Ben Affleck Finally Confirms He’s No Longer Playing Batman

Last month, the upcoming standalone Batman movie was finally given a release date and official title of The Batman. The one thing that wasn’t announced by Warner or director Matt Reeves was who will be playing Batman. It has long been rumored that Ben Affleck is quitting the role, and now the star has confirmed the news.

As reported by comicbook.com, Affleck appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he was asked if it was true he is stepping down at Batman. “Yeah, I am,” he said. “I have decided… I tried to direct a version of it, worked with a really good screenwriter, but couldn’t come up with a version. Couldn’t crack it. So I thought it was time to let someone else take a shot at it and they got some really good people.”

The Batman was first announced back in 2016, with Affleck attached to star, co-write, and direct. He initially stepped down as director when Reeves came on board, and soon after it was reported that Affleck’s script had been abandoned. While Affleck never stated that he was leaving the role, last year it was reported that Reeves’ movie will feature a much younger Bruce Wayne. In addition, last month Affleck retweeted Deadline’s story that he would no longer play the role.

The Batman hits theaters on June 25, 2021. Last month, Reeves hinted at what fans could expect from the film. “It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale,” he said. “It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been.”

In related news, DC also recently announced the release date of the next Suicide Squad movie. It’s simply titled The Suicide Squad, and is not a sequel to the 2017 movie, but a new version written by James Gunn. Gunn was hired by DC to work on the script in October, following his departure from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn is also in negotiations to direct, and that it will “take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors.”

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Get A Free Game With The Division 2 Pre-Order On PC

The Division 2 is just under a month away, leaving plenty of time to get in your pre-orders. If you plan on exploring the burned-out husk of Washington DC on PC, you can get a free game for putting your order in early.

Ubisoft announced that pre-orders on PC will get to choose one of three games: Ghost Recon Wildlands, Far Cry Primal, or Watch Dogs 2. All pre-orders made before March 14 will be eligible, and the offer works retroactively if you’ve already pre-ordered. You can head over to the offer page to redeem your code. If you’re undecided, you have until March 31 to make a selection.

The games themselves will become playable on March 15, alongside The Division 2 launch date. Presumably this is so unscrupulous types can’t snag a free game and then cancel their pre-order.

Ubisoft also recently announced that an open beta is coming for The Division 2, running from March 1-4 on all platforms. That would leave you plenty of time to sample and decide if you want to take part in the pre-order offer. Taking part in the beta will get you a DC Patriot weapon skin, and if you complete the Invaded mission you get a Capitol Hill arm patch.

This game takes place in the wreckage of a post-apocalyptic Washington DC, following a bio-engineered epidemic that began in New York City. For more details, check out everything we know and some of our favorite new features. Ubisoft has also detailed its plans for the endgame, and it will be releasing free DLC well after launch.

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Fortnite Season 8 Draws Near, So The Island Is Cracking Apart

Season 7 of Fortnite is quickly approaching its conclusion and will end on February 28. As is customary for Epic’s wildly popular battle royale title, the transition into Season 8 will seemingly be through some sort of calamitous event. For the last few weeks players have been reporting the occurrence of earthquakes, but now it seems things are escalating, with cracks in the landmass emerging.

Seeing these cracks in the earth form is very much a case of being in the right place at the right time, but some players have captured the phenomenon and posted videos of it online. There’s also a dedicated website that features a countdown to the next appearance, so you can at least get yourself into the right spot to see one first-hand.

These cracks in the island will likely continue to appear with increasing frequency and severity. What that means for Season 8 remains to be seen, but it could be that Epic is looking to drastically change the island by breaking pieces of it off. Although a start date for Fortnite Season 8 hasn’t officially been confirmed, a set of Overtime Challenges introduced as part of update 7.40 will expire on February 27, leading many to speculate that Season 8 could kick off on February 28.

Interestingly, the Overtime Challenges also provide players with an opportunity to get a free Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass. All they need to do to claim a Battle Pass for free is complete 13 of the challenges included in the event between now and February 27. The first batch of Overtime Challenges are available now, and you can learn more about the event as well as see the challenges here.

