Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII to release October 12, 2018

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Black Ops IIII is set for release.

Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII has been announced and is set for release October 12th, 2018.

Publisher Activision has stated that the game is in development and has been confirmed for the rumored release date. The announcement was made after the game was teased by James Harden, pro basketball player. He was at a recent game dressed in full camo and a cap as well. The cap had an “IIII” logostylizedd in the Black Ops fashion with Roman numbers and font.

Developer Treyarch will be taking the reigns this time round after Sledgehammer Games on Call of Duty: WWII. This game will be the first CoD title to be released since CoD 2 which was released back in 2005 in the same month.

It’s unsure why these two companies used “IIII” instead of “IV” instead. But it was shown that the Birtish Museum revealed that both IV and IIII were both used during Roman times. It’s just that “IV” came into popularity in modern times as reported by Eurogamer.

Additional info will be relased on May 17th during a Community Reveal Event for fans. So far, the only information revealed is to “foget what you know” as stated on the CoD site. That’s pretty much it.

Black Ops III is still receving updates such as the Infected game mode and the Redwood Snow map also. Updates should keep hardcore fans busy until IIII rolls out.

Image via the official site.

Pathfinder Second Edition – Playtest Rulebook, new features, and updates!

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Pathfinder Second Edition is coming soon!

Paizon, Inc., the developer behind their Pathfinder Tabletop Game has announced that it’ll be getting a second edition.

There will be an open playtest for version two of Pathfinder starting on August 2nd, 2018. Players will be able to read the Playtest rulebook, a Playtest adventure, and also a Playtest Flip-Mat Multi-Pack. All of these materials will be free of charge to any player that wants to join in on the cult-like Tabletop game. There’s a whole release schedule for all the materials.

The game first premiered back in 2008. It’s been a huge success with over a decade of materials for the game. There have been adventure paths, miniatures, and even Pathfinder Kingmaker developed by Owlcat Games.

Jason Bulmahn, Paizo’s Design Director, states that:

“We’re updating the game’s engine while also adding a bunch of fun new ways to play. There is a lot to discover, but you will never be far from the game you love – the game you helped us make.”

And:

“With the new edition, we have a chance to revisit some decisions we made with the first edition of Pathfinder.” 

All of the changes will be visible on their site. The majority of them aim to improve the game and also clean up outdated rules. Playing the game in timed blocks. Fighting enemies will be measured in seconds in Encounter Mode, and Exploration Mode will be measured in minutes to hours.

Paizo also stated that players will be able to get three actions during their turn in any combination- moving, drawing a weapon, and attacking all take a single action. Casting spells take two actions (for most). Some spells can use between one to three actions such as Magic Missile. Attacks also incur a penalty after your first action but still also give you a chance to hit. The second edition will be the same as the first one in terms of the mechanics and fundamentals. They don’t want to change the game too drastically.

Paizo wants players to take advantage of the free materials. There’s even a softcover, hardcover, and deluxe edition of the Playtest Rulebook print editions between March 20th and May 1st.

Get the inside scoop here.

Image via Paizo.

 

State of Decay 2 – Standard Edition/Ultimate Edition price, release date, and news

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State of Decay 2 - Standard Edition/Ultimate Edition price, release date, and news 1

State of Decay 2 is due to release on May 22 for the Xbox One and Windows PC as a Play Anywhere title.

It’ll also be available on the Xbox Game Pass on launch day (an excellent value at $10/month).

Microsoft has also confirmed that it’ll be priced at $29.99 for the Standard Edition. The Gold Edition (or Ultimate Edition) will run you $20 more at $49.99- nothing too surprising other than it’s lower than the MSRP of first-party games developed by them.

State of Decay 2 is a zombie apocalypse simulator that originally came out on the Xbox Live Arcade in 2013. The game was awesome. The sequel will run on Unreal Engine 4 instead of the CryEngine that the former game used. It’ll also have multiplayer co-op and a lot more to get excited about for any zombie fans.

Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft GM of Games Marketing states:

“Our goal is to build a long-term relationship with the State of Decay community and to foster deeper experiences with the franchise. We believe State of Decay 2 accomplishes this goal by immersing fans in the ultimate zombie survival fantasy, and we want to give more players the opportunity to join in and experience this unique game.”

The ultimate edition includes State of Decay 2 includes early access on May 18 and also a free copy of State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition and the Independence Pack/Daybreak Pack DLCs as well- both of which will be announced at a later date.

For all fans who are looking forward to this game, there’s a lot to be excited about. The game looks amazing and offers a lot at a lower price. This is good news for those who were already planning to get this game. The Ultimate Edition is worth it if you were already looking to shell out full price. Now you can get in on the action for less than the original price.

You can check it out on the store here.

Image via Microsoft Store.

Microsoft announces new games for Xbox One enhanced

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Microsoft announces new games for Xbox One enhanced 2

Microsoft announced another new batch of Xbox 360 titles that will be enhanced on the One X.

Major Nelson blogged that the four new games are Forza Horizon, Fable Anniversary, The Witcher 2: Assassin’s of Kings, and Crackdown. All of these games will be available on the One X with the new emulator to run them in 4K resolution from their original resolution at 1280 x 720p.

The new update also provides much better antialiasing and crisper textures as well. The games will look nothing like the original and if you’ve already played before, you may want to give them another try because the One X is experience is the real deal. Games like Crackdown can be played in their original graphics but will be enchanted by default. This will let you do a side-by-side comparison (almost) to see the difference in resolution.

