Your Favorite Murderous Worms Are Getting A New Game

Team17 has announced a new Worms game for 2020. The trailer accompanying the tweeted announcement doesn’t reveal much of the new title’s gameplay, but it looks like it’s guaranteed to remain violent and bombastic.

The trailer starts with snippets of classic past Worms games and ends with a worm dropping from the sky, smashing the TV playing the snippets, and then getting blown up. Team17 stated, “New Worms, new ways to play,” which seems to imply major gameplay changes, but we’ll have to wait to find out. It also remains to be seen if the new Worms game will be in 2D or 3D.

The last Worms game, released in 2016, was 2D. Titled Worms W.M.D., the game resembled the gameplay of Worms Armageddon and introduced vehicles like tanks and other landscape items, like buildings worms can crawl into for safety. However, elements in previous games, like classes and water physics, were removed.

You can read GameSpot’s full review of Worms W.M.D. Our reviewer, Jason D’Aprile, stated, “W.M.D. is easily the best game in the Worms series in several years. It stays true to the 2D, animated roots of the ’90s games while adding enough new features to keep it feeling fresh and relevant. The relatively simple gameplay is overflowing with finesse and strategy, the presentation is fantastic, and offline or on, Worms is just incredibly fun.”

Now Playing: Worms WMD – Launch Trailer

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Call Of Duty: Warzone Supports Cross-Play And Cross-Progression With Modern Warfare

Call of Duty: Warzone has officially been revealed. The standalone battle royale game hits PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 10, and it’s free to play for everyone, so you don’t need to own a copy of Modern Warfare to download it. If you do have the 2019 shooter, however, you’ll be able to carry your progress between the two.

As Activision detailed in a lengthy blog post, Warzone has “unified progression” with Modern Warfare. That means content you’ve unlocked in Modern Warfare–including Operators, weapons, and Battle Pass items–can be used in Warzone, and any progress that you make in the battle royale game will carry over into Modern Warfare.

If you don’t yet own a copy of Modern Warfare but do pick it up down the line, all the progress and items you’ve earned in Warzone will be rewarded to you in Modern Warfare’s Multiplayer and Special Ops modes. Like Modern Warfare, Warzone also supports cross-play, meaning you can play with other players across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. You can read more details on Activision’s website.

Warzone isn’t the first time the Call of Duty series has dabbled in the battle royale genre; 2018’s Black Ops 4 received its own battle royale mode called Blackout. Warzone, however, is more ambitious, supporting up to 150 players and offering different two game types: Battle Royale and Plunder. The former mode is a more traditional take on the genre, while the latter is a race to collect the most cash.

Both of Warzone’s modes take place on a massive map called Verdansk. The game also introduces some interesting new mechanics like The Gulag, where you’ll be sent the first time you’re eliminated and have a chance to earn redeployment by facing off against another eliminated player in a 1v1 battle. You can check out some Call of Duty: Warzone screenshots here for a better look at the game.

In addition to those details, Activision has confirmed Warzone’s release times. If you own Modern Warfare, you’ll be able to jump into the battle royale game beginning at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, while all other players will be able to download it starting 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET. For MW players, the download will weigh between 18-22 GB, but it’ll be significantly larger for everyone else.

Now Playing: Call of Duty: Warzone – Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer

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GameStop Hires Reggie Fils-Aime, Two Other Guys Who Aren’t Famous For Kicking Ass Or Taking Names

The video game retailer GameStop has hired former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime to its board of directors. He’ll join the board effective April 20, 2020, amid several other board moves including retirements and two new additions.

The GameStop biography on Fils-Aime as a new board member mentions his long tenure at Nintendo from 2003 to 2019, with a portfolio that included work on the Nintendo DS, Wii, 3DS, and Switch–the Wii U goes curiously unmentioned. It also points out that he previously worked at VH1, Pizza Hut, Procter & Gamble, and others. He’ll serve as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Fils-Aime was a well-known figure in the games industry, especially for his larger-than-life persona at fan-facing events. When he retired from Nintendo it appeared to be a departure from the games industry altogether, and he’s since been teaching at Cornell University. He’s still active in the community, though, regularly sharing insights from his time at Nintendo occasionally cracking jokes about his tenure. He was succeeded by Doug Bowser.

