April 2022

Though games at or above $34 will apparently require time trials for PlayStation Plus Premium members in the future, Sony will reportedly be taking care of producing these on its own--meaning developers shouldn't have any extra pre-launch work on their end.

This is according to Kotaku's Ethan Gach, who was told that the PlayStation Store team will be responsible for creating these two-hour trials.

The policy, which leaked yesterday after apparently popping up on a developer portal meant for PlayStation partners, states that games priced at $34 and up will need a two-hour time trial version, which must be available for at least a year to PlayStation Plus Premium members. This is separate from a game demo; it's a chance for players to do whatever they want in a game in that limited window. However, the time trial does not have to be ready at launch--it can be released up to three months after the game has released.

Everyone could always use more cosmetics, both in real life and in-game. And as we all know very well, getting something for free is always much, much better than paying for it, so here's how to get the completely free Splash Squadron set in Fortnite, something that was previously only available to purchasers of select Intel products. It takes a few steps, but you'll spend nothing but time when trying to unlock this cool blue skin and related cosmetic items.

Fortnite Splash Squadron skin

All you need to do is download Intel's free Gaming Access app on your PC, set up an account, and let it run in the background while you play games that are part of the Play Pass Program, like Fortnite, Genshin Impact, or Dead By Daylight.

In fact, most of the games you play are probably eligible--a list of all supported games can be found here. This Play Pass will give you daily challenges, easy things like "click this button for your daily check-in," or "play two supported games for at least 30 minutes each." As you complete these challenges, you'll earn XP and level up your Play Pass, which will grant you certain bonuses with each level. This includes things like new profile pictures, special item bundles (like the Splash Squadron set) for certain games, full game downloads, and even a chance to win a custom mousepad, bottle, and laptop sleeve.

GSC Game World, the developers behind Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, have had its game's site blocked by the Russian government.

According to RIA Novosti (via VGC), the request to block the site comes from the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation. Stalker 2's site, which touts a banner and accompanying message of support for Ukraine, has been inaccessible by Russian internet users since. This move comes following GSC Game World's decision to cease sales in Russia, as the studio, which is based out of Kyiv, also continues development on their upcoming title amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

GSC Game World was one of the earliest studios to speak out in support of Ukraine when the Russo-Ukrainian war began in February. Immediately following the initial attacks, the studio shared a message showing their support of the Ukrainian armed forces and calling on gaming communities to share their message and lend support. Countless other studios have since followed suit, including 11 bit Studios and CD Projekt Red, whom GSC Game World signal boosted and thanked.

World of Warcraft players have long wanted the ability to own and decorate houses in Blizzard's MMORPG, but it won't be coming with the game's newly announced Dragonflight expansion. In various interviews, game director Ion Hazzikostas has explained why.

The short version is that player housing would be a huge undertaking, and while there is broad support for it both among the development team and players, it would be a ton of work while also needing to fit in thematically with the theme of any given expansion.

"Putting together any of the packages of features for an expansion, it's a mix of what thematically suits the expansion, what's going to appeal to different types of players, but also what would be required to deliver that feature at the level that players expect and deserve, and what would we have to give up to make that happen… and player housing is a big one," Hazzikostas said in an interview with WoW content creator Hazelnutty. "It's one of those things to do right... it's a big project, a big undertaking, and I would argue that if we were to do it, it would probably have to span multiple expansions--it's a large enough feature just from the art."

Call of Duty Season 3 is officially live in Vanguard, bringing a new battle pass, multiplayer map, operators, and more. The patch notes for the big update also include some changes to Ranked Play mode, bug fixes, and a double XP event.

In order to celebrate the new season, a "Max Double XP" event is now active in Vanguard to help players level up faster. Throughout the event, all players can enjoy double XP earn rates for regular player progression, weapon XP, operator XP, clan XP, and battle pass XP. The Max Double XP event will be live until May 2.

Season 3's update brings the Mayhem multiplayer map, new Trophy System Field Upgrade, and a host of improvements to the game. Some map fixes were made, which include a graphical corruption near the Library on Eagle's Nest and an adjusted P1 Hardpoint location on Bocage.

Vanguard's Arms Race mode receives major game improvements for Season 3. These include adjustments to destructible walls and base gates that could not be properly damaged, and it fixes an issue where operators would not be aligned with the motorbike while driving it. The update also improves the tank’s ability to traverse the terrain.

Vanguard's Ranked Play mode is now officially out of beta for Season 3. Players' Skill Ratings have been reset, and they will need to play 5 Skill Evaluation matches to earn a Season 3 Skill Rating and get placed into a Skill Division and Tier. New seasonal rewards are also available to earn.

This week's Dying Light 2 patch aims to make the game more replayable, as it adds a number of bug fixes, tweaks, and a New Game+ mode to Techland's zombie apocalypse sandbox.

