Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics

Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 1

The new Deep Freeze bundle for Fortnite will get you a physical copy of Fortnite Battle Royale, which has been known to be extremely hard to find nowadays. But the Deep Freeze bundle will get you a nice hard copy of the game (as a sentimental souvenir) to keep forever to remind you what was once the world’s most popular game. There’s also a digital version available on all platform store.

If you decide to snag yourself a physical copy of Deep Freeze, you’ll get four exclusive cosmetics and a bunch of V-Bucks. Fortnite was previously available as a physical disc before the battle royale mode was even developed and the game was just PvE. Nowadays, if you want to get yourself a disc, you’ll be paying about $400 on eBay for a pristine copy.

This new Deep Freeze bundle will run you $29.99 from major retailers or the in-game Fortnite store with 1,000 V-Bucks (worth $10) and cosmetics valued at about $20. Considering that this bundle itself will also be hard to find, later on, it’s worth the price. Even if you already own the game and you’re just looking to collect the physical hardware so you can display it in your room.

The cosmetics are seasonal as we head into the coming winter (in real life) and given the name of the bundle, they’re all about ice. All items are exclusive to the bundle and you can get your V-Bucks that fans will go buy the bundle just for the cosmetics and not the game.

Here’s what’s included in the Deep Freeze Bundle:

Deep Freeze Bundle

  • 1000 V-Bucks
  • Legendary Frostbite Outfit
  • Legendary Freezing Point Back Bling
  • Uncommon Chill-Axe Pickaxe
  • Uncommon Cold Front Glider

Jump in to Fortnite Battle Royale with the Deep Freeze bundle. Guaranteed to keep you warm on the battlefield, despite its chilly name!

You can buy theDeep Freeze bundle now on Amazon, at any major physical retailer, or buy from the Fortnite online store.

Here are some screenshots of the cosmetics:

Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 2 Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 3 Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 4 Fortnite Deep Freeze bundle available now; Physical copy, exclusive cosmetics 5

This post contains affiliate links where barrelrolled may receive a small commission upon sales. (This helps us feed our writers the good brand of ramen noodles rather than the generic, store brand.)

Five Nights At Freddy’s coming to Switch (and other consoles) in 2019

Five Nights At Freddy's coming to Switch (and other consoles) in 2019 6

Five Nights At Freddy’s (FNAF), the viral animatronic horror point-and-click game developed by Scott Cawthon, is coming to the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, iOS, and Android sometime in 2019 based on a news post on the Steam Community page of Ultimate Custom Night.

The game series has been extremely popular with the younger crowd and has spawned many different adaptations. FNAF will likely start with the original game followed by the sequels on the consoles and other platforms. There will be HD ports of the original games alongside the entire series and possibly the spinoffs.

Scott Cawthon states on the latest update post:

“I’m working closely with the people at Clickteam to create new, improved, HD ports of all of the original games! They will be released on Android, iOS, Switch, XBox and PlayStation!”

Five Nights At Freddy’s is a game released back in 2014 that has been played by famous internet celebrities and popularized by the content creators who screamed in fear when they were fazed by the game’s creepy-looking animatronic robots.

Players attempt to survive five nights at an eat-in diner called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, which is essentially like Chuck E. Cheese went horribly, terribly wrong. The place is swarmed with animatronics that have taken new life and you control a camera monitor and must keep watch to survive by acting various mechanisms and such.

The series has evolved to an entire media franchise complete with fan gear, toys, and 6 major entries with 2 spin-off titles and even had novels written to tell the story. The’res also been a film adaptation by Warner Bros. Pictures to recreate the game but has since then gone through multiple delays. The game has been covered by major internet celebrities, including Markiplier, PewDiePie, and jacksepticeye.

Cawthon also says that there will be new books, new games, and of course, the movie. You can check out the whole post below:

 

“Upcoming Projects Mega-Thread!
Updated 11-12-18

Hey everyone!

I’ve been promising an update, so here it is! There are a lot of great things being worked on, and most of them will arrive in 2019, including new ports, new games, and new books. The movie progress is still slow, but that’s OK because I want to get it right. Everything else however is moving full speed ahead.

Movie News:

Five Nights at Freddy’s (first movie): New script being worked on

OK guys, I had a script written; Jason liked it, and Chris Columbus liked it too, but I tossed it. I had a different idea for it, one that I liked better. I take responsibility for this delay; it’s my fault.

It’s been a real challenge for everyone, including myself, to come up with a good screenplay for this. But I’m determined to find the right story. I’m sticking to what I’ve always said, either the right movie gets made or no movie gets made. I hate delaying a project that’s already seen so many delays, but I have to go with my instincts on what I think will be exciting and interesting, and what I think the fanbase will really want to see. If that means that I have to start over ten more times, then that’s what I’m going to do. The good thing is that each attempt gets better and better, in my opinion. So, despite the delays, it’s going in the right direction.

One thing that most of you might want to know is that the movie (and sequels I hope) will take place in the universe of FNAF 1-3 only. The games after Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 will not exist in the movie universe. Like it or hate it, I felt that this was the best portion of the storyline to really focus in on.

Game Projects:

FNAF VR: (40% complete)

This game is looking terrific. I’m working with a company called Steel Wool to bring the VR game to life, and these guys are making some crazy stuff. If you liked repairing Funtime Freddy up-close in Sister Location, just wait until you try to do something like that in VR, up close, personal, with these huge animatronics that are just one mistake away from jumping at you. I refused to test it the first time and had my son Braden test it instead. (The repair section is one small part of the game.) And, for the first time, you’re going to all get to see an actual stage performance from the classic band!

FNAF AR: (10% complete)

The AR game is well under way, and while I’m not going to reveal any gameplay details yet, I will say that the impending doom of something hunting you will keep you up at night.

FNAF: Into Madness (0% complete)

This is the next game that I want to work on myself someday, a compilation of several previous gameplay ideas in the same vein as Update 2; just a free game for the fanbase. There isn’t a guarantee that it will happen though; I’m still recovering from the first four years! 🙂

Console Ports: (20% complete)

I’m working closely with the people at Clickteam to create new, improved, HD ports of all of the original games! They will be released on Android, iOS, Switch, XBox and PlayStation!

AAA Game: (0%)

There is a BIG deal in the works to create an incredible big-budget game! I can’t reveal any details yet as this project is still in its planning stages, but I’m working closely with the studio involved to ensure that it delivers what (I think) FNAF fans will want to see!

New Book Series: (20%)

There is a new line of books on the way from Scholastic! This will be very different from the original book series, as it will be a collection of short horror stories that takes place in the FNAF universe. The series will launch with five books, each containing three different short stories with unique characters and plot lines, some connected directly to the games, and some not.

That’s everything for now! Time for more coffee!”

Fornite’s V6.22 leaked new vehicle may just be the A.I.M skin

Fornite's V6.22 leaked new vehicle may just be the A.I.M skin 7

The A.I.M skin that’s given as a reward to Fortnite players who’ve completed a whole seven week’s worth of S6 characters just launched today. The skin is regarded as a Legendary skin and was released just before the Week 7 Challenges rolled out.

Players have discovered a chimney over at Flush Factory with a parachute draped upon it. The ‘chute has the same logo on it as the A.I.M skin, and theories have sprouted across the web with high regard that the character used the parachute to land on the Fortnite map.

Data miners have uncovered that the item name for the parachute is “Robo_Chute” which seems fitting that the parachute was used by the A.I.M robot character so it holds the popular theory. But then again, there’s no actual solid evidence of whether or not Epic Games just placed it there or if an actual in-game event took place. Player reports state that noises every half hour were heard that sounded like an incoming plane from the skies.

A tweet on Twitter by a player named VSuntzu14 captured this plane sound effect, and players pointed out that it sounds very similar to the leaked V6.22 files. You can hear the mysterious sound effect here:

Note that all the of files were bundled in the same directory called “vehicles” so it could just be a plane that they plan to add later on. Possibly a new Fortnite vehicle rather than the A.I.M story. Epic has said nothing about this and posted no new updates, so we’ll just have to wait until an official word comes out of the horse’s mouth.

