Monthly Archives: February 2018
Pillars of Eternity 2 Is an Oregon Trail Fantasy RPG on the High Seas
As I dropped anchor into the shimmering waters of Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, I found there was far more that felt familiar from having played the first Pillars game than there was different. It’s certainly a lot prettier, with gorgeous animated water, better lighting, and more detailed models. But the combat, dialogue, stat system, and inventory management don’t seem to have changed much at all. It’s more like Pillars of Eternity 1.5… until you get out to the overworld map.
I admired the original Pillars for making its world feel more grounded and tangible by adding realistic travel time when commuting between regions on the map. It felt like reading Tolkien or playing in a detailed Dungeons and Dragons campaign, rather than watching a movie or TV show where the camera simply cuts to wherever the characters need to be next. Deadfire takes this a step further by giving you your own ship that you can sail freely between the various islands. And it’s far more than just a visual representation of your party’s location.
Arnold Schwarzenegger to Star in Amazon Series
Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to star in a Western series for Amazon.
The series is called Outrider, and according to Deadline, Schwarzenegger will also executive produce the show alongside Mace Neufeld, the executive producer on upcoming Amazon show Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. Outrider will also be co-written and executive produced by CSI: New York's Trey Calloway, and Mark Montgomery.
Outrider is a dark mystery series set in the late 1800s, and follows a Federal Marshall, played by Schwarzenegger, who teams up with a deputy to take down a notorious outlaw in the Oklahoma wilds. Characters in the show will have shifting alliances, and the story will feature twists to blur the line between heroes and villains.
Rainbow Six Siege Announces Free Play Weekend for Next Week
Ubisoft has announced that Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege will be available to play for free next weekend.
Interested players can join the growing community of over 25 million Rainbow Six Siege players during the free play weekend—which kicks off on PC from Feb 15 - Feb 18, on Xbox One from Feb 15 – Feb 19, and on PS4 from Feb 15 - Feb 20.
The leading piece of content from year three, season one, Operation Chimera, will be available first on PC through the technical test server starting February 19 and will launch later on all platforms on March 6. The new co-op mode, Outbreak, will be playable on PC through the Ubisoft technical test server beginning February 20. Following the technical test on PC, Outbreak will be accessible on all platforms from March 6 to April 3.
10 Movies to Watch After The Cloverfield Paradox
Now that you've watched Cloverfield, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and The Cloverfield Paradox - the origin story that became a "must see" event after Netflix informed 100 million Super Bowl viewers it'd be available to stream after the Big Game - you might be craving more space madness.
The Cloverfield Paradox - starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Daniel Brühl, and David Oyelowo - may have left you with several unanswered questions, but if one of those questions is "Where can I find more movies like this?" we've got you covered.
Battlefield 1 Has Banned More Cheaters Than Ever
No online game is impervious to cheaters - something the PUBG developers are all too familiar with. And while Battlefield 1 hasn't had problems on quite the same scale, they still have to clean house from time to time to keep the fight fair, and have seen the instances of cheaters reduce since last year.
Sean Merson, from DICE's anti-cheat team, posted an update on the studio's approach to cheaters, specifying that "the more intricate details" of their anti-cheat measures wouldn't be touched upon "to avoid revealing anything which cheaters and cheat program developers may take advantage of." Anti-cheat efforts have "ramped up" over the past six months "to detect and remove more cheaters than ever before."
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Will Launch Falcon Heavy Rocket Today
The world's most powerful rocket is scheduled to launch later today.
Elon Musk's SpaceX is about to send its Falcon Heavy rocket into space, with launch scheduled for 3:45 pm Eastern Time.
The Falcon Heavy is a modified version of the SpaceX Falcon 9. According to the New York Times, it has an extra pair of Falcon 9 boosters, giving it the ability to launch a payload of "up to 140,000 pounds."
The launch was originally scheduled for 1:45 pm Eastern Time, but was delayed due to "high altitude winds," according to the Times report.
Elon Musk's SpaceX program has seen much success since its introduction. In 2016, SpaceX announced its manned mission into space was being delayed. Two private citizens paid SpaceX for the privilege of being sent around the moon in the Dragon spacecraft.
Legion Season 2 Premiere Date Announced
The second season of Legion will premiere on Tuesday, April 3 at 10pm ET/PT on FX.
Season 2 of creator and executive producer Noah Hawley's X-Men spinoff series stars Dan Stevens as David Haller, a man who, originally thought to be a schizophrenic, is actually an incredibly powerful mutant.
Dan Stevens as David Haller in Legion. Credit: Matthias Clamer/FX
DC Comics Partners With Young Adult Authors
DC Entertainment has announced two new graphic novels aimed at young readers, from middle school to young adults.
The New York Times reports that DC has brought on board some popular novelists in the YA field, including Laurie Halse Anderson, Melissa de la Cruz, Michael Northop, and Ridley Pearson.
2018’s Call of Duty Is Reportedly Black Ops 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is reportedly in development at Treyarch and will be released later this year.
"Multiple sources" tell Eurogamer Black Ops 4 will be this year's entry in the Call of Duty series. The game will reportedly "dial back" the subseries' sci-fi elements, instead opting for "a more grounded feeling." The report states this is in response to Infinite Warfare's negative reception in 2016.
Treyarch is, in fact, next up in Activision's three-studio Call of Duty rotation. Last year's Call of Duty: WWII was developed by Sledgehammer Games, while Infinity Ward handled 2016's Infinite Warfare. A "more grounded" version of Black Ops also makes sense given the success of WWII, which was 2017's best-selling game in the U.S.
Doritos Is Making a Female Friendly Chip
Doritos are known for several things, but being discrete isn't one of them. But PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi thinks there's a segment of the population for whom a less-crunchy chip might be appealing: women.
Speaking to the Freakonomics podcast, Nooyi her company has found women "don't like to crunch too loudly in public." And unlike men, they "don't lick their fingers generously and they don't like to pour the little broken pieces and the flavor into their mouth."
The company's own research has found several shortcomings with the current Doritos that, according to PepsiCo, make women less likely to enjoy a blast of crunchy Baja flavor.