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Season 7 of Fortnite is in full swing, and with it comes another 10 weeks’ worth of new challenges, weapons, items, skins, emotes, map changes, balance tweaks, and everything else in-between that Epic uses to keep Fortnite feeling fresh week after week. Right off the bat, the most significant of these changes appears to be the new snow-coated section of the map, which adds some festive and suitably chilly elements for this winter season. But the brand-new Creative mode, and the way it intertwines with the The Block to showcase community creations on the shared game map, might be Season 7’s most exciting new addition, and should take some of the pressure off Epic to pump out new content every single week.

Fortnite is in a good place right now with the way its gameplay has been finely tuned, and this is born from a season of experimentation. In fairness, this has been true of most seasons, since Epic isn’t content to sit on its laurels even when Fortnite continues to be the most popular game in the world. Yet Season 6 was more experimental than usual. For starters, glider redeploy was added to the default game modes for a week or so to test its effect on the game before Epic, with the help of the community’s feedback, opted to remove it. While I enjoyed being able to flank people and bypass their fortresses by simply gliding over them, it did negatively impact the dynamic of most firefights. Fall damage was essentially removed, encouraging people to build as high as they could with no tangible repercussions, while healing or reviving squadmates became nigh on impossible due to the ease with which hostile players could traverse vast distances. Then there was the maligned addition of mounted turrets, a brief and confusing buff to explosive damage, a welcome buff to shotgun damage, numerous changes to the map as Kevin The Cube embarked upon his final journey, and the Fortnitemares Halloween event that shook up default game modes by introducing the calculated mayhem of AI zombies.

Fortnite’s strengths are built around this ever-changing environment that keeps the battle royale foundations feeling fresh. Being part of the zeitgeist is too enticing to ignore when there’s new content released every single week, whether it’s a new weapon, vehicle, or some ridiculous one-time-only event. But there were moments during Season 6 where playing Fortnite was more than a little frustrating. It’s admirable that Epic is eager to experiment and innovate when it already has a winning formula on its hands, but it often felt like changes were being introduced for change’s sake. Obviously, this all worked out in the end, growing pains and all, because the last few weeks of Season 6 were fantastic, and that has continued into Season 7. But there’s an argument to be made for slightly fewer new additions in favour of maintaining and improving upon the core gameplay’s current excellence.

This week we’ve already seen a fascinating way Epic can maintain the game’s growth without impacting its mechanics. The Block–which acts as a dedicated space for showcasing standout community creations–is a smart idea that blends the new Creative mode with Fortnite’s constantly evolving map. Creative mode provides Battle Pass owners your own personal island to do with as you please–creating your own maps, game modes, and anything else you can imagine that isn’t just recreating de_dust. The prospect of having the best of the these creations appear as a brand-new area to play in every week is incredibly exciting–even if it comes at the cost of Risky Reels–and I can only imagine that feeling increases tenfold for those whipping up their own creations.

I don’t want to sound like a crotchety old Scrooge who’s averse to seeing new weapons or items added to the game, but the rate with which it happens could be dialed down a notch. We all know how volatile adding a completely new element to an online game can be, even with all of the QA testing in the world, so I would like to see new content given the opportunity to breath for a smidgen longer, just to see how it impacts the game before something else comes along and complicates things further. The Block would allow this to happen while still introducing a new element every week–or however often Epic plans on rotating them in and out–to preserve that invigorating sense of evolution and make each new leap from the Battle Bus feel as refreshing as ever. Just, whatever you do, Epic, don’t touch the shotguns again, please.

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With the sudden closure of Telltale Games this past September, there were many doubts about the conclusion of the Final Season of the developer’s seminal adventure game series The Walking Dead. During the Kinda Funny Games Showcase, however, it was revealed that next episode of The Final Season will arrive on January 15, 2019, with many of the core developers returning to finish out the conclusion to Telltale Games’ seminal adventure game series.

In the trailer for Episode 3: Broken Toys, we saw Clementine looking after another survivor during the zombie apocalypse, with a voiceover from the first season’s protagonist Lee reflecting on her growth. Over the course of the four seasons, Clementine has grown from a vulnerable character that needed guidance, to one of the series’ most hardened survivors. The trailer closed out with the twitter hashtag, #StillNotBitten, referencing a line said by Clementine during trailer.

In the weeks after the closure of Telltale Games last September, Robert Kirkman–the creator of The Walking Dead– and his studio Skybound Entertainment announced at New York Comic Con 2018 that they were able to work out a deal to ensure that former developers could return to the same office to continue work on the closing season.

“We’ve successfully negotiated with Telltale Games for our company Skybound to come in and see Season 4 of the Telltale game to completion,” said Kirkman during NYCC 2018. “We can’t lose Andrew Lincoln and Clementine in the same year.”

Skybound Entertainment has brought on 40 of the original developers to ensure that the same creatives are involved in the finish of the season, which had already been written prior to the closure. In our review of Episode 2: Suffer the Children, Justin Clark gave the game an 8/10, praising the game’s story and events, while also lamenting on the game’s cliffhanger–which came close to never being resolved.

“We leave The Walking Dead on a Telltale firmly willing to make mechanical and tonal risks, nearly all of which pay off well in this episode, hinting towards a bright future we may never get to see. If this is the last time we see her, the fact that she, and this series, have become what they’ve become is maybe the closest thing to a Happily Ever After as can be expected from The Walking Dead.”

During 2018’s San Diego Comic-Con, everyone was abuzz with James Gunn’s next secret, non-Marvel project. However, details about it and a potential trailer were never revealed, after his Twitter scandal caused him to cancel his appearance at the yearly event. However, the first trailer was released today, and the story is essentially the same as Superman’s, but with a horrific twist.

The movie is titled Brightburn, and it’s written by Brian and Mark Gunn, produced by James Gunn, and directed by David Yarovesky, who worked with Gunn on the video short Guardians of the Galaxy: Inferno. In the trailer–which you can see above–a wife (Elizabeth Banks) and husband (David Denman) were unsuccessful at having a child, but one night, a meteor hits near their farm, and they find a baby. This sounds familiar, right? That’s because it’s the story of the iconic DC superhero, Superman.

However, from there, it takes a horrific twist. As this child–Brandon Breyer–grows older, into his teen years, something awakens in him, and it’s more than just superpowers. He puts on a mask, has a cape, and starts tormenting and stalking people, using his powers–in a sense–for evil. It’s an age-old tale we know that takes things in a really interesting direction.

The first trailer is an unsettling mixture of the superhero tale with a supernatural slasher horror film. This unique take on the superhero genre has my attention, which is especially tough with movies like Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame being the talk of the town as of late. While comic book fans have seen Superman as the villain before, like in Red Son, I can’t think of a story that’s tapped into the potential horror of the character.

Brightburn comes out on Monday, May 27, 2019. Seeing as it’s a Monday release, we are unsure at this time if it will be a theatrical or streaming release. However, those in the UK and Ireland get to see it a few days earlier, when it opens at cinemas on May 24, 2019.

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Project Judge, the next game from Yakuza developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, has been given a new name for its Western release. Outside of Japan, the game will be called “Judgement” and it will be available in Summer of 2019. The new information was revealed during the Kinda Funny Games Showcase, where a trailer was also shown.

Unlike previous trailers, this one featured English voices–which is a big change for the developer, given that the Yakuza series was subtitled, instead of dubbed. The trailer ended with confirmation that Greg Chun will voice main character Takayuki Yagami. Chun is a prolific voice actor for video games, having lent his talents to Overwatch, Neir: Automata, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, among other titles.

Judgement made its debut during the PlayStation Lineup Tour event held earlier this year. It’s a narrative driven experience in which players assume the role of an investigator getting to the bottom of murders and other crimes. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s chief creative officer Toshihiro Nagoshi previously described Judgement as “something completely different” from what it has done so far. He also said that it has been in development for around three years.

Alongside the numerous Yakuza titles released over the last couple of years, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio also launched Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, a game based on the beloved manga and anime property Hokuto No Ken. In his review, Matt Espineli awarded Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise an 8/10, saying it has a “melodramatic narrative that skillfully blends new and old storylines” and a “fantastic combat system captures the feeling of Kenshiro’s fighting style.”

“Lost Paradise may replicate the Yakuza series’ format, but it’s filled with a passion for FotNS that makes it fantastic all on its own,” he added. “While previous games based on the property have adapted its story and characters with some success, few have managed to not only nail the style and tone but redefine what’s possible with its world and characters. RGG Studios has done a splendid job at evoking the justice-fueled power fantasy Kenshiro represents, succeeding in revealing more about the historic and beloved character in amusing and unexpected ways.”

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