Death Stranding’s Expanded PC Photo Mode Is Also Coming To PS4

Death Stranding is coming to PC this summer with a few enhancements, including an expanded photo mode. However, PS4 players won’t be left out, as the console version is getting an update that gives you even more ways to take pictures during your cross-country journey.

Director Hideo Kojima revealed the news on his official Twitter account, saying the PS4 version will actually be getting the PC version’s photo mode before the PC version is out. His studio’s goal is currently to have it out by the end of the month in a title update.

Once released, the update will let you take images of protagonist Sam while you’re exploring the world and delivering supplies. Previously, you could snap images while Sam looked into the mirror in his room, complete with silly faces.

With filters and text available for the images, it should turn both PS4 and PC players into artists during their journey. There is certainly plenty of time to take pictures during the game’s long runtime, especially during its early chapters.

When Death Stranding releases for PC on June 2, it will include a high frame rate option, as well as ultra-wide monitor support and Half-Life content. Fellow PS4 exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn will join the game with a PC launch, though you shouldn’t expect all Sony-published games to do the same.

Death Stranding is an ambitious game, and one that requires a major commitment. In GameSpot’s Death Stranding review, Kallie Plagge praised its unique take on multiplayer and shift away from traditional video game violence.

Now Playing: Death Stranding Video Review

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Watch Part 1 Of Vice’s Dark Side Of The Ring Chris Benoit Episode Before Part 2 Airs

Vice’s mini-documentary series Dark Side of The Ring returns this week with a two-hour premiere covering the shocking Chris Benoit murder case. In 2007, Chris Benoit, one of wrestling’s greatest technicians and well-loved superstars, murdered both his wife Nancy and their seven-year-old son Daniel before killing himself. Part 1 of the episode aired on March 20, and Part 2 will arrive to Vice TV on March 24.

The news sent shockwaves through the wrestling world and transcended mainstream news that opened up a slew of controversies. Now, Vice is taking a deeper look at the horrific murders through the eyes and voices of those that lived through the tragedy. Vice has put up the first part of the series as a “sneak peek”, as you can see below.

The documentary offers unprecedented access to Benoit’s inner circle of family and friends, who reveal their complicated feelings about the tragedy 13 years later including his son, David, who is trying to make a name for himself in the wrestling business.

“That definitely was not him. He’s still my hero,” and Sandra Toffoloni, Nancy Benoit’s sister: “I think I do, someday want to forgive him…it’s not today.”

Also interviewed are a multitude of wrestling personalities including Chavo Guerrero, Jr., Vickie Guerrero, Chris Jericho (who also narrates the episode), Jim Ross, and Dean Malenko.

Dark Side of The Ring Season 2 will premiere on Tuesday, March 24 9 PM ET / PT on VICE TV with Benoit’s two-hour special episode, then will air weekly on Tuesdays at 10 ET / PT.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Update – V13.00 Patch Notes

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne’s latest major update 13.00 is out now for console players, with two new variant monsters, a “layered weapons” feature, and a whole lot of bug fixes.

The new update is 1.4GB on PlayStation 4, and 2.1GB on Xbox One, and is available now. PC players will have to wait until April 8, though after this update PC and console updates will drop at the same time.

The patch adds the new monster variants Raging Brachydios and Furious Rajang, and new armour sets for each. These new types of Brachydios and Rajang, and the new strategies that will be needed to combat them, are discussed in the Developer Diary Volume 5 video.

As far as unlocking these tense new hunts, the patch notes say “both monsters will appear in new special assignments after finishing the main story of Iceborne and unlocking the tundra region in the Guiding Lands.”

The biggest new feature added is weapon layering, allowing item aesthetics to be customized without changing the all-important stats. You can read more about how layering works here.

The level cap for master rank armor upgrades has been raised, and a few quality-of-life changes have been made to Steamworks operations.

A new item has been added that will allow quest leaders to banish a monster from the Guiding Lands, and new decor and BGM are available for rooms in Seliana. New charms have been added, including Fury Charm V, Power Charm V, Mighty Charm III, and Challenger Charm V. All of these additions are exclusively for players with the Iceborne expansion.

The rest of the patch notes detail the various bugs that have been ironed out in the 13.00 patch–you can read through the whole list here.

GameSpot’s review of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne said, “Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is more of the same, glorious slog for everyone who’s ever been taken down by a fire-breathing facsimile of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and thought, ‘I can’t wait to do that 50 times over.'” Read the whole thing here.

Now Playing: Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Video Review

Hallmark Is Bringing Its Christmas Movie Marathon Back For Some Self-Isolation Cheer

As more and more people enter both mandatory and voluntary self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, entertainment companies keep coming up with new ways to keep everyone occupied. The latest is Hallmark, which is bringing back its mega Christmas movie marathon so we can all sit back, enjoy the cheese, and pretend 2020 is already over.

