Thursday, November 17, 2016

News:: Star Wars Battlefront's Rogue One expansion and the VR mission drop on December 6

We're nearing the home stretch for Star Wars Battlefront, a game that is surprisingly still hanging in there (depending on which platform you're on). DICE will release its fourth and final expansion, Rogue One: Scarif, on December 6 for season pass holders. On the same day, the free Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission DLC is launching for PlayStation VR owners. I'm far more excited about the latter, despite knowing essentially nothing about it other than what's in the name.

Scarif draws from next month's movie Rogue One with four maps, Jyn Erso and Orson Krennic as playable characters, and oh yes, "a new multi-stage game mode with space and ground combat."

Star Wars Battlefront's Rogue One expansion and the VR mission drop on December 6 screenshot

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News:: Battlefield Tank Guy Makes A Hell Of A Shot

Today on Highlight Reel we have impressive shots, Titanfall grapples, Reinhardt saves, magic helicopters, and much more!

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News:: Watch Dogs 2’s NPCs Are A Constant Source Of Joy

In Watch Dogs 2, NPCs aren’t just set dressing. Instead, the virtual people populating the streets of San Francisco are a constant delight to interact with.

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News:: This overview video makes the case for Super Mario Maker 3DS

Nintendo is pushing out Super Mario Maker for 3DS right in time for the holidays, and while there's no doubt in my mind that it'll sell well as a portable Mario game, this version leaves a lot to be desired compared to its superior Wii U counterpart. Players can't directly share their custom-made levels online (only locally), and the many fun little referential Mystery Mushroom costumes aren't in, either.

You've probably heard all of that by now. Sorry to drone on! But maybe you'll pick up a thing or two in this overview video, like the new Yamamura lessons and challenge medals.

I hadn't noticed it in prior videos, but the performance with the New Super Mario Bros. style applied looks sluggish in spots. I'm worried about how that might run on the standard 3DS and 2DS.

This overview video makes the case for Super Mario Maker 3DS screenshot



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News:: Multiplayer in Batman: Arkham Origins will only exist for a couple more weeks

WB is closing down the multiplayer side of Batman: Arkham Origins on December 4, 2016.

It's strange to learn that a game had a multiplayer mode by way of an announcement about said mode's fast-approaching closure, but that's exactly the situation I'm in here. Either I never knew about it, or I just plain forget (surely the latter). Here's how Jim described it in his review of Origins:

"Essentially a mediocre third-person cover shooter with Batman shoehorned into it, Arkham Origins Online pits three of Bane's thugs against three of Joker's goons, with two other players taking on the roles of the Dark Knight and Robin. It's a three-on-three battle, with the rival gangs capturing territory and shooting each other, while the superheroes use gadgets and predatory stealth to take them out. [...] It's almost as if the whole thing was cobbled together quickly to satisfy some advertising department goons, so much so that I'm pretty sure that's what happened."

All that said, and as someone who was way into BioShock 2's competitive multiplayer mode which some folks similarly found to be tacked-on given the series' story-driven roots, I'm sure that Origins' multiplayer mode had its fans -- just not enough for WB to justify the upkeep any longer. The company has assured that the single-player campaign "may still be played and enjoyed offline."

Batman: Arkham Origins Online Services [WB Games]

Multiplayer in Batman: Arkham Origins will only exist for a couple more weeks screenshot



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News:: Deadspin Report: Prep School Football Coach Molested Students For Decades While Administration Looke

Deadspin Report: Prep School Football Coach Molested Students For Decades While Administration Looked The Other Way | Jezebel A Mother Is Suing Her Child For Pursuing Gender Reassignment | Gizmodo Are These People Really Fucking in Trump Tower? [NSFW] | The Concourse Government Employees On Trump: “Everything. Is.…

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News:: Battlefield 1's New Mode Fills The Map With Fog, And It's Chaos

Battlefield 1 has received new game modes in time for the week long Battlefest. The best is Fog of War, a match type that provides a tense experience by keeping things a little more up close and personal.

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News:: The Division’s Last Patch Removed A Crying Character Because Players Found Her Annoying

The lengthy notes detailing the changes in The Division’s big 1.4 patch last month did not mention the removal of a computer-controlled character who sobbed incessantly. But 1.4 removed her from the Ubisoft game, by popular request.

