cared for over a long period of time in order to win their trust.
  • While exploring, companions will assist their owners in a number of ways, including: scouting for resources and buildings; digging up minerals and special items; hunting other creatures; and marking hazards.
  • As well as acting on their own initiative, companions may be given specific instructions via gestures from the Quick Menu.
  • VR players can point directly to send their companion to a destination.

COMPANION EGGS

  • Creatures that have been well-cared for will lay eggs.
  • After a short time, creature eggs will hatch into a brand new creature, related to but distinct from the parent creature.
  • Baby creatures have different proportions from adult creatures and will grow to maturity over time.
  • Players may trade eggs from their prized companions with other players.
  • Creature eggs can be taken to the Egg Sequencer aboard the Space Anomaly.
  • The Egg Sequencer allows players to remix the genetic material of their growing eggs to produce unique, never-before-seen creatures.
  • Overdosing eggs in the Sequencer may cause dramatic creature reconfigurations…

CREATURE IMPROVEMENTS

  • New creature and companion-related titles have been added to the Appearance Modifier.
  • The construction cost of Creature Pellets has been increased.
  • The stack size of Creature Pellets has been increased.
  • Creatures no longer require advanced bait to unlock harvesting functions – any creature that has been fed may now be milked.
  • Giant creatures can now be ridden.
  • Creature locomotion animations have been improved.
  • The particle effects emanating from creature dung have been improved.
  • Discovered creatures now have a different shaped icon in the Analysis Visor, to better distinguish them from undiscovered creatures.
  • Creature icons in the Analysis visor have been offset to improve their appearance.

UI IMPROVEMENTS

  • Players using a mouse and keyboard can now use hotkeys to directly select options in dialogue menus and interactions.
  • Players using a gamepad can now use the analogue sticks rather than the cursor to move between options in dialogue menus and interactions.

OPTIMISATIONS

  • Warp and loading times on PS4 have been significantly improved.

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue that caused freighter ‘wings’ to be hidden.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause an invalid system/base to appear in the teleport destinations list.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the gloves to be out of focus in the Appearance Modifier.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players using Windows 10 to incorrectly report a network disconnect.
  • Autowalk is now cancelled automatically when the player manually moves forwards or backwards.
  • The creature feeding Nexus mission has been rebalanced to account for changes to the taming process.
  • Concrete base parts now require Silicate Powder rather than Carbon to build.
  • Fixed an issue in the Galaxy Map that caused the Distance To Core text to be vertically clipped, resulting in a comma that looked like a period.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause players to upload/download an excessive number of creative discoveries.
  • Fixed an issue that caused Cronus’ food to have an extremely bright glow.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the Orbital Exocraft Materialiser to have an overly bright glow.
  • Fixed an issue that caused base specialist terminals to snap incorrectly in specific large rooms.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause an increase in load times while attempting to download base data from other players.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause incorrect text to appear when harvesting food substances from some unusual creatures.
  • Fixed a VR issue that caused the Exosuit backpack to be invisible in the inventory if the player’s body was turned off.
  • Fixed an animation issue with the player weapons in VR.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause incorrect UI scaling in VR.
  • Fixed a VR issue that could cause UI screens to move while the UI was closing.
  • Fixed a rare hang that could occur when taking a screenshot in Photo Mode on PC.
  • Fixed a networking crash on Xbox platforms.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause very large save files to crash during loading on PS4.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when the leader of a herd died.
  • Fixed a number of memory related crashes on PS5.
  • Fixed an audio related crash on PS5.
  • Fixed a rendering crash on PS5.
  • Fixed a crash related to the preview of summoned objects (eg starships).

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Fighting Game Experts are Impressed With Guilty Gear Strive’s Netcode

Experts in the fighting games community have been given early access to Guilty Gear Strive, and many seem to be impressed with the game’s rollback netcode.

As originally reported by EventHubs, many members of the fighting game community are reporting smooth games between players in the USA, Japan and Korea, which will be music to the ears of those anticipating Arc System Works’ upcoming fighting game.

Eight-time Evo champion Justin Wong said on Twitter that the “game feels amazing and NETCODE is so good!!!.” “I was able to play against people from Japan and Korea with no LAG,” he adds.

Dogura, a professional player signed to Cyclops Gaming Osaka played against Wong in the beta, reporting on Twittter that there “was no delay, no lag.” “Is this really a match against the United States?,” Dogura added. “I can’t help but be surprised. incrediblllllllle.” Jiyuna, a streamer and event organizer based in Tokyo called it “the best [fighting game] netplay I’ve ever played.”

Jiyuna added that they don’t know whether it’s better than Good Game Peace Out, a middleware used to create a “near-lagless” online experience in-game, but that the netcode and input buffer make the game “feel better than an older game with strict timing like (Guilty Gear XX Accent Core) +R.”

Those who preorder the game will be able to access the open beta of Guilty Gear Strive from February 17, with the beta running until February 21. Those without a preorder can play from February 18.

