November 2022

Avast your behind, hen, for a new month means a new lineup of PC Game Pass games. Microsoft today laid out the comings and goings for the first half of November, headlined by Return To Monkey Island. The revival of the revered point 'n' click adventure game series will hit Game Pass next week, and until then you can tide yourself over with modernistic adventures from more of Telltale's The Walking Dead. Read on for the rest of the games coming in the next fortnight, including some on their launch day, and those sadly leaving too.

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Mount & Blade 2 Colon Bannerlord is disappointing. I'm not saying it's bad. In fact, it's overall pretty good, but too much of Bannerlord's design is exactly the same as it was in Warband, and the bulk of what's been added is extraneous strategy guff that doesn't meaningfully improve it at all.

In between leading your warband around its 2D map and stabbing dudes alongside your men in 3D battles, you can now make weapons by commandeering local workshops (I guess?) to break down and recombine spare swords. You can only do a few per day, so the pattern is to repeatedly click "make charcoal", then leave to rest your tired little arms and repeat. I could probably get a more ~optimal build~ by smithing a megasword, but the one I have already does what I need. You can’t equip your army, even though that was in the very ropey Freeman. The end result is another axe in a game where you'll discard hundreds of them. You can't do armour, a huge waste considering the variety available, and that you spend vastly more time seeing your outfits than looking at anyone's pommel.

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The reworked version of fantasy world sim Dwarf Fortress finally arrives on Steam on December 6th, devs Bay 12 and publisher Kitfox Games have announced. The game’s also coming to Itch.io too. It will introduce pixel art graphics, tutorials, and new music and sound effects into the previously ASCII-only world of dwarven delving. You can watch the release date trailer below to see just how different this version actually is.

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The crossover between Fortnite and Star Wars kicked off once again with the arrival of the 22.30 update. As a result, Jedi’s renowned weapon, the Lightsaber, has returned to the island once again to the loot pool. However, obtaining Lightsabers in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4 is a bit aggravating and tricky. Therefore, we’ve put together an essential guide so that you can quickly get your hands on the Lightsabers in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4.

Fortnite Lightsabers Location – Chapter 3 Season 4

In Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 4, players can come across three different Lightsabers, Luke’s Blue, Luke’s Green, and Darth Vader’s Lightsaber. Accordingly, the process to obtain each of them is different too. So here’s how to find every Lightsaber in Fortnite:

Luke’s Blue and Green Lightsaber

Opening Imperial Chests is one of the ways to get Luke’s Blue and Green Lightsaber in Fortnite. An Imperial Chest looks similar to a large silver chest with six bright stripes on the top. There are four locations in total where players can find these chests across the island.

• East of Greasy Grove, near the chrome
• Southeast of Greasy Grove
• Southeast of Grim Gables
• West of Tilted Towers

Apart from this, these two lightsabers are also a part of the ground loot, meaning players can drop onto a random location on the island and grab the weapon right away.

Construction and management simulation game Dwarf Fortress will be releasing for Steam on Dec. 6, developer Bay 12 Games and publisher Kitfox Games announced today.

The game was originally released on PC as freeware in 2006 under a different name, Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress, and was supported by donations for the two-man team of Tarn Adams and Zach Adams. It featured text-based and ASCII graphics, and has been notorious as a difficult game to get into due to its complex systems and basic graphics.

Dwarf Fortress was originally announced in 2020 as coming to Steam, and will also be available through Itch.io for $29.99 on Dec. 6. The game will contain Legends mode in addition to the updated graphics, according to the news announcement, but the studios are “not totally sure” if the Arena mode, Classic mode, and Steam Workshop integration will make launch. Although, the features could be patched in the following weeks after launch if need be.

The studios said there will be post-launch support with more graphics for plants and baby animals in the coming months, while also looking for help to port the game to Mac and Linux. Under the title of “Eventually” in the announcement, the studios hope to bring Adventure mode, Steam achievements, and villain and army systems. This would then be followed by “a lengthier development cycle” for improvements to systems such as the map, myths, and magic.

