November 2021

Video Games Stuck In Development Hell: Part 2

2 years 4 months ago

While playing a game may sometimes be a short experience for players, hundreds, if not thousands, of work hours created it, even more so for longer titles. Game development is complicated, and crossing the finish line to hit release is a feat unto itself. 

However, sadly, not every game makes it across that line. A few end up somewhere informally known as “development hell.” It’s here that games might reside for months, years, or in some rare cases, over a decade. In Part 1 of this development hell series, we detailed the development history and path to development hell for five games – Pikmin 4, Skull & Bones, Beyond Good and Evil 2, In the Valley of Gods, and Dead Island 2 – and below, in Part 2, we’ll examine five more.

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

Tell Us What's Happening In This Concerning Pokémon Scene

2 years 4 months ago

There's a mystery afoot, and we need the assistance of our best detectives: The Game Informer community! 

Snorlax is known to slumber wherever it wants, usually blocking the paths up-and-coming trainers need to cross to continue their journey. Coaxing a Snorlax to wake up and get out of the way isn't easy and usually requires the melody of a special flute to do the heavy lifting. This situation looks quite a bit different than your usual sleepover, though. It may be dangerous, innocuous, or even nefarious, but that's up to you, dear reader! 

We'd love to hear what you think is happening in the image above involving the passed-out Snorlax on the train tracks with Yamper and Machamp surrounding the behemoth. Give us your best story in the comments!

You can work with the above picture to build your description of what in tarnation is happening. Below you can see three more angles at the scene, giving more context but begs even more questions like: 

Does Machamp think he can stop a speeding train with just a sign?
Is Snorlax the real Santa?
If not, whose gifts are those?
Did Yamper pull a Snidely Whiplash and tie Snorlax to the tracks?
Why has Machamp imprinted its massive mitts on the slumbering giant? 

Click image thumbnails to view larger version

Author
John Carson

Marvel’s Avengers: Square Enix Removes Paid XP Boosts After One Month Following Player Backlash

2 years 4 months ago

Paid XP boosts will be removed from Marvel’s Avengers today following backlash from the player community, less than a month after they were first introduced. 

Before the launch of Marvel’s Avengers, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics released a blog post in August of 2020 that stated: “content purchasable with real money in Marvel’s Avengers will be aesthetic-only additions.” Then, around the start of last month, paid XP boosts had been quietly introduced to the Avengers marketplace, and, as expected, players were not happy, as first reported by Video Games Chronicle

Click here to watch embedded media

Author
Wesley LeBlanc

There's More To Apex Legends' Ash Than Villainous Intent, Says Lead Writer

2 years 4 months ago

Apex Legends Season 11: Escape has begun, adding Ash to the roster of playable characters as a new offensive legend. In terms of story, Ash is a narrative outlier--her condescending dialogue and cutthroat actions read as villainous, or at least antagonistic, towards the other legends. Respawn lead writer Ashley Reed has teased, however, that there's more to Ash than "villainous intent."

"Ash certainly comes off like a villain--she's cold, calculating, self-interested, and unforgiving," Reed told GameSpot over email. "She also has gripes with multiple other legends, some of whom don't even know she has it out for them. But there's more to her than just villainous intent--that's all I can say for now, but answers await in Season 11."

In terms of playable characters, Apex Legends doesn't have too many outright villains in its roster. Caustic was the closest the game had at launch, though his disposition softened when he became a fatherly figure to Wattson in Season 2: Battle Charge. Wattson--and to an extent, Crypto much later down the line in Season 9: Legacy--transformed how players viewed Caustic. He's not a good person by any stretch of the imagination, but he's not evil either.

Author
Jordan Ramée

Tags

Far Cry 6 Danny Trejo Mission Removed In Patch After Being Released Too Early

2 years 4 months ago

Ubisoft has released Title Update 2 for Far Cry 6 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The same update for PC, Stadia, and Luna is planned to launch as soon as possible.

This new patch has a significant change, in that it removes the Dani & Danny vs Everybody mission featuring actor Dan Trejo. Ubisoft said that the mission was accidentally released too early and that the final version will come in the near future. Far Cry 6's post-launch content this month is supposed to be the Insanity Vaas DLC expansion, while Danny Trejo's mission is scheduled for December.

In Dani & Danny vs Everybody, players will receive a call from Juan asking Dani to meet with his friend Danny Trejo to help him out.

