All hail the King(s Canyon) 👑 Squad up and drop in on Season 2 Kings Canyon starting tomorrow, March 20, through March 23. See you Legends there. pic.twitter.com/BTvsKunl5h
Since the move to World’s Edge at the start of Season 3: Meltdown, Apex Legends has seen the return of Kings Canyon several times for limited-time events or weekends. Given Respawn’s desire to present more options to players when playing Apex Legends (like adding Solos or Duos as permanent modes) in the future, it’s possible the developer could be using these temporary returns to the battle royale game’s original map to test how to best implement two maps at the same time.
Justice League Mortal will forever be known as one of the great superhero movies that never was. But now we have a slightly better idea of how that movie would have looked, as a new image of Armie Hammer’s Batman cowl has surfaced online.
Here’s a color-corrected image that gives a slightly better idea of how the finished product would have looked:
This art suggests Hammer’s Batsuit would have been more heavily comic-inspired than that of fellow Batman actor Christian Bale. Whether Hammer would have been able to turn his head in this costume is another matter entirely.
In fact, the long ears, sculpted browlines and generally sleek quality of the mask hearken very closely to the painted art of Alex Ross:
This isn’t the first time Unicomb has given fans a glimpse of this canceled Justice League movie. In 2019 he posted another piece of concept art showing a very different take on Hammer’s Batsuit. While retaining the classic gray, black and yellow color scheme of the comics, the execution was much different in this case.
Unicomb wrote, “The costume was a mixture of Kevlar and chain mail with a kind-of robotic exo-skeleton under his arms, legs and back designed to help Bruce fight crime even when his body was in its most broken state. Reflective paint over the eyes and chest would catch any available light, heightening his intimidating figure in the darkness. Thick padding around the neck would make sure no blows to the neck or throat would incapacitate him during battle. This was a concept that never went [past] this initial ‘discovery stage’ during development.”
This abandoned suit sounds like it was inspired more by Ross’ design in 1996’s Kingdom Come, which featured an older Bruce Wayne wearing an exoskeleton to support a body battered by years of fighting crime. That comic also inspired the look of Kevin Conroy’s live-action Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse’s recent Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.
For those who don’t remember, Justice League Mortal would have been directed by George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) and was set to star Armie Hammer (Call Me by Your Name) as Batman, D.J. Cotrona (From Dusk Till Dawn series) as Superman, Adam Brody (The O.C.) as The Flash, Santiago Cabrera (Transformers: The Last Knight) as Aquaman, Megan Gale (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Wonder Woman, Hugh Keays-Byrne (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Martian Manhunter and Common (Suicide Squad) as Green Lantern. Fans got a small glimpse of the entire Justice League Mortal cast in 2018, when Collider acquired a very low-res costume test photo featuring all seven League members.
A new set of Fortnite Season 2 challenges is now live. Week 5 brings us the first batch of Meowscles Mischief challenges, and while a number of them have you doing cat-like things like consuming fish and surviving high falls, one of the more involved missions asks you to visit three different locations: Shipwreck Cove, Flopper Pond, and the Yacht. If you’re not sure where those are located, we’ve put together this guide to help you out.
Where Are Shipwreck Cove, Flopper Pond, And The Yacht Locations?
Unlike Week 5’s other location challenge (which asks you to visit Coral Cove, Stack Shack, and the crash site), the three areas you need to visit for this mission are spread out all over the island. The easiest to find is the Yacht; it’s the giant boat in the middle of grid square H1.
The other two areas are a bit more obscure. Shipwreck Cove is in the lower southeast corner of the map in grid square H7, while Flopper Pond can be found just northeast of Holly Hedges, in grid square C5. We’ve marked down where all three areas are on the map below.
Fortnite Shipwreck Cover, Flopper Pond, and Yacht locations
How To Complete The Challenge
Once you know where all three areas are located, all you need to do is make your way to each one and you’ll complete the challenge. Fortunately, you don’t need to visit all three within a single match, although you might be able to if you manage to snag one of the new Choppas. These can be found at helipads around the island, one of which is located on the Yacht, so you can land there, hop in a Choppa, and try to fly to the other two locations to complete the challenge quickly.
Season 2 of Fortnite is slated to end in April, so there are still a few weeks’ worth of challenges on the way. If you need help completing any, we’ve rounded up all of our maps and guides for this season’s trickier missions in our Fortnite Season 2 challenges hub. Be sure to also check out our Fortnite Season 2 roundup to catch up on everything that’s new in the game this season.
