Home > Title Updates and Patches

Helldivers 2 Update 1.001.104 Completes 60-Day Plan, Here’s What’s New

  by   Alex Co  
October 15, 2024 5:42 am in Title Updates and Patches

Back in August, Arrowhead Game Studios outlined the studio’s plans to roll out fixes and improvements to Helldivers 2 in a span of 60-days. Well, that culmination of that is today with Helldivers 2 update 1.001.104! The download is out now on PC and PS5, and the complete patch notes and dev details are available below.

Helldivers 2 Update 1.001.104 Patch Notes – What Got Changed?

Overview

The final part of our 60 day commitment is here! This patch marks the last set of changes we aimed to implement for the 60 day community commitment while also addressing issues we previously didn’t have time to fix. So what does this patch contain? We have made changes to the remaining weapons and stratagems we weren’t able to finish for the patch on September 17th, ensuring they’re now more interesting and effective. We have also dedicated some time and we’ve looked over some key core systems like enemy spawning as well as targeting and vision for the Automatons. Based on your feedback, we’ve fine-tuned the Automaton experience to hopefully make them feel less frustrating to play against. Additionally, we have also adjusted the Helldivers durability to make your armor choices feel more impactful.

Finally, we’ve introduced new functionality to certain items to give players more depth in mastering their equipment. For example, the GR-8 Recoilless Rifle and the AC-8 Autocannon now have programmable ammunition, and drones that come with backpacks can be toggled on or off for added control.

We hope you enjoy these changes! The team at Arrowhead has been thrilled to work on this 60-day commitment for you, our community and players and seeing your reactions to the work we’ve done! Together, we aim to ensure Helldivers 2 delivers on its core fantasy and remains a game we all love to play.

Balancing

General changes

  • Additional Supply Items are now visible on the minimap
    • Exosuits
    • Support Stratagems
  • Removed ricochets from Orbital Stratagem projectiles, Eagle-1 bombs and FAF-14 Spear missiles
    • They can no longer ricochet off of targets
  • Helldiver armor tweaks
    • Both Heavy and Light armor are now more effective
    • Heavy armor reduces damage taken by 25%, up from 20%
      • 5% more damage reduction
    • Light armor increases damage taken by 25%, down from 33%
      • 8% less damage taken
    • Stratagems and Weapon tag description updates
    • They now show more information and are also categorized:
      • Armor penetration 2 is classified as Light armor penetrating
      • Armor penetration 3 is classified as Medium armor penetrating
      • Armor penetration 4 is classified as Heavy armor penetrating
      • Armor penetration 5+ is classified as Anti tank

Primary Weapons

Plasma projectile behavior

  • We’ve standardized the behavior of Plasma projectiles, which previously had varying characteristics in how they traveled through the air. Now, all Plasma projectiles experience high drag, causing them to slow down faster. However, each plasma weapon still fires projectiles at different speeds and calibers, so their effective ranges will remain distinct. For most weapons, this change won’t be very noticeable
  • With the SG-8P Punisher Plasma you’ll see a less pronounced arc in its projectile path. Instead, it will start off faster and lose speed more rapidly, keeping its effective range about the same

PLAS-101 Purifier

  • Projectiles can now be charged up with a damage multiplier that scales:
    • Minimum charge of 0.1 sec gives a 50% damage multiplier
    • Maximum charge of 1 sec gives a 100% damage multiplier
  • Maximum charge projectile damage increased from 100 to 200
  • Maximum charge projectile durable damage increased from 50 to 100
  • Maximum charge explosion damage increased from 150 to 300
  • The explosion doesn’t scale, but a fully charged shot has a different explosion effect:
  • Minimum charge (0.1–0.99 sec): Inner radius 1m, outer radius 2m, explosion damage 75
  • Maximum charge (1 sec): Inner radius 2.9m, outer radius 3m, explosion damage 300

PLAS- 1 Scorcher

  • New weapon function: Auto fire mode
  • Fire rate increased from 250 to 350
  • Magazine capacity increased from 15 to 20
  • Spare magazines decreased from 6 to 5

SG-8P Punisher Plasma

  • Reduced recoil
  • Fire rate increased from 80 to 100

AR-23 Liberator

  • Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%

AR-23P Liberator Penetrator

  • Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%
  • Increased magazine capacity from 30 to 45
  • Spare magazines decreased from 10 to 7

AR-23A Liberator Carbine

  • Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%
  • Ergonomics increased from 65 to 70
  • Reload duration decreased from 3 to 2.5 sec