The update also has a few other notable changes, such as a new Special Operation: Los Tres Santos that is available on November 9, as well as some quality of life changes. The title sequence can now be skipped just like other cutscenes can, and a Moneda tutorial is added after finishing the game's first Insurgency.

In related news, Ubisoft also seems to email you if you don't play Far Cry 6 enough. Hopefully, the post-launch content is enough to draw players back in!

Author
George Yang

Tags

Apex Legends Ash: All Launch Legendary Skins

2 years 4 months ago

Apex Legends Season 11: Escape is now live across all platforms, bringing the new map Storm Front and the new offensive legend Ash. Like the start of previous seasons, there are a ton of new items available in the game, primarily from the new battle pass and all of the unlockable items available for the new legend.

Like other legends, Ash launched with four legendary skins available as part of the base game. All four of these skins now have a chance to appear in Apex Packs or can be crafted with 1,200 crafting materials. Like other base game legendary skins, these skins cannot be purchased directly with Apex Coins, unless they are featured in the store for that week. There is also a fifth legendary skin available for Ash as part of her launch bundle.

Author
James Carr

Tags

PlayStation 5 CMOS Battery Issue Reportedly Fixed Now, Ensuring Game Functionality

2 years 4 months ago

When the CMOS battery in your PlayStation 5 eventually dies, you will still be able to play it, according to a new report.

Based on a new video from Hikikomori Media, a PS5 with an expired or missing CMOS battery will not invalidate the launch of any PS4 and PS5 games on the console. The CMOS battery is used to power a PlayStation's internal clock, and so when a game is started on it, the internal clock verifies the date and time on a remote server to make sure you're able to play them.

Previously, when the CMOS battery either died or was removed, the PlayStation console would ask you to manually put in the date and time, and then will try to sync them online. However, if the PlayStation Network wasn't functioning properly, then your console won't connect to it, rendering any games unplayable. This applied to all digital games, as well as PS4 physical games and some PS5 ones. But now, fortunately, this is no longer an issue.

Hypothetically, the problem meant if PlayStation Network ever shut down permanently in the future, then you wouldn't be able to play any game if the CMOS battery died. Sony sent an update back in September that corrected this issue on PS4.

Author
George Yang

Tags

Diablo 4, Overwatch 2 Delayed, No New Release Dates Announced

2 years 4 months ago

Activision Blizzard has delayed the releases of both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, two of Blizzard's most anticipated releases. As announced in its latest quarterly earnings, the company said that both will launch later "than originally envisioned."

"These are two of the most eagerly anticipated titles in the industry, and our teams have made great strides towards completion in recent quarters," the statement said. "But we believe giving the teams some extra time to complete production and continue growing their creative resources to support the titles after launch will ensure that these releases delight and engage their communities for many years into the future."

The statement also noted that this will also delay an anticipated "financial uplift" for the company next year. "But we are confident that this is the right course of action for our people, our players, and the long-term success of our franchises." No new release dates were announced, but given that Activision Blizzard anticipates that it won't get a financial bump from them next year, they may not come until 2023--perhaps not until April 2023 due to the beginning of the financial year.

In another part of the investor presentation, Activision Blizzard noted that the Overwatch League will still play an early build of Overwatch 2 starting next spring.

Author
Steve Watts

Tags

Extreme Sports Game Riders Republic Has A Secret Exercise Bike That Doesn't Go Anywhere

2 years 4 months ago

Riders Republic is all about speed, style, and extreme stunts. The vast majority of the vehicles and sports in the game encourage you to take risks and go big. But Riders Republic also contains a few secrets, including one that is distinctly not extreme: A "rideable" exercise bike that doesn't actually do anything.

In the Cascade Canyon section of the Grand Tetons, you can find a relic--the game's secret collectibles--that's marked with a Christmas tree and a bunch of presents. Approach the spot and you can get the relic's secret vehicle, the Training Bike.

The Training Bike in Riders Republic doesn't move an inch.

It's not exaggerating to call this useless: With a skill rating of 1, it has by far the worst stats of any vehicle in the game. There's also the matter of it not actually doing anything. You can't move the Training Bike; your character will just pedal away enthusiastically. You might call it an exercise in futility.

Author
Alex Newhouse

Tags

Riders Republic Relic Guide - How To Get All Of The Secret Sports

2 years 4 months ago

Riders Republic offers a massive open world to explore on bike, snowboard, skis, and rocket wings. These core tools are also what you rely on to complete the various trick and race events throughout the game.

