Of all the major PC games coming out in February, three will not be sold on Steam. Instead, they’re launching on other PC game stores.
These aren’t small titles either. 4A Games’ Metro Exodus, BioWare’s Anthem, and Sumo Digital’s Crackdown 3 all won’t be available on Steam. For PC, Metro is releasing on the Epic Games Store, while Anthem is launching on EA’s Origin, and Crackdown 3 is releasing on Microsoft’s Windows Store. It’s a trend that will continue throughout 2019. Although February’s Far Cry New Dawn is releasing on Steam, another big Ubisoft game–March’s The Division 2–left Valve’s store and is now scheduled to launch on Epic.
Steam hasn’t been totally left out in February. The store is still getting the aforementioned Far Cry New Dawn, as well as Jump Force, but it’s clear the overall landscape of PC gaming is changing. Steam has held a fairly large monopoly on the PC gaming market for the past decade, but developers’ decision to create their own stores has created unprecedented competition.
Although alternate PC game stores have existed for a while, it really wasn’t until late 2018, and the announcement of the Epic Store, that Steam found itself losing high-profile launches. Epic offers developers a more lucrative split of the profits they might make off of their games–especially if the title is made with Unreal Engine. Other than Metro Exodus and The Division 2, Epic also has the exclusive rights to the PC versions of Journey, Ashen, Hades, the final two episodes of The Walking Dead: The Final Season, and several other games as well. Epic has also changed its refund policy to match Steam’s.
As you might assume, Valve isn’t happy to see plenty of high profile games leave its store. The company described the decision for 4A Games to take Metro Exodus off of Steam and put it onto Epic as “unfair” for Steam’s customers, and one made by the game’s publisher without Valve’s knowledge beforehand.
Anyone who’s previously pre-ordered Metro Exodus on Steam will still be able to play on the platform, but future orders must be done through Epic. That said, the PC version of Metro Exodus is only $50 USD on Epic, as opposed to the previous $60 on Steam.
Anthony Daniels, the actor who has portrayed the famous protocol droid C-3PO since the original Star Wars released in 1977, has finished his work on the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX.
Daniels took to Twitter to make the announcement, saying “Today was 3PO’s last on Episode IX. He’s sad – so am I. But we’re so proud to have worked with such a lovely, talented cast & crew lead by J.J. & Kathy. I’ll miss everyone but I’m glad to know that we’ve been making something exceptional together, to share with the waiting world.”
Today was 3PO’s last on Episode IX. He’s sad – so am I. But we’re so proud to have worked with such a lovely, talented cast & crew lead by J.J. & Kathy. I’ll miss everyone but I’m glad to know that we’ve been making something exceptional together, to share with the waiting world.
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Some things, like fine wine, a good pair of jeans, and certain cheeses, get better with age. Unfortunately, many other things don’t, a category that definitely encompasses gaming PCs. When asked to push the heavy graphical load of a new AAA game, computers of a certain vintage start to struggle, and it’s all downhill from there. If your gaming rig’s best days are in the rearview, or you’re looking to dive into the world of PC gaming for the first time, it’s a good time to buy. A number of appealing off-the-shelf gaming PCs happen to be on sale right now.
There are a bunch of items and resources in Resident Evil 2 that are completely optional, such as hip pouches that expand your inventory space or ammo for some of your most powerful guns. These are typically hidden inside safes or lockers with letter dial locks. You can find the combinations for these either in memos or even scribbled somewhere on a wall.
Whether you’re playing as Leon or Claire, the solutions remain the same and can be accessed without grabbing the memo that hints at their solution. The only exception to this are the items you grab by developing film rolls–though, there is a minor exception even to that. Regardless, below you can find details on all the optional items locked behind safes, lockers, or hidden in the environment.
There are two safes in the RPD–one in the West Office and the other in the Waiting Room. Both yield valuable resources well worth grabbing. We won’t spoil what’s inside each here (spoiler: they’re all useful items), but we will reveal how to open them. The safe solutions are found in memos scattered around the building, which we’ve detailed the locations of for all of you completionists out there.
West Office (RPD 1F)
The West Office safe’s combination is as follows: 9 Left, 15 Right, 7 Left. If you’re curious where to find the memo containing this solution, you can find it in Captain Wesker’s office in the S.T.A.R.S. Office on the second floor.
Waiting Room (RPD 2F)
The Waiting Room safe’s combination is as follows: 6 Left, 2 Right, 11 Left. If you’re inclined to grab the memo associated with this safe, you can find it in the Observation Room on the first floor.
Dial Locks
There are three lockers in the game that are sealed by letter dial locks. Each hold valuable ammunition for your more powerful guns that you don’t wanna miss.
Shower Room (RPD 2F)
The Shower Room’s dial lock combination is CAP. Interestingly enough, you can find this solution written on a whiteboard in the connecting room between the Operations Room and the Records Room on the first floor.