Stay tuned for updates (as always).

Black Ops 4: November 6 update full details; 9-Bang removed, LMGs/SMGs buffed

Black Ops 4: November 6 update full details; 9-Bang removed, LMGs/SMGs buffed 8

The latest update for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was a major one. It adjusted for game settings in the Blackout mode to better balance out the game based on player and community feedback and technical analysis directly from Treyarch.

The update buffed SMGs by increasing the muzzle velocity for all weapons in the Submachine Gun class so they can pit against ARs more effectively. Treyarch states:

“This should provide more consistent gunfights when in SMG range, along with ensuring that SMGs perform as expected in their intended power band when compared to Assault Rifles in Blackout.”

No Assault Rifles received any buffs except the Rampart 17. The Auger DMR and Swordfish both also got improvements from the tactical Rifle category. The buffs were decent and should make them much more effective to fulfill their roles.

LMGs have also been buffed. Treyarch knows this class of weaponry has potential if used correctly, though it’s tricky to master.

They’ve buffed them to make them a little easier to use for players. Treyarch states that:

“While some players have found success with the LMGs in Blackout, they’re still being passed over by the large majority of players. These changes should help make LMGs more manageable when providing cover fire or engaging targets at range.”

The VKM750 and Titan now have increased recenter speed and reduced recenter pattern offsets. In other words, they have less recoil and improved accuracy. This buff was also applied to the Hades. The Titan has a more predictable recoil pattern too.

With these changes, LMGs may become more competitive against SMGs and ARs.

Regarding the news announcement hinted by Treyarch yesterday, the 9-Bang stun was removed from Blackout due to complaints from the community that it was just overpowered. So as of now, the 9-Bang is removed temporarily and the Concussion Grenade has been buffed to make up for the 9-Bang.

The ‘nade now has an increased throw distance and stacks to 2. Though it’s not nearly as powerful, it’ll suffice for the time being as Treyarch continues to work on balancing the game’s kit.

The game is still very new and has gone through multiple major updates already. They’re working hard to balance out their one and only battle royale mode to ever appear in a CoD game. Players have praised the mode so far even though it’s had a share of bugs and weapon balance issues. The game continues to sell and has broken records already in total sales.

Perhaps next update they’ll nerf the dogs, which have been shown to do some pretty deadly attacks.

The full patch notes for the November 6 Black Ops 4 update follows here:

Nov. 6 Update: Blackout Tuning, Blightfather Event, Chaos Character Missions, New MP Playlists, Black Market Progression

Following last week’s Multiplayer weapon tuning, we’ve introduced extensive new Blackout-specific tuning in today’s update, including various tweaks across several weapon classes, the removal of the 9-Bang from Blackout, and more. Read on for the full list of changes in the patch notes below.

For a limited time, the fearsome Blightfather has been transported from IXto haunt the Graveyard just south of the Asylum. Those of you who took him on during the Blackout Beta know he won’t go down without a fight – and the victors will be handsomely rewarded this time around. This event is now live in all Blackout playlists on all platforms, so keep an eye out for the red pillar of light for a chance to slay the Blightfather… or pick off those who dare try.

We’ve also unlocked the Blackout Character Missions for our Black Ops 4 Chaos Storyline crew and increased Character Mission quest item spawn rates, so get out there and complete those hidden challenges to drop in as Bruno, Diego, Scarlett, and Shaw.

In Multiplayer, new playlists have arrived in the Featured category, including the debut of Team Tactical Moshpit, Mercenary Chaos Moshpit, and Mercenary Hardcore Moshpit. Read below for all the details on these new playlists and let us know what you think. As a reminder, playlists will be rotating into the Featured category on a weekly basis, so keep an eye out for fresh new game types and the return of fan-favorites each week.

We’re also kicking off our first 2X Tier Boost Weekend in Multiplayer and Blackout starting on Friday, along with 2X Nebulium Plasma in Zombies on all platforms from 10AM PT Friday, Nov. 9 through 10AM PT Monday, Nov. 12! Players will earn Contraband Tier progression twice as fast during this event, and we’ve got new ways to boost your Contraband Tier progression coming very soon. Stay tuned.

For our Zombies players: game stability has remained our #1 priority, and while we’ve implemented additional crash fixes listed below in today’s update, we know we’ve still got more to deliver for the Zombies community. To that end, we will have more shortly from the Zombies team that will address current development, as well as how we’re prioritizing stability and gameplay improvements.

And now, onto what’s new in the game:

We’ve made the following updates to the game (Global) since Friday’s update:

Blackout

Playlist Updates

  • Blightfather added to all playlists.
  • 100-Player Quads added to the Featured playlist.
  • Maximum players in Solo and Duos playlists changed to 88.

Character Missions

  • Zombies Chaos Storyline Character Missions now available (Bruno, Diego, Scarlett, and Shaw).
  • Increased drop rates of Character Mission items.

Weapons (Blackout Only)

  • Submachine Guns
    • Increased muzzle velocity on all SMGs. This should provide more consistent gunfights when in SMG range, along with ensuring that SMGs perform as expected in their intended power band when compared to Assault Rifles in Blackout.
    • Spitfire
      • Reduced recoil.
  • Assault Rifles
    • Rampart 17
      • Reduced ADS sway.
      • Reduced recoil.
  • Tactical Rifles
    • Auger DMR
      • Increased re-center speed. We slowed down the re-center due to high performance in our Blackout beta, but have seen the AUGER slightly underperform since release.
      • Slightly increased muzzle velocity. This should make for more predictable shots when firing at a moving target within the Auger’s intended ranges.
  • Swordfish
    • Tightened the spread pattern. This should allow more shots to land on target at range.
  • Light Machine Guns
    • While some players have found success with the LMGs in Blackout, they’re still being passed over by the large majority of players. These changes should help make LMGs more manageable when providing cover fire or engaging targets at range.
    • Titan
      • Increased re-center speed.
      • Reduced re-center pattern offsets for more predictable recoil.
    • VKM 750
      • Increased re-center speed.
      • Reduced re-center pattern offsets.
    • Hades
      • Increased re-center speed.
      • Reduced re-center pattern offsets.

Equipment (Blackout Only)

  • 9-Bang
    • Removed the 9-Bang from Blackout while we evaluate its place in the gameplay loop.
  • Concussion Grenade
    • Increased throw distance.
    • Increased stack count to 2.

Multiplayer

  • Playlist Updates
    • Added Team Tactical Moshpit to Featured Playlist (3v3 TDM, Kill Confirmed, and Search & Destroy).
    • Added Mercenary Chaos Moshpit to Featured category (6v6 TDM, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint, no parties allowed).
    • Added Mercenary Hardcore Moshpit to Featured category (Hardcore TDM, Domination, and Kill Confirmed, no parties allowed).
    • Gun Game and Control now in Featured category.
  • Gameplay
    • Resolved an exploit in Search & Destroy where players could change classes after the start of a round to regain Scorestreak progress from the previous round before death.
    • Resolved an issue in Heist where navigating the Buy Menu with the d-pad could display the description for the previously highlighted item.
    • Resolved an issue where meleeing friendly Razor Wire in Hardcore game modes would damage players, potentially causing the player who placed the Razor Wire to be kicked for friendly fire.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Corrected the description for “Fast Reflexes” Challenge to inform players of requirement to get 5 EKIA in a game shortly after switching weapons with Dexterity, Overkill, and Laser Sight.

