The first part of a full-on remake of Warcraft II's campaign is now playable in Warcraft III: Reforged for free thanks to a group of dedicated fans.

It's called Warcraft: Chronicles of the Second War, and it looks to update Warcraft II, which was released in 1995, to be closer to that of 2002's beloved Warcraft III in terms of gameplay and presentation. The team behind the project, LoreCraft Designs, will be releasing the campaign in multiple parts, with part one, the Horde-focused "Tides of Darkness" campaign, available now. The custom campaign can be downloaded and played for free by those who already own Blizzard's 2020 remake of Warcraft III.

In a post from the project's Discord server shared on X, one of the mod's creators, Shadi, remarked that Warcraft: Chronicles of the Second War has been in the works for over three and a half "grueling" years, during which the team has had to endure Warcraft III: Reforged's "sorry state." According to Shadi, the team had to make a hard decision on whether to continue tweaking and polishing the remake, as they see themselves as "perfectionists," or releasing a playable version sooner. LoreCraft Designs decided on the latter option, with the goal being to regularly patch the project and address any critical bugs or crashes that may arise. There have been no announcements on when a remake of the human-focused second part of the Warcraft II campaign will release.

Netflix has revealed the first teaser trailer of Season 2 for its popular animated series based on League of Legends, Arcane. It's less than a minute long but seemingly confirms a huge fan theory from Season 1.

The brief teaser has the Mad Chemist, Singed, in the middle of a blood transfusion. He quickly glances at his pocketwatch, then glances back up with the camera revealing a colossal monster hanging above him.

Arcane Season 1 debuted back in 2021, was quickly renewed for a second season, and has had fans clamoring for more over the last three years. The teaser also seems to confirm the popular fan theory that Vander, the famed Hound of the Underground, who died in Season 1, is Warwick--a wolf-like monster from League of Legends who was "transformed by agonizing experiments."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is taking a dramatic turn for his next film, The Smashing Machine, which is directed by Benny Safdie. Johnson said in a new interview with Variety that he feels he now wants to make more dramatic films (and also continue to make the movies that he is best known for).

"I'm at a point in my career where I want to push myself in ways that I've not pushed myself in the past. I'm at a point in my career where I want to make films that matter, that explore a humanity and explore struggle [and] pain," he said.

Johnson stars in The Smashing Machine as Mark Kerr, the real-life extreme fighter known for his brutal bouts in mixed martial arts and a personal life that included drug addiction.

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight confirmed that there is indeed a script for a Peaky Blinders movie. Knight is also working on a Star Wars movie, but he's almost done with the movie script for his British gangster series.

In a conversation with the Radio Times, Knight confirms that he's close to wrapping up the script and wants to start production soon. "I'm just working on the final bits of it at the moment," he said. Knight added a bit about his writing process and mentioned that the idea is to film some time in the middle of this year.

"I just sit down at the keyboard and start. It's a bit like having a dream, for me," Knight said. "You sit there and all this stuff comes, and then you read it back and think, 'That's pretty good--but where did it come from?"

MSI Gaming has showed details of a Steam Deck-style handheld, via a brief teaser video on its Instagram account.

The first part of the video shows the front of the device in a dark space, with only the offset sticks encircled by RGB light visible. It continues by showing details of the device's back, a red and black color scheme emblazoned with the MSI logo. The video's final frame shows a logo featuring multicolored claws and the text "#MSIxCES2024." The caption reads "A whole new breed of MSI dragon is coming. Get a grip and stay tuned." Presumably more details will release during CES from Jan 9-12. Price point and specs are currently unknown.

This is far from the first Steam Deck competitor to emerge. The ROG Ally released in June 2023 for $700 and was eventually joined by a cheaper $600 version. The Ally also has native Game Pass support, as it runs Windows. The Lenovo Legion Go uses the same AMD chip set as the Ally and has a similar price point at $700. However, it also has a bigger screen and removable controllers (a la the Switch's Joy-Cons).