West Hallway (RPD 3F)
This locker is located in a hallway you can reach by getting to the third floor from the western side. It’s right beside the broken wall and the mannequin shadow. The dial lock combination is DCM. This is the only film roll item that doesn’t require you to first develop the film to get (more on this later).
Control Room (Upper Sewers)
The Control Room locker is located in the Upper Sewers by a desk. The dial lock combination is SZF. If you’re curious where this solution was found, it was on a Jazz festival flyer found in the Workers’ Break Room.
Film Roll Items
Other optional items don’t show up until you’ve developed a film roll with photographs that point you to their locations. Whenever you find a roll, develop it in the Dark Room on the western side of the police station. The resources you gain by completing these are typically more lucrative, so try to set aside time to complete these item hunts.
Commemorative Photo
This film roll is interesting in that it doesn’t point you to the location of resources; rather, it points you to an item you can use to gain some valuable stuff. Located in the Safety Deposit Room, grab the film roll by keying in the proper code to unlock the locker its sealed in. Though, you’re by no means required to develop the film roll to get the items its photograph hints towards, but it does help direct you towards what you need to do
When you develop the film roll in the Dark Room, it reveals a photo of a statue found in the Art Room. Before you go there, you’ll need to grab the Red Book in the Library by the door with the Spade insignia on the second floor. Once you’ve got this, head back to the Art Room, grab the stone arm beside the statue and combine it with the Red Book. Then take the arm and insert it back into the statue to unlock the scepter from its right hand.
Examine the scepter to obtain the Red Jewel. This goes into the Bejeweled Box, which you can get in the Interrogation Room. Accessing this area requires the Club Key, so if you don’t have that yet, keep progressing the story until you get it. Once you’ve got the Bejeweled Box, combine it with the Red Jewel to get the S.T.A.R.S. badge. You can use this item in two locations: the Underground Stairs in the Middle section of the Underground Facility, and the S.T.A.R.S. Office.
The badge serves as a key to unlock the white holding case holding the gun parts for either Leon’s Magnum or Claire’s Sub-machine Gun in the Underground Stairs. These are good to grab, as you’ll be following up to use the badge in the S.T.A.R.S. Office to get the weapons themselves. But before you combine the badge with the computer tower, examine the badge’s backing to reveal a hidden USB. This can then be used to open the armory.
Hiding Place Photo
This film roll is found in the Work Room in the Upper section of the Sewers; you’ll see it in-between a cardboard box and tool kit on a small table. Develop the roll in the Dark Room back at the RPD to reveal a photograph showing you two locations–that you might recognize if you’ve got a keen eye.
The first photograph points to Captain Wesker’s desk in the S.T.A.R.S. Office on the second floor. Open the drawer to get a wooden box containing a gun part.
The second photograph points to a boombox found in the Press Room on the RPD’s first floor. Open the drawer to nab the treasure.
Pocket Safes
The RPD’s Safety Deposit Room is packed with useful resources, but not all of them are accessible at first. To get everything in those pesky electronically sealed lockers, you’ll need to get two replacement keypad keys. These can be found inside Pocket Safes scattered throughout the police station. To open a Pocket Safe, simply examine it and then input the correct button pattern. This require a little bit of trial and error to find out, but keep at it and you’ll unlock it in no time. Below you can find details on where each Pocket Safe is located.
Shower Room
You’re likely to find this Pocket Safe first. It’s located in the Shower Room on the second floor of the RPD. When you enter the room, turn right and you’ll see it on top of a shelf beside some lockers.
Linen Room
The second Pocket Safe is found in the Linen Room on the second floor. You won’t be able to open this room without the Diamond Key, so if you don’t have the means to access it, simply progress the story until you do.
The Super Bowl is as much an event because of the ads as the game, since so many companies go over the top with the commercials airing during the year’s most coveted TV time. But just because someone spends a lot of money to make an ad doesn’t mean it’s going to be very good. Case in point: The Stella Artois ad teased last week that sees Jeff Bridges reprise his role as The Dude from The Big Lebowski.
The Stella ad, which is now up on YouTube ahead of Sunday’s game, hinges on the idea of The Dude changing up his usual drink order. Throughout the Coen Brothers’ 1998 movie, the stoner detective drinks White Russians–but in the Stella ad, he changes his order and goes for the Belgian pilsner.
He’s not the only one. The Dude is joined by Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic character from Sex and the City, who is known for drinking Cosmopolitans but switches things up in the ad. The change for the two characters shocks surrounding waitstaff so much, they drop several people’s dinners onto the ground. It’s not an especially good ad, seeing as neither Parker nor Bridges have good lines despite the fact both characters were birthed by comedies.
At least the ad is pushing a good cause as well as beer, though. The final moments of the commercial makes a very brief reference to a larger campaign Stella Artois is running, #PourItForward, which is defined by the idea of making social change as well as changes to drink orders. “Watch what happens when Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude change up the usual,” the YouTube description of the ad reads. “If every pour of Stella Artois can help provide access to clean water for someone in need, why choose anything else? Join Carrie and The Dude as they choose to change up the usual and do good.” As our sister site CNET notes, the #PourItForward campaign is a partnership with Water.org; for every Stella Artois purchased between now and March 31, Stella is donating a month of clean water access to someone who doesn’t have it.