Joining him will be William Simmon, a former Walmart executive, and James Symancyk, the current president and CEO of Petsmart. Serving on a board of directors tends to be an advisory role, rather than a full-time position.

GameStop has been struggling in a changing industry that is increasingly adopting digital games and new technologies like game streaming. The management has made a point of publicizing information about its new initiatives, including a relaunched website and new pilot stores.

The Sandman And Locke & Key Crossover Gets New Details

Back in February, a crossover event between DC’s The Sandman and IDW’s Locke & Key was announced in what feels like a dream come true to comic book fans–pun intended. Writer Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodríguez are combining these two worlds.

At Chicago’s comic convention, C2E2, Joe Hill explained that Locke & Key’s inspiration was the world they will be crossing over into in October. “Our inspiration was Neil Gaiman’s run on Sandman,” Hill told GameSpot. “You know, we wanted to tell a big story of fantasy that would reflect some of the same values that we saw in Sandman. And I always felt that the magic of the keys, the supernatural keys, were like dreams in Sandman. They were a tool we could use to tell any story we wanted to tell. In my mind, the two things already sort of mashed together. And a couple of years ago we started talking about possibly doing a crossover because we had an idea for them.”

Rodriguez and Hill came up with the crossover idea together at a comic convention, and after two years, the comic was good to go. This included a blessing from Sandman creator Neil Gaiman, which Hill explained was very important to him.

At this time, Hill and Rodriguez are shooting for two or three 32-page issues in order to tell this story. And there is already a bridge to the Sandman story, and two of these Locke & Key stories have already been published. “The first one was Open the Moon, but then we did another one called Small World and so all of them sort of take place in this, right around the time that World War I got going,” Hill explained. “And the event, the next one about those characters, is Pale Battalions which is two issues long and that sets up the material for Sandman crossover.”

The Sandman Locke & Key crossover is coming to DC Comics in October. For more on DC Comics, check out our interview with the creators of Strange Adventures.

Now Playing: What Is Locke & Key? | Comics Behind The Netflix Show Explained

New Xbox Series X Info Could Come Next Week

With GDC 2020 postponed, several companies and developers are sharing what they had planned for the conference via alternative means. One such company is Microsoft, which is hosting two days of Mixer livestreams (called Game Stack Live) to share its GDC panels and announcements, including a talk seemingly designed to provide further details about Xbox Series X.

On the second day of livestreams, March 18, Microsoft will hold a panel for Xbox Series X and Project xCloud at 11:40 AM PT. The segment will be devoted to talking about the new chapter of gaming. Just before that, at 10:40 AM PT, Microsoft will talk about how online services are defining the next generation of gaming–which could possibly offer insight into Xbox Series X as well.

Throughout both days, Microsoft will also talk about other aspects of game development. On March 17, at 10:45 AM PT and 11:35 AM PT, the company will be discussing accessibility and inclusivity. Talks for Gears 5 and Sea of Thieves will occur on March 17 as well, while one for Wasteland 3 will take place on March 18. The full schedule is outlined below.

Game Stack Live Schedule (Times Listed In PT)

​​​Day 1 – March 17, 2020​

  • 10:00 AM – Welcome to Game Stack Live!​
  • 10:25 AM – How The Coalition built Gears 5 to be more accessible
  • 10:45 AM – Building accessibility into your game – the Xbox Accessibility Guidelines
  • 11:00 AM – Panel: The changing nature of today’s game industry
  • 11:35 AM – Panel: How to be intentionally inclusive in your game design
  • 12:15 PM – What is Microsoft Game Stack?
  • 12:30 PM – The Importance of LiveOps
  • 1:00 PM – Rare: Building Sea of Thieves with a LiveOps Mentality
  • 1:35 PM – What it means to run a game studio – a conversation with Turn 10
  • 2:00 PM – Maximizing impact and reach for your independent games with the ID@Xbox team​

