Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is having a 7-day free trial starting next weekIncludes Prop Hunt and Zombies mode.Image credit: Activision News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Dec. 5, 2024 Activision has announced it'll be giving those few remaining Call of Duty fans who haven't already bought this year's Black Ops 6 or played it through Game Pass the chance to get stuck in for free next week, as part of a seven-day trial.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's Free Trial starts next Friday, 13th December, on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. It'll continue into the following week, wrapping up on Friday, 20th December.Going by the infographic shared as part of Activision's announcement, participating players can get stuck into Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint, Domination, Kill Confirmed, Kill Order, and Prop Hunt modes as part of the the Free Trial - with Black Ops 6's Racket, Hacienda, Extraction, Hideout, Heirloom, and Nuketown Holiday maps all included.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 live-action reveal trailer.Watch on YouTubeThere's good news for anyone craving some undead slaughter too; Black Ops 6's Free Trial is set to offer a taste of Zombies mode, with Standard and Directed versions of Liberty Falls and Terminus all present according to that infographic. What's not clear, however, is if XP progress will be carried over to the full game, should players be sufficiently enthralled to make a purchase - but hopefully Activision will share more details before next Friday comes around. Image credit: Activision BlizzardEurogamer's Chris Tapsell was, admittedly, lukewarm on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 when he reviewed it in October. "I had an alright time, and then left it much earlier than expected," he wrote, "with few real reasons to come back". Hence his three star score.Still, Microsoft seemed pleased with the commercial response to the Black Ops 6's launch. The company called its arrival the "biggest Call of Duty release ever", saying it had set a record for "Game Pass subscriber adds on launch day."

Friday the 13th studio IllFonic lays off staff as it 'realigns to a refined strategy'"Today we had to accept the harsh reality that the state of the industry has impacted us." News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on Dec. 4, 2024 Friday the 13th: The Game and Predator: Hunting Grounds developer IllFonic has announced an unspecified number of layoffs, as it 'realigns to a refined strategy'.IllFonic CEO and co-founder Charles Brungardt confirmed the job cuts in a statement posted to social media. "Today," he wrote, "we had to accept the harsh reality that the state of the industry has impacted us here at IllFonic... It is with the heaviest of hearts that cuts to our teams had to be made today as we realigned to a refined strategy.""There is a lot of talent in the group," Brungardt continued, "and if you or your team is hiring, please reach out so people can be connected to open roles."IllFonic's Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game launched in June.Watch on YouTubeIllFonic - which has studios in Golden, Colorado and Tacoma, Washington - is perhaps best known for its asymmetrical multiplayer horror Friday the 13th: The Game, which was pulled from sale last December after the company's license rights expired.The developer has since attempted to replicate the formula with this year's Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game, but its Steam concurrents have plummeted from the hundreds to double digits in recent months, suggesting it's struggled to resonate with players.IllFonic hasn't revealed the number of employees affected by today's layoffs, but the news continues a devastating 2024 for the games industry. Around 14,000 workers are believed to have lost their jobs since the start of the year, in addition to the 10,500 laid off in 2023. So why's this happening? GamesIndustry.biz's Chris Dring shared his thoughts earlier this year.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereAfter the huge release of Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 1, the player community is already buzzing as they await the much-awaited OG game mode. The upcoming mode titled Fortnite OG Chapter 1 Season 1 is all set to bring back the full classic map, with OG graphics and mechanics.One of those mechanics which was announced and sent the player base into a frenzy was the reintroduction of Double Pump meta, which according to leaks works exactly like it used to back in the day. However now another leak has revealed the full loot pool that players can get while playing the game mode.Fortnite OG will bring classic Chapter 1 Season 1 loot and weapon modelsA new leak by HYPEX has shown the full weapon and items that Fortnite OG will bring back to the game. Unlike the Reload mode which also offers an OG experience but with modern mechanics, graphics and weapon models, this leak confirms that OG mode will actually be closer to Fortnites origins. All OG Chapter 1 weapons and models are coming back. Image by HYPEX.Here are all the weapons and items that are rumored to make the loot pool for Fortnite