After debuting on the Nintendo Switch in September, Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, and his band of lovable idiots are finally heading to current-gen systems, as it was revealed that the title will arrive on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S next week. To be exact, fans can expect this puzzler to arrive next Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

It’s also important to note that Return to Moneky Island will also be available on Game Pass. If you’ve never played the series before, or are looking for a bit of a refresher, you can check out the trailer for Return to Monkey Island and an official description right down below.

It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes’.

Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory.

It’s the start of another new month, which means there are plenty of great rewards and activities being added to Red Dead Online. In order to get a jump on Thanksgiving, Rockstar is giving out 2x Butcher Sales across the frontier, as well as triple RDO$ and XP for selling Samples to Harriet Davenport all month long.

You can check out the full list of things to be thankful for in Red Dead Online this month right down below.

Sony Interactive Entertainment released another video of the upcoming action-adventure game God of War Ragnarok.

This time around it’s a featurette focusing on the work of the character and creature designers at Santa Monica Studio.

The game will have us visit Svartalfheim, the land of the dwarves, where we’ll meet old friends Brok and Sindri, on top of more of their people.

On the other face of the coin, we see work done on the many creatures we’ll meet in the game, many of which we’ll also have to fight.

You can watch it below.

God of War Ragnarok will release for PS4 and PS5 on November 9, 2022. It will serve as a sequel of the adventures of Kratos and Atreus following the previous God of War game released in 2018 for PS4 and earlier this year for PC.

It’s safe to say that out of the many pro heroes in the My Hero Academia anime and manga, Hawks is one who gets roughed up more than you’d expect. Battered, burned and bruised over the course of the operation to take down the Paranormal Liberation Front, he’s left in a less than ideal state by the end of the conflict. You probably figured this out yourself, but given how bad the damage to his wings is, you’re probably wondering: Does Hawks Lose his quirk in My Hero Academia?

Luckily for you, we’ve caught ourselves up on the series and have a definitive answer for you. It’s worth mentioning, though, that we will have to go into *Minor Spoilers.*

Does Hawks Lose His Wings in My Hero Academia? Answered

The good news is that no, Hawks does not lose the ability to use his quirk Fierce Wings even though Dabi burned them to a crisp.

While Tokoyami does make it seem like Hawks’ back is burned beyond recognition or recovery after his fight with Dabi, his wings are shown to be recovering in the weeks and months that follow via new feathers starting to grow in through the burn scars. They’re then shown to be usable in a much more minimal state during the final arc of the series, wherein he is able to assist the remaining pro heroes in their fight to stop All For One.

With all this said though, Hawks does carry some lasting scars and injuries from his fight with Dabi. While his Fierce Wings do heal and come back to an extent, they’re not nearly as powerful as they were before Dabi’s flames torched them. They’re visibly smaller than they were before the Paranormal Liberation War arc, and it’s unclear if they’ll ever be able to heal fully again.

Among the many characters in the Chainsaw man anime and manga, Denji seems like the least likely to ever bite the bullet. After all, he’s the main character of the show and is host to the titular moniker of Chainsaw Man due to his holding the power of the Chainsaw Devil. And yet, given the number of times he’s eviscerated, mutilated, and torn to bits, you’ve been unable to keep from wondering: Does Denji die in Chainsaw Man?

Fortunately for you, we’ve kept up with everything put out for the series to date and have an answer for you. Fair warning though: There are *Minor Spoilers Ahead.*

Does Denji Get Killed in Chainsaw Man? Answered

As of this article’s writing, Denji is still alive and kicking in Chainsaw Man. To his enemies’ credit though, he hasn’t had the easiest time maintaining this status.

Over the course of the Public Safety Saga, Denji is torn apart, shot, blown up, and otherwise brought to the brink of death in a number of different ways. Some of these could have even killed him if he hadn’t been saved by Power or Makima, with Power, in particular, needing to resurrect Denji by making a contract with him as the Blood Devil.