However, they aren't the only sports that Riders Republic contains. In addition to the normal vehicles, you can also acquire a number of special tools and toys by finding the hidden relics scattered throughout the map. These secret rewards range from legitimately helpful to downright useless, but all of them are worth a try.

Finding all of the relics can be a bit difficult, however, as they show up on the map with only a question-mark icon. This means that they're indistinguishable from the much more numerous landmark locations until you discover them. We've put together this guide to help you go directly to the locations of the relics, letting you skip all those landmarks.

Author
Alex Newhouse

Tags

Why CoD: Vanguard Zombies Is Launching Without An Easter Egg Quest Or Round-Based Maps

2 years 4 months ago

Call of Duty: Vanguard is just days from release, and this year's game will launch with a full campaign, multiplayer, and a brand-new Zombies experience. While Sledgehammer Games developed the campaign and multiplayer, Treyarch took helm of Vanguard's Zombies mode, and we've now got some new insight into what to expect.

On October 14, Zombies received a worldwide reveal with a trailer that showcases a shift to more demonic themes with Vanguard. Zombies mode is confirmed to launch with the map Der Anfang, which serves as a narrative prequel to Black Ops Cold War's Dark Aether storyline. Along with the trailer, Treyarch released a blog post to introduce some characters and discuss new game mechanics coming to Vanguard Zombies. It's uncertain how this map will be received by the Zombies community, as Der Anfang is not a standard round-based map, and instead is designed as a new objective-based mode similar to Black Ops Cold War's Outbreak.

GameSpot got the opportunity to sit down with Treyarch lead writer Craig Houston, senior writer Tony Bedard, associate director of design Gavin Locke, and creative specialist Miles Leslie to discuss Vanguard's Zombies mode, and what lies ahead for post-launch content.

GameSpot: Zombies recently had a big reveal, and we got our first look at what's a very demonic-looking experience with Der Anfang. What inspired the shift to the occult for Vanguard?

Author
S.E. Doster

Tags

Lord Of The Rings Star Talks About Playing A Sadistic Nazi Villain In Call Of Duty: Vanguard

2 years 4 months ago

Actor Dominic Monaghan has serious range. He starred in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series as the good-hearted, humble Hobbit Merry, one of the Fellowship's nine members. His next role is the sadistic Nazi officer Jannick Richter in Sledgehammer's Call of Duty: Vanguard, which releases this Friday, November 5. In an interview with GameSpot, Monaghan told us about how preparing for a character like Merry and Richter actually aren't all that different.

As an actor, Monaghan said his job is to find the justification for his character's behavior, and then bring that to life. In the case of Merry from The Lord of the Rings, viewers might find it easier to relate to a simple, country-loving Hobbit than, say, a war criminal. But there is a truth at the heart of each character that Monaghan taps into.

"Obviously Merry's motivation to do things might be a little easier to understand. He's trying to help out his friends. He's trying to stay alive. And fight for the good guys. And I'm sure the character I play in Call of Duty, he probably thinks he's fighting for the good guys," Monaghan said.

Monaghan said he couldn't give away too many specifics about his Vanguard character to avoid spoilers, but he said Richter is "paranoid" and fearful about how the war is going. The only glimpse of Richter we've seen so far came in a campaign trailer where he is torturing someone. This appears to be the pivotal scene that jumped off the page for Monaghan when he first got a hold of his script.

Author
Eddie Makuch

Tags

Get 3 Months Of Xbox Game Pass On PC For $1 (New Subscribers Only)

2 years 4 months ago

As part of its effort to grow Xbox Game Pass subscribers, Microsoft is offering a pretty sweet deal for Xbox Game Pass for PC. A new offer rolled out today, November 2, through which new subscribers can sign up and get three months for only $1.

It's a very good time to have Game Pass, too, as Forza Horizon 5 (November 9) and Halo Infinite (December 8) are launching very soon, while Age of Empires IV and Minecraft were just recently added to Game Pass. With this deal, you can play all of those games (and many, many more) for only $1. The service normally costs $10/month.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($15/month), meanwhile, includes Xbox Game Pass for console and PC, and it also comes with Xbox Cloud Gaming and EA Play. Microsoft is also offering Ultimate subscriptions for new subscribers for only $1 for three months.

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's ambitious subscription program that offers members a growing catalog of freebies as part of a single subscription. New additions to Xbox Game Pass in November include the previously mentioned Forza Horizon 5, as well as GTA: San Andreas Definitive Edition, It Takes Two, and Football Manager 22, among others.