Here are 25 minutes of high-level gameplay of every beta character from Guilty Gear Strive. The game was initially delayed out of 2020 due to COVID-19, but the full release will land on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC on April 9, 2021.

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

It Takes Two Goes Gold — “We Finally Did It,” Josef Fares Says

After years of development, Josef Fares’ Hazelight Studios has completed its work on its next co-op game, It Takes Two. Fares made the announcement on Twitter, saying, “We finally did it! It Takes Two has gone gold.”

Publisher Electronic Arts responded to Fares’ tweet with a humorous animated gif of Michael Scott from The Office looking surprised and delighted about the news.

Reaching “gold” status means that a studio has finished the work necessary to release the game. With more than a month to go before It Takes Two’s release on March 26, the team might spend the remaining time polishing and fine-tuning the game before launch.

It Takes Two casts players as Cody and May, a couple going through a divorce who are transformed into dolls. They must then find their way through a fantastical world to return to their human forms and try to salvage their relationship in real life.

Like Hazelight’s A Way Out, It Takes Two can only be played in co-op, either by local split-screen or via online. Thankfully, the game comes with a free “friend’s pass” that allows you to play with someone even if they haven’t bought the game.

Hazelight’s last game, A Way Out, was a big success with 3.5 million copies sold. Fares told IGN that even publisher EA didn’t believe the game–which was made by a relatively small team of around 35 people–would sell that well.

As for what Fares might make next, he told Polygon that he wants to “f**k sh*t up creatively.” He is considering ideas for an open-world game and an RPG, but the most likely bet is that he’ll return with another co-op game next. “I love it too much,” he said.

It Takes Two launches on March 26 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Now Playing: It Takes Two Announcement Trailer | EA Play 2020

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Beat The Hawkman At His Own Game In Pacifico’s Tony Hawk Pro Skater Challenge

If you’ve ever wanted to prove yourself to be a better skateboarder than Tony Hawk and not have to worry about risking your spine on the half-pipe, then now is your chance to beat the Hawkman at his own game. Literally.

Tony Hawk has partnered with Pacifico Beer to create Pacifico’s Tony Hawk Pro Skater Challenge, which will be livestreamed on IGN’s YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch on February 18 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM EST.

Hawk will play Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 for 30 minutes during the stream, share his favorite Easter eggs, demonstrate real-life tricks on a half-pipe, and set a high score during a two-minute run in the game.

Once the stream has concluded, players will have two weeks to submit their own scores into the competition, where they stand a chance to win gaming gear valued at up to $5,000. Prizes up for grabs include a player’s choice of a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X console, a 55-inch 4K smart TV, a signed copy of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 by Hawk himself, and more.

Since this is an alcohol-sponsored event though, participants will need to be 21 and older to enter. Players can share their high scores with Pacifico through its social media channels, and you won’t even need to beat Hawk’s score to be eligible for entry.

Still, it’d be nice to at least earn some bragging rights in this rare opportunity and win a few prizes for your efforts.

Now Playing: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 Video Review

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Sony Is Getting Sued Over PS5 DualSense Drifting Issues

One week after soliciting PS5 owners’ feedback on whether they’ve experienced stick drift with their PS5’s DualSense controllers, a New York law firm has moved forward with a class-action suit against Sony.

Filed by Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP on behalf of those affected by faulty PS5 DualSense controller–with plaintiff Lmarc Turner–the lawsuit claims the PS5’s controller is “defective” and that its drifting “significantly interferes with gameplay and thus compromises the DualSense Controller’s core functionality.”

The lawsuit goes on to say that Sony is aware of these complaints, especially because they also occurred on the PS4’s DualShock 4–we personally had a controller that experienced this issue. Despite this, according to the lawsuit filing, Sony isn’t doing enough to address the problem, with customers having to pay for the shipping to get the controller back to Sony and long wait times and troubleshooting steps affecting their ability to get back to playing games.

The full text of the lawsuit is quite entertaining, as it contains screenshots from sites like Twitter and Reddit where customers complained about the issues they were experiencing.

“Based upon the allegations in the lawsuit and scores of internet complaints online about drifting in prior models of the DualShock Controller, Sony cannot dispute that it had presale knowledge of the Drifting Defect in the DualSense Controller,” the text adds.

That may be tough to prove, given how large a revision the DualSense is compared to previous PlayStation controller designs. The suit calls for a recall or replacements program for those who purchased the controller already, as well as “compensatory damages” related to “overpayment” on the controller.

This isn’t the first lawsuit this particular firm has filed related to controller drift. It previously filed a class-action suit against Nintendo for the very same issue. This lawsuit was moved to arbitration, though the court wouldn’t dismiss it outright.

Now Playing: How The PS5’s DualSense Makes Demon’s Souls More Intense

Persona 5 Strikers: Here’s What Comes in Each Edition

Persona 5 Strikers is set to release for PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on February 23. Naturally, anyone lucky enough to have a PS5 can play the PS4 version via backwards compatibility, but it won’t feature any next-gen upgrades. You don’t have to wait to lock in a copy for yourself, because the game is available for preorder at a number of retailers (see it at Amazon).

