Attempts to incorporate a key scientific study into global climate talks in Poland have failed. The IPCC report on the impacts of a temperature rise of 1.5C, had a significant impact when it was launched last October. Scientists and many delegates in Poland were shocked as the US, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait objected to this meeting "welcoming" the report. It was the 2015 climate conference that had commissioned the landmark study. The report said that the world is now completely off track, heading more towards 3C this century rather than 1.5C. Keeping to the preferred target would need "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society". If warming was to be kept to 1.5C this century, then emissions of carbon dioxide would have to be reduced by 45% by 2030. The report, launched in Incheon in South Korea, had an immediate impact winning praise from politicians all over the world. But negotiators here ran into serious trouble when Saudi Arabia, the US, Russia and Kuwait objected to the conference "welcoming" the document. Instead they wanted to support a much more lukewarm phrase, that the conference would "take note" of the report. Saudi Arabia had fought until the last minute in Korea to limit the conclusions of the document. Eventually they gave in. But it now seems that they have brought their objections to Poland. The dispute dragged on as huddles of negotiators met in corners of the plenary session here, trying to agree a compromise wording. None was forthcoming.

Japan's Crown Princess Masako says she feels "insecure" about becoming empress in April, but will do her best to serve the people of Japan. Masako Owada will become empress when her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, succeeds his father Emperor Akihito. Emperor Akihito, 84, is abdicating next year because of his age and health. The princess, who has suffered from a stress-related disorder for many years, says she is slowly recovering and will try to perform more royal duties. Princess Masako was educated at Harvard and Oxford, and had a promising career as a diplomat before her marriage in 1993, the BBC's Asia analyst Michael Bristow reports. However, she has struggled to cope with royal life and Japan's notoriously conservative imperial household, our correspondent adds. The princess made the comments in a statement marking her 55th birthday. "Giving thought to the days ahead, I sometimes feel insecure about the extent to which I will be able to be of service to people," she said. "But I will strive to do my best so that I can contribute to their happiness." She said that she was "filled with deep emotions" and felt "nostalgic" that this was the last year before Emperor Akihito abdicated. Princess Masako's doctors say she suffers from "adjustment disorder", a condition caused by stress, that is often linked to depression or anxiety. In Sunday's statement, she said that her health was improving slowly, adding: "I am happy as I can now perform more official duties than before, little by little." Her doctors emphasised, in a separate statement, that it was important that the princess be allowed to continue her treatment and not be subjected to too much pressure. The princess "is still on the recovery track and there are ups and downs to her condition", they said. 'I will protect you for my entire life' Crown Prince Naruhito reportedly met Masako Owada at a tea party for a Spanish princess in 1986. Ms Owada, who is fluent in several languages, had just passed exams that qualified her to work as a top-ranked diplomat. She was reportedly concerned about marrying into the royal family, but agreed to marry Prince Naruhito in 1993. She later told reporters that she had accepted his proposal after he said: "You might have fears and worries about joining the imperial household. But I will protect you for my entire life." The couple came under pressure to produce a male heir despite having a daughter, Princess Aiko, in 2001. In 2004, the prince told journalists his wife had "completely exhausted herself" trying to adapt to palace life, and accused palace officials of "moves to negate" her character and career.