In other news, Microsoft recently announced that Xbox Game Pass subscriber numbers continue to grow, but not as fast as the company expected. Microsoft only revealed this because CEO Satya Nadella gets a bonus if Game Pass subscribers reach certain targets.

Author
Eddie Makuch

Tags

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Patch Notes Detail New Melee Weapon

2 years 4 months ago

Call of Duty Season 6 continues in Black Ops Cold War, and the November 2 patch notes detail a new melee weapon and playlist refresh will arrive with the weekly update. This new update is scheduled to release on November 2 at 9 PM PT / 12 AM ET on November 3.

New Melee Weapon

Hammer & Sickle

The Hammer & Sickle is the last announced weapon for Black Ops Cold War. This is a dual-wield melee weapon that allows players to melee attack with both a hammer and a sickle. Unlock challenges will be available in Black Ops Cold War and Warzone when the update arrives. There will likely be a store bundle available for those who want to purchase the new weapon and avoid doing the unlock challenge, but the patch notes didn't specify the details.

Playlist Update

New modes will arrive to multiplayer, including the return of Nuketown 24/7 and the 3v3 Gunfight Snipers Only playlists. Throwback Moshpit also returns, which will feature Nuketown '84 and Cold War's remastered maps from past Black Ops games. Additionally, the 18-player Infected mode will continue this week.

Author
S.E. Doster

Tags

Marvel's Avengers Is Removing Paid XP Boosts After Player Backlash

2 years 4 months ago

Marvel's Avengers will no longer offer paid consumables for real money in its in-game store, following player backlash. The news comes via a statement posted to the game's official Twitter account.

"We apologize for not responding sooner to your concerns about the addition of paid consumables in the Marketplace," the official statement reads. "We introduced them as an option for an evolving player base, and did not see them as pay-to-win since they don't offer power directly."

The paid consumables in question, Hero's Catalysts and Fragment Extractors, allowed players to gain XP faster or earn more of the in-game currency used to upgrade gear. Previously earnable through playing the game, the items were added to the Marvel's Avengers marketplace in exchange for the game's premium currency in early October. They will once again be earnable rewards, and boosts already owned by players will still be usable.

"We hope that this can be the first step in rebuilding your confidence in us as a team," the statement reads.

Author
Cameron Koch

Tags

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Is Shutting Down

2 years 4 months ago

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the Pokemon Go-style mobile game from Niantic, is shutting down. The game will cease operation on January 31, 2022, the developers have announced.

Ahead of that, Niantic is pulling the game from iOS and Android on December 6, which is also when in-game purchases will be turned off.

In a blog post, the studio said "millions" of people played Wizards Unite, but no reason for the shutdown was provided. In a separate post on Niantic's website, the team said, "Not all games are meant to last forever." It added that Wizards Unite had a two-year narrative story arc in mind, and that will soon end, with the game closing as well.

"We'll take all of the learnings from Harry Potter: Wizards Unite into our other projects," Niantic said. The studio just recently launched its latest Pokemon Go-style game, Pikmin Bloom.

For Wizards Unite, players can expect a series of bonuses and extras now until the game closes. Starting today, players can make the most of these gameplay changes:

Author
Eddie Makuch

Tags

Blizzard Creates World Of Warcraft Community Council To Gather Detailed Fan Feedback

2 years 4 months ago

In the interest of gathering more detailed player feedback, Blizzard is forming a World of Warcraft community council in which a wide-range of players will be able to offer their opinions on various topics as they relate to Blizzard's MMORPG.

Stating that "gathering and understanding feedback is more important than ever," Blizzard is currently accepting submissions from players to join the council, and is looking for a variety in playstyles to fully encompass all aspects of the game.

"One of the key goals with this program is to encourage discussion with players from a wide variety of different playstyles," Blizzard states. "To help ensure this, part of the application process will involve sharing your areas of interest and expertise. Whether it's cutting-edge raiding, playing alts, completing achievements, accessibility, or collecting transmog, we want to know your perspective and ensure you're heard."

Players selected for the council will be able to post in a special forum and respond directly to topics and discussions started by members of the WoW development team and various community managers. Blizzard states that "separate conversations between smaller groups of members and Blizzard developers will be encouraged to ensure players with differing perspectives are being heard."

Those selected for the council will be able to participate for one year before applications will become open once more.