This feature is exclusive to the One X and can’t be used on the Xbox 360 or Xbox One.

With the updated graphics, this could also cause some FPS issues. When you log into the menu, you can change whether to optimize the game for graphics or performance. This could mean that improved gameplay graphics will indeed lower the performance of the machine. It’s probably not powerful enough to run the game in 4K and has the original FPS, so you’ll have to choose one or the other. Unless this means the system is powerful enough, but you get to choose what and how you want to render the original games. perhaps it ties in with the whole option of playing the game in its former glory.

Microsoft announces new games for Xbox One enhanced 3
(Via majornelson.com.)

There have been many other titles that have the same updates as well- Fallout 3, Gear of War 3, Halo 3, Mirror’s Edge, Skate 3, Assassin’s Creed, and The Elder’s Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The compatibility to play older games with newer graphics is pretty awesome. Bill Stillwell, the Lead Project Manager for Xbox states in his post:

“We’re thrilled with the continued excitement for Xbox One Backward Compatibility—the community has played more than 840 million hours of Xbox 360 games on Xbox One. Compatibility is important to Xbox, to developers and their games, and our community. Preserving the art form of video games is part of our DNA, which is why Xbox One is the only console designed to play the best games of the past, present and future”

More than 460 Xbox 360 games and 13 original Xbox games are already backward-compatible.

Image via Major Nelson’s blog.

Carrion is a new “reverse horror game”

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Carrion is a violent reverse horror game.

Carrion is a new “reverse horror game” that has you playing the role of the violent monster instead of the traditional format.

It’s a very gruesome, gory, and violent horror game that has you playing as this huge blog that wants nothing but human destruction. The game is made with old-school pixel art and is full of violence. The gameplay videos released so far has scenes where the player controlling the blob using its long tendrils to slowly crawl through an old lab and literally rip the scientists apart.

There’s also a skill system where you can upgrade your blobby activities like dashing, throwing, and of course, grabbing. Using these abilities is needed to get around barriers like fences, vents, and other things that may try to slow your alien blob down.

The game is played in a 2D sidescrolling format using a traditional point-and-click interface. The game features 16-bit graphics (or it appears so) and is detailed with grungy colors.

There’s also a splitting ability that divides you into two blobs and is needed unlock high-security doors that require two levers to be pressed.

So far, the game has no set release date. Carrion is a new twist on the old-school horror we’re accustomed to. You can check it out here.

Inside Xbox premiers this weekend at 12PM PT – Episode 1 is about Sea of Thieves

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Inside Xbox is the new show to get all the newest updates.

Microsoft has announced that they’ll be premiering an exclusive new show called “Inside Xbox.”

It airs for the first time this Saturday, March 10 at 112PM PT. The first episode will be an exclusive behind the scenes look at Sea of Thieves. Rare will be there to talk about core concept designs that took place during the development of the game and how feedback from the beta helped revamped the game. They’ll also talk about what’s coming ahead in terms of post-launch content.

Inside Xbox is a monthly show that’ll probably air around the same time every month. Team Xbox will also talk about random announcements like new games, news, and even new additions to Game Pass- Xbox’s $10/month subscription service to many first-party games.

You can watch it on Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, and Facebook. Hosts include Larry Hryb, Jeff Rubenstein, Alex Hebert, Lydia Ellery, Graeme Boyd, and more.

Imag via Xbox Wire.

Carrion – A violent new “reverse horror” game where you’re the enemy

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Carrion is a violent reverse horror game.

Carrion is a new “reverse horror game” that has you playing the role of the violent monster instead of the traditional format.

It’s a very gruesome, gory, and violent horror game that has you playing as this huge blog that wants nothing but human destruction. The game is made with old-school pixel art and is full of violence. The gameplay videos released so far has scenes where the player controlling the blob using its long tendrils to slowly crawl through an old lab and literally rip the scientists apart.

There’s also a skill system where you can upgrade your blobby activities like dashing, throwing, and of course, grabbing. Using these abilities is needed to get around barriers like fences, vents, and other things that may try to slow your alien blob down.

The game is played in a 2D sidescrolling format using a traditional point-and-click interface. The game features 16-bit graphics (or it appears so) and is detailed with grungy colors.

There’s also a splitting ability that divides you into two blobs and is needed unlock high-security doors that require two levers to be pressed.

So far, the game has no set release date. Carrion is a new twist on the old-school horror we’re accustomed to. You can check it out here.

Monster Hunter: World is Capcom’s best-selling game of all time

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Capcom's best-selling game is now Monster Hunter: World.

Monster Hunter: World is a huge hit for Capcom.

It released 2 months ago back in January and it’s a huge commercial success. It’s a game that brings back the epic monster battles that only a few versions have been able to capture effectively. Capcom has announced that MHW is their best-selling game- of all time.

It’surpassed their Resident Evil 5 title which was the former best-selling game at 7.3m million copies. MHW sold 7.5 units and is still selling like hotcakes.

In a press release, Capcom stated that worldwide sales of the game are the best-to-date. Of course, shipping the game and selling it are to be distinguished, which Capcom states:

“Monster Hunter: World has overcome both linguistic and cultural barriers to delight approximately 7 million players worldwide, and has shipped 7.5 million units”

So far, Monster Hunter: World has sold like crazy. Last month, it sold 6m units since launch and it’s still going strong making it a huge commercial success. It was released at the same time worldwide so everyone got in on the action simultaneously. It’s also the first game to be available on a console in almost decade. It’s good that they’re branching out from the handheld devices. Capcom states:

“Since the first Monster Hunter title made its debut 14 years ago in 2004, the series has attracted a dedicated fan base, and overall grown into a mega-hit with cumulative sales of more than 48 million units worldwide as of March 5, 2018.”