The Hallmark Channel marathon is set to start at noon ET/PT on Friday, with 27 sickly sweet Christmas rom-coms running all the way through to Sunday at 6 PM, as reported by Entertainment Tonight.

Here are all the movies that will be part of the marathon, from the full schedule here.

  • A Christmas Detour
  • Holiday Date
  • A Christmas Love Story
  • Mingle All the Way
  • Christmas Under Wraps
  • Crown for Christmas
  • The Christmas Cottage
  • A Royal Christmas
  • Marry Me at Christmas
  • A Very Merry Mix-Up
  • Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays
  • Snow Bride
  • Switched for Christmas
  • Christmas at Dollywood
  • The Nine Lives of Christmas
  • Christmas at the Plaza
  • Christmas Town
  • Picture a Perfect Christmas
  • The Sweetest Christmas
  • Coming Home for Christmas
  • Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses
  • Pride, Prejudice & Mistletoe
  • Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy
  • A Shoe Addict’s Christmas
  • Christmas Under the Stars
  • Write Before Christmas
  • Christmas in Rome

To really get into it, why not dig out your Christmas sweaters, make a mug of hot chocolate, and cuddle up by the fire for this one.

If Christmas rom-coms aren’t really your jam, check out GameSpot’s recommendations for the best movies, TV shows, and games to keep you occupied during this period, including some free and cheap titles for you to explore right now.

Now Playing: Die Hard – The Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told

Netflix Is Downgrading Video Quality In Australia To Help Keep Networks From Overloading

As is already the case across Europe, Netflix is downgrading the video quality of movies and TV in Australia as part of an effort to mitigate problems related to internet overload as more people stay home amid concerns around COVID-19.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Netflix will begin compressing the bit rates of content from this evening (24 March) to help the National Broadband Network (NBN) continue to operate normally.

Netflix vice president Ken Florence told SMH that the reduced bit rates will be in place for the next 30 days. “Given the crisis, we’ve developed a way to reduce Netflix’s traffic on the telecommunications network by 25 percent while also maintaining the quality of our service,” he said.

Florence downplayed the impact of this move, saying only those who are “particularly tuned into video quality” may notice a “very slight decrease” in quality.

In other news about Netflix and the coronavirus pandemic, the streaming company has created a $100 million fund to help support hourly workers on its various productions now that every Netflix TV show and movie that was in production has now been shut down.

Now Playing: Best Things To Stream For March 2020 – Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video

Bad Boys for Life Will Arrive Early on Digital

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s belated buddy cop blockbuster Bad Boys for Life is joining the lengthy list of films getting an early digital release amid the current COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, reports Variety.

Bad Boys for Life will hit digital platforms on March 31 (its physical 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD release is slated for several weeks later, on April 21).

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Bad Boys for Life originally hit cinemas on January 16 in Australia and January 17 in the UK and North America – so the gap between its theatrical and home release isn’t quite as truncated as other films recently confirmed to be making unusually speedy home releases – but it is still slightly earlier than has previously been typical.

The long-gestating follow-up to 1995’s Bad Boys and 2003’s Bad Boys II, Bad Boys for Life has been well-received by fans and critics and is currently 2020’s highest grossing film. IGN’s review called Bad Boys for Life an outrageous throwback threequel with great cast chemistry and plenty of all-out action.

Development on a fourth instalment has already been confirmed.

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While the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in considerable upheaval across the entertainment industry, more importantly there are number of things you can do to stay safe during this pandemic.

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter every few days @MrLukeReilly.

IGN’s Exclusive Hearthstone Card Reveal

The Hearthstone team recently revealed its plans for the Year of the Phoenix, and to say they’re huge would be an understatement. We’re talking about the Priest class getting a rework, duplicates being eliminated from card packs, a free deck for new and returning players, Leeroy Jenkins (and others) being sent to the Hall of Fame, and, of course, the biggest news of all – Hearthstone is getting its tenth class: the Demon Hunter.

Demon Hunter will launch alongside the next expansion – Ashes of Outland – and IGN has a brand new Demon Hunter card from that set to reveal today. Introducing, Fel Summoner:

Fel Summoner.
Fel Summoner.

Fel Summoner is a key card in one of the three archetypes Team 5 planned for Demon Hunter out of the gate – its “big demons” deck. That deck plays in a controlling style, attempting to keep its opponent at bay using hero attacks and AOE during the early- to mid-game so that it can start rolling out big threats and dominate the board later on.