OG Chapter 1 Season 1:Assault Rifle (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary)Burst Assault Rifle (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary)Submachine Gun (Common, Uncommon, Rare)Tactical Submachine Gun (Uncommon, Rare, Epic)Semi-Auto Pistol (Common, Uncommon, Rare)Revolver (Common, Uncommon, Rare)Tactical Shotgun (Common, Uncommon, Rare)Pump Shotgun (Common, Uncommon)Bandage (Common)Grenade (Common)Med Kit (Uncommon)Slurp Juice (Epic)Shield Potion (Rare)Bolt Action Sniper Rifle (Rare, Epic, Legendary)Rocket Launcher (Rare, Epic, Legendary)Grenade Launcher (Rare, Epic, Legendary)Scoped Assault Rifle (Rare, Epic, Legendary)Wall Dynamo (Rare)Damage Trap (Rare)Jump Pad Directional (Rare)Jump Pad Up (Rare)Ceiling Zapper (Rare)Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle (Epic, Legendary)If you noticed carefully, the Small Shield Potion (minis) wont be a part of the loot pool since in OG season did not have the consumable item in the game. That said, all the other classic Chapter 1 weapons are mentioned above, including classic traps that players used to troll their enemies.Furthermore, the infamous Zapatron unfortunately wont be added to the game as the item isnt available in Fortnite altogether, apart from the games Save The World mode. FortnitePlatform(s):Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter9VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereEpic Games has recently released a lot of new content in Fortnite. However, the content drop wont stop anytime soon, as the game developer has a few more surprises. The OG mode will come out on Friday, December 6, followed by new Spider-Man skins. Throughout the season, Epic will also bring back many DC skins.The first Spider-Man skin was released in December 2021 and was part of the first Chapter 3 Battle Pass. The skin has gained a lot of popularity, so its no surprise that new variants of it will come out to the Item Shop. If you want to know more details, including the price of new Spider-Man skins, we have everything you need to know.How many V-Bucks will new Fortnite x Spider-Man skins cost?According to reputable Fortnite leakers, three new Spider-Man skins will come to the game soon. They will be released on Friday, December 6, and will be available in the Item Shop. These three skins are Spider-Punk, Spider-Man Noir, and Peter B. Parker. All of these can be purchased separately and have LEGO styles.These are the prices of the upcoming cosmetics:Spider-Punk: 1,800 V-BucksHobbies Amplifier back bling (included with the skin)Hobies Axe guitar (included)Ax Chord emote: 300 V-BucksSpider-Man Noir: 1,500 V-BucksNoir Bag back bling (included)Blow Knife pickaxe: 500 V-BucksPeter B. Parker: 1,500 V-BucksMayday Diaper Bag back bling (included)Bite Broom pickaxe: 800 V-BucksAfter another Battle Pass, Epic will release new Spider-Man skins and cosmetics. Image by VideoGamerThe design of these cosmetics hasnt been revealed yet. However, we expect Epic Games to decrypt the files approximately 24 hours before their release, which should give us an early look at the skins. If youre interested in these items, make sure to use Fortnite XP maps to level up rapidly and unlock free V-Bucks. FortnitePlatform(s):Android, iOS, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/XGenre(s):Action, Massively Multiplayer, Shooter9VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Simose Art Museum in Hiroshima, Japan, has been recognized as the worlds most beautiful museum at the 2024 Prix Versailles awards. The prestigious architecture prize highlights the finest contemporary projects worldwide across a number of categories in an annual ceremony held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. This is the first year the jury included a category for museums.Designed by Pritzker Prize winner Shigeru Ban and completed in 2023, the celebrated cultural institution is defined by a collection of colorful glass galleries floating in a shallow water basin. Not only can each section be unmoored and moved depending on the current exhibit, the galleries are a masterful nod to the Setouchi Islands in the Seto Inland Sea, which the museum faces. Just behind the boxed galleries is a 590-foot-long, 28-foot-tall mirrored glass wall that reflects the landscape, creating the appearance of an environment twice as big as it is.I believe the innovative approach, such as the mobile gallery floating on water and the wooden structure, was recognized. This was the first occasion I was given the chance to design freely, and I truly appreciate everyone involved, Ban said in a statement about the award.Since 2015, the Prix Versailles has bestowed a number of most beautiful awards to various architectural projects across the world. The official listwhich pays tribute to innovation, creativity, reflections of local heritage, ecological efficiency and the values of social interaction and participation, which the United Nations holds in high regardis in line with the principles of intelligent sustainability, taking the projects ecological, social, and cultural impacts into consideration, the organization explains on its website.The movable galleries float on a shallow basin.Photo: Courtesy of Shigeru Ban Architects.

