FORMER FBI Director James Comey has unloaded on Donald Trump, describing the US President as “morally unfit” for office. Comey, who was sacked by Trump in May last year, described the President as a serial liar, who treats women like “meat” and who was a “stain” on everyone who works for him in a sensational interview with US network ABC. The interview comes ahead of the release of Comey’s book A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership which will be released in America this week. The interview has prompted Trump to call Comey “a leaker and liar”. In the jaw-dropping interview with ABC chief anchor George Stephanopoulos on the network’s 20/20 program, Comey said: “Our president must embody respect and adhere to the values that are at the core of this country. The most important being truth. This president is not able to do that. He is morally unfit to be president.” Comey said he was motivated to write the book “to try and be useful” and to “offer his views”. He said Trump was like a “mob boss” and a “forest fire”. “I liken President Trump in the book to a forest fire. Going to do tremendous damage. Going to damage those important norms. But a forest fire gives healthy things a chance to grow that had no chance before that fire,” he said. “His presidency is doing, and will do, tremendous damage to our norms and our values, especially the truth. And so that’s bad.” “A person who sees moral equivalence in Charlottesville, who talks about and treats women like they’re pieces of meat, who lies constantly about matters big and small...that person’s not fit to be president of the United States, on moral grounds. “He strikes me as a person of above average intelligence who’s tracking conversations and knows what’s going on. I don’t think he’s medically unfit to be president. I think he’s morally unfit to be president.” One of the first issues Stephanopoulos canvassed with Comey was the Steele ‘dossier’ in which it was alleged, among other claims, that the Russian government had footage of Trump watching prostitutes urinate on each other in a hotel room in Moscow in 2013. Comey said Trump denied the allegations in a very defensive manner. “’Do I look like a guy who needs hookers?’ Trump replied according to Comey. The ex-security boss said he believed the source of the dossier to be credible. “It was coming from a credible source, someone with a track record, someone who was a credible and respected member of an allied intelligence service during his career,” he said. “I honestly never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but I don’t know whether the current president of the United States was with prostitutes peeing on each other in Moscow in 2013. It’s possible, but I don’t know.” Comey said he was made uneasy by a one-on-one dinner with Trump where the President demanded his loyalty. “You will always get honesty from me,” Mr Comey recalled saying to Trump during the dinner. “And he paused and then he said, ‘Honest loyalty,’ as if he was proposing some compromise or a deal. And I paused and said, ‘You’ll get that from me.’” Comey claimed the dinner felt like a mob initiation. “I’m not trying to, by the way, suggest that President Trump is out breaking legs and, you know, shaking down shopkeepers,” Mr Comey said. However he did say “the loyalty oaths, the boss as the dominant centre of everything. It’s all about how do you serve the boss, what’s in the boss’s interests. It’s the family, the family, the family, the family.” Mr Comey said he had been unsure as to how to reply to the request. “Maybe it would’ve been better to give a more explicit — say, ‘Sir, I can’t promise you loyalty.’ But in the moment, frankly, it didn’t occur to me. And I maybe I didn’t have the guts to do it. I wanted to get out of this conversation without compromising myself.” Comey also said he couldn’t believe Trump’s claims over the size of the crowd for his inauguration. “That’s just not true. That’s not a perspective, that’s not a view. That’s just a lie,” Comey said of the Trump administration’s claims his auguration crowd was the biggest ever. In the interview Comey did not comment on the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 US election. Trump has repeatedly criticised Comey for his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation. Comey said he may have subconsciously assumed Clinton would claim the election when he reopened the investigation days before the election, in a move many Democrats believe scuppered the former Secretary of State’s chances of winning. However Comey said he felt at the time it would be very damaging to the credibility of the FBI if the reopened investigation became public after the election. “If I ever start considering whose political fortunes will be affected by a decision, we’re done,” he said. “We’re no longer that group in America that is apart from the partisans, and that can be trusted.” RUSSIA ‘MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING ON TRUMP’ The ex-FBI boss also told ABC that Russia and its president Vladimir Putin could have compromising material on President Trump. “I think it’s possible. I don’t know. These are more words I never thought I’d utter about a president of the United States, but it’s possible,” Comey said. “It is stunning and I wish I wasn’t saying it, but it’s just — it’s the truth. It always struck me and still strikes me as unlikely, and I would have been able to say with high confidence about any other president I dealt with, but I can’t. “It’s possible.” Comey also claimed Trump wanted him to drop the criminal investigation of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Comey claimed Trump asked him: “I hope you can let this go”, which he interpreted as a request to close the investigation. Comey said it “possibly” amounted to an obstruction of justice. “It’s unusual for the FBI director and the president to be alone at all. But to kick out the vice president of the United States and the attorney general (out of a White House meeting), who I work for, so you could talk to me alone — something was up,” he said. “I took it as a direction. His words were, though, ‘I hope you can let it go.’ I took the expression of hope as, ‘This is what I want you to do.’” “If he didn’t know he was doing something improper, why did he kick out the attorney general and the vice president of the United States and the leaders of the intelligence community? I mean, why am I alone if he doesn’t know the nature of the request?” Comey said he thought Trump was “crazy” to fire him and that it would be Trump’s “most serious attack yet on the rule of law” if he was to fire Robert Mueller who is investing links between the Russia government and Trump’s election campaign. DONALD TRUMP SLAMS ‘SLIPPERY’ COMEY Earlier, US President Donald Trump unleashed a torrent of rage against the former FBI Director, calling him “slippery,” insisting he never asked him for loyalty and labelling him “the WORST FBI Director in history, by far!” Trump fired off a series of tweets overnight ahead of the interview. In an excerpt shown over the weekend, Comey said his belief that Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 presidential election was a factor in his decision to disclose the investigation into her emails. Trump also pushed back again against Comey’s claims that Trump sought his loyalty, saying it was “Just another of his many lies. His ‘memos’ are self serving and FAKE!” Comey appeared to respond to Trump with his own tweet a few hours later, making reference to Trump being unethical. Comey is embarking on a public rollout of his book, A Higher Loyalty, which comes out on Tuesday. The book offers Comey’s version of the highly controversial events surrounding his firing by Trump and the investigations into Russian election meddling and Clinton’s email practices. In it, Comey compares Trump’s leadership of the country “ego driven and about personal loyalty.” Trump fired Comey in May 2017, setting off a scramble at the Justice Department that led to the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation. Mueller’s probe has expanded to include whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey, which the president denies. Trump has said he fired Comey because of his handling of the FBI’s investigation into Clinton’s email practices. Trump used the investigation as a cudgel in the campaign and repeatedly said Clinton should be jailed for using a personal email system while serving as secretary of state. Democrats, on the other hand, have accused Comey of politicising the investigation, and Clinton herself has said it hurt her election prospects. In the interview excerpt released on Saturday, Comey said he did not remember “consciously thinking” about the election results as he decided to disclose that the FBI had reopened its investigation into candidate Clinton’s email use, but he said “I was operating in a world where Hillary Clinton was going to beat Donald Trump, and so I’m sure that it was a factor.” He added: “I don’t remember spelling it out, but it had to have been, that she’s going to be elected president and if I hide this from the American people, she’ll be illegitimate the moment she’s elected, the moment this comes out.”