If you absolutely cannot get enough of Star Wars’ The Mandalorian and, more specifically, its adorable Baby Yoda, Hot Toys and Sideshow have revealed a new articulating figurine that you might not be able to resist–if you have both the money and patience.
Hot Toys creates remarkably screen-accurate figures in multiple sizes and already has multiple figures of The Mandalorian on his own. Now, there are new collectible sets inspired by The Mandalorian, and they look fantastic. The new deluxe set features The Mandalorian in his new armor and a tiny replica of Baby Yoda for you to have him watch over. It’s adorable, but it sells for a whopping $313.
The Mandalorian and The Child (Deluxe Edition) | $313
The Deluxe version includes a host of additional extras for you to find that perfect pose, whether you want Mando to be flying through the air with his magnetically attached jetpack, taking aim with his signature rifle, or just chilling out with The Child in his floating carriage.
The Mandalorian and The Child (standard set) | $259
There’s also a standard version of the set (which includes only Mando and The Child with fewer accessories) that retails for $259. You can pre-order both the standard and Deluxe collectible sets today, but you’ll have to wait until April 2021 at the earliest to get them.
The latest Call of Duty from Infinity Ward shipped without an answer to Black Ops 4’s Blackout, but it has since been supplemented by Warzone–a completely standalone battle royale built off of the backbone of Modern Warfare. Not only is it a smarter way to ensure it’s not tied to each annual release in the series, but Warzone gives the series its own identity within the competitive genre.
It might not be apparent at first, though, especially when you take into consideration how much Warzone borrows from other popular battle royale games. It incorporates a ping system similar to the one in Apex Legends, letting you tag enemy positions, points of interest, and loot for teammates at the press of a button (albeit mapped to a button that’s harder to reach quickly, mitigating some of its convenience). It plays out on a massive map akin to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, where large swathes of open land are ripe for snipers while dense suburbs make for exhilarating and chaotic close-quarters skirmishes. And like the ones in Fortnite, color-coded chests overflowing with loot are easy to hunt down when you are within earshot of their signature emanating jingle.
None of these competitors are defined solely by the elements Warzone borrows from them, and Warzone isn’t defined by the sum of their parts. Instead, Warzone uses them to establish a solid foundation for its own distinct elements. It starts with a larger player count than the aforementioned battle royale games, with Warzone currently supporting up to 150 players per match, with modes for three-person squads or solo play. Having so many players active at once keeps you constantly on alert, but also increases the odds that you’ll at least have some action (and likely a handful of kills) each match. This makes even some of the least successful drops feel worthwhile–even if your entire match lasts only a handful of minutes, you’ll likely get some valuable time in with some weapons, better preparing you for another fight in the next match.
You’re likely to feel right at home with many areas of Warzone’s map, too, if you’ve already been playing Modern Warfare. Many of its named areas use identical layouts as those in Modern Warfare proper as well as previous installments, so you can navigate them using muscle memory–and they’re intuitive enough to learn from scratch, too. Breaking up large swathes of dangerously open fields are dense and cramped suburbs filled with tall high-rises or mazes of storage rooms. It’s easy to lose pursuers in the twisting streets of Downtown or hide in the large industrial factories of the Lumberyard, rewarding your memory of their respective layouts as you turn an ambush into an opportunity to attack. Large buildings can get frustrating with their long stairwells as loot is only hidden on the ground and top floors, but even these force you to think about what advantages you might reap with the extra elevation against the disadvantages of trapping yourself in a narrow hallway to get there first.
Warzone minimizes downtime, encouraging you to get into a fight with an aggressively fast closing circle and streamlined mechanics governing your loot. Unlike most other games in the genre, Warzone doesn’t task you with micro-managing items in a limited-space backpack. Instead, you have pre-defined slots of ammunition types, armour-plating, and cash. The rest of your loadout works identically to a standard Modern Warfare multiplayer match–you have two weapon slots, one lethal grenade and one utility grenade slot each, and one slot for field equipment (perks like FMJ ammunition, recon drones, and more).
Weapons drop with attachments already equipped based on their overall rarity (this ranges from the stock white drops to fully kitted-out orange ones), and there’s no option to customize them outside of what they already feature. This makes early looting extremely quick. It’s easy to find two suitable primary weapons and stockpile some ammunition early on, which lets you focus more on hunting other players than staying out of sight in pursuit of attachments to your gear. It also feeds into Warzone’s changes to both an in-game economy and its principles around respawning, both of which benefit from allowing you to go from your starting pistol to battle-ready in a few minutes flat.
