Home > News

Destiny 2 to Get Loot Exclusive to Certain Bosses and Activities, As Seen in Destiny 1

  by   Mack Ashworth  
January 16, 2018 9:15 am in News

Bungie has become a lot more vocal when it comes to sharing planned Destiny 2 future updates. The developer has stated that it will “make good on promises,” change the controversial Eververse, and tweak several underwhelming weapons.

Game director Christopher Barrett has been answering players’ questions on Twitter, sharing more information about what’s in the works. One particular response reveals that “more thematic loot that drops from named bosses and unique activities” is something that Bungie is “planning to add.”

Loot in the original Destiny worked this way, and players have been wondering why it was ever changed.

Do you want to see the return of loot themed around bosses and activities? Let us know.

In other Destiny 2 news, this fan comic pokes fun at Tess Everis’ exploitative nature, the game’s development was apparently rebooted in early 2016, and Bungie has revealed the dates for the next Faction Rally and Iron Banner.

Source: Christopher Barrett via Reddit

Tags: Activision Bungie Destiny Destiny 2

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > News

Star Wars Battlefront II Update Now Live, Here’s All the New Stuff

  by   Alex Co  
4:22 am in News

DICE has released a new Star Wars Battlefront II update  just now, and it’s a big one! Clocking in at 2.9GB on the PlayStation 4, there’s a bunch of new content, and lots of tweaks!

Check out the new content as well as balance tweaks list below.

New Content:
Blast on Crait
We’re expanding the ways you can play on Crait by bringing this map to the Blast Game Mode! Battle in the mines among the machinery and crystals leftover from the previous occupants.

Iden Versio’s TIE/In fighter
Now available as a new Hero Starfighter in multiplayer matches! Iden Versio leads by example from her personal TIE/ln fighter. Custom-built for Inferno Squad, this modified TIE has seen heroic service in the name of the Emperor.

Iden Versio’s TIE/In fighter Abilities:

  • Afterburner – Gives the starfighter a temporary speed boost and breaks enemy missile lock. The AFTERBURNER can be cancelled after a short time
  • Laser Barrage – Charges up a rapid fire barrage which deals high damage
  • Dual Proton Torpedoes – Fires two proton torpedoes which track the locked target and deal high damage
  • Inferno Leader – For the duration of INFERNO LEADER, all enemies within a radius are revealed to allied players. These enemies receive increased damage from all sources

TIE/In fighter Star Cards:

  • Engine Heat Dissipator – Decreases the AFTERBURNER cooldown
  • Advanced Torpedoes – Increases DUAL PROTON TORPEDO damage
  • Vengeful Barrage – Increases the damage of LASER BARRAGE
  • Flight Commander – Increases the duration of INFERNO LEADER
  • Reinforced Hull – Increases the total health of the starfighter
  • Tuned Lasers – Increases primary weapon damage
  • Advanced Capacitors – Improves the primary weapons resistance to overheating
  • Repair Systems – Reduces the delay before health regeneration begins
  • Elite Pilot – Increases the turn rate of the starfighter
  • Engine Upgrade – Increases the top speed and how quickly the starfighter can accelerate and decelerate

Iden Versio’s TIE/In fighter Milestones:

  • Rapid Assault – Used Iden Versio’s TIE/LN fighter AFTERBURNER ability 25 times
  • Precision Strike – Achieve 25 DUAL PROTON TORPEDO kills with Iden Versio’s TIE/LN Fighter
  • Hope Cannot Save Them – Achieve 25 LASER BARRAGE kills with Iden Versio’s TIE/LN Fighter
  • Avenge Our Emperor – Use Iden Versio’s TIE/LN Fighter INFERNO LEADER ability 25 times

Heroes:
Finn

  • Reduced base damage of his EL-16 from 65 to 45
  • Reduced the time before heat cooldown kicks in from 3.5 to 1.5 seconds
  • Reduced damage of each Deadeye shot from 40 to 30

Phasma

  • Reduced the heat generated per shot of her F-11D

Lando

  • Fixed a bug where Maximized Efficiency was not properly granting cooldown reduction

Boba Fett

  • Reduced the damage per rocket of Rocket Barrage from 90 to 78
  • Reduced the inner damage radius for each rocket of Rocket Barrage from 2 to 1.5 meters
  • Reduced the outer damage radius for each rocket of Rocket Barrage from 4 to 3 meters

Classes & Special Units
Wookiee Warrior

  • Reduced Bowcaster center projectile damage multiplier from 1.3 to 1
  • Lowered Bowcaster fall off distance at the start from 20 to 10 meters & at the end from 30 to 25 meters
  • Reshuffled Bowcaster explosion damage and projectile damage to make falloff have higher effect
  • Increased Bowcaster heat per shot

