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Report: Study Claims First-Person Shooter Games Cause Brain Damage

We here at MP1st love our shooter games. Heck, some might automatically think of first-person shooters when you see the word MP (I know I do). but a recent study claims that it has linked brain damage to first-person shooter games.

Research from the University of Montreal claims it may have found a link between brain damage and first-person shooters. The experiment was done on 100 test subjects who were asked to play 90 hours of FPS’ like Call of Duty, Killzone and Borderlands. According to the report, after playing these games, the participants showed a noticeably smaller level of grey matter in the brain compared to someone who doesn’t play video games at all. 

Furthermore, scientists are saying that playing first-person shooters activates the “autopilot” part of our brains, thus diminishing the size of our hippocampus, which can lead to depression, memory loss and more mental issues. For comparison’s sake, playing puzzle games are said to increase grey matter and strengthens the hippocampus.

Before anyone panics, researchers do caution against overreacting to the study, given it’s just one look at the experiment with a small group of test subjects. 

You can read more about the report right here.

Do you agree with the study? Does playing first-person shooter and action games make people more susceptible to brain damage? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Source: University of Montreal via COGConnected

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Alex Co

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

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Fortnite Crash Issue Will Be Addressed This Week With a Patch, New Content Coming Soon

If you’re playing Fortnite on PlayStation 4 and have experienced a few crashes, you’re not alone. Epic Games knows about this and has rolled out two Fortnite updates two days in a row to fix this. 

Check out the full list of patch notes for 1.4.1 and 1.4.2:

EA1.4.1 RELEASE NOTES

MAJOR UPDATES

  • Corrected a number of different crashes on PC, Xbox One and PS4
  • Corrected an issue causing input lag on PS4
  • Corrected an issue on Xbox One prompting players to purchase a Fortnite Founder’s pack when they already own one

MAJOR KNOWN ISSUES

  • This patch will help us diagnose the cause of future crashes   
    • We will continue to investigate crashing related issues

EA1.4.2 RELEASE NOTES

MAJOR UPDATES

  • Corrected a crash caused by particle effects on all platforms
  • Corrected a crash caused by slotting a survivor into a squad on PS4
  • Corrected a number of smaller issues causing crashes on PS4
  • Corrected an issue preventing PS4 players from joining a game session
  • Repair the Shelter caches fixed to provide the correct rate of nuts and bolts. 

MAJOR KNOWN ISSUES

  • Players are unable to toggle accessories on and off on PS4 and Xbox One
    • Fix in progress

Aside from that, the official Fortnite Twitter account teased that “The Survive the Storm” update is coming in late August/early September. It will include a new mode, new weapons, new threats!

Are you playing Fortnite? We’ll weigh in on our thoughts about it soon.

Source: Epic Games, Fortnite Twitter

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Alex Co

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

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NBA Live 18 Demo Now Out, Pre-Order to Get a Discount

While the video game basketball scene has been dominated by 2K Games’ NBA 2K franchise for the past few years, EA is once again gearing up to take back center court with this year’s EA Sports basketball sim, NBA Live 18.

Aside from announcing Houston Rockets guard James Harden as this year’s NBA Live cover athlete, there’s also an NBA Live 18 demo out now! If you liked what you played, you can pre-order NBA Live 18 and get it at $39.99 instead of the full price of $59.99! Oh, and data will carryover from the demo to the retail version as well. 

Check out more details about the NBA Live 18 demo right here.

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Alex Co

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

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Star Wars Battlefront II Space Battles to Debut on August 21

Possibly one of the biggest and most welcome surprise to come out of the Star Wars Battlefront II reveal trailer was that space battles are coming back! While we sit here and wait to see what DICE has planned, we at least know when our first look at it will take place!

According to the official Star Wars Battlefront II site, EA will be bringing Battlefront II to this year’s gamescom and will unveil a “never-before-seen” trailer that, you guessed it, will showcase space fights! Dubbed the”Starfighter Assault” mode, it’s an all-new multiplayer space combat part of Battlefront II and we’ll get to see it this August 21 at 9:30 a.m. PT! 

Teams will face off in a swirling dogfight in the Fondor: Imperial Shipyard map, weaving around an Imperial Star Destroyer complete with speedy fighters, thundering bombers, distinct hero ships, and more. Will the brave pilots of the Rebel Alliance triumph against the Imperial Navy, or will the intrepid aces of the Galactic Empire foil the insurgents’ plans? 

You can watch the action unfold live right here, or just check back here on MP1st since we’ll be sure to report that and anything else Battlefront II related the moment they’re announced.

Source: EA Star Wars

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Alex Co

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

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The Division Double Rewards Starts Today, Update 1.7 Shoots Out This August 15

The Division fans, Ubisoft is rolling out a a new game update this coming week, and along with it, a host of new tweaks and of course, new content!

