News:: PC deal: coupon takes 25% off Battlefront II, 36% off Injustice 2

If you're playing Star Wars Battlefront II (the EA/DICE game that's totally not in the news) for release week, there are savings available. We were going to leave the mention of the game to our weekend roundup, but a new deal cropped up recently that's actually pretty decent for not only Star Wars Battlefront II, but other new PC titles - including recently released Injustice 2 and the upcoming PC port of Okami HD.

GMG is offering a 15% off sitewide coupon for new customers until tomorrow morning - and unlike previously exclusions we've seen, they have decided to make sure Star Wars Battlefront II is included (gotta move those units after all). Interestingly enough, all the uproar may have worked because EA is temporarily removing in-game purchases in the near future until they've retooled the system.

Your call if that means the game is now an an okay purchase. For whatever it's worth, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are only a week away and we can bet you'll see 33% off PC copies of Star Wars Battlefront II at some retailers out there. Hell, if the game performs subpar, we wouldn't be surprised to see an official 20% off on Origin.com. At the end of the day, EA's gotta make sure the money continues to be printed to make the hefty Disney license fee worth it (and to keep the Mouse fed).

Green Man Gaming 15% Off Code

• Use code: NEW15
• Expires soon, new customers only

Works on:

• 12/12: Okami HD (Steam) — $13.59  (list price $20)
• 11/17: Star Wars Battlefront II (Origin) — $45.04  (list price $60)
• 11/14: Injustice 2 (Steam) — $31.87  (list price $50)
• 11/03: Call of Duty: WWII (Steam) — $45.89  (list price $60)
• 10/24: Destiny 2 — $45.89  (list price $60)
• 10/27: Assassin's Creed: Origins (Uplay) — $43.34  (list price $60)

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News:: EA pulls in-game purchases from 'Star Wars: Battlefront II'

The launch of Star Wars: Battlefront II has been marred by controversy over the game's loot system. While players can earn bonuses like new heroes, equipment and vehicles by playing to earn credits that purchase loot crates, they could also buy more crates with "crystals" sold for real-world money. Predictably, the effect of this came off as allowing or encouraging players to pay to win, which has made gamers and even some regulators unhappy. Tonight, EA announced it's pulling the plug on all in-game purchases, as DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson said the company will "spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning."

At first the company tried making some heroes easier to earn, but clearly, that wasn't enough. Gabrielson says that the plan is for crystal purchases to return eventually, but it's difficult to see how that will be received well if players are still buying items that have a real impact. While the "digital deluxe edition" has already been playable for a few days, the game's worldwide launch is happening now -- let us know if this changes your decision to buy.

Source: EA

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News:: EA has temporarily disabled microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II

There is no shortage of criticism regarding loot boxes and pay-to-win concerns in Star Wars Battlefront II and, as we approach tomorrow's launch, that anger hasn't subsided. It only seems to grow.

Earlier this week, DICE reduced its bafflingly high in-game-currency pricing for heroes like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Now, following continued Battlefront II backlash, EA has made the call to disable microtransactions -- but only temporarily. As it stands, loot won't be buyable with real money.

"We hear you loud and clear, so we're turning off all in-game purchases. We will now spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning. This means that the option to purchase crystals in the game is now offline, and all progression will be earned through gameplay. The ability to purchase crystals in-game will become available at a later date, only after we've made changes to the game."

This is a positive change, but there's still much to be done here. As I said in my review-in-progress, even without real money entering the equation, I'm not a fan of Battlefront II's progression system and the way it handles stat-increasing Star Cards. It feels like a game-balance nightmare.

An Update on Star Wars Battlefront II [EA]

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News:: Payday 2 is playable in VR complete with desktop cross-play

Payday 2 is getting virtual reality support next year, but if you'd like to try that out now and you have a Vive, that's an option. The first beta for Payday 2 VR went live today. Here's how to opt in:

• Find Payday 2 in your Steam library and right-click - select Properties.
• In the Properties window - select the tab called "BETAS."
• In the drop down menu in the BETAS tab - select "open_vr_beta" and close the window.

Once activated, you'll be coming in fresh with a new save file. Overkill recommends a "GTX 980 or better" to run the game and has a how-to-play guide covering the new controls. Based on the trailer, this looks even better than I was expecting. The basic premise of heists in VR just works for me.

It would be nice to see alternate movement options for folks who can handle unrestricted locomotion in VR, but Overkill is off to a good start here. The fact that this is free for Payday 2 owners and VR and non-VR players can team up together is commendable. This stuff usually comes at a premium.