The domestic weekend was, for the most part, as light as was expected. While it wasn't the lowest grossing weekend of the year so far, it was the second lowest with the top twelve delivering a combined $77.8 million. This is all in advance of what should be a profitable holiday season to come and we got a hint as to just how profitable it could be with the launch of WB's Aquaman in China this weekend where the film delivered a massive $93.6 million, becoming the #1 film globally from one market alone. Beginning with the domestic box office, while it looked like it might be neck-and-neck between Disney's Ralph Breaks the Internet and Universal and Illumination's The Grinch at the top of the box office following Friday's estimates, Ralph carried the weekend as expected, though The Grinch wasn't far behind. Ralph brought in an estimated $16.1 million for the weekend, pushing its domestic cume just over $140 million. Meanwhile, The Grinch had the second smallest drop in the top ten, dipping just -15% compared to last weekend for a $15.17 million three day and a domestic cume approaching $225 million as the holiday themed animated feature is taking full advantage of the season. Internationally, Ralph added $18 million for a worldwide cume that currently totals $258.2 million. This weekend the film debuted in Spain with an estimated $4.6 million while China remains the feature's top market with $38.5 million so far. As for The Grinch, it added nine markets this weekend including Mexico where it debuted with an estimated $5.2 million. Overall, the film brought in $25.9 million from overseas markets this weekend for an international cume totaling $98.9 million and a global tally reaching $322.4 million. In third, MGM's Creed II brought in an estimated $10.3 million for a domestic cume that now stands at $96.5 million. Internationally, the film added an estimated $5.2 million from 31 overseas markets, bringing the overseas running cume to $23.2m million. The film's top market remains the UK with $8.9 million. WB's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald dipped -40% for an estimated $6.8 million weekend for a domestic cume that now stands at $145.2 million. The film also brought in $22 million overseas this weekend for a global cume that now totals $568.5 million. Rounding out the top five is Fox's Bohemian Rhapsody with an estimated $6 million as the drama is now just shy of $175 million domestically as it enters its sixth week in release. The film also continued its scorching performance overseas with an estimated $29.2 million this weekend for an international cume totaling $423 million and a worldwide tally that is now just $3.5 million shy of $600 million as it becomes one of the top ten worldwide releases of 2018. Outside the top five, Universal's Green Book took advantage of its five Golden Globe nominations and recognition from the National Board of Review and American Film Institute. In fact, the film showed a fractional increase versus last weekend, bringing in an impressive $3.9 million for a domestic cume that is now just shy of $20 million. The film is currently playing in 1,181 locations nationwide. Just outside the top ten, WB gave A Star is Born a little push this weekend, bringing it back to 1,631 theaters (+550) where it brought in an estimated $2.5 million. The film's domestic cume is now less than $3 million shy of topping $200 million. Internationally, A Star is Born has now brought in $172.6 million for a global tally just shy of $370 million. Fox Searchlight's The Favourite delivered an estimated $1.4 million from 91 locations (+57) for a domestic cume that now totals $3.5 million. The film will expand into approximately 525 theaters beginning next weekend.

Early reviews are in for Paramount's Transformers spin-off, Bumbleblee, and critics are loving it. The film serves as an origin story for the beloved second Autobot in command. This is the sixth live-action film in the series, and the first to not be directed by Michael Bay. Bumblebee comes only a year after 2017's lackluster Transformers: The Last Knight, making this the shortest gap in between films for the franchise. Bumblebee is the first spinoff for the series since its launch back in 2007. Since its inception, the series has released four sequels, and has become one of the biggest box office juggernauts in Hollywood. The spinoff takes place in the 1980s, and will be a smaller scale adventure designed to bring "humor and heart" to the franchise. Travis Knight directed the upcoming film, taking over for Bay, who's claimed he won't direct any future installments. Leading up to its release around the Christmas season, Bumblebee has started to hold early screenings. Many fans were hopeful that Bumblebee would finally deliver the kind of Transformers movie they've been wanting since the beginning, something where a coherent story and engaging characters can also exist alongside the franchise's signature giant robot battles. Based on the first reviews for Knight's film, Bumblebee accomplishes that goal and then some. Here are some SPOILER-FREE excerpts of what the critics are saying.

Amber Heard pitches a Mera and Wonder Woman team-up spinoff to Warner Bros. Officially debuting in the DCEU via James Wan's Aquaman, Heard will play a pivotal part in Arthur Curry's (Jason Momoa) journey to claiming his place as the rightful king of Atlantis. Trailers have shown her helping the half-Human/half-Atlantean hero in navigating his way to becoming the hero the underwater civilization needs. Given her role in the film, it seems safe to say that Mera will be an integral character in the franchise as a whole moving forward. Despite arriving late to the interconnected superhero franchise game, DC is leading the pack when it comes to female-centric projects. Following the smash success of Wonder Woman, Margot Robbie's Birds of Prey and The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn is next on the docket, with a main cast consisting of Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Huntress), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary), Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya), and Ella Jay Basco (Cassandra Basco). Heard, however, has an idea for another female-focused DC project that would involve both Mera and Wonder Woman. Speaking with THR to promote Aquaman, Heard talked about wanting to do a spin-off film with Gadot's Diana Prince. "I'd love to team up with Wonder Woman. That would be a kickass duo right there. I'm vying for a spinoff, you heard it here. I'm fishing for whatever I'm fishing for. ... Mera and Wonder Woman spinoff. Go for it, Warner Bros," she excitedly said. The two DC characters have not met on the screen, but fans are already onboard with the possibility. People have previously seen what Wonder Woman is capable of, with her having appeared in three DCEU movies since she debuted in 2016's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. She's arguably the face of female superheroes on the big screen, becoming the first to star in her own movie. Mera, on the other hand, hasn't even officially debuted yet. Despite having a brief cameo in Justice League, not much is known about the character thus far. Regardless, people can expect her to follow in Diana's footsteps as an icon of female empowerment. Heard has said that instead of being a sidekick for Momoa's Aquaman, Mera is actually his equal partner.