If you still have outstanding challenges from this season, take a look at our complete Fortnite Season 7 challenges roundup, which compiles all the tips and guides we’ve written for Season 7’s trickier challenges. Use that and you’ll have them all done in no time.

Apex Legends Vs. Fortnite: What’s Different And What’s The Same

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Will Smith Reveals He Turned Down The Matrix, And Here’s Why

Actor Will Smith was offered the role of Neo in The Matrix but he turned it down. The actor explained in a new video that the he was not sold on the Wachowskis’ pitch, which supposedly involved promises of new camera technology and hard-to-grasp concepts that Smith didn’t resonate with.

“There is a fine line in a pitch meeting between genius and what I experienced in the meeting,” he said. Instead of doing The Matrix, Smith made Wild Wild West, and well, Smith acknowledged that he’s “not proud of it.” That is probably an understatement.

Smith had nothing but praise for Keanu Reeves, who played Neo, and Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus. They were both “perfect” in their career-defining roles, Smith said.

Smith said had he done The Matrix, the film would have featured Morpheus played by a white person. Val Kilmer was reportedly going to play Morpheus in this alternate timeline.

“I probably would have messed The Matrix up,” Smith said. “I would have ruined it. So I did ya’ll a favor.”

This is a fascinating and frank statement from Smith, and it’s nice to see him speak so openly and honestly about missing out on starring in a movie as popular as The Matrix. Of course, Smith didn’t need The Matrix. He had already made Independence Day, Bad Boys, and Men In Black at that time, and he has gone on to star in many other films later in his career.

In the video, Smith also spoke briefly about how he originally did not want to be in Men In Black, because he had just come off Independence Day and didn’t want to be type-casted as “the alien movie guy.” Producer Steven Spielberg called him and convinced him to take the part.

It’s always interesting to think about alternate casts for movies that go on to be huge hits. You may also recall that Nicolas Cage said no to playing Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, while Al Pacino turned down the role of Han Solo for Star Wars: A New Hope.

Smith will be seen next as the Genie in Disney’s new live-action take on Aladdin. He’s playing both a human form of the Genie and a CG version that is very, very weird-looking.

Apex Legends Lifeline Guide: How To Be The Best Combat Medic

Most of the rules in Apex Legends are similar to other battle royale games, but the big difference between Respawn’s entry and other titles is its cast of characters. Each character handles a little differently thanks to their differing abilities–some are best at offense, some specialize in defense, and some excel at supporting teammates. Deciding which character to play as and knowing how best to they can aid your team is an essential part of the game.

When it comes to Lifeline, Apex Legends’ combat medic, it’s all about playing smart and helping your teammates. Lifeline has some of the best support abilities in the game, but lacks any offensive options. She’s great to have on a team, but when playing as her, you’ll need to be smart about using her abilities to the fullest.

Keep reading for all the information you need on Lifeline’s abilities, including their strengths and weaknesses, as well as tips on how to use her effectively and help your team to victory. We’ve also got plenty more guides, including things that Apex Legends doesn’t tell you`, a list of myths we’ve tested about how the game works, and a full rundown of the game’s best guns. You might also want to check out our Apex Legends review while you’re at it.

General Overview

Lifeline is the only medic of the current crop of Apex Legends characters, and as such, you’ll see her on a lot of teams. Her healing abilities can be indispensable in times of crisis, making it a little easier to revive downed teammates and get them back up to fighting strength in the middle of a firefight. Her slate of support abilities mean she foregoes some offensive strengths, though–unlike other characters, she has no good means of attacking other players.

Playing Lifeline well is all about working with your team and staying together. She’s best kept close to other players but away from the front lines to lessen the chances that she’ll get knocked down, so that when other players need help, she can assist them. She also lacks abilities that can help her escape in emergencies–she has nothing like the grapples, smoke, and shields that other characters can use. When you’re playing Lifeline, you need to be smart and protect yourself so that you can protect your teammates.

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Abilities

Passive: Combat Medic

Lifeline’s most useful ability is the shield she projects in front of her when reviving teammates. While other players are stuck under fire when they revive and can be easily killed, Lifeline’s shield saves her from the incoming damage. It can be the difference between losing a whole team and getting everyone back in the fight. Lifeline also heals herself and can revive teammates more quickly than other characters.

