When Sea of Thieves launched in March 2018, many people believed it was an enjoyable, beautiful experience that was just lacking some direction and was perhaps a little thin in the content department. I was one of those people: I found Sea of Thieves an exhilarating experience with friends and a peaceful one alone, but I often found myself with too little meaningful content to engage with.Developer Rare has repeatedly updated the pirate game since launch, and it is now on the cusp of introducing a significant update that injects much-needed variety into the game. On April 30 the game will be patched with the Anniversary update, which includes a new narrative-driven questline called Tall Tales: Shores of Gold and an entirely new PvP mode named The Arena, all for free.The Arena is a competitive mode for five teams of four set in smaller, distinct areas. At the beginning of each 24-minute match, every team receives the same set of treasure maps. You must proceed to one of the X marks in order to retrieve chests, which can then be cashed in for Silver at a number of special ships.Of course, other teams are competing for the same chests and cashing-in points, so you might find you run into some resistance on your travels. Killing other players or sinking their ships nets you a small amount of Silver, and respawns are active. Particular to The Arena is a new damage model for ships, which can now have their wheel, masts, and anchor destroyed--though these can be repaired with wood in the same way you would fix a hull.Arena matches are frantic but fun, and Rare says they're designed to satisfy players who don't necessarily have time to dive into a whole run of classic Sea of Thieves--which is now being dubbed Adventure Mode. But more importantly, they unite players around a single, clear objective, providing more direction for those solo queuing or those lacking a microphone. This solves the issue Sea of Thieves always had where players would be pulling in different directions, shooting for different targets--even if they were part of the same team. You'd have one player wanting to complete a Merchants' Alliance quest, another wanting to ambush other teams' ship, and another simply jumping up and down and spinning on the spot. The Arena's obvious objectives and condensed map do a lot to rid the game of these issues, since any individual not paying attention and working with their team will quickly find themselves sleeping with the fishes.The Arena also has the potential to rid Adventure Mode of griefers and people who are of a more combative persuasion. I prefer my Sea of Thieves journeys to be relaxing, which made it irritating when another player--friend or foe--decided to engage in combat. If people who prefer to fight are busy in The Arena, hopefully the rest of the game world will become a more peaceful proposition. Or maybe I'm placing too much faith in the troublemaking scallywags.Tall Tales, meanwhile, is a new questline for people who wanted more direction in Sea of Thieves' classic Adventure Mode. It's set in the game's usual shared world--which will also gain a new island that Rare says is its biggest yet--and will see you complete a number of puzzles and riddles in the search for treasure. The mode includes new enemy types, items enchanted with new abilities, and a new faction named the Hunters' Call who'll buy fish and meat off you after you utilize new fishing and cooking mechanics. While those new mechanics are a little basic, they add a nice bit of flavor to otherwise plain sailing--unless you burn your fish, that is.While Tall Tales: Shores of Gold is only a subtle change from the vanilla Sea of Thieves experience, the greater purpose it gives, the greater narrative strands it provides, and the more tangible targets it teases help motivate you to continue venturing out into the seas. You're not simply completing quests in order to unlock more quests of a similar nature; there are more interesting activities to complete, such as escaping a locked room filling with water, and a more defined goal on the horizon in the questline's next riddle. More important than the objectives and new mechanics, however, is the distinct feeling these new missions provide: it feels like you're actually on a guided adventure, rather than just going from point A to point B. New voice lines--spoken for the first time by actual voice actors, rather than studio staff as was the case previously--are a large reason for this new flavor.Nine tales make up the Shores of Gold expansion, but Rare says it will continue to support Sea of Thieves with more content in a similar vein going forward, and if things carry on improving along these lines, I'll be diving back into Rare's oceans for many months to come.Info from Gamespot.com

Fortnite and its newest competitor, Apex Legends, are locked in something of a duel for battle royale supremacy. Apex roared onto the scene with features like a robust "ping" communication system, and Fortnite returned fire by adding a similar system of its own. Apex took its own page from Fortnite, launching a subscription-like battle pass that's pretty much exactly like Fortnite's monetization model. And now Fortnite's latest update has patched in another signature Apex idea: the Respawn Beacon that allows you to revive dead teammates.In Fortnite, these new respawn items are called Reboot Vans, and they're scattered around the map in certain team-based game modes. Both Reboot Vans and Respawn Beacons offer one game-changing ability: if a member of your squad is eliminated from a match (rather than just taking enough damage to be "knocked down," at which point a teammate can revive them), you have a chance to save them if you're quick and daring. In both games, your dead teammate drops an item--in Apex, it's their banner card; in Fortnite, their reboot card.You've got 90 seconds to collect that card in both games. Once you have it, take it to either a Respawn Beacon or Reboot Van, and you can give your dead teammate a second chance at life. They come back to the game in pretty rough shape, but having your full squad back is a huge step toward recovering from a lost fight and being the last team standing.The similarities between the two systems don't end there. In Apex Legends, a person on your squad needs to physically visit the death box of your dead teammate in order to collect their banner, but once it's been collected, either of the remaining two squadmates can activate the Respawn Beacon. That means that one person can go running for the beacon while the other person goes to recover the card, drastically shortening the time it takes to bring your third squadmate back. You don't have to physically carry the card itself back to the Respawn Beacon. Fortnite's Reboot