Specialist

  • Reduce size of scope glint
  • Added scope glint to the following long range weapons: EL-16HFE, A-280, Pulse Rifle, and Captain Phasma’s F-11D
  • Reduced heat per shot for the following long range weapons: Valken-38X, E-5S, DLT-20A, DLT-19x, A180, and DLT-19D
  • Increased the bursts per minute of all Infiltration variants from 100 to 130

Heavy

  • Reduced the AOE of Supercharged and Explosive sentry
  • Increased heat per shot for Supercharged Sentry from 0.015 to 0.017

Officer

  • Reduced explosion damage when turret is destroyed by blaster fire from 150 to 25

Weapons:
CR2

  • Lowered start damage from 17 to 16
  • Lowered end damage from 9 to 8
  • Reduced damage falloff end distance from 40 to 30 meters

Barrage

  • Reduced inner blast radius from 3.5 to 2 meters
  • Increased outer blast radius from 5 to 6 meters
  • Increased explosion damage from 55 to 100

Blurrg-1120

  • Reduced falloff start distance from 20 to 15 meters
  • Reduced start damage of Explosive Shot from 29 to 26
  • Reduced end damage of Explosive Shot from 10 to 8
  • Reduced inner blast radius of Explosive Shot from 0.8 to 0.7 meters
  • Reduced outer blast radius of Explosive Shot from 2 to 1.8 meters
  • Reduced accuracy of the final shots when Burst Mod is equipped

Trip Mine

  • Increased the number of mines that can be deployed at the same time from 1 to 2
  • Raised the time until the mines disappeared after death from 5 to 15 seconds

General:

  • Fixed a bug where both the Officer’s Recharge Command and Finn’s Big Deal abilities were not affecting Heroes or Special Units properly
  • Fixed an issue where each sector on the minimap would not light up properly the first time an enemy fired
  • Reduced fade in time for a minimap sector from 0.3 to 0.1 seconds
  • Stability improvements
  • Misc. bug fixing

In other Battlefront 2 news, the game was the most downloaded game on PSN last month,! There’s also a bunch of mods that make the game a wee bit more interesting too.

Source: Battlefront Forums

Tags: DICE EA Star Wars Star Wars: Battlefront Star Wars: Battlefront II
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Fortnite Concurrent Players Surpass 2 Million, Epic Thinks It Could Be the Biggest Battle Royale Game

  by   Alex Co  
January 15, 2018 7:30 pm in News

By now, chances are you’ve heard of how successful Epic Games’ Fortnite has become. Heck, it’s gotten so successful, that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) maker Bluehole is even considering handing a lawsuit, which no doubt it’s doing since it feels threatened in some way by the free-to-play title.

Well, it seems Fortnite Battle Royale has reached another milestone yet again! Speaking to Eurogamer, Epic has revealed that the Fortnite concurrent players numbers have reached an all-time high of over two million! And as a whole, the game has passed the 40-million player milestone, too!

Epic Games Lead Systems Designer Eric Williamson mentioned that the dev team thinks Fortnite Battle Royale could be the biggest Battle Royale game — which would be a very big feat, given PUBG’s stranglehold on the genre so far.

To put it in context,  some of the folk around the office are saying hey, we could be the biggest Battle Royale game in the western world, which is crazy.

Some people are saying we could be the biggest and best-played game [full stop] in the western world.

Important to note that Fortnite is bolstered by the fact that it’s a f2p game, and that the game is out on the PC, Xbox One and PS4, while PUBG isn’t available on Sony’s console just yet.

In other Fortnite news, the “underground exploit” has been fixed by Epic Games, cheaters should expect a punishment of some sort.

Do you think Fortnite has a chance at being the biggest game in the western world? Or is that title safely tucked in the belts of PUBG, League of Legends and Call of Duty?

Tags: Epic Games Fortnite Fortnite Battle Royale
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

The “Voice” of NBA Jam Is Working With Microsoft to Resurrect the Franchise

  by   Alex Co  
6:30 pm in News

Just last week, NBA Jam announcer Tim Kritzow let it slip that a “new deal” regarding the franchise is in the works to bring it back. Well, it seems Microsoft will have something to do with it — if this recent report by ESPN is to be believed.

A feature on NBA Jam’s 25th- year anniversary just went up on the sports site today, and among the nuggets mentioned within is that Kritzow is working with Microsoft to try and get the game revived once again. Here’s the exact line in the article.

Electronic Arts (EA) Sports rebooted the franchise in 2010 and still has the rights, but Kitzrow is working with Microsoft to possibly get the game resurrected for the 25th anniversary.

“I can’t speak anything to the specifics, but I can tell you there is movement in the works to get it done for the 25th year,” Kitzrow said. “So I’m hoping that we get a remake that does justice to the original.”