It’s available in two editions: a standard one and a digital deluxe edition that comes with downloadable extras. Depending on where you get it, you may also get a preorder bonus (see below). And if you’re wondering whether the game is worth playing, be sure to check out IGN’s glowing Persona 5 Strikers review to find out why we called it “essential for fans of the original.”

Preorder Persona 5 Strikers

persona-5-strikers-1PS4

Nintendo Switch

PC

The standard edition of Persona 5 Strikers comes with the following digital items:

  • Soundtrack with over 40 songs
  • Digital art book
  • Behind-the-scenes video

Persona 5 Strikers Digital Deluxe Edition

digital-deluxe

The digital deluxe edition of Persona 5 Strikers comes with the digital items from the standard edition, as well as four days’ early access (starting February 19), plus the following:

Persona Legacy Background Music

  • Music from Persona 1 and Persona 1 PSP remake
  • Music from Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
  • Music from Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable
  • Music from Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden

All-out Attack Pack

  • Boost Skills Pack
  • Basic Affinity Skills Pack
  • Ally Buff Skills Pack
  • Armor Pack
  • Persona Points
  • Enemy Debuff Skills Pack

Persona 5 Strikers Preorder Bonuses

persona-5-strikers-steelbook-best-buyIn addition to the digital bonuses that come with all versions of the game (see above), some retailers are offering exclusive bonuses for placing your preorder with them.

What Is Persona 5 Strikers?

Persona 5 Strikers catches up with the Phantom Thieves as they head out on a summer vacation following the events of Persona 5. As you can imagine, things don’t go quite as expected and they get roped into investigating mysterious cases in cities across Japan.

The combat this time around is Musou-style, which means you take on hordes of enemies in real time. But the turn-based combat of the game’s predecessor isn’t completely gone, as you can pause the action to plot out your next moves. You also get a chance to play as each of the Phantom Thieves as you take on waves of enemies.

Other Preorder Guides

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Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert at IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @_chrislreed.

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Stranger Things Season 4 Is The Darkest And Scariest Yet, Actors Say

We still don’t have a date for Stranger Things Season 4, but the actors on the show have begun to discuss how it will be the darkest and scariest season of the Netflix show so far.

Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike on the series, said on CBC Radio that Season 4 will be the “darkest season there’s ever been.”

“Every season it gets darker,” he said (via Complex). “Really, I will say with Season 3 I was like, ‘This is the darkest season that there’ll ever be,’ like the exploding rats and everything. But really, Season 4 so far, it’s the darkest season there’s ever been. Every year, it gets amped up. Every year it gets funnier and darker and sadder, and everything. Every year, they amp it up.”

Before this, Dustin actor Gaten Matarazzo told US Weekly that he believes Season 4 is the “scariest” so far. “Which I love, because it’s very fun to film,” he said.

Stranger Things Season 4 is one of the numerous Hollywood productions that was delayed due to COVID-19. Director Shawn Levy told Collider that the pandemic “definitely massively delayed shooting” on the new season, which impacted the release date.

There was a silver lining, however. Levy said the production delays gave the creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, time to finish writing the season before filming. That has never happened before.

“The quality of these screenplays are exceptional, maybe better than ever,” Levy said.

No Man’s Sky: Companions Update Lets You Adopt An Alien Pet

No Man’s Sky has received another update, titled Companions, which lets players adopt and breed alien companions.

The Companions update launches today and will let players “tame, breed, train and even speak to the creatures they encounter.” No Man’s Sky has long been known for the inimitable alien creatures that inhabit the game’s procedural planets, but this update will let players interact with them on a deeper level.

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Explorers can adopt creatures as sidekicks for their interstellar adventures, and the tamed beasts can be trained “to scan for resources, mark out hazards, provide light, hunt dangerous fauna, find settlements, excavate buried treasure or even mine for materials with their own shoulder-mounted mining lasers.” Once a companion is nurtured they will also lay eggs which can be incubated by the player. A new system called the Egg Sequencer will also let players genetically modify their alien eggs to create variant and rare species, which can be sold to other travellers.

“A wide range of customisable accessories and decals” will also be made available so players can create a stylish companion. Hello Games notes that “no two creatures are alike,” and that the personality of the new companions will be defined “by their species and ecosystem.” This will colour their emotional interactions with other players, who may also have a companion. You can also connect your companion to an Exosuit via a neural harness, and their alien thoughts will be “translated and sent directly to your internal communication channels,” allowing players to communicate with their new alien friends.

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Beyond the addition of companions, the update will also “bring significant improvements to load and warp times for PlayStation 4 players.” You can check out full patch notes on the Hello Games website.

Hello Games says that this is the start of the game’s 5th anniversary festivities, but they “have a lot planned” for the rest of 2021. In other Hello Games news, Sean Murray has said that the studio won’t be talking about its new game for a while, but that it’s going to be big.

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