Check out the complete list of The Division update tweaks for patch 1.7:

Update 1.7

  • Release date: Tuesday August 15th
  • Patch notes will be released on Monday August 14th at 6 PM CEST

Global Event Outbreak

  • Starts at August 15th – the exact time is not clear yet, but it is at the same day as 1.7 drops
  • It is the one with the toxic NPCs and the headshot modifier
  • It will run till August 22nd – so next Tuesday

Commendations / Patches

  • Commendations will be activated with 1.7 and it will add a new achievement-system into the game. You will be rewarded with a new vanity item – the Patches. You can put them on your character.

Masks

  • Were not shown in this State of the Game – they remain a surprise
  • You can get those based on your performance during the Global Events

Character Customization Station

  • You can now customize your character in the Terminal – but there are restrictions and you will have the same options as you had when you created your character

Encrypted Caches

  • New Encrypted Caches will be added to the game, that can be bought with real money or key-fragments that can be collected in game.
  • They contain vanity items and can be collected by the Premium Vendor.
  • Summary how they function than be found here: Link

Year 2 Summary

  • The detailed Update 1.7 summary will be online when we get closer to launch, until then you can check out the Year 2 summary

Classified Gear Sets

  • Lone Star / Final Measure / Dead Eye will be added to the game with the first Global Event

Last Changes

  • Stable Weapon Talent was changed to 10% – you can still get it on sub-30 weapons, but not in endgame weapons
  • Ballistic Shield gets a PVP modifier – players now do 20% more damage to shields than before.
  • In addition to that, the 3-piece bonus of D3-FNC was changed from “+30% Ballistic Shield health” to 10% Damage to Elites – this is a preparation for the classified version of the set.

Global Event Caches

Droprates have been confirmed:

  • 2 Guaranteed Drops in each cache plus one possible bonus item
  • 45% chance that it is a Classified item
  • 43.5% chance that it is a normal Gear Set item
  • 11.5% chance that it is an Exotic item
  • There is also a 12.5% chance that you get a bonus drop and when you get one, you have a 90% chance to get a classified and a 10% that you get an Exotic piece

Global Event Tokens

  • Drops have been reworked and fixed from the PTS, so that you have the same behavior across the board.

Encrypted Caches

  • Key-Fragments have now a 20% droprate
  • They drop from any named boss in the entire content (Underground needs to be confirmed but they should also drop Key-Fragments)

Lag

The lag investigation is still going on and that was also the reason they did not go into too much detail. But they have identified at least one issue they intent to fix:

Server / Client de-synchronisation

  • This is something that has been reported in many videos. This happens when you see/do something on your client but another players sees something completely different
  • Multiple causes have been identified and they are currently working on fixes.

Other causes are still under investigation – they will keep us informed.

Known issues that are still under investigation but won’t be fixed in time for update 1.7 is the Adept talent bug. Also of note, this weekend, Ubisoft will host a “Double Field Proficiency Cache” event which means all agents will receive two field proficiency caches each time they fill their field proficiency bar. This will event will start on August 11 and will last until August 14.

Read up on MP1st’s The Division review here.

Source: Reddit/r/TheDivision

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Alex Co

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

Home > News

Overwatch Team Deathmatch Mode Set to Be Added Soon

Hold on to your seat, folks! Overwatch will be getting Team Deathmatch (TDM) in a future update! Yep, you read that right! Blizzard’s hero shooter will finally dabble in Call of Duty territory.

Already available on the PC’s PTR (Public Test Region),  Deathmatch and Team Deathmach is set to be released officially on the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One soon.

New Game Modes: Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch

Two new game modes have been added to the Arcade: Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch!

In Deathmatch, eight players go head-to-head until one player scores 20 points. Players will earn 1 point whenever they land the final blow on an opponent and will lose 1 point whenever they die to environmental damage (ex: falling off a cliff) or self-inflicted damage. This scoring will be tracked in a brand-new scoreboard. The first player to 20 points wins!

In Team Deathmatch, two teams of four players face off until one team scores 30 points. Players will earn 1 point for their team whenever they land the final blow on an opponent and will lose 1 point for their team whenever they die to environmental damage (ex: falling off a cliff) or self-inflicted damage. If players are resurrected before they respawn, the corresponding point for their death will be deducted from the enemy team’s score. This scoring will be tracked in our default scoreboard. The first team to 30 points wins!

Both modes will play out on a selection of maps from our existing pool:

  • Hanamura
  • Horizon Lunar Colony
  • Temple of Anubis
  • Volskaya Industries
  • Dorado
  • Eichenwalde
  • Hollywood
  • King’s Row
  • (TDM only) Black Forest
  • (TDM only) Castillo
  • (TDM only) Ecopoint: Antarctica
  • (TDM only) Necropolis

We’ve made several modifications to many of these maps (including restricting play to a specific area and developing a special respawn system) when playing in these modes. We’re also introducing a brand-new map specifically for Deathmatch: Château Guillard! Learn more about this map below.

Both modes will be available for play in Custom Games.

Will you be playing Overwatch Team Deathmatch or will you stick to the modes that the game was built for?