BR-14 Adjudicator

  • Horizontal recoil reduced by 30%
  • Projectile damage increased from 80 to 90
  • Projectile durable damage increased from 16 to 23
  • Magazine capacity increased from 25 to 30

AR-61 Tenderizer

  • New weapon function: 600/850 RPM

JAR-5 Dominator

  • Moved from the Explosive weapon category to the Special weapon category

Sidearms

P-113 Verdict

  • Armor penetration increased from 2 to 3
  • Projectile durable damage increased from 13 to 32
  • Stagger strength increased from 13 to 15

P-4 Senator

  • Armor penetration increased from 3 to 4
  • Projectile damage increased from 175 to 200
  • Projectile durable damage increased from 35 to 70

P-11 Stim Pistol

  • Spread decreased from 30 to 5
  • Muzzle velocity increased from 80 to 200

Throwables

K-2 Throwing Knives

  • Uses increased from 8 to 20

G-12 High Explosive Grenade

  • Damage increased from 400 to 800

G-6 Frag Grenade

  • Damage increased from 250 to 500

G-10 Incendiary Grenade

  • Damage increased from 150 to 300

Stratagem Support Weapons

AC-8 Autocannon

  • New weapon function: Programmable ammunition now allows you to switch between normal projectiles and flak projectiles
    • Flak projectiles are proximity triggered shrapnel explosions with a larger explosion radius

GR-8 Recoilless Rifle

  • New weapon function: Programmable ammunition now allows you to switch between normal projectiles and High Explosive rounds
    • High Explosive rounds have a larger explosion radius, deal more explosion damage, less projectile damage and are less effective against tanks

RL-77 Airburst Rocket Launcher

  • Reload duration reduced from 7 to 5 sec

M-105 LMG Stalwart

  • Ergonomics increased from 25 to 40

MG-43 Machine Gun

  • Magazine capacity increased from 150 to 175
  • Starting spare magazines increased from 1 to 2

MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun

  • Magazine capacity increased from 75 to 100

Backpacks

LIFT-850 Jump Pack

  • Cooldown reduced from 20 to 15 sec
  • Stronger thrust force
  • Thrust vector has been tweaked
    • Will have a slightly higher jump and more forward momentum

AX/AR-23 “Guard Dog”

  • Switch from AR-23 Liberator rounds to AR-23P Liberator Penetrator rounds
    • Armor penetration increased from 2 to 3
    • Damage decreased from 70 to 60
  • Magazine capacity increased from 30 to 45

Drone Backpacks now has a new toggle drone function

  • Activate: The drone leaves the backpack and starts to perform its tasks
  • Deactivate: The drone returns to the backpack into a passive standby state

Stratagems

Eagle Strafing Run

  • Explosion radius slightly increased
  • Explosion damage increased from 250 to 350

Orbital Airburst Strike

  • Salvoes increased from 3 to 4
  • Duration between salvoes increased from 3 to 4 sec

A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry

  • Magazine capacity increased from 125 to 175
  • Cooldown reduced from 120 to 90 sec
  • Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

A/G-16 Gatling Sentry

  • Magazine capacity increased from 400 to 500
  • Cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 sec
  • Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

A/MLS-4X Rocket Sentry

  • Cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 sec
  • Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry

  • Cooldown reduced from 180 to 150 sec
  • Life time reduced from 180 to 150 sec

MD-17 Anti Tank Mines We are working on changes to the Anti-Personnel and Incendiary Mines, however we are not yet happy with the fixes, as we feel they introduced too many new problems. We will continue working on these changes and include them in a future patch

  • The mines are now only triggered by heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, Hulks
  • Damage increased from 800 to 2000
  • Explosion radius decreased

A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower

  • Reduced charge-up shots cooldown from 3 to 1 sec
  • Cooldown reduced from 150 to 120 sec
  • Lifetime reduced from 180 to 150 sec

FX-12 Shield Generator Relay

  • Removed charge delay between damage taken
  • Increased charge rate from 300 to 400 health/sec
  • Radius increased from 8 to 15m
  • Once the shield is down, it will no longer regenerate

Gameplay 

Patrol Spawning:

  • Previously, once the mission was completed but before extraction, we significantly increased patrol spawns across the entire map. Now, the increased patrol spawns are concentrated around the extraction site, with more patrols appearing the closer you are to it. This change should make patrol spawning feel more logical and reduce the penalty for players who complete the mission but still want to explore the map or collect samples. Please let us know if you still experience issues with the patrol spawning!