PAYDAY 2 VR is now finally live [Steam]

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News:: First trailer for the Rampage movie sure has some big 'ole animals in it

Remember Rampage? It's that arcade game that ran its course after 20 minutes or so. It's totally fun, but it's the kind of fleeting fun meant for a weekend rental. Anyway take that 20 minutes of fun, with about 30 seconds worth of plot, put a Rock in it, and now suddenly we have a full-on Hollywood adaptation. 

Dwayne Johnson and San Andreas director Brad Peyton reunite to take on the very, very serious story about a white gorilla named George who turns into a giant and goes on the titular rampage. 

Johnson used to be franchise fuel, with his casting injecting new life into the Journey and Fast and Furious franchises, but that's really not the case anymore. After a string of weird decisions, Johnson doesn't have the traction his billing used to have. If this appeals to you, cool, but I'm smelling a bomb here. 

Rampage opens April 20, 2018. #BlazeIt

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News:: Comments of the Week 24: A Stand-Out Stand-in

Last week, FakePlasticTree couldn't make it to the editing room and had to postpone the Comments of the Week. I, however, decided to pick up the slack and work on his edition of Comments of the Week for him

...and then, well, work, hospital, family and my girlfriend all got in my way of putting this blog together. Who has picked up the slack you may ask?

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News:: This Sea of Thieves trailer is a good refresher

While Rare has invited folks to test out its shared-world pirate adventure title Sea of Thieves and the studio regularly posts video updates detailing its progress, if you aren't going out of your way to stay current, the game's release might seem as nebulous as ever. Even now, as we approach 2018, Sea of Thieves feels permanently far off to me. It was announced long enough ago that I've grown restless.

With that in mind, I can appreciate this digestible here's-what's-up trailer for reminding me that I'd still very much like to sail a ship, fend off skeletons, and take on other crews with my buds.

My main fear is that it'll lose its luster before long, so hopefully Rare has something meaningful in place to keep folks engaged longer term. That's my biggest question mark for Sea of Thieves.

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News:: Xbox's Black Friday sale features some of this year's best games

Microsoft has gotten a head-start on its Black Friday offerings, ahead of its official start date of November 23. (Ignoring of course that most companies start earlier than the day after Thanksgiving. All-out consumerism now spans the greater part of November.)

What's pertinent about this event is that it specifically features a lot of 2017's best games. Here are some of the things that caught our eye and that we can recommend:

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News:: Fail Factory is the new VR game from the ReCore developer

Armature Studio, the developer who's most well-known for ReCore in recent years, is making a new game that's maybe diametrically opposed to ReCore. At least in terms of scope. Rather than expansive stretches of sand and not much else, this game is about manufacturing and its associated perils. Assembly lines and bucket brigades and other terms from my Special Operations 599 class that were never useful in my games bloggin' career.

Fail Factory is the name of Armature's next game, and it's a Gear VR exclusive. It's a collection of 39 mini-games centered around the idea of manufacturing mishaps. Despite being announced today, it's set for a December 7 release. No price was mentioned.

Now that work on ReCore is (presumably) wrapped with the August release of the Definitive Edition, no one really knows what's next for Armature. After Fail Factory, there aren't anymore announced projects unless it retained work on Bloodstained after the Wii U version went belly-up. The idea of a ReCore sequel is alluring now that most of the wrinkles have been ironed out of the original. But, who knows if anyone's going to take on the risks of publishing something that size. So, for now, we have this weird little VR thing.

Frantic Fun: Introducing 'Fail Factory' from Armature Studios, Coming Soon to Gear VR [Oculus]

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News:: Review: .hack//G.U. Last Recode

.hack//G.U. Last Recode is exhausting. It's a collection of three full-length games bundled together with a fresh coat of paint and an all-new fourth chapter. That's a lot for one package, but like any long journey, finishing the series often feels like more trouble than it's worth.

Last Recode's allure is hard to deny. The .hack games once cornered a space in the niche JRPG market. Their connected vision of an all-encompassing, seemingly endless online game called The World captured audiences some years ago. Today, however, even with better graphics and streamlined systems, all four G.U. chapters feel woefully outdated. Haseo, the series' recurring protagonist, and his game-crossing adventure to save The World feel like remnants of a pre-digital era.