Fel Summoner has stats in line with her purpose – dying so that you can pull a big demon, like a Pit Commander or Hulking Overfiend, from hand. It’s an interesting card because while your opponent will likely be able to kill her easily, he or she will also need to have a plan to deal with the demon that may or may not be pulled onto the board. And if Fel Summoner isn’t dealt with, well, that’s a lot of incoming damage.

It remains to be seen just how many “big demons” you’ll need in your deck to reliably take advantage of Fel Summoner’s ability, but I can tell you that it’s very likely to be viable, as the journey to get this archetype to a good place was a long one. Fel Summoner changed quite a bit over the course of final design as the team homed in on how the big demon deck would play. Fel Summoner, in fact, was actually swapped in to replace a spell called “Bind to the Cause”, and then evolved again, into the card that’s shipping with the set. You can see the evolution below.

Fel Summoner only came into the set late last year, and changed along with Demon Hunter.
Fel Summoner actually replaced a spell, and changed along with Demon Hunter’s “big demons” archetype.

Demon Hunter as a whole is shaping up to be a heap of fun, so be sure to check out our exclusive behind the scenes video below, in which we detail how Team 5 brought Demon Hunter to life in terms of art, UI, VFX and storytelling. Also stay tuned for our companion video that tells the story of how the team designed the new class – the hero power, the archetypes and more. It’ll be live on Thursday PDT / Friday in ANZ.

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You can also see the Demon Hunter initiate set here and all the Ashes of Outand cards that have been revealed to date here.

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Cam Shea is Editor in Chief for IGN’s Australian content team and a Hearthstone player since beta. He’s on Twitter.

Aquaman 2 Will Draw Inspiration From Silver Age Black Manta Comics

Aquaman writer David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick has said Aquaman 2 will pull from the Silver Age Black Manta Comics.

Spotted by Batman News, Johnson-McGoldrick took the chance to answer fan questions on his Twitter account and, when asked if he had any recommended reading that might give insight into Aquaman 2, he cited Black Manta Silver Age stories in his reply.

Another fan asked about when we might see The Trench spin-off movie and, while he didn’t give a concrete date, Johnson-McGoldrick let us know the setting is potentially slated to fit in between Aquaman 1 and 2.

In the first Aquaman film we saw the Trench appear as amphibious creatures who attack Aquaman and Mera. They’re typically depicted as a vicious race of sea creatures which should fit the light horror tones said to be present in the spin-off.

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While there’s still no confirmation for exactly when The Trench is scheduled to hit cinemas, Aquaman 2 is still set to premiere on December 16, 2022.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

Tim And Eric’s New Show Beef House Has Dropped Early

The first episode of Tim and Eric’s Beef House, a take on the sitcom genre featuring the duo’s unique brand of comedy, has aired well before its intended premiere on March 29. The early premiere was announced on Tim and Eric’s Instagram, with the Adult Swim website now reading: you demanded it, watch the early premiere of BEEF HOUSE.

The first episode, titled Army Buddy Brad, is up now on Adult Swim’s website for everyone to watch for free–even viewers outside of the US.

The show’s announcement called Beef House a “multi-camera sitcom about five men–Tim, Eric, Ron Auster, Ben Hur, Tennessee Luke–and Eric’s wife Megan, all living under one roof. Each week Tim, a laid back rock-and-roll slacker, and his best friend Eric, a high strung stay-at-home husband, find themselves in the middle of a madcap misadventure that can only be traversed with the help of their fellow Beef Boys.”

The first episode centers around an Easter Sunday gone awry. “As Eric prepares his greatest Easter ever, Tim’s army buddy Brad visits the Beef House, causing mayhem as he sets up camp and takes control,” the blurb for the episode reads.

Pikuniku Is On Sale On Switch For Just $1

Devolver Digital has knocked down the price of its absurd puzzle-exploration game Pikuniku, developed by indie collective Sectordub. Normally $12.99, Pikuniku is now available for just $0.99 on Nintendo Switch.

The joyfully nonsensical game is suited for both adults and kids and supports local-multiplayer co-op play for two people, making it perfect for families currently stuck at home. Just watching the trailer should be enough to lift your mood.

GameSpot’s review of Pikuniku said, “With its simple character designs and a game world that often looks like a young kid designed it by cutting up and sticking together different bits of colored paper, Pikuniku sometimes feels like a video game adaption of a children’s book.” With its cute graphics and simple progression, it’s the perfect game to take your mind off world events.

Pikuniku is also available on Steam and is also included on Xbox Game Pass for both PC and Xbox One.

For other great games at bargain prices, check out our collection of the best cheap games for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch.

Now Playing: Pikuniku Puzzling And Platforming Gameplay

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