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Fortnite has long since surpassed its inspiration, PUBG, going on to become the rare sensation that transcends the level of popularity that even the most popular games typically see. But it’s faced some serious new competition to start out 2019 with the release of Apex Legends, an excellent take on the battle royale genre from Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment. Epic Games wants you to know Fortnite is just fine, though.

With much being made about the player figures Apex has amassed since its release–more than 25 million players and a peak concurrent count of 2 million in its first week–there has been speculation that this success will surely cut into that of Fortnite. Seemingly in response to this, Epic has released some updated figures of its own, revealing Fortnite had its best day ever in terms of peak concurrent players (meaning the number of players online simultaneously) earlier this month.

During the DJ Marshmello concert on February 2, Fortnite had 10.7 million players, the game’s biggest day ever. It followed that up more recently with 7.6 million players on February 16, which Epic says was the game’s best non-event day ever.

This would all suggest that Fortnite is not struggling due to Apex. Certainly, numerous other game companies have–in the interest of alleviating investors’ fears–stated that Fortnite is growing the market, rather than simply stealing players from other games. They’d likely claim the same is true of Apex, which will continue to grow with its first-ever Battle Pass in March and the recently added Havoc gun.

That said, there is a caveat to keep in mind. Epic recently announced that you can earn the upcoming Season 8 Battle Pass for free by completing new Overtime challenges right now. Some saw this move as an attempt to stop bleeding players drawn to Apex by giving them the opportunity to avoid having to drop about $10 (or spending previously earned V-Bucks) to gain access to exclusive challenges and rewards during Season 8. That record day on February 16 was the first Saturday during which the Overtime challenges were available, and it seems fair to assume the Battle Pass freebie played a major role in that big day.

Whatever the rationale behind giving away the Battle Pass for free, it seems clear that it’s having the intended effect. And however big Apex may grow, don’t expect Fortnite to go anywhere in the near future.

While the story of the Crane family on Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House–GameSpot’s favorite show of 2018–may be over, the show will go on. Netflix has announced a second season of what it’s calling an “anthology series,” as well as the scary story it’s going to tackle next.

The Haunting of Bly Manor is what Season 2 will be known as, taking inspiration from The Turn of the Screw, a horror novella by Henry James. The work from 1898 tells the story of a governess watching over two orphans in a massive and creepy old mansion. In what should come as a surprise to nobody who saw the first season of the show, this house is also believed to be haunted. However, just as Hill House examined whether members of the Crane family suffered from mental illness or were being tormented by supernatural entities, the woman in The Turn of the Screw also wonders if she’s simply going insane.

The next season of Haunting will be part of a new overall deal with series creators Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy. The duo, who are also putting the finishing touches on Dr. Sleep–a sequel to The Shining due in theaters in November–will continue making shows for Netflix beyond more installments of Haunting.

“Netflix has been an important part of our story, and we’re proud to have worked with them on The Haunting of Hill House, not to mention Gerald’s Game, Hush, and Before I Wake.” they said in a statement. “They’ve enabled and supported a great deal of our work and we look forward to much more.”

Now for the bad news. A teaser for The Haunting of Bly Manor revealed a 2020 arrival, meaning you are going to have a while to wait before getting to devour that series. And, sadly, you shouldn’t get your hopes up about seeing your favorite Hill House characters return. That said, there’s no telling if any members of the cast will return in new roles. Spookier things have happened.

PC players can now claim another free title from the Epic Games Store. From now until March 7, the retro-style point-and-click adventure Thimbleweed Park is up for grabs. Like other freebies from the storefront, the title will be yours to keep and play forever once you claim it.

To grab your copy of Thimbleweed Park, simply create an Epic account on the company’s store page, sign in, and then download the game. Epic regularly offers free titles through the storefront, so it’s worth keeping your account and checking back regularly to pick up the freebies.

Thimbleweed Park originally released in 2017. Designed by famed Maniac Mansion creators Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, the game is a satire of the television series Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and True Detective. It also features retro-styled pixel visuals and five playable characters that players can switch between during the course of the adventure.

“Thimbleweed Park is a time capsule that reminds us what we love about the point-and-click genre while still retaining many of its unremedied issues,” critic Matt Espineli wrote in GameSpot’s review. “Its amusing open world is packed with infectious personalities and clever puzzles that magnify the joy of its experiences. And its efforts to shift beyond the template of its predecessors and contemporaries make it surprisingly affecting, especially if you’re a longtime devotee of point-and-click adventures.”

Epic offers a new free game through its store every two weeks. The next one players will be able to pick up is Slime Rancher, which will be available from March 7-21.

