Welcome to the midpoint for The 300 Hello, users, and welcome back toThe 300, a recurring feature on my quixotic attempt to watch 300 movies in theaters in the year 2018. I’ll be watching new releases, classics, and hidden gems to experience the wide world of cinema in all its forms. With so much being watched, there ought to be something each week that you can enjoy. As always, there are three rules for The 300: TheNew York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF)is underway, and I was able to catch one film there during the opening weekend (and it is a doozy)....

It’s a tale as old as time. Well, as old as online games have been a thing.The First Descendantis going through its right of passage as the servers suddenly went offline within 48 hours of launch. Here’s the timeline and what we know thus far. When will The First Descendant come back online? (7/3)Update 11:26 pm ET via X: “The server maintenance has been completed, and gameplay is now available. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the extended maintenance and have prepared compensation....

All birds unlocked, but in limited stock Everyone has a favouriteHatoful Boyfriendpigeon, and anyone who says they don’t is a god damn liar. It is impossible to have gotten to 2015 without falling for the charm and class of Sakuya, or the zany life-loving Okosan (who is also objectively superior to all others), so just stop denying your avian passion. Allow yourself to fall into their feathery embrace as your lips/beaks/whatevers finally meet, nestled in their plumage until the sun rises once again....

It’s so good being bad Publisher nWay has released the full gameplay trailer for Scorpina, the next character headed to the fun tag-fighterPower Rangers: Battle for the Grid. After a slew of Ranger-based characters, the arrival of one of Rita Repulsa’s most unique and dastardly lieutenants is quite anticipated. Appearing in the originalMighty Morphin’ Power Rangersseries, Scorpina ventured into battle with the super-radical rangers alongside fellow villains such as Goldar. One of the fewPower Rangersvillains to be sans-mask, Scorpina used her alluring looks to catch her enemies off-guard, before unleashing her curved sword with deadly intent....

And not just because of an Xbox One X patch Today, again already, is N7 Day. November 7 served as a once-important date forMass Effectfans. It was a day to celebrateMass Effectand to look toward the future with bright eyes and lots of hope. But, if every previous N7 Day was a celebration, last year’s was a funeral. It wasThe Saddest N7 Day. EA and BioWare had kind of just given up onMass Effect: Andromeda....

Sign me up These custom-paintedAnimal Crossingsneakers look so good, I initially thought they were an official product — but nope! They’re actually a projectfrom artist kelfunncheng. In the 10-ish-minute video below, which is really down-to-earth to the point where the process actually seems feasible, they walk us through how they managed to craft the shoes. Talking us through, kelfunncheng says that this is their first time painting shoes, and they wanted to document the entire process....

The day I stop talking aboutDoommods is the day I’ve been captured by aliens who have taken over my body, but they don’t know how to operate it. In fact, I need to work out a system to let everyone know I’m not the real me. For now, let’s take a look at a curious monstrosity that’s coming to id Software’s iconic FPS. Over on ModDB, userAnya_Forgeris in the midst of moddingDoom 2so that reminds us all of the pain that once was 1996’sBubsy 3D....

Guitar Hero: Van Halenjust sort of appeared on store shelves and nobody seemed to really care. However, if the box art looked more like this perhaps it would have been worth talking about. A bored GameStop employee not only produced a drawing of Van Halen that’s more accurate than any photograph, but also wrote a very accurate bit of blurb on the back. Here’s a small section of the rather brilliant summary: Guitar Hero: Van Halenby ACTIVISION is the same asGuitar Hero: World Tour(an ACTIVISION game) andACTIVISION Presents: Guitar Hero: Metallica, but this game is full of Van Halen songs!...

Slow and clunky, exactly as I remembered ’em! Blue Core Studios, producer of the recentSonicfan film, has decided to pump out a quickie short that pays homage to PS1-era RPGs, most notably theFinal Fantasyseries. I think the team was able to perfectly capture the slow, stiff, clunky overworld movements that call back to a time when NPCs were emotionless polygonal freaks and the camera tried desperately to emulate a dynamic movie-like experience....

Back to Hogsmeade If you’re looking to expand your personal Room of Requirement options, you’ll want to go visit Thomas Brown and buy up some scrolls. The Tomes & Scrolls shop has a ton of new blueprints available, allowing you to expand your smallish player-created space. Here’s how to Thomas Brown’s Tomes & Scrolls shop shop inHogwarts Legacy. Where to find Thomas Brown’s Tomes & Scrolls shop inHogwarts Legacy The Tomes & Scrolls shop can be found tucked away in south side of Hogsmeade....

I wonder how long it will be until people look at me with wide eyed amazement when I regale them with tales of leaving my home, jumping on a bus, going into town, walking into an actual building and handing over physical money to a human being just so I can play a videogame. Ubisoft is probably betting that it won’t be all that far into the future. Speaking with MCV Ubisoft’s digital publishing manager, Thomas Paincon, explained thatdigital distributionis the way to go when releasing a new IP....

That’s our Iwata Nintendo plans to release more affordable games for the 3DS “based on past titles and smartphone offerings,” reportsThe Nikkei. The idea is that with lower development costs, the company can justify charging prices as low as “several hundred yen.” Expect more demos, too. It’s possible to read into that vague description multiple ways, but there is a recent example of what the smartphone-to-3DS transition can look like withPuzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros....

It wants a seat at the table Vivendi seemingly has its sights set on Ubisoft, and it doesn’t look ready to back down. After an initial investment of$161 million last week, Vivendi just spent approximately another $111 million on Ubisoft stock. That second stock acquisition bumped Vivendi’s stake in the French publisher up from 6.6 percent to 10.39 percent. Along with the Ubisoft purchase, Vivendi again invested in Gameloft, raising its ownership from 6....