Pillars of Eternity 2 Is More Of What Made Its Predecessor Great
For all of the years of experience Obsidian has across a multitude of platforms and IPs, they’ve never once created a sequel to one of their own original properties. That is, until now. Last week, Obsidian took the time to show me how Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire takes what worked in the original, dramatically expands it, and aims to establish the franchise at the top of the pile among the industry’s elite roleplaying series.
The first and most immediately obvious change is a big one: Deadfire is a legitimate open-world game this time around. In the first Pillars of Eternity, the world was split into a handful of regions that could be openly explored, but for the most part it was a relatively linear affair. But even as an open-world game, Deadfire maintains that hand-crafted feel. There is zero random or procedural generation as each and every combat encounter is hand-placed by the designers. In fact, every single NPC has voiced dialogue and a hand-drawn portrait to really lend a sense of intimacy to every situation.
Hulu Passes on Locke and Key TV Series, But There’s Still Hope
IGN has confirmed Hulu has passed on the Locke and Key pilot, but there still might be hope for the potential series.
One of the pilot's stars Samantha Mathis revealed to Cultured Vultures that Locke and Key did not get picked up by Hulu after the network had ordered a pilot. However, the show's producers may still be shopping the series around to other streaming services, such as Netflix and Apple.
THR reports WME has been hosting screenings of the pilot for other networks to consider picking the series up. According to their report, seven scripts for the series have already been written.
Robert Downey Jr. Reveals Star-Studded Voice Cast of Doctor Dolittle
The voice cast of the new Doctor Dolittle movie includes multiple Avengers, multiple Oscar winners, and a pop star.
Earlier today, Robert Downey Jr. revealed the voice cast of his upcoming movie, The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, on Twitter. "I am most pleased to announce the stellar voice cast joining me on #TheVoyageofDoctorDolittle," Downey Jr. tweeted with a photo, shown below:
Downey Jr. tweeted this photo when announcing the voice cast of his new movie.
Street Fighter V Getting Darkstalkers Costumes Next Week
Street Fighter V characters Menat, Juri, and Urien are getting Darkstalkers costumes next week.
As detailed on Capcom's recent blog post, the three new outfits are priced at $3.99 each and will available for purchase on April 3 on PSN and Steam. Menat will sport the Khaibit Costume, which draws inspiration from the mummy Anakaris.
Juri is getting the Lilith Costume while Urien will be wearing the Donovan Costume, based on the half-vampire and half-human Donovan Baine. Check out how each costume looks in the image gallery below.
Sea of Thieves’ Plagued by AllmondBeard Server Errors
As Rare continues to work on fixing the copious amounts of bugs and glitches currently plaguing the Sea of Thieves’ servers, one especially devastating bug remains unresolved: AllmondBeard, an error code that's robbing players not only of their progress but their hard-earned loot as well.
The AllmondBeard error occurs when a players connection to Xbox Live and/or the Sea of Thieves servers has been disrupted or dropped. Considering the many challenges Rare’s has faced while stabilizing the online multiplayer game’s network connectivity since launch, the error message is, unfortunately, a common occurrence among players.
Watch Ronda Rousey Train for Her WrestleMania Debut
With Ronda Rousey scheduled to wrestle for the first time at WrestleMania 34 on April 8th, teaming with Kurt Angle in mixed tag match against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, WWE has released a new video documenting some of her training down at its Performance Center.
Hear from sparring partner, and NXT star, Shayna Baszler, NXT trainer Sara Amato, and Rousey herself as she hits the ring, trains in judo, and then wraps things up with strength and conditioning training. Check it out!
Rousey also made our list of the biggest WrestleMania shockers of all time! See the slideshow below.
Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA). Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.
Call of Duty: WW2 DLC The War Machine Announced
Activision has announced the second DLC pack for Call of Duty: WW2, which will introduce three new maps, a new mode with aerial combat, and more Nazi zombies.
The War Machine's new maps include a secret German V-2 rocket facility, the pyramids at Giza, and the iconic French city of Dunkirk. The V2 facility is described as a "tight, ultra-fast paced map", while the map in Egypt lets players access the pyramid interiors as well as the more open surroundings outside. Dunkirk is ideal for sniping, with its large, open beach lined with buildings.
You can take a look at the concept art for the maps in the gallery below.
Call of Duty follows in the footsteps of Battlefield 1 with the addition of aerial combat allowing for fast and frantic dogfights to rage overhead. Operation Husky, the new War Mode mission co-developed with Raven Software, is based on the Allied invasion of Sicily, and players will be tasked with collecting intel as well as clearing out enemy fighter planes for the Allied bombers to wade in.
EA Play Registration Is Now Open
Pre-registration for this year's E3-adjacent event EA Play is now open.
You can reserve your ticket on EA's website here. Getting a ticket for EA Play is a three-step process. Reserving your ticket today will give you the chance to complete your registration on May 25. EA will then notify pre-registered ticket holders on May 25 at 9 a.m. PT/ET that you can book a gameplay session or a show day.
You will receive a confirmation email with your personalized QR code once you have confirmed your gameplay session or show date. It's important to note pre-registration doesn't guarantee a slot for a ticket, as they are only available on a first-come, first-served basis. If a gameplay session is fully booked, you can play a game by waiting in a standby line during the event.
Sea of Thieves Currently Unavailable Via Xbox Game Pass Subscription
Subscribers to Xbox's Game Pass monthly service are currently unable to play the recently released Sea of Thieves, despite its inclusion in the program.
A posting on the Xbox Live Status page confirms Game Pass subscribers may be unable to play Sea of Thieves, which was including in the service's library of playable games upon its release last week. Microsoft announced earlier this year that all Microsoft Studios games would be included in the Game Pass lineup, including Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2.
Sea of Thieves Xbox Live Status Page
Why Paramount Sold Cloverfield Paradox to Netflix
Paramount has revealed why it decided to sell The Cloverfield Paradox to Netflix.
Variety reports Paramount COO Andrew Gumpert explained during a keynote at the UCLA Law School’s annual Entertainment Symposium that concern over the film's "commercial playability" was a big reason why the studio parted ways with the third Cloverfield entry.
“The movie was finished, we all reviewed it together with J.J. and his team,” Gumpert said. “We all decided there were things about it that made us have a pause about its commercial playability in the traditional matter.”