While this doesn’t confirm a new NBA Jam will make its way out, we at least know now that people are really trying to bring it back. Let’s just hope if it does come to fruition, it’ll be for multi-platform since everyone deserves the chance to get some NBA Jam gaming in their lives.

Go read up on the feature since it’s a good read for both basketball and video game fans alike.

Tags: Microsoft NBA Jam tim kitzrow
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Rumor: Cyberpunk 2077 to Be Present at E3 2018, Will Present a Playable Demo Behind Closed Doors

  by   Alex Co  
5:30 pm in News

Just last week, we reported that CD Projekt RED has turned the switch back on for Cyberpunk 2077’s Twitter account. While it was just a one-word tweet, it’s enough to send the gaming scene buzzing since it’s been years since we last heard of anything about the upcoming title.

Well, it seems 2018 will be the year where we learn more about Cyberpunk 2077! And I mean a lot more. According to Polish gaming site GRYOnline, Cyberpunk 2077 will have a re-reveal and be present at this year’s E3, and what’s more, it’ll even be playable behind closed doors by the gaming media!

Allegedly, there are two independent sources who wish to remain anonymous, that state the Cyberpunk 2077 trailer will make its way into one of the big press conferences taking place at the event (for reference: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt trailer was showcased during Microsoft’s 2013 presser), and a playable demo will be on hand at E3 2018.

Bear in mind though, treat all of these as bits of rumors for now. However, if it’s true, don’t be surprised to hear more leaked info and details seep out all throughout the year until E3 2018, which will take place in June.

When pressed for a comment, CD Projekt RED has mentioned that the company doesn’t comment on gossip or speculation.

Thoughts on this, people? Are you ready to see Cyberpunk 2077 in all its glory? What are you expecting from it?

Source: GRYOnline.pl via GamePressure

Tags: cd projekt red Cyberpunk 2077 Rumors
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Call of Duty World League New Orleans Open Champion Crowned

  by   Alex Co  
4:33 pm in News

In a press release, Activision has announced that the Call of Duty World League (CWL) New Orleans Open champ is Team Kaliber!

Team Kaliber fought for the top spot against Luminosity Gaming, Rise Nation, and Red Reserve which rounded out the top four spots in the three-day competition, which took place at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

For their achievements, Team Kaliber the largest cut of the $200,000 prize pool pie, which is part of the new season’s $4.2 million prize pool. This was Team Kaliber’s second CWL Global Open championship win, as the team previously won the CWL Dallas Open last December 2017.

Here are the final rankings for the CWL New Orleans Open:
· 1st – Team Kaliber
· 2nd – Luminosity Gaming
· 3rd – Rise Nation
· 4th – Red Reserve
· 5th/6th – Echo Fox / eUnited
· 7th/8th – Evil Geniuses / FaZe Clan
The season continues with the next open event taking place at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta this March 9-11, 2018.
If you’re not interested in CWL happenings, check out some of the upcoming changes coming to Call of Duty: WWII! There’s a few weapon tweaks, a new Domination XL playlist, and more. Unfortunately, that doesn’t include sprint out times which will remain as is, which Sledgehammer Games explains why.
Tags: Call of Duty Call of Duty World League CWL
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Battlefield 1943 PC Is Now a Reality, Thanks to Impressive New Mod

  by   Mack Ashworth  
2:30 pm in News

Battlefield 1943 managed to completely miss the PC platform back in 2009. Both Xbox 360 and the PS3 were blessed with the WWII shooter, while PC players were left out… Until now, that is!

A mere nine years later, a mod has been created to turn the PC version of Battlefield 2 into a PC version of Battlefield 1943!

Battlefield 1943 aims to be a 1.1 recreation of the PS3/360 console exclusive Battlefield game. The gameplay will be arcade oriented and a focus will be on balance. The setting is the Pacific War between the United States and the Empire of Japan during World War II. Like the original BF1943, the game will only have 3 classes per faction, and the weapons and vehicles will try to replicate best as possible all the originals found in that game as well. The maps are going to also be based on the originals. Coral Sea, Guadal Canal, Iwo Jima and the classic Wake Island.

At time of posting, the community review score is at 9.4, with 11 reviews submitted. You can download the mod here.

Let us know if you give the mod a go!

Source: ModDB via PC Gamer

Essential Reading

Tags: Battlefield Battlefield: 1943 EA DICE Electronic Arts

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > News

New League of Legends Cinematic Welcomes in the 2018 Season

  by   Mack Ashworth  
1:45 pm in News

It’s not often that we get to see a new League of Legends cinematic. However, today is one of those special occasions, with Riot Games releasing “The Climb,” which celebrates the beginning of the 2018 season.

Enough chatter! Go watch it below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JseeIRGHyb4

The 2018 season is nearly here. On January 16th, 2018, take the first step and begin your journey.