Zinus (the maker of some of our favoritebed frames) specializes ingreen tea memory foam mattresses, meaning that green tea extract is infused into the foam layers to maintain freshness. At less than $550 for aqueen size, this eight-inch mattress catered to hot sleepers is one of thebest cooling mattresses onAmazon. It has atop layer ofgel memory foam combined with a seven-zone ventilation system to promoteairflow, all of which is encased in a cool-to-the-touch soft knit cover.Editor's note: Though Zinus came under fire a few years back for including fiberglass in the outer covers of each mattress, the brand has relaunched its line sans the material.Tuft & Needle Nod HybridTuft & Needle Nod HybridSpecsFirmness:Medium firmThickness:6", 8", or 10"Sizes available:Twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California kingReturn policy:100 daysFive-star ratings:3,500+Exclusive toAmazon, the T&N Nod Hybrid is a great alternative to the brands originalhybrid if youre looking for a more affordableprice point (and who isnt?). It features responsiveAdaptive foam and a layer of six-inchpocket coils, though it doesn't feature the coolinggel-infused layers seen in the Hybrid and the Mint. Its also firmer than the original Hybrid, though its just as supportive and has the samereturn policy, 100-night sleeptrial period, and10-year warranty, as otherTuft & Needle mattresses.How We Chose These MattressesWe selected a range of beds in an approachable price range under $1,000 for this piece, primarily bed-in-a-box options that are easy to haul up to your apartment and tend to be quite durable, since they have to survive the shipping process. Usually the only setup they need is to unfurl themselves post-unboxing.Sadly, we were not able to test every single mattress on this list (every year we really do try to get em all though!), but youll see that we designated all the mattresses we had testers try in person among our top picks. When we tested in person, we looked for how each bed measured up for basic support stats, how it affected reviewers' sleep, and how the delivery process was.All of the other runners-up were selected based on reviews, with at least 1,000 five star reviews to back them up. Across the board, we also made sure that all mattresses came in a range of sizes and were from reputable brands that are known for their mattresses, such as Casper, Sealy, and Tuft & Needle. We also considered factors like each bed's testing period and warranty when ranking these.Build The Ultimate Bed-scape With ADPillow, comforters, duvet covers, sheets, and morewe've put all the best bedding to the test so you don't have to:

SpaceTrump taps billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as next NASA administratorSpaceX Polaris Dawn crew completes spacewalk Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, a veteran private astronaut with strong ties to Elon Musk and his rocket company SpaceX, has been picked to serve as NASA's next administrator, President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday.If confirmed, Isaacman, 41, would be the fifth NASA administrator with spaceflight experience, replacing former Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson, who flew into orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia in early 1986."I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. "... Jared's passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era."Isaacman founded the payment processing company later named Shift4 Payments while he was a high school student. He chartered the first purely commercial, all-civilian American "space tourist" mission Inspiration4 in February 2021, paying SpaceX an undisclosed amount to launch him and three other civilian flyers on a two-day, 23-hour flight.He flew to space again this past September, commanding the first of three planned SpaceX Polaris missions, logging nearly five days in space on a flight that took the crew farther from Earth than any astronauts have gone since the Apollo moon program. Isaacman also became the first private citizen to carry out a spacewalk.He is scheduled to lead another Polaris mission aboard a SpaceX capsule before leading the first crew to space aboard the California rocket builder's gargantuan Super Heavy-Starship rocket.Dates have not been announced for either of those missions, and it's not