To start off 2024, Amazon Prime members can become one of the last foxes on the planet, relax with a beekeeping sim, or explore a bit of Atari history with four free titles in the Prime Gaming January lineup. To claim these experiences, follow the usual steps on the Prime Gaming hub.

In addition, Amazon is offering new Amazon Luna games to check out this month at the same hub. The new catalog of free cloud-based titles for Prime members consists of Control: Ultimate Edition, Kitaria Fables, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, Young Souls, Trackmania, and Fortnite. These are all available now.

Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman starred in the Harry Potter movie series as Sirius Black, and the actor credits the role with making him a better father. But Oldman didn't love everything about the Harry Potter series. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Oldman said his performance in the films was "mediocre."

"I think my work is mediocre in it," Oldman said. "No, I do. Maybe if I had read the books like Alan [Rickman], if I had got ahead of the curve, if I had known what's coming, I honestly think I would have played it differently."

Oldman made his debut as Black in The Prisoner of Azkaban. He played the role again in Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. Fans often say Oldman turned in a memorable performance. But Oldman himself doesn't see it that way, for Harry Potter or any of his other work.

Metal Gear Solid fans won't have to wait much longer to climb that extremely hazardous ladder again in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake. Although it doesn't have a release date, it's scheduled to come out sometime this year.

The news comes from a video posted by the official PlayStation YouTube channel, where the company shared a two-minute clip of some of the biggest games coming to its platform this year. The video featured games that are already confirmed for 2024, such as Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Tekken 8, Helldivers II, and more. As the video nears its end, it's confirmed that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will come out later this year.

What's especially notable is that Konami, the company behind Metal Gear, hasn't commented on when the upcoming Metal Gear remake will come out. It's also worth pointing out that this wasn't the only Konami game that got a release window. The same video also confirmed that the Silent Hill 2 remake will be coming out later this year.

Former Nintendo employees Kit Ellis and Krysta Yang have weighed in with their thoughts on the next Nintendo console, including a prediction for when it could be announced and what the system might be.

In a video outlining their predictions for 2024, both Ellis and Yang agreed in their prediction that the Switch successor will be announced in the first half of 2024. Yang believes it will be announced in Q1, which runs January-March this year.

Yang said the timing of the announcement could be tied to Nintendo's next financial year, which begins on April 1, 2024. "Based on hardware patterns from the past, it does seem like you want to get an official announcement out before the end of the fiscal year, so you can remain really strong with your shareholders," Yang said.

GTA Online will now let you become a wildlife photographer and get so high you transform.

Animals were recently added to the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions of GTA Online (they've been in the single player since launch). Now you can take photos of them to earn in-game rewards. In a new Daily Collectable called Wildlife Photography, you can take pictures of up to three different animals. Despite the name, animals included can be either domesticated or wild. Taking one picture for the challenge will unlock the ability to purchase the new Declasse Park Ranger. Taking 10 photo will unlock the vehicle's trade price.

In other animal news, you can find Peyote plants out in the wilds. Ingesting them will cause you to change shape into an animal like a deer or a cow. These will only be available for a limited time, just like prior times Peyote has been added to GTA Online. You can always use the plant in single player.

Active development on Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard's MOBA starring heroes and villains from across its iconic game franchises, ended in 2022, but one group of dedicated fans is bringing the game back in a big way.

It's called Resurgence of the Storm, and it's a free mod for Blizzard's own Starcraft 2, albeit one that completely transforms the RTS into something that is near indistinguishable from the official Blizzard-made version of Heroes of the Storm. Unlike Heroes of the Storm, which is still playable but no longer receives new content (but does occasionally receive some minor balance updates and bug fixes), Resurgence of the Storm features never-before-seen heroes, updated talents and abilities for some existing heroes, and even a content roadmap. The mod has been in development for over four years and is now officially available to the public.