Ranked

As in previous seasons, your rank will be soft-reset at the start of the season: Your new rank will be based off of both your existing MMR and your performance in 10 placement games.

In Challenger tier, we’re removing the solo-only restriction in Ranked Solo/Duo. We saw that Challenger players were facing Master tier duos pretty regularly, which ends up making the queue less competitive overall (despite the original intention back in 2016), and also punishes duos on the upper echelons of Master for winning too hard. We’ll be monitoring how much this impacts the health of the queue over the coming weeks.

In addition to your tier, ranked rewards will have a requirement of Honor level 2 or above at the end of this season.

Honor

Like ranked, Honor resets with the season start as well. Honor level 3, 4, and 5 players get a scaling head start, and you can learn all the details over here. After that, it’s up to you to fight with Honor on your way up the ladder.

2018’s Honor rewards start at Honor level 3.

… and more

When the new season starts, you can once more earn Hextech chests for each champion by getting an S- or higher champion mastery rank in-game.

You’re definitely gonna want to do your placements early and stay Honor level 2 or above so you can participate in our new tournament experience, Clash.

It’s a pretty awesome cinematic, which should help get the community pumped for the upcoming season and improvements.

What did you think of “The Climb”? Let us know.

Source: League of Legends (YouTube)

Essential Reading

Tags:

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > Features

5 Must-Play Titles Which Could Be Game of the Year 2018

  by   Mack Ashworth  
1:00 pm in Features

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWhqV0zLAaw

Now seems like a great time to celebrate a brand new year, by taking a look at 2018’s video game releases. Today, I’ll be doing my best to predict which of this year’s biggest games are likely to become Game of the Year winners.

Hype levels within the community, gameplay segments and trailers that we’ve seen so far, and the skill and experience of the teams behind the titles, are all going to be taken into consideration.

These are five must-play titles which could be Game of the Year 2018.

1 – Anthem

First up is Anthem, a shared-world action-RPG that looked absolutely incredible during its reveal. In fact, it looked a bit *too* good, and I have to wonder how the final product will differ. And from what we’ve heard about the game so far, I have to agree with those saying it sounds a little too much like Destiny.

However, putting my cynicism aside, I can’t deny that Anthem has me excited. BioWare is creating a world of “primeval beauty,” in which you and three of your friends can cooperatively explore and complete missions. What’s more, the game is aiming to make exo-suits cool again, equipping players with powerful unique weapons and abilities. The flying section of the gameplay preview just looked unbelievably good.

Beyond that, you can expect to be leveling up and acquiring loot as you progress. Nothing too groundbreaking there, but hopefully it launches as a polished system, with player enjoyment kept at the forefront of the developers’ minds.

EA should be well-versed in the “dos” and “don’t”s of loot boxes and microtransactions, and I know BioWare is experienced when it comes to controversy.

Here’s hoping that Anthem can right those wrongs. If it does, why I think it could certainly take home Game of the Year… If it doesn’t, well, I’ve got four more games that I think will be worthy!

2 – Kingdom Hearts III

It’s been 11 years now since we first heard about the concept of Kingdom Hearts III, and it’s been four and a half years since the title was confirmed as being in development.

While other Kingdom Hearts games have been re-released and remastered, what fans of the franchise really wanted was a proper sequel, with new characters to meet and adventures to be had. Kingdom Hearts III promises all of that, as it takes place after the events of Dream Drop Distance, and will be the saga’s final chapter.

The new Toy Story characters and Andy’s Room stand out to me, in particular, as they promise plenty of nostalgia for Pixar fans, and should help attract gamers who might not be familiar with the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

Kingdom Hearts III is coming to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and makes use of Unreal Engine 4.

If it plays as good as it looks in gameplay trailers, and features plenty of new, relevant characters, and if Square Enix really pushes the game with a healthy marketing budget, I can see Kingdom Hearts III gaining a lot of fans and going toe-to-toe with some of the bigger names out there.

3 – God of War

PlayStation continues to impress with its range of awesome-looking “full exclusives.” 2018 is looking like another strong year, with the new God of War rumored to be launching March 22. At the very least, Sony has confirmed it will be releasing this year.

As the plain “God of War” title suggests, this is a reboot for Kratos. He’s no longer the man/god we once knew. He now has a son to accompany him on adventures, and with whom a greater bond is set to grow.

Trailers show Kratos both protecting his son, but also teaching him harsh lessons. From the official description, Kratos must “prevent the mistakes of the past in order to protect [his] future.” This father and son relationship is certainly going to be interesting!

Greek mythology has been traded for Norse mythology, introducing many new gods and monsters to encounter and battle. We’ve seen teases of Loki hidden away in gameplay trailers, there’s the giant snake that wraps itself around the planet, and giants and dragons. Sounds brutal and refreshing!