Terminids

Bile Spewers

  • Legs health reduced from 300 to 200

Nursing Spewers

  • Legs health reduced from 300 to 200

Hunters

  • Have a short shared area cooldown for their pounce ability
  • Can now totally blow up if affected with enough damage

Scavengers

  • Can blow up if affected with enough damage

Automatons

Automaton Targeting

  • Some enemies were able to shoot at you without needing proper line of sight, which caused them to fire into or through walls, track you even when hidden, and ignore smoke effects. We’ve addressed these issues, so now you should be able to use stealth more effectively against the Automatons, and they won’t be able to shoot through walls or see you when they shouldn’t. Please let us know if you still encounter issues like these!

Automaton projectiles

  • Normal small projectiles damage reduced from 40 to 35
    • Used by enemies like the Devastators, Emplacements and Conscripts
  • Heavy projectiles damage reduced from 65 to 60
    • Used by enemies like the Heavy Emplacements and Scout Striders

Hulk Bruiser

  • In response to their disapproval of a newly installed cannon on the Automaton Hulk Bruisers, Super Earth High Command sent a crack commando to sabotage their production facilities. The skilled operative promptly escaped into the shadows after completing their mission. Today, still wanted by the Automatons, they survive as a soldier of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can enlist… John Helldiver
  • As a result the Automatons had to revert back to using rocket launchers for their Hulk Bruisers

All Devastators

  • Head armor decreased from 2 to 1
  • Head health increased from 100 to 110

Berserkers

  • Head health decreased from 125 to 110

Heavy Devastator

  • The pause between their salvoes has been slightly increased, providing Helldivers with a better opportunity to counterattack

All Tanks

  • Front armor reduced from 6 to 5
    • Our previous tweak didn’t have the intended effect on gameplay that we expected so we’ve reverted this back
  • The rear weak spots of the Tank’s body now have their own health pool, which matches the Tank’s previous total health. Once this health pool is depleted, the Tank will be destroyed. Additionally, these weak spots also deal 150% damage to the Tank’s main health

Annihilator Tank Turrets

  • The rear weak spots of the Tank’s body now have their own health pool, which matches the Tank’s previous total health. Once this health pool is depleted, the Tank will be destroyed. Additionally, these weak spots also deal 200% damage to the Tank’s main health

Shredder Tank Turrets

  • The rear weak spots of the Tank’s body now have their own health pool, which matches the Tank’s previous total health. Once this health pool is depleted, the Tank will be destroyed. Additionally, these weak spots also deal 200% damage to the Tank’s main health

Barrager Tank Turret

  • The Turret is now destroyed if the Tank body is destroyed

Fixes

Resolved Top Priority issues:

  • Not enough enemies spawn to complete Eradicate missions
  • Some enemies were able to shoot at you without needing proper line of sight, which caused them to fire into or through walls, track you even when hidden, and ignore smoke effects
  • Patrol Spawning should now feel more logical and reduce the penalty for players who complete the mission but still want to explore the map or collect samples

Crash Fixes and Soft-locks:

  • Fixed crash that could occur when getting knock backed while wearing the energy shield backpack
  • Fixed potential crash when a peer leaves with unique armor customization
  • Various crash fixes

Miscellaneous Fixes

  • Fixed bug where helldivers wearing heavy armors would be immune to gas status effect
  • General Brasch returns from holiday retreat in foggy hillside town.

What Issues Are Left With Helldivers 2 After the October 15 Update?

Known Issues

These are issues that were either introduced by this patch and are being worked on, or are from a previous version and have not yet been fixed.

Top Priority:

  • The hive breaker drill may be inaccessible when called in
  • Players may not receive Friend Requests sent from another platform
  • Terminals may lose functionality blocking completion of a mission
  • Social menu is stuck on ‘Please Wait Democratically’ for some players
  • Title may crash during intro cinematic or title screen
  • Friends “Invite only” games can still be seen on the Galactic War Map but cannot be joined

Medium Priority:

  • Players are unable to shoot properly while in the air using a jetpack
  • Stratagem balls bounce unpredictably off cliffs and some spots
  • Some Eagle Stratagems may not drop when deployed on a swamp planet
  • Reinforcement may not be available for players who join a game in progress
  • Pelican-1 may sometimes be launched away if hit with an impaler tentacle
  • Supply packs may be incorrectly used if pressing down on a controller while calling in a stratagem
  • High damage weapons will not detonate hellbombs already present on the map
  • Some enemies that bleed out do not progress Personal Orders and Eradicate missions
  • QWERTY keyboard numpad bindings does not save correctly after the Title restart

We will be sure to let our readers know when the next update is released soon.