Zombies

  • Stability
    • Resolved 2 specific crashes in the IX Main Quest.
    • Resolved a crash related to banner challenges in IX.
    • Resolved a crash that occurred when the Shield broke while the player had the Victorious Tortoise Perk active.
  • Gameplay
    • Resolved an issue where players could end up in a permanently downed state if they are revived as a self-revive is being completed.
    • Resolved an issue where picking up the Max Ammo power-up while Bandolier is active did not give additional ammo if the weapon was at its normal Max Ammo capacity.
  • Miscellaneous
    • Resolved UI issues caused by opening the Paintshop after personalizing a weapon in the Armory.
    • Resolved an issue where players could equip Talismans in Local Play.
    • Changed Aftertaste Elixir description to reflect its 5-minute duration.
    • Changed Arsenal Accelerator Elixir description to reflect its 2-minute duration.

General

  • Challenges
    • Resolved an issue where level-restricted Challenges could be locked again after Prestiging.

We’ve also made the following changes to PC since Friday’s update, in addition to the ones listed above:

  • General
    • Added Audio Presets to Options.
    • Resolved an issue where the rotation icon would appear when highlighting any items in the Black Market.
  • Zombies
    • Resolved an issue where players would be forcefully defeated when using the Fast Travel from Transverse Tunnel to reach the Cafeteria before opening its door in Blood of the Dead.
    • Resolved an issue where Warpaints could not be removed after being applied.

Jump in and let us know what you think of the new Blackout weapon tuning, Blightfather event, new MP playlists, and everything else that’s new in today’s update!

DICE releases official Battle 5 PC requirements – Are you ray trace ready?

DICE releases official Battle 5 PC requirements - Are you ray trace ready? 9

Battlefield 5 rolls out later this month, and EA has published the official PC requirements for the game.

As with any other game, DICE has posted the minimum requirements on the recommended requirements for Battlefield 5. If you played the beta, you’ll already know how gorgeous the graphics are with ultra-realism. For maximum eye candy, you’ll definitely want to play on the recommended requirements.

Regardless, here they are:

Battlefield 5 Minimum Requirements

  • OS: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
  • Processor (AMD): AMD FX-8350
  • Processor (Intel): Core i5 6600K
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Graphics card (NVIDIA): NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1050 / NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 660 2GB
  • Graphics card (AMD): AMD Radeon™ RX 560 / HD 7850 2GB
  • DirectX: 11.0 Compatible video card or equivalent
  • Online Connection Requirements: 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
  • Hard-drive space: 50GB

Battlefield 5 Recommended Requirements

  • OS: 64-bit Windows 10 or later
  • Processor (AMD): AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
  • Processor (Intel): Intel Core i7 4790 or equivalent
  • Memory: 12GB RAM
  • Graphics card (NVIDIA): NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1060 6GB
  • Graphics card (AMD): AMD Radeon™ RX 580 8GB
  • DirectX: 11.1 Compatible video card or equivalent
  • Online Connection Requirements: 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
  • Available Disk Space: 50GB

With a 50GB size requirement, it’s a decent chunk of Battlefield primed for release on launch day. The majority of even casual FPS gamers these days would meet the GTX 1050 requirements I’d assume, as the GTX 10 series has been out for quite a while now and is already considered to be “last gen” with the release of the new ray tracing Nvidia cards that are slowly leaking into the mainstream scene.

DICE has also listed separate requirements for those who want the ray tracing technology. For those who are unaware of this, ray tracing is a new feature that allows light particles and beams to be rendered individually like in real life. This will be one of the first games ever made with ray tracing technology. And it’ll be glorious.

For the best experience in Battlefield 5, you’ll need to have top-end hardware to indulge in the latest technology.

And for those blessed with this kind of setup, here’s what you’ll need:

Recommended Requirements for DXR

  • OS: 64-bit Windows 10 October 2018 Update (1809)
  • Processor (AMD): AMD Ryzen 7 2700
  • Processor (Intel): Intel Core i7 8700
  • Memory: 16GB RAM
  • Graphics card (NVIDIA): NVIDIA GeForce® RTX 2070
  • DirectX: DirectX Raytracing Compatible video card
  • Online Connection Requirements: 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
  • Available Disk Space: 50GB

Battlefield 5 is set to release November 20 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

 

This post contains affiliate links where barrelrolled may receive a small commission upon sales. (This helps us feed our writers the good brand of ramen noodles rather than the generic, store brand.)

Fortnite update V6.22 full patch notes; New weapons, limited time modes, and more

Fortnite update V6.22 full patch notes; New weapons, limited time modes, and more 10

Fortnite’s November 6 update (V.6.22) brings some major changes to the game, with the most notable update being the new Heavy Assault Rifle.

The new AR is described as a “powerful Assault Rifle that is most useful when fired in short bursts.” This was teased before the patch by Epic, and fans have been looking forward with eager anticipation to try it out.

With short bursts, it’s likely a powerful weapon with a pretty strong recoil, so one must learn how to aim properly to maximize its effectiveness. There’s no probably no spraying and praying here- unless you’re doing CQC.

The update includes a few new notable things:

Team Terror for Battle Royale

Two teams will duke it out with little cubes running around in a large team matchup. This is a limited time mode, so check it out while you can.

NFL Outfits for Battle Royale

The NFL and Fortnite have teamed up and released some themed outfits so you can represent your favorite team. They’re available in the store starting November 9 at 7PM ET. This is actually pretty cool, as each player looks like an actual football player from an actual team. Who says Tom Brady doesn’t play Fortnite?

Fortnitemares Part 2 for Save the World

This special mode lets players use two new Heroes and battle against Vlad with an exclusive new weapon, the Candy Corn LMG.

 

Other than those major updates, here are all the bug fixes and patch notes for Fortnite V6.22:

KNOWN ISSUES

Wanting to track the top community issues? Head over to our Fortnite | Community Issues Trello board here.

BATTLE ROYALE

LIMITED TIME EVENT: TEAM TERROR

Summary
Monsters have invaded the Battle Royale island! Two teams will battle it out as Cube Monsters monsters join the fight. Defeat the other team to earn a Victory Royale.

Mode Details

  • Two teams of 32 players. Eliminate the other team to win.
  • Monster spawners are scattered throughout the map and also appear each time the storm closes in to a new circle.
  • Monsters can drop weapons or ammo when destroyed. Gold monsters and monster spawners drop Legendary items when destroyed.
  • Farming resources increased 75% over default.
  • Increased floor loot spawn likelihood by 15%.
  • Floor loot spawns double ammo.
  • Ammo boxes spawn triple ammo.
  • Chests spawn double ammo & consumables.
  • Supply drops spawn double ammo, and an extra consumable, resource drop and trap.

LIMITED TIME EVENT: BLITZ!

Summary
Blitz is a faster-paced version of Battle Royale. The match begins with the storm moving towards the island, and the delay between each circle is shorter than normal, creating matches that are 15 minutes long or less. The map also has extra loot and resources. Profile Stats count in this mode, so fight hard for the Victory Royale!

Mode Details

  • The storm is already moving in at the beginning of the match, choose your landing spot carefully!
  • Wait time between storms is significantly shorter than usual; maximum match length is 15 minutes.
  • Increased chances of treasure chests spawning from 50-70% to 80-90%.
  • Increased chances of ammo boxes spawning from 65-80% to 85-95%.
  • Reduced empty floor loot spawn chance from 21.5% to 3.55%
  • Resource harvesting amounts increased by 50%.
  • Increased materials found on the ground from 30 to 60 per instance.
  • Increased number, spawn rate & the descent speed of Supply Drops.
  • Increased number of llamas spawned by 4x.
  • Removed shopping carts.

WEAPONS + ITEMS

  • Heavy Assault Rifle
    • Can be found in floor loot, chests, Vending Machines, and Supply Drops
    • Available in Rare, Epic and Legendary Variants
      • Deals 44 / 46 / 48 damage
      • 3.75 Fire Rate
      • Has a magazine size of 25
  • The Pumpkin Launcher has been reverted back to the standard Rocket Launcher.
  • We’ve reduced the spawn rate of Balloons from 12.2% to 2.3%.