Developer Sony Santa Monica is pushing for the satisfying combat, breathtaking scale, and powerful narrative, that we loved from previous God of War games, but all “fused anew.” Watch out for this one!

4 – Marvel’s Spider-Man

It’s 2018 and superheroes are still all the rage. Movies are continuing to rake in millions, comic books have seen a resurgence, and superhero games are now starting to look good again.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is yet another incredible-looking PS4 full exclusive. It’s being developed by the brilliantly talented Insomniac Games, who most recently blew us away with the Ratchet and Clank remaster/reimagining.
This Spider-Man game features a more experienced hero and more mature Peter Parker. The origin story sits far back in the past, as this is a new story that should feel fresh.

While playing as Spider-Man looks fun as hell, and we’ve seen that during a generous slice of gameplay, it’s the playing as Peter, as well as MJ, that I’m most curious about. And of course there’s also Miles, who is supposedly playing a big part in this game.

If Insomniac Games can not only nail the superhero combat and traversal, but also the story elements and character interactions and development, I think they’ll have a real winner on their hands.

5 – Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 has to be on this list. It’s so, so hyped at this point, with delays pushing it back to spring 2018, further building hype and anticipation, that I just can’t ignore it.

If it wasn’t Rockstar Games, I’d say that this is in no way capable of living up to the hype. But it is Rockstar Games, and they have delivered on so many god-tier gaming experiences, that I can’t help but feel the excitement and become fully invested.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to Red Dead Redemption, which calls into question all kinds of problems with the game’s name, but what’s important, is that it’s going to have a “brand new online multiplayer experience” built upon a “vast and atmospheric world.”

The single-player is sure to be top-notch, with players taking control of outlaw Arthur Morgan, but it’s how Rockstar follows GTA Online that matters most here. Can the devs come up with as compelling an online experience? Will we be playing Red Dead Redemption 2 for years to come? Those are the questions that matter.

The Western-setting has a lot of potential, and I’m hoping Rockstar can make use of it.

And so those are five must-play titles which I think could be Game of the Year 2018. Do you agree with my choices? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below.

Don’t forget to check back regularly here on MP1st for the latest gaming news!

For more original video, podcasts, and the latest in game trailers, don’t forget to subscribe to Pixel Enemy!

Essential Reading

Tags: Anthem Featured God of War kingdom hearts III Marvel's Spider-Man Red Dead Redemption 2

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > DLC and Expansions

Four-Player Stardew Valley Multiplayer Teased, Creator “Can’t Wait to Share”

  by   Mack Ashworth  
12:15 pm in DLC and Expansions

Late last year, it was announced that the Stardew Valley multiplayer beta had been delayed to “make room for polish and quality assurance.” Now it seems that the multiplayer is coming along nicely, with the creator tweeting about his hosting a four-player LAN party.

He followed that up with news that he’s “finished with the new content and [has] shifted all [his] attention to getting multiplayer ready.”

Are you looking forward to finally playing Stardew Valley with friends? Let us know.

Source: Eric Barone (Twitter) via PCGamesN

Essential Reading

Tags: Chucklefish Eric Barone Sickhead Games Stardew Valley

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > Hardware

Rumor: New Xbox Elite Controller Details, Boasts Even More Customization Options

  by   Mack Ashworth  
11:30 am in Hardware

The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller is widely regarded as one of the best pads out there. Many players have been happy to put down the extra dollars for the additional functionality, satisfying ergonomics, and superior build quality.

Well, it looks like a great controller is going to be made even better, if the images and details coming out of the Chinese website Baidu are to be believed.

User a8711531 posted images and specs of what they are calling the “Xbox One Elite 2.” Features include rechargeable batteries, USB Type-C, Bluetooth on Windows 10, 3-level Hair Trigger locks, 3-Profile Switch, and longer key travel for paddles.

Find all of the supplied images below:

They aren’t the clearest images, I’ll admit. And, as nice as the bag is, it’d be good to have a proper look at the controller inside!

What do you make of this leak? Hoping to see the rumored features become realized? Or do you want to see something else from Xbox this year? Let us know.

In other Xbox news, the original “Duke” controller is making a return, Microsoft is apparently introducing a new Achievements system, and the latest Xbox One update added a “Do Not Disturb” status.

Source: Baidu via Resetera

Tags: Microsoft Xbox Xbox Elite Controller Xbox One

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > Hardware

PS4 Update 5.50 Beta Sign-Ups Have Begun, Users to Test Next Major Update (Update)

  by   Mack Ashworth  
10:45 am in Hardware

Update:

US and EU users can now sign up to the PS4 update 5.50 beta.

Original Story:

It has begun! Update 5.50 is on the horizon, with beta sign-ups beginning to appear on PlayStation websites. The Japanese PlayStation Blog is the first site to welcome sign-ups, stating (via Google Translate) that recruitment will be held between January 15 (today) and January 23.

