The long-awaited battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone launched yesterday as both a mode for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and a standalone, free-to-play game. If you’ve been gunning for that number one spot, then you might be interested to know you can get some free bonuses for watching certain Twitch streams of Warzone. Activision and Twitch have partnered on drop-eligible streams to give away three free items to those who watch eligible Warzone streams for three hours–each hour, you get a new item. These items are an Airborne Commander shiny emblem at one hour, a one-hour Double XP token at two hours, and a Cataclysmic MP7 blueprint at three hours.
All you need to do to be eligible for these rewards is link your Twitch and Call of Duty accounts and then watch a drop-enabled stream. You can tell which streams are eligible by looking right under the Twitch stream’s title, category, and tags. There you’ll see a message that says, “Drops enabled! Watch for a chance to earn loot.” The easiest way to find drop-eligible streams is by going to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare directory and looking from there.
Activision says you’re able to watch multiple streamers at once, and your total watch time will be tallied up–so if you don’t want to spend three hours watching one stream, watch three streams at the same time for one hour. Twitch streamers can become eligible for this promotion by linking their accounts and streaming to the Modern Warfare directory.
PlayStation Plus subscribers also get some additional free bonus content. This includes a Yegor operator skin, Showstopper shotgun blueprint, and a Skilltrack 56 watch as well as several other bonuses.
If you’re looking to gain an edge in the new battle royale mode/game, we’ve put together 9 essential tips to survive Call of Duty: Warzone. These will help you figure out the nuances of the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s mechanics quickly as well as give you some insight into how best to secure a Warzone Victory.
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As do many collector’s editions for major games, The Last of Us Part 2‘s most expensive bundle, the Ellie Edition, sold out soon after being announced. The Ellie Edition, which costs $230 and bundles the game with a ton of physical and digital goodies, received a restock in February but ran out of stock again that day. That seemed like the last chance for The Last of Us fans to get their hands on the Ellie Edition–but if you missed out, you’re in luck, as developer Naughty Dog just announced another Ellie Edition restock will happen this Friday.
The Ellie Edition will be available in limited quantities this Friday, March 13, at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET via PlayStation Direct, the official PlayStation store for consoles, accessories, and some physical games. Unfortunately, the restock will be available only to US shoppers.
The Last of Us Part 2 – Ellie Edition | $230
Despite its hefty price tag, the Ellie Edition has been a coveted bundle for The Last of Us fans. It comes with everything in the Collector’s Edition (which sells for $170), plus a full-sized, fully functional recreation of Ellie’s backpack, an embroidered patch, and a 7-inch vinyl record. Here’s an overview of everything the Ellie Edition comes with:
Base game and pre-order bonuses (ammo capacity upgrade, crafting training manual)
Full-sized recreation of Ellie’s backpack
Embroidered patch
7-inch vinyl record with original music
12-inch Ellie statue
Life-sized replica of Ellie’s bracelet
Collectible steelbook
48-page mini art book from Dark Horse
Set of six enamel pins
Lithograph art print
Set of five stickers
PSN Dynamic Theme
Six PSN avatars
Digital soundtrack
Digital version of the mini art book
Be sure to check out our full The Last of Us Part 2 pre-order guide for more information on the game’s other special editions, including the Collector’s Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, and Special Edition. And if you aren’t ready to shell out $230 for the Ellie Edition but still want to stock up on some merch ahead of the game’s release, we’ve got a guide to all the best The Last of Us Part 2 merch, including its official art book, graphic tees, and more.
The Last of Us Part 2 releases May 29 for PS4. Besides the highly anticipated sequel, Naughty Dog recently announced the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic game is getting its own The Last of Us HBO series, with game director Neil Druckmann helping on the script and executive producing.
Call of Duty: Warzone wastes little time in getting you into its particular take on battle royale gameplay. As the franchise’s second crack at the popular genre following Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode, Warzone is a much more refined and squad-focused take. It still features all the familiar mechanics and moments of intense action you’d expect from a game with 150 players vying for the top spot. However, Warzone introduces some surprising and somewhat unnerving twists to the formula that even some veteran players will need to keep in mind.
In this quick guide, we’ve broken down some essential survival tips. From making smart choices with your minimal resources, being more of a team player, to learning how to fight dirty in the gulag; there’s a lot to take in during your first rounds in the Verdansk map, and we’re here to help.