Author
Cameron Koch

Tags

Call Of Duty Season 6 Cinematic Closes Out The Black Ops Cold War Storyline

2 years 4 months ago

On November 2, Treyarch shared a final cutscene for Call of Duty Season 6, and the cinematic outro not only brings closure to Adler, but also serves to close out Black Ops Cold War's ongoing storyline for multiplayer and Warzone.

Black Ops Cold War's post-launch narrative has been a back and forth battle between Adler and Stitch. Throughout the seasons, Alder was kidnapped, tortured, and even brainwashed by Stitch with the iconic Numbers broadcast that led him to blow up huge chunks of Verdansk. Thanks to help from Alex Mason, who was introduced as Season 6's new operator, Alder was deprogrammed and the mission to hunt down Stitch resumed.

Author
S.E. Doster

Tags

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Is Closing Down as of January, 2022

2 years 4 months ago

The location-based AR game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is closing down early next year, Jan. 22, 2022, publisher Niantic has announced today. It will be removed from the App Store and Google Play following that date, while in-game purchases will cease to be available from Dec. 6, 2021.

Wizards Unite, which was largely based on the same blueprint as Niantic’s highly successful Pokemon GO, started off in good form with a lucrative launch month before dropping off in a drastic fashion. Presumably, the meager returns in comparison to its big brother Pokemon GO have prompted Niantic to pull the plug. That being said, no official reason for the game’s closure is stated in today’s announcement.

Niantic is not offering any refunds to those who have spent money on in-App currency or other purchases, but avid players of the game can at least look forward to a bunch of in-game rewards as a final blowout. Niantic has posted a lengthy overview in its blog post today, which details increased progression across the board until the game’s shutdown, as well as ten or so planned events over the next couple of months. You can read the full overview here.

The post Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Is Closing Down as of January, 2022 appeared first on Twinfinite.

Author
Alex Gibson

Tags

Microsoft Flight Simulator F-35 & F-104 Get New Screenshots & Video; Twin Otter Liveries Revealed; Bonanza V-Tail Released

2 years 4 months ago

Today third-party developers had news to share about upcoming add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator, on top of a relevant aircraft release.

We hear from IndiaFoxtEcho, which released new screenshots of its upcoming F-35 Lightning II.

The developer also provide more information on its plans for the aircraft.

“After the latest internal review, we think we have cleared most of the quality issues that drove our decision to delay the release of the F-35, but at the moment the projected release date is around the November 15th – which makes no sense as Sim Update 7 is planned for November 18th (and it is supposed to fix a number of the shortcomings of the simulator for supersonic fighter jets). Moreover, there is always the chance that SU7 may break some of the features of the plane – so we will first wait for the release of SU7, check that everything works and if there is any important improvement we can make with the new features and then release the F-35.

The extra time will be spent in adding some features that we previously decided to leave out from the initial build… such as a reworked autopilot interface and a static CVN-78 carrier (we do not like static carrier approach as it is not very realistic, but it is a much-requested feature). Do not expect anything as good as the DCS Supercarrier, but at least you will be able to perform launch and recoveries (and if you set 30 kts wind from the bow the approach dynamics is still not realistic, but not incredibly awful).”

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

Tags

Is a Quake Reboot Bethesda’s Next Big Xbox-Exclusive FPS? - Unlocked 518

2 years 4 months ago

Is id Software moving onto Quake after Doom? Job postings suggest that might be the case, and we discuss what we'd like to see out of what would be Xbox's next major exclusive first-person shooter. Plus: Miranda and Ryan tell you about their visit to 343 Industries to play Halo Infinite, Sega and Microsoft forge a new partnership, and more!

Subscribe on any of your favorite podcast feeds, to our new YouTube channel, or grab an MP3 download of this week's episode. For more awesome content, check out our Halo Infinite new multiplayer map reveal below:

Oh, and you can be featured on Unlocked by tweeting us a video Loot Box question! Tweet your question and tag Ryan at @DMC_Ryan!

For more next-gen coverage, make sure to check out our Xbox Series X review, our Xbox Series S review, and our PS5 review.

Author
Ryan McCaffrey

Tags

Darkest Dungeon 2 Early Access Review

2 years 4 months ago

When Darkest Dungeon was first released in early access in 2015, it was a minor miracle. The tension-filled roguelike-ish design, the stress system on top of a Lovecraftian horror setting, and especially the sound, amazingly atmospheric narrator, and music combined to create an instant classic of a tactical role-playing game that was then refined into an outstanding and distinctive final version a year later. It’s a tough act to follow, but Red Hook Games has given it a worthy shot with the early access launch of Darkest Dungeon 2. The good news is that this sequel has a different enough structure and technical improvements that it more than justifies its existence, taking the original formula into surprisingly new directions instead of simple additions we often see in follow ups. The less good news is that there are some pretty significant tweaks that seem necessary before it can really hold a torch to the original.