AN attack on a United Nations base in northern Mali’s historic city of Timbuktu on Saturday has ended in the death of 15 militants, according to French authorities. The UN’s MINUSMA force said one of its peacekeepers had been killed in a four-hour rocket, mortar and car bomb attack at an international troops’ “Super Camp” which is near Timbuktu’s airport. France said seven of its soldiers were hurt, lowering an initial toll from Malian authorities who had said a dozen French troops were wounded. Some of the assailants, who have yet to be identified, came disguised as peacekeepers in order to sow confusion among troops trying to repel the attack. UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix deplored the assault on Twitter, vowing: “Our determination to support peace in Mali remains unshakeable.” French military spokesman Patrik Steiger said the attackers had “failed in their objective of causing the maximum damage possible”. “Around 15 (attackers) were killed,” he added, some of them outside the military camp’s outer walls. “Some attackers managed to enter, including some disguised as peacekeepers,” he said, adding the attack had not involved any friendly fire. Mali’s security ministry said on Saturday the assailants had tried to detonate two car bombs, one of them a vehicle in the colours of the Malian armed forces and the other carrying the UN logo. The first exploded while troops managed to immobilise the second, the ministry said. The French military said there had been three car bombs. Mr Steiger said allied troops managed to regain control with the help of fighter jets sent from a French base in neighbouring Niger as well as helicopters carrying elite troops. “By dawn the situation was stable,” he said. Mali’s unrest stems from a 2012 Tuareg separatist uprising against the state which was exploited by jihadists in order to take over key cities in the north. More than a dozen of Timbuktu’s holy shrines, built in the 15th and 16th centuries when the city was revered as a centre of Islamic learning, were razed in a campaign against idolatry by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists. The extremists were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013. But vast stretches of the country remain out of the control of Malian, French and UN forces, which are frequent targets of attacks. The UN’s Timbuktu Super Camp, where Saturday’s attack took place, was already the scene of an attack last May which killed a Liberian peacekeeper and wounded nine. In August 2017 armed men launched another assault on the camp, which hosts MINUSMA contingents from numerous countries. Seven security force members and six attackers were killed, according to the UN.

Stormy Daniels will appear at a court hearing Monday (4AM Tuesday AEST) for President Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen, the porn star’s lawyer announced. “She’s going to attend at 2 o’clock on Monday,” lawyer Michael Avenatti told CNN’s State of the Union overnight. “I think Monday afternoon could prove to be very interesting.” She won’t be offering testimony but will be present in the New York courtroom for Cohen’s hearing related to the FBI raid of his home and office. “It’s intended to send the message that this is a very, very serious matter for her,” Avenatti said of Stormy’s courtroom appearance. He added: “She also wants to ensure that she is heard and that she’s represented at the hearing. It has nothing to do with getting in his head at all.” Cohen’s office, apartment and hotel were raided last week under federal search warrants. Among other things, the feds were looking for documents related to the US$130,000 pay-off Cohen made to Daniels. She says it was hush money for her alleged affair with President Trump. Lawyers for Trump and Cohen say the raids were inappropriate, unnecessary and a violation of lawyer-client privilege. They were in court Friday trying to stop federal prosecutors from getting private documents. The judge ordered Cohen to turn over a list of his law clients by Monday and answer questions about his practice. Daniels is suing Cohen for defamation and claimed the nondisclosure agreement she agreed to is invalid because Trump never signed it. Avenatti predicted that Cohen will face criminal charges in the “next 90 days” possibly related to bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations. “This guy is radioactive right now,” Avenatti said. “And this is not going to end well.”

FORMER First Lady Barbara Bush is in “failing health” and won’t seek additional medical treatment, a Bush family spokesman said on Sunday. “Following a recent series of hospitalisations, and after consulting her family and doctors, Mrs Bush, now age 92, has decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care,” spokesman Jim McGrath said in a news release. Mr McGrath did not elaborate as to the nature of Mrs Bush’s health problems. She has been treated for decades for Graves’ disease, which is a thyroid condition. “It will not surprise those who know her that Barbara Bush has been a rock in the face of her failing health, worrying not for herself — thanks to her abiding faith — but for others,” Mr McGrath said. “She is surrounded by a family she adores, and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving,” he said. The short statement on Sunday did not indicate the nature of Bush’s illness but CNN reported that she was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure, and is being cared for at home in Houston. As first lady from 1989 until the start of 1993, Bush was a popular national figure known for her sometimes blunt talk and self-deprecating wit. “She is surrounded by a family she adores and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving,” the statement added. Bush is the mother of former President George W. Bush, 71, the 43rd US president. Her husband, the 41st US president, is 93 years old. Mrs Bush is one of only two first ladies who was also the mother of a president. The other was Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams and mother of John Quincy Adams. Barbara Bush (nee Pierce) married George H.W. Bush in 1945. They had six children and have been married longer than any presidential couple in American history. Eight years after she and her husband left the White House, Mrs Bush stood with her husband as their son George W. was sworn in as president. Mrs Bush has a no-nonsense and down-to-earth public image saying that she let her hair go white because dyed hair didn’t look good on her, but she admitted to always wearing a string of pearls to hide the wrinkles in her neck. Her major legacy has been trying to solve America’s literacy problem through The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, which she began during her White House years. The foundation aimed to improve the lives of disadvantaged Americans by boosting literacy among parents and their children and has awarded more than $40 million to create or expand more than 1,500 literacy programs nationwide.

