8 things to watch out for this week

January's now in full swing, so kudos to anyone still following through with their New Year's resolutions. We're keeping our end of the bargain, by bringing you the pick of the upcoming week's best games, movies and TV, from the new Assassin's Creed Origins DLC, to the Metal Gear Survive open beta. Why not join the 12DOVE crew in another resolution, by taking part in our weekly #MCUrecap where we (re)watch a classic Marvel movie each Sunday in the run up to Avengers Infinity War? We've got all the details below in our pick of the eight things to watch out for this week.

The Room: Old Sins is going to be another example of brilliantly inventive mobile puzzling

Fireproof Games’ The Room series has made a name for itself for its stunning graphics, compelling universe of secrets and surprises, and its genius in using a smartphone’s unqiue gaming capabilities to the max. The fourth entry in the series was meant to launch last year, but thanks to some fine adjusting and last minute tweaking, we’ve had to wait until Jan to start prodding and poking The Room: Old Sins’ intricate puzzles. All we’ve seen of the game is the teaser gif above of the game’s opening moments, complete with atmospheric lightning and telescope that I’m just dying to zoom in on. There’s probably a bazillion puzzles just in that room alone. Let me at them. Sam Loveridge

What: The Room: Old Sins
Where: Apple’s App Store for iPad and iPhone
When: Wednesday, January 25

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter brings its supernatural detective work to Xbox One

Part spooky murder mystery, party lovely walk in the forest, Ethan Carter on Xbox One tasks you as an investigator trying to find the missing boy of the title. While it never outwardly explains why, this is achieved through a mixture of spectral visions and crimes scene investigation as you search out clues and use them to recreates ghostly versions of past events. The strangeness doesn’t stop there, as Ethan’s disappearance is a mix of madness, hallucinations and occasionally reality bending puzzles. All of which happens against the background of a sprawling forrest (something you can explore at will using the Xbox One’s new free roam mode). It’s not quite a horror game, not quite a walking sim, and not quite perfect, but an interesting narrative experiment all the same. Leon Hurley

What: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Where: Xbox One
When: Jan 19

Overwatch's new map is a treasure trove of Easter Eggs and fan service

Have you ever dreamed of gaining access to a private Blizzard theme park? Well, now you can! Blizzard has dated the next big update for the oh so addictive multiplayer game, called Blizzard World, which just happens to be filled with tons of Starcraft, World of Warcraft and even Diablo Easter eggs for you to discover. The park opens up on January 23 and from what the trailer shows off there are lots of tight spaces for Reaper to stalk you, plenty of buildings which Widowmaker will no doubt take advantage of and a working Eagle ride for… wait what!? An Eagle ride? Yes, Blizzard has added a ride called “Flight to Duskwood” that lets you hop on a moving Eagle as it takes you through a location in World of Warcraft that will certainly bring back some nostalgic memories. This is one update you don’t want to miss. Brandon Saltalamacchia

What: New Update
Where: Overwatch
When: Tuesday 23rd January

Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Hidden Ones DLC proves that Ubi is getting it right with extra content

Unlike the Sphinx when you first encounter it in the game, Ubisoft’s latest historical adventure is not small. Even after completing the lengthy campaign, you’ll find new story quests everywhere, updated daily missions across the sprawling country, and, y’know, Egyptian gods to defeat in the middle of the desert. Ubisoft Montreal doesn’t want you getting bored though. Further proving that Assassin's Creed Origins is no ordinary Ubisoft game, the Assassin's Creed Origins: Hidden Ones DLC is out on Monday and instead of tacked-on story DLC, it unlocks a whole new area of Egypt, adds new Legendary weaponry, ups the level cap and adds new levels for crafted gear. For those of us sitting at level 40, the Hidden Ones brings a whole new evolution to Bayek and a challenging set of new enemies. Plus, this is only a warm up for the Curse of the Pharoahs add on coming in March which will do the same thing all over again. Time to go back to your mummy. Louise Blain