[Source: Helldivers 2 Discord]

Tags: Helldivers helldivers 2
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Alex Co

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

Home > Title Updates and Patches

Skull and Bones Update 1.000.018 Out for Patch Y1S3.2 This October 15

  by   Damien Seeto  
4:16 am in Title Updates and Patches

Ubisoft has released Skull and Bones update 1.000.018 today, and this is for patch Y1S3.2. One of the main new features is that the game has increased the warehouse inventory space by 50 so players can now have a maximum cap of 300. Several other improvements have been made to please the game’s community. Read on for the October 15 patch notes down below.

Here’s What’s New in the Latest Skull and Bones Update Version 1.000.018:

Update 3.2 introduces multiple gameplay improvements, including a further increase to the warehouse space. This update also sees plenty of bug fixes, addressing many of the key issues reported by the Skull and Bones community.

Highlights

Warehouse Inventory Increase

  • Increased warehouse space by 50, to a maximum cap of 300.

Gameplay Updates

Activities & Events

  • Staggered countdowns for World Events.
    • World Events will now start at different times.
  • Added Seasonal Event rewards and Smuggler Pass rewards as a possible option to the Recommended Activities pop-up.

Refinery

  • Added Sinew String for crafting at the Refinery.

Contracts

  • Increased Silver reward of the job board contract “Sink Merchant Convoys“.
  • Reduced the difficulty of the job board contract “Hunt Phoenix Talon” from the range of 8-12 Phoenix’s Talon warships down to the required range of 5-8 Phoenix’s Talon warships.
  • Rebalanced rewards of Telok Penjarah job board contracts to be proportional to the difficulty of each contract.

Improvements and Bug Fixes

Voice and Text Chat

  • Added an option for small text size in chat settings.
  • Disabled the chat button in the main menu when the player is not in a group.
  • [LUNA] Increased voice chat volume on the Luna platform.

UI for Mouse and Keyboard Controls

Dev note: Following the PC/Mouse & Keyboard changes released as part of Season 3, we observed a slight difficulty increase in navigation while hovering over items. Previously, players could preview tooltip information by simply hovering but were now required to click on the item before they could view its details. With this change, we hope to reduce the friction needed to access key information while still retaining the PC/Mouse & Keyboard improvements released in Season 3.

  • Added the ability to preview tooltips in various menus when hovering over the mouse in the Cargo and Warehouse menus.
    • Clicking on an item will continue to “lock” the tooltip in place.

Bounties

  • Fixed an issue where bounties were automatically accepted and immediately failed.

Ship Upgrade

  • Fixed an issue where the Hulk unlocks the auxiliary slot at level 2 instead of level 3.
    • Players who currently have a weapon equipped on the auxiliary slot of a level 2 Hulk will have the weapon returned to their inventory.

Combat

  • Fixed an issue where the Battle Junk’s “Endure” perk did not correctly reduce the damage of incoming attacks while bracing.
  • Fixed an issue where the “Immortal Vessel” armour perk did not fully charge after a player disembarks or respawns.
  • Fixed an issue where the player’s ship accelerates beyond the acceptable speed limit after being rammed by Li Tian Ning’s ship.
  • Fixed an issue where the repair mortar does not heal another player when both players have PVP mode enabled while not being in a group together.
  • Fixed some cases where players were occasionally unable to shoot cannons or execute crew boarding in combat.

Contract

  • Fixed an issue where contracts obtained from Blackwood can only be submitted at the Telok Penjarah den.
  • Fixed an issue where players were able to submit the contract “Procure Croc Skins” to the Hawker at Sainte-Anne instead of delivering the items to a Rempah settlement.
  • Fixed an issue in the contract “Flaming Quarry“, where players were able to sail around in the contract Battle Junk ship when attempting the contract as a group, before the other group members have swapped to the contract Battle Junk.
  • Fixed an issue where players who have the contract “Flaming Quarry” were not able to progress if other players destroyed the intended target.
  • Fixed an issue where the text for the objective “Swap to the stolen Battle Junk at Sitrana” in the main contract “Flaming Quarry” was unclear.
  • Fixed an issue where the interaction prompt to dig up treasure chest was missing in certain cases while participating in multiple contracts, including “Engulfing Storm” and “Scarlet Heist“.
    • Please reach out on our Bug Reporter platform if you continue to encounter issues with retrieving treasure after Patch 3.2.
  • Fixed an issue where the second clue for the “Burning Tower” was located outside of the designated search area for the contract “Trail of Ashes“.
  • Fixed an issue in “Trail of Ashes” where objectives of shared contracts were not updated for some group members, despite the group members meeting the objectives.
  • Fixed an issue where seasonal contracts were not available after completing “Calming Cadence“.
  • Fixed an issue where the contract “Breaking It Down” is completed after accepting “Lost and Haunted” contract from Blackwood.

