EA Is Closing The Servers For Fight Night Round 4

Electronic Arts is closing the multiplayer servers for its boxing game Fight Night Round 4. An update on EA’s website confirms that the servers for the 2009 Xbox 360/PS3 game will close on March 9, 2020.

In an email, EA informed players that the servers are being pulled down because the daily active playerbase “has reached very low numbers and we can no longer ensure a quality online experience.” You can read the full message below.

Fight Night Round 4 has a number of achievements that can only be unlocked through online gameplay, so you have just a few months more to grab them. Fight Night Round 4 will continue to be playable after the server shutdown in offline mode.

After Fight Night Champion in 2011, EA put the Fight Night series on hold as it instead focused on its EA Sports UFC franchise. That same year, EA CEO Andrew Wilson told IGN that the Fight Night series might come back someday, but as of yet it hasn’t happened.

Earlier this year, EA announced that it will add another sports game to its catalogue in the next fiscal year, which means it will launch between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. EA already makes officially licensed FIFA, NFL, NHL, and NBA video games, and there are rumors of EA Sports UFC 4 being in development. It remains to be seen what the new sports game will be, but we’ll report back with more details as they are revealed.

Would you like to see the Fight Night series return? Let us know in the comments below!

EA Statement:

“Hello Fight Night Round 4 Fans, after eleven years of an incredible online community, the daily active playerbase in Fight Night Round 4 has reached a very low number and we can no longer ensure a quality online experience. As of March 9, 2020, the Fight Night Round 4 servers will be retired. After this date, you’ll still be able to play all offline modes on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.Thanks for your continued support”

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Steins;Gate 0 Is Out Now On Nintendo Switch, And My Darling’s Embrace Comes West

Two new Steins;Gate games have come to the Switch, allowing you to enjoy more of the sprawling anime visual novel saga on Nintendo’s portable console. One has been available on other systems for a while, the other is a new game that has come west for the first time.

Steins;Gate 0 and Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace are both available now on Switch, and My Darling’s Embrace is also out on PC and PS4. 0 has released in the west before, but this is the first time fans have been able to play an English language version of My Darling’s Embrace, which launched in Japan on Xbox 360 back in 2011.

In 0, you assist a group of young students in preventing World War III. It’s a sequel, not the prequel the “0” might suggest, in which you explore an “Alternate Worldline” in which the characters in the original game gave up. The game is also available on PS4, PC, PS Vita, and Xbox One.

My Darling’s Embrace is a “sweet and slapstick romantic comedy,” according to the store page. It’s focused on jokes over science-fiction, and you’ll be able to change the course of events based on how you use your phone during the game.

Both games are available at a 10% discount until December 17, and cost $27 / £24 / $40.50AUD. Steins;Gate Elite released on the Switch earlier this year and was the only game in the series on the system until now.

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Pokemon Go December Events Include New Gen 5 Pokemon, Team Rocket Special Research, And More

Pokemon Go‘s big December Community Day takes place this weekend, but that isn’t the only event on the horizon for the hit mobile game. Niantic has now outlined a handful of other events that are happening this month, and they include a new Special Research quest, a special Raid weekend, and more.

First, Niantic is rolling out new Team Rocket-focused Special Research questline called A Challenging Development. This questline will be available until the end of December and will give players another chance to confront Team Rocket leader Giovanni. If you can defeat him this month, you’ll be able to rescue Shadow Zapdos.

On top of that, you’ll have a chance to hatch different kinds of Pokemon from eggs this month beginning Monday, December 16. The following day, the Gen 5 Legendary Virizion will make its debut in the game. You’ll be able to encounter the Legendary Pokemon in five-star Raids until January 7.

Virizion isn’t the only Legendary Pokemon you’ll have a chance to catch this month. Ho-oh and Lugia will also return for a special Raid weekend. From December 20-23, you’ll be able to encounter the two Legendary Pokemon again in five-star Raids.

Finally, Niantic is closing out the month with Pokemon Go’s annual holiday event, which runs from December 24 to January 1. During that time, you’ll be able to encounter Pichu, Pikachu, Raichu, and Stantler wearing holiday outfits in the wild and Raids. Ice-type Pokemon like Sneasel, Delibird, and the debuting Cubchoo will also appear more frequently in the wild. You’ll also have a chance to catch another new Gen 5 Pokemon, Cryogonal, when you use Glacial Lures during the event, and shiny versions of Snover and holiday Stantler will be available as well.

On top of that, Niantic is offering different bonuses each day of Pokemon Go’s holiday 2019 event. You can read more details on the official Pokemon Go website.

In the meantime, Pokemon Go’s December Community Day takes place this weekend. Unlike typical Community Days, this month’s event takes place on two days–December 14 and 15–and brings back all of the featured Pokemon from previous Community Days. You can read more in our Pokemon Go December Community Day guide.

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Netflix Reveals How Many People Have Watched The Irishman

Netflix has announced how many people have watched Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. The streaming network said on Twitter that some 26.4 million accounts globally viewed the very long movie within its first seven days. Anyone who watches 70 percent of a movie is counted as viewer.

Netflix programming boss Ted Sarandos said during a speaking event this week that he expects The Irishman to climb to 40 million views over its first 28 days, according to Variety. The movie came to Netflix on November 27 following a limited run in theatres.

By Netflix’s latest count, the streamer has 60.6 million paying subscribers in the US and 158.3 million worldwide.

Sarandos said the viewership achievement for The Irishman is especially notable because the movie is so long–it clocks in at around 3.5 hours. “People still choose a relationship with a film… They sit down to watch a three-and-a-half-hour movie,” he said.

