The Grand Theft Auto V community’s fixation with destroying things in their 100s continues, with this showdown between a crowd of floating human beings and the rotor blades of a large helicopter.
Today on Highlight Reel we have Titanfall 2 grappling hooks, strange happenings in Skyrim, The Flash, Battlefield plays, and much more!
Last week, we reported on the minimum and recommended PC specs for Dishonored 2 offering commentary that they "shouldn't cause high chaos." Everything seemed modest enough, reasonable-looking requirements for a triple-A title. As early adopters are finding out, it's actually the optimization that's causing high chaos.
Dishonored 2 launched on PC to a worrying number of issues. Framerate fluctuations, performance drops -- most of the usual suspects. Some people with high-end rigs are reporting problems, but it seems to mostly affect the mid-range users.
Bethesda has responded with possible solutions that might help matters. The PC specs page has been updated to include the following tips:
The term "asynchronous spacewarp" might sound like a meaningless jumble of techno-jargon, but it's a big deal if you're into virtual reality. It's the new technology from Oculus, which is officially launching today, that'll let you run the Rift VR headset on much lower-specced hardware than before. Typically, you'd need a beefy rig to run games at 90 frames per second, which is necessary for ensuring a smooth VR experience. Using frame interpolation techniques, aysnchronous spacewarp is able to deliver similarly smooth gameplay when you're running at just 45 frames per second.
Source: Oculus
I usually play good characters in RPGs, but in Tyranny, I’ve found myself drifting toward the most diabolical path possible.
Dirt 3 is currently 100% free on the Humble store. All you need is a Humble account. Free is good at the best of times, but the Dirt games are some of the finest racers of the past decade, so this is as good a time to try one if you’ve never played them.
Regardless of your feelings about Battleborn, you have to respect a community that's able to rally around its game of choice in an effort to improve things for not only itself, but would-be players. It's something I've personally experienced in the Souls series, and it's always lovely to see.
As we recently covered, this Saturday, November 12 is going to be "Battleborn Day." The game's reddit community settled on that date as a way to get new and returning folks in and having fun together, and now developer Gearbox Software is embracing the event in an official capacity.
Battleborn Day's in-game festivities will begin Friday (11/11) at 2pm PT (5pm ET) and run until Sunday (11/13) at 8am PT (11am ET). Here are a few different things you can expect to see on Battleborn Day this Saturday, (11/12):
We're planning another small surprise for Battleborn Day. You might be saying to yourself: "This Battleborn Day stuff sounds great and all, but I'm CR100, so there's no real reason to play if I can't progress." Well, you're in luck –we're raising the Command Rank level cap by 5! Of course, five extra levels means more rewards, so come hang out with the community for Battleborn Day and earn those extra levels!
A special "Battleborn Day Queue" - We'll be funneling everyone into one PVP queue for the day which will feature all game modes and fan-favorite maps. You'll be able to vote for maps/modes so you can show new players which ones you like the most.
A Community "Super Event" -Do you like Lootpocalypse? How about Play with the Devs, Double XP, and Double Credits? If you answered yes to any of these, how would you like all four... AT THE SAME TIME? During this event, not only will members of our team be out and about in Battleborn and playing with the community, we'll also "flip the switches" on Double XP, Double Credits, and Lootpocalypse – which means more XP, more credits, and more LOOT!
ALL Battleborn Characters will be temporarily unlocked for everyone!
Marketplace sales on Skins and Taunts - Enjoy 20% off all skins and taunts in the Battleborn Marketplace!
Legendary Loot Packs for Purchase - You'll be able to purchase Legendary Loot Packs from the in-game Marketplace for 15,000 earned-in-game credits! Legendary Loot Packs will only be available for the duration of the event.
Finally, if all that weren't enough we're adding TWO brand new titles to the game: The "Battleborn Day" title and the "Battleborn Day Guide" title. The first will be awarded to everyone who plays Battleborn on Saturday. The second will be released via SHiFT code and as a means to help you show others in the community that you're available to help; that you're there to show them the ropes; that you're a seasoned veteran who's ready to serve as a guide.
I'm seeing some complaints that Gearbox should've taken this opportunity to enable a "free weekend" to coincide with Saturday, and that undoubtedly would've been beneficial, but I understand that these things can't always work out that way. The fact that the studio is doing anything is encouraging.