Achievements

  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to claim the reward for the seasonal event achievement “Ghoul’s Bane“.

UI

  • Updated various text descriptions of furniture.
    • Note – The functionality remains unchanged.
  • Fixed an issue where the icons for “Flooding Demi-Cannon I” and “Sloop Blueprint” rewards were not present after completing the main contract “The Devil’s Gambit“.
  • Fixed an issue where the icons for “Restoration Kit” and “Cutter Blueprint” rewards were not present after completing the main contract “Unwelcome Aboard“.
  • Fixed an issue where the icon for Bedar were not present after acquiring the ship from the main contract “A Seaworthy Ship“.
  • Fixed an issue where the “Smuggler’s Mark earned” notification is displayed before the player unlocks the Smuggler’s Pass.
  • Fixed an issue where the UI icon for “Phoenix’s Crest blueprint” reward was not present after completing the main contract “Engulfing Storm“.
  • Fixed an issue where some tutorial pop-ups overlapped with the Recommended Activities screen upon entering the Indian Ocean.
  • Fixed an issue where the selected indicator in the vendor filter was overlapping with the text “Time-Limited Items” when language changed to Arabic.
  • Fixed an issue where placeholder text was displayed on the contract Battle Junk ship inventory while participating in the contract “Flaming Quarry“.
  • Fixed an issue where the Smuggler’s Mark counter did not update.
  • Fixed an issue where the previews of multiple weapons were displayed in low resolution while crafting at the Blacksmith.
  • Fixed an issue where ship customization screens displayed separate stacks of the same equipment when the same equipment was present in both Cargo and Warehouse inventories.
  • Fixed an issue where players were unable to quit the interaction or were missing certain interaction prompts after interacting with NPC William Blackwood at the Smuggler’s Network.
  • Fixed an issue if the player already owns the manufactory that is being rewarded, the reward details will no longer display the owned manufactory as part of the available reward.
  • Fixed an issue where the “select” prompt was not displayed when the player has less than three items in the Cargo Hull.
  • Fixed an issue where the “Manufactory Buyout” opportunity was displayed as a multiplayer event under “Recommended Activities“.
  • Fixed an issue where the subsequent accepted Bounty contract description is not displayed after accepting a Bounty contract.
  • Fixed an issue where the world event description is not displayed when player press “view in map” button from notification.
  • Fixed an issue where the health bar of the Shadowbeast is displayed for players that are not participating in the event and are outside the event zone.
  • Fixed an issue where the infamy reward is not displayed on the target’s tooltip when a player uses the spyglass on the Rogue Ship.

Vanity

  • Fixed an issue where the light emitted from the ornament “Stranglehold” vanished when the camera moves.

When a new patch is released soon, our readers will be alerted when it’s coming.

[Source: Ubisoft]

Tags: Skull and Bones Ubisoft

Damien Seeto

Home > News

Lies of P Update 1.005.001 Released for PS5 Pro Enhancement

  by   Alex Co  
2:23 am in News

Those who own rogue-like game Lies of P on PS5, you should have gotten a file download today. This is a relatively small download, and this is primarily to bring added new graphical enhancements to the game for PS5 Pro owners.

What’s in Lies of P Update 1.005.001?

Download Size: 800MB

We can confirm the patch is only for the PS5 version of the game, as even the PS4 version didn’t get patched. The only acknowledgement about this from the devs is the announcement today:

While not outlined yet, odds are this update should bring the game some much-needed frame pacing, and for the game’s Performance mode, better resolution. Once we know more about it, we’ll update the article with more info.

Expect a lot more PS5 games to get a PS5 Pro enhancement patch in the coming weeks and months, as more of these games get a performance bump thanks to the added horsepower of the PS5 Pro.

In terms of gameplay bug fixes and the like, the latest patch for the game released that affected that was back in February, which you can read about here.

The PS5 Pro will be available this November 7.