Source: Overwatch

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Alex Co

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

Home > DLC and Expansions

No Man’s Sky Update 1.3 Adds Multiplayer, New Ships, Aliens and More

No Man’s Sky fans are in for a treat as the big No Man’s Sky title update called “Atlas Rising” is finally out, and it brings a LOT of new things with it which includes multiplayer! Given this (free) update marks the first year anniversary of No Man’s Sky, it’s bound to be a big one, and Hello Games does not disappoint (at least in delivering said content).

You can check out the fill patch notes for Atlas Rising below.

GENERATION

  • Increased variety in weather, planet and structure names
  • More base building parts have unique names
  • Prevented trees spawning on sheer cliffs
  • Improved object placement on slopes
  • Improved grass placement and density
  • Changed the default starting ship model
  • Regenerated galaxy to remove differences between survival, normal and creative game modes
  • Improved building distribution
  • Increased distribution of heridium deposits
  • Improved generation of beaches along shorelines
  • Repositioned player bases to accommodate generation changes

EXPLORATION

  • Improved balance of hazards between planets
  • Improved settings for hazard damage and strength
  • Reduce cave hazard recharge times
  • Added Shielding Shard to the starting player inventory
  • Limited the depth at which buildings can spawn underwater

GAMEPLAY

  • More tech available in tech shops
  • Balanced tech shop standing requirements
  • Standing lights have a proper name when you interact with them
  • Increased robustness of systems for locating buildings
  • Increased number and types of objects which can be scanned
  • Increased information available about scanned foliage and creatures
  • Improved planet resource lists
  • Craftable products now sorted by most recent use
  • Improved differentiation of weapons
  • Fixed pinning product recipes and technology guides
  • Continued story unlocked through abandoned buildings
  • Added interactions and dialogue options for many structures and characters
  • Overhauled secondary character interactions
  • Joint exploration has been introduced allowing 16 players to see visual representations of each other in game. Joint exploration does not require PS Plus, and is not currently available on GOG Galaxy.

TRADE AND FARMING

  • Alloys, farm products and new gas products now form separate branches of a larger craft tree
  • Added new valuable higher tier craft products
  • Added new harvester to harvest atmospheric gases
  • Added new trade specific products
  • Added new farmable “Star Bramble” plant
  • Added larger 4 plant hydroponic tray
  • Increased contrast between picked and unpicked resource plants to more easily tell them apart
  • Balanced priced of alloys, farm products and gases
  • Improved distributions of resources on planets
  • Improved scan ranges for resources on planets
  • Added scan markers on more smaller plutonium crystals to aid resource gathering

FREIGHTERS

  • Balanced freighter prices
  • Fixed collision on freighter bridge
  • Added freighter classes
  • Added ability to warp in your freighter
  • Fixed floating turrets on capital freighters

SPACE

  • Improved space heavy air
  • Added requirement to scan planets in order to reveal their names
  • Improved planet name display as you enter orbit
  • Fix for massive carve radius when mining asteroids

GALACTIC MAP

  • Updated galactic map UI
  • Improved galactic map controls
  • Improved star names gathered in galaxy map flythrough
  • Improved distribution of different coloured stars
  • Added interstellar scan events

STARSHIPS

  • Added ability to summon your ship from the quick menu
  • Refined ship reticules
  • Added new holographic cockpit HUD elements: mini map, pulse drive warning and target ship
  • Added new ship technology
  • Balanced space combat
  • Balanced ship weapons and technology
  • Updated ship weapon projectile effects
  • Updated ship hit direction markers
  • Improved flare graphics on ships
  • Improved loot containers dropped by AI ships
  • Improved effects on damaged AI ships
  • Balanced crashed ships broken slots and repair costs
  • Added a more convenient swap inventory button for moving items between new/crashed ships and storage units
  • Updated design of Atlas pass icons
  • Added ability to look around the cockpit when landed
  • Allowed player to remain in ship cockpit after landing
  • Improved spawning and distribution of AI ships
  • Improved ship altimeter
  • Added in-ship communicator
  • Added button prompt for ship zoom
  • Fixed a bug where your ship could become invisible by visiting the galactic map
  • Improved Pirate systems including the ability to negotiate or call in support
  • Added low flight mode
  • Improved landing code

UI

  • Divided options menu into several pages
  • Revised Journey page
  • New Gek, Korvax and Vy’keen medals
  • New medals for the merchant, mercenary and explorer guilds
  • Revised log page
  • Fixed animation on markers as they are removed
  • Improved binocular UI
  • Updated journey milestone icons
  • Overhauled discovery log
  • Added cardinal directions to compass
  • Added distance markers to compass
  • Fix for “redeem content” showing twice on Steam menu
  • New trade and product icons
  • Revised combat ship markers
  • Improved ship tracking arrows when flying away from targets
  • Overhauled conversation interface