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News:: He's Sam Lake, and Remedy will have a new game trailer soon

Remedy has a simple announcement teaser today. The above-embedded video is 20 seconds long, but only 3 of them matter. Remedy has a trailer for a new game, and that trailer is coming soon.

The end of the year isn't usually a hotbed of game reveals apart from one huge exception. Geoff Keighley's Game Awards are on December 1. There's a possibility Remedy's trailer won't be unveiled at The Game Awards, but don't expect that to be the case.

Also, don't expect this new title to be Alan Wake-related. That'll probably just end in heartbreak. Remedy went on-record earlier this year to say that it has two games in development right now -- one a triple-A project with a "new" publisher, and the other an early stages concept -- and that neither of those is Alan Wake.

The smart money's on the triple-A title unless this is all some elaborate misdirection. We'll likely find out on December 1, but maybe not. But soon! Definitely soon.

@remedygames [Twitter]

He's Sam Lake, and Remedy will have a new game trailer soon screenshot



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News:: Star Wars Battlefront's Rogue One: Scarif DLC comes out December 6, take your first look

Star Wars Battlefront will let you tour the blaster-scarred beaches of Star Wars: Rogue One's planet Scarif before you see the movie

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News:: Free From Konami, Hideo Kojima Finally Gets His Game Award

Last year, as you might recall, Konami and their son Hideo Kojima got into a spat. Konami barred Kojima from attending The Game Awards to collect an honor he received for Metal Gear Solid V; host Geoff Keighley went HAM. It was a whole thing.

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News:: Fallout 4 now has mods on PlayStation 4

At long last, Bethesda has introduced mods to Fallout 4 on PlayStation 4.

For a time, it was looking like there wouldn't be any mod support at all, but Bethesda was able to work it out with Sony, at least to a certain extent. Modders can create and modify content with the Creation Kit as usual, but for PS4, they'll be limited to using the game's existing assets. Similar to the situation with Skyrim: Special Edition, they can't use external assets on PS4. It's disappointing.

I've yet to see concrete details, but Pro support is also incoming. Previously, the company said it expected to "take advantage of the PS4 Pro in 4K along with enhanced lighting and graphics features."

You can look over the mods right here in your browser. Nothing too wild.

Fallout 4 1.8 Update on PC, Xbox One and PS4 (Updated) [Bethesda]

Fallout 4 now has mods on PlayStation 4 screenshot



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News:: Watch Dogs 2: The Kotaku Review

Watch Dogs 2 is just a game, sitting on a screen, asking you to love it. Sometimes begging.

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News:: Rip and tear (pin)balls in Bethesda Pinball next month

Zen Studios had runaway success with its Zen Pinball series. While the first game wasn't too widespread, Zen Pinball 2 has been ported to more devices than I can count. It even has a Wii U port, which is basically just for show with most developers. Couple that with Star Wars Pinball and Marvel Pinball and I think Zen Studios has cornered the niche market of virtual pinball machines.

Not letting the train run out of steam, Zen is teaming up with Bethesda to bring us Bethesda Pinball. The game will feature tables based on Doom, Skyrim, and Fallout 4. It will cost $11 and launch on December 6 for (get ready for it) PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Mac, mobile, and Windows 10. That certainly is a lot of platforms.

For anyone worried about making another purchase, these three tables will be coming to Zen Pinball 2 as DLC. I'm sure a standalone release will also follow for retail, much like Star Wars Pinball.

Bethesda and Zen Studios Team Up for an Epic Pinball Pack [Zen Studios]

Rip and tear (pin)balls in Bethesda Pinball next month screenshot

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News:: EA Requires YouTubers And Streamers To Put Labels On Sponsored Videos

Disclosures on places like YouTube and Twitch are murky territory, but EA is pushing for increased transparency.

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News:: HP's Omen gaming laptop drops to $749 pre-Black Friday

Gaming laptop shopping under $1,000 this holiday season? Today the base configuration of the HP Omen, while normally a $900 machine, is getting a big cut to $750 at HP. That's a new historic low price for HP's made-for-gaming Omen laptops before Black Friday arrives.