Tactical: D.O.C. Heal Drone

You can save teammates and yourself from spending their health items with your healing drone. Lifeline can drop the drone anywhere, and anyone standing close to it gets health restored–although how much health the drone can dish out is limited, and gets split between all the nearby players. You should also note that anyone, including opponents, can make use of a healing done, so be sure to be careful about where you summon it.

Ultimate: Care Package

Lifeline’s ultimate ability allows her to call her own supply drop anywhere she wants. It’s not quite as good as the supply drops that appear automatically on the map from time to time, but it’s still pretty solid–Lifeline’s care packages include defensive items, so you can get some sweet armor and healing items out of them, and even high-level weapon attachments.

Tips To Play

Lifeline’s healing capabilities are great for supporting your squad, but they leave her vulnerable to attack from enemies, and mean she doesn’t have any handy abilities to use against opponents or get herself out of trouble. Therefore, when you’re playing as Lifeline, you should try to stay back from fights and out of harm’s way as much as you can so that you’re ready to help out teammates when they need you.

Going after revives will put you in the thick of the action, though, so it’s best to be ready to defend yourself. Pick weapons that offer a lot of range, like the Longbow DMR or the G7 Scout, as well as shotguns or submachine guns for up-close encounters. Remember that while your job is to revive and heal people, getting killed while you do it is a great way to lose matches; shoot first, revive second.

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Whether you’re playing as Lifeline or you have one on your team, keep an eye out for Ultimate Accelerants. Lifeline has one of the longer Ultimate cooldown timers, and the quicker you can get care packages, the quicker you can grab high-tier defensive loot. It’s also worth trying to get several of Lifeline’s care packages in a single match to help kit everyone else out.

If you’re set on gear and you still have a care package ultimate ready, try using it to distract enemies or confuse them. You can drop a package in one direction and run in the other, for instance, or call one and use it to draw out another squad for an ambush. We’ve also seen care packages kill enemy players by landing on them, and you use them to crowd tight areas or for cover–so get creative.

Lifeline’s quick healing means you should try to stay as healthy as possible. If you can manage to heal up without leaving your teammates hanging during a fight, do it; your chances of winning a fight are always higher if you have a higher health pool. Just remember that, in a fight, helping your team keep shooting is usually better than falling back. Gaining or losing a numerical advantage usually determines which team wins a battle.

Drop health drones in cover positions so your teammates can fall back to them. Be careful where you leave them, though, because anyone can use them, including opponents.

A Final Fantasy Float Is Coming To The Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade

Marking a first for the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, a video game-themed float will make its way down Oxford Street as part of the annual celebration.

Square Enix announced today that it has collaborated with the Sydney Gaymers group to bring a Final Fantasy XIV Online float to the parade this year. The float is described as “unique and exciting,” and it’s themed around the title “Realms United.”

“It means so much to receive direct support, validation, and acknowledgement from such a force in the industry,” Sydney Gaymers organizer Peak Distapan said in a statement. “Not only that, to be supported by a game where so much of our community and values are represented.

“The Final Fantasy XIV Online community does not discriminate and respects everyone’s freedom and their individual values equally. For many LGBTQI+ people, online communities provide a space for the journey and exploration of personal identities They allow us to connect, and celebrate, and they reinforce that we are not alone.”

Final Fantasy XIV Online producer and director Naoki Yoshida said the float at the Mardi Gras parade builds on the relationship Square Enix fostered with Sydney Gaymers at PAX Australia.

“To see it makes me very happy indeed, both as the person in charge of FFXIV and also as just another player of the game,” Yoshida said. “FFXIV is another world that continues to grow and expand online. In that world people become adventurers, known as the Warriors of Light, and can continue to be free.”

The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade takes place on Saturday, March 2. The parade is truly massive, taking over a significant part of the city and drawing crowds of thousands. Last year, Cher appeared in the parade and put on a show after.

No images of the Final Fantasy XIV Online float for the Mardi Gras parade have been released, but keep checking back with GameSpot for more.

In other news, the game’s next big expansion, Shadowbringers, launches in July.