Australia's largest wealth manager AMP lied to and misled the regulator about charging clients fees for financial advice they did not receive, a royal commission has heard. AMP and the nation's big four banks have paid almost $219 million in compensation to more than 310,000 financial advice customers charged fees for no service. A senior AMP executive has apologised to customers over the problem, which the banking royal commission heard had occurred since 2009. Senior counsel assisting the commission Michael Hodge QC said there was a significant delay in notifying the regulator about the issue and AMP made a number of false or misleading statements to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission about it. AMP's group executive for advice Jack Regan accepted that was the case. The inquiry heard AMP made a deliberate decision to continue charging fees to a group of "orphan" clients for three months when they went into a central pool, despite them receiving no advice services and legal advice that it was unlawful. "It's not a surprise that it's not lawful," Mr Regan told the royal commission on Monday. Mr Hodge asked: "It's just obvious isn't it that you can't charge somebody for 90 days for providing services that you're not going to provide, you agree with that?" Mr Regan replied: "That's correct." The issue arose when AMP acted as a buyer of last resort, buying an adviser's client book if they were unable to sell it to another authorised AMP representative. In some cases system errors were to blame but the inquiry heard AMP did not tell ASIC about the deliberate decision to keep charging the fees. Mr Regan, who found problems of governance and oversight when he became head of AMP's advice businesses in January 2017, apologised for the issues. "On behalf of AMP I apologise unreservedly for the failings in respect of advice and service delivery to our customers and for the regulatory breaches," he said in a statement to the inquiry. But Mr Hodge questioned if AMP in fact accepted it had made regulatory breaches, given its submissions to the commission only referred to possible misconduct. AMP has repaid $3.69 million to 14,000 clients who were charged the fees while in the central pool. The Commonwealth Bank has paid $117.8 million in compensation over fees for no service, the bulk of the total amount forked out by the big four banks and AMP. ASIC deputy chair Peter Kell said eight financial services entities had reported breaches to the regulator over fees for no service. "I think it's clear from our experience that the firms in question prioritised fee revenue from their advice businesses over the provision of services to the clients," Mr Kell told the royal commission. Overall Australians have received more than $380 million in compensation over the past decade after suffering financial loss as a result of poor financial advice. Mr Kell said 90 per cent of financial advice for establishing self-managed superannuation funds did not comply with duties to act in consumers' best interests.

It was a hot race for the #1 spot at the box office this weekend: would A Quiet Place, the horror phenomenon of the year, carry that incredible word of mouth through to a second week at number one, or would Rampage come out roaring? Under typical circumstances, it seems inconceivable that, in 2018, an adaptation of a video game featuring a giant gorilla as a central story point would have any real shot at box office success. Yet Rampage managed to be the most successful film of the weekend, grossing over $34.5m domestically despite mixed reviews. Once again, we bore witness to the indomitable power of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Rampage has already made over $148m worldwide from a $120m budget. For a film like this, with a release date set two weeks before the juggernaut of Avengers: Infinity War, those are some incredible numbers. They’re also par for the course with Johnson. Last year, to the surprise of basically everyone, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle became the 5th highest grossing film of 2017. With over $953m in the bank, it out-grossed Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok and Wonder Woman. This was the second film Johnson had on the top 10 highest grossing titles of the year, as The Fate of the Furious passed $1.2bn. While Baywatch didn’t set the domestic box office alight, it still took in $177m worldwide – turning a modest profit from its $69 million production budget. Take a trip through Johnson’s filmography of the past five years and you’ll see the receipts of a bona fide movie-star. Johnson is a rarity in modern Hollywood: an actor whose name recognition is strong enough by itself to move audiences to the theaters. His induction into the Fast and Furious franchise coincides with its evolution into a worldwide box office phenomenon. 2015’s generic disaster movie San Andreas grossed $474m from a $110m budget. The 2016 comedy Central Intelligence was another hit, with a $217m gross, while his voice work in Moana helped that Disney film to soar past $643m worldwide. Dwayne Johnson is so good at this money-making thing that he managed get Hercules to break even. We could spend the next few paragraphs extensively documenting his box office prowess, but the end message would be the same: Not only is Dwayne Johnson arguably the most bankable star in Hollywood, but he can now essentially sell just about any movie – whether he’s hanging out with a giant CGI gorilla, or wearing a cape made out of a lion. While there are plenty of famous actors in Hollywood, movie stars in the old-fashioned sense of the word have become thin on the ground. Tom Cruise is frequently cited as one of the few actors left who can lend the golden touch to any movie he leads, but Johnson’s recent track record is arguably even stronger than Cruise’s – especially given how risky some of his chosen projects have been. So what is it about The Rock that people just can’t resist? Johnson has spent the past 15+ years building up an extensive filmography following his time as a wrestler in the WWE. His debut in The Mummy Returns – for which he was rumored to have been paid $5.5m for around 15 minutes of screen-time – was coolly received, but he kept working and expanded his reach beyond mere action movies. He did comedies like Get Smart and Be Cool; he took the Arnie route and did some family films like Tooth Fairy and Race to Witch Mountain; he even tried his hand at some serious acting, although Southland Tales may not have been the best stage to demonstrate that on. Yet it’s only been in the past half-decade that Johnson has refined his model of stardom: Uber-macho action hero with almost mythic levels of skills and a complete willingness to play the fool. Johnson will punch down a building, drive a car into the jungle, then do a pratfall for good measure. Johnson is especially popular with international audiences, which is where much of the true financial potential of cinema lies these days. This is and of itself is wonderful progress, given the oft-repeated assertion from industry insiders that non-white American stars don’t sell overseas (Johnson is of black and Polynesian ancestry). The Fast and Furious films, in particular, are immensely popular in countries like China. That potent combination has made Johnson an ideal leading man for a particular brand of blockbuster. Amid the ever-expanding world of franchises and superhero movies, Johnson has carved out a niche that feels a lot like the kind of films his predecessors Schwarzenegger and Stallone would make in the 80s and 90s. Movies like Rampage, San Andreas and the Fast and Furious series are completely over-the-top in their approach to action, to the point where it’s almost fantastical. Outside of the latter, he tends to do either original blockbusters (or at least ones based on minor properties) and nostalgic favorites. They’re films that beg not to be taken seriously, and Johnson is impeccable at playing to those demands. He’s completely committed in the Fast and Furious movies, but always with a wink and a nod. It’s a skill that’s harder to pull off than he is given credit for. It’s the perfect meeting of star and product: Dwayne Johnson is perfect for the movies he picks, and they’re exactly the kind of stories audiences want to see him in. JOHNSON IS ONE OF THE FEW TRUE MOVIE STARS In the franchise age, the concept of the A-List star has less meaning than ever. No longer is it necessary to have big names listed at the top of your film in order for it to make its money at the box office. Chris Hemsworth’s name, for example, carries clout because of Thor, but it couldn’t help him make In The Heart of the Sea a hit. Now, it’s all about the intellectual property itself. Star power can still matter, but it’s of diminishing value in big-budget film-making. There are only a handful of exceptions to this rule, at least as it applies to the domestic box office: Melissa McCarthy can open a film based on her name alone, but she doesn’t tend to do 9-figure multiplex fodder. Dwayne Johnson does, and he has the power to bring in the grosses. Next up for Johnson is Skyscraper (another action-blockbuster), an adaptation of Disneyland’s famous Jungle Cruise ride, and he’s also signed on to play Black Adam in the DC Extended Universe, bringing his star power to another major franchise. All three of these on their own sound like risky projects – an original big-budget action movie, a story based on a theme park ride, a minor comic book character unfamiliar to mainstream audiences – but under Johnson’s guidance, they feel like safe bets. Johnson is now able to shepherd projects to success through the sheer force of his name alone because audiences can’t get enough of what he has to offer. The success of Rampage may surprise some, but it cements what many of us have known for a long time now: Dwayne Johnson can make everything and anything a success. He is, quite simply, a star.