GRAPHICS

  • Improved HBAO filtering around edges
  • Improved TAA handling of grass blade edges
  • Introduced depth of field effect during interactions
  • Added LOD meshes and imposters to various props
  • Fixed texturing on the buildable door
  • Reduced HBAO shimmer
  • Reduced shadow acne
  • Fixed artifacts with imposter shadows
  • Improved double-sided normals for foliage
  • Improved terrain texturing and texture blending
  • Improved grass colour blending and integration with terrain
  • Improved grass and leaf materials
  • Improved colour palettes across several biomes
  • Improved planet night skies
  • Fixed z-fighting on small glowing plants
  • Various graphics optimisations and fixes
  • Visual improvements to Atlas stations
  • Replaced all terrain textures with higher detail and quality variants
  • Added new higher detail foliage variants to several biomes
  • Upgraded textures on several cave props

AUDIO

  • Four new sets of soundscapes by 65 Days of Static
  • Reworked space combat audio
  • Reworked space explosions
  • Added new ship weapon sounds
  • Added weird biome soundscape
  • Added new music and sound effects for story mode
  • Lots of new UI sounds
  • Minor mix changes and optimisations

LANGUAGE

  • Various minor language fixes and improvements

Check out Hello Games’ official update on their website to see all the other stuff that’s new.

Have you tried the joint exploration feature in No Man’s Sky’s Atlas Rising update? What do you make of it so far?

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Alex Co

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

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Gran Turismo Sport Won’t Have Microtransactions

While most games these days are thinking of ways to implement microtransactions in order to earn more money post-release, don’t lump Polyphony Digital’s upcoming racing game — Gran Turismo Sport — to that list.

Studio boss Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed during the recently concluded PlayStation Experience in Malaysia that Gran Turismo Sport microtransactions won’t be happening and this applies to car and tracks. 

While there is a chance that microtransactions can appear in GT Sport at some point post-release, at least players won’t be bombarded by it at launch. In case you’re curious, Gran Turismo 6 indeed introduced microtransactions to the franchise offering credits for real-world money via the PlayStation Store.

Are you surprised at all by this? Or are you expecting loot boxes and other customization stuff to be paid at some point after release?

Gran Turismo Sport will race out this October 18 exclusively on the PS4.

Source: GTPlanet via TheSixthAxis 

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Alex Co

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

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Raid: World War II Four-Player Co-Op First-Person Shooter Release Date Revealed

Prepare to “sabotage, assassinate and pulverize everything bearing a swastika” in Raid: World War II. Those are the words of Ilija Petrusic, Game Director at Lion Game Lion, who also co-founded OVERKILL Software and was the lead level designer of Payday: the Heist and Payday 2. He’s kind of a big deal, basically! 

If you enjoyed Payday, then you’ll likely enjoy Raid, as the game features unique character classes, hero special abilities, customizable weapons and uniforms, and real-life warn-torn locations. 

Raid: World War II is set to launch first on PC on September 26, with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions landing on October 10 in North America (October 13 for everywhere else).

For more on what the game’s all about, read on for the official breakdown. 

In RAID’s world-wide fight against evil, four prisoners of war are freed by an ominous secret British intelligence officer, “Mrs. White,” who needs to take down Hitler and his Third Reich once and for all. Players will utilize key game features to save Europe from the Nazi threat and get rich, including:

  • Class Based Gameplay – Players choose from four different classes – Recon, Assault, Insurgent, or Demolitions – each with their own highly developed skill tree that allows for various play styles; 
  • War Cries – Each character class can unleash their own powerful War Cry to buff their player or the entire team; 
  • Character Customization – RAID’s four heroes represent the main combatants from the European theatre of WWII: Great Britain, USA, Germany and the Soviet Union. Each character possesses a unique look and a customizable uniform; 
  • Lethal Weapon Modifications – the Second World War was infamous for arming the world with deadly and experimental weapons that went “bang” in lethal fashion. RAID: World War II gives players access to an array of precision killing machines complete with weapons upgrades such as custom barrels, stocks, fore grips, optic sights and much more to satisfy a variety tastes; 
  • Operations Mode – RAID: World War II offers players the opportunity to play through extended versions of their favorite missions by undertaking the “Operations” gameplay mode. Operations challenges players through a chained series of highly modified raids, featuring new storylines, and added content and objectives; 
  • Challenge Cards – By participating and completing successful raids, players will earn Challenge Cards that allow them to customize the rules of a raid in a give-and-take fashion. For example, enemy ammo drops will increase, providing players with more ammunition to hold enemies at bay; however, the damage inflicted by enemies will be greater; 
  • Real-World Locations – The game’s setting takes place in real-world locations across war-torn Europe. From mighty m dominating the heart of Berlin, to the idyllic bridge over the Elbe, players will travel through a war-torn Europe and bring destruction to Nazis in every corner of Hitler’s Reich.

Liking the look of Raid: World War II? Let us know.