Survival Is Essential (Don’t Give Up)
As obvious of a tip this may seem, Warzone takes a slightly different approach to the loop of running, gunning, and quitting to join another game after getting gunned down. Between the Gulag system and the ample Buy stations scattered around the map, there are lots of chances for your squad to get back to fighting strength, and possibly make a tremendous comeback. While other squad-focused battle royale games inspire feelings of dread and aimlessness after your teammates have been wiped, you still have a decent shot at reviving them if you have the cash and can manage to evade danger–provided they haven’t quit the game. Compared to other BR games, it’s pretty easy to get teammates back in Warzone–but you can’t do that if you’re dead. So stay focused and calm, even when the odds are against you.
Enjoy Your Stay In The Gulag
Modern Warfare’s most significant addition to the battle royale framework is the Gulag, a prison you’re dragged to after suffering a defeat in the match. After a few moments in prison, you’ll get matched up with another player for a one-on-one Gunfight match, where you’re given a random loadout of weapons and thrown into a fight together in the prison’s showers. Surrounding you are other players in the rafters egging you on, and they can even pelt you with rocks, which can add to the unnerving scenario. The winner of that fight will be redeployed back to the current match near their teammates, while the other is free to spectate, wait to be revived by a teammate, or quit out to try again in another match.
Essentially, the Gulag gives you an automatic second chance at redemption, provided you’ve got the skills and cunning to survive the prison’s trial. This limbo state is essentially a make or break moment for the match, allowing every player a shot at coming back into the match on their own terms. It’s also a noticeably different pace compared to the more reserved and patience pace of battle royale. In the Gulag, you’re rewarded for being crafty, using the environment to sneak up on your enemy. So as soon as you enter the prison, make sure to show everyone who’s boss in order to survive.
Use That Ping
If you’ve played Apex Legends, Fortnite, or any other modern shooter, then you know how essential the ping system is. It allows you to easily mark a location on the map, a spot in your field of vision, weapons, and of course, enemies in the distance. Warzone has a useful ping system, allowing you to easily communicate with your teammates even if you’re not using voice chat to talk with them. The ping system contextually marks items you focus on, and double-tapping it allows you to indicate active hot-zones and locations where some action is about to go down. Even if you’re talking with your teammates or playing with friends, get used to using the ping system extensively.
Don’t Forget To Mount Your Weapon
Warzone’s tutorial does a good job of teaching you the absolute basics, including one aspect you’ll be familiar with if you’ve played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: the ability to mount your weapon. This involves using an object nearby to steady your weapon, reducing the amount of recoil you have to compensate for when firing your gun. Understandably, this can be easy to forget in the middle of combat. While there are certainly times that it’s better to maintain your mobility, the ability to fire accurately can mean the difference between life and death in certain engagements. Try to make use of this early and often as you begin playing Warzone so that you can build muscle memory rather than allowing this ability to become an afterthought.
Always Pick Up Bounty And Scavenger Contracts
Contracts are side-objectives you and your squad can pick up in the field to earn some extra cash and resources. They are a fun wrinkle to Warzone’s take on battle royale, but it’s essential you don’t allow them to become a distraction–you don’t want to find yourself outside the ring or leaving yourself vulnerable to complete one. That said, there are undeniable benefits to picking up contracts that should not be ignored. Scavenger contracts will reward you for opening a series of supply boxes, but even if you don’t have the opportunity to collect all three, picking up the contract will still direct you to a cache containing money and loot. As such, if you’re light on cash or gear, a Scavenger contract will guide you right to where you want to go.
Similarly, a Bounty contract will alert you to the general location of a foe you need to hunt down. Do so successfully, and you’ll be rewarded. But even if you have no intention of completing the contract–say, if you’re low on armor or ammo–having the general location of an enemy (or potentially an enemy squad) can help you avoid combat altogether.
Go For Loadouts
If you’re not reviving your squad and have some cash to spare, you want to try to purchase a loadout pack whenever you can. Buying a loadout drop allows you to call down your personal, customized loadout from the rest of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s standard multiplayer modes. If you’ve put in the time and unlocked guns with attachments, it means you can bring in the best, most useful guns available in Warzone, without having to run around looting buildings and making yourself vulnerable.