MHW has done an excellent job on recapturing what was once started. It’s good to have them back. If you haven’t checked out the game yet, you should. It’s an epic adventure that no other game can reenact. It’s a one-of-a-kind game.

Image via press release.

New Quicksilver Slimes are crazy fast- Mochi’s Megabucks coming March 13 (get the deets)

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Slime Rancher update.

Monomi’s Park hit title, Slime Rancher, is getting another awesome slime-filled area for ranchers to explore!

The Mochi’s Megabucks update is rolling out on March 13 and will add lots of goodies to new and familiar players alike. The theme of the update is “speed,” as the area is named Nimble Valley (appropriately). It’s an area that’s dense with trees and mountains and owned by none other than Mochi Miles. There will also be a new slime dubbed the Quicksilver Slimes, which are known for their quickness and ability to zip around ranchers at lightning-fast speeds.  They can match and beat your own movement speed- with ease!

Miles will give you some nice new vac-tech features to help you catch up and vacuum Quicksilver Slimes, such as the ability to launch sticky adhesive bubbles from your gun. If you do manage to hunt down a few and capture them, they eat electricity.

The Mochi Megabucks update also includes a new mode called Rush Mode. It’s basically a contest where you collect as many Newbucks as you possibly can within 5 days. If you play efficiently, you can extend it pretty far. If you play well, you’ll also have a few incentives given to you as rewards to explore the area. There will also be leaderboards to show your Rush Mode scores against other players.

The devs also plant o work on 2 other confirmed updates that are based on science. One is called the Automatic Update (1.3.0) and the other is Viktor’s Experimental Update (1.4.0) which will bring drones and VR to the game. There will also be another mode called Iron Rancher Mode which takes place in 1.4.0 which gives players to paly the game on a harder difficulty with new rules, challenges, quets, and even vamrpirc chickens.

You can check out their post on Steam here.

There’s a lot coming for Slime Rancher. Get happy and get some Golds.

Image via Steam.

Doomfist, Mei, and Sombra get buffed in newest Overwatch patch

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Overwatch patch buffs Doomfist, Mei, and Sombra.

Doomfist, Mei, and Sombra have all been buffed in the recent patch for Overwatch.

The game’s official patch notes posted on the Overwatch forums states that the 3 characters had their changes in testing on the PTR for the past 2 weeks. The changes in this patch have just slid past any filters and no adjustments had to be made.

Doomfist only had a single buff- his ammo recovery rate dropped from 0.80 seconds to a mere 0.65 seconds. Mei’s freeze duration has been increased by 50% to deal with the fast-moving heroes. And the cost of ammo for her icicle attack has also been reduced by 5, which means she gets 2 extra shots before reloading again.

Sombra is the one that takes the gold. She had a lot of buffs in her stats. Her EMP won’t be blocked by obstacles in the map like rocks, lamp posts, and signs.

She’ll have a harder time gaining her Ultimate though- players using her HP packs won’t give her gain. Her standard hack cast time has also been reduced from 0.80 to 0.65 seconds and also adds a few disables. Genji’s Cyber Agility, Pharah’s Hover Jets, Hanzo’s Wall Climb, Mercy’s Angelic Descent are all able to be disabled by Sombra.

And her machine pistol has also been improved in accuracy by lowering the spread to 2.7 from 3.0. Additionally, her translocator has a 5-second duration increase and she can view enemy HP bars through walls if they’re below 100% HP.

Sombra players have plenty to look forward to in this new patch.

Blizzard World also got some HP placements adjusted and bug fixes were patched as well.

Overwatch League is still in full swing and may be added near part 3 of the Season’s offerings.

It’s a good time to be an Overwatch underdog.

Image via Overwatch Wiki.

Amazon buys WiFi doorbell maker Ring for 1B

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Ring was acquired by Amazon for about 1B.

Amazon has purchased WiFi doorbell maker Ring.

Ring is a startup that makes WiFi doorbells in terms of security. It lets owners view whoever is at the door on your phone. It can also be connected to other lighting systems to turn them on when a stranger is knocking and walking. Currently, Ring is valued at over 1B according to Reuters.

Ring first made headlines when it was featured on Shark Tank back in 2013. The CEO, Jamie Siminoff, had no bites other than Mr. Wonderful (Kevin O’ Leary), but of course, he didn’t take the (often greedy) offer. Siminoff has then expanded the business into a huge success- enough for Amazon to purchase it.

Siminoff got the idea for WiFi because he would work in his garage being the inventor that he is and couldn’t get the door. So he made Ring, which would send a notification to his phone when someone rang the doorbell. Soon, it was developed into a whole security system where it could detect whoever was on the premises.

Ring could work well with Amazon Key (their in-home dropoff delivery). Both could work together to create a safer delivery ecosystem and perhaps help ease consumers into trying this new way of deveining packages. Amazon getting into security devices that synch with their existing products is only a way forward in the world of fast-moving tech.

Check out Ring’s homepage.

Image via Ring.

ESRB adds an “In-Game Purchases” label to its rating system

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ESRB adds a new label to games.