Mack Ashworth

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

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LawBreakers PC Unimpressive Launch Numbers, Peaked at 3,000 Players and Continues to Drop

I’ve been pretty hyped for LawBreakers on PC. Having taken part in many an alpha and beta test, I’ve gotten to see the game change and evolve into something great. Unfortunately, for developer Boss Key Productions, it doesn’t like many other players share my sentiment.

Despite the game having achieved a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, peak player count on launch day rose to only 3,000 players. In comparison, Gearbox Software’s Battleborn managed to quadruple that count, with 12,000 players jumping in at release.

As you can see from the statistics above, the player count is continuing to drop. The “7,482 all-time peak” seems to include beta numbers, in case you were wondering.

Of course, the game is far from “dead,” as 1,000 players is still enough to quickly find a match, but it’s still worrying for the long-term. Boss Key is going to have to come up with something clever if they hope to bring in more players and save the game from an early death. Or, perhaps LawBreakers will revert back to the original planned free-to-play model? Time will tell!

The PS4 version of LawBreakers has also been suffering from some launch day woes

Were you one of those 3,000 that were playing LawBreakers on PC at launch? What do you blame for the low amount of interest?

Source: PCGamesN, Steam Charts

Mack Ashworth

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

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PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds First-Person Only Mode Now Available in All Game Modes & Servers, Reconnect Feature Returns

Grab your squad and get going! Now you can all group up and experience PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds‘ first-person mode in all its glory, and all across servers, too! 

Don’t believe me? Well, check out the official tweet below, confirming that first-person only servers are now available in all game modes on NA, EU and Asia servers.

Those god-like players will also note that leaderboards are going to be added later. 

What’s more, the reconnect feature has returned to the battleground, allowing players to hop back into the same game following any disconnects.

Do note that this feature may be buggy, so remember to report any issues you experience on this form.

Check out the full details on the Week 20 update here. It’s looking good! Oh, and here’s a Gamescom Crate unboxing, if you fancy a look. 

Mack Ashworth

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

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Upcoming Friday the 13th: The Game Update Will Address the “Rampant Team-Killing”

It turns out that Jason isn’t the biggest threat in Friday the 13th: The Game. The ultimate bad guy is, in fact, the game’s community! Or, at least, the bunch of scumbags who are using the game’s friendly fire as a way to spoil everyone else’s fun. It’s become such a problem that the developers themselves have described the chaos as “rampant team-killing.”

Fortunately, it looks like a solution is coming soon. Posting on Reddit under the name “ThePratorian”, a developer reassured the community with details on an upcoming patch. The update is going to make big changes in order to stop teammates from offing one another. 

In the next patch; Public Games will no longer allow counselor team killing through weapons use against other counselor players. The shotgun, machete, and other assorted weapons will no longer have any effect on friendly players.

However; there remain a couple dangers. The biggest one is that the car will remain as-is. A car can and will be able to run you over and kill you. We decided on this as the alternative was abused during our beta where users would simply stand in front of the car, effectively blocking it from moving. The next consideration is that counselor-placed bear-traps will still cause damage to other counselors that walk over them, however a resulting death will no longer incur an XP Penalty. To that we say; pay attention to placed traps.

Our team believes that the ability to hurt other counselors is something that this game should have as it adds tension and requires players to make tough calls. However, we do not believe this should be a mechanic that is abused by players to the point where the vast majority of our current communications from fans are complaints of rampant/unwarranted team-killing/griefing/trolling. We will include this mechanic in private matches for now, with the hope of better options in the future.

It looks like the devs have thought long and hard about this, and we’re excited to experience the game where the only enemy is Jason. 

Are you still playing Friday the 13th: The Game? If so, how do you feel about the developer stepping in like this? 

Source: Reddit via Kotaku

Mack Ashworth

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

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Arms Update 2.1 Implements Balance Tweaks, Improves Training & More

Arms update 2.1 has hit the Nintendo Switch exclusive hard, implementing a ton of buffs and nerfs to character and arms. Consider the meta thoroughly shaken up!

The update also adds improvements to the Training mode, and includes a variety of other tweaks. See below for all of the details.