Netflix on Sunday released the first trailer for Triple Frontier, starring Ben Affleck. In the movie, Affleck sets out to rob a violent cartel along with a group of fellow ex-Special Forces operatives played by Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal. The former operatives reunite to plan a heist in a sparsely populated multi-border zone of South America. For the first time in their prestigious careers, these heroes are taking on a dangerous mission for their own selves instead of for their country. "Make no mistake about it. You guys need to own the fact that we do not have the flag on our shoulders. You cannot go back to your normal life after tonight," Affleck tells the assembled group. When events take an unexpected turn and threaten to spiral out of control, their skills, their loyalties and their morals are pushed to a breaking point in an epic battle for survival. J.C. Chandor directed from a story by Mark Boal; Chandor and Boal wrote the script. Adria Arjona also stars.

This week's Outlander featured a real homecoming for a Fraser child. No, not Brianna (Sophie Skelton), who wasn't seen at all in the episode after she went through the stones and back in time to meet up with her parents. It was Jamie's (Sam Heughan) other child that he was forced to live without, his son Willie, who showed up at Fraser's Ridge with Lord John Grey (David Berry). The episode, "Blood of My Blood," was full of heartache for Jamie as he was forced to continue to keep his connection to Willie a secret, even after John contracted measles and Jamie kept Willie away in the woods for a week while Claire (Caitriona Balfe) worked to heal John at the cabin. During their adventure outdoors, Jamie saved Willie's life after he crossed into Cherokee lands, and the two finally got their chance to bond. Meanwhile, back at Fraser's Ridge, Claire and John finally speak honestly about John's feelings for Jamie and the offer Jamie made to John back at Helwater. The relatively quiet episode featured major emotional developments for both Claire and Jamie, and Balfe and Heughan were glad to see their characters move forward in such a big way in this episode. "For Jamie, it's really bittersweet," Heughan tells The Hollywood Reporter of the character's time with his son. "He has always wanted to be a father, and Willie was very dear to him. He had a really great influence on him at Helwater, but now for Willie to be there in his life and he can't even tell him that he's his father, it's pretty tough for him." He pauses, then adds, "Thankfully, by the end of the episode, Willie has that realization of who his father is or could be. It's beautiful. It's nice for Jamie to finally interact with his son but also [with] John Grey. He's an important ally and friend." While Claire's interactions with John have always been prickly, finally having an open conversation about their shared love for Jamie means the two former frenemies can become something more like friends. "As the season goes on, John Grey will play a bigger role as well," Balfe said. "For Claire, those scenes where John Grey is ill and she's tending to him, they were really beautiful scenes and very emotional. It was heartbreaking to see this man live with this unrequited love and the heartbreak that that has caused him. And when he tells Claire about this offer that Jamie made, I don't think there is any part of Claire that is threatened by that." "He told you that?!" Heughan asks in mock outrage. "Yeah, sorry," Balfe responds with a laugh. "But I think more than anything, it was also another heartbreaking thing for Claire because she understands that for Jamie to have made that offer, it was just a testament to how much he loves Willie and how difficult it was for him to leave."