GAMEPLAY

  • Storm max damage cap changed back to 8 damage from 10 damage.

Bug Fixes

  • Players hit by a Boogie Bomb while holding Balloons will no longer have physics issues. They will now properly drop the Balloons.

SAVE THE WORLD

MISSIONS + SYSTEMS

  • Fortnitemares Part 2 quests are now available!
    • Complete the epic storyline of Hexsylvania.
      • Now includes the Vlad miniboss and the final fight to put him to rest.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where the quest Supply Run would improperly launch players into Hexslyvania resulting in quest items not spawning.
  • Fixed an issue where two survivors could possibly spawn next to each other in the same camp.

HEROES

  • New Mythic Ninja – Werewolf Dire
    • A wild Ninja that becomes more fearsome and energetic at night.
    • Available in the Event Store November 7th at 7 PM EST.
    • New Perks:
      • Nightstalker – During Evening and Night, gain 25% bonus movement speed.
      • Midnight Stalker – Increases the movement speed bonus of Night Stalker by an additional 25%.
        • Abilities cost 50% less energy during Evening and Night.
  • New Legendary Outlander – Sanguine Dusk
    • Uses Phase Shift to steal health from enemies.
    • Available as a quest reward from Fortnitemares Part 2.
    • New Perks:
      • Phase Siphon – Phase Shifting through enemies deals 11 base damage and heals 6 base health.
      • Super Siphon – Increases the healing of Phase Siphon to 32 base health.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue where glowing effects on Ninja characters would stop glowing after entering Shadow Stance.

UI

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue that caused players to appear in your lobby even after they have left.
    • This may have caused incorrect power level restrictions on missions.

WEAPONS + ITEMS

  • The Candy Corn LMG is now available as a quest reward from Fortnitemares Part 2.
    • A heavy, festive weapon with a huge magazine full of candy shaped bullets. Most effective at mid-range engagements when aiming down sights from a fixed position.
    • Weapon Perk:
      • Eliminating enemies with this weapon can spawn healing candy pickups.

GAMEPLAY

Bug Fixes

  • Reviving defenders will no longer leave them indestructible but unable to shoot or take any action.
  • Re-summoning a revived defender will no longer leave an invisible, indestructible copy of the defender behind.

AUDIO

  • Added additional sounds for Vlad Taker and ambient sounds for his coffin.
  • Updated Atlas Victory sequence movie sound mix.

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed multiple volume and missing sound issues with the Atlas.
  • Fixed mix issue with Lars music suppressing ambient music.
  • Fixed sound playback issues with the Flamegrill trap.
  • Fixed issues with Frontend reward music not playing consistently.
  • Fixed audio issues with active encampments not triggering.

Source: Epic Games.

Bethesda announces final two Fallout 76 B.E.T.A. sessions

Bethesda announces final two Fallout 76 B.E.T.A. sessions 11

Fallout 76 has finally reached the last two sessions for its BETA (Break-it Early Test Application) and they’ve finally announced the last two start and end times for eager fans.

On Tuesday, November 6, players will be able to join the second-to-last BETA test session for a mere two hours from 1-3PM ET. Fans have already expressed concern on Twitter saying that the short time frame makes it difficult to play since they’re likely trying to get as much playtime as possible during the BETA so they can have some powerful equipment in the actual game (gear is carried over to the full release).

The last session will be on November 8, where players can explore West Virginia one last time for a much more reasonable time limit of 6 hours.

Both sessions will apply to all platforms simultaneously.

Bethesda likely made the time frames short on purpose so it forces all players to log in around the same time. This will ensure server stability for the launch day when the entire globe begins bombarding their servers with requests. Rather than have a game offline on the first day, which is especially important for Fallout 76 since it’s a fully online game, Bethesda is being proactive about stress testing their hardware to guarantee a smooth launch.

With player progress carrying over to the retail version of the game, some players will already have an advantage from day one. However, players starting fresh don’t have ot opt-in to PVP until level 5, so this safeguards us newbies who didn’t have time (or access) to the specific BETA test times and dates.

Fallout 76 is less than two weeks from release and will go live on Nobemver 14th. You can pre-order the game on Amazon here. Are you ready for the next Fallout entry? I’ll be no-showing at work that day.

 

This post contains affiliate links where barrelrolled may receive a small commission upon sales. (This helps us feed our writers the good brand of ramen noodles rather than the generic, store brand.)

Fortnite: Lil’ Kev Challenges now live

Fortnite: Lil' Kev Challenges now live 12

With Kevin the Cube finally destroyed in the one-time live event Epic Games hosted just a few hours ago, the mysterious and ominous Purple Cube has marked the end of Fortnitemares.

Players that attended the live event saw a feat of glory, with Kevin finally breaking apart and imploding upon himself. A Butterfly then appeared, which data miners have already speculated that this event would start off the new event- Butterfly. The daily message was then updated in the game with new “Lil’ Kev Challenges” for all players.

The challenges are nothing new to those who keep up with Fortnite news. They were first leaked after the V6.21 update and only a trio of them are available- which should be pretty easy to complete and only will take a few hours to complete.

This was likely done intentionally by Epic Games because they’re only available until November 11 at 1 PM ET. Players can also earn some XP for each task (500XP each) and once they’re all completed, each player gets the Lil Kev back bling, which is rated as a rare item (pictured above).

The Lil’ Kev Challenges are as follows:

  • Play Matches (0/15) – 500 XP
  • Gain 5,000 XP (0/5000) – 500 XP
  • Outlive Opponents (0/500) – 500 XP

As of this writing, you only have 7 days (1 week) to complete all the challenges, which should be more than enough time even for the causal Fortnite player. You’ll want to get started on them as soon as possible so you can secure your piece of Kevin. Epic Games will likely have more limited-time challenges to boot with the Butterfly event, which is the next event in line for Fortnite.c

Fortnite ending Fortnitemares with in-game live event today; Butterfly begins?

Fortnite ending Fortnitemares with in-game live event today; Butterfly begins? 13

The speculated Butterfly event in Fortnite will go live today at 1PM ET/10AM PT/12PM CT/7PM CET and will mark the official end of Fortnitemares. Kevin the Purple Cube will finally meet his demise, and this is a one-time live event happening in Fortnite. You’ll likely never be able to see this again- in person at least. So get ready to witness history.

Everything we know comes from data miners and data leaks with various game files that are pieced together with speculation to guesstimate what’ll happen during this new event. The Butterfly kickoff event will likely only last a few minutes, so be sure you’re logged in if you want to watch it live for yourself.

This isn’t the first time Epic has done an in-game live event, such as last time when the rocket was blasted and many players tuned in to watch it happen. The same goes for the Butterfly event. Be there or be square. This isn’t an NPC quest in an MMO where everyone gets to see the event upon mouse click.

Players had problems with matchmaking queues during Season 4 with the rocket launch, so be there early- at least 10 minutes early before the event. If you’re reading this now, the Butterfly event starts in a little over 30 minutes from now. You should probably look into Fortnite and prime your cursor!

With the launch of Butterfly, Fortnitemares will come to an end. Epic Games still hasn’t specified which game modes the event will be visible in, other than it won’t be in Playground LTM. Stick with Solo, Duos, or Squads in Fortnitemares. No Disco Domination.

Navigate over to Leaky Lake and find the Purple Cube and watch out for enemies. If you get eliminated you won’t have time to get into a new game. Try spectating other players if you get killed. There are rumors that players will be invulnerable during the event, but there hasn’t been any solid confirmation yet, so be careful.

Kevin the Cube cracked open yesterday and started leaking yesterday. The Purple Cube looks like it’s about to end itself and data miners have gathered that it’ll split into three fragments with Leaky Lake returning to its previous appearance as Loot Lake with some new islands added to the map, though we’re not sure what they are. Probably related to Butterfly.

We’ll post an update after the event. See you at Leaky Lake!

Fortnite’s new trailer shows off floating balloons. And floating clowns.