What: Assassin’s Creed Origins: The Hidden Ones DLC
Where: PS4/Xbox One/PC
When: January 23

Download the open beta and make your own mind up about how Metal Gear Metal Gear Survive really is

There’s been a bit of a debate as to whether Metal Gear Survive is really a Metal Gear game. In fact, playing it during an extensive preview session, I am struggling to see where it really fits into canon - especially when it comes to the single-player. But Konami is letting you make up your own mind, and you won’t have to wait until the game comes out in February either. Konami is holding an open beta for the game on Xbox One and PS4 between January 18 - 21 and all you have to do is download it. It’ll give you access to the co-op horde mode multiplayer for the duration, where you have to build a base, fend off waves of attacking Wanderers (aka crystal zombies) and work together to stay alive. You do get some exclusive goodies to unlock in the full game - if you decide Metal Gear Survive is for you - but we’d suggest using this open beta to see what all the discussions have been about.

What: Metal Gear Survive open beta
Where: PS4 and Xbox One
When: January 18 - 21

Thumper: Pocket Edition is going to risk the safety of your smartphone

It’s very rare that a game offers a severe health and safety risk to tech but I have to say that Thumper, a self proclaimed ‘rhythm violence’ game previously only on consoles is here to challenge the beautiful shiny existence of your iPhone. Sure, it’s gorgeous and yes, the music is amazing as you send your beautiful shiny space beetle through 9 enormous levels of boss-ridden on rails action, but it’s also relentlessly, joyously difficult. There’s no room for error here. Every swipe and smudge across your smartphone demands perfect timing and dexterity. It’s so exact that developers Drool LLC suggest that you use wired headphones to remove any potential latency issues. Only by learning from your mistakes can you truly beat the joys of Thumper. Maybe buy yourself a case… Louise Blain

What: Thumper: Pocket Edition
Where: iOS
When: January 24

Watch one MCU movie a week starting now and you’ll just be finished in time for Avengers: Infinity War

What’s the one thing you want to do before you go see a sequel? Rewatch the first movie, right? How else are you supposed to remember what happened, or who killed who, or where that really important stone is… The problem is, in the age of Marvel Studios, recapping a beloved film franchise is no longer a day’s job. Oh no! Watching the Star Wars movies alone is at least a long weekend and if you want to recap the entire MCU before Avengers: Infinity War… well, you’d better have already started! As one passionate fan points out on Imgur, if you watch an MCU movie a week starting January 2018, you’ll have just finished before Infinity War comes out in April/May. But don’t panic if you haven’t already started because we’re hosting live watch-a-longs every Sunday and there’s still time to catch up. Check out our MCU recap schedule here and get started. There’s only 17 movies (18 if you include Black Panther) to watch after all. You can do it! Lauren O’Callaghan

What: Recap all of the MCU
Where: At home... or online with us!
When: Every Sunday at 8pm (GMT), 12pm (PT), or 3pm (ET) from now until the end of the time (aka, when Avengers: Infinity War comes out)

Enjoy the highest-level play on display at the Hearthstone World Championship

There's an inherent appeal to the illustrious grand finales of any esport, no matter the genre: getting to watch experts play one of your favorite games in ways you never imagined. That, and the gladiatorial nature of witnessing hardened veterans fight for glory until only one is left standing. The Hearthstone World Championship is closing out the Year of the Mammoth with a bang, and is effectively the last hurrah for the Hearthstone Standard format as we know it before key cards rotate out and potentially negate entire deck archetypes. Crucially, watching is also a great way to figure out how to play - and beat - some of the most prominent decks like Cubelock and Razakus Priest (I need all the help I can get against the former). Even if you can't catch the matches live, Hearthstone fans are getting hours upon hours of entertainment this weekend, and I can't wait. Lucas Sullivan

What: Biggest tournament of Hearthstone's Year of the Mammoth
Where: Hearthstone official Twitch channel
When: January 18 - 21

8 Things to Watch picks the best games, movies, TV shows and events in the week ahead, with a new update every Friday at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT.

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