Epic is preparing to launch Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 (C2S2) on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. As always this will mean a period of downtime as the company prepares the big update, and according to the studio its proceeding patches will be bigger than usual. Server downtime will begin on February 20 at 4 AM ET / 1 AM PT.
Epic announced the downtime via the Fortnite Status Twitter account. In a follow-up, the account also noted that patch sizes will be larger than normal with the start of the new season.
Very little is known about the new season, other than some teasers that have accompanied an ARG with globe-trotting clues. Those all seem to indicate spycraft is the theme for this next season, although some teasers we’ve seen have referenced cats, bombs attached to rats, and other odd shenanigans. Just what it all means will be made clear tomorrow, when the new season launches at 9 AM ET / 6 AM PT.
That also means you have just a few hours left to complete any remaining challenges, like the current fishing challenge or the seek-and-destroy challenge. Those will be necessary to top out your Battle Pass and earn all the cosmetic rewards this season has to offer, and maybe to help earn you enough V-Bucks to purchase your way into the next season as well.
As one of the oldest heroes in the Marvel Universe, Wolverine has an impressively long list of enemies. Now he can add another major Marvel villain to that list, as his newest ongoing series pits him against none other than Dracula, lord of vampires.
Read on to learn why Wolverine and Dracula have sparked a new rivalry, and why this iconic hero more closely connected to vampires than we ever realized. Beware of spoilers for Wolverine #1!
Marvel’s newest Wolverine series picks up during the new Dawn of X status quo, as the vast majority of the world’s mutants now dwell on the island nation of Krakoa. But while Logan is content to share a home with major villains like Apocalypse, Mister Sinister and even Mystique, there’s one enemy he refuses to accept as a brother and neighbor – Omega Red.
Not that he’s given much choice in the matter. A badly wounded Omega Red appears seeking sanctuary on Krakoa. Despite Wolverine’s protestations, Magneto obliges and orders Logan to seek out the mysterious enemy capable of cutting right through Omega Red’s carbonadium armor. Wolverine’s mission takes him to a bar in Paris, one he discovers too late is full of vampires. Fortunately, his Canadian bacon is saved by a mysterious vampire hunter named Louise.
Art by Viktor Bogdonavic. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)
Wolverine and Louise team up and follow the vampires’ trail into the Parisian catacombs. Wolverine is bitten repeatedly but manages to behead the group’s leader. Fortunately, his healing factor renders him largely immune to vampire bites. He assumes his mission is a success, but Louise knows the true enemy is still out there.
As it turns out, Wolverine was the real target all along. Dracula ordered his minions to acquire samples of Logan’s unique blood. Absorbing that blood gives Dracula a major power boost, enough to make him capable of walking in broad daylight. Even Omega Red was part of that plan – willing bait used to lure Wolverine out in the open. This issue ends as Dracula meets with Omega Red and bestows upon him the carbonadium synthesizer, a device needed to stabilize his body’s immune system. In return, Omega Red is now Dracula’s spy on Krakoa, promising a much bigger confrontation between mutants and vampires.
Art by Viktor Bogdonavic. (Image Credit: Marvel Comics)
As this issue reveals, Wolverine shares a much closer connection to vampires than anyone previously suspected. One of the supplemental pages describes vampires as “his closest cousin,” pointing out that Logan’s blood has similar healing properties but isn’t vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation in the way vampire blood is. If Dracula’s power boost is any indication, Wolverine may be the key to creating a new breed of mutant/vampire hybrid with none of the weaknesses of the latter.
This isn’t the first time the X-Men have crossed paths with Dracula. Dracula once tried to claim Storm as his bride way back in 1982’s Uncanny X-Men #159, while the miniseries X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula showed how these two villains have a rivalry dating back to Victorian times. Dracula even briefly fought alongside the X-Men in the 2010 crossover Curse of the Mutants, after his throne was usurped by his son Xarus. That story established Wolverine’s immunity to vampire bites, though it also seems to have put his mutant healing factor on Dracula’s radar.
Considering how many video games involve launching brightly-colored projectiles out of cool-looking futuristic devices, there’s been a surprising lack of officially licensed NERF Blasters based on iconic in-game arsenals. In the last couple years, that’s begun to change thanks to Hasbro’s Fortnite and Overwatch-inspired NERF and Super Soaker toys. And now, thankfully, Halo is getting the same treatment, just in time for Halo Infinite.
The motorized NERF Halo MA40 is directly inspired by the one in Halo Infinite, and features a removable 10-dart clip (darts included) which will require 4 “C” batteries (not included) to launch at your younger siblings and/or annoying co-workers, who are hopefully wearing protective eyewear (also not included) – it also features a rail riser allowing tactical customization using other compatible NERF components. Best of all, it comes with a code to unlock the NERF MA40’s color scheme in-game so your friends online know that you’re a gigantic 10-year-old. Or possible a literal, actual 10-year-old, since the NERF Halo line is for ages 8 and up.