The real benefit of getting your custom loadout in Warzone is the perks. Warzone players don’t start with multiplayer perks in a match, but if you can get your loadout into the game, you also get its perks, which have a lot of benefits in Warzone, like increasing your revive speed or making you sprint faster. Not every perk is handy, so it pays to build a Warzone loadout and have it ready to go. But amping up your speed or making Killstreaks cheaper to purchase in Warzone can give you a big advantage in battle, even if you get stuck with guns that aren’t your favorites. When a loadout drops onto the map, it’s visible to everyone, which means that going after another player’s package is usually worth the risk. The prizes can be worth it, especially when you feel you’ve gotten a poor gearset as you’re roaming the map.
Keep Track Of The Redeployment Flares
Between the Gulag and purchasing redeployments, a lot of players can rejoin Warzone matches even though they’ve been eliminated. But to make sure your teammates second or even third chances aren’t in vain, you’ll need to keep an eye out for their signal flares that shoot way up into the sky and glow brightly upon their redeployment. Flares often launch from the Buy stations where a squad can bring their teammate into the game, and when a flare gets launched, it means two things: a player is dropping back into the game with next to nothing on that spot, and a shorthanded squad is waiting nearby for a teammate to return.
As you can guess, these signals flares will be visible to all players. It’s up to you to figure out the best time to use them, as aggressive players can use flares as a guide to get the drop on weak teams and knock them out of the game. On the other hand, if you want to be cautious, flares are often a good indication of where not to go, since you know players will be waiting nearby–and the flare could draw other teams looking for an opportunistic attack. Either way, flares can give you a lot of information, so keep an eye out for them.
Be Smart With Your Cash
While out in the field and taking on different contracts, you’ll be able to collect cash for your soldier. This currency can purchase new equipment from the many shops scattered across the map. These shops include Rare- and Epic-level support items and weapons, which can come in clutch during a fight. With all that said, you’re much better off saving up your currency for when you feel you’ll need it most. Along with purchasing items, cash can be invested in redeploying downed squadmates. What’s interesting about the redeploy option is that it can still revive players who have fallen in battle after escaping the Gulag, giving them yet another chance at fighting in the current battle. Since every member of a squad has their pool of cash, you’ll want to make sure you still have enough money in your reserves in case a squadmate suffers an untimely fate.
Be A Team Player And Share The Wealth
Making sure you’re as well-equipped as you can be is a key part of any battle royale game, but since Warzone is about squads of three, you also want your teammates to be in good shape. Each player in Warzone gathers cash separately, so when you’re thinking about potentially hitting a Buy station, it’s usually best to pool your squad’s resources together. Collecting money can be somewhat slow for a single person, but a whole team can combine their funds, and between two or three of you, you’ll often find you can afford things like loadouts or squad redeployments without too much effort.
This also extends to gear and other items on the field. One big thing to keep an eye on is armor, which can be the deciding factor in a gunfight. You can equip three pieces of armor on yourself at any given time, but you can carry up to five pieces. Having a couple of spare pieces of armor can help you if you get into trouble, but if your teammates are low, the better plan might be to share them. You can quickly pull up your inventory with Down on the D-Pad or TAB on PC, then highlight an item and drop it for a teammate. That includes armor pieces, which can help bring your squad up to full strength quickly–especially if someone died and had to be redeployed.
For more on Call of Duty: Warzone, be sure to keep up with GameSpot for more on the game’s recent launch.
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Those who purchased Doom Eternal‘s Collector’s Edition may be disappointed to find out that the game’s official soundtrack isn’t ready to ship yet. However, publisher Bethesda Softworks has announced that the soundtrack will come as soon as it’s ready and that the CE will still include all other confirmed items.
The official game soundtrack for DOOM Eternal is not yet complete, so it won’t be available on the game’s launch of 03.20.20. We’ll let everyone, including those who purchased the CE, know when it’s ready. For more details, please read our full statement: https://t.co/LY9bEFUUnM
Bethesda clarified in a follow-up tweet that Doom Eternal will still launch on March 20 for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One, replete with a full in-game soundtrack. It’s the separate, official soundtrack that features as a digital download in the Collector’s Edition that won’t release on March 20. Unfortunately, Bethesda didn’t offer anything more specific than “after [Doom Eternal’s] release date” for when we can expect the soundtrack to be delivered to customers. You can check out our Doom Eternal pre-order guide to see the other add-ons and bonuses that are included.
For those that already pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition, you can still expect a lossless digital code for Doom (2016)‘s soundtrack.