Tetris 99 was a surprise reveal during Nintendo’s recent Switch Direct presentation. It’s Tetris’s take on the battle royale genre, as 99 people battle it out to be the last brick-layer standing.

As it’s an online multiplayer game, you’ll need a Switch Online membership to play, however the game itself is free-to-play. As with last year’s Tetris Effect, it’s an interesting new twist on a series that’s been around for nearly as long as gaming itself. However the question remains: is it any good?

Our critic, Peter Brown, certainly thinks so, as he awarded the game an 8/10 in our Tetris 99 review. For more reviewers’ opinions, read on below; alternatively, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic for the full picture on Tetris 99’s critical reception.

GameSpot — 8/10

“Tetris 99 may not be a proper battle royale game, but it taps into the same emotional well, where a large number of players vying for supremacy creates an ever-present intensity that’s difficult to shake. Add that layer to a game that’s plenty capable of instilling tension on its own, and you’ve got a riveting experience that even at its worst is still a game very much worth playing. There’s obvious room for improvement, but that’s the last thing on your mind when the pieces start falling and the players start dropping.” — Peter Brown [Full review]

IGN — 8.5/10

“Tetris 99 is a maniacally intense battle royale that forces you to make strategic decisions beyond just where to drop your next piece. This is Tetris on steroids, where a good run can quickly turn into a disaster and a bad run can turn into a surprising comeback. There’s a lot of luck involved, which can lead to some unfair-feeling knockouts, but it’s quick and easy to jump back in. This nerve-wracking and utterly delightful take on one of the greatest games of all time feels perfect on Switch, and on its own it justifies the $20 annual cost of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription.” — Steven Petite [Full review]

Nintendo Life — 9/10

“The complete oddball of the family, Tetris 99 offers a truly unique way to play the tried-and-tested classic, even if the overall package feels a little lightweight. Playing live against 98 others is chaotic, and the action feels fast, precise, and wonderfully addictive. It’s seriously difficult, too–we’d fancy our chances in Fortnite over this any day–and we’re impressed with the fact that it’s forced us to play the game with a completely different approach to our usual slow-and-steady ways. Signing up for Nintendo Switch Online just to play this game might be a bit of a stretch, but if you’re already a member, what are you waiting for? It’s free, and it might just become your next favourite time sink.” — Ryan Craddock [Full review]

Pocket Gamer — 4/5

“Tetris 99 is chaotic, ridiculous, and a little barebones, but it’s also a damn good game of Tetris.” — Ric Cowley [Full review]

Pokemon Go players have a chance to catch a couple of rare Pokemon this weekend. In addition to the Clamperl Limited Research event scheduled to take place on Saturday, Niantic has also announced a special Raid Weekend, which will give trainers another opportunity to capture the Gen 3 Legendary Latias.

From February 22-25, the Eon Pokemon will make an encore appearance in Raid Battles around the world. Moreover, Niantic says you’ll have a chance of coming across a Shiny Latias–if you’re lucky–during this special Raid Weekend event.

Latias first appeared in Pokemon Go last May alongside its twin, Latios. Niantic says the blue Eon Pokemon will also return for a special Raid Weekend “at a later date,” although it hasn’t yet specified when. You can read more details about this weekend’s event on the official Pokemon Go website.

The aforementioned Limited Research event takes place on February 23. Much like a Community Day, it will only run for three hours, during which time players will be able to receive special Field Research tasks from PokeStops. These will culminate in an encounter with the never-before-available Pokemon Clamperl, which can evolve into either Huntail or Gorebyss.

On top of that, Niantic is holding a special Meltan event in Go. Until March 4, players will have a chance of encountering a Shiny Meltan when opening the Mystery Box. The Gen 4 Legendary Palkia can also still be found in Raid Battles until February 28.

Anthem has been available in early access since February 15, but now BioWare is preparing for the official wide release. The company announced just when the game will unlock for those who have preloaded it, and it will be a rolling start. The official account tweeted that the game will go live on February 22 by midnight in each local time zone. The phrasing leaves open the possibility that some time zones may be able to play earlier.

The progressive rollout may help stave off some launch day troubles that tend to hit online games when players log on en masse. Even the Anthem VIP demo suffered server outages for a short time. But Anthem has already been running relatively smoothly among those with early access.

Origin Access subscribers on PC and EA Access subscribers on Xbox One have both had access to a ten-hour trial, with progress that will carry over into the main game. Origin Access Premier members have unlimited play instead of the trial period. PlayStation 4 owners have no Access program, though that may change soon.