The NERF Halo MA40 has an MSRP of $49.99, and if that’s out of your price range, worry not! Hasbro also revealed a pair of NERF Microshot blasters based on the Needler and SPNKR, both of which come with two NERF Elite dart and an MSRP of $9.99.
While we’ve got your attention, Hasbro also revealed some gorgeous new retro-styled NERF Super Soakers, which is great news for ’90s kids who haven’t outgrown spraying each other with pressurized liquids (by which we mean water, and nothing else. We do not endorse the use of any non-water liquids in a Super Soaker.)
The Super Soaker XP100 and XP30 both feature the classic “pump it up until your arm hurts and then squirt your friend in the mouth for thirty solid seconds until the Super Soaker makes a noise like a hissing cat and you have to go refill it with the hose” feature. That’s uh, our description, not the official Hasbro one. Also, if you don’t like pumping things up, there’s the XP20, which just squirts when you push a plunger. The XP20, XP30, and XP100 will be available exclusively at Target with MSRPs of $7.99, $12.99, and $17.99 respectively.
Keep an eye out for more cool toy reveals in the next week, as Toy Fair is happening this weekend in New York, and it’s essentially the toy industry’s version of E3. Oh, if only we covered it like we cover E3.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]Max Scoville is a host and producer and gigantic toy nerd for IGN. You can see him putting his dolls in weird poses on Instagram @MaxScoville
One particular nerf hits the minor passive ability Bane of Tyranny. The ability is part of the Siege Breaker branch of passive skills, and when unlocked it granted a ridiculous damage multiplier of +50. But developer Wolcen Studio has scaled that back, bringing Bane of Tyranny to a more modest 0.5 multiplier instead.
The Secure Parry minor passive ability was nerfed as well, going from 10% health regeneration per Inexorable point down to 0.1%. Additionally, Wolcen Studio increased the Acute Tracking node to hold a maximum of 10 Cold Blooded points instead of the five maximum previously.
Elsewhere in the patch, Wolcen Studio fixed a number of network issues and bugs, such as problems revolving around date loading and retrieval, missing audio, duplicating items, text typos, and more.
The latest update will be applied sometime this week, though Wolcen Studio has yet to provide an exact date when the patch will arrive. The team also said that in an effort to prevent further issues from occurring, patches will be implemented once per week and server capacity will be limited for a while. This is a temporary situation though, as Wolcen Studio confirmed that it’s working to upgrade its server infrastructure.
This March, Amazon Prime Video has a lot headed to the streaming service. There are more movies, TV shows, and original series arriving soon, including one film that had a limited theatrical release. Check out everything coming to Amazon for the month of March below.
Party time! Excellent! Those phrases aren’t said as much as they used to be, but back in the ’90s, it was a call to action. You can relive the decade on March 1 when Wayne’s World 2 is available to stream on Amazon. In the film, Wayne and his buddy Garth are going to put on an amazing musical festival called “WayneStock,” but they quickly realize it’s a lot harder than they thought.
If you’re looking for some more laughs, then you might want to check out the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which arrives to the streaming service on March 13. The film pretty much recaps the story of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, while poking fun at movie reboots. It’s exactly what you expect from Kevin Smith, in the best way possible.
In his review of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Chris E. Hayner said, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is the best kind of homecoming a Kevin Smith fan could hope for. It’s not perfect, but does reintroduce this cinematic universe that so many held dear in the ’90s and early ’00s. It also manages to be more than just a greatest hits montage, which Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back often felt like. There’s a real story here, buried under the dirty humor and parade of cameos.”
Below, you’ll find everything coming to Amazon for the month of March. For more on streaming, make sure to check out what’s coming to Hulu in March as well.
What’s coming to Amazon Prime Video in March?
March 1
Abduction (2011)
Cantinflas (2014)
Chilly Dogs (2001)
Danny Roane: First Time Director (2007)
Deck The Halls (2011)
Destiny Turns On The Radio (1995)
Eyes Of An Angel (1994)
Going The Distance (2010)
Good Morning, Killer (2011)
Henry’s Crime (2010)
Hide (2011)
Hornets Nest (2012)
Innocent (2011)
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Lady In A Cage (1964)
Man On A Ledge (2012)
Night Of The Living Dead (2007)
Night Of The Living Dead: Resurrection (2013)
Richard The Lionheart (2014)
Ricochet (2011)
Route 9 (1998)
Silent Tongue (1993)
Silent Witness (2011)
Spinning Into Butter (2007)
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown (2002)
Tenderness (2009)
The Cooler (2003)
The Crazies (2010)
The Descent (2006)
The Descent: Part 2 (2010)
The Skull (1965)
Wayne’s World 2 (1993)
Patrick Melrose: Season 1
March 6
ZeroZeroZero: Season 1 – Amazon Original series
March 8
Show Dogs (2018)
March 11
The Test: A New Era for Australia’s Team: Season 1 – Amazon Original series
March 13
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
Agatha Christie’s The Pale Horse: Season 1 – Amazon Original series
People say variety is the spice of life, and Netflix in March definitely has an eclectic slate of movies and TV shows for you to binge.