Composer Mick Gordon, the man behind Doom (2016)’s original soundtrack, returns to put together the music for Doom Eternal. Gordon recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Doom Eternal’s soundtrack, where he sought out the help of a heavy metal choir.
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Bloodshot is one of those weird early ’90s comic book properties with a dedicated niche fanbase, but little mainstream name recognition. Nevertheless, when director Dave Wilson first took a look at the script, he thought Valiant Comics would balk at the changes he had in mind. Luckily for him, he was wrong.
“I thought I was going to be told, ‘We don’t want to change it. We like what we’ve got,'” Wilson told GameSpot during a recent interview. “And they very much embraced my concept for it.”
That concept came from Wilson’s love of a very specific subgenre of sci-fi. “I love comic books, but science fiction is my love, and there’s a subset of science fiction I like to call science fact, which is very sort of [Jurassic Park author] Michael Crichton, and my favorite author, this guy called Daniel Suarez,” Wilson explained.
Suarez writes “techno-thriller” novels like the 2006 book Daemon, about a computer program that begins to dominate the world following its creator’s death. Wilson saw parallels between the author’s work and Bloodshot–parallels he could flesh out and explore in his vision for the adaptation.
“At the core of Bloodshot was this idea of what I call the illusion of choice, which is like when you Google something, or you swipe left or right, technology companies beyond our control are curating lists for us,” the director said. “I loved that sort of aspect of manipulation through technology. And I felt like the character was very much the embodiment of that, the personification of it.”
As a character, Bloodshot gets his name from the fact that his blood has been replaced by billions of microscopic “nanite” machines that grant him superpowers and are capable of healing any wound, no matter how severe, in a matter of seconds. The “illusion of choice” comes in when the paramilitary science organization that invented that technology uses it to manipulate the former soldier. In the version of the script Wilson first read, that aspect wasn’t present. Wilson pitched Valiant on his version, and with the support of then-Valiant CEO Dinesh Shamdasani and help from screenplay co-writer Eric Heisserer, the director made it a reality.
But Wilson said they were also careful not to lose what made the comics great along the way.
Bloodshot’s nanites in action
“We made sure that we were not leaving anything behind that Valiant faithful would be disappointed by,” Wilson said. “Between Eric, the original, and Dinesh, it was a very collaborative approach to making the leap to the screen.”
Wilson also thought the sci-fi elements would help Bloodshot stand out in the superhero movie genre. “Look, the [superhero] space is quite saturated right now as it is, so how do I make it mine? Leaning into the tech of it was a strong way of doing that,” he said. “I leaned into the transhumanism, the tech, the idea that we’re manipulated through that technology. All of that was part of trying to make it feel like its own thing.”
That aspect is present throughout the film, from the various ways technology is used to manipulate Bloodshot himself, to the cybernetic implants several other characters have, like a breathing apparatus that bypasses a damaged trachea, or a pair of chest-mounted cameras that act as a character’s eyes.
As for what these aspects attempt to say or reveal about our world–as most science fiction tends to do–we’ll leave that for you to decide.
Bloodshot hits theaters March 13. Read our Bloodshot review here.
Ever since his debut in Image Comics in 1992, the titular Spawn has seen his fair share of weirdness and horrors while fighting demons on Earth, and in the pits of hell. But with his upcoming debut in Mortal Kombat 11, he’ll now come face-to-face with the kombatants of the MK universe, pitting his hellspawn powers against the likes of Scorpion, Liu Kang, and even mirror versions of himself.
In this gameplay video, we took Spawn on a test run through Mortal Kombat 11’s arcade ladder, where he ultimately faced off against the time-bending big bad herself, Kronika. Just like with every character in the game, Spawn has a unique ending that reveals his fate following his victory in the MK tournament. Just like with his comic roots, things eventually get weird, and we see Spawn making unlikely alliances as he fights his way through the many circles of hell–which features some callbacks to the Spawn comic series.
As the final character of the current Kombat Pack, Spawn is a fun and brutal addition to the roster, and it’ll be exciting to see how players experiment with his demonic powers. Along with the new character, Mortal Kombat 11 will also get new Matinee-themed costumes for Jacqui Briggs, Kotal Kahn, and Erron Black inspired by 1930s pulp-adventure serials. Moreover, Jacqui Briggs will get one more outfit inspired by Spawn, giving her the appearance of a hellspawn.
Spawn in Mortal Kombat 11 will be available to current owners on March 17, while non-Kombat Pack owners will be able to play as him on March 24.