When The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl crossed over Sunday for the first part of the highly-touted “Elseworlds” arc, The CW dramas paid homage to an unexpected series: Smallville. During The Flash hour of the event, Barry (Grant Gustin) and Arrow’s Oliver (Stephen Amell) woke up to discover they were trapped in one another's lives. But while the issue persisted on Earth-1, they realized Supergirl’s Kara (Melissa Benoist), who lives on Earth-38, might be immune from whatever was going on. Cut to Remy Zero's "Save Me," the theme song from The WB Network-turned-CW's DC Comics predecessor Smallville theme song, as the superheroes traveled to the other Earth and found themselves on on the Kent farm. (This marked the first time the Arrow-verse used the Kent farm; production on The Flash also used the same location that Smallville used.)

Sega is holding a belated fifth birthday party for Company of Heroes 2, the Eastern Front follow-up to its popular WW2 real-time strategy game. To celebrate, they’re giving Company of Heroes 2 away for free on Steam today, and discounting some of its better DLC. Over the course of its (remarkably long) lifetime, Company of Heroes 2 has matured into a very solid RTS with a small but thriving competitive scene. The core game’s solo campaign has you slogging your way around World War 2’s Eastern Front as a junior Russian commander. It’s a much grimmer story than the original Company of Heroes campaign was – grim enough, in fact, that sales of the game were at one point halted in Russia after people complained that it painted its war veterans in an overly negative light. Whatever troubles its take on history has, Company of Heroes 2 remains mechanically solid. Fraser Brown gave it an 8/10 in our review, and applauded how it built meaningfully on the original title. At the time, he said it was one of the best RTS he’d played in quite some time. Fraser was even more impressed with Company of Heroes 2’s standalone campaign expansion, Ardennes Assault – check out his thoughts on that in his 9/10 review. Until tomorrow, you can pick that up at 75% off, or $4.99 (£3.74). The rest of the DLC for the game, excluding two packs created as charity benefits, are also 75% off this weekend. Company of Heroes 2 has been given away for free before, but if you missed your chance last year, or if you’ve just been hankering for a WW2 RTS that isn’t yet another invasion of Normandy or Operation Market Garden, this is a nice early Christmas present.

The next episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season will be out on January 19, Skybound Games announced at today's Kinda Funny Games Showcase. You can watch a trailer for episode three, called Broken Toys, above. The developer picked up the rights to the game following the majority studio closure of Telltale Games in September. Telltale closed for good last month—but a team of around 40 of its developers, known as the Still Not Bitten team, have been helping Skybound finish off The Final Season. Skybound Games is part of Robert Kirkman's Skybound Entertainment. Kirkman was the creator of the original Walking Dead comics. A fourth and final episode is due out at a later date. What would you like to see from episode three?

Slick racer Project Cars 2, dungeon crawler Wizard of Legend and Just Cause 3 are your early unlocks for January's Humble Monthly Bundle. Subscribe now for $12 and you can play them straight away, and you'll get a bunch more games next month. It's a strong trio, with Project Cars 2 the standout. It's one of the best racers on PC—Phil lauded its "serious racing for serious racers" in his review. Also, it's never dipped below $15 on any store, so it's worth the price of entry on its own. Just Cause 3 isn't as good, and is regularly on sale for $5 or less, but if you never got round to its explosions and ridiculous open-world stunts, now's your chance. As for Wizard of Legends, it's a brutal spell-slinging rogue-like that Austin had a blast with earlier this year, even though the difficulty cut his runs painfully short. 95 percent of its Steam reviews are positive, and because it's a recent release it hasn't been on sale for less than $12. Paying $12 for the three is therefore great value—especially if you're a racing enthusiast. You can pick them up here. After paying for a month you can cancel your subscription before the next bundle.

Super Meat Boy Forever will be out in April 2019—and it will be an Epic Store exclusive for a year, developer Team Meat has confirmed. The release window was announced at yesterday's Kinda Funny Games Showcase in a new trailer (above) that shows off some of the levels and bosses you'll face. Remember, unlike the original it's an auto-runner—but as Tyler wrote when he played it, that's not a bad thing. Super Meat Boy creator Tommy Refenes confirmed Epic Store exclusivity on the game's official Discord channel. "Super Meat Boy [Forever] is coming to Steam April 2020, a year after it launches," he said, adding that the new store was "desperately needed to get Steam to give a shit". "I understand people don't like change but...the end result of this will mean better games for people. It maybe more launchers [for players], sure, but a small price to play for a developer community that doesn't feel like they have one choice on PC. "I would have put it on [the Epic Store] eventually anyway and I'm glad to make it exclusive." Super Meat Boy Forever isn't the only game favouring Epic's new store—as I wrote yesterday, one upcoming Epic Store game isn't going to sell on Steam at all, while others are pushing back their Steam releases.

