Month: December 2018

We may be a little less than a month away from the new year, but that doesn’t mean we’re not already eagerly anticipating some of the new year’s best new comics. From all new #1s at Marvel and DC to revivals of cult classic franchises at Image, Boom, and Dynamite, 2019 is shaping up to be a powerhouse year for every corner of the comic book industry. There’s something in the mix for everyone, whether you’re a fan of the dense, cape-and-cowl continuities to be found in superhero stories or you’re looking for an experience that might be a little more niche (and a little less historically convoluted.) We’ve got noir thrillers, TV show spin offs, long awaited returns and some left field debuts.

Of course, these are only ten of the dozens and dozens of comics set to premier next year. Have a book you can’t wait to pick up that didn’t make the cut or flew under the radar? Let us know in the comments below, and keep checking back here at GameSpot Universe for even more coverage of 2018’s very best comics, TV, and movies as well as our picks for 2019’s breakout series’ to watch.

1. Daredevil

Matt Murdock is getting a brand new #1 this February with an all new creative team made up of Chip Zdarsky (Jughead, Peter Parker: Spider-Man) and Marco Checchetto (Old Man Hawkeye). This represents the first writing change for the Man Without Fear since Charles Soule took over the character in 2015. Not much is known about Zdarsky and Checchetto’s new direction but, based on the single ominous teaser image available and the dire “Death of Daredevil” mini event that is preceding the run, it’s pretty safe to say Matt has a rocky road ahead of him. But then again, when does he not?

2. Young Justice

For the first time in the Rebirth era, the fan favorite trio of Conner Kent, Bart Allen, and Tim Drake are set to be reunited in a brand new Young Justice #1 from creative team Brian Michael Bendis and Pat Gleason. Young Justice is one of the flagship books for Bendis’ new Wonder Comics imprint, an in continuity line up of new and familiar faces designed to target younger readers in the same way that Bendis’ Ultimate line–which gave rise to characters like Miles Morales–did back at Marvel.

3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy may not be coming back to TV (at least, not yet) but she is making a triumphant return to comics with a brand new series reboot from co-creators Jordie Bellaire and Dan Mora. A complete “reimagining” of the series in total–meaning neither an adaptation of the TV show itself or a continuation of the previous comics series which ran for years under publisher Dark Horse–the new Buffy #1 is set to launch in January from Boom! Studios. Whether or not this vampire slaying resurgence will herald any Buffy-related news for other mediums is, of course, yet to be seen, but fans will absolutely want to keep a close eye on the new ongoing.

4. Black Widow

Natasha Romanoff is no stranger to new #1s, having just finished out a stunning run by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee back in 2017. However, after she fared less than well in the Secret Empire event and was brought back to life through the Tales of Suspense mini series, things in Natasha’s world have been flipped upside down. Now, horror veterans the Soska Sisters are set to take over with a brand new Black Widow series, marking their first ongoing work with Marvel. Where do the people who brought us films like American Mary see Black Widow headed in her new, recently resurrected life? We can’t wait to find out.

5. Naomi

Another new title under the Wonder Comics banner helmed by Brian Michael Bendis, Naomi is the first completely original character to be given her own book as part of the imprint. Described by Bendis as a small town girl who is inspired to look into her own adoption after Superman comes (literally) crashing through the city during a fight. Co-written by David F. Walker and Bendis himself with art by Jamal Campbell, Naomi’s story–according to Bendis–is going to push the very boundaries of the DC Universe and uncover whole corners of the superheroic world that fans have never seen before.

6. Criminal

Fans of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ creator own series Criminal, rejoice! After a three year hiatus, the crime drama is returning with a brand new #1 through Image Comics–and this time, it’s an ongoing monthly book rather than a limited series. Previously published in short bursts of ten-or-less issue installments, Criminal netted itself an Eisner for best limited series in 2007, and returned for a grand total of four volumes of noir-flavored goodness. Brubaker and Phillips will be continuing the story this January with a double-sized volume premier.

7. Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt

Mega-obscure Charlton Comics hero Peter Cannon, aka Thunderbolt, is making a return to Dynamite Comics under the stewardship of Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard. After his creation in 1966, Cannon has bounced sporadically back and forth between publishers and universes, enjoying a brief stint in the DCU and going on to be a formative touchstone for the character Ozymandias in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen–but has since largely languished unused and mostly forgotten. With any luck, Gillen and Wijngaard will be able to turn this classic hero into a compelling, thrilling story worthy of its history.

8. Ironheart

While Ironheart #1 technically debuted at the end of November this year, we’re still counting it as a series to watch in 2019–largely because it features the highly anticipated solo series debut of fan-favorite Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, who first came to prominence as the “new” Iron Man while Tony Stark found himself–er, we’ll say incapacitated for a while. While Riri is very new to the Marvel universe, she’s already proven herself to be a juggernaut in terms of both her heroism and her resourcefulness, crafting her very own version of the Iron Man armor and using it to step out of Tony’s massively looming shadow. Written by Even Ewing with art by Kevin Libranada, Ironheart will continue in 2019 as one of a series to watch at Marvel–and a title that absolutely should not be missed.

9. Female Furies

Dovetailing perfectly with the breakout success of the Eisner Award winning limited series, Mister Miracle, Cecil Castellucci and Adriana Melo are bringing a brand new Female Furies #1 to comic shops everywhere in February of next year. While the series is stand alone and not actually related to Mister Miracle–meaning you don’t have to have read Mister Miracle to jump in, it will continue to build on DC’s brand new, Rebirth-era reimagining of Jack Kirby’s famous Fourth World saga and characters, diving deep into the lives of the Furies themselves, a team of brutal, elite military generals who serve under the warlord Darkseid from his hellish realm of Apokolips.

