8 things to watch out for this week

1. International Women’s Day is the best excuse to celebrate strong female characters in movies, TV and games

You definitely don’t need an excuse to celebrate strong female characters across all of entertainment, but on International Women’s Day, it feels like the perfect opportunity to give them all a little extra love and support. Whether it’s heading back into The Frozen Wilds with Aloy in Horizon Zero Dawn, seriously considering whether to shave your head a la Furiosa in Mad Max, raiding all the tombs with Lara Croft in Rise of the Tomb Raider, catching up with the latest badass action in Jessica Jones S2, or even watching the best DC movie ever, Wonder Woman, there are plenty of seriously awesome female characters to channel this International Women’s Day - and every other day for that matter. #GirlPower Sam Loveridge

What: International Women’s Day
Where: Worldwide
When: March 8

2. Tune in for the Oscars 2018 and celebrate the year in cinema

The biggest movie awards celebration of the year is this weekend and no matter how much we love the Golden Globes and maintain the BAFTAs are just as important, there’s nothing quite like the Academy Awards. The Oscars 2018 will be celebrating the best in cinema from the past 12 months (as well as its 90th birthday!) and you can find out who will be going home with a gold statuette by watching live. So grab your friends, throw a party (you can find our Oscars drinking game here), and tune in to the 90th Academy Awards this Sunday to find out who the Oscar winners 2018 will be. No matter who your favourite for Best Picture is, at least we can all agree that it’s been one hell of a year for film! And if you need to remind yourself of the Oscar nominations 2018, we’ve got your back... Lauren O’Callaghan

What: Oscars 2018
Where: The Dolby Theatre in LA… but you can watch live via the ABC Network in the US or the Sky Cinema Oscars channel in the UK.
When: March 4 at 1am GMT/8pm EST/6pm PST

3. Complete The Proving quest in Monster Hunter World to play as the one, the only, Aloy!

By now you’ve been playing Monster Hunter World for so long that the sight of a Great Jagras lurching out of the bushes probably fills you with the same kind of dread as encountering your 649th mudcrab in Skyrim. What you need is a new challenge. Luckily the second part of the Horizon Zero Dawn crossover has hit Monster Hunter World and is around until March 15 in the form of the mission titled ‘The Proving’, which allows you to craft the Nora war bow and wear Aloy’s skin. Yeah, that sounds kind of weird. It’s not a serial-killer-human-suit, though: the armour you’ll craft from taking down a Giant Anjanath creates a perfect rendering of Aloy herself, beads and all. As long as you’re Hunter Rank 11 or higher, it should be no worse than taking on your first Thunderjaw. You might have to kill the beast a handful of times to get enough materials to make the whole thing, but trust me: it’s worth it just to see the flame-haired seeker stalk some new quarries that aren’t made from nuts and bolts. Zoe Delahunty-Light

What: The Proving quest
Where: Monster Hunter World
When: February 28 - March 15

4. Discover Queer Eye on Netflix before you’re the last person in the world to find something in their eye when watching 2018’s happiest show

Of course, Queer Eye isn’t for you. As a fan of lavish box set TV, with its intricate plotting and metatextual themes, what could a gimmicky reality TV show starring five (mostly) high camp hairdressers, life coaches and interior designers offer you? Everything you didn’t know you wanted, and little you expected, as Netflix’s smart reboot of the cult makeover show sees our supernova-sunny five turning around the lives of a diverse cast of straight (and gay) men from all walks of life, while offering biting, yet hopeful, comment on America’s biggest social issues. If you’re choking back tears when Karamo – a man so blazingly handsome reality crumples into monochrome at his edges – opens up about his false conceptions of small town cop Cory, wait until you watch A.J. Brown, a man who hid his homosexuality from his late father, finally open up to his mother-in-law… *fans eyes*. Of course, Queer Eye isn’t for you. It’s for everyone. And, frankly, it’s worth watching for stylist Jonathan’s one-liners and safari onesie. Whether Queer Eye is the antidote to the modern culture of toxic masculinity or the Guardian's pick for best TV show of 2018, it’s going to make you feel good about life, which is so not 2018 in the best way possible. Dan Dawkins