Vans work the same way; once one teammate has the card, it's available to any teammate to use at the Reboot Van.In both games, you're also pretty vulnerable while saving someone's life. It takes time to activate both a Respawn Beacon and a Reboot Van, although in Fortnite, the danger is a lot less than in Apex. In the latter game, the beacon summons a new drop ship to bring your teammate back to the battlefield, which is highly visible to everybody around and requires your dead squaddie to jump from the ship back to the ground. They're vulnerable that whole time, and the arrival of the ship is effectively a giant "come kill me" sign to other teams. Meanwhile, in Fortnite, the player is reconstituted right on the Reboot Van, and there's seemingly a lot less visual flare to alert other players of what's going on.The other major difference between the systems is how often you can use them. There are a limited number of Respawn Beacons on the Apex Legends map, and they're single-use--so once any player uses a beacon to respawn a teammate, that beacon no longer works for anyone else. Reboot Vans are a lot more forgiving; use one, and it becomes unavailable for 120 seconds before recharging. You can't revive your whole squad immediately at a Reboot Van, but you could potentially hang out near one to get multiple players back in the middle of match, if you can stay alive that long.The last big difference between Respawn Beacons and Reboot Vans is what happens to the player revived. In Apex Legends, you get a second chance at life, but it's a pretty big bummer: Any loot you found along the way before you were killed is gone, unless your teammates grabbed it and brought it back for you. When you respawn, you return to the game with nothing, which means that you're highly vulnerable until you're able to loot new weapons and armor to protect yourself with. Using a Respawn Beacon helps you get your team up to full strength, but you still have to work very hard to deal with the disadvantage of having lost a member of your team.Fortnite's respawns are a bit more forgiving. Return from a Reboot Van and you won't be completely empty-handed. You'll reenter the match with 100 health, a Common Pistol with 36 rounds, and 100 wood to let you build. You won't be too formidable right after a respawn, but you'll at least be able to fight if you have to.There are some slight differences, but both mechanics are close to identical. That means the strategies for using them are pretty much the same: Coordinate with your teammates on revives, avoid leaving yourself too vulnerable while respawning, and help your newly revived teammate get some weapons together so they can survive fighting the next group of enemies who show up.Info from Gamespot.com

Target is the latest retailer to launch a huge sale on AAA game titles recently, and this time, the deal is simple: buy one, get 50% off any game title, including newly released games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, The Division 2, and Devil May Cry 5. The deal encompasses hundreds of PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch games, and as with most BOGO deals, the 50% off price slash will apply to the cheapest game, so choose wisely. The discount will then be applied at checkout.This BOGO deal puts many games at their cheapest price ever, such as Resident Evil 2, which is listed for $55 and would drop to $27.50; Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which is still $60 and would drop to $30; and God of War, which is listed for $30 and would drop to just $15, a killer price for one of 2018's best games.The deal also applies to select puzzles, party games, and children's games, which are great options if you're shopping for any little ones this Easter.This offer is valid through April 13, so only a few days are left to take advantage of these deals. Meanwhile, GameStop's massive spring sale is also going on, with huge discounts on not only PS4, Xbox One, and Switch games, but also consoles, accessories, toys, and collectibles. Some special trade-in offers are also available. Note that many of the game deals overlap between Target and GameStop's sales, so consider checking out both sales to find the best deals for you.Shop Target's Buy One, Get One 50% Off Game Deals »See more of the games available as part of the sale below, including their current list price, and browse the full collection of deals at Target.PS4:Anthem -- $60Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- $60Battlefield V-- $60Call of Duty: Black Ops 4-- $60Devil May Cry 5 -- $59God of War -- $30Grand Theft Auto V - Premium Online Edition -- $60Kingdom Hearts III -- $60Madden NFL 19 -- $31Marvel's Spider-Man -- $40Metro Exodus -- $60Monster Hunter World -- $20Mortal Kombat X -- $20NBA 2K19 -- $60Red Dead Redemption 2 -- $60Resident Evil 2 -- $55Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice -- $60Spyro Reignited Trilogy -- $30Tom Clancy's The Division 2 -- $50Switch:Dark Souls Remastered -- $38Diablo III: Eternal Collection -- $50Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze -- $50Dragon Ball FighterZ -- $55Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 -- $30Just Dance 2019 -- $32Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 -- $25Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle -- $60Mega Man 11 -- $25NBA 2K19 -- $60Overcooked 2 -- $39Sega Genesis Classics -- $30Sid Meier's Civilization VI -- $45Sonic Mania Plus -- $30Xbox One:Anthem -- $60Assassin's Creed Odyssey -- $60Battlefield V -- $60Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 -- $39.49Devil May Cry 5 -- $60Forza Horizon 4 -- $60Grand Theft Auto V - Premium Online Edition -- $42Kingdom Hearts III -- $60Madden NFL 19 -- $40Metro Exodus -- $60Monster Hunter World -- $23Mortal Kombat X -- $20NBA 2K19 -- $28Red Dead Redemption 2 -- $54Resident Evil 2 -- $53Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice -- $60Spyro Reignited Trilogy -- $29.49Tom Clancy's The Division 2 -- $50Info from Gamespot.com