BioWare also just rolled out an extensive day-one patch, fixing up several issues and making improvements before the game becomes widely available. Those include changes to crashing or infinite loading bugs, clearer UI, and other changes.

“Anthem has good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution,” Kallie Plagge wrote in GameSpot’s Anthem review. “It’s a co-op game that works best with no one talking; it buries genuinely interesting character moments and puts its most incomprehensible story bits at the forefront; its combat is exciting until you get to the boss fights and find your wings have been clipped. Even the simple, exhilarating act of flying is frequently interrupted by the limitations of your javelin, and you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment–of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you’ll inevitably come crashing back down.”

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have gone through many different forms since their debut in the Mirage Studios comic book series in 1984. And each time there’s a new round of TMNT products, the turtles evolve a little bit. Now, in 2019, Playmates has a new toy line based on the newest TMNT TV series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

At Toy Fair in New York, Playmates unveiled the latest set of TMNT figures. It was a pretty hefty reveal, as you can see below. In this upcoming Spring/Fall 2019 line, the 3.25″-5″ figures will cost $9 each and they all come with their own accessories to fight some crime.

From left to right: Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, Splinter, and April. However, no TMNT set would be complete without secondary characters and villains for the turtles to beat up. Here is what Playmates has planned for 2019.

From left to right: Foot Lieutenant, Origami Ninja, Meat Sweats, Bull Hop, Baron Draxum, and Albearto. These villains are specific to the 2018 animated series, so fans of the classic TMNT cartoon from the ’80s may not recognize them. However, you cannot deny the fact that Meat Sweats is the greatest name for a secondary villain in TMNT history–sorry Rat King.

There were plenty of reveals at Toy Fair last weekend, from Funko to video game action figures to lightsabers you can hit your friends with. Check out the stories below for GameSpot’s coverage of the event.

Following a partial leak of the upcoming Anthem update, BioWare has released a more extensive list of patch notes and released the update. This “day one patch” will be waiting for players who buy the game on its wide release day, but it’s coming several days into the early access period.

BioWare released the official notes on Reddit. While the original list was lengthy, the new one is even more extensive. It lists more than a dozen new changes, along with minor updates and revisions of some of the tweaks that were already on the list. As before, the high-level fixes focus on load times, crash and loading bugs, and challenge tracking. Other improvements include changes to Strongholds, crafting, the UI, and much more.

Anthem went live on Friday, February 15, for players with EA Access on Xbox One or Origin Access on PC. Both offer a 10-hour trial, and Origin Access Premier granted unlimited access. Those players have been experiencing the game without these improvements for almost a week. The full game will go live at midnight on Friday, February 22, in your local time zone.

“Anthem has good ideas, but it struggles significantly with the execution,” critic Kallie Plagge said in GameSpot’s Anthem review. “It’s a co-op game that works best with no one talking; it buries genuinely interesting character moments and puts its most incomprehensible story bits at the forefront; its combat is exciting until you get to the boss fights and find your wings have been clipped. Even the simple, exhilarating act of flying is frequently interrupted by the limitations of your javelin, and you never quite shake that feeling of disappointment–of knowing, throughout the good parts of Anthem, that you’ll inevitably come crashing back down.”

Once you do pick up your copy, make sure to claim your pre-order and special edition bonuses. Plus you can check out a short film from District 9 and Chappie director Neill Blomkamp.

Anthem Day One Update Patch Notes

High level fixes

• Decreased loading times for older disk drives
• Fixed many infinite loading screens
• Fixed multiple challenges not tracking properly
• A number of issues have been fixed that were causing players to disconnect or crash
• Weapons and gear now have numbers present for modifiers