More PS5 Pro Reading:

Tags: Lies of P
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Alex Co

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

Home > News

Throne and Liberty Review – A Solid and Free Start

  by   Paulmichael Contreras  
October 14, 2024 7:50 pm in News

NCSoft is no stranger to the MMO genre, with both Guild Wars and Lineage under the developer’s belt, among other notable series. Indeed, their latest MMO, Throne and Liberty, has been out in the Korean region since December of last year, and in the Asia/Southeast Asia regions since July 24 2024. It’s now finally been released in North America, Euope, and Japan. We’ve spent some time in Solisium these past couple of weeks, and have our Throne and Liberty review ready to let you know if this free-to-play MMO is worth your time.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This Before

The story for the single-player campaign is a bit blasé, with common tropes such as a big baddie and their army of undead soldiers, with your custom character standing in as the only hero who can save the world of Solisium. Despite this, it is an entertaining campaign which serves its purpose as an extended tutorial of sorts. Though characters are well-voiced, both the lip syncing on the models and the subtitle text often don’t match what the character is saying. Sure, the overall point still comes across, but it leaves the cutscenes feeling a little unpolished. For instance, when you first meet a majestic, mythical beast, they refer to you as a “Starchild,” while the subtitle (and, in fact, the rest of the game) reads Star-born. It breaks immersion just a little bit.

Throne and Liberty Update 13.800.565

Outside of the cutscene awkwardness, a couple of other issues crop up from time to time. In busier parts of the world, the frame rate can take a hit. With this release, NCSoft has targeted the current generation of consoles, along with Windows. On PS5, the Unreal Engine 5 keeps things running pretty well, but even it has issues with large player counts. That being said, Throne and Liberty looks very nice, with well-detailed environments, especially when it comes to the game’s many buildings. Dynamic weather and time of day effects are a nice touch, though talking to a vendor who is simply standing there, unfazed by the pouring rain that would no doubt render some of their goods unsellable is unintentionally hilarious.

This is also where Throne and Liberty feels a bit old school, for better and for worse. While there is a marketplace that has premium currency and things you can buy with it, none of it is really necessary unless you are gearing up for endgame content or fighting against equally-leveled players. The game’s mission system also seems to award copious experience points, as you’ll find yourself leveling up and earning new skills and perks on a regular basis. It doesn’t feel grindy, which is awesome to see with a free-to-play model that couldn’t be blamed too much if it were a tad grindy as a subtle way to encourage making a run to the in-game store. Throne and Liberty also uses regular old waypoints to show you exactly where you need to go next on your currently-selected quest. Some players will be annoyed at the hand-holding, though there is an option to disable your HUD entirely if you really want to test your navigation skills. I for one appreciate the simple navigation, because as a reviewer I’m often juggling multiple games, and usually can’t remember exactly where I am at on a given map.

Become Your Own Mount

A lot of MMOs offer mounts as buyable accessories, whether through premium or freemium currency, or simply finishing a particular mission. In Throne and Liberty, however, mounts are simply built into your character. Rather than riding atop a best, you transform into them. You start with a wolf-like creature for overland traversal, an eagle-like bird for aerial transport, and an otter-like being for swimming along bodies of water. Transforming into these creatures is as simple as pressing L3, double-jumping with a high enough jump, or automatically upon entering any body of water. This seamless mount mechanic is pretty unique, but most importantly it’s also very quick. Naturally, there are other creatures you can unlock, but functionally everything remains the same no matter which animals you choose to transform into. As a bonus, you can also transform into enemy characters, which allows you to blend in if you don’t want to fight a particular group of creatures but still wish to travel through a pack of them.

Combat in Throne and Liberty allows you to equip two separate weapons, with different move sets, skills to unlock and level up, and weapons to strengthen and upgrade. The currently-equipped weapon will cause your character to repeatedly perform a basic attack so long as an enemy is targeted. You are then free to pepper in any equipped special moves, which are executed by holding a shoulder trigger and pressing the corresponding face or directional button.

Guilds make up a significant portion of the online aspects of Throne and Liberty. While technically an optional activity, joining a guild is all but necessary for anyone looking to make the most progression. Simply joining any guild unlocks no fewer than five additional game modes, including the largest 48-vs-48 inter-server wars that only occur every other Friday, and only active guilds that have earned a particular resource can even join in the first place. Those kinds of requirements may limit player counts somewhat, however, those that do join at least know what they are doing, so the fights can be dynamic and engaging, with all kinds of action leading to an epic finish.

Verdict

Throne and Liberty is off to a strong start, especially with a price of free. The campaign may be derivative, but it does serve as a great intro for the game’s various systems. Transforming into other creatures is a versatile ability that offers a unique way to play. Whether turning into a four-legged beast as essentially a free mount, or an otter-like creature to traverse bodies of water, or even as defeated enemies to blend in or bosses for extra power in battle, the options are numerous and each change the game in interesting ways. With such a heavy focus on guild warfare, the best time to play the game is probably now, when the crowds are largest. NCSoft isn’t new to the MMO genre, though, so provided a healthy gamer population remains in place, then this game should be supported for a while to come.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Pros:

  • Not very grindy
  • Campaign serves as a decent tutorial for the game’s mechanics
  • Involved guild gameplay
  • Free!