The next fighter joining the Mortal Kombat 11 roster is Spawn, one of the edgiest comic-book superheroes of the 1990s. As the final character for the current Kombat Pack, he follows in the footsteps of other guest characters like The Terminator and The Joker, who incorporate their unique personalities and combat styles into the MK universe. Recently, we had the chance to go hands-on with Spawn, and we certainly got to see his abrasive and no-nonsense personality in full display.
Ever since his debut in 1992, Spawn has never been one to mince words. When he’s confronted with a character that rubs him the wrong way, he’ll be sure to let them know outright. In this video, we’ve mashed up some of the most vulgar and meanest fight intros from Spawn in Mortal Kombat 11. Voiced by Keith David, the same actor who portrayed the character in the HBO animated series from 1997, the undead fighter lets loose with insults and the hostilities when facing off against the likes of The Joker and Shao Kahn.
In addition to the new character, this next update for Mortal Kombat 11 will also introduce new Matinee-themed costumes for Jacqui Briggs, Kotal Kahn, and Erron Black inspired by pulp-adventure serials from the 1930s. Along with that, Jacqui Briggs will get another outfit inspired by Spawn, giving her the appearance of a hellspawn as well.
Spawn is the final character of the current Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11, and he’ll be available to current owners on March 17, while non-Kombat Pack owners will be able to purchase him separately on March 24.
As one of the edgiest comic-book characters from the 1990s, Spawn isn’t your average superhero. Complete with an incredibly dark origin story that ties his fate to the demons of hell, his no-nonsense attitude, vulgar language, and brutal methods made him a far cry from other heroes like Superman or Batman. With such a dark background, and set of bizarre and violent powers to use on his enemies, this makes Spawn an excellent addition to the Mortal Kombat 11 roster. The titular character feels right at him in the grotesque violence and over-the-top action on display in Netherrealm Studios’ latest fighting game, and we’ve got plenty of gameplay to show of him in action.
Ahead of his debut in Mortal Kombat 11, we went hands-on with Spawn and put him through his paces against many of the seasoned fighters. In this gameplay video, we show off a battle with the hellspawn facing off against Mortal Kombat’s stalwart fighter Liu Kang. It makes for an exciting contrast seeing a gritty and hyper-violent comic-book character coming to blows with MK’s fireball slinging, kung-fu brawler. Yet, it all made for a fun and thrilling fight, which of course, ends in gruesome fashion.
As the last character of the current Kombat Pack, Spawn introduces an extraordinarily bizarre and violent fighting style into the mix, which should make for a fun time experimenting with his demonic powers. Along with the new character, Mortal Kombat 11 will also get new Matinee-themed costumes for Jacqui Briggs, Kotal Kahn, and Erron Black inspired by 1930s pulp-adventure serials. Moreover, Jacqui Briggs will get one more outfit inspired by Spawn, giving her the appearance of a hellspawn.
Spawn in Mortal Kombat 11 will be available to current owners on March 17, while non-Kombat Pack owners will be able to play as him on March 24.
As one of the most prominent symbols of independent comics of the 1990s, Spawn has had a reputation for being a violent, abrasive, and brutal superhero–which makes him such a great for Mortal Kombat 11. We recently had the chance to get some hands-on time with the last character of the current Kombat Pack, and he’s certainly made the transition well into Netherrealm Studios’ violent and over-the-top fighting game.
In this video, we pulled together some of the greatest hits of Spawn’s appearance in Mortal Kombat 11, highlighting his cinematics, fatalities, brutalities, and even his extremely elaborate fatal blow attack. Right from his intro, where you see him perched atop a church rooftop, it’s clear that Spawn faithfully recreated in the fighting game. Spawn uses both conventional weapons and demonic powers, which makes his combat style a mix of ranged moves and skills that get up close and personal. His iconic chains and cape also come into play, with some grotesque results.
In addition to the new character, this next update for Mortal Kombat 11 will also introduce new Matinee-themed costumes for Jacqui Briggs, Kotal Kahn, and Erron Black inspired by pulp-adventure serials from the 1930s. Along with that, Jacqui Briggs will get another costume inspired by Spawn, giving her the appearance of a hellspawn as well.
Spawn is the final character of the current Kombat Pack for Mortal Kombat 11, and he’ll be available to current owners on March 17, while non-Kombat Pack owners will be able to play as him on March 24.
