Monthly Archives: July 2018
Microsoft’s Next-Gen Xbox Scarlett Devices Include Streaming-Only Console, Source says
We learned the name of the new series of Microsoft consoles back at E3 named Scarlett, but more possible details have emerged from Thurrott.
Thurrott reports that Microsoft is currently planning two different pieces of hardware, one of which will be a traditional console similar to the Xbox brand. The specs are still unknown due to the hardware being in such early development.
More info comes from the second device, which is said to be a streaming box that is designed for Microsoft's upcoming game-streaming platform with the rumored name, "Scarlett Cloud."
Why Players Are Freaking Out Over This Crazy Rare Magic Card
A brand new copy of the rarest card in Magic: The Gathering’s history was just found during a Grand Prix tournament in Chiba, Japan.
Black Lotus is without a doubt the most famous card in Magic, both for its incredible power in-game and the insanely high price it can fetch. Only around 1,100 copies of Black Lotus were printed in the original Alpha set, and those have been known to sell for more than $25,000.
BLACK LOTUS #GPChiba pic.twitter.com/KvlFn2vMTf
Why Players Are Freaking Out Over This Crazy Rare Magic Card
A brand new copy of the rarest card in Magic: The Gathering’s history was just found during a Grand Prix tournament in Chiba, Japan.
Black Lotus is without a doubt the most famous card in Magic, both for its incredible power in-game and the insanely high price it can fetch. Only around 1,100 copies of Black Lotus were printed in the original Alpha set, and those have been known to sell for more than $25,000.
BLACK LOTUS #GPChiba pic.twitter.com/KvlFn2vMTf
Fortnite’s Playground Mode Returns This Week
Fortnite's Playground mode is returning on Wednesday as part of the 5.10 patch, Epic Games announced today. This new version of Fortnite will include team select options, additional loot, and the ability to ride all-terrain karts.
Playground mode was designed to give players a place to test out weapons, practice their skills in a group of four, and try building new structures or even games within the game. Unfortunately, Epic had to take Playground offline just hours after its June 27 release due to a rash of errors and long wait times to get into games. Playground made a triumphant return earlier this month, but not for good.
Players Have Found God of War’s ‘Final Secret’
Update: After a long, winding hunt for the alleged "final" big God of War Easter egg, fans, bolstered by a few recent comments, appear to have found what they believe to be the fabled final secret.
Big Spoilers for God of War follow — turn back now if you don't want to know!
As catalogued on the r/GodofWarSecrets subreddit, players discovered a set of four runes scattered throughout the corners of Kratos' house.
Those runes, when put together in the proper order, spell out the name "Loki."
via Imgur
Starcraft’s Legacy Is More Than Just Multiplayer
“I play Starcraft for the plot” is a phrase you don’t hear often when Blizzard’s iconic RTS is brought up. A franchise built on the back of competitive multiplayer, Starcraft became an international phenomenon shortly after its 1998 release. Garnering overwhelmingly positive reviews, players were drawn to the complex, fast-moving matches that not only rewarded their reaction time, but sheer creativity. Despite sporting a unique single-player component, Starcraft’s multiplayer quickly consumed the discussion as it continued to rise in popularity. This is a shame because the offline portion of the franchise is not only entertaining, but one of the best in the entire RTS genre.
For the unfamiliar, the Starcraft series is set in the distant future where humans – now called Terrans – have colonized multiple planets. This leads to the discovery of the insectoid-like Zerg who quickly begin to spread, infest, and exterminate the human race. Their activities cause a highly advanced alien race known as the Protoss to systematically track and destroy every Zerg-infested planet. With this vicious cycle as a backdrop, Starcraft’s main campaign is freed up to explore the different people and creatures that inhabit this universe. Players assume the role of a nameless commander in the first game and as soldier-turned-outlaw James Raynor in Starcraft II. Almost every main character is fleshed out with believable motives and personalities that add needed depth and intricacies to the various missions.
Is Hearthstone’s New Pinata Card a Fortnite Reference?
Blizzard just hosted a livestream with a bunch of new card reveals from Hearthstone’s upcoming Boomsday Project expansion, and one of them bears a striking resemblance to a familiar item from Fornite.
The ‘Weaponized Pinata’ is a new Mech minion that shares more than a few similarities with the smash battle royale hit. Most obviously its art, which isn’t exactly the same as Fornite’s Loot Llamas, but definitely mirrors their shape -- as well as using close shades of pink and blue.
What Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men Relaunch Needs to Succeed
Marvel made plenty of X-Men fans happy over the weekend with the announcement that Uncanny X-Men is returning this fall. The Uncanny X-Men brand is one of Marvel's most important, yet it's one that's stayed dormant ever since the start of the ResurrXion relaunch last year. Unfortunately, Marvel neglected to reveal anything else about the new series, including creative team, character lineup or story direction. Given the hardships this franchise has endured in recent years, simply bringing back a familiar name isn't going to be enough.
Uncanny X-Men #600 cover by Ed McGuinness. (Marvel Comics)
Marvel’s Infinity Wars Crossover Begins
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.
Once you check out our picks, head to the comments to let us know what you’ll be buying this week!
Infinity Wars Prime #1 - $4.99
Writer Gerry Duggan | Artist Mike Deodato Jr. (Marvel Comics)
Breaking Down the Debuts of Equalizer 2 and Mamma Mia 2
It was an incredibly tight race at the box office this weekend, with Sony’s The Equalizer 2 ($35.8 million) barely squeaking out a victory over Universal’s Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again ($34.4 million). Since the movies are just $1.4 million apart, it’s possible they could swap places when the box office actuals roll in on Monday. Until then, we’re breaking down the debuts for both these sequels and see how they stack up to the originals, 2014’s The Equalizer and 2008’s Mamma Mia.
It’s actually quite uncanny how close The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2 were in their box office debuts. The Equalizer pulled in $34.1 million in its opening weekend in late September 2014, down a bit from the estimated total of $35 million, which is just $800,000 off of The Equalizer 2’s $35.8 million estimate. This action-packed adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name opened in 3,236 theaters, earning a solid $10,549 per-screen average, en route to a domestic total of $101.5 million domestic and $192.3 million worldwide, from a $55 million budget. While these certainly aren’t blockbuster numbers, it was profitable enough to warrant a sequel, which seems to be following a very similar path as its predecessor.