General Fixes and Improvements

• Loot Reveal and Expedition Summary now correctly play during the end of expedition screen.
• The gather party mechanic has been made more lenient in a number of situations
• At the end of expedition screen players will no longer get stuck on “Recording Victories” or “Skipping All”.
• Game no longer hangs in Javelin menu when unlocking the second, third or fourth javelin
• During the mission “What Freelancers Do” dying after killing Junkmaw & freeing Arcanists leaves you unable to progress, this has been fixed
• Challenges now unlock for players at the correct levels
• Fixed some camera issues during cutscenes
• Legendary Contracts can now be accepted from the Social Hub contract board
• Some enemies have had their shield values decreased
• Loot now properly drops for players who are downed
• The texture quality on the NPC Prospero has been improved
• Final boss of strongholds now drop loot instead of only being shown on the end of expedition screen
• Fixed the time outs on echoes and relics to prevent griefing and to handle disconnections properly
• Players can no longer fall through the floor during the 3rd trial in the Fortress of Dawn
• Completing the tutorial expedition will now show the correct Ranger appearance
• After disconnecting, rejoining an expedition will now place you back into a squad if you were in one previously
• Corrected an issue where players could not interact with each other in the launch bay in certain circumstances
• Corrected an issue during the Mission “Bad Deal” where outlaws won’t spawn, blocking progress
• The start of expedition screen has been improved
• Addressed a variety of situations where killing enemies does not properly progress world events
• Opening a chest now increments Tomb of the Legionnaire progress for all squad members present
• Scar snipers can no longer shoot through Storm Shield
• Corrected an issue where players would get stuck on the end of expedition screen in some situations
• Players will no longer get disconnected if joining the “Finding Old Friends” mission while the cinematic is playing
• Addressed a number of situations where players can get stuck on the environment in the launch bay
• Increased the damage of the electric status effect
• Corrected an issue where the Shield of Dawn could be crafted with less materials then intended in some situations
• The Platinum Mission feat now grants completion as intended
• Status effects can more reliably be applied to Titans
• Fixed loading animations on Marksmen Rifles
• Players can now access the Vault from the Forge
• Swimming into jellyfish underwater no longer leaves a visual effect stuck on players.
• Idle animations will no longer sync up over time in the Launch Bay
• Haluk is no longer dual-wielding canes in the epilogue scene
• Corrected an issue where players could not interact with each other in the launch bay in certain circumstances
• Fixed an issue that could cause players in the launch bay to have identical emotes and be unable to use them
• Interceptor melee ability animations will no longer stretch out in certain situations
• Corrected an issue where the default Ranger appearance doesn’t preview in the forge in some situations
• All animations now play as intended in the Forge
• Players can now enter the Tomb of Gwanes while in a party
• The default Javelin wear state has been changed from “Dirty” to “Old”
• Sentinel Loyalty 2 text no longer incorrectly states that it will lead to a larger vault
• Picking up ammo from the ground now properly gives you 30% of that ammo back into both the current magazine and the maximum spare ammo
• Fixed a bug where some global (Javelin Icon) inscription bonuses were not being properly applied to the Javelin and other gear/weapons.
• Fixed some issues that could cause the Armor Pip count on the UI to break and not display properly

Strongholds

• Fixed an issue that would cause a Stronghold server crash after defeating the last boss
• Temple of Scar – Players can no longer get stuck in the mined tunnel in the explosives room
• Temple of Scar – Players can no longer be blocked from entering the explosives room due to fog wall
• Fixed Tyrant Mine so people that join the stronghold in-progress do not end up locked away from their team
• Adjusted lighting in Tyrant Mine underwater section to make it easier to navigate to the exit
• The Swarm Tyrant will no longer get stuck in the side cave entrances in some situations
• Corrected an issue where players would spawn into different areas of the Tyrant Mine in certain situations
• Implemented more safeguards to stop players from going AFK in Strongholds

Challenges

• Only Masterwork items can now be used to progress Masterwork challenges as intended
• Corrected an issue where some Challenges track progress simultaneously instead of incrementally, as intended. (ex: Blast Missile I and then Blast Missile II instead of both incrementing at the same time

Gear and Weapons

• After having 1st pilot unlock suit after tutorials, creating a new pilot and going to forge no longer causes load screen hang
• Ice damage bonuses are now correctly applied on ice gear
• Suit-wide bonuses from inscription are now functioning properly
• Players can no longer salvage equipped items
• Javelin specific gear and/or weapons are no longer able to be used on javelins they aren’t intended for
• Corrected an issue where in some circumstances Masterwork Components do not have any inscriptions
• The Endless Siege Masterwork Autocannon no longer displays a damage increase of 0% in its tooltip
• Suit-wide specific weapon ammo bonuses coming from infusions are now correctly applied
• A Network Error Message no longer appears when opening an item chest in the second tutorial
• Colossus shoulder gear will now share the appearance of the rest of the javelin as intended
• Deadeye has increased spare ammo 10 -> 20
• Cloudburst has had increased damage 16.3 -> 21
• Torrent has had increased damage 22.2 -> 28.6
• Lightning Strike’s pre-visualization will now accurately depict that the explosion snaps to the ground.
• (Ranger) Inferno Grenade base damage 130 -> 175
• (Interceptor) Cryo Glaive base damage 20 -> 50
• (Storm) Living Flame base damage 50 -> 60
• (Storm) Glacial Beam base damage 150 -> 120
• (Storm) Arc Burst secondary damage 100 -> 150
• (Ranger) Pulse Blast base damage 225 -> 300, and now deals extra damage to Shields (previously did extra damage to Armored).
• (Ranger) Blast Missile now properly scales up in damage as the item level increases
• (Interceptor) Melee attacks now have some minor resistance penetration
• Large Area of Effect abilities will better register multi-kill activities for challenges and medals
• Spark Dash functionality has been significantly improved when the target enemy is at a different height (above/below) the Interceptor.
• Several gear pieces that had missing primer or detonator icons have been fixed.
  • Interceptor
    • Tempest Strike – Detonator Icon
    • Spark Dash – Detonator Icon
    • Venom Spray – Primer Icon
    • Detonating Strike – Primer Icon
  • Colossus
    • Lightning Coil – Detonator Icon
    • Shock Coil – Primer Icon
    • Flamethrower – Primer Icon