The mod currently features 15 heroes to play as, some that will be familiar to Heroes of the Storm players and some that are entirely new. Both of the entirely new heroes currently available hail from Starcraft 2: Selendis, a melee assassin, and Talandar, a tanky bruiser. Of all the game's existing heroes, Arthas has perhaps received the most changes, with a new talent tree, enhanced abilities, and even a new heroic ability. Other characters, including Diablo, Malfurion, and Ragnaros, have also seen some of their talents and abilities tweaked.

2023 has quickly been inserted into the discussion for the year with the best selection of new game releases, with games like Baldur's Gate 3, The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, and Alan Wake 2 headlining the year. For Steam users in particular, there's a lot to consider, as reports say over 14,000 games launched on the service last year.

SteamDB, an independent site dedicated to analyzing Steam activity, states that 14,535 unique games launched on the platform in 2023, which marks a nearly 2,000-game increase from the previous year. VGC, via Circana (formerly NPD), also notes that Steam's 14,000+ launch figure dwarfs the second-place platform--the Nintendo Switch, which saw 2,360 games added to its library.

The number of new releases on Steam is staggering when compared to a decade before; 2013 saw only 435 new Steam games for the entire year. It also nearly doubles the service's output in 2018, when 8,900 games were launched.

Cloud Imperium Games is selling a new DLC bundle for the spacefaring game Star Citizen that will set you back the cost of a fancy new real-life car. The Legatus 2953 bundle, as it's called, includes every ship in the game, along with a variety of extras. The cost? $48,000.

The bundle comes with more than 175 ships from every one of the game's many manufacturers, which the developer said should allow players to "forge a lasting legacy, leading humanity towards a brighter future." It includes weapons and cosmetics as well. Nearly all of the content is available now, except for the Karna Ascension rifle, which will be released sometime during Q1 2024 (January-March).

Cloud Imperium Games has sold these type of bundles since 2018. As PC Gamer reminds us, the first iteration of the bundle was priced at $27,000, and now it's scaled to almost double that. The site also reported that players need to have already spent $1,000 on Star Citizen to buy the Legatus 2953 bundle. That's because the premium offering is apparently only available to people in the Chairman's Club.

Apex Legends players just got a closer look at the game's upcoming collaboration with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth via a new trailer for the event. The Apex Legends & Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Event was initially announced at 2023's The Game Awards on December 7, though the presentation didn't include many details, leaving fans of both games wondering what exactly the event would entail. According to the new trailer, the new event will give players access to a new limited-time mode, tons of Final Fantasy-themed cosmetic skins, and a new Buster Sword Heirloom Weapon that can be equipped by any legend, making it the first of its kind.

The event, which begins on January 9, will feature a new LTM that will replace unranked battle royale mode for the three-week duration of the event. Known as Final Fantasy Takeover, the new mode will see the game's maps littered with Cactuar-themed "Cacticks," special Loot Ticks that provide Materia Hop-Ups when destroyed. Materia Hop-Ups give players access to special buffs, including lightning AoE damage, HP absorption, and an AI-controller SOLDIER Nessie who will aid players in battle. The Final Fantasy Takeover mode will also give players the ability to wield Cloud's Buster Sword, which can be used to deflect bullets, dash, and even perform special Limit Breaks.

Of course, no Apex Legends event is complete without cosmetics, and the Apex Legends & Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Event will feature a whopping 36 cosmetic items (standard Collection Events usually include only 24 cosmetics). Applying these cosmetics will give the game's playable characters and weapons a Final Fantasy-themed makeover, with an Aerith skin available for Horizon, a Cloud skin for Crypto, a Moogle-esque skin for Wattson, a Vincent Valentine skin for Wraith, and more.

Christopher Nolan is having one of the best years of his career and already won awards for Best Director across regional film critics associations for his work on Oppenheimer. This could be the year he finally takes home an Oscar and adds that to an already impressive catalog, but he found himself getting hit by an unsolicited review--while riding in a Peleton class.

The Oscar-nominated director told an anecdote while receiving Best Director for Oppenheimer during the New York Film Critics Circle awards. Nolan didn't confirm which film it was, but it was obvious the instructor had no idea who was in his virtual class at the time.