Avengers: Endgame tickets recently went on sale, crashing ticket sites in the process. Now ticketing sites have shared some of their sales data, and it shows yet more evidence that the Marvel blockbuster is preparing to set records.CNBC reports that presale tickets broke both first-hour and first-day records on Fandango and Atom Tickets. After a full week of sales, Endgame has presold almost twice as many tickets as Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Avengers: Infinity War, Aquaman, and Captain Marvel put together.This comes on the heels of a report that Endgame is primed to bring in $200-250 million during its opening weekend, making it the top one of the year so far and one of only six films to break $200 million at opening. But, those expected earnings sometimes underestimate, as they did for Avengers: Infinity War. That was estimated at $180-225 million, but it ended up blowing those expectations away with an initial take of $257 million. That means Endgame could come in significantly higher and surpass Infinity War for the top opening of all time. These strong presales suggest that could be the case. The rush for presale tickets has led to high prices on resale sites. One set of two 3D tickets was going for $400, while another set of five tickets was offered for $600. On the high end, some scalpers were asking for upwards of $25,000.Alongside the ticket frenzy came confirmation of the game's lengthy runtime at just over three hours. It also came alongside a new trailer, so read our trailer breakdown and even more details we learned from exclusive footage.Info from Gamespot.com

Epic Games has rolled out another new update for its hit battle royale title, Fortnite. Patch 8.30 is now live across all platforms, and while the update number might not suggest as much, this is a particularly significant event. Beyond a new limited-time event called Buccaneer's Bounty that's now live, this update introduces a new respawn mechanic that is now available in the game. Read on for a full breakdown of the patch notes.Epic recently announced Reboot Vans, and they're now live. Similar to the respawn stations found in EA's rival battle royale game, Apex Legends, Reboot Vans allow you to revive fallen teammates during a match. We've got a full breakdown of how Apex and Fortnite respawns compare, but here are the basics of how they work: When a teammate dies, you'll need to collect their Reboot Card, which is dropped upon their elimination. Once a card has been collected, any member of the squad can bring it to the Reboot Van and respawn them, regardless of who actually picked it up. The vans can't be found in Solo matches, large-scale LTMs, or any mode that already has respawns enabled.Notably, respawning in this manner doesn't leave you completely empty-handed, as in Apex. Instead, they'll come back with a Common-rarity pistol in ammo, 36 ammo, and 100 wood. After a Reboot Van is used, it goes on cooldown for two minutes. The vans can be found all over the map, including at each major point of interest.The other big draw this week is the aforementioned Buccaneer's Bounty event, which runs until April 15. Throughout the event, Epic will feature a different limited-time mode to play every day. Treasure maps will also spawn a bit more frequently during matches, and there will be daily Buccaneer's Bounty challenges to complete and rewards to unlock for all players--no Battle Pass necessary. The first of these challenges is already available and asks you to visit pirate camps in different matches; you can consult our guide if you don't know where on the map to find those.Also new following the update is the Fly Explosives LTM, which Epic says "combines the explosive fun of the High Explosives LTM with the Jetpack." In this mode, the only weapons you'll be able to find are explosives, and Jetpacks will occasionally spawn as Floor Loot. Beyond that, Epic has made numerous bug fixes and UI tweaks. You can read a portion of the patch notes for Battle Royale mode below; the full patch notes can be found on Epic's website.Week 7's challenges are slated to arrive on Thursday, April 11, bringing players another step closer to unlock Season 8's Legendary Ruin skin. If you still have any outstanding challenges you need to complete in the meantime, you can find tips and guides for this season's trickier tasks in our full Season 8 challenges roundup.Fortnite: Battle Royale Update 8.30 Patch NotesTable of Contents [hide]Fortnite: Battle Royale Update 8.30 Patch NotesLimited-Time Mode: Fly ExplosivesWeapons + ItemsGameplayPerformanceAudioUILimited-Time Mode: Fly ExplosivesSummaryThis mode combines the explosive fun of the High Explosives LTM with the Jetpack. Take to the skies and blast everyone else back to the lobby!Mode DetailsOnly explosive weapons can be found in this mode.Floor Loot spawners will occasionally spawn Jetpacks. Jetpacks are only available in this mode in Battle Royale.Reduced storm wait times.Rocket Ammunition capped at 120.Weapons + ItemsReboot Van / Cards Reboot Vans have now been added to the map at all major POIs.When squad members are eliminated they now drop their Reboot Card, which can be collected by other squad members. Reboot Vans / Cards are disabled in Solos, Big Team Limited Time Modes, and any modes with respawns enabled.Reboot Cards remain in the world for 90s after they’ve been dropped.Pickup Interaction time: 0.5 seconds.Bringing Reboot Cards to Reboot Vans will bring each squad member whose card has been collected back into battle. Collected Reboot Cards can be turned in by any squad member regardless of which member picked up the Card.Interaction time: 10 seconds.A Reboot Van goes on cooldown and cannot be activated again for 120 seconds after it’s used.Rebooted squad members return with: 100 Health1 Common Pistol36 Light Ammo100 WoodInfantry Rifle Damage decreased from 40/42 to 38/40.Fall-off damage at maximum range increased from 26/28 to 32/34.Poison Dart Trap damage ticks will no longer cause the camera to shake repeatedly.Bug FixesFixed an issue that occasionally prevented weapon fire from queuing for shotguns after switching weapons without re-pressing the fire key.Fixed an issue where if a Clinger is attached to a player and they entered a Baller that it wouldn't deal damage.Fixed sniper rifles playing fire animations twice per shot from the point of view of other players.Fixed grenade projectile trajectories lagging behind slightly when moving and rotating.Fixed Traps not activating if a player blocks line of sight with a structure but then the structure is destroyed.Fixed Balloon sound effects occasionally playing when entering a vehicle without Balloons active.Fixed an issue with single shot weapons not reloading properly while in targeting mode.Fixed Peppers not granting movement speed while walking.Fixed Minigun Rev Up/Down sound effects persisting after boosting on a Driftboard.Fixed an issue with Ziplines after using a Launch Pad that could cause the player to jump higher.Fixed an issue with players getting knocked backward when firing the Pirate Cannon upwards.Fixed Pirate Cannons getting stuck in an indefinite horizontal rotation.Fixed an issue with Boom Bow not showing up with the Visualize Sound Effects option.Fixed an issue with vehicles shot by Boom Bow not playing hit notification sound effects.Fixed an issue with the Boom Bow having longer than expected projectile trail effects.Fixed an issue with Boom Bow projectile effects occasionally flying