Day 2 – March 18, 2020

  • 10:00 AM – Previously on Game Stack Live 10:15 How inXile used creative iteration to drive Wasteland’s development
  • 10:40 AM – Panel: How online services are defining the next generation of game development
  • 11:40 AM – Xbox Series X + Project xCloud = New Chapter in Gaming
  • 12:40 PM – The spark of creativity that drives Double Fine
  • 1:20 PM – What’s new in DirectX: Raytracing, mesh shading, and more

Now Playing: Xbox Series X – Exclusive Details On Microsoft’s Next-Gen Console

Vin Diesel Suggests That Guardians Of The Galaxy Will Be In New Thor Movie

The Guardians of the Galaxy characters appearing in the Thor: Love and Thunder wouldn’t be a surprise, and Vin Diesel, voice of Groot, seems to have confirmed it. He revealed to ComicBook.com, “The director talked to me about Thor [and how it] will incorporate some of the Guardians of the Galaxy. That’ll be very interesting, nobody knows, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Last we saw of Thor and the Guardians, Thor had just boarded the Benatar at the end of Avengers: Endgame and was playfully arguing with Star-Lord over who should captain the ship. It’s likely Thor will appear in the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, too. The third installment of the franchise has undergone a series of delays and was expected to be released during Marvel’s Phase 4 but will now be released sometime beyond the end of 2021.

Thor: Love and Thunder will be directed and written by Taika Waititi and is expected to be in theaters in November 2021. It will follow Jane Foster’s transformation into Thor. Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role as Thor, and Natalie Portman will once again take on the role of Jane.

Tessa Thompson, who plays Valkyrie, also confirmed on March 6 in an Entertainment Weekly red carpet interview that Christian Bale would be making his MCU debut as the villain of the new Thor movie. Thompson said, “Christian Bale is going to play our villain, which is going to be fantastic. I’ve read the script. I can’t tell you much. Lots of exciting text messages exchanged between Natalie and I.”

What exact villain role Bale will play is unknown, but people are speculating that he’ll play Beta Ray Bill. A cosmic hero–who looks like a horse-man–Beta Ray Bill makes his appearance in the Thor comics and was found worthy of picking up Mjolnir, thus cuing a scuffle between him and Thor over the weapon.

Now Playing: Thor: Ragnarok Video Review!

Over 3,200 PC Games Discounted In Massive Sale, Includes Free Game Offer

It’s finally March, which means spring and the first big batch of game releases are nearly here. To herald in the season, Fanatical is offering a massive sale on over 3,200 PC game keys, most of which can be redeemed on Steam. As usual, Fanatical is also offering a series of flash deals with even steeper discounts, and if you spend at least $10 in the Spring Sale, you’ll get a bonus free game: The Age of Decadence (which sells for $15 on Steam).

The Spring Sale includes pre-order discounts on upcoming games like Doom Eternal, which releases March 20; Resident Evil 3 Remake, which releases April 3; and Death Stranding, which comes to PC on June 2.

A Plague Tale: Innocence, one of the best games of 2019, is on sale for just $18, a ridiculously good price for this compelling adventure game. You’ll find other hits from 2019 discounted too, including The Outer Worlds for $42 and Total War: Three Kingdoms for $50. If you never snagged Red Dead Redemption 2 on PC when the port released last year, you can get it for $46.79 right now. Civilization VI’s Digital Deluxe Edition is just $19.19 and includes access to additional DLC. Plus, a large batch of Capcom games are discounted as part of the sale, including the Resident Evil and Devil May Cry series.

Literally thousands of games are on sale right now, but you can check out some of our picks from Fanatical’s new Spring Sale below. Plus, check out the full offering of discounts, including the current flash deals, at Fanatical. Before purchasing, be sure to note where the game key can be redeemed, such as Steam, Epic, or Uplay.