I’ll update this article with NA and EU links, once the posts go live.

Here’s the details shared by the Japanese PlayStation Blog (translated by Google):

Beta test participants of PlayStation® 4 system software planned for future implementation will be recruited from general customers.

Please do not hesitate to apply this opportunity to try out system software features before being released to the public as soon as possible.

PS4® system software beta test

The PS4® system software beta test is a test program that enables you to quickly try out functions not provided by publicly available system software.

If you become a tester, you should install the beta test version of the system software on your PS4® during the test period and play the latest system software functions and your game titles.

If any trouble occurs during the test, please cooperate to report trouble information to us at a later date.

Application condition

· Person who has Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) account (master account)

· Persons who have a PS4® main unit capable of network connection

· Those who have joined PlayStation®Plus or PlayStation ™ Now at the time of entry

· For those over the age of 18

Application method

Please fill out the necessary information on the PS4® System Software Beta Test application page below and submit your application.

Beta test implementation period

We will contact you by e-mail notifying you of winning at a later date.

Beta test participant recruitment period

Monday, January 15, 2018 – Tuesday, January 23

What are you hoping to see added with PS4 update 5.50? Let us know.

In other PlayStation news, a new controller has been revealed, the Official PlayStation Blog has named its Game of the Year 2017 winners, and Japan’s PS Plus January selection will make you jealous.

Source: PlayStation Blog (JP) via DualShockers

Tags: PlayStation Playstation 4 PS4 Sony

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > News

Fortnite Update Fixes Underground Map Exploit, Epic Games to “Take Appropriate Action” Against Cheaters

  by   Mack Ashworth  
10:00 am in News

The latest Fortnite update has one purpose: to fix the underground map exploit. Known as the “Fatal Fields Glitch,” this flaw allowed players to fall below the map. While underneath the map, players enjoyed invulnerability, and could still see and shoot at enemies.

Thankfully, this should now be fixed, with Epic Games tweeting:

Success! The underground map exploit has been fixed and all wormholes leading to the underworld have been removed. For players who were reported, we are looking at each case and our own analytics and we’ll take appropriate action. Get out there and have some fun in the sun!

Epic Games will be taking “appropriate action” against those who exploited the game.

This quick fix precedes the upcoming larger update, which will introduce a new city to the game, biome improvements, and more.

In other Fortnite news, Epic Games is blaming the CPU “Meltdown” flaw for the game’s downtime, the developer has acknowledged that some players are having trouble logging into their account, and the previous patch introduced a new pistol.

Source: Fortnite (Twitter)

Tags: Epic Games Fortnite Fortnite Battle Royale

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > News

Call of Duty Player Behind Kansas Swatting Incident Arrested and Charged

  by   Den Kovacs  
January 14, 2018 7:00 pm in News

The Los Angeles man behind the fake emergency call that lead to a “swatting” incident where an innocent person was killed was arrested, and is now being charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Tyler Bariss, 25, is accused of causing the death of Andrew Finch, 28, due to the reckless action of phoning in a fake hostage situation at the Finch residence, which caused a tactical police response at the home where police shot and killed Finch after ordering him out of the house.

A wager dispute over a $1.50 between two players in a Call of Duty: WWII match is said to have been the initial spark that lead to the casualty. Supposedly, the two players threatened to swat each other, one player going as far as providing a fake address to the other, who then reached out to Bariss to carry out the threat.

Swatting, for those not familiar with the term, is when a person contacts emergency services to report a fake ongoing criminal act that results in an aggressive police response involving tactical personnel.

The involuntary manslaughter charge Bariss is facing is a low-level felony charge that carries a minimum sentence of two and a half years and a maximum of 11.

Let’s hope this is the last of we hear of any Call of Duty Swatting incidents, as it’s a waste of resources from the government, and more importantly, casualties like Andrew should never happen just because of a video game wager.

Source: ESPN

(Photo Credits: Irfan Khan /Los Angeles Times via AP)

Tags: Call of Duty Call of Duty: WWII sledegehammer games swatting

Den Kovacs

Subscriber

Home > News

New Super Easy Call of Duty: WWII Daily Order Nets You a Supply Drop and 500 Social Score

  by   Alex Co  
6:00 pm in News

For those who play Call of Duty: WWII, you might want to jump in and get one of the Daily Order challenges for the day, since it’s super easy, and will net you a Supply Drop and even 500 Social Score.

What’st the “mission?” Simple! Get the contract, watch the in-game theater, and that’s it! Mission accomplished!

I tried this out now, and yeah, it’s as easy as it sounds. While the Supply Drop contents I got were lackluster, at least I got it for pressing a button or two and that’s it. For those wondering what the Social Score is for, it seems getting the topmost tier will get your Gamertag “verified.” Mind, I haven’t seen anyone with this yet, so I don’t have a clue what it looks like.