• Several improvements have been made to ensure gear use on PC prioritizes turning the Javelin towards the reticle when used rather than casting in front of the Javelin’s current direction.

Javelins

• The Colossus javelin is now able to activate its shield more quickly after using an ability or firing a weapon
• The Storm javelin now reacts to getting hit when its shields are up
• Fixed an exploit that allowed the Storm’s ultimate attack to be used more times than intended
• The Colossus exo can now shield and revive at the same time
• Interceptor Combo Aura has been increased in power and now has a damage over time component
• Ranger melee now has a cooldown when striking in the air
• The Target Beacon ability now correctly seeks targets
• Spark Dash and Venom Spray now target based on player cursor instead of character facing. This should also improve the travel path of Spark Dash.
• The Colossus will no longer be knocked out of the sky in some situations when the attack was blocked by their shield

Combos + Status Effects

• Combo indicator icons above creatures now are correctly removed when detonated.
• When a Storm detonates an electric status effect the chained electric effect now correctly deals damage.
• Combo damage now penetrates resistances

Crafting

• Non-Masterwork materials purchased from the crafting store now show as their proper rarity instead of incorrectly showing as Masterwork
• A number of javelin components that had different icons for their recipes and the actual items are now the same
• The Battle Cry gear recipe now has the correct description
• Fixed Spark Beam gear having the wrong description when being crafted
• Crafting recipes are now sorted alphabetically
• The items in the crafting store are now sorted by type to be clearer

Controls

• Additional Mouse and Keyboard control improvements have been made

UI

• Some conversations were not popping up the reputation points post conversation completion, this has been fixed
• The squad screen now displays the correct information for each player
• Fixed a number of issues where subtitles will no longer get stuck on the screen after dialogue has finished as often
• Settings should no longer reset upon exiting and restarting the game on Xbox One
• Motion blur can now correctly be turned off
• The Electric Status Effect now shows scaled damage properly
• An option has been added to hide the Squad Member HUD
• The edge of the compass will now pulse to indicate enemy locations
• A notification has been added in Fort Tarsis if a player’s vault is at the cap of 250 items
• On the “Repair the Strider” step of “A Cry for Help” the search radar has been adjusted to correctly lead the player to all 4 tools
• Primer and Detonator icons have been added to all Interceptor gear
• Corrected a user interface issue where a player’s ultimate would show as available when it isn’t
• Toggling the HDR option now properly prompts the Apply Changes button
• Player banners should now display correctly
• Camera shake slider has been added to settings menu
• Players may now track 10 challenges instead of 5
• An option to adjust screen boundaries on consoles has been added
• Changing a player banner through the banner menu now properly saves the selection
• Health, cooldowns, and key bindings now light up on supported keyboards
• Players will now receive more clear messaging when a squad is disbanded or are kicked from a squad
• Squad leaders will no longer always show as ready
• The icon for players in a downed state will no longer appear in cutscenes
• Cypher Annotations will now appear for more than one player if they are looking at it simultaneously
• Removed mentions of respawning on the player UI when they die in a restricted respawn area
• The Player Banner now updates immediately when updated from the squad screen
• Fixed a number of situations where a combo will trigger but no combo floating text appears
• Pressing esc to pass a notification screen no longer opens up the in-game menu
• Quick chat messages will no longer appear from an ignored player
• Removed a message from the mailbox which incorrectly stated that messages will be removed after 3 days
• A number of inscription icons have been updated to properly reflect whether they are Javelin specific or not
• Corrected an issue where players could not change loadout names on PC
• Players no longer need to exit and re-enter the forge for loadout names to update
• The on-screen VOIP indicator which shows a player speaking will no longer be active if that player is muted

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