Fanatical Spring Sale: Best PC game deals

*indicates pre-order deal

Now Playing: Top New Video Game Releases On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Month – March 2020

The Division 2 Is Going Down For Maintenance Ahead Of Season 1 Update

The Division 2 servers will be down for an estimated three hours of maintenance on Tuesday, March 10 at 12:30 AM PST / 3:30 AM EST / 07:30 AM GMT. The downtime will be used to fix an issue that occurred after last week’s release of the Warlords of New York expansion on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

The issue in question relates to new gear set blueprints not being granted as control point rewards. So before you try to wrestle back control of New York from the Rikers, Cleaners, and so on, you might want to wait until after Tuesday’s downtime to ensure that you’re rewarded for your efforts.

“These fixes are part of the ongoing efforts to fix bugs discovered since the launch of Warlords of New York and we are working on further changes/fixes that require additional time and will be deployed once ready,” Ubisoft wrote in a forum post. If the community has its way, one possible future change should revolve around the renewed bullet sponginess of enemies. This has been one of the key complaints since Warlords of New York launched, with enemies and gadgets on higher difficulties taking far too long to defeat for even the most well-rounded squad. This post from Reddit shows how even a Support Station can soak up damage from multiple players:

Season 1 of Warlords of New York also kicks off on March 10 with new endgame content, introducing a new five-target manhunt. Beating all five seasonal targets will unlock a unique EMP sticky bomb Skill variant.

Those who have purchased Warlords of New York will receive Season 1 for free. Future seasons will require a Season Pass purchase, which will be available through the in-game store for 1000 Premium Credits (amounting to around $10).

Now Playing: Everything New in The Division 2: Warlords of New York Expansion

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Pokemon Go Is Bringing Back Even More Legendaries

Not only is March packed with events for Pokemon Go, but also Legendary Pokemon. In addition to Thundurus, which recently made its debut in the game, Niantic is bringing back a handful of Legendaries for special Raid weekends throughout the month, and now you’ll get another chance to catch a few other Legendary Pokemon that could help bolster your PvP teams.

To help players prepare for the inaugural season of the Go Battle League, Pokemon Go’s online PvP mode, a few powerful Legendaries like Registeel and Cresselia will return to Raids for a limited time. Niantic hasn’t yet announced how long the Legendaries will be around, but you’ll be able to encounter them starting at 8 AM local time on March 10.

The first season of the Go Battle League kicks off at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET on March 13. As was the case in its preseason, you first need to walk 5 km to gain entry into the Go Battle League, and its format will rotate every two weeks, beginning with the Great League. As you win battles, you’ll improve your rank and earn rewards, including encounters with rare Pokemon, such as the aforementioned Thundurus and the exclusive Pikachu Libre.

Beyond that, there are a lot of events lined up for Pokemon Go this month. A “mysterious” weekend event is set for March 20, and the following week will see the return of the Psychic Spectacular, which will make Psychic-type Pokemon more plentiful for a limited time. March’s Community Day will also feature a Psychic Pokemon, Abra, when it takes place on March 15.

On top of that, a new Team Rocket Special Research quest is available this month; if you can defeat Giovanni, you’ll earn a chance to catch Shadow Entei. A new batch of Field Research tasks is also available. Each time you achieve a Research Breakthrough this month, you’ll encounter the Gen 5 Pokemon Ferroseed, whose evolved form–Ferrothorn–is another handy Pokemon in PvP battles.

Now Playing: Pokemon GO – GO Battle League Dev Insights

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Call Of Duty: Warzone Is Official: Free-To-Play Battle Royale Game Launches Tomorrow

Following Black Ops 4‘s battle royale mode, Blackout, Activision is going much bigger in the battle royale space with a standalone free-to-play game called Call of Duty: Warzone that supports 150 players.

The game will be available beginning Tuesday, March 10 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Activision is surprise-releasing it much like EA did with Apex Legends last year. It’s not a complete surprise, however, as the opening cinematic for Modern Warfare Season 2 strongly hinted at a new battle royale mode, and numerous leaks have emerged in recent weeks. The latest was an actual gameplay video, which was soon after followed by the addition of an in-game countdown clock that pointed to a release on March 10.

But this is more than a mode for Modern Warfare. It’s a free-to-play game that everyone can play. We’ll report back as we learn more, but in the meantime, check out the trailer above.

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