In other Call of Duty: WWII news, sprint out times won’t be changing, but a bunch of weapon stats will.

Tags: Activision Call of Duty Call of Duty: WWII Sledgehammer Games
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > Hardware

PS4 Is Getting an Officially Licensed Xbox-Inspired Controller, Made by Hori

  by   Mack Ashworth  
5:00 pm in Hardware

Clearly inspired by the (in my opinion) more comfortable Xbox One controller, the newly-revealed PS4 Onyx wireless pad will appeal to those who, like me, prefer the Xbox controller, but want to play on PS4.

Hori is the company behind the latest officially licensed PS4 pad, which was revealed over on the PlayStation EU blog.

Here in the UK, the Onyx can be pre-ordered from Amazon.co.uk for £44.99, which is around $60. However, there isn’t yet any confirmation that it will be coming to the US. (I’ll update this post with any new information that comes our way!)

Here’s the official product description:

ONYX Wireless Controller is the next evolution in PS4 gaming. For years PlayStation 4 gamers have been limited to a single controller layout. Today HORI changes that with the ONYX; an ergonomic, Bluetooth wireless controller designed from the ground up to reflect the needs of the modern player. The wide grip chassis sits comfortably in the hands and the offset analogue layout echoes that of more modern console gamepads. For gamers yet to purchase a PlayStation 4 despite the platforms large collection of exclusive titles, now is the time to invest. Enjoy PlayStation 4 exclusives on a controller that suits YOUR play style. ONYX Wireless Controller; get the HORI edge.

At £44.99, I think it will appeal to gamers who own both Xbox and PlayStation systems. Those with larger hands will probably love it, too.

What do you think of the Onyx controller? Let us know.

Source: PS Blog (EU), Amazon.co.uk

Essential Reading

Tags: Hori PlayStation Playstation 4 PS4

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > News

Sledgehammer Games Hasn’t Been Able to Find a “Good Solution” to Call of Duty: WWII PC Missing Winter Bribes

  by   Alex Co  
4:02 pm in News

Sledgehammer Games is continuing its fantastic communication initiative with Call of Duty: WWII, and PC gamers aren’t being left out in the dark. Over on Steam, the studio talked a bit about the missing Winter Bribes, and even the rampant cheating going on for the PC version of the game.

While the studio acknowledged the PC Winter Bribe issue just a few weeks ago, a new update has been posted, and while the outcome isn’t a good one, at least the studio is communicating, right? The tl;dr version is this: Sledgehammer hasn’t come up with a good solution to fix the missing Winter Bribes, but they are making sure it doesn’t happen again.

Hey everyone, 

We have a couple community updates for you. As you know, there was an issue with the Winter Bribes missing for PC during our Winter Siege event. During the event, we looked into the issue and were not able to find a way to fix this before the event ended. In the days since the event has ended, we have been trying to find a way to retroactively make this right, and we haven’t been able to find a good solution in the short term. We know this is disappointing, and we apologize that this is the case. What we can tell you is that we have worked and coordinated with all teams to make sure this doesn’t happen again for future events. We know this might not be what you wanted to hear, but that’s the update on the situation. 

Some good news regarding the cheaters and hackers in the game: As some of you have begun to notice, we have increased our efforts and escalated cases to the appropriate groups in situations where enforcement on hacking/cheating behavior are beyond our reach. We have also been taking extra measures to prevent hackers/cheaters from bypassing some of our previous enforcement measures. We hope this will improve the overall game experience for the PC community.

Thanks, everyone, and please stay tuned for more PC updates coming soon.

Well, there’s that. And at least they are working on making sure the cheaters are kept in their place, right? If you spot a cheater on PC, make sure to report it to the dedicated Twitter account created just for it.

Disappointed by the news? How would you go about making it up for PC players if it was up to you?

Tags: Activision Call of Duty Call of Duty: WWII Sledgehammer Games
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Attack on Titan 2 Multiplayer Details Revealed: Online Modes & Character Editor

  by   Mack Ashworth  
3:45 pm in News

Attack on Titan 2 is set to launch on March 20, 2018, coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Despite its pretty imminent release, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the giant-slaying title. Thankfully, through an update on the game’s website, we now have more information about different online modes and the character editor.

We’ve compiled the new information below:

Team Battle of up to 4 vs 4 in Annihilation Mode!

The newly introduced Competitive game type, Annihilation Mode, sees two teams of four Scouts compete to earn the highest score within a set time limit. Defeating the devastating Titans is one of the most important ways to earn these points, and working together is key to annihilating these foes as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Chain Bonus

Tackling foes as a unit will earn the team a Chain Bonus, where higher scores will be offered through destroying each Titan body part before eliminating them. Team members can be identified by a blue line connecting them.