HP Omen Gaming Laptop Deals

To be frank, for a high-end gaming laptop you'll want slightly better specs (particularly in the GPU department). But you are looking at a less than 5 lb, and less than 1 inch thick "gaming" laptop.

This laptop is also upgradable at HP, allowing you to pick and choose what specs you might want to beef up, though at an additional cost. Our personal suggestion is the extra $30 to upgrade from a GTX 950M to a GTX 960M.

This base model is priced to sell at HP. Will it get cheaper at HP during Black Friday/Cyber Monday? Maybe, but the same configuration has gone completely out of stock at Best Buy.

Keep in mind that early 2017 will also be the rise of the newer Intel 7th generation "Kaby Lake" gaming-capable processor, so HP may not have a ton of these 6th gen HP Omens left as it looks to get rid of inventory before introducing the newer CPU sets (at higher prices, of course).

For those looking for a desktop replacement laptop, the Omen 17t is also on sale for $100 off -- though this particular deal has been around for a few weeks now, so we'd suggest waiting for sales day to really take off and revisit it. After all, it's less than a week away!

HP's Omen gaming laptop drops to $749 pre-Black Friday screenshot



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News:: New Dynasty Warriors game is less bashing, more clicking

Dynasty Warriors has been going for about as long as Japan itself. You are basically an anime samurai superhero, running around slashing a bajillion dudes who stand around waiting to take it like the masochists they are. The latest entry, Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers (known in Japan as Dynasty Warriors: Eiketsuden), is now officially coming west for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Americans can slash dudes on January 31, 2017 and Europeans can 'give em what for' on February 1, 2017.

This isn't your senpai's Dynasty Warrior's though. This one is more tactical with grid movement, like an okonomiyaki mix of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Fire Emblem. This large series is one of many sitting on my backlog, but I don't think I'll be adding this game. It looks fine, but I've never been a fan of such RTS games. I prefer to have agency and direct control in battle rather than pointing, clicking, and watching the computer roll dice.

Last year Koei Tecmo trademarked the name "Godseekers" for Europe and many speculated it was for the Attack on Titan game. Seems like perhaps this is what it was for. So if they were planning a western release for so long, why wait til now to announce it?

Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers coming to PS4, PS Vita on January 31 in North America, February 1 in Europe [Gematsu]

New Dynasty Warriors game is less bashing, more clicking screenshot

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News:: Westworld season 2 is when we'll learn about how the Hosts are made

Warning: this article includes SPOILERS for the latest episode of Westworld

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News:: Our Favorite Ways To Play Overwatch's Sombra

Our (aspirationally) weekly Overwatch show returns with a new name, Let’s Break It Down, and a new hero to discuss! Sombra can hack everything, teleport, and turn invisible. She is a handful, and also she has cooler hands than you. Listen to Cecilia, Heather, and I talk about our favorite Sombra strategies. And also…

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News:: Sony’s cable replacement service, PlayStation Vue, is now available for Apple TV.

Sony’s cable replacement service, PlayStation Vue, is now available for Apple TV. Owners of 4th generation Apple TV units can now access their subscription directly from the device. A seven-day free trial is available at the PlayStation Vue website.

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News:: Mother 3 Translator Finds Cool New Way To Compare English And Japanese Scripts

Clyde Mandelin is a translator who has worked on games and anime such as One Piece, Kingdom Hearts II, Attack on Titan, and, most famously, a translation of Mother 3. Now, he’s showing off his programming skills as he streams game on Twitch through a program that compares translations as he plays.

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News:: The Best Free Alternatives to Expensive Software

If you’re paying for premium software, chances are there’s a free alternative out there you could use instead, with features just as good as the ones you’ve become accustomed to. Whether you fancy a change from your usual application-of-choice, or you’re just on a tight budget, these are the free software apps you…

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News:: Things are about to get complicated for Rock Band 4

Do you not like my girlfriend? Do you think I need a new one? Well, for more information prospective reader, I don't even have a girlfriend. Oh, I made myself sad. Anyway, Rock Band 4 is getting a trio of songs from everyone's favorite faux-goth rocker girl, Avril Lavigne.

Priced at $2 each or in a pack for $5.50, the pack includes her original hit, "Complicated," along with "My Happy Ending" (ha) and "What the Hell." You can even see a trailer of these songs in action, if you feel like starting your day off wrong. I know the only reason I clicked the video is to link it here.