The long-awaited YIIK: A Postmodern RPG (as in Y2K) will be out on Steam next month, developer Ackk Studios has announced. As you can tell from a new trailer, above, it's going to be utterly bizarre. It's "a Japanese-style RPG developed by Americans", and it's set in a twisted version of Earth in the '90s with "yammering skulls, tortoise samurais and living stop signs". Throughout its 30-hour campaign you'll face platforming sections, minigames and puzzles. The combat is turn-based, and you'll fight through both story dungeons and randomly-generated dungeons that give you extra chances to level up. The story focuses on "eight strangers, a mysterious woman who vanishes in an elevator, and the supernatural". Tyler spoke to the development team in 2015 and realised it was inspired by the story of Elisa Lam, a Canadian student who was found dead in LA in 2013. When Tyler published that interview, the game was set to release later in 2015, so clearly a January release is the result of a long series of delays—I'm sure the game is all the better for it. The Steam page is here. It's out January 17.

Valve has hidden a cryptic Portal message within CS:GO's new battle royale mode, Danger Zone—and some fans believe it may be the start of a new Alternate Reality Game, similar to the one that led to the announcement of Portal 2. At the eastern edge of the Danger Zone map, Black Site, you'll find four numbered rooms. Room number three is boarded up—wink, wink, nudge, nudge—but you can get into it by going through room two. Inside, there's a bank of computers and a strange broadcast message containing a string of words and numbers. Those that first found it suspected it was a code deliberately put there by Valve and, sure enough, it hasn't taken long for players to crack it. Reddit user GetSomeGyros has mangaged to decipher the broadcast (you can read their method here), and the words they came out with are: "This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS." As you may know, that's the opening line to Portal's famous end credit song, Still Alive. What does it mean? For now, nobody knows, but fans are hoping it's the start of a new Portal-related ARG. The announcement of Portal 2 was preceded by an ARG in which Valve hid clues within radios in the first Portal game—to uncover the clues, players had to carry the radios to a specific point in the map. We'll have to wait and see whether this is something similar or just an Easter egg. In this thread, Reddit user birkir has outlined other possible oddities in Danger Zone's map, including strange logos, signs, and security cameras. No doubt players will continue digging into what it all means—Valve News Network (an unofficial channel) uploaded this video summing up what we know so far. Credit to Reddit user snaileny for finding the broadcast message and uploading it to YouTube in the video at the top of this post. Hat tip, PCGamesN.

During The Game Awards 2018, Epic Games revealed in a trailer the launch lineup of its new Epic Games Store. The showcase includes the presence and upcoming release of thirteen major titles on the marketplace, excluding games on the store developed by Epic, like Shadow Complex, Unreal Tournament, and Fortnite. Epic Games' award show reveal features games from a number of veteran publishers, including the likes of THQ Nordic (Darksiders III), Annapurna Interactive (What Remains of Edith Finch), and Supergiant Games (Bastion). The Game Awards trailer comes hot off the heels of Epic Games' December 4 announcement of the store itself. The Fortnite developer is looking to deliver stiff competition to Valve's game marketplace giant Steam, promising a better deal of 88 percent of sales revenue to those who publish their games on the Epic Games Store. Epic also asserts that its marketplace is more developer-friendly, furnishing a revenue-sharing system between developers and content creators called Support-A-Creator and allowing for greater developer control over the way their games are presented and marketed. The Epic Games Store trailer is jam-packed with exciting and never-before-seen footage of upcoming games, further solidifying the growing promotional importance of The Game Awards in the gaming industry. In two and a half minutes, Epic shows off gameplay footage of Saber Interactive's World War Z, Supergiant Games' Hades, and Coffee Stain Studios' Satisfactory (whose Steam page has been removed in anticipation of its release on the Epic Games Store), as well as an exclusive trailer of Annapurna Interactive's upcoming RPG Ashen.