through enemies.Fixed a spelling error in the elimination feed with Boom Bow.GameplayBuccaneer’s Bounty Event A different Limited Time Mode rotates in every day from April 10 - April 15.Drop in and Complete free Challenges to earn in-game rewards.Increased the spawn rate of Treasure Maps for the duration of this event: Floor Loot: Increased availability from .25% to .5%Chests: Increased availability from 1.55% to 3.05%All aspect ratios will have the same vertical FOV on Mac and PC. In the near future, ultrawide monitors will be limited to 16:9 in competitive game modes.Added separate controller sensitivities for building and editing structures.The Glider Redeploy item is now sorted to the right along with other consumables when "Auto sort consumables to the right" is enabled.Added ability to cycle hotbar items while gliding.Hit markers are now server authoritative. We’ve heard the feedback that hit markers are sometimes seen for shots but don't apply damage, so we’re going to delay showing them until the server has confirmed the hit.Fixed sniper damage not causing damaged players to play a reaction animation.Adjusted how Storm damage is applied so that players entering the Storm will have a set amount of time before damage is applied. The initial instance of damage will start 1 second after entering the Storm.Bug FixesFixed an issue where players would incorrectly edit structure behind them when backed up close to a player built wall.Players dropping in warm-up will not award eliminations if another player caused them to receive fall damage.Fixed Traps being hidden underneath certain floor pieces that don't completely align with the grid.PerformanceVarious level streaming performance optimizations for Switch and Xbox One to reduce cases where players see blurry buildings.Improved texture streaming performance and memory overhead on Switch.Improved performance for Traps.Improved performance of the Challenges UI.Bug FixesFixed a source of hitches due to spawning weapon drops.Fixed a source of hitches due to replay recording.Implemented a fix that should resolve cases of invisible characters after skydiving.AudioNew separate in-air audio tell for enemies. More of an “incoming” audio tell that should give more awareness when an enemy drops in on you from above.Reduced volume of building audio loops while being structures are being built. This sound is now ducked by enemy footsteps and gunfire.Prevents unnecessary noise when lots of buildings are placed in quick succession.Slightly increased the volume of footsteps below the player.Increased volume of the landing sounds of enemy footsteps.Bug FixesFixed a bug where all offscreen enemy footsteps and weapon switches/reloads would be silent when more than 5 players were nearby.Fixed a bug where the Boom Bow wasn’t playing the correct vehicle damage notification sound.UIVehicle controls can now be hidden in the HUD Options.Added minimum and maximum values to the in-game FPS overlay and added the option to "Show FPS" on all supported platforms.Push To Talk Enabling the menu option for consolesDefaulting the option to Off for consoles.Wraps can now be applied to most types of weapons, everything that doesn't fit elsewhere is now covered by a catch-all "Misc." slot in the locker.The health bar for vehicles has been adjusted to now display health values of vehicles.Bug FixesFixed an issue with the friend list was always displaying a notification symbol in the frontend.Info from Gamespot.com

Disney has already announced several series in development for its Disney+ premium streaming service, including one starring the popular character Loki. Now another major MCU character is reportedly getting the TV treatment: Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye.Variety reports that the limited series will detail Clint Barton passing the torch to Kate Bishop. In the comics, Kate Bishop is a member of the Young Avengers and the latest to take the heroic identity as Hawkeye. She and Barton have often been portrayed as friends and rivals.This could have something to do with Barton's own identity-switching in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. As we've seen in the trailers, Barton has abandoned his trusty bow for a katana, likely meaning he'll be going by Ronin--the superheroic name he took on in Marvel comics when he underwent a similar change. It's unknown if this series would take place before or after the events of Endgame, but either way the upcoming MCU film could tee up the series.Other Marvel projects reportedly in development include series' following Falcon and Winter Soldier, Vision, and Scarlet Witch. Each is said to be six to eight episodes, with relatively large budgets for television shows.Avengers: Endgame is primed to be a massive blockbuster for Marvel. Opening weekend estimates already have it nearly matching the top record-holder of all time, Infinity War, and new presale numbers show it may even beat that figure.Info from Gamespot.com

Fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series on which HBO's insanely popular Game of Thrones TV show is based, have been waiting for the next book in the series--The Winds of Winter--since the last book, A Dance with Dragons, was published back in 2011. With the show's final season looming, fans await any news about the next book more eagerly than ever.Luckily, there's some good, if vague, news on that front: Author George R.R. Martin stated during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight that his writing has "been going very well lately."As the author has stated many times before, he's given up on trying to guess exactly when he'll be done writing, as fans tend to lash out when he provides dates that then come and go without a new release. "It'll be done when it's done," Martin characteristically told ET on the red carpet for the show's Season 8 premiere. Then he added: "It's been going very well lately, so knock wood."ET, which is one of GameSpot's sister sites, debuted the clip from the interview in the first episode of its weekly Game of Thrones show Theories and Thrones, hosted by myself and ET's Leanne Aguilera. You can watch the full episode, including the interview with Martin, below.The Winds of Winter wasn't the only topic of discussion. Martin also said of all the storylines dropped from the show, he misses Lady Stoneheart the most--a feeling that's been echoed by many fans ever since the vengeful character was left out of Game of Thrones Season 4. But Martin said he understands why she was cut."Even with a novel of ordinary size, when you adapt it for television and film, usually it involves cutting and simplifying, and my books are not books of ordinary length," he said. "If we included everything from the books we'd still be on Season 1. It would have been an eight-year-long Season 1. There are hard choices sometimes, but that's the business."Finally, he dodged the question of whether the show is hurtling toward the same ending he has planned in the books: "I don't want to spoil my books or the show, so watch both and read the book, and you decide," the author said.There's still no projected release date for The Winds of Winter, but with the show finally building toward a conclusion, fans can hope that Martin will be able to focus on writing and get it done. After that, he'll just have to write yet another book to draw the series to a close as it was originally intended. Sigh.Read next: A Soul-Crushing History Of George R.R. Martin Promising To Finish The Next BookInfo from Gamespot.com

