Diablo 3 Switch Gets An Amiibo, And It’s Not What You’d Expect

With Diablo III now available on Nintendo Switch (coinciding with the start of BlizzCon 2018), Blizzard has revealed another notable piece of news for Nintendo fans. Diablo is getting its very first Amiibo figure, and odds are, it’s probably not any of the characters you would guess.

As Blizzard shared on Twitter, the figure is not Diablo himself, nor any off the other Prime Evils. It’s also not Tyrael, Malthael, Deckard Cain, or any of the playable classes. Instead, it’s the mischievous loot goblin who gets the Amiibo treatment. (Separately, we’re also getting some new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Amiibo figures.)

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The loot goblin Amiibo launches sometime in December; a specific release date wasn’t shared, but a listing for $16 on GameStop’s website is live and lists it as an exclusive. But it’s notable for featuring a unique design, both in terms of the figure itself and the box. The box looks more like a Funko Pop than the standard Amiibo packaging we’re accustomed to, while the figure has a cartoonish look. It actually appears to be the same design as an earlier Cute But Deadly figurine.

The figure’s exact function in the Switch game isn’t detailed, but Blizzard teases that you may be able to use it to access The Vault, a secret treasure goblin area filled with loot.

While certainly not imposing foes or significant characters in the lore, loot goblins do embody the loot chase that makes Diablo so enjoyable. Treasure goblins are a type of enemy you can happen upon in Diablo III. When first attacked, these will begin to run away, but as you continue hitting them, they drop various loot–gold, gems, blood shards, weapons, armor–depending on what type they are. It’s a real treat, but also an intense race to ensure you kill it and earn the maximum lot before it can summon a portal and jump through.

Diablo III’s launch on Switch represents a great new way to play the game, even if it does lose some of the visual fidelity of the PC version. You can read all about what to expect in our Diablo III Switch review.

Game Of Thrones Season 8’s Scripts Made This Cast Member Cry

We don’t exactly know when in 2019 Game of Thrones Season 8 will arrive, but we do know it will be the final batch of episodes for the hugely popular fantasy show. It’s set to be an emotional ride for fans of the show, and it seems it was just as moving for the cast when they first read the script together.

In a new feature in Entertainment Weekly, some details of the full cast read of Season 8’s scripts have been revealed. The article states that showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss started the session by asking the cast members to avoid doing anything that might give away any of the new season’s secrets, no matter how small. One unnamed actor is quoted as saying they were told: “Don’t even take a photo of your boots on the ground of the set.”

The article goes on to state that it was a particularly emotional experience for Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow. Unlike most of his fellow cast members, Harington didn’t read the scripts prior to the table read, so he was experiencing the show’s ending for the first time. He reportedly cried twice during the table read, and although we don’t know the reason for the first time because of potential spoilers, EW reports that the second time was when they reached the end of the final episode. “The second time was the very end,” he said. “Every season, you read at the end of the last script ‘End of Season 1,’ or ‘End of Season 2.’ This read End of Game of Thrones.”

EW have also revealed that at one stage Benioff and Weiss were considering finishing the show with three theatrical movies rather than six episodes. Season 8 will contain the biggest battle of the show’s history and the pair were concerned that HBO’s budget might not allow them to do what they wanted.

In related news, details have started the emerge about the Game of Thrones spin-off show, which starts production next year. According to Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin, the series will be titled The Long Night. It will star Naomi Watts and Joshua Whitehouse, and the pilot is written by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, the Kingsmen movies), who has created the series with Martin and will serve as its showrunner. It’s set to take place thousands of years before the current series, during the Age of Heroes.

IT and Attack on Titan Director Andy Muschietti to Remake The Time Machine

Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, and Appian Way will be bringing another take on the H.G. Wells novel, The Time Machine, to theaters with It: Chapter 2 director Andy Muschietti.

As reported by Deadline, Muschietti will be joined by producer Barbara Muschietti, his sister, and both have “written a treatment” for the science fiction tale from 1895.