A Hong Kong-based broadcaster involved in a blocking application at Federal Court in Australia has requested a drastic action to reduce piracy. TVB is trying to restrict access to an IPTV service which operates via an Android app but in addition to targeting specific domains, it also wants app stores carrying the app - but which also carry non-infringing content - to be blocked as well. After first targeting torrent and regular streaming platforms with blocking injunctions, last year Village Roadshow and studios including Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox, and Paramount began looking at a new threat. The action targeted HDSubs+, a reasonably popular IPTV service that provides hundreds of otherwise premium live channels, movies, and sports for a relatively small monthly fee. The application was filed during October 2017 and targeted Australia’s largest ISPs. In parallel, Hong Kong-based broadcaster Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) launched a similar action, demanding that the same ISPs (including Telstra, Optus, TPG, and Vocus, plus subsidiaries) block several ‘pirate’ IPTV services, named in court as A1, BlueTV, EVPAD, FunTV, MoonBox, Unblock, and hTV5. Due to the similarity of the cases, both applications were heard in Federal Court in Sydney on Friday. Neither case is as straightforward as blocking a torrent or basic streaming portal, so both applicants are having to deal with additional complexities. The TVB case is of particular interest. Up to a couple of dozen URLs maintain the services, which are used to provide the content, an EPG (electronic program guide), updates and sundry other features. While most of these appear to fit the description of an “online location” designed to assist copyright infringement, where the Android-based software for the IPTV services is hosted provides an interesting dilemma. ComputerWorld reports that the apps – which offer live broadcasts, video-on-demand, and catch-up TV – are hosted on as-yet-unnamed sites which are functionally similar to Google Play or Apple’s App Store. They’re repositories of applications that also carry non-infringing apps, such as those for Netflix and YouTube. Nevertheless, despite clear knowledge of this dual use, TVB wants to have these app marketplaces blocked by Australian ISPs, which would not only render the illicit apps inaccessible to the public but all of the non-infringing ones too. Part of its argument that this action would be reasonable appears to be that legal apps – such as Netflix’s for example – can also be freely accessed elsewhere. It will be up to Justice Nicholas to decide whether the “primary purpose” of these marketplaces is to infringe or facilitate the infringement of TVB’s copyrights. However, TVB also appears to have another problem which is directly connected to the copyright status in Australia of its China-focused live programming. Justice Nicholas questioned whether watching a stream in Australia of TVB’s live Chinese broadcasts would amount to copyright infringement because no copy of that content is being made. “If most of what is occurring here is a reproduction of broadcasts that are not protected by copyright, then the primary purpose is not to facilitate copyright infringement,” Justice Nicholas said. One of the problems appears to be that China is not a party to the 1961 Rome Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations. However, TVB is arguing that it should still receive protection because it airs pre-recorded content and the live broadcasts are also archived for re-transmission via catch-up services. The question over whether unchoreographed live broadcasts receive protection has been raised in other regions but in most cases, a workaround has been found. The presence of broadcaster logos on screen (which receive copyright protection) is a factor and it’s been reported that broadcasters are able to record the ‘live’ action and transmit a copy just a couple of seconds later, thereby broadcasting an already-copyrighted work. While TVB attempts to overcome its issues, Village Roadshow is facing some of its own in its efforts to take down HDSubs+. It appears that at least partly in response to the Roadshow legal action, the service has undergone some modifications, including a change of brand to ‘Press Play Extra’. As reported by ZDNet, there have been structural changes too, which means that Roadshow can no longer “see under the hood”. According to Justice Nicholas, there is no evidence that the latest version of the app infringes copyright but according to counsel for Village Roadshow, the new app is merely transitional and preparing for a possible future change. “We submit the difference to be drawn is reactive to my clients serving on the operators a notice,” counsel for Roadshow argued, with an expert describing the new app as “almost like a placeholder.” In short, Roadshow still wants all of the target domains in its original application blocked because the company believes there’s a good chance they’ll be reactivated in the future. None of the ISPs involved in either case turned up to the hearings on Friday, which removes one layer of complexity in what appears thus far to be less than straightforward cases.

WWE's biggest PPV of the year, Wrestlemania 34, is quickly approaching, and this year's event is going to be jam-packed. As of this writing, there are 11 matches on the card with at least two more to be added between now and Sunday, April 8 when Wrestlemania comes to the WWE Network and PPV. New Orleans will host this year's event at the Superdome, and already, there have been some huge surprises going in, like Smackdown general manager Daniel Bryan being cleared to wrestle at the show. In addition, actor Macaulay Culkin answered Rusev's open challenge for Wrestlemania, and while that sounds like a blast, we don't think anything will come out of it, but you never know. Wrestlemania 34 starts at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, with a Kickoff Show more than likely starting two hours prior--WWE has not announced specifics for the Kickoff yet. Last year's event went for six and a half hours, so hopefully, you are watching the event somewhere really comfortable. Obviously, there are still a few more matches that will be added to the card, like John Cena vs. Undertaker and Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn; however, we're only delivering the 100% confirmed matches for the upcoming event. Aside from those two potential matches, there could be even more surprises, if some of the WWE rumors floating around the 'net come true. Wrestlemania 34 Match Card Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (For the Universal Championship): Detailed prediction here AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (For the WWE Championship) Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka (For the Smackdown Women's Championship) The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor (For the Intercontinental Championship) Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal (For the United States Championship) The Bar (c) vs. Braun Strowman and unnamed partner (For the Raw Tag Team Championships) Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax (For the Raw Women's Championship) Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali (For the Cruiserweight Championship) Women's Battle Royal The Andre the Giant Battle Royal

The much-anticipated release of Deviljho in Monster Hunter World has finally happened. A new update for the PS4 and Xbox One RPG adds a new monster for players to contend with. With Deviljho now available, you'll have an enemy with new weaknesses and attack patterns to deal with. If you're brave enough to take it on, you can collect its parts and then craft new gear--including both weapons and armor. To find Deviljho, you'll need to have advanced far enough in the story. You'll begin to uncover its tracks on expeditions, just as you would other new High Rank monsters, and eventually receive a special assignment called The Food Chain Dominator, which allows you to target the beast. This update adds a new Deviljho weapon for each weapon type, so you'll have something to strive for regardless of what you wield. Additionally, there are two new High Rank Deviljho armor sets to get your hands on. The Alpha version will provide you with the following skills: Attack Boost (Level 4) Handicraft (3) Partbreaker (3) Latent Power (3) Speed Eating (3) The Beta set offers fewer skills; the key difference between the two is that Beta provides more flexibility with the decorations you can equip. Here's what beta offers: Attack Boost (4) Latent Power (3) Speed Eating (3) Partbreaker (1) You'll need to be prepared to take on Deviljho, who's among the tougher enemies to face. The monster is now available on both PS4 and Xbox One alongside a suite of weapon balance changes, adjustments to address online griefing while carving, and more. There will be more armor to hunt down in the near future, as crossover gear with other games are on the way.