Aside from the switch to animated 3D graphics that closely match the gritty style of the original’s 2D paper doll characters, there are two massive changes to Darkest Dungeon 2: the campaign is significantly smaller in scope, and character relationships are now the center of the stress system instead of individual mentality. Both take the experience in fascinating, if not always good, new directions.

Author
Dan Stapleton

Tags

Marvel's Avengers' controversial paid XP boosts to be removed following backlash

2 years 4 months ago

Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics are removing Marvel's Avengers' controversial progression boosts from sale today as a "first step in rebuilding [players'] confidence in us as a team".

Square faced a furious backlash from Avengers players last month after it began selling XP booster "consumables" in the game's real-money store, despite pre-launch promises it would only ever monetise cosmetics. It was a step the community had feared was coming ever since Crystal Dynamics introduced an unpopular XP nerf back in March, and fan response to the arrival of paid boosters was swift and brutal.

Read more

Author
Matt Wales

Tags

Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 have been delayed

2 years 4 months ago

Activision Blizzard has announced Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 will now arrive later "than originally envisaged", potentially pushing the launch of both titles into 2023 at the earliest.

"As we have worked with new leadership in Blizzard and within the franchises themselves," the publisher explained in its Q3 2021 earning report, "particularly in certain key creative roles, it has become apparent that some of the Blizzard content planned for next year will benefit from more development time to reach its full potential."

Read more

Author
Matt Wales

Tags

Blizzard Co-Lead Jen Oneal Stepping Down At End Of The Year

2 years 4 months ago

Activision Blizzard's landscape is everchanging in the wake of the lawsuit from the state of California regarding toxic workplace culture, and another big shift happened during the company's quarterly earnings call. Jen Oneal, who was appointed co-lead of Blizzard with Mike Ybarra a few months ago, will step down and leave the company at the end of 2021. 

In a letter posted on Blizzard's website, Jen Oneal explains the leadership situation moving forward as well as where she will be off to next.

Author
John Carson

Overwatch 2 And Diablo 4 Are Being Delayed, Most Likely Out Of 2022

2 years 4 months ago

During its quarterly investor call today, Activision Blizzard has announced the releases of Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV are being pushed back further than expected, enough to change the company's financial outlook for next year.

While we are still planning to deliver a substantial amount of content from Blizzard next year," reads a slide from the presentation," we are now planning for a later launch for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV than originally envisaged." You can read the slide in its entirety below.

Author
John Carson

The Art Of Foundation

2 years 4 months ago

I’ve really been enjoying Foundation so far. As someone who hasn’t read Asimov’s books, and who can find joy in pretty much any movie or TV series so long as it looks great, I’ve been soaking up the spaceships and costume designs in spite of the show’s plodding pace.

Read more...

Author
Luke Plunkett

Tags

Marvel's Avengers Removes Purchasable XP Boosters from the In-Game Marketplace

2 years 4 months ago

Crystal Dynamics has announced that it will be removing Hero's Catalysts and Fragment Extractors from the Marvel's Avengers in-game marketplace. The game's official Twitter account laid out the reasoning.

"We apologize for not responding sooner to your concerns about the addition of paid consumables in the Marketplace,” said the statement. “We introduced them as an option for an evolving player base, and did not see them as pay-to-win since they don’t offer power directly.”

The Hero Catalysts and Fragment Extractors were consumable items that boosted XP for characters and speed up the usual grind in the game. The items can still be earned as normal gameplay rewards and those already earned will still be usable.

Marvel's Avengers was added to Xbox Game Pass on September 30 for console, cloud, and PC. This news was received favorably given its potential to attract new players, but the mood quickly soured. The decision to include these consumables into the in-game marketplace last month was met with backlash.

Author
George Yang

Tags

World of Warcraft Game Director Says Removal of Poorly-Aged WoW Content Isn't a 'Smokescreen'

2 years 4 months ago

In the last month or so, World of Warcraft has been working on a number of small changes to older parts of the game, removing or editing content that, well, hasn't aged all that well.