Joining Barbara Muschietti in producing the film will be Appian Way’s Jennifer Davisson and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

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Toy Story 4 Will Be “A Moment In History,” Tom Hanks Teases

Disney’s Pixar animation studio is known for its ability to tell emotional, impactful stories, and it appears that’s going to continue with the upcoming Toy Story 4. Tom Hanks, who voices Woody in the series, recently spoke about his emotional final day recording lines. Speaking on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Hanks talked about how he was stunned when he read the final lines and considered what they meant for the franchise.

“It was the first time that we were going to be recording the end of the movie. Toy Story 4 is going to have an impactful ending,” Hanks said. “The way you record Toy Story; you’re in a room with the team that has created it. When I went in for my last day of recording, I wanted to have my back to them, because usually you’re facing them so you can look right up and you can talk about it. But I didn’t want to see them and I wanted to pretend they couldn’t see me. When I realized what they were going for, I realized, ‘Oh, this is a moment in history.'”

Hanks said the people who work at Pixar are geniuses, going on to call out the growth in the maturity and tone of the Toy Story films over time. “The emotional range of the movies has become more and more deep and profound and affecting,” he said.

Toy Story 3, which itself had an emotional, impactful ending, was released all the way back in 2010, so the sequel has been a long time coming.

Hanks follows co-star Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear) in talking about how the ending of Toy Story 4 will be emotional.

“I don’t want to give it away, but this is an incredibly great story,” Allen said in an interview.

“It is so emotional, it’s so funny, it’s so big, the idea they’ve come up with, I’m startled. I couldn’t even get through the last scene. They’ve got great characters but a couple of scenes toward the end were really hard to get through.”

Toy Story 4 is due out in June 2019. It’s directed by Josh Cooley (Inside Out) and Jonas Rivera (Coco). When it was originally announced, John Lasseter was going to direct a script from Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. However, Lasseter left the project as director in July 2017, then went on a leave of absence when reports of sexual harassment allegations against him surfaced. It was at that point Jones revealed she and McCormack had stepped away from the project.

Ebay Pre-Black Friday Sale Offers Discounts On Games And Hardware

The retail and auction site Ebay has announced a lengthy sale with some discounts on games and tech rotating daily. It lasts through November 11, and already features discounts on hardware, consoles, and recent game releases.

The current deals listed on the official site include a white Xbox One S 1 TB for $240 and a refurbished grey Nintendo Switch for $275. You can also pick up Red Dead Redemption 2 on Xbox One for $48, or Spider-Man for $50.

In hardware and tech, the deals list a Samsung 50″ LED 4K TV with HDR for $420, and an AMD Ryzen 7 1700X Desktop Processor 8-Core for $170. The main page has a full section for PC accessories and another for laptops and tablets with lots of offerings on display–particularly Chromebooks and monitors. A Microsoft Surface Go is only discounted ten bucks to $540, but comes with a $50 Xbox gift card.

According to the promotion, we can expect more game deals next Monday, November 5, with the theme “Game Time.” Those include a Neon Red/Blue Nintendo Switch, HyperX Cloud II Red Gaming Headset for $60, and HP 27″ Edge to Edge HD Gaming Monitor for $140.

Other deals are smaller but notable. A few models of Apple iPhones are discounted by $20 today, and the Apple Watch Series 4 will be discounted by $10 on November 7. If you’re a gadget enthusiast, you may want to check back on November 3 for deals like a Remo smart security camera for $150, or the Ecobee Smart Thermostat for $200.

These discounts appear primed to let users get a jump on Black Friday, which is certain to have a wealth of its own deals incoming as well. We’ve already seen Target’s and more are on the way.

Smash World Social Hub For Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Coming Next Year

The latest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation was chock full of new announcements, including word of a special dedicated service coming next year. Dubbed “Smash World,” the free service will let you post and watch videos of your glory moments.

Game director Masahiro Sakurai teased that the service will boast other unnamed features as well, and that it will be given regular updates throughout its lifespan. The brief glimpse at the UI shown during the presentation had a large array of video captures appearing on a mobile device.