I'm more surprised that "Complicated" even had harmonies in the vocals, or how Harmonix felt it necessary to include that feature over the keyboard from 3. Regardless, now we can be Sk8er Boi's and sing See ya later Boi's...and um...you know, I surprisingly don't know any of her other songs. I wanted to make jokes, but her career is just kind of sad.

Things are about to get complicated for Rock Band 4 screenshot

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News:: EA is pushing for streamers and YouTubers to disclose partnerships

EA is making steps towards getting streamers and YouTubers to more prominently disclose that they were paid for sponsorships with a new program called "Supported by EA." In short, they're requiring folks to use specific logos to make things clear, starting with the above logos.

I know this may come as a shock, but our editorial side/reviewers never takes money directly from publishers -- that's all handled by an ad arm that we stay far away from -- and if travel was covered for an event, we disclose it. But in some other cases, viewers might not know that something is actually a scripted advertisement -- so good on EA of all companies to actually clamp down on this, even if there was undoubtedly pressure from outside sources given the WB ruling.

Supported by EA [EA via NeoGAF]

EA is pushing for streamers and YouTubers to disclose partnerships screenshot



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News:: Black Friday Came Early For This Samsung Sound Bar

Best Buy’s Black Friday ad promised this Samsung sound bar for an all-time low $148, but there’s no need to wait; Amazon kicked the deal off early. This 35" sound bar includes 300W of total output, Bluetooth for connecting your phone, and even a wireless subwoofer for extra bass. If you’re still listening to your TV…

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News:: Take a new look at Westworld episode 8 with this gallery of images

Yesterday brought us a sneaky peek at the next episode of Westworld, Trace Delay

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News:: Chris Metzen On Leaving Blizzard: 'I Started Having Panic Attacks'

For over two decades, Chris Metzen was a cherished mascot for Blizzard, where he was the senior Vice President of Story and Franchise development. When he retired in September, at 42, fans wondered why he’d abandon a company he’d been at since he was 19.

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News:: It 'only' took a year and change to sort out the amiibo stock problems

And with Robin, all is right in the amiibo world again. Wait, are you still there? Am I in an empty figurative room, talking about amiibo stock, while everyone else scattered after the horror that was Wave 4? That seems to be the case, and looking back, Nintendo really blew it in the US when it came to long term support for amiibo sales with their "tried and true" scarcity tactic.

Yes friends, On April 2, 2015, that was the day the amiibo died for a lot of you out there. As a refresher, you had to get into a GameStop store at a specified time (in the afternoon), wait in a line, then pre-order a toy that was coming out in May. But not just one toy -- eight of them, two of which sold out within seconds of going live. That's partially because nation-wide GameStop's servers crashed, and only the few people in the front of the line were guaranteed bundle sets for all eight. Many of you on the west coast were still at work, wondering what the hell happened.

It sucked, because Lucina and Robin (the two aforementioned "Unicorns," as they came to be known), were instrumental in two major Nintendo releases -- Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., and Fire Emblem Fates. The figures unlocked full-on extra characters for each game, with the former allowing players to use a team comprised entirely of Fire Emblem characters (consisting of two other rare figures, Marth and Ike). As a collector I was ready and had backup plans, and let me tell you, using the entire Emblem squad fundamentally changed Code Name and made it much more enjoyable for me. But the fact that it had to be a rare occurrence was absurd.

Fast forward to roughly a week ago, and now, Robin has been restocked across the US along with earlier initiatives for Marth, Lucina, and Ike. But at this point, many once bustling amiibo marketplaces and communities are less active than they once were. It "only" took Nintendo a year and a half to fix the problem, and it was too little too late.

Consider this an ode to those people that helped me procure so many of these stupid things (some of which call themselves "amiibros") -- you've probably sold or offloaded all of your in-box collections at this point, but you rock.

It 'only' took a year and change to sort out the amiibo stock problems screenshot

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News:: Disney XD is the new home for Pokémon animation in the U.S., starting with a special December 5 airi

Disney XD is the new home for Pokémon animation in the U.S., starting with a special December 5 airing of Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel and the first two episodes of Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, with the full season launching early next year.

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