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News:: Here are the games you can get your hands on at PlayStation Experience

Ah, we're in that awkward period where a convention organizer wants to promote the show by letting everyone know exactly what they can expect. Well, most of what they can expect. It can't truly put its best foot forward because that would mean prematurely revealing all the surprise announcements that are being saved. Classic conundrum.

So, here are all the games that are going to be at PlayStation Experience in Anaheim in early December. The list comes with a wink and a knowing grin and an implicit understanding that, no, these aren't all the games. They're just the ones you get to know about now.

Read more...

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News:: Humble is giving out Killer is Dead for its Fall Sale

Killer is Dead isn't as fondly remembered as other games in Grasshopper Manufacturer's portfolio, but it's still a Suda 51 joint, and I always loved that its assassin protagonist was named Mondo Zappa. That's real good! As part of the Humble Store's Fall Sale, the game is free to claim for 48 hours.

Elsewhere in the sale, you'll find some 3,000 discounted games. Those deals will run longer than the Killer is Dead: Nightmare Edition freebie and are here until Tuesday, November 28 at 10:00am Pacific.

Fall Sale [Humble Store]

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News:: Don't have Xbox Live Gold? Pick up a one-month subscription for $1

We're a week away from Black Friday and the deals are about to start flowing uncontrollably. (Hmm there's probably a better way to phrase that.) If you're the type to pick up on Xbox Live's annual Deals with Gold Black Friday sale, then you'll, of course, need an Xbox Live Gold membership.

If you've never tried Xbox Live Gold before, this week's promotion is a good intro to the service as the Microsoft Store is offering a one-month Xbox Live Gold membership for $1. This is a pretty damn good deal, but unfortunately is limited to NEW members only.

For everyone else that needs to top off, Rakuten has a one-day sale on Xbox Live Gold 12-month cards for $41 with free shipping. The coupon code expires today, so act fast if you want to buy a year's worth for cheap.

Xbox Live Gold Membership Deals

• Xbox Live Gold One-Month Subscription — $1  (list price $10) <- new members only
• Xbox Live Gold 12-Month Membership — $41  (list price $60) <- use code GIFT10

Note: The one-month deal expires on Tuesday, November 28 while the 12-month card is today-only and expires before midnight Pacific Time.

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News:: James Franco to star in X-Men spin-off, Multiple Man

In a surprise announcement, Fox has revealed that they are developing a new X-Men spin-off film starring James Franco with a script written by Wonder Woman's Allan Heinberg. Multiple Man will feature the X-Men associate of the same name whose mutant power, as you can tell, involves creating clones of himself.

This won't be the character's film debut, however, as he was portrayed by Eric Dane (Grey's Anatomy) in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Franco, as well, is no stranger to the genre as he played Peter Parker's best-friend-turned-adversary, Harry Osborn, in the original Spider-Man trilogy.

Multiple Man is just the latest film in the ever-expanding X-Men film universe following The New Mutants, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Gambit, Deadpool 2, and the recently announced Logan spin-off. As a fan of both the character and Franco, Multiple Man has shot to the top of my list of most anticipated X-Men films. Here's hoping Heinberg's script is informed by Peter David's X-Factor run!

James Franco, Simon Kinberg, ‘Wonder Woman’ Scribe Allan Heinberg Team On Fox’s Marvel Mutant ‘Multiple Man’ [Deadline]

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News:: Today's Overwatch update brings Mercy changes and Moira

Just in time for this weekend's free-play event, Blizzard has added the support hero Moira to Overwatch on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One along with some much-appreciated adjustments to Mercy.

With this update, Mercy isn't quite as free to cast Resurrect -- there's now a cast time of 1.75 seconds (up from 0 seconds!), her movement speed drops by 75 percent while casting, and she can be interrupted by hacks, stuns, and knock-backs. To make up for this, Mercy can instantly Resurrect and move at her normal speed while casting whenever her Valkyrie ultimate ability is in play.

As for Moira, I didn't get to try her out on the PTR so I'm eager to see how she fares in the live game. Keep in mind, though, she won't be usable in Competitive Play during her debut week (as per usual).

Here are the full patch notes:

Read more...

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News:: Skyrim's day-one patch for Switch adds video capture

If you thought Bethesda's open-world adventure game would be ripe for the Switch's built-in video capture feature, then you're in for a treat. With a day-one patch, the game now supports the very limited functionality that the Switch offers. You'll be able to record the last 30 seconds of gameplay and potentially share some hilarious physics hi-jinks or a badass moment of strength. Maybe you can also chronicle how many people took arrows to the knee for the whole world?