Smash World isn’t the only extra coming to Smash Bros. in 2019. The presentation also revealed plans for DLC characters, stages, and music to come throughout the year. There will be five packs in all–each of which grants one character, one stage, and some music tracks–for $6 apiece. Nintendo is also offering a Fighter Pass for $25. In addition to those five characters, Piranha Plant is being added as a playable character, and he’ll(?) be free for anyone who registers their copy of the game by January 31, 2019.

As for launch day content, the presentation revealed a few more goodies in store on that front as well. Two more fighters joined the roster–Ken and Incineroar–and we finally got a closer look at both the Adventure Mode and the new Spirits Mode, along with how online matchmaking works.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launches December 7. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.

Fortnite Challenge List: Chillers, Sheet Music, And More (Week 6)

Alongside the ongoing Fortnitemares challenges, Fortnite: Battle Royale players have reached Week 6 in Season 6. The Thursday weekly reset means a whole new batch of weekly challenges to complete. Completing the weekly challenges is crucial to earn Battle Stars and level up your Battle Pass, which in turn will earn you cosmetic items. We have a breakdown of Week 6’s challenges, but if you want to catch up on all the still-active quests from previous weeks, take a gander at our comprehensive Fortnite Season 6 challenge guide.

As always, the challenges are split into two tiers. The free section, available to all, tasks you with placing Chillers in different matches, searching for a Chest in different named locations, and getting three shotgun eliminations.

The higher tier challenges available only to Battle Pass owners give out stars as well. You can get rewards for landing at Shifty Shafts, dealing pickaxe damage, finding sheet music, and elimination with a common weapon. The landing, sheet music, and elimination challenges are all multi-stage quests, so you’ll have other challenges open up after you complete the first phase.

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Fortnite Season 6, Week 5 Challenges

Free

  • Place Chillers in different matches (3) — 5 Battle Stars
  • Search a Chest in different Named Locations (7) — 5 Battle Stars
  • Shotgun Eliminations (3) — 10 Battle Stars

Battle Pass

  • Land at Shifty Shafts (Part 1 of 5) — 1 Battle Star
  • Deal damage with a pickaxe to opponents (250) — 5 Battle Stars
  • Find the Sheet Music in Pleasant Park (Part 1 of 4) — 2 Battle Stars (10 total)
  • Elimination with a Common weapon (Part 1 of 5) — 2 Battle Stars (10 total)

If you complete those and still have a hankering for more challenges, you can also take part in the Fortnitemares event. Though ostensibly tied to Halloween, it’s still ongoing for a few more days. You can take on special Fortnitemares challenges to earn the Outlander skin and other cosmetics. Outlander and some of the others are part of a new type of reactive cosmetics which change appearance based on your match performance. You can find out more about the Fortnitemare event and challenges here.

Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC To Add More New Characters, Stages After Piranha Plant

Today’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate presentation filled out the rest of the roster and revealed all of the fighters that will be in the game upon release. But more are coming, as the presentation also noted that more fighters will be added post-launch as DLC.

Each fighter pack will include one fighter, one stage, and multiple music tracks, for $6. Nintendo is planning to release five packs, and you can purchase a bundle “Fighters Pass” for $25 that will include all five fighters, five stages, and all the music tracks. Nintendo noted that it hasn’t begun active development on the fighters yet so it may take up to a year to complete the full Fighter’s Pass. Purchasing the Fighter’s Pass will also get you an outfit based on Rex from Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Another piece of post-launch content is coming for free. Piranha Plant will be available for free for early purchasers. If you buy Super Smash Bros. Ultimate digitally or register your physical copy by January 31, 2019, you’ll get the fighter at no cost around February 2019. It will be available for purchase separately sometime later.

Today’s presentation revealed the final two roster characters: Ken and Incineroar. It also took the wraps off the final mode, Spirits, which allows you to take part in special challenges to earn equippable buffs for your characters. This also serves as the story for the game, as Nintendo teased that there will be a plot explanation for the characters being turned into apparitions. You can read about every announcement and watch the highlights of the Direct in our news round-up.

Smash Bros. Ultimate launches on December 7. Check out our pre-order guide for more details.