I hope Darren recognizes this day to its full potential and indulges in nothing but Battleborn from sunrise to sunset. A modern Feast of Maximum Occupancy, if you will. Maybe then he'll earn that coveted Platinum Trophy and finally move on to other games, like the ones I want to play with him.
Celebrate the community's Battleborn Day! [Battleborn]
Battleplan 27: 11/10/16 [Gearbox Software]
I guess betas and free weekends are the new demos, because a lot of developers have been opting for post-release "free" weekends to generate interest in their hot titles. We've seen one for Overwatch on consoles and now Ubisoft is following the trend by letting Rainbow Six: Siege run free on PS4 and PC this weekend (following a successful weekend on PC and Xbox One earlier this year).
Along with that comes a discount on Steam. You can currently grab the full game for $24.99, along with the "Gold" edition going on sale for $39.99. Curiously, the season pass by itself is not on sale, but I guess that is just to make early adopters feel stupid. Also curious, the Starter Edition is gone again (which seems to happen every so often).
While there doesn't seem to be a sale on the PS4 front, Rainbow Six: Siege will be $15 for Black Friday at Wal-Mart and Target (on consoles). If you want to find out whether or not $15 is worth the investment, I guess this weekend is the best time to do so (November 11-13).
Rainbow Six Siege Goes Free for a Weekend on PS4 and PC [GameSpot]
One Night Stand is a game about, well, a one night stand. In this game you wake up naked in a stranger’s bed and try to piece together how it happened. While the scenario can play out in 12 different ways, the story as a whole is a gentle look at how two people can come together, and what happens from there.
Deadspin God Help Me, I Think I Like Nick Saban | Jezebel ‘What Do I Say?’: Stories From the Classroom After Election Day | Gizmodo Rudy Giuliani Will Be a Disaster | Jezebel Life Evidently Goes On |
Theme parks are some of the most happy-go-lucky places on earth. But, try to look past the dazzling spectacle of colors and the cotton candy-stained sidewalks. There's some serious competition there and it's coming to a head in one week -- at least in the video game world.
Folks, we have a good ol'-fashioned rollercoaster rivalry on our hands. Earlier this morning, it was revealed that Planet Coaster will leave beta and get a proper launch on November 17. Atari, ever the one-upper, reacted by announcing that RollerCoaster Tycoon World will leave Early Access and get a proper launch on November 16.
Oh shit. It's on.
It's an aggressive move by Atari, and maybe a necessary one. Judging by Early Access impressions, RollerCoaster Tycoon World isn't faring well with "mostly negative" reviews on Steam. Planet Coaster's beta seemingly doesn't allow for users to leave Steam reviews.
Atari's also coming out swinging on the price front. RollerCoaster Tycoon World's standard price is set at $34.99; Planet Coaster will run $44.99. That $10 feels fairly significant, but not if RollerCoaster Tycoon World turns out to be the inferior game. Time will tell.
But, for the next week or so, we have a rollercoaster turf war. That's just grand. Let's hope the rivalry doesn't end here; it'd be great to get thrown through a loop or two.
The analog sticks on my PlayStation 3 controller refuse to stay in place. They're loose and unruly to an absurd degree. The right stick drifts upwards, slowly and surely, without a thumb to guide it. When I apply pressure to it, the stick crashes towards whatever direction I'm pointing. By any metric, my controller is terrible to use. But when I turn my brain off and react to what's on the screen, those aging analog sticks work like a dream.
It's muscle memory at this point. The combination of badly-worn analog sticks and memory-driven control comes from the hundreds of hours I spent cruising around Port Carverton in Skate 3.
Even with only half of the brothers available so far, it’s clear that Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the best action figures based off the classic animation yet. The secret’s in the soft shell.
Xbox One's newest update rolled out just in time for the holidays, and, in the spirit of the season, Microsoft is trying to bring people together. That's the biggest point of emphasis for the new feature set.
First announced at E3 this year, Clubs, Looking for Group, and Group Messaging are now available on Xbox One. Clubs make it theoretically easier to form and join communities directly on the console. (We have two Clubs, "Destructoid" and "Dtoid," if you want to join either of those.) Looking for Group is designed to connect people who want to play the same game or styles of games. Group Messaging simply allows more people in a message chain.
The last bullet point to this update doesn't quite fit thematically, but it's a neat one nonetheless. Achievement rarity is officially implemented after being revealed last month. Now those tough tasks feel a little more special.
The Wait Is Over -- The Xbox Holiday Update Is Here [Major Nelson]
As if Drool's rhythm-violence game Thumper isn't enough of a challenge already when you're going for perfect runs, there's an update out today that will push you further into the depths of suffering/bliss.