Fortnite's new trailer shows off floating balloons. And floating clowns. 14

With Halloween and Fortnitemares going all out, it’s officially time for some clowns. That’s right. Clowns.

The debut of Fortnite’s next event with creepy carnival folk may just feel like Halloween never left the game. Fortnite’s latest trailer is all about freaky clowns playing with their newest item- balloons. Season six is currently in full swing as new items continue to make the game more zany and crazier than ever.

Although some streamers disapprove of them, they keep the game feeling fresh and fun for the rest of us. The newest addition is the simple party balloon. But this is enough to string up some new starts for the most popular game on the planet right now. They seem like a handy tool to have in the assassin’s arsenal.

They can be used to gain altitude to quickly advance up and attack opponents who’ve built higher towers. The distance traveled is determined by how many balloons you’re carrying. There are also clowns in the trailer all brandishing huge mallets as they use balloons to sneak up and scale the edge of towers silently to take out their prey. With a little help from these balloons, players can easily transcend tall ledges with ease.

This adds a new dimension to the game and new strategies. Perhaps they’ll be part of the new Fortnite “meta?” Who knows. I’m not a professional player. I just know that clowns are scary.

Fortnite is available on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. You can also play it on Switch, Mac, iOS, and Android will full cross-platform play between each platform. The world’s most popular battle royale is beginning a new season, so jump in and join the craze. Fortnitemares is still going on, so join in while you can get the scares. Halloween may be over in real life, but it ain’t in Fortnite.

New titles coming to Xbox Games Pass; Sniper Elite 4, Sheltered, and more

New titles coming to Xbox Games Pass; Sniper Elite 4, Sheltered, and more 15

Microsoft has now announced a new batch of games which will be coming to Xbox Game Pass to start off the month. Xbox Game Pass is a subscription-based program that offers a rotating library of games for $9.99 a month. You can think of it as the Netflix of Xbox.

The most noteworthy title coming soon is Sniper Elite 4– which is the most recent entry in the series which was released just last year in 2017. The other games are indie skateboarding game Olli Olli 2 XL Edition and the post-apocalyptic game Sheltered. Lastly, Rise and Shine and Grip: Combat Racing will be the final additions.

Microsft has said that these titles won’t be the only game hitting the program as they have some hidden surprises to reveal during XO18, which will be shown off in a special edition of Inside Xbox during XO18.

This is a lot of good news for Game Pass, as it’s obvious Microsoft is trying to promote the program aggressively. With special entry offers and even rumors that they’re incorporating the service for PC gamers, it must be very profitable. Though we’re not sure when this will take place, we can keep our eyes peeled for an announcement at XO18.

.hack//G.U Last Recode sold over 300,000 copies; CyberConnect2 releases artwork

.hack//G.U Last Recode sold over 300,000 copies; CyberConnect2 releases artwork 16

CyberConnect2’s .hack//G.U. Last Recode‘s anniversary was a special occasion for the developer, as they announced that the game sold over 300K copies worldwide physically and digitally. The team released two new artwork pieces to thank fans for their support of the game series.

hack//G.U. Last Recode is a collection of PS2 JPRG titles. The story was spread over multiple volumes and it was expensive to buy them separately- nonetheless physical copies of each. This collection was a hoot for fans that wanted to play all the games at a “bundle” price, which included gameplay enhancements and full HD 1080P graphics and 4K support with a smooth 60FPS.

The game is told over a trio of titles with Volume 3 having a firm ending. The collection game players even more with a fourth volume that follows the third. The pack has a ton of content for players to enjoy and totally makes it worth it. Completing the game entirely takes over 100 hours to see and get all the achievements.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 will have online multiplayer, voice chat, and customization

Dragon Quest Builders 2 will have online multiplayer, voice chat, and customization 17

Dragon Quest Builders 2 will have online multiplayer that supports up to 4 players online. You can travel, quest, and adventure together in the game’s huge overworld.

Players can use the game’s vehicle to move around the world quickly, which can transport all 4 players to make travel very easy for all players and eliminates wasted time and speeds up the game’s actual action segments. Just like travel in real life, I’d rather quick travel in-game whenever possible.

Building lets players show off their creations to other players and can be set to be non-destructible so other trolls can’t destroy your creations. Builders can communicate online via gestures if voice chat isn’t available to you. The game will also have a dresser to let you customize your unique look. Multiplayer is a welcome addition to the game as four players will allow for larger projects and obviously more fun.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 will be released on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch on December 20th in Japan. Localization to the US still hasn’t been announced yet. Dragon Quest Builders 1 is already available for a ton of platforms including PS4, PS Vita, and the Switch.

Microsoft’s Game Pass may be coming to PC

Microsoft's Game Pass may be coming to PC 18

Microsoft recently had a conference call for its Fiscal Year 2019 Q1 earnings. A transcript from the call at SeekingAlpha noted something pretty exciting for PC gamers who want to get a piece of the action. Satya Nadella, an employee at Microsoft, said that “bringing Game Pass to the PC is going to be a big element of that.”

The Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service that allows players to pay $9.99/month and get unlimited access to a rotating library of games. The service has added in new game monthly, and many of them are console exclusives. Players also get all first-party titles on launch day as part of the payment plan.

Eurogamer reports that Game Pass may be on PC soon enough. The transcript reads:

“So given that structural position, we are going to make sure that we keep increasing the strength of the community. You see that already with Minecraft going to all platforms and that increasing the intensity of the community and you’ll see us do more of that. Obviously, bringing Game Pass to even the PC is going to be a big element of that.”

The program has been very successful since its debut on June 1st this year, and it seems like a good move to move it to PC to capture more of the market. But questions like what games? PC games only? Does it include console games? And will it be a separate version compared to the console version? Hopefully, we’ll see some answers to these burning questions as we get more details regarding the news.

Vampyr confirmed for Nintendo Switch

Vampyr confirmed for Nintendo Switch 19

After Vampyr‘s somewhat successful launch back in June of 2018, Focus Home Interactive has announced today that Vampyr is now planned for a Nintendo Switch release via an earning’s report for their company. The game was positively received on consoles and was regarded as a fresh breath of action RPG gameplay.

Vampyr was originally released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Focus Home said that plans for Q3 of the publisher’s fiscal year include taking the game over to the Nintendo Switch. The action RPG’s developer said the following statement that can be found in the report:

“In Q3, the Group will continue to maximise the potential of the Vampyr licence,” said Focus Home in the report. “After the game’s impressive success on PC, Xbox One and PS4, it will be Nintendo Switch’s turn to welcome the DontNod title to reach an even wider audience.”

At this point, no other details of when Vampyr will release on Switch has been announced but based on the Q3 report, it’ll likely be available sometime later this year, as this makes up Q3 2018. There should be news regarding the game soon enough. It’s likely just a port rather than a Switch version with exclusive Vampyr content.

Focus Home will announce the details soon. Stay tuned for updates regarding the game.

Fortnite’s new customization options coming in future patch (leaked)

Fortnite's new customization options coming in future patch (leaked) 20

Some genius data miners at FNBRLeaks have discovered that Epic Games could soon be adding a new set of options to customize the Playground mode in Fortnite.

They found some info in various game files that direct suspicion to new customization options for players in the near future. Epic is looking to add custom loot rates, modifiers to move speed, damage options, and more.

A list of all customization options that’ll be released in a future Fortnite patch (Via DualShockers);

  • Friendly Fire
  • Glider Redeploy
  • Loot Levels
    • Scarce Loot
    • Regular Loot
    • Lots of Loot
  • Movement Speed Multiplier
  • Damage Multiplier
    • Half Damage
    • Regular Damage
    • Double Damage

Epic Games had already made many changes to the Playground LTM in the V6.01 update. Some changes to Fortnite in this new patch included  a series a seven customization options which allow players to change settings like starting HP, shield HP, fall damage, gravity settings, and even the time of day.