With all the craze about loot crates going around, the ESRB has decided to add a new “In-Game Purchases” label to any physical game that requires it.

Some countries have outright banned the use of random crates whereas other approaches require developers to list the exact percentages of getting a particular loot. Even the Danish government has concluded that items in crates are considered a form of gambling if such items can be traded.

It’s no wonder the ESRB has stepped in being one of the largest regulators in the US.

In a recent Tweet, they stated that the new label will warn any new buyers of potential microtransaction in the game. This includes any “bonus levels, skins, surprise items (such as item packs, loot boxes and mystery rewards), music, virtual coins and other forms of in-game currency, subscriptions, upgrades and more.” This applies to digital purchases as well if they have any of the above portions included in the game.

The ERSB has also set up a resource to help parents who are worried about their children and the cash they’re spending on virtual goods. The page provides links to guides to set up parental controls for nearly every console, platform, and media distribution platform in existence.

This is just the start. They’ve also stated that they’ll make adjustments as the need arises. With the world of media transactions becoming easier and easier to access and use, it’s only necessary that the ESRB steps in. I mean, that’s what they’re all about- regulation and helping parents.

Loot crates- pain or not?

Image via esrb.org.

 

Nintendo removes user reviews for its games on its official pages

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Nintendo removes user reviews on its official pages for its games.

Nintendo recently added a new option for players to leave reviews on Nintendo Switch games directly on their home site.

however, they quickly removed it shortly after. The feature to leave user reviews was only available for about 5 days after its launch. Customer reviews for the console still exist, but the games reviews are gone.

Only a small blurb of info is still available in the remnants of what was once user-generated content on their site:

“Customer reviews have been taken offline as we evaluate this feature and its functionality. We currently have no estimated date on when an update will be provided. We appreciate the positive response and thank the reviewers who provided such thoughtful commentary on the games.”

Nintendo said it’s just a “trial” in a statement to Polygon and that it may be revamped and returned, but there’s no guarantee as of now. This has many players annoyed and itching for a new review system where they can simply type out their thoughts rather than use preselected tags and categories for the game.

Square Enix’s Chrono Trigger for PC gets a “mostly negative” reception

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Chrono Trigger for Steam is negatively reviewed.

Square Enix has decided to release Chrono Trigger on Steam.

This is the first time the game has ever had a PC version (other than emulators). The game promises exclusive features such as updated graphics and soundtrack as well as the bonus dungeons from the mobile handheld versions. It’ll be called the definitive version of the series- though they may want to rethink that.

If you’ve never played Chrono Trigger games before, it’s probably one of the most popular JRPG series. It was created by devs from Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and even Dragonball all coming together to tell the tale of a boy who fights against an evil threat named Lavos. The game is very flashy and combines the traditional ATB system with some unique abilities in an awesome JRPG adventure.

The game so far isn’t doing too well. It’s rated “most negative” on Steam with over 150 reviews at the time fo this writing. Reviewers state that it’s pretty much just a bad port of the mobile version with terrible filters and awesome UI and controls. Lots of the issues can’t be fixed and the game is pretty much trashed left and right nonstop from hardcore fans of Chrono Trigger.

I’d suggest you read them over before buying it. Seriously.

If you buy it before April 2, 2018, you’ll get a slew of goodies including HD wallpapers from the game, a digital version of the composer’s liner notes, and even a special musical medley. This version of the game will be an updated version of the mobile version of the game. Although this isn’t too exciting, it should be a pretty solid improvement with all the promises they’re making.

Being on a computer for the first time is indeed kinda weird. It’ll be compatible with controllers for those not used to playing such a game on a keyboard and mouse, though you can still play it with a keyboard/mouse combo if you’re daring enough. It’s available right now for just $14.99 for Steam.

Image via Steam.

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil are coming to Xbox One

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Turok 1 and 2 are coming to Xbox One!

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and Turok 2: Seed of Evil are coming to the Xbox One on March 2, 2018!

If you’ve never played either of these games, you’re missing out. They were a pair of dinosaur shooters on the N64 back in the day and were known for their violence, difficulty, and dinosaur-blasting action.

The game originally got its start from a comic book back in the 1970s about a Native American warrior who’s on a mission in a world of dinosaurs and aliens. The comic book originally had his name as Turok, which is the name that became the title of the game. The name actually then evolved into a title of a hero who protects the border between two worlds- the Lost Land and Earth.

Nightdive Studios is the team behind the Xbox One version of Turok. It’s a remake rather than a whole new game (although I’m sure players would be just fine with a console remake of the best dino hunter games of all time!).

They tweeted that the game is confirmed and on-track for release.

You play as Turok and you need to get all the fragments of a Chronoscepter artifact which has the power to combine both worlds by destroying the barrier between them. This would be bad as then aliens and dinosaurs could walk the Earth.

Turok is on a mission to stop the Chronoscepter from falling into The Campaigner’s grasp. This is the first game.

The second game has Turok trying to stop an alien invasion known as the Primagen by taking down pyramid-like energy totems throughout a whole bunch of different worlds. This is the one on the N64 I remember the most. It was difficult, fun, and crazy all at the same time. The violence was top-notch for games back in the day. I think it even had a warning label on it.

Nightdive Studios has been working on a remake of System Shock for a while, but then went on hiatus.

As of now, they’re committed to pushing out the release of both Turok games for the Xbox One set to release early March 2018. If you’re a fan of the series, or have never played Turok, get these games. It should be an awesome nostalgic adventure.