For a limited time, you can get some pretty sweet discounts on select video games and accessories at Newegg, which is offering a 20% off promo code now through tomorrow, April 11 or until supplies run out. The promo code to use is EMCTYUT27.This promotion includes some of this year's biggest releases, like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which is discounted to $48 with the promo code; The Division 2, also available for $48; Kingdom Hearts 3, which is marked down to $38; and Devil May Cry 5's Deluxe edition, which is down to $56 for Xbox One. Notably, you can grab two of 2018's best games for remarkably cheap: God of War for $32 and Red Dead Redemption 2 for $30, both on PS4.There's also a small selection of consoles and accessories on sale, including the PlayStation Classic for just $32 (as a reminder, it launched at $100 in December), a few PSVR bundles, gaming headsets, and wireless controllers.Shop Newegg's 20% off sale on select games »Check out some of our picks below--the price listed reflects the discount using promo code EMCTYUT27.Games:Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown -- $48 (PS4, Xbox One)Anthem -- $48 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)Devil May Cry 5 - Deluxe Edition -- $56 (Xbox One)God of War -- $32 (PS4)Kingdom Hearts 3 -- $32 (PS4, Xbox One)Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far -- $32 (PS4)Marvel's Spider-Man -- $32 (PS4)Metro Exodus - Day One Edition -- $32 (PS4, Xbox One)Red Dead Redemption 2 -- $30 (PS4) $48 (Xbox One)Resident Evil 2 -- $48 (PS4)Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice -- $48 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)Tom Clancy's The Division 2 -- $48 (PS4, Xbox One)Consoles and accessories:PlayStation Classic -- $32PlayStation VR bundle - Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Moss -- $240PlayStation VR bundle - Creed: Rise to Glory and Superhot -- $280Xbox Wireless Controller - Phantom Black Edition -- $56While game deals are on your mind, be sure to check out the massive sales going on at GameStop and Target right now too. At Target, it's buy one, get one 50% off on select video games through Saturday, which is a great option if you're planning to buy multiple games anyway. GameStop's sale runs until April 20 and features huge markdowns on critically acclaimed games for PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, as well as deals on consoles, accessories, toys, and collectibles.Info from Gamespot.com

Bungie has announced the next event for Destiny 2 is called The Revelry. The spring-themed event will begin on April 16 and continue until May 6, adding content and a new Exotic weapon to the game. A new trailer detailing the event has also been released. It can be viewed below.The Revelry grants access to a new area called Verdant Forest, which--like Festival of the Lost's Haunted Forest--adds objective-based fights that you need to clear in order to face off against an onslaught of bosses. Although Verdant Forest can be tackled alone, Bungie advises to fight "with a team."During the event, you'll also be given a Reveler's Tonic. The tonic can be filled with Reveler's Essence by killing the Verdant Forest's bosses or clearing certain side quests. Once filled, the tonic can be used to reduce the cooldown on grenades, melee attacks, or class abilities. The potency of the tonic can be increased as well, by equipping pieces of The Revelry's new Inaugural Revelry or Vernal Growth armor sets. The effects of these armor pieces and the your tonic will apply in all game modes except for Private Matches during the entirety of The Revelry event.You will also be able to exchange the Reveler's Essence you collect for limited-time rewards, "including world drops, Enhancement Cores, and ornaments for the Inaugural Revelry helmet." The latter will grow in size by equipping more pieces of the Inaugural Revelry or Vernal Growth armor sets. Essence can also be exchanged for a new Exotic kinetic fusion rifle called Arbalest. Bungie describes the firearm as "the first weapon of its kind," and "does extra damage against enemy shields."During The Revelry, drop rates for Bright Engrams will be doubled, and players at max level will earn one every time they level up. Limited-time Revelry Engrams will be available as well, the images of which are posted above.Destiny 2 is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. The game's latest patch sees the return of the quest that allows you to unlock the Exotic arc machine gun Thunderlord, in case you missed out during the Festival of the Lost.Info from Gamespot.com

April marks the start of the spring anime season, which will continue until the end of June. Across Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hidive, Netflix, Hulu, and VRV, there are dozens of new anime airing in the US this spring, ranging across almost every genre. Below, we've outlined every new movie and series that's been announced for these six streaming sites, and provided a brief description for each anime.Although this spring sees the continuation of several Winter 2019 season premieres (such as The Rising of the Shield Hero and Dororo), for the purposes of this article, we're only compiling anime seasons or parts that make their debut in April. If you're looking for an anime that's already completed its run, check out our Winter 2019 guide.Table of Contents [hide]Action And Adventure AnimeSlice Of Life And Comedy AnimeRomance And Drama AnimeHarem And Ecchi AnimeThriller And Supernatural AnimeSports And Music AnimeScience Fiction And Fantasy AnimeAction And Adventure AnimeAttack on Titan Season 3 Part 2 -- Funimation, VRVAttack on Titan's third season finally concludes with a second part this spring, seeing the return of the well-animated action scenes and explosive drama that made this anime so popular.Bakumatsu Crisis -- Crunchyroll, VRVThis second season sees the return of a band of handsome swordsmen who band together to stop an evil time traveller hellbent on ruling the world.Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3 -- Crunchyroll, VRVA detective agency composed of individuals with supernatural abilities inspired by famous writers and their respective novels continue to defend their city from powerful criminals.Demon Slayer: Kemetsu no Yaiba -- Crunchyroll, Funimation, VRVAfter most of his family is murdered by a demon and his sister transformed into one, a boy embarks on a quest to discover the secret to making his sister human again.Fairy Gone -- Funimation, HuluAn original anime, Fairy Gone takes place in a fantasy world where a war fought between humans killed off most fairies. However, some still remain, and they're eager for battle.One Punch Man Season 2 -- Hulu (Crunchyroll for the UK)The superhero who can defeat any foe in a single punch returns, continuing his search for a foe who can finally provide him the challenge he desires.Ultraman -- NetflixThe son of the original Ultraman takes up his father's mantle to become a symbol of peace for the world and he won't rest until he's saved everyone.Slice Of Life And Comedy AnimeAo-chan Can't Study! -- Hidive, VRVA high school girl quickly realizes--to her horror--that she is having impure thoughts about the cute boy in her class, and decides she must banish said impulses to appear normal.Amazing Stranger -- Crunchyroll, VRVAfter buying a figure of his anime waifu, a man realizes the sixth-scale model is actually alive, and she's armed with very real weapons.The Helpful Fox Senko-san -- FunimationA stressed out man returns to his apartment one day to discover he's been visited by a benevolent fox spirit, who promises to do all his chores so he can relax after a hard day's work.Hitoribocchi no Marumaruseikatsu -- Crunchyroll, VRVHitori is incredibly shy--so much so that she's only ever had one friend. But now that she and her childhood friend have gone to different schools, she needs to learn how to make new ones.Isekai Quartet -- FunimationCharacters from Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World, The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Konosuba, and Overlord become high school classmates in this chibi-style anime.Joshi Kausei -- Crunchyroll, VRVNo character actually speaks in this anime that follows the everyday lives of cute high school girls, so each story is told entirely through facial expression, action, and musical score.Pop Team Epic Special -- Hidive, VRVThe ridiculous comedy returns with two new episodes, each of which have multiple versions that offer different takes on the ludicrous series of events that transpire.Senryu Girl -- Hidive, VRVAn ex delinquent and a girl who only ever "speaks" by writing out senryū poetry forge an adorable connection over their shared love of writing literature.Shonen Ashibe Go! Go! Go! Goma-chan Season 4 -- Crunchyroll, VRVFirst-grade student Ashibe and his baby spotted seal friend Goma-chan return for a fourth season of comical adventures.Strike Witches: 501st Joint Fighter Wing Take Off -- FunimationBetween bouts of war, the girls that compose the Strike Witches live their everyday lives, ones filled with battles against never-ending chores.Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki -- Crunchyroll, VRVA boy enjoys playfully teasing his kouhai about her countryside dialect--an accent he loves but she hates.Romance And Drama AnimeFruits Basket -- Crunchyroll, Funimation, VRVThis anime reimagines the beloved 2001 classic of the same name, while also finally finishing the incredible story of a teenage girl who moves in with a family that suffers an unusual curse.Harem And Ecchi AnimeNobunaga Teacher's Young Bride -- Crunchyroll, VRVThe descendent of a Japanese emperor, Oda one day gets a visit from his ancestor's wife, a 14-year-old girl who mistakes him for her husband to be.We Never Learn: Bokuben -- Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, VRVA hard-working student meets his match when he's tasked with tutoring his genius peers--a math prodigy, a brilliant writer, and an exceptional athlete--in their weakest subjects.Wise Man's Grandchild -- FunimationA powerful wizard raises an infant, but realizes--only after the boy decides to venture out into the world on his 15th birthday--that he hasn't actually taught his ward a lick of common sense.Why The Hell Are You Here, Teacher? -- Hidive, VRVDespite his best efforts not to, an ordinary student continues to find himself trapped in erotic, risque situations with his frighteningly violent teacher.Thriller And Supernatural AnimeAfterlost -- Funimation, HuluThe lone survivor of a mysterious event that caused hundreds of people to just vanish, Yuki seeks the aid of a courier to deliver her to her father--who somehow is still alive.Sports And Music AnimeAce of the Diamond Act II -- Crunchyroll, VRVPicking up at the start of a new season, the Seidou High School baseball team accepts new members and faces off against old rivals.Carole & Tuesday -- NetflixIn celebration of its 20th anniversary, studio Bones has created a story-driven anime about two girls from different backgrounds who both want the same thing: to become musicians.Cinderella Nine -- Crunchyroll, VRVUpon learning her school has no baseball club, Arihara founds one and a slew of other girls soon join, each finding the support they need to overcome the trials of growing up.The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls Theater Climax Season -- Crunchyroll, VRVThe Idolm@ster spinoff series that depicts what the music idols do in their time off away from the drama of the stage continues with a fourth season.Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life -- Funimation, HuluThe sole remaining member of the koto club and a delinquent (who's also a koto player) strike an uneasy bond after the former realizes he can't judge someone for their appearance.MIX -- Funimation, HuluA sequel to the 1985 baseball manga Touch, MIX sees two step brothers work together to take their high school team to nationals, while also trying to escape the tragic legacy of their fathers.Science Fiction And Fantasy AnimeMidnight Occult Civil Servants -- Crunchyroll, VRVThe anime follows the newest member of a task force assigned to investigating and maintaining relationships between supernatural creatures.Namuamidabutsu: Utena -- Hidive, VRVTwo divine beings join forces with the 13 buddhas in order to combat the vices in humanity, but they'll have to contend with the personification of Earthly desires in order to succeed.RobiHachi -- Funimation, HuluAn unlucky man is trapped in a space shuttle with the debt collector assigned to hunting him, but the two decide to forge an uneasy alliance and find a rumored paradise planet.Sarazanmai -- CrunchyrollAn original anime, Sarazanmai is about three eighth-grade boys who magically transform into kappa in order to protect their city from zombies.YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of This World -- FunimationBased on the 1996 visual novel of the same name, the anime follows the twisted tale of a high school boy who travels through time to learn the truth about his father's disappearance.Info from Gamespot.com