But somewhat disappointingly, that the tease for the ad Bridges tweeted is not some indication of more substantive content featuring The Dude coming down the pipe. There may yet be a little more of The Big Lebowski, though. John Turturro, who played bowling sex offender Jesus Quintana in the movie, apparently wrote and directed a spin-off film about the character called Going Places a few years ago–so while it doesn’t seem there’s more of The Dude on the horizon, there may yet still be something related to The Big Lebowski waiting in the future.
Disney announced Monday that Black Panther will be coming back to theaters for one week at the beginning of February.
The film is celebrating Black History Month and tickets will be free to ensure everyone has a chance to watch the SAG award-winning and Oscar-nominated film.
Black Panther will be available to watch at participating AMC locations from February 1-7, with two showings per day.
Disney is also giving a $1.5 million grant to support UNCF (United Negro College Fund) to help further it’s mission in assisting minority students through college.
With dozens of comic books to choose from, let us show you which are the best coming out this week. Take a look at this list spotlighting our favorite comics that we know are money-well-spent and new books that look cool and are backed by some top-tier talent.
Check out our picks, then head to the comments to let us know what you’ll be buying this week!
Fight Club 3 #1 – $3.99
Writer Chuck Palahniuk | Artist Cameron Stewart | Cover Artist David Mack (Dark Horse Comics)
It’s hard to believe but the launch Kingdom Hearts III has finally arrived. This long-awaited adventure has a lot going for it that’ll please fans, while also potentially attracting folks who may have avoided the series and its myriad spin-offs over the years. Regardless of your background, there are several tips you’ll need to know should you decide to embark on this magical Disney-filled adventure.
The tips below will help prepare you for the challenges that lie ahead in Kingdom Hearts III. For others, these tips will reinforce and refresh your memory of the general habits to follow around getting the most out its well-established mechanics. We even included a fair amount on some of the new things you’ll encounter—without spoiling too many of the surprises, of course.
If you’re looking for more Kingdom Hearts III guides, be sure to check back often as we’ll be posting several more in the coming days. If you haven’t read our review yet, be sure to check it out for our full thoughts about the game.
In our Kingdom Hearts III review, GameSpot Editor Tamoor Hussain gave the game an 8/10 and said: “[T]he story of Keyblade wars, time-travelling villains, body-hopping also-rans, and world-ending darkness isn’t what I’ll remember about Kingdom Hearts III or the series as a whole. What sticks with me is the exciting battle against elemental titans with Hercules, taking Rapunzel out into the unfamiliar wide world for the first time, snapping selfies with Winnie the Pooh, and going toe to toe with Davy Jones. In 2002, as Sora, I left Destiny Islands to travel across the universe and make new friends. In 2019 I brought old ones home, and I had so much fun doing it.”
What are you most excited to see in Kingdom Hearts III? Got any additional tips or insight that you’d like to offer about the game? Let us know the comments section below.
Liu Bei, the hero of the loosely historical epic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is both a very obvious and very odd protagonist for a Total War game. On one hand, he’s generally portrayed as the hero. The righteous, noble scion of the rightful dynasty looking to hold together the collapsing Han Empire. On the other hand, his journey through the first part of the story is utterly different from how most Total War games progress, entering and leaving the service of other warlords, gaining and losing his base of power, and eventually ending up hundreds of miles away from his starting position in Northeastern China. As it turns out, the Three Kingdoms campaign has a plan for telling the tale of this unorthodox rise to power.
Treyarch has another update on the way for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. This week, the developer will be rolling out patch 1.12, which will make some big changes to the way armor works in Blackout mode, add classic weapons to Zombies, and kick off another limited-time event on PS4.
In a post on Reddit, Treyarch outlined the biggest tweaks and additions that are coming in this week’s update. Among other things, the developer will be making further tuning changes to armor, concussions, and cluster grenades in Blackout mode.
The full list of changes will be detailed in this week’s patch notes, but Treyarch says it is reducing damage protection for armor “across the board.” On top of that, the developer is raising the number of armor plates it takes to repair level 3 armor, while the time it takes for cluster grenades to detonate is also being increased.
In Zombies mode, this week’s update will introduce five weapons to the Mystery Box across every map, as well as to the Zombies Armory: the MP 40, Grav, Daemon 3XB, SWAT RFT, and KAP 45. Treyarch says the MP 40 and Grav “will be unlocked by default in the Armory.” The PS4 version is also getting its second Zombies Gauntlet beginning January 29: “Vini, Vidi, Zombie!” for the IX map.
Also on PS4, Treyarch is kicking off another limited-time mode in Blackout. This one is called Ambush. It’s set to replace the current Down But Not Out mode and only features sniper rifles, melee attacks, launchers, and a continuously collapsing circle. Down But Not Out mode will remain available on Xbox One and PC for one more week.