yet clear what impact Isaacman's selection to lead NASA will have on those flights, whether Isaacman still intends to fly aboard one or both or what sort of influence his friendship with Musk might have on NASA's future direction.But Isaacman, a skilled pilot who flies his own MiG-29 fighter jet, made it clear in a post following Trump's announcement that NASA can expect him to be a vocal space advocate who will help "usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization.""With the support of President Trump, I can promise you this: We will never again lose our ability to journey to the stars and never settle for second place," Isaacman said. "We will inspire children, yours and mine, to look up and dream of what is possible. Americans will walk on the moon and Mars and in doing so, we will make life better here on Earth."Inspiration4 mission commander Jared Isaacman, founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments, stands for a portrait in front of the recovered first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket at SpaceX on Feb. 2, 2021, in Hawthorne, California. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images He said it would be the "honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and to work alongside NASA's extraordinary team to realize our shared dreams of exploration and discovery."Jim Bridenstine, Nelson's predecessor at the helm of NASA, helped kickstart the agency's Artemis moon program during the first Trump administration.He said in a statement Wednesday that "Jared's vision for pushing boundaries, paired with his proven track record of success in private industry, positions him as an ideal candidate to lead NASA into a bold new era of exploration and discovery. I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm him."The Isaacman announcement comes as NASA struggles to keep the Artemis program on track amid tight budgets and what the agency's own inspector general calls the "unsustainable" costs of NASA's Space Launch System, or SLS, moon rocket.SpaceX supporters argue the company's more powerful, fully reusable Super Heavy-Starship rocket is the obvious choice for deep space exploration, but the huge rocket is far from operational with just a half-dozen suborbital test flights to its credit.The SLS, on the other hand, is considered operational in that it completed an initial test flight in November 2022, sending an unpiloted Orion capsule around the moon and back. But unlike the Super Heavy-Starship, the SLS is a throwaway, expendable booster expected to cost some $1.4 billion for each of its first four moon missions.NASA is currently gearing up to launch three NASA astronauts and a Canadian flyer on an SLS-Orion mission Artemis 2 late next year. But problems with the first Orion's heat shield and other issues threaten to push the Artemis 2 flight into 2026, years past initial expectations.It's not yet clear when the Artemis 3 mission, the first to carry astronauts to a landing near the moon's south pole, might be feasible.But that flight will feature a lunar lander built by SpaceX, a variant of the company's Starship upper stage. SpaceX has carried out six test flights of the fully reusable Super Heavy-Starship to date, but has not yet put the Starship upper stage into orbit or brought it down for an intact landing.Given the company's rapid-fire test schedule, most observers believe SpaceX will get the Super Heavy-Starship working as planned in the near future, but scores of test flights will be required to demonstrate the safety and reliability required by NASA to put astronauts aboard.And the moon mission poses unique challenges.For the initial landing mission, multiple Super Heavy "tanker" flights will be required to refuel the moon lander in low-Earth orbit before it can be sent to the moon. Once in lunar orbit, it will await the arrival of the Artemis 3 crew, launched aboard an Orion capsule by an SLS rocket.After boarding the Starship lander, two astronauts would descend to the surface, carry out the mission's planned exploration, and then head back up to the orbiting Orion for the trip back to Earth.Space & Astronomy More More William HarwoodBill Harwood has been covering the U.S. space program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau chief for United Press International and now as a consultant for CBS News.