Cons:

  • Main campaign feels a bit phoned-in
  • Some performance issues on PS5 (also reported on other platforms)
  • Hand-holding feels like much older games at times

Throne and Liberty bonus review code was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

Tags: Amazon Games NCSoft Throne and Liberty
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Paulmichael Contreras

Paulmichael has been writing in the gaming industry since 2008. Living just outside of Los Angeles, he has been lucky enough to attend numerous gaming events around the world, including the last ten E3 shows (RIP)! A thoughtful reviewer, every game you see scored by PmC has been given careful attention. Paulmichael is also an aviation fan and an avid snowboarder. Favorite games include: No Man's Sky, Gran Turismo 7, skate., CloverPit.

Home > Features

PSVR2, PCVR, and Quest VR Are About to Have Some of Their Best Months for Games

  by   James Lara  
5:09 pm in Features

Things are looking really good for virtual reality (VR) owners right now, as an onslaught of major IPs, both established and new, are set to release from now until the end of this year. Though we can’t predict how well each of these titles will fare in terms of reviews, we certainly can tell you that you’ll have plenty of new games to look forward to before the year ends, whether you game on the PSVR2, Quest, or PC.

What Games Can VR Players Look Forward to in 2024:

Arizona Sunshine Remake – Quest, PCVR, PSVR 2 – October 17

Did you know that the original Arizona Sunshine is getting a remake? Well, now you do, and it’s releasing this week! The remake comes with a handful of improvements, most notably the visual upgrades, which you can see in the reveal trailer.

Batman: Arkham Shadow – Quest 3 Exclusive – October 22

Up next is the new Arkhamverse title, Batman: Arkham Shadow. Set between Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum. Batman: Arkham Shadow will once again see players take on the role of Batman as he faces off against a new threat: The Rat King. There’s not much really known about the plot. However, Camouflaj, the project’s developers, promised we’d see plenty of familiar faces, even those belonging to villains before they became villains! The combat will also be played from Batman’s perspective, allowing us to use a wide range of his gadgets, perform takedowns, and engage in hand-to-hand fighting.

This is the second Batman VR title to be released, and it is canon to Arkham Universe for all those Arkham fans looking for more Batman.

Metro Awakening – Quest, PCVR, PSVR 2 – November 5

Two weeks after Batman: Arkham Shadow’s release is Metro Awakening. An entire Metro game built from the ground up for the VR experience and developed by Vertigo Games, the developers behind Arizona Sunshine Remake, Arizona Sunshine 2, and plenty of other big VR titles. Though the studio is very familiar with VR, they seem to take things to the next level with Metro Awakening, as its impressive gameplay.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – PCVR  – November 19

One of the most immersive Flight Simulators out there is about to become even more immersive, as official VR support it coming! Sadly, it’s only on PC, though given that the title isn’t on PlayStation or the Quest, and the Xbox doesn’t support VR, we aren’t surprised. I’ll say this as someone who enjoys playing sims, adding that VR experience on top of it will be an absolute game-changer.

Skydance’s BEHEMOTH – Quest, PCVR, PSVR 2 – December 5

Here’s one that might not be on many people’s radar but should be: an original new IP from Skydance that sees players facing off against, well, behemoths. It looks pretty epic from all the gameplay trailers they’ve shown off, with plenty of physic-based swordplay to be had, though it’s the God of War-like epic fights that’ll see you scaling these massive skyscraper beasts that look to be the game’s highlight.

Alien: Rogue Incursion – Quest, PCVR, PSVR 2 – December 19

BEHEMOTH isn’t the only “behemoth” to come out in December; a new licensed Alien game is also coming to VR platforms. Alien: Rogue Incursion is a new single-player horror game set in the Alien universe with an original new story. Developers Survios says it’s a game,e by fans, made for the fans, and though we’ve only seen short snippets of the gameplay so far, there are some promising things about it that make it note-worthy to keep an eye on.

Hitman: World Of Assassination – PSVR 2  – December 2024

Last up and closing up the 2024 year for VR is Hitman: World Of Association VR, a VR reimaging of the original Hitman World of Assassination game. If you thought all the planning, stealth, and killing in the original game was crazy, the VR version is going to let you relive all of that, from the first-person view, with you in full control. I mean, just take a look at the trailer, it looks absolutely bonkers.