For Conan the Barbarian, the best things in life are crushing your enemies and seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentations of their women. We mortals will get a shot at more Hyborian Age slaughter with Conan Unconquered, a real-time strategy game being developed by Command & Conquer veterans Petroglyph. Conan Unconquered is more in the vein of They Are Billions than Petroglyph’s more traditional RTS offerings like Grey Goo and 8-Bit Armies. Here, you’ll be charged with building a fortress, raising an army, and then stopping the savage hordes that show up to beat down your gates and put your settlement to the torch. The good news is, you have Conan on your side. Along with other heroes straight out of Robert E. Howard’s stories, he’ll help stem the tide of invaders while you look to building up your defenses, researching new technologies, and potentially summoning the Avatar of the gods – a giant, living bronze statue that can stamp through masses of enemies with ease. You’ve also got the option of bringing a friend along. Conan Unconquered can be played in co-op (or Crom-op, maybe?), with both players sharing a settlement but having full freedom to build, recruit, and command. Either together alone, you’ll have to fend off increasingly difficult waves of enemies while making sure to protect your stronghold and repair damage and put out fires. Petroglyph has a lot of excellent RTS games under its belt, and the screenshots for Conan Unconquered have an appealing Age of Empires look to them. However, this being a Conan property, it’s quite a bit bloodier. Conquered in the second quarter of the coming year. We’ve reached out to ask whether there will be an early access period and we’ll let you know if we hear back.

You may remember Kingdom – it was an odd and meditative little colony management game that mixed roguelike elements with base-building, somehow pulling this all off on a one dimensional playing field. As the monarch, you’d ride back and forth collecting coins and then using those to recruit followers and build up your castle. This week, a new rendition of the game launches that adds a brand new biome and co-op functionality. While deceptively simple to play, the Kingdom games have been adding layers of depth since the first one – now called Kingdom Classic – appeared back in 2015. Since then, the format has gotten quite a few updates: with Kingdom: New Lands, players could set sail from their starting areas and discover new worlds to civilize, finding new subjects and organizing them to fight off the dark hordes who appear at night and attack settlements. Two Crowns takes all the groundwork laid by Classic and New Lands and expands it again. This time, you’ll get to see a new biome inspired by feudal Japan, a brand-new campaign mode, and you’ll be able to bring a friend along (hence the “two” bit in the title, I suppose) in local or online drop in/drop out co-op. Kingdom Two Crowns comes out on Steam December 11. I’ve gotten a chance to check it out a little, and I’ve quickly sunk back into the satisfying loop of riding back and forth across my little fiefdom, worrying about how many archers and farmers I’ve recruited and wondering where my next upgrades will come from. Now that there’s even more game to look forward to, I think it’ll become my go-to laptop title for the next couple months.

The next Warframe coming to Digital Extremes’ constantly-expanding game is Baruuk, who the developers have described as a “reluctant warrior” and even a “pacifist.” This week, the team gave a demonstration of all of his abilities in a live devstream, and Baruuk looks like he’ll be an interesting Warframe to play both solo and as part of a team. Baruuk’s abilities are governed by a special resource called Edge. This is built up in combat and by Baruuk using his abilities, and it represents the idea that Baruuk can only be pushed so far before he unleashes his inner lethality. His first ability is a channelled power called Elude. It functions as a damage-reduction buff, but the on-screen effect is remarkable: Baruuk’s midsection shimmers as if it’s moving or vibrating, or perhaps phasing between adjacent realities. Incoming projectiles pass through Baruuk’s model, and using Elude builds up his Edge meter. Note, however, that Elude only is effective in a cone that extends in front of Baruuk. His second ability is Sedative, which is a cone-shaped area-of-effect. Baruuk projects runes onto the ground in front of him, and enemies in the area or who enter it gradually slow and fall asleep. Once they’re sleeping, they’re vulnerable to finishing attacks from either Baruuk or his teammates. Sedative will also build Baruuk’s Edge level, depending on the number of enemies caught in its area of effect. Baruuk’s third ability is called Subdue, and it summons a ring of levitating energy daggers around him. These will disarm enemies they contact and cause a small amount of radial damage. While they’re active they also reduce damage, so keeping as many of them up at once is a good idea. Interestingly, the daggers can be shared with allies – unused charges will jump to teammates, and Baruuk can replenish his supply when he needs to. For his Ultimate, Baruuk spends his built-up Edge and focuses it into a fist exalted weapon, using melee attacks while sending out powerful runic forces from his strikes. These combo together in a series of heavy punches and kicks, and the effect is kinetic and brutal in a way that fits right into Warframe’s action. The team explained that not all of Baruuk’s animations are fully complete yet, and they still have to work on some initial balancing. But by the looks of things, he’ll be in the game before too long – the in-game demonstration looked pretty feature-complete. Digital Extremes says he’ll be added with the next update to Fortuna on PC.