Some of this, Blizzard explicitly addressed, such as its removals of references to real-life employees who have departed the company in the wake of a lawsuit alleging harassment, discrimination, and a toxic work environment. Other changes are more subtle, though, like the toning down of some in-game paintings and the removal of a number of "joke" lines that players could deliver using a chat command. Much of the removed content could be considered unnecessarily sexual compared to the tone of the rest of the game, or was explicitly or implicitly degrading toward women.

These changes have been steadily rolled out on World of Warcraft's Public Test Realm, but are preparing to go live in an upcoming game patch. As websites have datamined, discovered, and reported on these changes, the community's reaction has been mixed, a reaction that was acknowledged in a recent VentureBeat interview with game director Ion Hazzikostas.

Author
Rebekah Valentine

Tags

Blizzard co-leader Jen Oneal stepping down after just three months in role

2 years 4 months ago

Jen Oneal, who joined Blizzard as new co-leader back in August, has announced she's stepping down from the role and will leave Activision at the end of the year to explore "how I can do more to have games and diversity intersect".

Oneal, formerly the boss of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy studio Vicarious Visions, was hired as Blizzard co-leader alongside Mike Ybarra following the departure of Blizzard president J. Allen Brack - who left amid the fallout from the State of California's ongoing lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, discrimination, and a "frat boy" work culture at the company.

Read more

Author
Matt Wales

Tags

Blizzard Shake-Up Continues As Co-head Jen Oneal Prepares Departure

2 years 4 months ago

It has only been a few months since the leadership shuffle over at Blizzard that saw J. Allen Brack step down from his position as president of the company. His replacements, Mike Ybarra and Jen Oneal, took over then as Blizzard co-heads, with the idea of steadying the ship. However, it appears that plans have changed, with Oneal announcing her departure at the end of the year.

Thankfully, it appears to be something more positive that is driving the move.

“Effective immediately, Mike Ybarra will lead Blizzard, I am doing this not because I am without hope for Blizzard, quite the opposite—I’m inspired by the passion of everyone here, working towards meaningful, lasting change with their whole hearts,” Oneal said in her statement.

Author
Jake Su

Tags

Experience Tabletop RPG Goodness With The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game

2 years 4 months ago

Sometimes, you just cannot get enough of something, and for Bethesda, it is apparently The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The running joke that Skyrim is coming to all possible gaming platforms has brought us plenty of laughter over the years, but it remains true that more players are getting the chance to enjoy the roleplaying game’s merits. Now, even tabletop gamers will have no excuses following the reveal of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game.

Developed by Modiphius Entertainment with the guiding hands of Bethesda Game Studios, the upcoming board game looks set to be a deep and hopefully enjoyable experience. One to four players can embark on their tabletop adventure into Tamriel, and get a taste of that Skyrim awesomeness.

There are definitely going to be some familiar sights, with the world and inhabitants being brought to life with the help of cards and miniatures in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game. Of course, we cannot forget about the extensive list of weapons, armour, enemies, events, and more.

If tabletop gaming is your kind of thing, you will be able to follow the development of this project via Gamefound. The targetted release date for backers is set for August 2022, but it is never too early to get excited about something you love.

You can also take a gander at The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – The Adventure Game trailer below:

Author
Jake Su

Tags

Latest Far Cry 6 Patch Brings Bug Fixes, Improvements & DLC Preparations

2 years 4 months ago

If you have been waiting for the next big patch to drop for Far Cry 6, then your prayers have been answered. Ubisoft has prepped more content, some gameplay updates, as well as bug fixes for the guerilla shooter, and players can update their game now to see the benefits of Title Update 2.

Depending on your platform of choice, there are different sizes of the latest Far Cry 6 patch.

  • PlayStation 4: Between 49 GB and 60 GB depending on region 
  • PlayStation 5: ~90 GB 
  • Xbox One: between 13 GB and 19 GB 
  • Xbox Series X/S: between 14 GB and 20 GB 

The PC patch, alongside those for Stadia and Luna, will come as soon as possible, and weighs in at 54GB and an additional 47GB for the HD Texture Pack. The patch also removes the new Dani & Danny vs Everybody mission starring Danny Trejo, as that was apparently released by accident. The final version is still in the works.

Here is the full overview of the Far Cry 6 Title Update 2 patch via Ubisoft:

Gameplay updates 
• New Daily and Weekly Challenges have been added.
• (Available November 9th) New Special Operation: Los Tres Santos. 
• Adjusted the respawn rate of enemies in the following areas: José’s Island and Martínez (Philly’s) Airstrip. 
• General performance improvements. 