Image via Nightdive Studios.

Ubisoft censors all nude statues in ACO’s Discover Mode

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ACO has been censored.

Ubisoft’s Assissn’s Creed Origins newly updated Discovery Mode has been censored!

If you want to explore ancient Egypt, there’s probably no other better (digital) way than using none other than ACO’s Discovery Mode. It’s like a virtual tour of the city, environment, and landmarks. It was launched on February 20th and lets you just explore the world where hours of work went into recreating. It took over 4 years of research just to create the world you breeze through and is as historically accurate as possible to a virtual representation of Giza.

Sadly, Ubisoft has gone in and censored a fine detail that I honestly thought videogames have pushed through- nude representation. They’ve gone ahead and censored all the nude states in the game with seashells so that now they’re pretty much PG-13. In the world of art, this is blasphemy. Even in ancient times, this was acceptable. But now, it’s not, even though many other games leave nudity in the game.

The change wasn’t forced or the result of an action. It’s probably just Ubisoft trying to prevent any issues down the line by people who may complain. This is going too far. Look at the world we live in. Who’s to blame? It’s art, people.

Rhode Island could be charging a 10% tax on violent videogames

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RI game tax for violet videogames.

All games that are rated “M” or above may now soon get a 10% “violence tax” for all gamers in Rhode Island.

What do you think about that? What’s this world coming to?

A Rhode Island legislator announced that he plans to introduce legislation that taxes violent videogames. An additional 10% tax would be placed on games that are rated “M” or higher by the ESRB.

Of course, the publisher doesn’t pay for this- the consumer in RI does.

State Representative Robert Nardolillo III (R-Dist.28, Coventry) plans to use the generated tax revenue to improve school counseling programs.

He states:

“Our goal is to make every school in Rhode Island a safe and calm place for students to learn. By offering children resources to manage their aggression today, we can ensure a more peaceful tomorrow,” said Rep. Nardolillo’s press release.

He also states that states can’t ban violent games to minors. The state of California has already enacted a law that allows the state to ban sales of M-rated games to minors and additional labels beyond the traditional ESRB ratings.

But then the Supreme Court later repealed that law stating that videogames are protected by the First Amendment, so the ban was lifted. So instead of banning them, he wants to tax them- probably the next best thing.

There is currently no text for the proposal and is still be drafted by legal counsel at this time.

There will a lot of opposition not just from gamers, but probably also the Entertainment Merchant’s Association, game developers, publishers, and even the court. You can tell this is just another internet meme in the making.

What do you think? Is this justified or ridiculous?

Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Overwatch League Season 1 – Part 2 now underway with more freebies

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Unlock skins and Tokens just by watching the stream.

Overwatch League has taken off and really has become quite a success.

Now, viewers of the League can get free League Tokens. All you need to do is watch the streams on Twitch and you can get some cool new skins as well by Cheering during matches. This offers fans of the game some new ways to cash in on their favorite hero shooter (and gives Blizzard a huge marketing opportunity as well- not to mention tons of exposure).

The giant announced that hundreds of in-game skins for the 12 teams before the season began. This was part 1.

Now part 2 starts today and even more goodies and freebies will be given out to viewers. League Tokens are probably the highlight of the second session.

All you need to do is just link your Battle.net account to your Twitch account. You get 1 Token upon viewing the conclusion of a map in a match. If you watch the whole match, you can early 12-15 Tokens a night based on 3 matches and how they rule out. And some fans will even get awarded 100 bonus Tokens just for watching on the final maps for each match. This is Token galore.

You can get some sweet skins by using these Tokens to unlock them. 100 Tokens = 1 free skin.

As for the Cheering, you can also get a few new skins as well. When people cheer for a team, there’s a counter that increases until the skin is unlocked. When it becomes available, everyone can attain it. Exclusive emotes are also unlockable by Cheering as well.

You can refer to their FAQ page for more info.

For additional info and schedules, check here.

Image via Twitch.

Cities: Skylines for Xbox One finally gets mod support

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Cities: Skylines for Xbox One is getting mod support.

Cities: Skylines is getting some mod support for Xbox One.

It’s always been a game that’s mod-friendly for the PC crowd, but not so much for the console crowd (as with most games that can be modded). Cities: Skylines allows players to create mods that can pretty much change any aspect of the game.

The modding community behind it isn’t just some dozen modders with a small playerbase of people. It’s actually quite robust and even profitable for modders.

According to a post on the Xbox Wire, console players will be able to get in on the modding chaos.

Modded content will also come in a Content Creator Pack which will include some buildings created by the best modders to add to your city. There will also be a free content update coming on March 6 that’ll add some feature to host your own sports team as well.

Neudinger of Paradox Interactive states that mods are something that Paradox fans expect from games:

“We’ve been working together with Tantalus to see if there was a way to bring mods to our console players that was as enjoyable as it has been on other platforms, and with help from the Xbox team, we’re ready to let our fans give mods a try in Cities: Skylines.

The game has always had mod support for PC, but now Xbox players will be able to play with mods on Cities: Skylines Xbox One Edition with the ability to easily integrate user-created mods in the Xbox edition. Not all of the mods will be available, but a few select ones will.

The mods that have been chosen to be available for Xbox have been handpicked by the game’s devs. They’bve been tested for compatibility and should work right in the mod browser which just rolled out in an update a few days ago. Colossal Order will also expand mod offerings to console players if this becomes a success.