Seeing an opponent leave an Apex Legends match early is one of the more irritating facets of the game, but fortunately developer Respawn has a fix in the works to penalize anyone who does go MIA. Unfortunately, the company accidentally set the feature live before it was ready, before quickly disabling it once again.In an update on the Apex Legends subreddit, community manager Jay Frechette said the studio has been working on the feature, but "it wasn't our intention or plan to have it go live with the [April 4] update." He says the penalty turned on early due to a piece of missing script, and the studio has since fixed it to disable the penalty. He states he doesn't have an ETA for "if or when" it will be released.The 1.1 update included some quality-of-life changes, like allowing you to invite a member of your last squad into your party, and the addition of squad invites to the Friends menu. You can also mute from the Leegends select screen, so altogether it seemed aimed at making the game easier to connect with good teammates and ignore bad ones.Still, the quit early penalty has been one of the most requested features among the community, since revolving around three-person squads means that a single premature exit can be a crippling blow to your team composition. The admission that the team doesn't know if the feature will be implemented at all suggests that it is still weighing the idea, possibly against other ways to deal with team composition issues.Info from Gamespot.com

Niantic and Warner Bros.' joint Harry Potter game, Wizards Unite, launches on iOS and Android later this year. While the title still doesn't have a firm release date, the companies recently opened pre-registration for it on Android, and now those who've played one of Niantic's previous games can reserve their same usernames for it.From now until 11:59 PM PT on April 30, Ingress Prime and Pokemon Go players can reserve their in-game names to use in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. To do so, you'll first need to go to Niantic's website, then select the option to use either your Ingress Agent name or Pokemon Go Trainer nickname. Follow the prompts and your Harry Potter: Wizards Unite username will be set.Niantic notes that there may be some instances where you can't use your same username, specifically if it overlaps with one in a different Niantic title. If that happens to be the case, the developer says that reservations will be handled on a first come, first served basis.Wizards Unite casts players as a member of Statute of Secrecy Task Force, and it's your mission to explore the real world, locate Foundables (important people and items in the wizarding world), and dispel the Confoundable magic that's trapping them. While the basic premise of the game is similar to Pokemon Go, it also bears many similarities to a traditional RPG, with a stronger emphasis on story and RPG elements like skill trees and potion brewing.Harry Potter: Wizards Unite was originally scheduled to launch in 2018 before being delayed into this year. You can read more about the title in our hands-on impressions, and Android users can pre-register for it on Google Play.Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch's next big event, Storm Rising, is coming on April 16. In the meantime, Blizzard is teasing some of the new cosmetics you can earn, and we got our first look at a brand-new skin. This one features the newest character, Baptiste, but it's far from a heroic makeover.The Legendary skin is called "Talon Baptiste" and features the soldier of fortune in his obviously evil red and black ensemble. Fans of Overwatch lore may recall that Baptiste was a Talon operative before having a crisis of conscience and abandoning the organization.You can't run from the past.Terminate your enemies as TALON BAPTISTE (Legendary)!Chase the truth: April 16 pic.twitter.com/139OzDnzJs — Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 10, 2019As it happens, the Storm Rising event revolves around another Talon operative, an Omnic named Maximilien. The Overwatch team of Tracer, Genji, Winston, and Mercy are dispatched to bring him in as a storm threatens to obscure his movements while he slips away again.This is the latest in the Overwatch Archives series of events, which have featured PvE co-op missions that establish story material. Past events have had younger incarnations of the Overwatch heroes, along with different looks like Talon Widowmaker. The past Archives missions, Uprising and Retribution, will be playable as well.Storm Rising will run from April 16-May 6. Blizzard is likely to keep dropping more early looks at cosmetics leading up to the event.Info from Gamespot.com

The next Inside Xbox live stream is scheduled for April 16 at 2:00 PM PT / 5:00 PM ET / 10:00 PM BST. The show will cover pre-E3 news, as well as announcements for Game Pass and several upcoming Xbox One games.The April Inside Xbox live stream is scheduled to be an hour long, and "will explore some exciting Xbox Game Pass news," Xbox Wire editor-in-chief Will Tuttle wrote in a blog post. The show will also provide further details for the upcoming anniversary update for Sea of Thieves and footage of the beta for Warhammer: Chaosbane. An exclusive look at Rage 2 will also occur during the live stream, followed by "several surprises" for other games.Rage 2 seems to be the focus of the live stream, as watching the show on Mixer while logged into your Microsoft account will unlock a Rage 2-themed avatar item. So far, most of the gameplay trailer for Rage 2 have focused on the game's fast-paced combat--which incorporates destructive powers to make you feel like an unstoppable superhero. However, there haven't been too many examples of the game's driving components--which is surprising given developer Avalanche Studios' work on Mad Max.April 2019 sees another six titles join Xbox Game Pass, following three that were added earlier in the month. If you're paying the $10 USD a month subscription fee to be a part of Game Pass, this month you gain access to Prey, Monster Hunter World, Resident Evil 5, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, Life is Strange 2: Episode 2, and The Golf Club 2. We've given several of those games fairly high review scores, and listed Monster Hunter World as one of our game of the year finalists for 2018.Prey and The Golf Club 2 arrive on Game Pass on April 11, Monster Hunter World and The Walking Dead: A New Frontier on April 18, Life is Strange 2: Episode 2 on April 24, and Resident Evil 5 on April 25. Earlier this month, Michonne, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, and Minecraft joined Xbox Game Pass.Info from Gamespot.com