Version 2.1

  • Moved “Training” to the top menu.
  • Added five exercises to “Training”, and added difficulty level indications.
  • Adjusted the way the rush gauge fills, decreasing the amount gained for punches that do not connect with the opponent.
  • When 3-4 players start a battle, instructions on how to switch targets will now be displayed. A cursor will also be displayed above the current target for a set time.
  • Adjusted hitbox sizes for fighters, improving issues where hits were not registered despite looking like hits.
  • Changed the pause, results, and replay menus in “Training” to be more convenient.
  • For “Best Stage” in Stats, made it harder for less frequently played stages to be selected, even if you have a high win ration on them.
  • Corrected issue that caused the game to hang-up when the ending was skipped at a particular time.
  • We have made the following adjustments for some fighters and arms:
    Fighters / Arms Adjustments
    Master Mummy Increased dash speed.
    Increased movement speed when jumping.
    Mechanica Increased movement speed when jumping.
    Kid Cobra Adjusted floatation when performing a jump attack.
    Byte & Barq Trained Barq to get up quicker.
    Boomerang Increased speed when throwing in a wide curve.
    Increased extension speed.
    Increased homing.
    Coolerang Increased extension speed.
    Increased homing.
    Revolver Increased extension speed.
    Improved curving performance.
    Increased retraction speed.
    Shortened the time needed from starting a rush to firing the first shot.
    Retorcher Improved curving performance.
    Increased retraction speed.
    Increased expansion rate when extending.
    Parasol Increased expansion rate when extending.
    Increased retraction speed.
    Decreased expansion rate for charge attacks.
    Megawatt Improved curving performance.
    Increased retraction speed.
    Slamamander Increased homing
    Tribolt Increased extension speed.
    Decreased rush damage.
    Triblast Increased speed of charge attacks.
    Homie Increased rush damage.
    Guardian Made it so the electric shock when a charge attack connects lasts longer. 
    Corrected odd behavior that occurred when a rush attack connected with a wall or platform.
    Blorb Corrected odd behavior that occurred when a rush attack connected with an opponent that was not targeted.
    Seekie Decreased retraction speed.
    Made it so the electric shock when a charge attack connects doesn’t last as long.
    Ramram Decreased retraction speed.
    Decreased expansion rate for charge attacks.
    Decreased speed of charge attacks.
    Cracker, Popper, Hydra Decreased retraction speed.
    Bubb, Buff Decreased extension speed.
    Decreased expansion rate when extending.

That’s the full list of changes for update 2.1. How has your main character been affected? Let us know.

Source: Nintendo Support via Game Informer

Mack Ashworth

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

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PS4 Update 5.0 Leaked Patch Notes Revealed. Will Allow 1080p/60fps Twitch Streaming

If you’re the type of gamer who loves streaming your gameplay, then the upcoming PlayStation 4 firmware update will be right up your alley. Those looking to finally change their PSN usernames from xXxNoScopeMastahxXx to something a little less edgier? Well, keep on waiting.

Thanks to leaked patch notes from Eurogamer, we now know what to expect from Sony’s next big PS4 update. Those who have a PS4 Pro, you’ll be able to stream on Twitch at 1080p resolution and 60 frames-per-second! Other additions include:

  • Being able to follow anyone’s account (even those not verified)
  • You can now choose if you want “only friends” or anyone to follow you
  • You can now block users
  • More options for “sub” accounts
  • More options for family accounts (set parental control on a per-account basis)
  • New web app to manage family accounts and access parental controls from PC and smartphones
  • Notifications will be visible from the “quick menu;” no need to head t Home screen

There’s more stuff included in PS4 update 5.0, but that list above seems to be the major additions. Of course, we won’t know the entire features list until it’s finally out into the wild — and we also don’t know when exactly that’ll be.

Once the firmware update is officially out, we’ll be sure to let everyone know. 

Source: Eurogamer

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Alex Co

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

Home > Features

Gearbox Software Announces New First-Person Shooter “Project 1V1”, Accepting Closed Test Applications

Gearbox Software, the developer of Borderlands and Battleborn, has revealed an all-new first-person shooter, which is being referred to as “Project 1V1”. The details surrounding the new title are pretty sparse, with the newly-launched website providing only a single sentence of description:

Project 1v1 is the code name for Gearbox’s top-secret, in-development, competitive first-person shooter that combines the action of fast-paced 1v1 first-person combat with the metagame strategy of a collectible card game.

I can’t even begin to imagine a game that is fast-paced that also uses collectible cards. The original Titanfall comes to mind, but I’m not sure that’s what Gearbox will be aiming for. 

The website also shows off some curiously low-resolution images. Or, perhaps they are full-res and just have issues with aliasing? It reminds me of what I’ve seen on PlayStation VR, if I’m honest… 

Access to this “top secret” project will be granted this summer through a “Closed Technical Test.” If you’re at all interested in, you can sign up here

Project 1v1 will be holding a short Closed Technical Test this summer. We are looking for a limited number of players to test the online infrastructure and learn what players like you think about the game in order to inform and influence future development. The test will be held on North American servers, so international players may experience decreased performance.

Those selected for the closed test will experience three different modes: Ranked, Challenge, and Arena.

Ranked – Get matched with an opponent based on player rating. Win ranked matches to earn experience and crates containing new cards.

Challenge – Challenge a friend to an unranked match.

Arena – Queue up to challenge the current Arena champion – and win to take their place.

What do you make of this news? Excited to see what Gearbox is up to? Let us know.

Source: Project1V1.com via PC Gamer & Game Informer

Mack Ashworth

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

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Sonic Mania Multiplayer Gameplay Shows Players Racing Head-to-Head

Sonic Mania looks to be doing a lot of things right, if the hype from Sonic fans like myself is anything go by. Another good move by the development team is the addition of the “Competition Mode.” This game type will pit players against one another in a race for position, rings, and power-ups. It’s all local, so you’ll have to actually meet with friends and play old school style!