The game is already available on the Microsoft Store. If you’ve been waiting to get in on this AAA title, you can grab it for just $40 for Xbox or $30 for PC via Steam.

Image via Steam.

Battlefront 2’s 1.2 patch is live – see what’s new

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Patch 1.2 is out!

Star Wars Battlefront 2’s new update rolls out with plenty o’ fixes all around.

DICE has released the 1.2 update for its infamous Battlefront 2 title, which includes a few significant changes to the game.

For starters, the game’s roster has been changed. Emperor Palpatine and Chewbacca have both gotten nerfed while Skywalker and Versio have been buffed. Trooper classes and some Hero classes’ dodge roll has also been redone with minor nerfing to stop the huge invincibility period.

Some profile milestones have also been optimized as they’re now claimed automatically when you complete them.

The limited-time Jetpack Cargo game mode is also released.

Some patches have been made as well to fix old bugs, but new bugs were introduced as well. The 1.2 patch update has an issue with weapon attachments that buff cooling capabilities don’t work correctly. The Explosive Shot attachment also has unlimited heatsink- meaning that it doesn’t raise the heat level in the weapon correctly as well. This makes it very OP. Can anyone smell a hotfix soon?

There are also some new maps players can utilize in Arcade matchups such as Hoth, Jakku, Endor, etc. There’s also been a bump in credits for duplicate items in loot boxes as well. The 1.2 patch seems to be in favor of the players and is a huge crowd-pleaser.

There was also confirmation of a new series of skins for select characters (Skywalker, Solo, and Leia) based on their Hoth outfits from The Empire Strikes Back. These outfits will be permanent according to the patch notes.

Image via official site.

Sunless Skies’ Exploration update adds some much-appreciated features

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Sunless Skies gets a new update that encourages you to explore.

Sunless Skies got a new update on January 31, 2018 called “Exploration.”

If you’ve never heard of this game, it’s pretty much the sequel to Sunless Sea. You’re the captain of a spacefaring locomotive and you need to travel between distant ports. You talk with NPCs, hear stories and news, and even trade cargoes. It’s all about exploration between the ports and resource management. Your team also has a loyalty meter and you’ll have to avoid mutiny.

Your action heavily influences the game’s outcome by your decisions and also switch between different vessels as well. You’ll have to fave pirates and more in the skies. You can also recruit your team as well.

You can check out more information about the game here on Steam.

The latest update allows the gathering of items around the map and the discovery of Spectacles. You can find anything from sky rocks to honey. There’s also the introduction of the Pitchkirk from Old Tom’s Well, which allows you to complete the Rite of Wrongs to modify their skills. The update adds some atmosphere to the game and some new music cues and visual effects to Terror. The headlights and foglights have also been updated so you can tell which part of the environment is scenery so you’ll stop crashing into, and it’ll help in targeting.

Docking is also much easy and automatic as well. The musical additions to the game also help ramp up the immersion of the game.

Another update isscheeudled for the end of Febraryw with combat and movement updates. Then the ALBION update rols out to add a new region to the game. Sit tight for this one. It’s gonna be the most-anticipated one yet.

Image via Steam.

DayZ coming to Xbox One and PS4 in 2018

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DayZ is coming to consoles in 2018.

DayZ is coming to Xbox One and PS4 in 2018.

The dev team behind DayZ, Bohemia Interactive, has confirmed it on a Twitter post. They stated:

“Yes! Coming to Xbox Game Preview at some point this year, we’re not sure about PS4 yet, but we’ll release there too, eventually – just don’t know when yet.”

It’ll be coming to both PS4 and Xbox One, but the ETA is unknown other than that it’ll be some time this year in 2018. So for those who are fans of the popular zombie survival shooter, get your weapons locked and loaded for some zombie-blasting gameplay!

The release for Xbox One isn’t anything new. It’s already been hinted at way back in 2014 with the game’s creator Dean Hall stating that wanted to get the game on consoles.

In 2017, lead producer Eugen Harton stated that it’ll finally be out of early access in 2018 and it’ll also be on consoles as well.

Although the game has been in early access since the launch back in 2013, the game still has a player base- though it may not be increasing. Perhaps with a console launch, it’ll bring some players back into the game. The game is currently rated as “mixed” on Steam overall with “mostly negative” reviews recently. It looks like the devs have a lot of work of to do if they want to bring this game back.

Image via Steam.

Does Toad wear a hat? Mario Odyssey producer answers the question.

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Toad isn't wearing a hat.

Super Mario Odyssey producer Yoshiaki Koizumi has finally answered the long-debated question- does Toad from Mario wear a hat? Or is the giant mushroom part of his head?

In a video recently released by Nintendo, Koizumi answers a bunch of questions about SMO. Some of them address whether or not Mario has a bellybutton, Mario’s personal relationships, and whether or not Toad’s wearing a hat.

Check out the video here on Twitter.

In the video, he states the following:

“So that, as it turns out… is actually Toad’s head. I’m going to have to leave it to all of you to figure out exactly how that works out. Maybe there’s something inside.”

And there it is. it’s not a hat. Case closed. Hands down. Sessions adjourned.

Image via MarioWiki.

R6S Outbreak update introduces new maps, items, and “Pandemic” difficulty

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R6S will be getting some new goodies in the Outbreak update.

In March, Rainbow Six Siege will be getting a nice special, limited time co-op event.