Sea of Thieves, Microsoft's first big Xbox One console exclusive of the year and the long-awaited original game from Rare, finally arrived this week. Despite the variety of server and other issues it's suffered from, a number of us here at GameSpot have already spent a great deal of time with it. And while it's certainly an intriguing game, it does at times leave us wishing there were more to it, at least in the early going. In the video above, three of our most seasoned pirates chat about their thoughts on the game so far. One of the challenges is how you play: While some find the solo experience enjoyable, it can prove frustrating. If your friends aren't available, joining others online randomly is not always a viable option, as it can be a crapshoot as to whether you end up in a group with people who are using microphones and are willing to cooperate. We also discuss the game's unusual progression. The gold you accumulate through your journeys can be spent on ship "upgrades," different-looking weapons, and new outfits, but all of these things are purely cosmetic. This keeps players on a relatively level playing field, but it also means you may not be provided with the motivation you'd hope for. Despite all of this, there is fun to be had in Sea of Thieves, particularly when playing with friends. Although you might not be incredibly driven to earn the gold necessary to buy a fancy new hat, the emergent fun of puking on a buddy or engaging in pirate-y hijinks is notable.

GameStop kicked off its spring "Play Days" sale last week. Today we're entering the second week of the promotion, and some new deals and discounts have been rotated on games and accessories for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. This week a few more recent games went on sale, like Assassin's Creed Origins for $30, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT for $40, and Skyrim VR for $40. Following the offer of Sea of Thieves with any Xbox One X console purchase, the deal has been expanded this week to include a game of your choice. All Nintendo 3DS XL systems are discounted by $25 Meanwhile, some of last week's deals on relatively new games are ongoing. Burnout Paradise is still available for $30, Monster Hunter World is still $45, and Scribblenauts Showdown remains at $20. The sale is a good way to catch up on some of last year's releases too: Call of Duty: WWII is on sale for $50, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is $40, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is $40, and Star Wars Battlefront II is $30. The sale is ongoing through April 1, and includes many more discounts on accessories and collectibles to boot. You can check out the full line-up at GameStop's website.

Batman Ninja isn't just a fascinating new take on Batman, with character designs by iconic Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki. The movie's real fun comes from the violent collision of Batman universe gadgets and characters, over the top anime style action, and the setting of feudal Japan. These disparate elements come together in endless surprising ways, from the Batmobile speeding through the streets and alleys of historic Japanese villages, to the Joker--green hair tied back in a distinctive top knot--whipping out a minigun in the middle of a watery ship-to-ship battle. Batman Ninja, which screened today at Wondercon 2018 in Anaheim, California, sees the Caped Crusader transported back in time to feudal Japan thanks to a time machine built by Gorilla Grodd. There's not much more set-up than that--the time travel happens in the first minute or so, which is fine, as it gets us to the real action as quickly as possible. The cast of supporting heroes, villains, and other characters who find themselves in the past is massive, including Alfred, Catwoman, Nightwing, Red Robin, Red Hood, Robin, Grodd, Joker, Harley Quinn, Two Face, Poison Ivy, Penguin, Deathstroke, and more. Watching these friends and foes navigate the perils of temporal displacement would be fun on its own, but there's an added wrinkle in the fact that, through some vague time travel shenanigans, Batman arrives in the past two years later than most of the other characters. That's given his enemies ample time to set up shop, and by the time Bruce Wayne arrives, they've already completely taken over feudal Japan. Joker is on top, worshipped by the common people as the "Demon King." Penguin, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, and Deathstroke are all in positions of power as well, with various other character playing as wild cards throughout the movie. Not everyone has a major part to play, and some characters barely appear as more than a cameo. Predictably, the action mostly follows Batman, Catwoman, Grodd, and Joker. And in the movie's first half, they're all basically up to their old tricks. Batman defeats his enemies, he gives them the benefit of the doubt, and for the millionth time, they betray him. It's a little tiring. But as the Bat continuously loses more and more of the modern technology he brought with him from the present, things get more interesting. An interlude around the middle changes up the animation style to beautiful, shifting watercolors, marking a shift in the story as well. Batman spends some time training with a clan of bat-worshipping ninjas, and his enemies hunker down for the final fight. Batman Ninja is worth watching for its aesthetic alone. Okazaki's character designs are as strong as ever, although the exaggerated female proportions on characters like Catwoman, Harley, and Poison Ivy look somewhat out of place in this setting. That doesn't detract too much, though, and overall it's fun simply to see how these various characters have incorporated elements of the setting into their typical costumes and disguises. Batman even briefly dresses as a visiting missionary, shaving a conspicuous bat into the top of his head. It's ridiculous, but that's the point--and Batman Ninja is surprisingly funny, using the clash of settings and characters for humor whenever possible. That sense of humor does produce some unfortunately cheesy dialogue, from Batman's "Time to settle this once and for all"--come on, Bats, no one actually thinks you're going to finish Joker off this time around--to Selena's pandering "Time for some girl on girl action" before a vicious fight with Harley. The action, at least, is smooth, frenetic, and fast, not unlike Afro Samurai itself. Combatants zip through the air like demons, trading blows with lightning speed. As Batman learns the ways of the ninja, the fights only gets crazier and crazier. The final act is completely insane, pulling influences from all over anime history, from the exaggerated one-on-one combat to giant mech battles. At some point during the lengthy climactic battle, the movie ditches any attempts at maintaining even a tiny bit of realism, and the results are hilarious, awesome, and totally bizarre. Many of the English language voice actors have played these characters before, but as a newcomer to his role, Arrested Development and Veep's Tony Hale takes a high-pitched and maniacal turn as the Joker. He cackles and growls in all the right ways, even showing a new (or at least, seldom seen) side of Joker for a brief stretch. I do wish Batman Ninja spent more time with the actual people of the era, showing their perspective as demonic warlords in giant mechanized castles lay waste to their homes and villages. Besides the clan of bat ninjas, Batman Ninja doesn't actually introduce any characters into Batman's world--unless you count Robin's tiny monkey sidekick--which is a shame. The fun is in seeing these familiar characters in a weird, unfamiliar, setting, but it also makes things slightly predictable, as characters like Batman and Joker never really change. And besides the aesthetic and Batman's lack of modern technology, you don't feel the time period as much as you might hope going in. Still, Batman Ninja is gorgeously stylized, self aware, and heaps of fun, and Batman animation fans shouldn't miss it. Batman Ninja releases on digital in the US April 24, on physical media May 8, and in theaters in Japan June 15.