Cash is central to Warzone’s spin on the genre. You earn cash by looting it, killing other players, or completing small optional objectives (such as hunting down another player or securing an area for a short time). Buy stations are littered around the map, and if you have the cash, you can spend it on useful killsteaks like UAVs, airstrikes, and shield turrets–but also on useful gear like additional armour-plating and self-revive kits. The most expensive purchase is a full loadout drop, letting you airdrop in a crate and equip your squad with their own handcrafted loadouts and perks from their own inventories.
This is the largest twist in Warzone in terms of its effect on the overall focus of the mode. Other battle royales force you to make do with what you can scavenge, but Warzone shifts that focus on collecting as much cash as you can and getting the loadout of your choice. Despite being the most expensive purchase right now, it’s incredibly easy for a team of three players to collectively gather enough money within the opening moments of a match to secure their premade loadouts. It’s already common to find players using thermal scopes and the Cold-Blooded perk to combat it, but generally, the inclusion of a loadout drop dilutes the dynamism of matches by making loot count for a lot less. It’s no longer a scrappy rush to try and equip yourself with what you can find, but a brief interlude before hunting other players with weapons you’ve specifically chosen for Warzone and its structure.
I found more fun in matches where I was playing on the edge, forced to make do with average-rated weapons with poor scopes that forced me to pick my battles wisely. There’s opportunity for this not only at the start of a Warzone match, but throughout one, too, thanks to a liberal respawn system that frequently feeds you back into the game. When you’re killed for the first time, you’re transported to the Gulag and forced to face off against one other player to secure your freedom and respawn into the match. Set in a cramped shower room in a derelict prison, these bouts are quick and messy, rewarding fast reflexes and pinpoint aim. It feels great to earn your place back in a match after a disappointing death, but it also places you immediately on the backfoot as you’re spawned back in without any of your loot. This is especially challenging to overcome when playing solo, where you can’t rely on your teammates to secure your landing or help you find new weapons with some security.
If you fail in the Gulag, or subsequently die after having respawned, you can still be revived indefinitely by teammates at buy stations (if you’re playing with a squad, of course). There’s a hefty fee attributed to each respawn, but it’s low enough to encourage your squad to seek out your revival without giving up on it entirely once you’ve gone down. It also redefines what a death means in battle royale. Warzone doesn’t let you linger after a successful skirmish, forcing you to hurry through your opponents’ dropped loot and prepare for the possibility of retaliation. It keeps you looking over your shoulder at all times, scanning the horizon for a vengeful scope taking aim at your head. It’s equally exhilarating to lose to a squad and deliver retribution after a quick visit to the Gulag. Fighting back from nothing to overcome your rivals is incredibly rewarding whether you’re playing with a team or solo, though in squads you have more opportunities to do so.
In addition to Warzone’s standard battle royale mode is Plunder, which is far less noteworthy than the main attraction despite being a new game mode entirely. Set on the same map and with the same 150 players split into teams of three, Plunder shifts the objective from survival to looting. The overall goal is to hoard as much cash as you can, depositing your personal stashes at helicopter drop points similar to those in The Division’s Dark Zone. Squads currently leading the standings are marked on the map, giving you a clear view of your competitors and attracting players to common areas for largely chaotic fights. Respawns are unlimited in Plunder too; dying only penalizes you by resetting your carried cash and forcing you to sit through a lengthy respawn timer.
Plunder is sound mechanically, but it’s simply unexciting. The matches take far too long, limited to either 30 minutes or until a squad has collectively banked $1 million. For the most part the majority of players are centralized on one part of the map, all fighting over the same pool of money in firefights where bullets are coming from every direction. Even though rattle royale lacks a strict structure, its closing circle does move players in a common direction, which forces dynamic skirmishes that can lead to exciting and unexpected gameplay stories. Plunder’s static nature lacks the same excitement.
Warzone is a great sophomore attempt at a battle royale from Call of Duty, which finally manages to carve out its own identity with interesting spins on the existing formula. Its subversion of death and the nail-biting Gulag duels give you more ways to stay in a match, while also forcing you to be aware of your surroundings even after wiping a rival squad. Its looting is streamlined enough to make early moments feel fast, but Warzone also loses some of the messy magic from hobbled together loadouts by letting you drop in prebuilt ones far too easily and frequently. Still, if you’re comfortable with Call of Duty’s latest iteration of multiplayer antics and thrive in the stressful setting of battle royales, Warzone is a strong contender for your attention.