Revealed earlier this week, Dying Light 2's take on New Game+ adds new enemy behaviors, more difficult encounters, and new objects within the world to discover so that the experience feels fresh once again. To keep up with the deadlier enemies that scale to your level, you'll be able to collect 30 new inhibitors that can be used to max out your stamina and health, and a new legendary weapon tier has been added.

Elsewhere in the game, a new quest that drops special elemental Goon variants into the mix can be tackled and co-op gameplay has been significantly overhauled. In the gameplay department, bow-wielding enemies will do less damage, Virals have had their patrol movements in GRE facilities tweaked, and completed achievements will be correctly rewarded upon completion. You can read the full patch notes below.

Since it launched in February, Dying Light 2 has managed to sell 5 million units across console and PC. Techland plans to support Dying Light 2 for five years and has so far released several pieces of free content for the game.

Dying Light 2 Patch Notes

New Game+

The story of Elden Ring is expansive and often confusing. There's a lot of history and backstory to uncover as you journey through the Lands Between, and just getting a sense of the local politics and religion is an important aspect of figuring out what the hell you're trying to do. It's also easy to miss what's going on around you, especially because so much of the game is optional. If you're not inspecting every corner, reading every item description, or talking to every character you meet several times and on several occasions, parts of the story might blow right past you.

If you know where to look, though, you can learn a lot about what's going on in Elden Ring, and how you're affecting the game world as you move through it. Sure, you're killing a bunch of demigods--but understanding who they are and why you're killing them illuminates a lot about the game itself. So we're endeavoring to explain the broad strokes of what actually happens in Elden Ring, not just the history that sets up the story. This is the story of you, the Tarnished who would be Elden Lord, cutting a bloody swath through the Lands Between to stand before the Elden Ring.

The PlayStation Store has kicked off two new sales: Games Under $20 and Golden Week. Together, the sales feature more than 500 PS4 and PS5 games discounted to great prices. This includes blockbusters such as Madden NFL 22 and Bloodborne, as well as indies like Death's Door and Overcooked.

The Games Under $20 event might be the most enticing, with hundreds of popular titles listed at great new prices. Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is a particular standout, discounted from $40 to just $20. Its action is just as fast-paced as its predecessors, but it now makes full use of the PS5's processing power to pump out the best graphics in the series. It also comes with a bunch of digital goodies to help get you started on your journey.

In Have A Nice Death, it's the reaper's mission to avoid burnout, but that can be tough when you're constantly fighting for your life. That remains true in the early access roguelike's newest content update, World 5, launching on April 28. In this new region of the gorgeous game, you'll explore the Modern Warfare department, where inter-office politics clash with deceased World War I vets like never before.

We got to go hands-on with Have A Nice Death's World 5 and you can read our full impressions here. In this guide, we'll walk you through the game's newest--and most difficult--world yet, so you're ready to go hands-on yourself. From breaking down all of the enemies you may encounter to the floors you may visit on the underworld's elevator, here's everything you need to know if you find yourself ready to take on World 5 in Have A Nice Death.

Have A Nice Death World 5 - Modern Warfare

In World 5, Death himself will need to contend with the spirits of deceased soldiers and civilians alike. It should be quite grim, and through a particular lens it surely is. But, given the game's cartoonish animation and light-hearted humor, it can also be seen in the same sort of light any World 5-ready players are used to. The new levels are rich with never-before-seen enemies and come alongside a patch that alters the way some things play across the entire game.

Account-wide progress will let alts continue the story instead of starting over

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Villeneuve was set to direct the pilot, but will be working on Dune 2 instead

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Marvel’s house style restricts the emotion and the drama, holding back what should be a daring story for Oscar Isaac

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Avatar: The Way of Water is set to launch on Dec. 16, with the first trailer and an Avatar re-release coming soon

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All the relevant MCU movies, plus a few more

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Its sunglasses game is strong, though

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Fight demons, hire mercenaries, make gold

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A translation of the sonorous sirens reveals some sad lore If you’ve been traveling around the Lands Between, you’ve probably...

The post Turns out the Elden Ring bats are actually singing a pretty sad song appeared first on Destructoid.

Higher risk, higher reward I’ll be the first to admit that I’m pretty bad at video games. The hardest difficulty...

The post For some video game stories, the only option is to ‘git gud’ appeared first on Destructoid.

Play the modern classic on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S Every so often, a game comes out that completely changes...

The post This War of Mine: Final Cut gets a PS5, Xbox Series X/S release this May appeared first on Destructoid.

Sony has confirmed the lineup for May 3 [Update: Sony announced the May 2022 games for PlayStation Plus subscribers.] We’ve...

The post PlayStation Plus May lineup locks in FIFA 22, Tribes of Midgard, and Curse of the Dead Gods (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

Employees will get additional time off for childcare Game Freak has been a tentpole in the games industry for decades...

The post Game Freak is implementing an optional four-day work week appeared first on Destructoid.