About five weeks ago, Nightdive Studios announced that the System Shock remake would receive a significant delay in its release. Today, PC Gamer reported a more specific timeframe after speaking with Nightdive Design Director Larry Kuperman at the Game Developers Conference 2018. "As we geared up and started moving forward with it, we began to run into feature creep. All of those things like ‘you know what would really be cool, how we might reinterpret this.’ Various people wanted to put their imprint on it. As this process evolved over a period of time, it grew in complexity, and it veered away from this original representation. That doesn’t mean that interpretation would’ve been bad, but it wouldn’t have been true to the System Shock vision. Our intention is to ship exactly the game that was promised, with as much of the features that were promised as we can, in a timeframe that will get it out as fast as we can. Our expectation is probably Q1 of 2020." The System Shock remake was announced in 2015, shortly after the release of the Enhanced Edition. Originally due to be developed by Unity, the project was then ported to Unreal Engine 4. The game was funded in July 2016 via Kickstarter with $1,350,700 in pledges. PC Gamer’s report also touches on the financial subject, with Kuperman reassuring that there won’t be funding troubles even with such a long delay. "No, it doesn’t [trouble us]. We’ve also had renewed interest from some publishing partners, for whom the more complex and costly game was something of a challenge for them, that this is what they were hoping we would provide and renewed their interest." Backers will get a look at the demo Nightdive brought to GDC 2018 with an update due to hit at some point in April.

Kingdom Come Deliverance patch 1.4 has been completed and is currently being tested, according to creative director Daniel Vávra. As covered yesterday, the development team plans to release the new patch upcoming week, but this depends on whether new bugs will be found during testing. “We have finished working on 1.4 and now it’s being tested”, Vávra wrote on Twitter. “So the release depends if we find new bugs or not. ASAP is our plan.” The exact contents of the upcoming update are unknown at this point, although Warhorse did state that it will include “cool new stuff”. In addition, the patch will fix the screen shake bug that players have been encountering since last week. This is gonna be fixed in 1.4.”, Vávra replied when asked about the bug on Twitter. “Hopefully next week. Depends on the QA of the patch and certification. It’s a physics problem.” Kingdom Come: Deliverance is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

MMO GAMES OF 2018 Star Citizen TBA | Cloud Imperium Games | Star Citizen continues its quest to become the ultimate space game. The 3.0 update started to bind the game’s different modules together into a contiguous experience, giving us an encouraging tease of the final vision for the game. The star-studded singleplayer campaign Squadron 42 is also still under development, release date TBA.

Far Cry 5's campaign can you run more than two dozen hours, but you can actually see the credits after around 10 minutes if you take advantage of an Easter egg of sorts. Just like in Far Cry 4, you can "complete" Far Cry 5's campaign in short order if you do something unexpected. As you can see in the video above, one of the first major decisions you'll have to make is whether or not to cuff cult leader Joseph Seed. If you refuse, after about 90 seconds you'll trigger a sequence that ends the game. Pretty sneaky, Ubisoft! Provided you don't opt for that abbreviated route, the full story should take you about 25 hours to complete, although that will of course depend greatly on how much you engage in side shenanigans. If you'd prefer to make your own fun, Arcade mode lets you create some very different types of experiences. Far Cry 5 releases on March 27 PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more, you can watch the game's first 11 minutes or see its weirdest mission, which involves something called the Testicle Festival. Expect to hear much more in the lead-up to the game and after launch--Ubisoft has extensive DLC plans that include some wacky-sounding concepts.

Like previous games, Far Cry 5 deals with some serious subject matter. Its story centers around a radical apocalyptic cult in a small Montana town that's led by a crazed figure known as The Father. For better or worse, its developers claim they weren't trying to offer a commentary on present-day issues by setting the game in the United States. And while the game's opening is certainly eerie, that's not a tone that's maintained throughout. That's evidenced by nothing better than one side mission in particular, which you can check out in the video above. It tasks you with helping the town to prepare for an annual tradition, which sounds innocuous enough, only this tradition is something called the Testical Festival. I won't spoil it for you, but it involves a sequence that I think it's safe to say you haven't seen in a video game before. You'll be able to see this for yourself in-game quite soon, as Far Cry 5 releases on March 27 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Despite the number in the title, this is far from the fifth entry in the series, as we explored in our recent look back at the history of Far Cry. Far Cry 5's story should take you about 25 hours to complete, although that will of course depend greatly on how much you engage in side shenanigans such as this. If you'd prefer to make your own fun, Arcade mode lets you create some very different types of experiences.

WWE's biggest PPV of the year, Wrestlemania 34, is quickly approaching, and this year's event is going to be jam-packed. As of this writing, there are 11 matches on the card with at least two more to be added between now and Sunday, April 8 when Wrestlemania comes to the WWE Network and PPV. New Orleans will host this year's event at the Superdome, and already, there have been some huge surprises going in, like Smackdown general manager Daniel Bryan being cleared to wrestle at the show. In addition, actor Macaulay Culkin answered Rusev's open challenge for Wrestlemania, and while that sounds like a blast, we don't think anything will come out of it, but you never know. Wrestlemania 34 starts at 7 PM ET/4 PM PT, with a Kickoff Show more than likely starting two hours prior--WWE has not announced specifics for the Kickoff yet. Last year's event went for six and a half hours, so hopefully, you are watching the event somewhere really comfortable. Obviously, there are still a few more matches that will be added to the card, like John Cena vs. Undertaker and Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn; however, we're only delivering the 100% confirmed matches for the upcoming event. Aside from those two potential matches, there could be even more surprises, if some of the WWE rumors floating around the 'net come true. Wrestlemania 34 Match Card Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (For the Universal Championship): Detailed prediction here AJ Styles (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (For the WWE Championship) Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Asuka (For the Smackdown Women's Championship) The Miz (c) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor (For the Intercontinental Championship) Randy Orton (c) vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal (For the United States Championship) The Bar (c) vs. Braun Strowman and unnamed partner (For the Raw Tag Team Championships) Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Nia Jax (For the Raw Women's Championship) Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali (For the Cruiserweight Championship) Women's Battle Royal The Andre the Giant Battle Royal

The much-anticipated release of Deviljho in Monster Hunter World has finally happened. A new update for the PS4 and Xbox One RPG adds a new monster for players to contend with. With Deviljho now available, you'll have an enemy with new weaknesses and attack patterns to deal with. If you're brave enough to take it on, you can collect its parts and then craft new gear--including both weapons and armor. To find Deviljho, you'll need to have advanced far enough in the story. You'll begin to uncover its tracks on expeditions, just as you would other new High Rank monsters, and eventually receive a special assignment called The Food Chain Dominator, which allows you to target the beast. This update adds a new Deviljho weapon for each weapon type, so you'll have something to strive for regardless of what you wield. Additionally, there are two new High Rank Deviljho armor sets to get your hands on. The Alpha version will provide you with the following skills: Attack Boost (Level 4) Handicraft (3) Partbreaker (3) Latent Power (3) Speed Eating (3) The Beta set offers fewer skills; the key difference between the two is that Beta provides more flexibility with the decorations you can equip. Here's what beta offers: Attack Boost (4) Latent Power (3) Speed Eating (3) Partbreaker (1) You'll need to be prepared to take on Deviljho, who's among the tougher enemies to face. The monster is now available on both PS4 and Xbox One alongside a suite of weapon balance changes, adjustments to address online griefing while carving, and more. There will be more armor to hunt down in the near future, as crossover gear with other games are on the way.