It’s called Outbreak and it’s part of the Operation Chimera content pack. This pack marks the beginning of RS6’s third year of content seasons. Ubisoft has listed a breakdown of how the event will function and even a nice teaser trailer that shows off the new alien threat in Outbreak.

Only a few Operators will be playable in Outbreak. It’s a PvE game mode so only select Operators can be used. Chimera introduces Lion and Finka, but players will be able to choose from Ying, Buck, Kapkan, Ash, Doc, Tachanka, Glaz, Recruit, and Smoke. After your Operator is chosen, you’ll be forced into the town of Truth or Consequences in New Mexico where you’ll take on some aliens called Apex. They’ve transformed all the local people into horrifying monsters.

Outbreak introduces 3 different maps- each taking place in a different part of town. Ubisoft states that the maps will be a lot bigger than the traditional R6S map, but they’ll be more linear as well. Player’s won’t get confused and always know where to go. They’ll also have destructible environments (as expected) and players will be able to create a new path by destroying elements in the environment. Outbreak also introduces a Pandemic difficult which is even harder- friendly fire is on and monsters are a lot more difficult.

Some new cosmetic will also be implemented and some loot boxes called Outbreak Packs. A total of 50 items will be yours to purchase. The Packs will also not award duplicated items as well. If you manage to get all 50, you’ll get all 50. Every player will get 4 for free. All you need to do is log in to Outbreak.

If you’re a beta tester, you’re already eligible to try out Outbreak starting on 2/20. Ubisoft states they’ll release another update for Chimera and Outbreak during the e-sports event on 2/18-2/19. The official launch date for the update is March 6 and will last about a month, so players will be able to play for just a short period.

Lastly, Ubisoft has decided to keep the game at $39.99 instead of $59.99 due to fan backlash. Good on them.

Bungie releases update “roadmap” for Destiny 2

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Destiny 2 gets an update schedule.

After the many waves of criticism for Bungie’s Destiny 2, they’ve finally laid out a “roadmap” for its players to clam the tides.

The specifics of it are pretty scarce, as it’s mainly just random titles like you’d see on a to-do list. But at least it shows Bungie is working towards improving Destiny 2 and it’s taking action- whether in the players’ favor or not. It’s pretty much just an outline of what you should expect from the AAA title in the coming seasons.

Some noticeable improvements include fixes to criticisms from the players tied to the main gameplay. It should receive some updates like public chat on the PC version and also a rate change to the duplicate Exotic items. There will also be Nightfall exclusive rewards as well. This is all planned by February 27.

By March 27, one month later, there should be new updates to abilities and weapons that balances the game as well as Crucible playlist and gameplay tweaks and Heroic Strike modifiers.

Later in May, it’ll get Eater of World’s Prestige Mode and Private Matches as well. The mod system will also be improved.

The roadmap isn’t set in stone though. It’s pretty much just ideas on a board and everything is just planned. But it gives the impression that Bungie is focusing on updates that will make Destiny 2 a game worth playing again. Sit tight for updates.

Image via Bungie.

Surviving Mars set to release on March 15, 2018

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Surviving Mars is set to release on Steam on 3/15.

Surviving Mars, the planetary colony builder developed by Haemimont Games is coming out on March 15, 2018.

If you’ve never heard about this game, it’s a pretty awesome concept. You’re in command of a new colony on Mars and your goal is to expand civilization. It’s a combination of not just humans, but some robotics as well. I’d assume the game takes place sometime in the near future as we’re building the space colony on Mars in real life eventually.

You start the game with a small group of explorers who need to establish basic necessities in order to propagate life on this newfound planet. It’s a game that’ll progress into some very futuristic and awesome tech. You’ll be able to build some giant domes, buildings, automatic structures, and pretty much everything else. It’s like a modern version of SimCity-excepti it takes places on Mars. And it’s in the future. So somethign like SimCity 3000.

the game is similar to other city builders, except that each colonist is an independent AI computer-ccontrolled unit. It has the abilty to affect other units as well. For example, if one uni goes crazy and rebeles, this may affect your expansion rate, research, and even your entire colony’s structure as well- espciaily if that unit aws important.

The game also has an element of surpise as well judiging from the game’s trailer. This adds some random element to the plot I assume.

Surviving Mars seems like a pretty awesome game so far. It’ll be avaialble on 3/15/18 with a price tag of $39.99 on PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, and Xbox One as well. You can check it out on Steam. It’ll be publishedby Paradox Interactive.

Image via Steam page.

The Forest is leaving early access and going into a full release on Steam

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The Forest is releasing as a full game soon.

The Forest is coming out of early access on Steam some time in April 2018!

If you’ve never heard of this game, it’s basically a survival game that takes place in a huge world filled with some spooky monsters. You have to gather resources, establish a base, craft weapons, harvest food, and explore the giant map freely at your own pace.

The game takes place with your character having ditched a plane crash and now you’re stuck somewhere in the wilderness looking for your son. You get a glimpse of some giant man taking your son off into the woods, so you need to go look for him on this mysterious island. Of course, you won’t be able to just find him. It’s a whole expedition and will require many days of exploration, which means you need to establish shelter, food, and get your basic necessities so you can continue looking for him.