You can get a cheeky first look at the game in the video below.

Surprise! Sonic Mania is bringing back competition mode, meaning you can go head-to-head with your closest friends (or rival echidnas) anytime you want. 

A similar mode was first seen in Sonic The Hedgehog 2, which supported two players on a single screen. 

Sonic Mania is coming to PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on August 15.

What do you make of the Competitive Mode? 

Source: Sonic the Hedgehog (YouTube) via Polygon

Mack Ashworth

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

Home > DLC and Expansions

Injustice 2 Starfire DLC Character Is Now Available For Those With Early Access

Starfire is the third Injustice 2 DLC character that’s been added to the game. She’s available right now for those who purchased either the Injustice 2 Ultimate Edition, the Injustice 2 Digital Deluxe Edition, the Injustice 2 Ultimate Pack, or Fighter Pack #1

If you don’t own any of the above editions of the game, but still want to play as Starfire, you’ll be able to buy her individually on August 14.

For an idea of what Starfire can do, check out her gameplay trailer:

As the next Queen of Tamaran, Princess Koriand’r found herself the victim of her fratricidal sister’s vengeful plot that resulted in their planet being conquered. Now a royal exile on Earth, Koriand’r uses her ability to absorb and convert ultraviolet energy as Starfire.

She has quite a few tricks up her sleeve, including flight and a variety of projectiles. Her super move is also “out of this world.”

IGN has put together a montage of Starfire’s intro sequences, which can be viewed below.

What do you make of Starfire? Will you be trying to master her moves in Injustice 2?

Source: Eurogamer, Game InformerIGN

Mack Ashworth

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

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Valve Reveals New Game, Name Doesn’t Include Number “3”

Artifact is the name of the title that Valve has just revealed, and it’s a card game based on the Dota universe. Embedded below is the teaser trailer that was showcased during The International Dota 2 Championships livestream. It doesn’t give much away, as it’s essentially just a 34-second video of some colored rocks breaking apart and forming an ARK-esque logo… One thing it does tell us, however, is the targeted release window. “2018” pops up right at the end, just before it fades to black. 

The Artifact experience promises to be different to other card games out there, as it employs “three-lane gameplay,” with some modes allowing players to use five heroes all at once, while powering them up with item cards. 

Brad Muir (Massive Chalice, Iron Brigade, Brazen) confirmed that he’s been working on Artifact “for a while now.”

So another card game is going to enter the arena. Have you got high hopes for it? Or do you think Valve should dedicate developer energy elsewhere?

Source: PC Gamer, Destructoid, Game Informer

Mack Ashworth

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

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Rainbow Six Siege Update Lands Today, Brings Big Changes to How Multiplayer Servers Work

Rainbow Six Siege has blown up in a big way, now boasting over 20 million registered users, and developer support has never been stronger. The next patch for the game is a significant one, bringing a host of changes to gameplay, game modes, operators, level design, and general user experience. Title update 2.2.2 lays the groundwork for the game’s third season and all of the “exciting changes coming up.” 

An expected downtime of 30 minutes is expected while the update is implemented.

Read up on the patch notes below, and note the increased use of dedicated servers, which is certainly something we love to see!

Upgraded Servers

These servers have improved hardware over the servers that are currently in use, allowing for a smoother overall gameplay experience. The extent of these improvements will range from hit registration, and desyncs, to overall latency. While we are excited for you to test this new technology on the TTS, the final deployment date cannot be determined prior to data collection from these tests.

Peer to Peer Removal

We will be removing Peer to Peer voice and party features from the game in the future. This means that you will have an easier time connecting to your friends and forming parties, as well as a more fluid VOIP experience to facilitate communication with your teammates.

To avoid any misconceptions, all Ranked, Casual, and some Custom Matches are currently hosted on dedicated servers. Peer to Peer removal is not related to the hosting of the actual matches.

LAN Mode on PlayStation 4

Call your friends (if they live near you (if you have any)), LAN mode is coming to the PlayStation 4! This is targeted for Season 3.

MAIN BUG FIXES

GAMEPLAY

  • FIXED – Players are able to place Valkyrie’s Black Eye cameras in a location that provides visibility of the entire Bank map.
  • FIXED – Nitro Cells deal no damage when they are thrown against certain types of metal beams.
  • FIXED – In some cases, wall reinforcement debris remain floating after being destroyed.

GAME MODE

Secure Area

  • FIXED – Securing can be interrupted by stepping over debris.

Caster Camera

  • FIXED – Spectating a player moving through the basement of Oregon forces floor switches.
  • FIXED – Visual Operator placement glitch when switching from first to third person.
  • FIXED – Metallic doors appear orange on Bank.

Custom Game

  • FIXED – Data Centers selected by the host is changed when the Dedicated Match begins.

OPERATORS

Hibana

  • FIXED – X-KAIROS destruction does not affect the main section of wall reinforcements.
  • FIXED – X-KAIROS pellets can leave floating reinforcement debris.