Sarandos added that people are praising Netflix for funding The Irishman, which reportedly had a $175 million budget, but he doesn’t see the movie as much of a risk. “Betting that Martin Scorsese is going to make a great mob movie with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci and Al Pacino doesn’t seem like a long shot,” he said.

Netflix does not release viewership numbers for all of its shows, so comparisons are difficult. The company did, however, previously share that the Sandra Bullock movie Bird Box was seen by 45 million accounts globally in its first week and 80 million over its first four weeks.

GameSpot’s review of The Irishman scored it a 9/10. “It feels like a career summation, a mature and dignified work that could only be made by an older filmmaker able to look back on his life and his work. And while Frank Sheeran is left as an old man filled only with shame and regret, Scorsese proves that his powers as a filmmaker remain at full strength,” reviewer Dan Auty said.

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Win A Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Xbox One Bundle*

If you’ve been waiting to get a chance to play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, now is a great opportunity to do so. In Fallen Order, you’ll play as Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis as he trains to become a full-fledged Jedi to restore the ancient order.

If you’ve been waiting to get a chance to play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, now is a great opportunity to do so. In Fallen Order, you’ll play as Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis as he trains to become a full-fledged Jedi to restore the ancient order.

In this giveaway, two lucky readers will take home not only an Xbox One digital copy of Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars game, but also a console, an Xbox wireless controller, and a one month trial of Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold. Additionally, both Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order bundles give you one month of EA Access.

Here’s what you can win in this giveaway:

To enter this giveaway, read the official rules, accept the terms and conditions and then fill out the form below. You can also follow us on social media to increase your chances of scoring a bundle.

If you don’t see this form in your mobile device please click here.

On December 30, we will sort through the entries and reach out to the two winners of the bundles. So be sure to keep an eye out for an email from CBS Interactive at the end of this year.

What’s the first Star Wars game you remember playing? Head down to the comments section and let us know the name of the game and what system it was on.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Patch Makes A Welcome Lightsaber Change

A new update for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is coming on December 11. In addition to a new Photo Mode, the update makes a small but welcome change to how your lightsaber can look. The change involves understanding a certain plot point, so be aware this post contains some spoilers down below.

Mild spoilers for Jedi Fallen Order follow below.

After completing a certain amount of the story, you’re required to equip a switch given to you by Cere to your lightsaber following a story event. This throws off the symmetry when you’re using a double-bladed lightsaber, and players have complained about this for a while.

With the new update, players can simply remove the switch from the lightsaber customization menu. It’s a small but welcome change that gives players more control of how they look.

The December 11 patch also improves the stability of Fallen Order by reducing the number of crash scenarios that players could encounter. The update also fixes collision issues in the caves and temple on Zeffo, so Cal shouldn’t get stuck in the geometry as often. There waa also an issue with the game that could cause Cal to fall out of the world on Kashyyyk, and this has been fixed.

You can see the full patch notes below, as posted by developer Respawn on Reddit.

Jedi Fallen Order December 11 Patch Notes

New Features

  • A Photo Mode has been added and can be accessed from within the game by pressing L3 and R3 at the same time.

  • Implemented a toggle that will allow you to remove a specific part of Cal’s lightsaber from within the customization menu.

Bug Fixes

  • We’ve made a pass of the game in an effort to reduce the number of crashes you should encounter. The end result of this is now a more stable game.

  • Fixed collision issues across several planets in the game

    • Collision within the caves and temple on Zeffo have been improved, reducing clipping issues and lowering the possibility of Cal becoming stuck.

    • Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause Cal to become stuck in a floating state below the train on Bracca.

    • We identified a few areas on Kashyyyk where Cal could fall out of the world, this will no longer happen.

    • We’ve fixed some collision on Dathomir, preventing Cal from falling through the ground.

    • Collision on Illum has also been improved, making sure that Cal doesn’t become stuck.

    • During a fight with the Second Sister, it was possible for her to get stuck in a door. She has been freed.

    • Bogano has had its collision improved, preventing Cal from becoming stuck on world geometry.

    • In some rare cases, Cal was floating while on Kashyyyk. He has since been grounded.

  • BD-1’s ability to slice panels was sometimes not working as intended, preventing you from progressing. This has been fixed and should no longer occur.

  • A mural scan on Bogano wasn’t working properly, this should now be fixed.

  • The train on Bracca could get stuck in a state where grates would fall off too early, preventing progress. We’ve fixed this so that Cal can continue climbing.

  • On rare occasions Bounty Hunters would stop hunting Cal, we’ve now re-enabled their trackers, so be careful.

  • For some players, BD-1 had gotten left behind on Bogano, preventing further progression. This should now be fixed.

  • The chest count on some planets was not working as intended, this has been fixed.

  • On rare occasions Greeze would refuse to open the ship doors and expose Cal to the sunlight on Dathomir. We’ve fixed this so that the story can continue.

  • Fixed an issue that prevented Holomap areas and gates from not working properly on Dathomir, Kashyyyk and Bogano.

  • An issue would sometimes occur that would cause the Holomap tutorial on Bogano to remain on-screen. This has been resolved and it should no longer occur.

  • An elevator on Zeffo could lead to Cal getting stuck in an infinite loop, our maintenance crews have fixed this particular elevator.

  • A dropship on Zeffo wasn’t showing up as intended, preventing the player from progressing further. We’ve ensured all landing zones are clear for arrival and this should no longer occur.

  • PC players were having issues selecting difficulty with the mouse, this should now be resolved.

  • We’ve fixed an issue where Cal could avoid enemies on Zeffo, to the extent that gameplay events wouldn’t trigger, halting progression to the story.

  • On rare occasions cinematics on Dathomir get stuck in an error state, preventing progress. This has been fixed.

  • Fixed an issue that would cause world loading issues on Kashyyyk for players with double jump. We’ve optimised the level to ensure loading completes properly.

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