What: Queer Eye
Where: Netflix
When: Now

5. Conquer your fear of punishing crane games with the adorable Part Time UFO

By now, you've probably conditioned yourself to ignore crane games (aka UFO catchers) at arcades, assuming that they'll rip you off with their faulty mechanisms and extremely weak gripping power. You're right to save your money - except when it comes to Part Time UFO, a delightful mobile game from the new HAL Egg branch of HAL Laboratory (the studio behind Kirby and Super Smash Bros.). Known as Hataraku UFO when it debuted in Japan late last year, you control an adorable flying saucer who goes around town helping quirky characters with odd jobs, all with the use of your extending crane arm. Despite my usual aversion to virtual joysticks and touchscreen buttons, the controls in Part Time UFO feel great, and it's constantly reminding me of beloved games like Rayman (with the high-pitched voices singing along to the catchy soundtrack) and WarioWare (given all the charming pixel art and hilarious animations of background NPCs). I'm still chipping away at its many achievement medals, but I'd already put Part Time UFO up there with mobile greats like Ridiculous Fishing and Silly Sausage, easily justifying its $3.99/£3.99 asking price. Lucas Sullivan

What: Part Time UFO
Where: iOS / Android
When: Now

6. Jessica Jones season 2 promises to answer the big questions

The hard drinking super-powered private eye is back, which means more whisky, more bad tempered wisecracks and plenty of people being punched through walls. No spoilers here but it looks like the show will be probing Jessica's past, with teasing flashbacks of the experiments that gave her her powers and a strong hint that she’ll be investigating her past. One issue that’s going to be really interesting to explore is that of Kilgrave, her nemesis from the first season. He’s very definitely dead, but that hasn’t stopped actor David Tennant appearing on set, or trailers teasing his return. The question is, has he somehow come back, or is Jones just experiencing PTSD hallucinations? Leon Hurley

What: Jessica Jones season 2
Where: Netflix
When: March 8

7. Bloodborne makes for one of the best free PS Plus games ever, but is it a tease for something more?

Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service has delivered some inconceivably big, brilliant games as monthly freebies over the last couple of years, but this month’s offerings are particularly ludicrous. Coming, along with the brilliant Ratchet & Clank, is From Software’s spiritual successor to Dark Souls, Bloodborne. A categorical, Gothic eldritch horror masterpiece of a thing, it’s every bit as rich, deep, and intelligent as its medieval forbears, with an entirely new, far more dynamic and aggressive vibe. But aside from celebrating the brilliance of it coming for free, we can’t help questioning the timing. You see, at The Game Awards last year, an untitled new trailer for an untitled new From game appeared. It showed very little, and explained even less, but its imagery and atmosphere felt very Bloodborne indeed. Could it be a sequel? Could a reveal be planned for some time not too far in the future? Could, in fact, Bloodborne’s appearance as a PS Plus free game be to ensure a bigger fan-base for Bloodborne 2? It’s all very curious and intriguing. But I’m going to say ‘Yes’. And I’m going to get very excited about it. David Houghton

What: Bloodborne free on PS Plus
Where: PlayStation Store
When: March 6

8. The Heathers TV remake is out, and may have completely missed the point of the original

Well, f*ck me gently with a chainsaw, the TV remake of Heathers hits the Paramount Network on March 7 and sees a new gaggle of popular, despicable teens terrorize their high school. Following the plot of the original cult movie, the three Heathers who rule the school are taken down one by one by Veronica and her edgy boyfriend, JD. Except this time the Heathers have been reimagined for the 21st century, meaning the shoulder pads and bouffant hair has been replaced by body positivity, crop tops, and a lot of selfies. Don’t get your hopes up, though. The trailer makes a big deal out of how irritating the Heathers (supposedly) are without touching on the main theme of the original Heathers from the 80’s, which shows how futile it is to try and destroy the most powerful person in your social circle. However depressing this sounds, there will always be someone eager to take their place and bully everyone around them. Sigh. Zoe Delahunty-Light

What: Heathers TV series
Where: Paramount Network
When: March 7

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