In "Play +" mode, you only get a single life for the duration of a level, and while you can potentially earn a higher combo multiplier for a better spot on the leaderboards, expect an even faster game speed. It's going to be brutal! On the positive side, you do get to play as a golden beetle, and that rules. Still, I think I'll sit this one out and cheer Myles on instead. He was born in a lab to master this game.
The update is live on PC and PlayStation 4. With the PS4 Pro out today, there's also now support for native 4K and, if you're using PlayStation VR, "high quality supersampling and anti-aliasing."
When Blizzard finally showed off Overwatch’s latest character last week, they didn’t just do it on the internet. They also had a version of her in the flesh at Blizzcon.
Well, this is a nice little gift to wake up to. Today and tomorrow, the Humble Store is giving away DiRT 3 Complete Edition for Windows and Mac as part of its birthday sale. Once you sign in or create a free account on the site, you can request a Steam key for the 2011 Codemasters racing game.
I imagine some of you own DiRT 3 in one form or another, but perhaps just the base game. This package rolls in a bunch of new stages, routes, cars, and liveries that were once sold as DLC.
A helpful tip from Steam user Zhnigo: you can disable the narration, which is more than likely something you will want to do shortly into your racing career. You'll just need to rename or delete a file.
This week’s episode of Foodspin finds me and Drew in the small town of Unadilla, somewhere in what sure felt like the wilds of rural Georgia, where we visited what can only be described as the compound of famed barbecue master Myron Mixon. (Cue “Dueling Banjos.”) There we learned how to build a pit smoker out of cinderblocks, and Myron coached us through smoking some ribs and chicken. Then we came back the next day and cooked for our host: Drew made beer-can chicken, and I made smoked short-rib tacos.
Fans have been clamoring for it and Microsoft has finally delivered. Skate 3 is now backward compatible on Xbox One. The modern skating classic rose to popularity with the advent of Let's Play videos on YouTube and has made a weird resurgence that most older titles don't see. The fans really do love the game and that is awesome to hear in 2016.
To honor the occasion, some of the DLC for Skate 3 is currently being offered for free. The game has also been marked down to $9.99 for Xbox Live Gold members, so anyone who complains about not being able to play the game is just making up excuses. The stars are all aligned for you.
Skate 3 is coming to the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility program, in part thanks to renewed interest in the Skate series as the result of an inexplicably loud movement for Skate 4.
Titanfall 2 just came out like, two weeks ago, but Amazon is already discounting it. Grab a copy for Xbox One or PS4 for only $35.
The Super Smash Bros. Home-Run contest always felt like a joke. Ha-ha, the developers must have thought, Let’s have a mode where you hit a pillow with anime eyes with a bat across a field. Pass the Asahi.
For the last three weeks I've been on a deep dive with Disney Magical World 2 for the Nintendo 3DS. I've been dressing up in frilly outfits, interacting with cartoonish renditions of popular Disney characters, and running the world's most stuttering cafe. The game came at a perfect time for me: with the negative election coming to its crescendo, it was nice to have some pleasant, positive escapism I could disappear into for hours at a time.
Now that the election is over, I'm don't think I'm ready to leave this wondrous world behind.
Most NES games have not aged very well. The Nintendo Entertainment System relied too much on antiquated principles from coin-operated arcades—timers, limited lives, inflated difficulty—that just don’t make for good video games in 2016.
The Last Guardian has been a running joke for the last five or so years. Team ICO announced the title in 2009 and the game vanished more than a few times since. People began to wonder if we would ever see the title, which then resurfaced at E3 this year (before being delayed until December).
Now, with the PS4 Pro being a device, I guess the next question was whether or not this former PS3 exclusive would take advantage of the new consoles features. Well, fear not all 10% of you with a 4K television, because The Last Guardian will definitely support 4K upscaling.
Along with that and the requisite HDR support (which doesn't require a PS4 Pro), The Last Guardian is also going to have some minor performance enhancements, at least according to Eurogamer. I suppose you might as well, at this point; the game has been delayed for so long, people are probably not going to enjoy it anyway. Why not let the less frugal among us get smoother gameplay?
The Last Guardian is getting PS4 Pro support [Eurogamer]
Here’s an unexpected disappointment to cap off an otherwise lovely and completely not-disappointing week: Dishonored 2 is rougher than expected on PC.