Without fail though, he always claws his way back to life and typically kills the enemy that drove him so close to the brink. Likewise, his better understanding of the Chainsaw Devil’s powers by the end of the Public Safety Saga has only increased his chances of surviving any attack thrown at him.

Can the War Devil Kill Denji?

However, the protagonist of the second part of the Chainsaw Man manga might have a shot at putting Denji in the ground.

The latest FFVII Remake calendar is here for November 2022, and this time Square Enix is tapping Zack Fair to prepare for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. The images feature the iconic image of the character with the Buster Sword. Both PC and mobile versions of the wallpaper are available.

Here are the Zack Fair Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion November 2022 calendar images continuing the FFVII Remake trend.
[gallery columns="2" ids="938723,938724" link="file"]

This is a recurring image that's been used to promote Crisis Core since the original PlayStation Portable release. The box art featured Zack in this pose with the Buster Sword and black feathers.

Spoilers aside, this inclusion is fitting due to Zack's role not only in the compilation of Final Fantasy VII, but also the references in FFVII Remake. The character is an important figure throughout the series, with Crisis Core getting into his history with Aerith, Cloud, Sephiroth, and Shinra as a whole.

Past FFVII Remake 2022 calendar images tended to focus on folks from the game. For example, Reno and Rude appeared in the July 2022 image. Yuffie was the star of the one for June 2022.

The joy of Monster Rancher games is happening upon a creature to raise and doing all you can to make them amazing in a certain period of time. Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher is that, but with Ultraman cameos from both massive opponents and the tokusatsu hero himself. That fact might be off-putting, but don’t let it scare you off from a pleasant simulation game.

While kaiju encounters would be harrowing in any other Ultraman situation, in Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher, these are big buddies and not big baddies. While the Hero of Light (Ultraman) needed to seal them away into disc stones years ago, the people of Latour Island now consider them friends. As a recent graduate of the Breeder Academy, you come to Niesk ready to start raising kaiju. Since your information got lost along the way, a familiar face named Holly acts as your mentor/assistant as you find your footing and unleash monsters upon the island.

Ahead of their appearance at the Animate Girls Festival (AGF) 2022, MegaHouse showed off the Chainsaw Man Aki and Makima Look Up figures. It took to its official blog to show off first photos of the two characters. It also confirmed that in addition to the event appearance between November 5-6, 2022, pre-orders for the two characters will open in Japan on November 4, 2022.

First, here's a look at the two Chainsaw Man figures together. Both Aki and Makima are wearing their Public Safety Devil Hunters uniforms. Each one is sitting with their hands on their knees, looking up at the viewer. However, the head and neck can be moved for the Look Up figure line. This means you can adjust the angle to change their perspective.

Sonic is the star of Sonic Frontiers, but a new video helps establish what’s going on with Knuckles the Echidna in the game. “Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence” is a six minute animation starring the character. It’s a fairly introspective piece establishing his role in the new game as the Master Emerald guardian.

Here is the full "Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence" video starring Knuckles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjszHTDjzo&ab_channel=SonictheHedgehog

The short is set on Angel Island, with Knuckles standing guard in front of the Master Emerald. He thinks about why he’s responsible for the safety of the animals, forests, and Master Emerald. When he does, he thinks back to his ancestors’ attempt to steal it and who even created the Emerald. While Knuckles ponders the island’s mysteries, we also see Chao living there and going about their lives.

However, when Knuckles finds an odd artifact and new ruin after assisting a Chao, he happens upon a new mystery. It's then that he meets the same sorts of opponents Sonic will fight in the game.

This is the second recent story-heavy video to show up for Sonic Frontiers. Back in August 2022, Sega released a new trailer focusing on the game's story.

Sonic Frontiers will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on November 8.

Two spin-off stories continuing from the conclusion of the Naruto manga debuted in English. Titled Naruto: Sasuke's Story and Naruto: Konoha's Story, the spin-offs check in with some of the series' famed ninja and their adventures after the Fourth Great Ninja War. Both series have their first chapters readable for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus service [Thanks, ANN!].