"I was on my Peloton. I'm dying. And the instructor started talking about one of my films and said, 'Did anyone see this? That's a couple hours of my life I'll never get back again!'" Nolan said (via Variety). "When [The Observer's film critic] Rex Reed takes a shit on your film he doesn't ask you to work out! In today's world, where opinions are everywhere, there is a sort of idea that film criticism is being democratized, but I for one think the critical appreciation of films shouldn't be an instinct but it should be a profession."

Actress Amber Heard has released a statement following the debut of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, thanking fans for their support following her legal battle with Johnny Depp and her claims that her part in the sequel was scaled back.

She wrote, "After all this time, Aquaman 2 made its splash (sorry, it's too easy). Thank you to all of my fans for the overwhelming support and love in Mera's AQ return. Thank you so much."

Heard shared some behind-the-scenes photos from the making of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, along with some videos on her Instagram story showing her doing stunt training.

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth's release is right around the corner and we recently got invited to get some early hands-on time with many different parts of the game. Gripping emotional story? Check. Animal Crossing-inspired life sim mode that's going to take up countless hours of my time? Big check. A wild boss battle with a monster shark the size of a boat? You better believe it, fellow crime pals. Infinite Wealth is already my most anticipated game for 2024 so I was excited to dive right in.

Also, a small spoiler warning, there are going to be some story things mentioned in here for the series. Much like Gaiden before it, Infinite Wealth is a game that you should not jump into as your first game in the series as it relies heavily on knowing these characters. With that heads up out of the way, let's talk about Ichiban and Kiryu's Hawaiian adventure.

We began our day sitting down and getting an overview of everything new in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. Ichiban and his found family crew are back along with some new faces, including a taxi driver named Eric Tomizawa and a mysterious housekeeper named Chitose Fujinomiya. Ichiban has made the trip to Hawaiii to find his biological mother Akane, who was originally thought to be deceased, but is apparently alive and somewhere on the islands. This revelation sets our adventure in motion and allows Ichiban to come into contact with the legendary yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu.

Actor Patrick Stewart appeared in a cameo role in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as his X-Men character, Charles Xavier. Stewart recently reflected on the process of filming that cameo, saying it was not the best experience.

Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Stewart confirmed that he filmed this scene alone, just like John Krasinski (Reed Richards), Anson Mount (Black Bolt), Hayley Atwell (Captain Carter), and Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) did for their cameos in the movie's Illuminati scene.

"I was alone. I think each one of the leading actors had the same experience," Stewart said. "It was frustrating and disappointing but that is how it has been--the last few years have been challenging."

The Ayer Cut of DC's Suicide Squad is officially dead. After eight years of attempting to get his version of Suicide Squad re-released under a director's cut banner, the filmmaker has given up and washed his hands of DC entirely. Even though the #ReleaseTheAyerCut movement didn't reach the height of momentum that Snyder's did, even Ayer was hopeful as recently as December.

"You know, there are a lot of people that are invested in certain narratives that don't want it to see the light of day," Ayer told Deadline. "So there's an immense political headwind against it because if that cut were made public, the cowardliness and the whole just general shittiness of how the film's been treated, and how the actors have had this great work that they'd done taken away...That narrative blows up once people see the movie."

That level of optimism officially died as Ayer went public Wednesday stating that he's "done with DC."

Larian Studios is looking into reports that Baldur's Gate 3 players on Xbox have had their accounts banned for uploading nude and explicit media of the game onto Xbox Live, namely the intimate scenes with party members that you've built up romantic relationships with.

"We've seen the reports that some players got banned or otherwise faced issues on Xbox having uploaded screenshots/videos of their 'gameplay content'," said Larian director of publishing Michael Douse on Twitter. "We're in discussion with Microsoft, and we’re looking into it. Annoying and uncool."

While simply recording scenes doesn't get players banned, many Xbox players may have automatic uploads enabled on their consoles, so recording those scenes may accidentally upload them to Xbox Live. Some other players may record and upload these scenes intentionally for the sake of their own gameplay.