While I enjoy having some form of video capture, Nintendo's solution is kind of bare bones. At least you can edit the clip, but with the ability to have expandable storage via a micro SD card, there isn't any real reason why we should be limited to 30 seconds. That being said, maybe it is meant solely for those instances where you do something incredible and just want to remember it. I just wish it could do more.

Skyrim’s Day One patch adds video capture support [Vooks]

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News:: Schooled: Coming of age in Counter-Strike

_{[This is a story of hard work and determination that is neither a sports underdog movie nor a Shonen Jump manga. This is about Counter-Strike. ~Marcel]}

Good day kind sir or Madam.

My name's Metallion and I am a 33-year-old male from Belgium. Just like you, I went through puberty. That awkward time when little you tries to find out who they really are. I am going to tell you the story of my puberty and some important life lessons I learned from a video game that still stick with me to this day.

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News:: Dragon Ball FighterZ adds Adult Gohan, Kid Buu, and Gotenks

I was wondering when Dragon Ball FighterZ would introduce the tried and true multiple versions of the same character Dragon Ball fighting games have been known for, and luckily it doesn't seem to be a bad deal yet. These newest additions are vastly different than the ones included, so we don't have to worry about murky waters just yet. 

In these Weekly Shonen Jump scans provided by ShonenGamez, Kid Buu shows off a giant ultimate attack, Gotenks (in Super Saiyan 3 mode) gets his Volleyball Attack, and Gohan (in his problematic, post-Old and Supreme Kai power boost mode) gets his Ultimate Kamehameha. 

In other details provided by Gematsu, there will be an Arcade Mode as well as a Shop where you can purchase alternate colors and titles with money earned in battle. Man, I hope we get reveal trailers for these three soon. 

Dragon Ball FighterZ adds Gotenks, Kid Buu, and Adult Gohan [Gematsu]

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News:: Nintendo Switch's 'Arms' adds a fighter with robotic scorpion fists

Nintendo seems keen to address Arms' overall thin initial offerings in terms of stages, characters and modes. Since launch the game has been updated a handful of times to add more, and today brings another. Arms 4.0 adds Misango, a man with robotic scorpions for fists. Yes, really. He also has a mask that can help guard against facial damage. There's also a new stage that Misango calls home, and you can see that in the trailer embedded below. Nintendo hasn't updated the fighter overview page online just yet -- or the patch notes -- so it isn't clear what else Misango will bring with him.

Via: Kotaku (UK)

Source: Nintendo (YouTube)

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News:: Review in Progress: School Girl/Zombie Hunter

I’ve never played any “sexy" Japanese games before, so School Girl/Zombie Hunter signifies the very first time that I’ve dipped my toes into the genre. Needless to say, these impressions, as well as the inevitable followup review, are coming from the perspective of a total novice.

I’m fairly close to finishing my first playthrough of the game on normal difficulty, but I’d like to take it through the paces a bit on a harder difficulty as well as try out the online co-op before I make a final verdict.

So far, I’m surprised at just how much I’ve enjoyed it. It’s dumb. It’s extremely dumb. We’re talking about a game where you play as a high school girl who throws their used panties at hordes of zombies (aka “zom zoms”) to distract them. Surprisingly, however, there’s a pretty severe lack of “sexy” on offer here. It also more closely resembles the gameplay of Earth Defense Force than its hack and slash origins in the Onechanbara series, where it spawns from.

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News:: Belgium's gambling authority is investigating loot boxes, which is great because it's gambling

Even though loot boxes have been a thing in games for many years (hey, remember Mass Effect 3 by EA, a whole four years before Overwatch?), only just recently EA was dubbed the sacrificial lamb and the epitome of the practice, resulting in the most downvoted comment in Reddit history.

It's for good reason too, as Star Wars: Battlefront II is employing loot boxes in a pay-to-win format, encouraging players to spend money to not just unlock cosmetics, but gameplay enhancing abilities and heroes as well. It's...not good, and the blowback has reached yet another entity after so many have failed to properly investigate the issue -- the Belgian Gaming Commission, which oversees gambling rules in the region.

As Belgian Gaming Commission director Peter Naessens states, "If there is a game of chance, it is not possible without a permit from the Gaming Commission." Other agencies (not neccesarily governmental) have backed down from the conversation, including the ESRB, which tries to erroneously equate all loot boxes to buying "packs of cards." We don't know if Belgium will actually get anywhere, but we'll keep an eye on it and any other pertinent investigations.