Both manga are based on novels written by authors Jun Esaka and Sho Hinata, and published years after the manga's 2014 conclusion. Sho Hinata's Naruto: Konoha's Story - The Steam Ninja Scrolls came out in 2016. Jun Esaka's Naruto: Sasuke's Story - The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust was published in 2019. The manga adaptations are being handled by Natsuo Sai and Shingo Kimura, respectively.

Naruto: Sasuke's Story follows Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto's teammate, eternal rival, sometime foe, and best friend. As an adult and agent of Konoha, Sasuke has infiltrated an astronomical observatory far from the Land of Fire. There he and Sakura begin an undercover investigation into a deadly conspiracy that could upend the the world balance of power.

If you’ve been playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and feel a bit stuck progression-wise, then it might be time to boost your XP gain. You can always wait for a Double XP weekend, but those aren’t always reliably scheduled around when you can play the game. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get and activate Double XP in Modern Warfare 2.

Modern Warfare 2 – How to Get & Activate Double XP

There are a few different ways that Double XP Tokens can be obtained. There are some fast food promotions outside of the US that include Papa John’s and Burger King where buying certain food items will reward players with codes for Double XP Tokens.

Occasionally snack foods and sodas like Doritos and Mountain Dew will also feature codes for Double XP Tokens, but as of right now, nothing has been announced. It’s still worth keeping an eye out for them just in case.

The Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 2 also features a handful of Double XP Tokens along with the game. Players who purchase this version for $99.99 will get 10 hours worth of tokens. However, this bonus is exclusive to those who buy the Vault Edition through the in-game store in Vanguard, Cold War, Warzone, or Modern Warfare (2019).

The last way to obtain Double XP Tokens right now is by playing through the Modern Warfare 2 campaign. It’s more of a grind than simply shelling out money, but you at least know the work you put in now will lead to more XP down the road.

Today Activision announced via press release that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 achieved impressive sales in the first few days following its release.

The massively-anticipated game has managed to set a new record for the top-selling opening weekend in the history of the franchise, earning over $800 million in sell-through worldwide after its release on October 28.

Incidentally, the press release also mentioned that this is bigger than any box office opening of 2022, beating Top Gun Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness combined.

As a result, MW2 is the “Biggest Entertainment Opening of the Year” according to activision.

The previous sell-through record was held by Modern Warfare 3 and it was achieved in five days. MW2 beat it in three days. And yes. I know the numbers are weird.

More records set by the new game include unique players and hours played at the launch of a premium (non-free-to-play) COD launch.

The press release included a comment from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.

“Thank you to our talented team that has created magic through extraordinary artistry and technology, and to the global community of players who find joy and connection through Call of Duty. This milestone belongs to them”

We also hear from COD general manager Johanna Faries:

“Thank you, Call of Duty players, for making Modern Warfare II’s launch one for the record books as well as the highest grossing entertainment opening of the year. It is our honor and privilege to deliver such a historic launch weekend for the best fans in the world.

Modern Warfare 2’s launch had several notable issues that prevented fans from playing the Public Multiplayer and Campaign. But, in an effort to resolve some of these problems, Infinity Ward developed a Trello board to communicate with players and provide feedback on specific bugs. Here’s everything you need to know about Modern Warfare 2’s Trello board, including the link to the website and how to use it.

If you’ve been craving more ways to connect with the Last of Us series since the remaster came and went back in September, we have just the product for you. Today, Naughty Dog has announced that the Last of Us series will be breaching the world of tabletop games with The Last of Us: Escape the Dark. The game comes from the Escape the Dark creator Themeborne, who has already crafted many cooperative black-and-white tabletop experiences.

This project isn’t exactly in the works and will begin officially as a Kickstarter campaign starting on Nov. 8.

This Themeborne site post gives a ton of information:

Earlier today, EA Sports showed players how they can enjoy the World Cup within FIFA 2023. In the latest Deep Dive Trailer, fans got a look at every single way they can take football across the international stage — be it through live tournaments, more FUT content, and various quickplay modes. And you may even be able to rewrite history along the way.