These options were added recently to the game, but the leaked options don’t have a confirmed release date yet- so we don’t know which patch they’ll eventually show up in. Stay tuned for updates.

Source: DualShockers.

New Kingdom Come DLC trailer released: The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon

New Kingdom Come DLC trailer released: The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon 21

A new content release for Kingdom Come: Deliverance called The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon was just released today. Warhorse Studios and Deep Silver released this DLC and priced it at a fair MSRP of $9.99. Players can purchase this add-on on the PS Store, Xbox One, and PC.

The DLC adds a few new features to the game. First, they’ll attempt to rescue their friends Hans Capon, who has fallen for a character named Karolina and needs your help to guide him. You’ll need a family jewel, potion, and a romantic poem to get this plan working.

A new Rattay Combat Tournament has also been added to the game for players who want to prove their combat skills in the arena. Players who rise to the top can acquire some pretty unique armor equips.

The Amorous Adventures of Bold Sir Hans Capon is the second add-on for the original game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, following From the Ashes which was released back in July of this year. This DLC was known for allowing players to establish a village as a newly appointed bailiff starting a new bustling city.

A new trailer to promote this DLC was also released. You can view it here:

MapleStory 2 now available worldwide; Game details and features

MapleStory 2 now available worldwide; Game details and features 22

MapleStory 2 can now be played here in the US (and all over the world) starting today. MapleStory 2 builds upon the previously huge success that is MapleStory– the original KRPG that was super popular about a decade ago (and is still playable even today).

MapleStory 2 expands upon the previous game with a completely new take on the genre, changing from sidescrolling 2D to a full 3D environment for players to quest, grind, and party.

Some players have already had a head start on the game, as Nexon, the developer, allowed early access for a paid fee. The game was available on Steam for a price about $25 for anyone who wanted to play early. However, the game was already playable back in Korea a few years ago, but now it’s available for the rest of the world.

MapleStory 2 brings back the classic classes- Archer, Thief, Knight, and Wizard (remember when those were the only classes?), but also brings in some of the newer ones such as Berserker and Heavy Gunner.

The game also brings in the new class, Runeblade, which consists of a swordsman with magical swords infused with the elements and a special 2H blade.

MapleStory 2 has everything the previous game had, such as partying, bosses, dungeons, quests, minigames, special events, and more. The game also introduces world-building for players to “express themeselves unlike ever before.”

Their Steam product page says it better:

“Explore a New Dimension of MapleStory

Get ready to enter a whole new dimension of Maple World, as you and your friends encounter vivid 3D landscapes, a multitude of special events and exciting minigames, and enemies both familiar and completely original. Your all-new MapleStory is just waiting to be shared, and we can’t wait for you to get started!”

Currently, the level cap is 60 and the game has 8 Normal Adventure Dungeons for players to explore. As time goes on, there will undoubtedly be more content added. There’s already a pair of Epic Gear for players to loot, so get your MapleStory on already!

MapleStory 2 is available for PC on Steam and Nexon.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 “Multiplayer Overview” trailer; Dan Bunting discusses game modes

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 "Multiplayer Overview" trailer; Dan Bunting discusses game modes 23

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will launch this Friday. Fans will finally be able to get ahold of the newest entry into the long-running series of CoD games.

This time around, there will be no single-player campaign and Treyarch has decided to focus on the multiplayer aspect instead. There will also be the first-ever battle royale mode, called Blackout. It’s pretty much Treyarch’s attempt at a battle royale game mode and has seen success in the beta test.

Since then, the mode’s been adjusted multiple times for player count, weapon pickup, and server FPS performance.

Treyarch has already released a ton of promotional trailers for BO4– even one with Post Malone as a cut-out meme pasted into various scenes.

Just today, they released another “Multiplayer Overview” trailer to show off the game’s multiplayer goodness. There’s nothing that we already don’t know, but the video does have the co-studio head at Treyarch, Dan Bunting, talking about the multiplayer modes and gameplay and such. (You can view the trailer at the end of the article.)

Bunting also speaks about the game modes Black Ops 4 will have on launch day- Heist and Control, which were both previewed on the multiplayer beta back in August.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 comes out on October 12th. The game will be available for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. You can pre-order it now at any major retailer. Stay tuned for updates on launch day. Also, check out the launch day maps.

No Man’s Sky – Update V1.63: What’s new?

No Man's Sky - Update V1.63: What's new? 24

No Man’s Sky has kept their promise and is consistently pushing out new content for players ever since their last big update- No Man’s Sky Next. With the objective of having content roll out with every patch, players have been very pleased with this commitment to constant content.

The latest patch, V1.63, was released just a few days ago and works alongside the 5th Development Update for the game and is packed with new content. The most exciting part is probably the new Exocraft- the Pilgrim.

This vehicle is described to be very “rugged and fast moving.” Just from the looks of it, it really does. It’s like a speed bike equipped with some gnarly technology. Something from the future with off-road tires and antennas out the rear. The Pilgrim’s blueprints are widely available for anyone to purchase who can afford them, so anyone can buy them as long as they have the capital.

Hello Games is also improving the Exocraft Summoning Stations. Previous patches would require a separate station to be built for it, but now players will only need a single station per planet which has unlimited range.

Other improvements include a larger and expanded inventory, fixed races between vehicles, new upgrades for Exocrafts (including the Pilgrim) that changes handling, speed, boost power, and other stats, which are similar to the ship modules and multi-tool which will run nanites with each upgrade.

There are also a ton of bug fixes, visual upgrades, and object highlighting when the Analysis Visor is used. The game performance has also been upgraded with terrain tessellation on the PC version.

You can check out the full patch notes for No Man’s Sky V1.63 here. The game is available for PS4 and Xbox One and PC.

Fortnite brings in $1.5M/day in its first 200 days on Apple devices

Fortnite brings in $1.5M/day in its first 200 days on Apple devices 25

Fortnite, the current most popular battle royale game in the world, has done produced some deep profits with its recent iOS release on mobile for Apple devices.

Based on a report from marketing intelligence company Sensor Tower, they’ve concluded that Fortnite on iOS has brought some huge profits- in excess of $300M in the mere 200 days the game has been available on the App Store on March 15th, 2018.

Fortnite brings in $1.5M/day in its first 200 days on Apple devices 26

However, you shouldn’t really be too surprised given the current state of the game. But on mobile, the release had the momentum from the PC’s popularity as a crutch to start the snowball effect, so the PC’s start was likely (a lot) less profitable compared to the mobile version.

Fortnite is completely free-to-play that’s currently available on every modern system and generates cash through in-game purchases of purely cosmetic-only objects. In essence, Epic Games, the developer, makes money by selling virtual goods like pretty much any other game or app on the planet. This is nothing new, but I thought I’d clarify for non-gamers.

Fortnite also has a paid mode called Save the World, but the profits from this don’t hold a candle to regular cosmetic purchases. Players can buy virtual pixels on any platform: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch using the game’s V-Bucks virtual currency, which can be automatically synced across all systems using the same account.

The report from Sensor Tower shows that Fortnite beat out other games like Clash Royale, Honor of Kings, and Knives Out in its first 200 days. Worldwide players have spent an average of $1.5M per day on iOS alone since the launch and that number increased to $2.5M since Season 6 went live on September 27, 2018. Fortnite is no joke. It’s not even the most popular game in just the battle royale genre- you could say it’s the most popular game in the world.

Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode: Longer revive timers, increased crawl speeds

Black Ops 4's Blackout mode: Longer revive timers, increased crawl speeds 27

CoD: Black Ops 4 has seen many changes recently after the player feedback from the open beta test on PS4 that ran a few weeks ago. We’ve seen FPS increases, player count increases, item pickup changes, and many other fine tweaks.

Treyarch is still working around the clock to finalize the Blackout mode before CoD: BO4 rolls out next Friday, October 12th. They want to ensure the best performance while not bogging down their servers so players get a positive gameplay experience.