Far Cry 5 releases early next week for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but eager players are able to get an early jump on downloading the game. Developer Ubisoft has now released the pre-load dates and times for all systems. If you're playing on Xbox One, you'll be able to pre-load first as the game is now available for download (but not to play, obviously). PC players on both Uplay and Steam will be able to pre-load the game starting today, March 23 at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT / 12 AM GMT. PlayStation 4 players will have to wait the longest; the game will be available for pre-loading on March 25 at midnight, local time. Far Cry 5 officially releases on March 27. The game is garnering lots of attention for its narrative, which pits players against an apocalyptic, radical, Christian cult, run by a crazed figure known as The Father, who has authoritarian control over a small Montana town. The game is open world and will take about 25 hours to play through the main storyline. In addition to the campaign--which can be played in co-op--Far Cry 5 will have a map-editor that you can use to build head-to-head game types or anything else you want. This gives the game an opportunity to stay relevant and keep people playing for a long time in the future. Despite its heavy subject matter, the game isn't all serious.

The Nintendo Switch's Joy-Cons work pretty well for most games, but sometimes you might find yourself wishing you had a more conventional controller. The Pro Controller is the solution, although it usually has a steep $70 price tag. Right now, though, you can grab one for $11 off. The Pro Controller is on sale for $59 right now at Amazon. It's not a fantastic deal, but Switch accessories rarely get price cuts. This sale at the very least brings the price of the traditionally shaped controller down to the same price as PS4 and Xbox One gamepads. Additional Joy-Cons sets are also $10 off on Amazon at the moment, bringing the price down to $70. In related news, third-party manufacturer Hori recently announced that it is making Joy-Cons with a real d-pad--although just for Japan right now. In spite of pricey accessories, the Switch has had a great first year on the market. In fact, it is the best-selling console in the US over its first year. Close to 15 million Switch systems have been sold globally to date.

Prison-break game A Way Out launches today, and it aims to give players an interesting cooperative experience. The co-op aspect of the game is so important that you can't even choose to play it solo--you either need a friend or to be matchmade into a session with a stranger. But A Way Out makes this particularly easy, as you only need one copy of the game for online co-op with a friend. EA announced this functionality a while ago, and recently director Josef Fares explained how it works in a (somewhat explicit) video, embedded below, if you own the game, you can invite anyone to play with you--regardless of whether or not they own the game, too. When a friend accepts your invite, they'll be prompted to download and install the game, after which they'll be able to play through the entirety of A Way Out with you. The version that the friend downloads is the free trial, so they won't be able to keep playing without you. However, it's pretty awesome that EA is enabling this, especially since A Way Out focuses so much on cooperative play. The game is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Infinity War: Which Avenger Will Kill Thanos? When Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters, the galactic warlord named Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, will leave his space throne and land on Earth, prepared to tear the planet apart to get his hands on the Infinity Stones. What's an Avenger to do when faced with such a threat? The only answer is that the team of Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes have to kill the mad titan. Is that even possible, though? After all, Thanos practically has the power of a god--and a more powerful one than Thor (Chris Hemsworth), at that--and seems untouchable in the trailers that have been seen thus far. However, it can happen and if there's any hope for the world, it has to happen. As for how it'll happen, take a look at GameSpot's video above for a full rundown of how different members of the team could wipe out the purple powerhouse once and for all. Whether it's Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Thor, or Captain America (Chris Evans), so many in the MCU have experience fighting Thanos. It could be almost anyone, except Hawkeye. Not only does he not have powers, he might not even be in the movie. Besides, would anyone believe that Hawkeye was the solution t the world's biggest threat? Of course, the most likely options to kill Thanos are Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana). The characters introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy have the closest connection to the maniacal villain and each has reasons for wanting their adopted father dead. It remains to be seen how they would actually follow through in killing Thanos, but the duo seems to be the best bet when it comes to destroying him. Exactly how the story of Thanos--and his ultimate undoing--will unfold is still one of the biggest secrets in the MCU. Luckily, it won't for much longer, as Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters on April 27.