Author
Jake Su

Tags

New World’s Economy Is on Fire As Auction House & Taxes Get Halted

2 years 4 months ago

While it’s a pretty solid game at its core, New World has suffered through its fair share of problems since launch. World transfers were a bit of a confusing mess, there was a gold exploit that came with it, and now, Amazon has taken drastic measures in an effort to resolve issues surrounding another gold duplication exploit.

Those measures include halting all wealth transfers in the game including trading, sending currency to players and the guild treasury, and selling and buying items through the trading post. The tax system has also come to a halt, which means that town income is at a standstill and it’s become impossible to upgrade crafting stations or defenses.

To make matters worse, wars and invasions are still ongoing during this period of time, so if a town gets completely wrecked by an invasion, it’s pretty much impossible to bring your affected stations back to their original levels. There’s no ETA on when currency transfers will be available in the game again, but we’ll keep you updated as more info comes our way.

New World is now available on PC.

The post New World’s Economy Is on Fire As Auction House & Taxes Get Halted appeared first on Twinfinite.

Author
Zhiqing Wan

Tags

Mecha Strategy JRPG Relayer for PS5 & PS4 Reveals GS-TA01/Ju Ferretorius, GS-TA01 Amaterasu, & GS-TA01 Galaxy Star

2 years 4 months ago

Kadokawa Games has been revealing new artwork, screenshots, and details about the upcoming mecha strategy JRPG Relayer.

First of all, we get to see more of the playable mecha that we’ll be able to enjoy in the game.

The first is the Stella Gear piloted by Jupiter named “Ferretorius.” It’s a tank-class mecha inspired by the guardian deity of single combat. It has excellent armor and melee capabilities.

  • Name: Ferretorius
  • Model Number: GS-TA01/Ju
  • Stats
    • Armor S
    • Mobility B
    • Firepower B
    • Melee S
    • Electronic Warfare C

Sun’s Stella Gear “Amaterasu” is also a tank class with great armor and melee stats.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

Tags

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars Review – Bliss and Blight

2 years 4 months ago

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars Review on PS5

Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars isn’t actually a card game — it’s an RPG with a card-based aesthetic. And while the eye-catching art direction and D&D campaign feel make for great initial attention-grabbers, Voice of Cards starts to lose steam during its second half.

The story isn’t one that hasn’t been told before. There’s a dragon that suddenly appears to terrorize the Isle of Bliss and the Isle of Blight, and you follow a group of adventurers who get together to stop it after Queen Nilla starts the hunt. You take on the role of Ash, traveling with a witch named Melanie and a strange creature named Mar that looks oddly similar to a Quagsire from Pokemon.

Ash is a bounty hunter who’s in it for the money above all else, while Melanie seems to have a personal grudge against the dragon, along with all other monsters. The party will slowly grow as the journey continues, which only adds to the humor, bickering, and camaraderie.

There are many familiar and predictable story beats for anyone who has played a few RPGs before, but there are also some genuine twists and little surprises that keep things from getting stale.

Sadly, by the time those major plot points come around, the dragon-hunting journey overstays its welcome. It doesn’t help that there’s a serious case of “just talk it out” in this game that can get frustrating. If certain characters simply told each other what they knew or what they were thinking, a lot of the conflicts and aimless wandering could be avoided.

Author
Ethan Anderson

Tags

Shin Megami Tensei V for Nintendo Switch Reveals Aeros’ Gameplay in New Trailer

2 years 4 months ago

Atlus released another of its many trailers showcasing the over 200+ demons of its upcoming JRPG Shin Megami Tensei V.

This time around we get to see the gameplay of Aeros, a demon inspired by air elementals present in folklore from around the world and introduced in the franchise with Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II.

You can watch it in action below.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

Tags

What's In The Fortnite Item Shop Today - November 3, 2021: Minty Legends Pack And More

2 years 4 months ago

The Fortnite Item Shop has updated once again, and today's inventory largely features bundles and skins we've seen several times before, though one standout new set has arrived. It combines three fan-favorite skins into one massive bundle with V-Bucks and more thrown in on top of it. Here's what's new in the Fortnite Item Shop for November 3, 2021.

The marquee new addition is the Minty Legends Pack, which is sold for local currency, not V-Bucks. In fact, the huge cosmetic pack includes V-Bucks in addition to a slew of other styles and toys. The trio at the center of the set are Aura, Oro, and Brite Bomber, who have each been reimagined in cool blues and purples like they just left the set of a chewing gum commercial.

The full set goes for $30 and includes:

Author
Mark Delaney

Tags