An online personality, Tejbz, revealed that he was told directly by Treyarch that the revive timer in the Blackout mode was doubled in length, but then a developer has come out of the wild and said that it’s not exactly double. This dev was Matt Scronce, Senior Game Designer at Treyarch. He noted the following:

“Blackout was 3 seconds revive in beta and we’ve increased it to 5 seconds for launch”, he said in a Reddit post.

And to balance the revive timers, they increased the character crawl speed after you get downed. This way you can run (well, crawl) for cover while your teammates revive you or take down the enemies.

Scronce said that the Medic perk will become a useful attribute, which reduces the revive time by half. This perk was widely underused in the beta, so this just may make it meta. Posts on Reddit surfaced:

Double the revive time of Beta in full release. The right move IMO. Thoughts? from Blackops4

Other battle royale games have much longer revive timers anyway, with Fortnite being a whole 10 seconds. Scronce remarks:

“We enjoy the gameplay around revive times at a quicker pace compared to the genre standard.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode will be the first time the series has attempted a battle royale mode. It’ll also be the first CoD game with no single-player campaign. The game will undergo changes as time goes on to improve the gameplay and performance- namely FPS and server balancing. The game comes out next Friday.

See the officially confirmed Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launch day maps.

Black Ops 4: New Zombies trailer, new maps, launch day news

Black Ops 4: New Zombies trailer, new maps, launch day news 28

A new video was uploaded to the official PlayStation YouTube channel, which shows Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Zombies game mode Director, Jason Blundell, giving a developer’s behind-the-scenes look at the new game maps which will be available on launch day. He puts it to the fans that he’s clearly excited about this version of Zombies as you can tell by his enthusiasm during the video (linked within the article).

Previous CoD games launched with only a single Zombies map, but this time around, there will be a whole trio of Zombies maps for players to shoot down the undead- they’re called XI, Blood of the Dead, and Voyage of Despair.

IX has players going back in time to a medieval-like arena with costumes to match the craze. Players will be able to experience the all the violence and gore that once was in the olden days. The whole map is decorated with medieval-themed objects and the player costumes are ridiculous, funny, and awesome at the same time. If there’s any map I’m going to play first, it’s going to be this one for sure. Going back in time is much nicer than going forward, no?

Blood of the Dead previous map that was once used in the series already, so it’s a retro map in a way. Think the map Mob of the Dead back in Black Ops II. Now reimagine it with a similar theme and construct, and you have a new map. Players will see the familiar NPCs as they attempt to escape from the prisoner’s island.

Voyage of Despair is another map that involves time travel where players will go back in time to the Titanic and duke it out on the infamous ship. But this time, Blundell says there’s “more to the situation than just icebergs.” You can run around the ship and see crashing waves, ship-themed objects, and zombies as far as you can see!

The Zombies game mode has become a staple of the CoD series. Ever since its debut as an easter egg back in CoD: World at War in 2008, the game mode has grown into a fan-demanded no-holds-barred adrenaline-fueled experience.

Blackout will be the first time CoD has attempted a battle royale mode. So far, it has seen a lot of praise during beta testing. This could be another “Zombies” in the making.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launches on October 12th for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. See launch day notes if you’re amped.

CoD: Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode will have 120 FPS Cap; Pre-load details

CoD: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode will have 120 FPS Cap; Pre-load details 29

With Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on the way, releasing on October 12th, PC fans have been debating about when the pre-load launch would be available and what FPS the Blackout mode would be running on launch day. Hardcore fans want the details, and we’ve done some research to find out some of this prized and glorious detail.

The PC pre-load will go live on Tuesday, October 9th. The game will be available on the Battle.net launcher for the first time in the history of the CoD series.

Treyarch also confirmed that the FPS cap will be a decent 120 FPS on PC. Although this may not appeal to those 240Hz gamers, it’s still decent for the majority of players. Treyarch will likely raise the cap (or uncap it) later on. This is to ensure server stability and prevent lag and crashes rather than getting players the best-looking gameplay.

Update: Treyarch plans to raise the cap to 144 FPS when the servers become stable and then uncap it after the first few days of launch.

Fans of the regular multiplayer modes will be running uncapped as soon as the game launches. This only applies to Blackout.

CoD: BO4 is the first game in the series to not have a single-player mode, as fans dig the multiplayer and that’s what Treyarch is focusing on.

Here’s a copy of the announcement from Treyarch regarding FPS and pre-load on PC:

Black Ops 4 Launch on PC

October 12th is rapidly approaching – not fast enough, we know. We can’t wait to get the game in your hands either. We’ve been working really hard together with our partners at Beenox, to optimize the game on PC in preparation for day 1 and beyond.

Over the last few weeks, there are a few questions that have risen to the top of your list, so we’d like to get to them here…

Pre-Loading: Players who have pre-ordered via Battle.net can begin pre-loading on Tuesday, October 9 (PDT).

Blackout on PC: We’re really looking forward to players dropping into Blackout on day 1 – we’ve made a number of updates to the game, all based on your feedback, and we can’t wait to show you how hard we’ve been at work. One thing we’ve seen and heard people ask about is the PC framerate…

Part of our commitment to the PC is to support uncapped framerate in the game.

During the Blackout Beta, we made the decision to cap it at 90fps to monitor performance and online stability. The reason for this approach was that as a Beta we had a lot of testing to do. It made sense for getting the game right for the whole community, and we were happy with the end result and the data we pulled from this approach.

We’ve come a long way since the Beta, thanks to all your feedback, but we still want to roll things out carefully.

Since the framerate affects the load on the servers, we want to ensure that the game delivers a great playable experience for everyone who dives in those first moments.

So, our plan: 

• At launch, we will start Blackout with a 120fps cap on PC

• Ensure the moment the game launches that it has high stability for every player

• Raise to 144fps as soon as the servers are stable

• And assuming all looks good, enable uncapped framerates within the first few days (Zombies and Multiplayer modes will be uncapped starting immediately on day 1.

This is the right plan to ensure a smooth, playable game for the whole community out of the gate.

As always, we are listening and hear you loud and clear. Please share your feedback, and stay tuned for frequent updates on our progress here and on twitter @treyarchpc

/Rob

 

Telltale fires the remaining “skeletal staff”

Telltale fires the remaining "skeletal staff" 30

Telltale made headlines a few weeks back when players found out that the story-based developer has confirmed that they’re going out of business. A press release from Telltale confirmed the rumors and the main reason was due to no sales.

They then posted some more information in the following days regarding layoffs. They said that a skeletal staff remains of about two dozen employees who will continue to work for the company’s final project- The Walking Dead: The Final Season.

Fans wondered about whether or not they’ll get to see episodes two and three of the game or if it’ll just end abruptly with the first two episodes. Telltale came out saying that with supporters, they’ll continue to finish the game. This made fans happy, even though they’re favorite emotionally-driven storytelling company is about to shut down.

Today, Rachel Noel, the Narrative Designer at Telltale, came out and said that she found everyone has been fired. A post on Twitter marks this event as basically Telltale trying to sweet talk the fans by keeping a small staff for whatever reason, but apparently not. Telltale Games has fired the remaining staff entirely.

After the first announcement was posted on 9/21, studios and members of the industry came out to help with job fairs and support. Now, the rest of the crew needs that same help. From her tweet, it’s apparent that they didn’t expect to get fired so quickly and were met with frustration:

Telltale Games can now be considered to be officially done with its projects. I mean, what else are they going to do without a staff? This is a pretty disgusting move to be doing considering what they just said a few weeks ago. Bad Telltale. Bad.

You can get more info about the layoffs here.

SoulCalibur VI: Inferno screenshots and character reveal trailer

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Bandai Namco recently announced that the evil Inferno will be joining the roster of playable characters in SoulCalibur VI. To follow up with the burning news, the publisher released a press release with some artowkr and screenshots- to answer some burning questions from fans.