Mike Mignola's Hellboy is one of the great comic book creations of the 1990s, and like all the best heroes, he's a fascinating, unique character with a great backstory. He's a wise-cracking demonic paranormal investigator who must fight his own inner conflicts and contradictions, and reconcile his demonic origins while fighting monsters alongside his human colleagues. It was this complex personality that drew Guillermo Del Toro to the material, and he produced and directed the movies Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), both starring Ron Perlman in the title role. While neither movie was a huge box office hit, they were warmly received by critics and fans.Sadly, after many years trying to get Hellboy 3 off the ground, in early 2017 Del Toro confirmed that it wasn't going to happen. Instead we have this complete franchise reboot. Stranger Things star David Harbour has now taken on the lead role, while directorial reigns have been handed to Neil Marshall, best known for his work on shows such as Game of Thrones and Lost in Space, as well as movies like The Descent and Doomsday.Much has been made of the fact that this latest Hellboy movie taps into the horror-influenced side of Mignola's comic books, taking the material in a darker direction than Del Toro's more family-friendly action/fantasy films. On the face of it, this is a smart move. Del Toro is one of modern fantasy cinema's greatest filmmakers, and any attempt to match his genre-blending ambition and visual invention would almost certainly be doomed to failure. But if you're going to strip away these elements, then you better have something compelling to replace them, and this is where Marshall's movie comes up woefully short.As in the comics, Hellboy is an employee of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), a covert organisation dedicated to fighting monsters and stopping paranormal threats. A seemingly routine job in Mexico to extract a fellow agent goes wrong, and a distraught Hellboy is pulled back to BPRD headquarters. He is dispatched on a new mission by his adoptive father and BPRD boss Professor Broom (Ian McShane), on a mission that sends him to England to help stop some fearsome giants who are tearing up the countryside. But things don't go according to plan there either, and soon Hellboy is teamed up with surly military agent Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim) and psychic pal Alice (Sasha Lane) to stop the return of Nimue, the Blood Queen (Milla Jovovich), an ancient demoness who was thwarted in the Middle Ages but is back to claim Hellboy as her king and wreak her vengeance on the land.There's a lot going on here. Writer Andrew Cosby took inspiration from three of Mignola's limited series (Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, and The Storm and the Fury), and the result is that nothing ever feels like it's part of a single consistent story. Throughout the movie, characters and subplots are introduced then quickly forgotten, and there is an over-reliance on exposition and flashbacks to plug the narrative gaps. It's understandable that Marshall might want to incorporate as many elements from the source material as possible, but when some familiar roles (Kroenen, Lobster Johnson) are basically reduced to cameos, you wonder what the point was if it's going to interfere with the narrative flow.The movie's problems sadly don't stop there. A talented cast do their best, but the clunky dialogue and hamfisted attempts at humor result in some surprisingly weak performances. Lost star Kim struggles with an underwritten role as Damai, a gruff agent with a dark secret, while Lane is mostly given a bunch of one-liners that fall flat. There is an attempt to give Nimue more depth than might be expected for this sort of villainous role, but Jovovich doesn't get enough screen time to really develop her character. Worst of all is Gruagach, Nimue's huge, hulking, pig-faced assistant, rendered in CG and voiced by Stephen Graham (most noted for his work on HBO's Boardwalk Empire). Graham can be a powerful and intense actor, but here he's reduced to playing a deeply annoying, pointlessly foul-mouthed monster who pretty much ruins every scene he's in.As for Harbour, there are occasional scenes where we see the power that he could've brought to this role, as Hellboy is seduced by Nimue, leading him to question why is fighting alongside the humans against "his kind." These are the elements that make Hellboy such a fascinating character, and Marshall deserves credit for attempting to weave the character's backstory into the main narrative, rather than give us just another origin movie. But while Harbour does get to flex his dramatic muscles a couple of times, it's at the expense of the other elements--the humor, the compassion, the camaraderie--that Perlman brought so vividly to his version of the character.There's no denying that Hellboy fully grabs the opportunity provided by its R-rating. This is a gory movie--heads, limbs, and guts are thrown around with wild abandon, especially toward the end as demons descend on London. But the high level of bloodshed doesn't really add anything. The movie might be packed with monsters, but it's never scary, and the over-reliance on digital blood quickly becomes tiresome. There are a few impressive physical effects--Hellboy himself looks great, and the most effectively spooky sequence comes when he confronts the half-blind disfigured witch Baba Yaga. But the CG for the monsters and action scenes elsewhere frequently falls short of the standards expected from modern blockbusters, giving the movie a disappointingly cheap look.It's perhaps unfair to constantly compare Marshall's film to Del Toro's Hellboy movies. However, it's hard not to when this Hellboy gets things so wrong. The movie's ending--plus a mid-credits sequence--clearly set up a sequel, so if it happens, perhaps the filmmakers will get a chance to correct the mistakes here. Harbour remains a great choice to play the character, and it will be a shame if this is the last time we see him in the role. But ultimately this is not the Hellboy movie fans wanted to see him in.The GoodThe BadHarbour is well cast, and gets some impressive dramatic scenesStory is a messMakes full use of its R-ratingHumor falls flat Characters underdeveloped Digital effects frequently poor Info from Gamespot.com