Glaz

  • FIXED – Glaz’s gadget does not always show enemies when looking through specific angles through windows.

Echo

  • FIXED – Yokai Drone fails to stick to the ceiling in the Garage of Bank.

LEVEL DESIGN

Consulate

  • FIXED – Carrying the hostage on 2F service stairs causes the hostage to clip through the wall.
  • FIXED – Walls on the East and South sides of 2F Break Room are indestructible.
  • FIXED – Animation loop when approaching the refrigerator in Cafeteria.
  • FIXED – The wall in B Storage Room is missing a reinforcement interaction.

Bank

  • FIXED – Black Eye’s vision can be blocked by metal bars above the server racks due to missing collision.
  • FIXED – Players do not take any damage through EXT High Roof bars.

Coastline

  • FIXED – Attackers are able to climb onto the pink canvas on the top of the building.
  • FIXED – Breaching charges placed in 2F VIP Lounge will not break the floor.
  • FIXED – Operators clip through the environment in 2F Penthouse.
  • FIXED – Rubber banding occurs when entering through the EXT Cantina drone vent.
  • FIXED – Players are able to clip through the environment to access unreachable areas.

Kanal

  • FIXED – Players are able to use a shield vaulting exploit to spawn kill Attackers.
  • FIXED – Gadgets cannot be placed in CG2F Radio.
  • FIXED – Drones remain floating in the air when they jump into the water.
  • FIXED – When placing a gadget on some walls, the lighting becomes brighter.
  • FIXED – Players are able to vault into unintended areas.

Border

  • FIXED – Rubber banding occurs after vaulting through the windows on EXT South Balcony.
  • FIXED – Players are able to melee through a wood panel near East Stairs to clearly see the southern door.
  • FIXED – Players are able to be killed through an unbreachable wall by going prone on furniture in 2F Fountain.

Chalet

  • FIXED – Twitch’s drone gets destroyed when passing by a rock on EXT Cliffside woods.

Skyscraper

  • FIXED – A wall in Geisha Room is able to be reinforced from both sides.
  • FIXED – Rubber banding occurs when passing between the hostage and the table in 1F Kitchen.
  • FIXED – Players can remain stuck after vaulting onto the bar.

Clubhouse

  • FIXED – When going prone in 2F Bathroom, players will partially clip through the wall.

USER EXPERIENCE

  • FIXED – Inviting a player through the Uplay PC client prior to launching the game will not add them to the squad.
  • FIXED – Twitch’s Jeanne d’Arc headgear has low-res textures.
  • FIXED – The price of the Capitao Loreto Set is incorrect on the Xbox One.
  • FIXED – Some of Mute’s headgear appear to have a low level of detail.
  • FIXED – NVIDIA Surround option only displays the game on a single monitor.
  • FIXED – Rank icons do not always refresh for all party members.
  • FIXED – 9x19VSN Kabuto skin clipping error.
  • FIXED – Flag of Japan charm has a flickering texture.
  • FIXED – Waiting for teammates and waiting for squad messages do not always appear as intended.
  • FIXED – Fudgy Bunny appears with a low level of detail.
  • FIXED – Some skins on the SMG-11 have a low level of detail.
  • FIXED – A typo is present in the Czech subtitles of Kapkan’s intro video.
  • FIXED – Watch Dogs charm has anti-aliasing glitches.
  • FIXED – Some players are unable to interact with the scoreboard.
  • FIXED – Operators from the previous match are sometimes shown in the scoreboard prior to entering the Operator selection screen.

Managed to get through all of those details? Good! Let us know which change you’re most happy to see. 

Source: Ubisoft via GameSpot, Kotaku

Mack Ashworth

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

Home > News

LawBreakers PS4 Version Suffers Terrible Stutters, Patch Coming Today

Pre-ordering or buying games on day one is always a risky business, as eager LawBreakers players have learned. Those on PlayStation 4 are experiencing a terrible stutter that regularly halts gameplay for a third of a second. The problem occurs during public matches, but isn’t present in custom games, meaning it’s likely a network problem.

The folks over at Eurogamer have looked closely at the issue, measuring stutters on PlayStation 4 Pro that max out at 316ms. 

The issue is profound enough that you don’t need frame-rate analysis tools to notice the problem, but for the record we’ve measured in-game stutter on PlayStation 4 Pro maxing out at 316ms – pretty much one third of a second.

It’s also worth noting that in our case, the issue manifests randomly at any point – not just when joining/leaving a match or changing roles, as Boss Key suggests (unless of course, such an action from another player triggers the problem).

Thankfully, Boss Key was immediately made aware of the problem, and has been working on a patch. According to this tweet from the developer, the patch has passed Sony QA, and will be available to download by 6:30am PDT/3:30pm CEST.

Did you buy LawBreakers on PS4? Experienced any issues?

If you’ve not yet experienced the game, perhaps this launch trailer will make you intrigued!

Source: Eurogamer

Mack Ashworth

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