One could make the argument that Just Cause games are entirely composed of Easter Eggs, especially if you consider launching cattle into low-earth orbit to be a special treat. But Just Cause 4 has gone a bit above and beyond with this Easter Egg, which features Rico finding himself in a classic ‘80s music video. While wandering around on one of the upper floors of a partially-constructed tower in Just Cause 4, you’ll suddenly hear a very familiar opening riff – it’s unmistakably Take On Me by Norwegian pop band A-ha. And sure enough, if you wander over to the stairway down, you’ll find that you’ve wandered directly into the legendary music video. Suddenly, parts of the world are changed to look as though they’re pencil sketches on white paper, just like the world into which the young woman in the music video finds herself beckoned. If you wander over to one side of the room, you’ll find a similarly-dressed woman standing just outside the effect, and – needless to say – she’ll walk over to join you, and begin dancing. I’m not sure if there’s any connection or message to dig into here, other than that the crew at Avalanche Studios seems to include at least a few ‘80s pop enthusiasts. And I suppose in another life, Rico could easily have been a music video dreamboat. This isn’t the only over-the-top Easter Egg players have found in Just Cause 4, but it’s slightly less punishing than the homage to Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. In our Just Cause 4 review, Julian says that while it has its problems and isn’t particularly innovative, it’s also “ridiculously good fun to play.” If nothing else, you have to admit Avalanche has really outdone themselves with these little jokes they’ve included

THE AFL has officially committed to naming its indigenous showpiece the Sir Doug Nicholls Round for the next two years. The League has honoured Nicholls during the indigenous round since 2016 and is expected to continue to do so for time immemorial, but it has now formalised an agreement with The Nicholls Foundation to pay tribute to him until at least 2020. On the 112th anniversary of Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls' birth, AFL chief executive officer Gillon McLachlan signed the agreement with members of the late Nicholls' family. "Sir Doug Nicholls was a pioneer when it came to reconciliation. Along with this, it was his passion for and commitment to Australian football which helped bring together the many other significant achievements in his life," McLachlan said. Nicholls Foundation chairperson Gary Murray, a grandson of Nicholls, said the agreement not only recognised the achievements of one of the most significant indigenous leaders in history, but it also strengthened a growing indigenous partnership with the AFL. "Pastor Doug would be more than proud of these developments to further enhance his work," Murray said. Nicholls, who died in 1988 at 81, remarkably rose to prominence after being raised on the Cummeragunja Aboriginal mission in southern New South Wales, where he learned to play football barefoot and was virtually illiterate. A man of many firsts for his people, the universally admired Nicholls was a talented sportsman who became the first Aboriginal to represent Victoria in football, the first to be knighted (for "distinguished services to the advancement of the Aboriginal people") and the first to hold a vice-regal office (as Governor of South Australia). He is also the first person to have an AFL round named after them. In another sign of the esteem in which Nicholls is held in the broader community, search engine giant Google recognised his birthday with a tribute on its homepage on Sunday.