To kick things off, the streamer is releasing several high-profile original series, including Castlevania Season 3, Ozark’s third season, the premiere of the Altered Carbon: Resleeved anime, and the premiere of Netflix’s new teen fantasy series, The Letter for the King. Here’s how the streamer describes the show:
“When a ruthless prince threatens to cast the world into darkness, a young knight in training named Tiuri (Amir Wilson) embarks on an epic quest to deliver a secret letter to the king. Along the way, he unexpectedly finds himself at the center of a magical prophecy foretelling the rise of a hero who can defeat the prince and restore peace. If he’s going to survive the journey, Tiuri will have to learn what it means to be a true knight — and a true leader.”
On the movie front, you can watch The Shawshank Redemption, Space Jam, Hook, and Martin Scorsese’s gangster classic, Goodfellas.
Check out the slideshow gallery below for a spotlight of some of the most notable March Netflix offerings, followed by the full list (U.S. Netflix only):
When Grand Theft Auto 4 first came out in 2008, its multiplayer was a game-changer, allowing players to hang out together in the game’s immaculate Liberty City together for the first time in franchise history. Well, if you were hoping to relive those glory days on the PC, we’ve got some bad news: the multiplayer portion of the game has been permanently disabled due to lingering issues with the now-defunct Games for Windows Live platform.
While this is a massive loss, considering how important those multiplayer modes were to the game’s success, it’s still an improvement on the current situation. Since January, GTA 4 has been unavailable for purchase on Steam due to the fact that Rockstar has run out of keys for the Games for Windows Live. Since the service is now dead, Microsoft has declined to provide any more, which has led to this situation. The single-player portion of the game will be playable starting March 19.
If you’re unlucky enough to have bought a physical edition of GTA 4, you’ll have to either use your physical key to update to the new Complete Edition, or connect your Rockstar Social Club account in place of Games for Windows Live. It’s a throwback to the days of “CD keys,” but, hey, that’s what happens when you want to play a retro game like GTA 4. Feel old yet?
The last few months have been rather eventful for Rockstar, especially with the high-profile exit of Dan Houser, the writer and creative force behind many of their most acclaimed games, such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V. In the meantime, however, the studio has been still been making quite a bit of money, with publisher Take-Two recently announcing that microtransaction spending in GTA Online grew by 54 percent in the first quarter of this year.
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DC Comics writer Tom King recently wrapped up a years-long run on Batman’s solo title that put the spotlight on Bruce Wayne’s romance with the cat burglar who stole his heart, Selina Kyle aka Catwoman. But their story isn’t over yet. To cap off their love story, King is teaming with artist Clay Mann on a Batman/Catwoman mini-series, and thanks to a new tweet from King, it appears a third character will be joining them — their child. That’s right, Catwoman is pregnant.
The tweet simply shows a piece of art showing Batman and Catwoman standing atop a Gotham City gargoyle, like they do, but Catwoman is clearly showing a baby bump. The art could be from the upcoming Batman/Catwoman miniseries, but another option could be the Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular, which features a short story by King and his frequent collaborator artist Mikel Janin. King tagged Janin in the tweet along with colorist Jordie Bellaire. IGN reached out to DC for clarification but they declined comment.
They should probably get down from there. (Image credit: DC Comics)
Mitch Gerads, the artist who drew the two-part romance arc “Rooftops” in King’s Batman series, replied to the image with one of his pages from Batman #15 showing a naked, post-coital Bruce and Selina cuddling on a rooftop, implying that was the moment of conception for the baby.
They definitely felt the love that night. (Art by Mitch Gerads. Image credit: DC Comics)
King’s Batman story features a flash-forward (seen in Batman Annual #2 and drawn by Janin) showing a possible future of an elderly Bruce and Selina raising their daughter Helena Wayne, so unless some unforeseen twist that changes that, we already know the happy couple is having a girl. A bit of trivia: Helena Wayne was the daughter of Bruce and Selina on Earth-2, and now it seems King is folding that into the main continuity.
Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has filed a patent that may point to a new PSVR controller.
The patent, titled “Controller Device,” details a new design for a remote-like VR controller that shares some similarities with the current PlayStation Move controllers, but it also has its fair share of upgrades.
Like the PlayStation Move controller, which has been around since the PlayStation 3 era, the patent shows a controller with a wand-like shape, four small face buttons, a trigger on the back, and a larger center button.
The giant light ball is gone, and the patent describes finger-sensing technology that can detect contact from the user’s fingers. PC VR rigs have had similar technology for some time, but the original PS Move controllers currently used for PSVR lack this functionality.
The patent also shows a wrist strap, and some are speculating that the strap may be used to simulate grabbing objects in VR, which is a function seen in Valve’s Index VR controllers.
It remains to be seen if this patent will become a real product in the future. The PlayStation 5 is set to release this year, and Sony has confirmed that current PSVR hardware will be compatible with PS5.
Logan Plant is a news writer for IGN, and the Production Assistant for Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN’s weekly Nintendo show. You can find him on Twitter at @LoganJPlant.