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The European Union has urged Netflix and other streaming services to restrict users from streaming in high definition to help to ease bandwidth strain amid concerns of surges in online traffic during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic despite there being no reports of outages or adverse affects at this time.
As reported by CNN, European Commissioner Thierry Breton has asked streamers to switch the quality of its movies and TV shows from high definition to standard definition in order to manage the increased demand from users who are at home due to forced lockdowns.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Breton confirmed that he had spoken to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings about the issue, as he encouraged people and companies to “switch to standard definition when HD is not necessary” to avoid putting infrastructures “in strain” and ensure that everyone has “secure internet access.”
In a secondary statement on Thursday, Breton stressed the importance of streaming platforms, telecom operators, and users taking the necessary action to reduce congestion and to safeguard the “smooth functioning of the internet during the battle against the virus propagation.”
A Netflix spokesperson told CNN, “Commissioner Breton is right to highlight the importance of ensuring that the internet continues to run smoothly during this critical time. We’ve been focused on network efficiency for many years, including providing our open connect service for free to telecommunications companies.”
The streaming giant also confirmed that it already takes measures to reduce the consumption of bandwidth by adjusting stream quality based on available network capacity and using a special network to deliver its library of content. Further, there have been no reports of outages or adverse affects as a result of the increased usage so far.
At the moment of writing, cities in the USA have been following the lead of many in Europe with mandatory lockdowns. San Francisco and Los Angeles, California both announced lockdowns that include mandatory work-from-home policies, and shutting down bars and other high-risk gathering spaces. The most recent World Health Organization confirmed over 200 thousand cases globally, though that number increases every day.
Consequently, people have been looking for ways to connect with their friends without having to leave the comfort of their sofas, with many turning to Netflix Party, a Google Chrome extension that allows multiple users to stream a Netflix show or movie together at the same time. This in itself shows a shift in behaviour as more and more people move towards indoor activities and creative connectivity at this unprecedented time.
For a list of recommendations on how best to help, and stay safe, during the Coronavirus pandemic, please read our resource guide.
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Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.
A teaser trailer features the infamous agent conversing with a member of the Ghosts present on Auroa–the fictional island that is home to the armed-drone nightmare of Breakpoint’s main campaign. Fisher also mentions Terminators, which references a limited-time event that was previously live in Breakpoint where players could hunt down a T-800. You can watch the teaser below.
This isn’t the first time Splinter Cell and Ghost Recon have crossed over. Sam Fisher previously appeared in Ghost Recon: Wildlands for a similar purpose, giving players an additional mission to undertake with the night-vision goggles wearing soldier.
It’s a pity that this is really the only time we get to see Sam Fisher too, considering how long it’s been since Ubisoft developed a new entry in the Splinter Cell franchise. The last one, Blacklist, launched in 2013, and was pretty great. Critic Kevin Van Ord praised the stealth action and improvements over the hit or miss Conviction in our 8/10 Splinter Cell: Blacklist review. Its director, Jade Raymond, left Ubisoft shortly after it launched, going on to found EA Motive before also leaving and joining Google Stadia. Ubisoft’s CEO has previously explained why the wait for a new Splinter Cell has been so long.
Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has been far less well-received critically. Although Ubisoft is continuing to support it, critic Richard Wakeling found little to love in our 4/10 Ghost Recon: Breakpoint review, saying, “It’s essentially every Ubisoft open-world game rolled into one, failing to excel in any one area or establish its own identity. Breakpoint is a messy, confused game and a ghost of the series’ former self.”
Animal Crossing fans, your time is nearly here: Animal Crossing: New Horizons finally releases on Nintendo Switch tomorrow, March 20. Excitement for the next mainline entry in the popular series couldn’t be higher, and to top it off, there’s been an influx of Animal Crossing merchandise that’s just too cute to handle. One of our favorite pieces of Animal Crossing merch has been hard to find for a while, but it’s coming back into stock later this year. The Isabelle Nendoroid released for Animal Crossing: New Leaf is back up for pre-order, releasing this September. It’s available for $44.