EMERGING Fremantle ruckman Sean Darcy has signed a two-year contract extension that will tie him to the club until the end of 2022. Darcy, 20, has averaged 33.7 hit-outs in his 15 AFL games, more than teammate Aaron Sandilands, Collingwood's Brodie Grundy, West Coast's Nic Naitanui and Melbourne's Max Gawn at the same stage of their careers. He joins Michael Walters and new recruit Rory Lobb as Dockers who have signed on until 2022, the trio's tenure behind only that of captain Nat Fyfe, who is committed to Freo until 2023. A leaner Darcy is expected to challenge veteran Sandilands for the No.1 ruck role in 2019. The 201cm former Geelong Falcon – the No.38 pick in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft – said his relationship with coach Ross Lyon and the playing group made the decision to stay an easy one. "As a group we have a great chemistry and we are all really close. It was an easy decision from my end and I am really excited for the future at Freo," Darcy said. "I am close with a lot of the boys so I am loving it here. Ross has been unreal for me during the past two years and I'm enjoying developing with a young group." Dockers football chief Peter Bell enthused that the Dockers were well-placed in the ruck role for both the short and long term. "The contract extension is great news for the club and for Sean. It shows the confidence we have in him as a player while illustrating Sean's confidence in the club and his desire to succeed at Fremantle," Bell said. "Sean is a talented young ruckman who has already made a significant impact on the field. "He's a great character to have at the club and we expect him to be a vital cog in our midfield in the long-term. "It's safe to say we've been spoiled by the contribution of Aaron Sandilands for almost two decades, and while we expect that to continue, having Sean sign on means we can head into the future with confidence."

IF YOU want to go to battle with any Brisbane Lions AFL Women's player, it's Kate Lutkins. The 30-year-old is not only scaling the ranks of the Australian Defence Force, but last season she announced herself as one of the best players in the NAB AFLW competition. Lutkins won the Lions' best and fairest, was named an All Australian and played a remarkable game in Brisbane's heartbreaking six-point Grand Final loss to the Western Bulldogs. Her 21 disposals – most of them intercept possessions – and six marks underlined her outstanding effort. Although the humble defender isn't as widely known as some of her peers, she is a genuine star and a match-winner. The quietly spoken army private said she liked to keep things simple and was planning to do the same heading into the 2019 season. "I certainly go out there with the aim to impact every game, but I wouldn't say I'm one of the better players," Lutkins said. Lutkins recently completed four years of service at the Enoggera Army Barracks in Brisbane and will move into a '2IC' role of her transport section next year. She said there was a definite crossover of skills and requirements in her two pursuits. "Whether it's PT (physical training) or doing field exercises, everything army is teamwork-based. You're only as fast as your weakest person," she said. You've got to have your teammates' back no matter what and work hard for each other "There's no easy way to do anything." That's just the way she likes it, though. Lutkins is based in Brisbane for a further two years but with the ADF recognising the AFLW as an elite sporting pursuit, she will have grounds to stay in the Sunshine State for as long as she's on the Lions' list. She said it "still stung" to talk about the Lions' two narrow Grand Final losses (they lost to Adelaide in 2017), and only four months of intense work could give them a shot at taking the extra step next season.

BERNIE Vince will help fast-track the development of the Melbourne's first- and second-year players to ensure they are ready to play as quickly as possible after being drafted. The retired Demon started in his new leadership and Next Generation Academy ambassador and mentoring role during the week and attended the club's induction camp for the draftees and new recruits in the Northern Territory from Wednesday to Friday. Vince, 33, decided three weeks ago to accept the position that was offered to him by football manager Josh Mahoney with talks starting almost immediately after the defender announced his retirement in late August. "That's part of my role to make sure that when these first and second-year guys do get a crack at AFL level they are well prepared and understand how we (the Demons) want to play," Vince told AFL.com.au. The Demons had three players from the 2017 NAB AFL Draft make their debuts in 2018, with Bayley Fritsch (23 games) and Charlie Spargo (18) becoming important parts of the team. Harrison Petty (one game) displayed strong form at VFL level as a key defender, while Oskar Baker was in the frame to play until he suffered a serious hamstring injury. Vince said the club had identified the need for a person to help upskill its young players on the required workrate an AFL player must possess, the education needed to learn the club's game plan and what being a Melbourne player means. Vince will work closely with head of development Matthew Egan in the new role, coming into the club two days a week on Tuesday and Wednesday. The former Crows and Demons player will also continue as the director of Pride Real Estate, which is based in Prahran, which is something he pursued later in his football career. "It wasn't just a role to keep me at the club, it was one that was needed," Vince said. "It was all pretty fresh to start with and I went away and had some time away and I always felt like I wanted to keep a connection with the footy club.