Inferno is the burning embodiment of Soul Edge’s will which is a fusion of many souls its absorbed in its evil lifetime. He has no goals, but he likes to fight and get more souls.

SoulCalibur VI: Inferno screenshots and character reveal trailer 32 SoulCalibur VI: Inferno screenshots and character reveal trailer 33

The screenshots released were more than concept art. They’re fleshed out and almost look like beta footage, but they better, because the game comes out in just a few weeks. The released artwork is likely the near-final concept of Inferno for the game. He’s shrouded by burning fire. The flames that surround him range from orange to purple and he’s definitely on fire.

You can get more info about the game from producer Motohiro Okubo on the current and past situation of the SoulCalibur titles and why the sixth game took so long to create. He was interviewed at Gamesom with DualShockers.

There are also rumors that one of the DLC characters could be a guest character from another franchise, specifically, Geralt from The Witcher series.

SoulCalibur VI rolls out on October 19th for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

CoD: BO4’s Blackout Mode gets a new option for picking up items

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Call of Duty: Blacks Ops 4′s Blackout Mode (the battle royale mode) has been changed slightly. This isn’t the first time it’s been changed. Ever since the player feedback from the successful beta, the game has evolved to meet player demand and to balance the game.

Blackout Mode is CoD’s take on the battle royale mode which many games are jumping upon the bandwagon. Players will be dropped onto a map and compete to be the last one standing. The mode includes all maps from previous CoD games and combines them all into one giant map. A few revisions have been made since the beta that took place from September 10-17th. Player counts increased and several balancing issues were addressed.

Previously, players would have to hold the item pickup button in order to add a new item to their inventory. This was annoying since players would have to stop and stare at an item to pick it up, which wastes valuable time and makes you vulnerable to enemy fire. Now, instead of holding down the button, you can now have the option to simply press it instead to grab loot, but you won’t reload your weapon.

This comes from Game Design Director at Treyarch, David Vonderhaar, who posted a tweet on his Twitter account with an image showing off the new item swap option. He lets players know that this means reloading while looking at items isn’t possible if it’s toggled on:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 rolls out on October 12th for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

 

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen DLC Pack free on 10/9; New maps, weapons, modes

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XCOM 2 will be getting a new, free DLC content pack next week that’s literally packed with new content. XCOM 2 and its expansion XCOM 2: War of the Chosen – Tactical Legacy Pack will be free on October 9th, 2018 for gamers who own the base game. But it’s not free forever- on December 3rd, the DLC will be had for $7.99. So act fast!

War of the Chosen – Tactical Legacy Pack will include three new gameplay modes: Legacy Ops, Resistance Archives, and Skirmish. Legacy Ops is the connection between XCOM: Enemy Uknown and XCOM 2, which takes place 20 years in the future where an alien threat has broken out.

Here’s a video showing off the pack:

Legacy Ops includes 5 missions where you control Central officer Bradford, Lily Shen, and other XCOM personnel as you wade through mission and defeat hordes of aliens hungry to eat you up. This mode will have no base management and is a combat only mode.

Resistance Archives will be somewhat of the same, but with missions that get harder and harder each time you beat them. And Skirmish mode sounds exactly like what it reads- you can “create and play your own custom XCOM tactical missions using the included editor that allows you to modify various settings (map, squad loadouts, objective, enemies, and more.)”

There will also be new maps in the Central Archives mission alongside these new game modes. The developers are remasting several battlefields from the 2012 XCOM: Enemy Uknown and its expansion Enemy Within. Weapons and armor will also be included in the mission. After you complete the mission in Legacy Ops, you can use the weapons and armor in the base game.

There will also be new helmets, soldier attitudes, and photobooth options. There will also be new soundtrack options that includes tracks from the previous game and a new UFO Defense-like track. Lastly, there will be an Offline Challenge Mode that allows players to fight in any of the game’s 100+ War of the Chosen challenges as often as you want to play them again.

Stay tuned for updates.

Splatoon 2 update Version 4.1.0: What’s new?

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Another update just went live for Splatoon 2. Since its inception on the Switch, Splatoon 2 has sen a bunch of new updates packed with fixes, content, and more. Yesterday, the latest update just rolled up. Find out what’s new in Version 4.1.0.

For starters, players will get access to the game’s final arena called the Skipper Pavillion, which is themed as an old magical temple located somewhere outside the land of Inkopolis. Players will also get a new Booyah Bomb and a new selection of special weapons known as the Kensa Collection.

Lastly, there will be four new music tracks featuring music from artists SashiMori and Diss-Pair.

The latest update can be downloaded by going online on your Switch or manually updating it via the Options menu tucked in the Software icon. Although the 4.1.0 update isn’t much, it’s still worth trying out Skipper Pavilion just for fun. The new music tracks are also pretty cool and catchy. And the new set of weapons are neat to look at.

Splatoon 2 is Nintendo’s latest entry into the ink-slinging domination game and has gone as far as hosting esports events. Although it’s not as popular as other leading esports game and genres, it’s still a decent and competitive game for the Nintendo Switch. If you still haven’t played this game yet and you’re interested in it, you can easily find it for cheap online (eBay, Amazon, etc.).

Here are the game features from the product’s sales page (from Nintendo):

  • Turf War – Team up in fierce 4-on-4 multiplayer battles* to see which team can cover the most turf with ink
  • Salmon Run – 2-4 players* can team up for co-op fun and defeat waves of enemy Salmonids.
  • New weapons – Dual wield the new Splat Dualies and avoid getting splatted with the new Dodge Roll move. Mainstays like the Splat Roller and Splat Charger have been remixed to include new gameplay mechanics, and all special weapons are brand-new.
  • Local and Online Multiplayer – In a first for the series, compete in local multiplayer Turf War battles*, whether in TV mode or on-the-go in handheld or tabletop modes. Online battles also make a return**
  • New ways to play – Play with the Joy-Con™ controllers or the Nintendo Switch™ Pro Controller (sold separately), both of which support motion controls for better aiming
  • Fresh Updates – Similar to the Splatoon™ game for the Wii U™ console, updates will roll out post-launch, adding new content and in-game events.
  • Smart Device Support** – An upcoming smart-device application for the Nintendo Switch system will allow players to set play appointments with friends and teammates, as well as voice chat with friends during play sessions.
  • LAN Play – Up to 10 docked systems – eight players and two spectators – can connect via wired LAN (additional accessories required; sold separately). This feature allows players to create local Private Battle tournaments without the need for an internet connection. Local wireless play is perfect for your regular gaming get-togethers, but LAN Play is where it’s at when you want to organize a serious tournament.
  • Customize – Change your Inkling’s style with different weapons, headgear, clothes, and shoes. Gear isn’t just aesthetic; it offers different boosts in battles.
  • amiibo – Compatible with all Splatoon™ series amiibo™ figures. By tapping these amiibo, the figure’s character will appear in the game and befriend players. Befriend an amiibo character and they will remember favorited weapons, gear, outfits and option settings.

Insomniac Game’s Spider-Man makes a cameo in Spider-Verse movie trailer

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Spider-Man is making another spin. While fans are coming off the hype around the latest blockbuster hit from Marvel, Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse shows off some footage of the web-slinging hero in action- once again.

This time around, Spider-Man appears in a new trailer for the upcoming film, even though he’s in a much smaller role. Around the 1:37 mark in the trailer, you can see the white-spider version of the suit in a case, which appears in Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS4. Look in the background and you’ll clearly see that it’s an easter egg reference to the game released last month and shattered records for game sales on the PS4.

Only a part of the white-spider suit is visible, but there’s no doubt that it’s the same suit from the Insomniac Games. Bill Rosemann, Marvel Game’s Executive Director and James Stevenson, Community Director, and Yuri Lowenthal, Spider-Man himself (in the game), all reacted to the news on Twitter:

You can check out the new trailer for the Spider-Man: The Spider-Verse here: