Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is already in the hands of some players at home, with a full release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on October 12. A handful of players, on the other hand, got a unique gameplay experience instead. They got to try the game at the Black Ops House in London, inside “the world’s darkest room” for a totally immersive CoD experience.
Activision partnered with a company called Surrey NanoSystems to design the room, which is covered in Vantablack VBx2 coating, a material that absorbs nearly 100 percent of natural light in an area. The end result for the players was the ability to play the game with absolutely nothing being visible in the room except the screen and game in front of them. Get a look at their creation in the video above.
Black Ops 4 is the seventh Call of Duty game, and is the first to lack a traditional single-player campaign. In its place are story-driven individual missions that each focus on one of Black Ops 4’s multiplayer Specialists, similar to the Operator missions from Rainbow Six Siege. Black Ops 4 is the sequel to Black Ops 2, and the prequel to Black Ops 3, with missions taking place between 2025 and 2065.
There is also a brand new Blackout mode (which inspired the above blackout experience, no doubt). It closely resembles other battle royale games in many ways; up to 100 players drop onto a map and battle until only one player or team remains. Players collect weapons, equipment, and vehicles from their environment, and of course, the area in which players can survive shrinks over time, pushing you into closer quarters with your enemies.
The co-op Zombies mode is also returning in Black Ops 4. You can play two separate storylines in the mode, one called Aether that follows the Zombies storylines from past Black Ops games and a second, called Chaos, which features new characters Scarlett, Stanton, Diego, and Bruno. For more game details, including info on how to pre-order, check out everything we know about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
The Netflix Marvel superhero universe has had its ups and downs, and nothing can really make up for how bad Iron Fist Season 1 was, and what it did to The Defenders. But sometimes when you hit rock bottom, there’s a silver lining: There’s no direction to go but up. The Punisher was pretty good, Luke Cage Season 2 was a step in the right direction, and even Iron Fist Season 2 was watchable. Now that we’ve mostly forgotten about Jessica Jones Season 2, it’s time to return to where it all started: Daredevil. And you know what? It’s good to be back.
Daredevil Season 3 has a lot preceding it, but except where it’s relevant to Matt Murdock’s story, it mostly ignores what’s come before. In the first six episodes, which were sent to press ahead of time, there’s no mention of Jessica, Luke, Danny, or The Hand. Even Elektra is just a memory, albeit one that haunts Matt still.
Daredevil Season 3 is about rebuilding. Matt (Charlie Cox) suffered his most emotionally and physically devastating defeat yet when an entire building fell on him at the end of Defenders, and he’s forced to find the time and will to heal on multiple fronts. Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) has a scheme to get out of prison, but he puts himself at great risk to pull it off. Foggy (Elden Henson) and Karen (Deborah Ann Woll) are still dealing with the fact that Matt is gone, trying to put the pieces of their lives together without their best friend. Naturally, his eventual return in Season 3 will only complicate things further.
To fans, it’s no secret that Matt survived the events of Defenders. He spends much of Daredevil Season 3’s first half recuperating in the basement of the Catholic orphanage where he was raised, tended to by a nun who may or may not be his mother (in the comics she is; it hasn’t yet been made clear in the show). At the season’s start, his hearing has suffered, and without it his “sight” has also waned. An early season boxing match puts Daredevil’s brutality, the actors’ impressive physicality, and Matt’s threshold for punishment all on display. Daredevil spends plenty of time wallowing in Matt’s well earned nihilism, but even then it can be a joy to watch.
Fisk, meanwhile, proves to be the manipulative villain we remember him as from Daredevil Season 1. He flips and turns FBI informant, snitching on New York’s Albanian mob and almost getting himself offed in the process. That triggers a transfer out of prison and into a cushy high-rise, “for his own safety,” of course. He claims to be doing it all for Vanessa–played by Ayelet Zurer in Season 1, though she’s yet to reappear in Season 3–but with the Kingpin, there’s always the sense that there’s more going on than we’re ever made aware of. No doubt that shoe will drop before Season 3 is over.
Fisk’s recruitment of crack shot FBI agent Benjamin “Dex” Poindexter–who we know from the comics as Bullseye–only begins to see its full payoff by the time Season 3 is halfway through. But Dex gradually proves himself to be a dangerous presence, an obsessive sociopath with perfect aim who was taught as a child to blend in with society. When the cracks in his “normal” life start to shake his foundations, Fisk knows exactly how to dig his fingers in deep.
The news of Fisk’s “release” doesn’t go over well in Hell’s Kitchen, and protesters keep vigil outside his suite, adding to the feeling that this is all leading somewhere topical. Foggy and Karen fight back in their own ways–still working at the Bulletin, Karen starts investigating what Fisk is really up to, while Foggy attempts to get at him through legal means.
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Marvel’s Daredevil: Season 3 – Bullseye Origin Story Trailer | NYCC 2018
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That’s all to say that Daredevil Season 3 puts the focus where it belongs: on Matt, Fisk, Foggy, and Karen, the core characters that we originally grew to love or hate back in Season 1. With that re-anchoring comes some really cool stylistic choices; there’s an entire sequence that plays out in black and white, half flashbacks, half imaginings, with one character walking back through another’s life as he strives to learn everything he might use to his advantage. And there’s a single-shot fight scene in these first half dozen episodes that’s unbelievably impressive, easily rivaling any action that’s come before in the whole Netflix Marvel universe.
So yeah, Daredevil is back. And thanks to its much needed laser focus on the characters and stories fans actually care about, you don’t even need to be caught up; If you watched Daredevil Season 1 and then stopped, you could pick up again right at the start of Season 3. That definitely says something about how forgettable much of what came in the interim was. But regardless of where you’ve been all this time, Daredevil Season 3 is worth returning for.
Microsoft and Amazon are partnering up for a new Xbox One bundle package. Starting October 12, “qualified” Xbox One S and Xbox One S systems purchased through Amazon.com will also come with an Amazon Echo Dot at no extra cost, Microsoft announced. This is the new Amazon Echo Dot, which normally goes for $50 by itself, so this is a pretty nice deal.
This offer is only good “while supplies last,” so if you’re interested you may want to act quickly. Also note that this deal is good in the United States only.
Right now it’s not known which Xbox One S and Xbox One X bundles come with the free Amazon Echo Dot, but that should become clear soon as the deal goes live. Whatever the case, many Xbox One bundles already come with free games, like the NBA 2K19 bundle pictured above, so you’re getting multiple freebies as part of this deal.
This deal appears to be timed with the new Xbox One update that adds voice support for the Amazon Echo device. You can now use an Alexa-enabled device to give voice commands to your console for things like turning the system on/off, adjusting volume, capturing screenshots, launching games, and more.
This review contains spoilers for the Supernatural Season 14 premiere, titled “Stranger in a Strange Land.”
Over the years, Supernatural has had a tendency to introduce big, status-quo shattering resets at the start of its season, only to discard those twists within an episode or two (like Season 8’s truncated trip to Purgatory and Season 10’s shortlived Demon Dean arc). But Season 14 – at least for now – seems intent on following through with its huge decision to have Michael take control of Dean’s body – a plot point that has been teased since as far back as Season 4, when Zachariah extolled the virtues of Dean’s Biblical destiny in front of a huge, foreshadow-y painting of the archangel.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has received an update aimed at squashing some bugs and issuing minor (but unspecified) quality-of-life features. The 1.0.3 update is now available, and the patch notes are relatively vague. Among its features are “quality-of-life and usability improvement” and “various ‘game breaking’ issues that could happen in specific conditions.” It also says it improves performance and stability.
The patch notes end with a note promising more info. “Stay tuned for additional information concerning the changes included in 1.0.3,” it says. GameSpot has contacted Ubisoft for more detail and will update if more information becomes available.
Ubisoft is likely happy with the success of Odyssey so far. Though it didn’t give specific sales data, it announced it had the best launch week for any game in the franchise on the current generation of consoles. That would include Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013), as well as all the follow-ups including Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014), Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015), and Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017). That number does include revenue from microtransactions, which could mean other games outsold it on a per-unit basis, but Odyssey generated more money altogether.
Odyssey has gotten extra attention from an emerging market as well, as Google is using it as a test subject for its Project Stream technology. Players selected for the limited test can play it unlimited through their Chrome browser until January of next year, and are given $10 in in-game currency to purchase any microtransactions. As a trade-off, though, players lose all progress after the end-date.
The Xbox One October update is rolling out today, offering a few new bells and whistles for the Microsoft console. The features in this update allow you to use more voice interactions, more easily watch HDR movies with streaming services, and personalize your Avatar.
The Xbox Skill feature lets you interact with your Xbox using Alexa or Cortana devices, with a greater degree of precision than the previous Kinect voice commands. As an example, Microsoft says you can tell Alexa to “launch Forza Horizon 4” and in response the Xbox One will start up, sign you in, and launch the game, all without additional commands needed. Other commands include starting Mixer broadcasts, capturing screenshots, and adjusting the volume. You’ll need to download the Xbox Skill in the respective stores to get started.
To promote the new functionality, Amazon will be offering a bundle that includes an Amazon Echo Dot with new Xbox One S or Xbox One X purchases. That deal is coming soon, but supplies will be limited.
The newly revised Avatars are available for all users today as well. These have a focus on inclusiveness, with a greater range of body types, more accessories, and the ability to dress in any kind of clothing you’d like. You’ll see the new Avatars on your own profile, in the activity feed and Gamerscore leaderboard, and more. You can use a Photobooth to take a picture of your Avatar to use as your profile image. Plus, if you want to stick with your original Avatar, that option is available too.
The update also adds Dolby Vision HDR streaming across supported televisions. For now it supports Netflix only, but Dolby Vision will expand to more apps in the coming months. You can enable it through the Settings menu. Finally the Narrator has added Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Swedish, Dutch, and Australian English.
Scarlett Johansson appears to be making a healthy amount for her upcoming solo Black Widow film. The star is reportedly set to earn $15 million, which would be equal the payouts for Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth in both Avengers: Infinity War and their own starring roles movies, Captain America: Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok.
The Hollywood Reporter reports that most actors in the Marvel cinematic universe have made much less for their initial standalone movies. Robert Downey Jr. made just $500,000 for the first Iron Man, while Chadwick Boseman is said to have pulled down $2 million for the first Black Panther. Brie Larson is making $5 million for the upcoming Captain Marvel, with a reported seven-picture deal (which Larson disputes). Then again, this won’t be Johansson’s first time around as Black Widow, as the character has been a mainstay in Marvel’s team-up films for years.
The news comes as Hollywood’s actresses are applying more pressure on studios to pay them the same as their male counterparts. Some actors like Benedict Cumberbatch have publicly said they’ll refuse roles that do not give equal pay to his female counterparts in solidarity.
A spokesperson for Marvel told THR, “Marvel Studios disputes the accuracy of these numbers, and as a matter of policy, we never publicly disclose salaries or deal terms.” Black Widow will be directed by Cate Shortland (Lore). She was the ultimate pick after interviewing a list of more than 70 potential picks to direct. A release date hasn’t been announced. Black Widow will next appear in 2019’s Avengers 4, which will presumably resolve the plot threads left by Infinity War.