A life of education HowStuffWorks founder Marshall Brain sent final email before sudden death Popular tech educator died in his office within hours of claiming retaliation for filing NCSU ethics reports. Benj Edwards Dec 4, 2024 8:54 am | 158 A view of the Bell Tower on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Credit: Replay Photos via Getty Images A view of the Bell Tower on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Credit: Replay Photos via Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreThe week before Thanksgiving, Marshall Brain sent a final email to his colleagues at North Carolina State University. "I have just been through one of the most demoralizing, depressing, humiliating, unjust processes possible with the university," wrote the founder of HowStuffWorks.com and director of NC State's Engineering Entrepreneurs Program. Hours later, campus police found that Brain had died by suicide.NC State police discovered Brain unresponsive in Engineering Building II on Centennial Campus around 7 am on November 20, following a welfare check request from his wife at 6:40 am, according to The Technician, NC State's student newspaper. Police confirmed Brain was deceased when they arrived.Brian Gordon, a reporter for The News and Observer in Raleigh, obtained a copy of Brain's death certificate and shared it with Ars Technica, confirming the suicide. It marks an abrupt end to a life rich with achievement and the joy of spreading technical knowledge to others. A photo of Marshall Brain in 2022 that he frequently provided to media. Credit: Marshall Brain Marshall David Brain II established HowStuffWorks.com in 1998 as a personal project to explain technical topics to general audiences. The website grew into a major success that Discovery Communications acquired for $250 million in 2007. He later expanded his educational reach through books like The Engineering Book and television shows on National Geographic Channel, including Factory Floor with Marshall Brain. His television appearances included The Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning America.Brain was also well-known in futurist and transhumanist circles. In 2003, his "Robotic Nation" essay, published freely on the web, predicted that widespread automation and robotics would cause a massive labor crisis by 2050, warning that up to half of American jobs could be eliminated, leading to unprecedented unemployment and social upheaval. Wired reported on the essay at the time, saying Brain predicted that humanoid robots would be widely available by 2030 and could replace jobs in fast-food service, housecleaning, and retail, potentially leading to over 50 percent unemployment by 2055 if no solutions were found to compensate for these lost jobs.Brain's early exposure to technology came through his father's work on NASA's lunar lander and Atlanta's MARTA transit system. He earned degrees in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and computer science from NC State.Brain was popular on campus with students and well-celebrated by NC State as a Distinguished Alumnus. As a computer science teacher at the university from 19861992, Brain focused on improving teaching methods through his "Emphasis on Teaching" newsletter, according to his official obituary. The university also recognized his contributions by inducting him into its Academy of Outstanding Teachers. He joined the NC State staff full-time as a professor in 2012.Kevin Barry, a former student and member of the Board of Advisors for NC State's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership program, recalled Brain fondly in a quote provided to The Technician's report: "Marshall was a cornerstone of entrepreneurship at NC State, and a very key person who dedicated himself and was a real entrepreneur, and really dedicated himself to the students."Trouble on campusAt 4:29 amjust two and a half hours before he was discovered dead in his office, Brain sent a final email, obtained by Ars Technica, to over 30 recipients inside and outside the university. In the detailed letter, Brain disputed an announcement made by his boss, Stephen Markham, executive director of NC State's Innovation and Entrepreneurship program. Markham had told staff Brain would retire effective December 31, 2024. Brain wrote that he had instead been terminated on October 29 and was forced into retirement as a face-saving option.The termination followed Brain's filing of ethics complaints through the university's EthicsPoint system about an employee at the university's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The complaints stemmed from an August dispute over repurposing the Engineering Entrepreneurs Program meeting space."What got us to this point? The short answer is that I witnessed wrongdoing on campus, and I tried to report it," Brain wrote in his email. "What came back was a sickening nuclear bomb of retaliation the likes of which could not be believed," Brain wrote in the email. He stated that the accused person "excommunicated me from my department for reporting my concerns to her."Brandon Kashani, a former student of Brain's and startup mentor at NC State's entrepreneurship clinic, recalled to the Technician about how he met with Brain on November 15. "He felt like his reputation was tarnished, like everything he worked for was ruined, and the root of all that was he didn't get any support from the University," Kashani told the newspaper.In his email, Brain wrote that the school's head of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering later informed him the department would stop recommending students for Brain's Engineering Entrepreneurs Program. According to Brain's account, this led to disciplinary action against Brain for "unacceptable behavior.""My career has been destroyed by multiple administrators at NCSU who united together and completely ignored the EthicsPoint System and its promises to employees," Brain wrote. "I did what the University told me to do, and then these administrators ruined my life for it."Unanswered questions remainIn recent years, Brain directed NC State's Engineering Entrepreneurs Program, where he mentored students and supported innovation in Research Triangle Park.So far, Brain's death on campus has come as a shock to students and colleagues. Dror Baron, an NCSU professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, wrote on X, "A professor I know died following various investigations. I know the people mentioned here, and call for a transparent and independent investigation."So far, that investigation has not been forthcoming. University spokesperson Mick Kulikowski declined to comment to The Technician about Brain's death or the allegations. To date, the university has not issued a public statement about Brain's death.Barry and Kashani expressed disappointment in the university's lack of public response. "It's been six days now," Kashani said at the time to the school newspaper. "There hasn't been any acknowledgment of mistakes that were made, systems that failed, no resignations, not even a call to celebrate Marshall's achievements."Brains friends and family plan to celebrate his achievements. His wife, Leigh Ann, their four childrenDavid, Irena, Johnny, and Ianand family dog Summer survive him. The family will host a Celebration of Life on December 8, 2024, at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary, North Carolina.If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in distress, please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 1-800-273-TALK (8255), which will put you in touch with a local crisis center.Benj EdwardsSenior AI ReporterBenj EdwardsSenior AI Reporter Benj Edwards is Ars Technica's Senior AI Reporter and founder of the site's dedicated AI beat in 2022. He's also a tech historian with almost two decades of experience. In his free time, he writes and records music, collects vintage computers, and enjoys nature. He lives in Raleigh, NC. 158 Comments

They Can Try"I cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn" - As work on The Hunt for Gollum continues, the team behind it has its fingers crossed that it can convince Viggo Mortensen to returnIt could be fun to give someone else a shot, though, no?Image credit: Warner Bros News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Dec. 4, 2024 It sounds like Warner Bros. is trying to bring back as much of the original cast as it can for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, as now they're after Viggo Mortensen.Back in September, it was reported that Warner Bros. was looking to get Ian McKellen to return to his classic role of Gandalf for the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum. While it's not become clear yet if he's signed on or not (a script still isn't completely ready yet), McKellen isn't the only classic Lord of the Rings actor they're hoping to add to the cast. Speaking to The Playlist, Lord of the Rings writer Philippa Boyens shared that The Hunt for Gollum is set to feature fan favourite character Aragorn quite prominently, and that herself alongside Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are really hopping Viggo Mortensen will reprise his role once more. The big question now is whether he'll agree to it or not.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "Honestly, thats entirely going to be up to Viggo, collaboratively and we are at a very early stage," Boyens said. "Ive spoken to Viggo, Andy [Serkis] has spoken to him, Peter [Jackson] has spoken to him, weve all spoken to each other and honestly, I cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn, but it will be completely and entirely up to Viggo. I know Andy wants to work with him, but also, we dont see this as like, using A.I. [technology], this is about a digital make-up, and whether Viggo does it or will entirely depends on how good the script is."Boyens noted that Mortensen doesn't actually have a script yet, and admitted they need to see if they write a good enough role for him first, and after that if the actor can "find enough in it to see that its a performance he wants to take on." Don't worry, though, as even if Mortensen doesn't take on the role, they'd still want him to be heavily involved - "how do we hand this character off? But literally that decision is several, several months away. Hes got to read the script first."The film is set to be not quite a sequel or a prequel, running parallel to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, the story starting after Bilbo's birthday party, but before the Mines of Moria. It also won't be two films, like previously reported, but one, with that other film being a separate Lord of the Rings project entirely. Essentially, Lord of the Rings fans will be eating good in a few years time.

Monster Hunter Wilds fans are blessed today with multiple videos showcasing more of the gameplay. One of these clips, featured inside a hefty PlayStation Blog post, shows the return of a much-requested quirk that'll go a long way in making the action feel so much better. Read more