10. Wonder Twins

Rounding out the list, we have a final selection from the Wonder Comics imprint–though this one may seem a bit left-of-field. Returning to the mainline DC Universe for the first time since the New 52 relaunch back in 2011 are a pair of Saturday morning cartoon favorites: the Wonder Twins. But wait, there’s more–with a creative team made up of Mark Russell, famous for bringing modern spins to classic properties like Snagglepuss and The Flintstones and Stephen Byrne, who helped usher in the Rebirth era of Green Arrow, Wonder Twins is bringing all the absurdity of America’s favorite camp-infused shape shifting siblings to the DCU. After all, what would it really be like if you were a teenager who had a psychic link to your brother or sister that you could never actually turn off and an alien monkey as a pet? We can’t wait to find out.

Update: The PSN is now back in working order according to the PSN status page, and all systems are now operational.

Original story follows:

The PlayStation Network across all platforms is experiencing issues across all types of services, according to the official PSN status page.

PSN for PS4, PS4, Web, and Vita is down for account management, online gaming, social aspects, PS Now, and the PlayStation Store, among other services.

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The first instalment in Battlefield V‘s free DLC campaign will not make it out on schedule. Developer DICE said on Twitter that it found an unspecified “issue” with the first Tides of War content, Chapter 1: Overture, and as such, the release is being held back beyond its announced December 4 launch.

“Rather than create issues in the game, we’re holding the update for the time being,” DICE said. The studio added that it will report back with an update as soon as possible, but for now the developer said it does not anticipate “a long delay.”

Whereas previous Battlefield games charged money for extra content, Battlefield V is giving it away for free through the live service element known as Tides of War. Chapter 1: Overture adds a new map, Panzerstorm, which is set in 1940 Belgium. As its name suggests, it is a tank-focused map–and DICE says up to 17 tanks can duke it out at once on the map.

The Overture update also adds the fifth War Story single-player chapter, The Last Tiger. This missions sees you playing as a Nazi soldier who is fighting not only Allied forces but also “their own doubts about doubts about the ideology that led them to their now-inevitable defeat.” You can see a brief tease for the campaign in the video below.

What’s more, Overture introduces a new training mode called Practice Range, a tutorial mode of sorts that teaches you the basics of weapons and vehicles. Additionally, the update introduces new challenges that reward players with things like soldier outfits and weapon skins, while the game also adds cosmetic customisation options for tanks and other vehicles.

On a further-out timeline, Battlefield V will introduce a battle royale mode called Firestorm in March.

Rockstar has responded to player feedback for Red Dead Online’s beta, specifically commenting on fixing the in-game economy.

“Our current areas of focus include the in-game economy, which will require some additional balancing in order to ensure all activities are appropriately rewarding and fun, as well as some persistent bugs that are causing some players to be kicked from sessions.”

Rockstar’s decision to focus on this fix first, is most likely a response from players complaining about the time it can take to earn just one gold bar in the game, which is approximately 8 hours.

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Red Dead Redemption 2‘s multiplayer mode, Red Dead Online, launched in late November as a beta–and Rockstar had said from the start that players should expect bugs and other oddities. Players have indeed discovered the experience to be less-than-optimal in some areas, one of which is the in-game economy. Players quickly found out that baked beans are more valuable than gold rings, based on Red Dead Online’s economy–and that’s probably not right.

Rockstar has now acknowledged the problems with Red Dead Online’s economy, stating on Twitter that it is working on getting the economy in a better place “to ensure all activities are appropriately rewarding and fun.” The studio needs more time to work on balancing to get this right, it said.

Outside of the in-game economy, Rockstar is also planning to address some of the “persistent bugs” related to players getting kicked out of sessions.

“The game has been developed so that we will be able to quickly make any adjustments like these,” Rockstar said. The first updates for Red Dead Online are expected to launch at the end of the week at the soonest, with more updates coming next week.

You can send feedback about Red Dead Online directly to Rockstar here. There is no word on how long the game will remain in beta form, but keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.

Red Dead Online features new story missions set before the events of the single-player campaign that can be played solo or with others. It also features a variety of co-op and PvP modes, including Red Dead’s own battle royale mode.

Rockstar says to expect “lots more updates to the Red Dead Online beta in the coming weeks and months.” It hasn’t shared much about what to expect in terms of future updates to the game, though Grand Theft Auto V‘s extensive array of free GTA Online expansions suggests there’s plenty in store.

A future update for Red Dead Online will add the ability to purchase the in-game currency gold with real money. Gold can also be earned by playing, and it’s used to buy certain weapons and other items, as well as a shortcut to lower your Honor level.

If you pre-ordered the game or bought a special edition, here’s how to access your bonus content.

For more on Red Dead Online, check out GameSpot’s recent opinion piece, “Red Dead Online’s Beta Misses What Makes RDR 2 Great.”

There’s only one series in the world where you can punch Mario in the jaw while playing as Kirby, and that’s Super Smash Bros. A beautiful anomaly of games with orchestral banger versions of classic Nintendo tunes, walls of collectibles from each franchise’s history that make it feel like a weird gaming museum, and an overflowing list of unsuspecting, wacky crossover characters that even eclipses Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War.

It’s a series with something special, and it’s powered by a community of people who really care about it. Super-fans that continue to pump life into a game for over 17 years; analyzing characters, utilizing glitches, creating competitive rulesets, and organizing communal tournaments around the world for players of all skill levels, simply because they love the games so much.

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