Earn 2x points!

As a match draws to a climactic close, the stakes rise as in the last minute any points earnt are doubled. Within this time, it is of upmost priority for players to work closely and earn as many points as possible to come out in the lead!

Communicate through gestures and messages

Interact with other players in the online lobby before battle. Familiar gestures, including the ‘dedicating your hearts’ gesture, and famous lines from the anime and manga are available.

Enjoy Co-op with players worldwide!

Online functionality isn’t only limited to competitive play. Players can take on missions co-operatively in Story Mode and Scout Missions with friends or other players around the world. Gathering a team of close allies during these modes allows players to experience the gripping events of A.O.T. 2’s narrative together, or players can offer help others that are struggling against the Titan threat.

Joint Development

You can develop equipment with friends with less material than when you do work on alone

Customizable Protagonist

Create your very own character and join the fearless Scout Regiment. Battle through the gripping stories of Season 1 and 2 of the anime from a new perspective!

Character Editor

The character creation studio offers a multitude of customization options, including the ability to tweak Body Shape, Hairstyle, Facial Features, Clothing, and Tone of Voice.

Now you should have a better idea of what Attack on Titan 2 multiplayer is comprised of. Are you excited for the game’s release? Let us know.

Source: Attack on Titan 2 via Gematsu

Essential Reading

Tags: Attack on Titan Attack on Titan 2 Koei Tecmo Omega Force

Mack Ashworth

Writer of Articles, Maker of Videos, and Topper of Leaderboards. Currently attempting to conquer Westeros. Subscriber

Home > News

Dragon Ball FighterZ Beta Issues Being Ironed Out by Bandai Namco, Beta Extension Considered

  by   Alex Co  
2:25 pm in News

For fighting game fans, today should be a time of fun and excitement as the Dragon Ball FighterZ beta is now available to everyone! Unfortunately, that’s not the case so far, as there are Dragon Ball FighterZ beta issues plaguing the current client, and no timeframe on a fix.

Over on Facebook, the official Dragon Ball FighterZ page shared a note to players thanking htem for their patience, and acknowledging the issues. What’s more important here is, Bandai Namco has now said that they are considering extending the open beta if they can’t find a “satisfactory outcome.”

Dear players,
Thank you for your invaluable feedback so far and for your time playing with the Open Beta of Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Our team is working hard on the Open Beta but faced some issues that can’t be fixed on a short-term basis, so we are asking for your patience until the next server update.
The current Open Beta will remain online and available so that the players who manage to log in and play it can keep on enjoying it.
Be advised that if despite all reasonable efforts, we could not find a satisfactory outcome within a decent time, we will consider extending the Open Beta of Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Thank you for your everlasting support.

You can read up on the Dragon Ball FighterZ character moves list right here to help you get those victories — assuming you can play online, that is.

Can you play Dragon Ball FighterZ now or is it still acting up for you? Let’s hope whatever issues Bandai Namco is having now, it won’t translate to problems at the game’s January 26 launch date.

Tags: Arc System Works Bandai Namco Bandai Namco Entertainment Dragon Ball Dragon Ball FighterZ
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

Home > News

Call of Duty: WWII Leaderboard Boosting to Be Better Enforced by Sledgehammer Games

  by   Alex Co  
1:47 pm in News

It’s always the same case in almost every online game: someone’s going to cheat their way to the top. Whether it’s an in-game cheat that lets them get a ton of kills easy, or just boosting their way sp their PSN ID/Gamertag is #1 in the world. The same thing is happening in Call of Duty: WWII, to no one’s surprise.

If you check the leaderboards of the game, chances are you’ll see some ridiculous stats as the so-called “top player of the world,” but more often than not, players know when it’s a boosted account. Fortunately for us, Sledgehammer Games is working against them too! Over on Reddit, the official Sledgehammer Games account mentioned that they have increased their efforts against boosters.

Quick Update on Boosters
byu/SHG_Hammer inWWII

Hey everyone,

We’d like to update the console community on enforcement for cheaters. We have increased our efforts to enforce on boosters, whom many of you have noticed at the top of Leaderboards.

Thank you for your patience with us as we continue to work on improving the console experience for you all!

Will this mean an account deletion? Or maybe a reset? Let’s hope Sledgehammer takes it a step further and issues a warning that if this doesn’t stop, they will ban the actual account. Chances of that happening are slim though.

In other COD: WWII news, Sledgehammer has also confirmed that we shouldn’t expect any changes to the sprint out times for now, but shotguns will be getting a buff though.

Tags: Activision Call of Duty Call of Duty: WWII Sledgehammer Games
Avatar photo

Alex Co

Father, gamer, games media vet, writer of words, killer of noobs.

╳