The game has tons of lakes, ponds, caves, forests, and villages for you to gather loot from. Like pretty much any survival game these days, you’ll have to fend off attackers. Instead of it being other players like in Rust and Ark, you’ll have to defend yourself from these monsters that’ll attack your establishment and eventually you yourself. It’s considered to be a horror survival game because the enemies you face do indeed look freakin’ creepy. The environments you explore are also filled with these monsters as well. There’s even a day/night cycle and a weather system as well. The game is basically a horror survival game taken to the extreme. It’s like playing Rust with a horror mod or something.

The Forest came out in May of 2014 in early access and has made some significant leaps in progress since then. Now, it’s ready for a full release almost 4 years later. The developers have decided to release the full version of the game on PC this year. It’ll be released with patch 0.73 which contains a few updates, patches, and fixes.

Like most games, The Forest will get a price bump for the full version. It’ll jump from $14.99 to just $19.99- a modest $5 increase. If you’ve been eyeing this game, or if you like horror survival games, you’ll definitely want to check out the game on Steam.

Image via survivetheforest.com

Nintendo won’t reveal who’s behind the Labo

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Nintendo Labo is coming soon.

The Nintendo Labo has been a pretty good success based on word around the web.

One questionable thing about Nintendo’s new interactive cardboard toy is that no one (other than Nintendo) is who exactly is developing the software for this product.

Kotaku has been prodding them with questions regarding the software development for the Labo, but even during the latest showcase, they stated that Nintendo has declined to answer any questions about the people developing the software for the toy.

Although this isn’t unlike Nintendo, since they’ve been quiet about this whole project since the start. They haven’t revealed anything about the teams or devs behind the Labo yet.

The only thing that makes this a weird thought is that it’s already out and released. It’s not like it’s still in development- it’s already availble for pre-order. This sort of information isn’t usually concealed after a game or product release.

The Labo Variety Kit and the Labo Robot Kit both roll out in a few months. Perhaps then Nintendo will shed some information. Right now, if you’re einterested in Labo, you can grab the Toy-Cons on preorder right now from their store.

Image via Nintendo.

Fortnite resolution bug punishing players on PS4 and Xbox One

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Fornite's new patch comes with a slew of issues.

With the new Fornite update brings new improvements- and some new bugs.

While the accompanying server downtime wasn’t as bad as last week’s update, this update brought some new bugs with it. It seems like many players of the console versions (PS4/Xbox One) are getting some resolutions problems that make the game unplayable.

Specifically, the game will render itself at a resolution way too “wide” in terms of aspect ratio. It’s like playing the game on an ultrawide screen when you’re using a normal widescreen. The edges of the game fall way outside of the viewable bounds of the screen.

Epic Games confirmed the issue shortly after the patch was uploaded and live. In a Reddit post, they made a statement:

“We are aware that some console players are having issues with resolution. Fixing this is a priority for us and we will let you know when we are ready to deploy a fix.”

There’s no statement about when exactly it’ll be fixed though other than the vague statement. The only problem is that some players get the issue while others don’t. This offers a huge advantage to those players, so it’s a totally unfair game.

After you’ve downloaded the update, you’ll immediately know if you’ve been affected by it. If everything’s normal, you’re good. if not, you’ll have to wait for the update.

Another issue that showed up with the patch is the addition of a quest that asks players to join in on a limited-time mode called Blitz. That’s good and all only if it were actually available for joining.

Epic has also commented on this issue and says it’s not available and that it’s “working to remove this from available quests.”

There’s also another bug where some chests come up empty with no loot, not being able to equip the first weapon you loot, and not being able to access the pause menu when you’re downed in Build mode. There are also some issues for Save the World mode as well that you can read about the other issues here.

On the plus side, this update adds the minigun and a few other updates like Expedition types for Save the World and the Cozy Campfire item. You can check out the new updates here.

Also, be sure to log in to get your freebies for the downtime that was last week’s patch. It’s Epic Games’ way of apologizing for the trigger-happy.

Image via Epic Games.

Overwatch update nerfs Mercy and Junkrat

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Overwatch nerfs both Mercy and Junkrat in newest update.

Overwatch has gone through some major changes in the last patch- specifically for two of the most ass-kicking characters in the game.

Mercy has been top-tier for the past couple of months already in almost every single match. Overwatch League was no exception. She has a super high pick rate and also has the kit to seriously help dominate the enemy team.

Having the ability to revive 2 downed teammates instantly and being able to support the remaining 3 members for twenty seconds is just OP. Because of this, Blizzard has gone ahead and laid down the nerf hammer once again.

In the newest patch, her ultimate Valkyrie has been dropped down to just 15 seconds and also the speed boost has been reduced to just 50% that it provides to Guardian Angel.

Valkyrie will also no longer give her an extra Resurrect charge and it won’t negate the casting time. With these nerfs, players should see a lower Mercy pick rate since Blizzard has gone in and pretty much nerfed her like crazy. She won’t be as helpful and OP as before- that’s for sure. Even skilled players won’t be nearly as effective as before.

The updates were available on the PTR server for a while now. Reactions from players have been mixed. It does what it does- it nerfs her. But some players complained that it goes too far because of the significant casting time of Resurrect and leaves her vulnerable for quite some time.

Even with this player feedback, Blizzard still slammed the hammer.

Junkrat also got a minor nerf in which the Concussion Mine will have damage falloff. They now detonate with weaker damage and need to be extremely close to the target to deal the full 120 hit points. It’s not that bad, but it just makes the AoE of the mines deal less damage.

If you’re a Mercy hater or a Junkrat hater, this update should be bliss.

Image via playoverwatch.com