Although I personally don't mind full cosmetic implementation of loot boxes, they absolutely should be classified as gambling. As others succinctly put it, gambling does not imply winning, and it doesn't imply winning exactly what you want. If you see a really cool skin and you pull a slot machine that has a random chance to spit it out (a chance that we don't even know and information even slot machines have, called a par sheet), you're gambling. Oh, and gashapon, that's definitely gambling. And with zero regulations and the ability for kids to get addicted to suiting up cartoon characters, someone needs to step in.

They might not ruin individual games, but if online poker and other forms of gambling are regulated, this needs to be as well.

Read more...

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News:: Nintendo Download: Skyrim

In a rare occasion, both the Switch and the 3DS have some big releases this week. Switch brings with it the much anticipated The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, as well as Battle Chef Brigade, ACA NeoGeo Karvnov's Revenge, Antiquia Lost, Dead Synchronity: Tomorrow Comes Today, Ginger: Beyond the Crystal, Green Game: TimeSwapper, Lumo, Xenoraid, Gear.Club Unlimited, Rive: Ultimate Edition, Superbeat: Xonic, VVVVVV, and MXGP3 - The Official Motorcross Videogame.

On 3DS we have the lovely Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon, the remixed editions of the originals released last year, River City: Rival Showdown, and a demo for Phil's Epic Fill-a-Pix Adventure. The Wii U is getting Break in and Salamander.

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News:: The best Nintendo Switch games

The Nintendo Switch is an excellent game console. If you don't want to quit collecting Power Moons in Super Mario Odyssey but need a change of scenery from your living room, that's entirely doable. Simply take the tablet out of its dock, slide your Joy-cons back on and you can pick up right where you left off, regardless of venue. But there's so much more to play on Switch. The problem is, aside from the games you can buy at retail, they can be hard to find, because Nintendo's digital storefront isn't very well organized. Which is what our list of the best Switch games is for. Simply search for these games by name in the eShop and you're guaranteed to have some fun.

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News:: Guide: I scanned every Link amiibo into Skyrim on Switch, here's what I unlocked

Owning every amiibo has its perks. Mainly, when it comes time to cover anything toy related in a Nintendo game, I'm there.

To make good on this madness, here's a rundown of what happens when you scan every Link amiibo released to date into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Switch.

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News:: Review: Skyrim (Switch)

Skyrim was released in 2011. Six years later (almost to the day), it's still relevant.

So relevant in fact that we thought it was worth a revisit with our review of the Special Edition, and worth covering yet again on Switch. Such is the power of Elder Scrolls.

While the setting of Skyrim still isn't as outrageously satisfying as Vvardenfell, the ability to create your own adventure lends itself well to a portable platform.

Read more...

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News:: HTC's Vive Tracker adds much-needed tactile control to VR

Virtual reality has made a lot of progress lately toward looking and sounding better, but we're still in the early stages of making it feel better on a tactile level. Standalone headsets like the upcoming Oculus Go and the just-announced HTC Vive Focus will definitely improve the experience by eliminating that pesky umbilical cord that connects you to a computer. However, the realism of many of these simulated worlds is still hamstrung by the need to handle a controller in order to interact with anything. HTC's Vive Tracker, available for pre-order today, goes a long way toward making VR feel more true to the experience it's meant to be simulating, replacing the usual plastic wand with accessories that can emulate the weight and feel of real-world tools like sports equipment and projectile weapons.

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News:: The Morning After: Thursday, November 16th 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

It will be a busy Thursday for Elon Musk, as this evening SpaceX sends a "secret" payload skyward, and we're expecting to see Tesla's electric semi-truck. For everyone else, well, there's a new look for Google Maps and Amazon apparently won't launch a cable TV competitor.

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News:: Nintendo Switch homebrew is possible, but there's a catch

Resourceful hackers have long been rejuvenating Nintendo's consoles past their sell-by dates. Armed with in-game exploits, the homebrew community persistently overcame updates to release unofficial emulators and apps for the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS. But, is Nintendo's latest console as hackable as its predecessors? A bunch of enthusiasts have been tinkering away for months to solve that riddle, and they've now made a significant breakthrough. As the Wololo homebrew community notes, an update to the Pegaswitch toolkit allows for the Switch to be prepped for homebrew on firmware 3.0.0. using a copy of Pokken Tournament DX.

Via: Wololo

Source: Pegaswitch (Git Hub)

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