Tournament mode offers various options, whether it’s single-player that begins from the opening match, an online tournament that allows you to play through the knockout stages as any of the qualified nations, or World Cup Live which enables you to play the tournament as it unfolds in real-time.

Players can also put their own spin on history by adding up to 15 nations that failed to qualify for the world’s tournament as part of their very own custom World Cup. And whether it be through quickplay, online, or kickoff, you’ll have the chance to play against friends, others around the world, or the computer in any authentic World Cup match. These matches will include real-life lineups.

Yet when it comes to any sports video game, presentation has become increasingly important. With true-to-life stadiums, special commentary, and an authentic matchday feel, FIFA 23 aims to ensure the presentation of the World Cup feels as real as possible. That will mean specific matchday balls, stadiums, visuals, and other in-game cinematics.

Today DMM Games finally revealed the first details of the upcoming Blue Reflection game Blue Reflection Sun.

The game was announced over a year ago in March 2021 and then pretty much went under the radar.

The game will feature character design by acclaimed Blue Reflection artist Mel Kishida, whom you may also know for his work on several games of the Atelier series.

We also get to see the cast including Shiho Kasuga,Yukiko Takaoka, Azumi Nanaka, Meichi Shao, Yuu Morisaki, Kanna Hoshiya, Ayami Ikoma, and Kirara Kuno.

Interestingly, another illustration shows Meichi’s “Eroded” form, which a form taken by girls that have been mutated by the “Ash,” manifesting supernatural abilities. By transforming, they can use their full powers.

Registration for the closed beta has been launched in Japan. Those selected will be notified on November 30 and the beta itself will be playable between December 2 and December 30.

The game will be a free-to-play “heroic JRPG” with the usual optional microtransactions (which means the traditional gacha), releasing at some point in the future for PC (likely via the DMM client), iOS, and Android.

At the moment, there is no information on whether it’ll be released in the west or localized in English.

For now, you can check out the trailer and assets below. If you’d rather play a Blue Reflection game on a big screen, Blue Reflection: Second Light is currently available for PS4, Switch, and PC.

Konami’s beloved foggy lakeside town boasts some of the most terrifying monstrosities in the entirety of gaming. Not only are they hideous to look at, but they also symbolically represent fear, unconscious guilt, or deep-rooted anxiety within a specific character. In other words, Silent Hill is essentially a mirror, while the monsters are, in essence, a manifestation of the feelings of a specific individual. But what are the scariest monsters that reside in the titular locale? We’ve done the math, so you don’t have to, so let’s dive in, shall we?

Editor’s Note: Thanks to the sheer number of monstrosities that roam the fog-ridden streets of Silent Hill, we’ve listed some of the enemies in the middle of this guide, and will update the remaining entries with an image and more information in the future.

Halloween might be over, but island farming sim Coral Island appears to have generated a doppelganger on social media that has a hankering for NFTs. Coral Island’s developers Stairway Games have brought attention to the scam account, which uses the real game’s logo and key art but adds an extra web3 cryptobro twist by linking itself to the GameFi blockchain gaming platform. Stairway, as you would, are calling shenanigans.

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I knew I was always going to love Slipways from the moment I first saw it. That's a fairly rare thing for me. Enough games have failed to deliver on their promises over the years that I've learnt to be cautious for the most part. But I let my guard down with Slipways, because the premise was so simple. Simple, and beautiful.

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As November 25th heaves into view, it may be time to turn your attention too… nyuhhh, something you were literally already looking at. The best early Black Friday gaming monitor deals are growing in number, so if you’ve been squinting at blurry, dark approximations of what you think might be your PC games, it's prime time to look into discounted upgrades.

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A jaded private investigator teams up with her 12-year-old kid detective self to solve a mystery in The Grown-Up Detective Agency, a lovely bit of free interactive fiction. Bell Park doesn't know how or why her perfectly precocious child self is here, now, but who better to help crack a case involving her former childhood best friend? And who better to offer fresh perspective on her adult life? It's a funny little buddy cop story, and it made my morning.