The adorable Nendoroid figure for Isabelle (or “Shizue,” as she’s known in Japan) features her iconic look from New Leaf, and her trademark hair accessory actually includes a real bell that makes noise. The Nendoroid also includes multiple accessories like musical notes, a clipboard and pen, and a question mark to recreate her various poses from the game. The figure, which is painted partially by hand, comes with a stand that you’ll need to use; Isabelle won’t balance on her own. This is a small figure, just under four inches, so it won’t take up too much space.
Isabelle Nendoroid from Animal Crossing | $44
This is the fourth release for this Isabelle Nendoroid, which first hit the market in October 2013 and was subsequently re-released in 2016 and 2019. Although the release date is still months away, pre-orders are only open for a limited time. You can pre-order the Isabelle Nendoroid now until April 16 at midnight PT / 3 AM ET.
If you still haven’t secured your copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons or want to know what pre-order bonuses are still available, be sure to reference our Animal Crossing: New Horizons pre-order guide for the latest info, including any current discounts. Plus, check out our early impressions of the game in GameSpot’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons review-in-progress, which is still being finalized.
“So far, I’ve played Animal Crossing: New Horizons for 80 hours over 17 days, and that anticipation hasn’t yet gone away,” wrote editor Kallie Plagge. “While I’ve spent a lot of time developing my island so far, I still feel as if there’s plenty left for me to do and see–there’s a lot in New Horizons to occupy your time with.”
See more Animal Crossing merch
We’ve been closely tracking the best Animal Crossing merch and its availability over the past few months. Check out more of our favorites that are still available to order below.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Official Companion Guide | $18
Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ official compansion guide is discounted to $18 on Amazon, normally selling for $30.
Isabelle “Dad Hat” | $15-$22
We’re kind of obsessed with this officially licensed, one-size-fits-all “dad hat” featuring Isabelle on the front. It’s up at Amazon for $22 with free Prime shipping, but please note you can get it for $15 at Controller Gear, the brand that makes it. The adorable hat releases April 15.
Animal Crossing Amiibo
All Animal Crossing Amiibo can be used with New Horizons, including the Super Smash Bros. version of Isabelle, shown above. Some are sold out, others are still available, and some are available for pre-order, releasing next month. Check out our full guide to where to find Animal Crossing Amiibo and how they work with New Horizons.
With a global shortage of surgical masks due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, gaming hardware company Razer has begun manufacturing masks to donate to hospitals in need globally.
Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan announced last night on Twitter that “[Razer] intend[s] to donate up to 1M masks to health authorities of different countries.”
While Razer is known primarily for its keyboards, mice, and other computer peripherals, this is quite a departure from illuminated gaming gear. Tan firmly believes that “all of us have a part to play in fighting the virus – no matter which industry we come from.”
We intend to donate up to 1M masks to the health authorities of different countries globally. For starters, we’ve been in touch with the authorities in Singapore (where the @Razer SEA HQ is based) to donate some of the initial shipments to assist their fight against COVID-19.
Razer has been working tirelessly over the past couple of days, including 24-hour shifts, to convert its existing manufacturing lines in order to produce the surgical masks. Tan also mentioned he and his team have been in touch with authorities in Singapore (where Razer’s HQ is located) to donate some of its initial shipments.
The remainder of Razer’s global offices will be reaching out to other governments and health authorities to prioritize its support going forward.
Less than two years after launching, MapleStory 2 will have its global servers shut down. The servers will officially go dark on May 27.
The decision was announced on the game’s official website, which details which regions will be affected and when players can expect support to cease. MapleStory’s global servers encompassed most regions, with only South Korea and China expected to stay running after May. MapleStory 2 support will also be shut down on June 27.
“We are forever grateful for your patience and dedication to MapleStory 2 as we tried to rework the game starting with Project New Leaf, but ultimately we’ve decided that we will not be able to provide the type of service that would live up to your expectations,” the announcement reads. “We took a hard look at the current state of the game and its future roadmap, and sadly reached the conclusion that it would be difficult to maintain long-term continuation of the game while remaining true to what made MapleStory 2 your MapleStory 2.”
Players who purchased in-game currency after December 11 can apply for a refund, which will be fulfilled using NX–an in-game currency that is used across all of publisher Nexon’s games. MapleStory 2 will also have its in-game purchases disabled until servers are shut down. The game’s final end-game events have already begun, giving players some time to complete them.
Having launched in October 2018, MapleStory 2 is an MMO that allowed players to customize their characters and homes, engage in long raid activities, and battle other players. Its endgame shifted away from the pay-to-win mechanics of the first title, but replaced it with very random drops and time gates that diluted the fun of the grind.
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