Battle royale games have evolved rapidly in the past year with the likes of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite, but H1Z1's early access version captured the magic of the last-person-standing shooter well before the genre's current front-runners. With the official full release of H1Z1, however, it's apparent that not enough has been done to help it stay in the larger conversation. H1Z1 drops up to 150 players (solo, duos, or squads of five) on a sprawling rural map where small towns, gas stations, and campsites act as points of interest for loot. In traditional battle royale style, everyone starts with only the clothes on their backs and rushes to find the best weapons and gear. Naturally, the fact that you have one life per match makes this type of deathmatch thrilling and rewarding when you find success, especially when coordinating tactics with a squad. A number of gameplay elements factor into succeeding, like scavenging for the right materials to craft useful items. Among the essential items to craft are makeshift armor for much needed protection, ointment to stop bleeding, and explosive arrows that can really throw a curve-ball at enemy squads. Crafting feels more like a carry-over mechanic from early H1Z1 models, but it's a key component to winning, and thankfully it isn't very deep considering the fast pace of matches. There isn't much time between each phase of the shrinking safe zone, and matches move quickly because of it. When employing the strategy of skirting along border of the deadly circle, there's a strong sense of urgency; if you don't find a vehicle or start running towards the new safe zone soon enough, your fate may have been decided well before the toxic gas envelops you. H1Z1 does incorporate a significant amount of predictability, which offers a different dynamic for players who want to jump straight into conflict. During the pre-match warm-up phase, you choose which grid of the map you want to drop in to start--this is called tactical deployment. A heat-map will also provide a general indication of how many others are planning to drop into each grid. Combine those elements with the fact that H1Z1 unveils the first safe zone in the pre-match phase, and you can essentially choose something that's more action oriented. The fast-and-loose rules of H1Z1 shine through when you're shotgunned by an enemy that hopped out of a jeep going 100 miles-per-hour, made possible by the fact that you don't take damage when jumping out of fast-moving vehicles. Pulling off combat maneuvers like this are actually quite rewarding when you use them strategically. But by leaning into more outlandish action and a faster pace highlights a sort of dissonance in H1Z1, primarily because it retains the survival and simulation elements from its progenitors. Aside from crafting, players have to manage continuous health loss (with varying degrees of severity) after taking damage. This is complicated by the fact that first aid kits only replenish health gradually. Assault rifles also fire with such significant recoil that you'd think H1Z1 taps into realism or military sim roots. These mechanics aren't necessarily bad on their own, but they are at odds with the core of how the game is played. A lack of variety also hurts H1Z1's longevity. One map would have been just fine if it wasn't for the emptiness of the fields between the plainly designed city centers. A few locations, like Runamok Lake's cabins and camping grounds, add some flavor, but overall you can expect little in terms of verticality or intricate structure layouts. This extends to the available arsenal; a shotgun, magnum, and two assault rifles are useful in the proper scenarios. Crossbows with exploding arrows come in handy although they aren't practical given that the arrows need to be crafted. A sniper rifle provides a long-range option, however, it's only available through randomized supply drops. There are no attachments or scopes to change up the limited set of firearms, and the excitement of putting a good weapon to use is hard to come by. Going into a first-person view on the fly allows you to use iron sights to get better shots in tight corridors, but there isn't much to use for long-range combat. It's an absence of parity in weaponry that's very apparent when battling it out in the map's open areas. Firefights still carry the intensity you'd expect from battle royale game, but lose some of steam when the available arsenal limits the depth of enemy engagement. To shift gears from the standard last-person-standing concept, H1Z1 has a separate mode called Auto Royale. The mode itself is in beta, but it serves as an admirable change of pace. This team-based car combat pits 30 teams of four against each other by putting one player in the driver's seat and three others as passengers who shoot from their seats in an effort to destroy enemy cars. No one can leave the car, and it's absolute chaos. The battle royale structure is still in tact with a progressively shrinking safe zone, but teams sink or swim as one unit. Players can revive themselves if they get knocked out, so teams are eliminated once the vehicle is destroyed. This mode trades uneasy tension for carefree off-roading action. Akin to Twisted Metal or Mario Kart's Battle Mode, item pickups litter the map, including weapons and ammo for teammates, diversions like smoke screens and oil slicks, or car repair kits to help stay in the fight. Ramps are also tacked onto the map for high-flying stunts in the middle of high-speed chases. Auto Royale is as absurd as it is fun, albeit only enjoyable in short bursts. By nature of being free-to-play, H1Z1 unsurprisingly features microtransactions, which are thankfully limited to cosmetic items. Colorful skins for everything from vehicles and parachutes to guns and helmets leave a lot of room for customization. You're allowed to trade items with other players as well, so if there's a skin you really want, you don't have to rely entirely on the loot box system. Timed challenges give you something to work towards and serve as a means to acquire in-game currency, though there is a separate paid-for currency available. H1Z1 predicates itself on eliminating the more random factors seen in other battle royale games, and it remains a competent execution of the genre. The game has its intense moments and exhilarating firefights; the thrill of besting 100+ players is very much present. However, the incoherent gameplay elements overshadow the better moments, and the lack of variety in both map design and weapon selection makes H1Z1 lose its appeal rather quick, especially in the genre it spearheaded.

Adam Devine, Blake Anderson, and Anders Holm may go by different names in Netflix's Game Over, Man!--Alexxx, Joel, and Darren, respectively--but they're basically still doing their Workaholics characters. Netflix's latest original comedy is a variation on everything Workaholics fans love; it wouldn't be surprising at all to learn that Game Over, Man! began as a Workaholics movie, or an idea for a parody episode where the boys recreate Die Hard as only they could: dumber, gorier, meaner, and extremely funny. Recommending Game Over, Man!--or not--is easy: If you liked Workaholics, which ended its seven-season run on Comedy Central just over a year ago, you will probably like this movie. And if you found the show puerile and obnoxious, go ahead and pick one of Netflix's hundreds of other original movies or original TV series instead. This movie was even directed by Kyle Newacheck, the starring trio's Workaholics co-creator, frequent episode director, and occasional guest star (as the gang's drug dealer and fellow misfit Karl), and it was written by Holm. The story follows Alexxx, Joel, and Darren, three hotel housekeepers who dream of hitting it big with their latest scheme, a full body-controlled video game called "Skintendo." When a rich Instagram star--Utkarsh Ambudkar's obnoxious but likable Bey--throws a party at their hotel, the gang decide to pitch him on Skintendo in the hope he'll invest. Their plan is derailed when a group of terrorists led by the charismatic Conrad (Neal McDonough) and the psychopathic Irma (Rhona Mitra) take the partygoers hostage to extort Bey's fortune. Our heroes skulk around the hotel trying not to get killed while thwarting the bad guys, mostly by accident or dumb luck. The "Dew Crew," as they call themselves--because they love Mountain Dew--are playing versions of their Workaholics characters. Devine's Alexxx--three Xs--is an immature, drug-dealing man baby bursting with terrible ideas, Holm's Darren is an insecure drug addict, and Anderson's Joel--nickname "Baby Dunk"--is just Anderson, but not-so-secretly gay. They're supported by a hodgepodge of a cast, including Daniel Stern as the hotel's sleazy manager, Aya Cash as their hapless co-worker, and party guests including Joel McHale, Fred Armisen, Action Bronson, Shaggy, Steve-O, and Mark Cuban as themselves. Game Over, Man! isn't shy about its influences. One of the funniest jokes comes when the terrorists' hacker--Sam Richardson's Donald--insists that they didn't bring him along just "because I look like the black nerd from Die Hard," and he's sick of hearing about it. There are also a weird number of (granted, hilarious) references to the 1997 Robin Williams movie Flubber. The crew take full advantage of their freedom from cable's content restrictions, though not necessarily in the ways you might expect. Game Over, Man! must have a record number of penises in it, for example, including one that gets severed from its owner early on and returns later as a gross but gut-busting sight gag. This movie is also surprisingly gory, but always in a low budget way that makes exploding heads look like bursting water balloons full of fake blood. It's also not pulling any punches, whether it comes to the various celebrities at Bey's party or his adorable little chihuahua. Nobody is safe in this movie, which is admittedly fun, though it does go a little too far in a couple of scenes. By the end, the Dew Crew has scraped together what amounts to a semi-decent plan to save the hotel's remaining guests and convince Bey to invest in Skintendo (don't think for a second they lose sight of that dream, even as the bodies drop around them). That's after several terrible, failed plans and multiple bloody, hilarious scraps in which they count their bad guy kills like it's a video game. That includes one weirdly heartwarming run-in with two very murderous, very gay thugs who the boys attack as they're distracting one another in bed. There are plenty more good gags, fight scenes that will make you cringe with the creativity of their cartoonishly over-the-top violence, and stunts that include the gang hanging on an ironing board suspended a dozen stories up, and sending a Weekend at Bernie's-style animated corpse into a room full of machine gun-toting thugs. Game Over, Man! isn't smart, essential, or particularly well made. But it is a funny, blatant Die Hard tribute made by four friends whose specific brand of stoner-bro humor has earned them enough fans to justify their continued collaboration. If you count yourself among those fans, enjoy.