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An official deep dive video has confirmed that FIFA 23's Ultimate Team will not get a dedicated World Cup mode during the tournament, which begins on November 20th. Starting with Season 2 on November 11th though, the international football competition is being represented in FUT with plenty of seasonal gubbins instead. The World Cup is, of course, also coming to the main game from November 9th in single-player and online Tournament mode. You can watch the FIFA 23 World Cup deep dive video below.

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A little over a week after Jodie Whittaker's Doctor Who regeneration thrust David Tennant upon us again, everybody's favourite Time Lord (not including Missy, obviously) has materialised in Mediatonic's knockabout battle royale game Fall Guys for a spot of cross-promotional fun.

From today, 1st November, until Sunday, 6th November, players can find four Doctor-Who-themed costume sets in Fall Guys' premium item shop, costing 800 Show-Bucks apiece.

There's one inspired by Tom Baker's legendary fourth Doctor, one based on Jodie Whittaker's incarnation, and a third modelled after the latest David Tennant regeneration - which the BBC is officially referring to as the Fourteenth Doctor - as seen at the end of showrunner Chris Chibnall's recent swansong The Power of the Doctor.

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Kojima Productions has revealed Japanese-Australian actress Shioli Kutsuna will star in its upcoming, and for now somewhat mysterious, new game.

Kutsuna is best known for her role as Yukio in Deadpool 2, and has also had roles in Murder Mystery and The Outsider.

This news came in true Kojima style. As with the earlier reveals of Elle Fanning's participation in this new game, Kutsuna's role was shared on Kojima's website.

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16-year-old PC sim Dwarf Fortress is getting a new lease of life - and a fresh lick of visual paint - via its long-awaited Steam and Itch.io versions, which we now know will launch on 6th December.

This version of the game will be sold for $30, and include a slightly-less-old pixel art style to make the whole thing a little easier on the eye.

There'll also be a "new helpful tutorial" to assist new players into Dwarf Fortress' labyrinthine ways, as well as a fresh soundtrack and UI.

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God of War Ragnarök's release is just around the corner and, in anticipation of this, Sony has released a new live-action trailer for its Norse epic.

The trailer in question sees Ben Stiller (yes, of Dodgeball fame) dressed up as Kratos, as he leads a group therapy session with John Travolta, LeBron James and their children. Apparently, the father and son relationship we see in God of War between Kratos and Atreus is key to these famous faces nurturing their own parent-child bonds.

The resulting trailer is described as "a Super Bowl-level spot", which you can see below.

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Kelsey Danger, community manager for Pokémon Go, has reported receiving "violent threats" following discussion of a recent bug within the game.

Fixing the bug involved Pokémon Go developer Niantic briefly disabling the game's Bluetooth device support - used by auto-catching accessories such as the officially-licensed Go Plus device and unofficial Gotcha wristband.

Support for these gadgets was re-enabled this morning when the bug was fixed, following a weekend of fan fury directed at Danger.

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Call of Duty is a grind, and Modern Warfare 2 is no exception. The latest entry in the hit war crime simulator series is full of passes to rank up and boondoggles to unlock. Want to play with a fully customized M4? It’s gonna take a while. Fortunately, players have discovered an incredibly lucrative weapon XP farm to…

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Someone at HBO Max made an oopsie today by accidentally publishing the release date for when The Last of Us’ found-family duo of murder papa and cub Joel and Ellie will hit our TV screens next year.

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It’s November, and people are scrambling to figure out their game of the year picks. God Of War Ragnarök’s release looms before them like they’re ants in a terrarium. It’s getting ready to swoop in.

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God of War is rolling out its marketing campaign for its impending release, and in this one, Ben Stiller has started a father-child support group. I can see what they’re going for here: At their core, modern God of Wars are about a dysfunctional father-son relationship. And...LeBron James and John Travolta are bald…

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