These are just some of the few VR titles that are dropping in the next few months, the biggest ones, but still just a few. That’s not to mention the several that are still planned for this year, like Zombie Army VR and Aces of Thunder, both of which don’t have a release date but are scheduled for 2024.

Regardless, the remaining months of this year are looking to be filled with potentially massive VR hits, the kind of hits that may make you consider getting into VR. I know I’m excited to get my hands on some of these!

More VR Reading:

Tags: Meta Quest PCVR PlayStation PlayStation VR 2 psvr2
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > News

Destiny: Rising Announced; New Free-to-Play Shooter for Mobile From Bungie and NetEase

  by   Taha  
4:27 pm in News

Bungie and NetEase have officially announced a brand-new mobile game in the Destiny universe—Destiny: Rising. They announced the game today, promising to bring the thrilling shooter experience of consoles and PCs to mobile devices. Set in an alternate timeline of Destiny, Destiny: Rising will explore the post-Dark Ages, a key moment in the lore of the Destiny universe.

The game will be free-to-play and offer a mix of co-op, competitive, and solo modes in a shared world. Bungie has confirmed that Destiny: Rising will feature a unique approach to playable heroes. Unlike the customizable characters we’ve seen in previous Destiny games, this mobile title will introduce pre-made heroes with distinct abilities.

Another notable feature is the ability to choose between first-person and third-person views, which isn’t something you see often in mobile games. The game will also include a variety of modes, such as campaign missions, six-player co-op strikes, and both PvP and PvE options. These additions aim to enhance replayability while still delivering the classic Destiny feel.

While Bungie and NetEase have yet to confirm an official release date or platform details, they have released a trailer on YouTube that shows off some of the game’s features and interviews with the development team. If you’re excited to try it out early, you can sign up for the closed alpha, which starts in November.

Watch the trailer here:

Watch the developer preview here:

More MP1st Reading:

Tags: Bungie Destiny Destiny: Rising netease
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Taha

Television kills your vision.

Home > News

MainFrames Hands-On Preview – The Life of a Floppy Disk

  by   Vitor Braz  
3:11 pm in News

MainFrames is a platformer set inside the windows and desktop of a PC monitor. You control the aptly named Floppy as you jump from window to window, bumping on icons and finding other computer-related applications as a pixelated scene smoothly scrolls in the background. There are many puzzle elements thrown into the mix, meaning that it’s not just about timing and accurate jumping, but also being resourceful with the window movement and having a keen eye to understand how we can adjust the screen in order to reach the exit – or one of them, since you may spot additional gateways in one area.

Drag and Drop

MainFrames Hands-On Preview

If we squint, we can see a little bit of Super Meat Boy in MainFrames, minus the gore and frantic speed. This is shaping up to be a clever, offbeat game, one that regularly throws quite a few different mechanics at the player right when they thought it was all under control. It’s a bit wacky for sure, with some odd characters and transitions reinforcing the idea of a computer where everyone is at work, as Floppy tries to find their place in this world. It’s one of those games with the potential to not only break the fourth wall, but shatter it into pieces, something that we could already experience during this very short playable demo.

For most of the screens or areas, there won’t be anything such as solid ground – you make your way across windows, using wall jumping whenever necessary, until you reach the passage to the next screen. Sometimes it’s as intuitive as making a few jumps; other times, you have to carefully inspect the options and tweak some functions to allow you to reach the exit. When twists like moving windows around or expanding the window’s width or height come into play, things become more complicated and often require some precision jumping and perfect timing. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of some mechanics and understand how they work correctly, such as running to expand the windows, and frustration may be a part of the game here and there, as if you miss a jump, you likely die and reset for that screen. While the game is being described by the developers as cozy, this label does not apply to all the screens, you can be sure of that.

Wall jumping is a recurrent technique that somehow didn’t feel intuitive during our playtime. The potential for unwarranted deaths is huge, both by falling out of the screen or due to touching a glitch that results in insta-kill. Maybe this could be down to a skill issue, but the need for a quick jump and direction press didn’t seem prone to gather consensus here.

MainFrames Hands-On Preview

Other than that, our Floppy is a resourceful little disk. It has no double jump ability – at least so far – but it’s capable of a little spin that works as a short glide, useful to cover a bit more of distance. The bump icons will give it a boost in the indicated direction, often requiring some fast icon switch that balances skill with trial-and-error gameplay. Occasionally you’ll be tasked with rescuing other apps by dragging their characters into an elevator.

There are other mechanics in store for Floppy that we couldn’t try in this short demo, surely things such as vertically flipping the screen or mirror controlling a character, adding to the mix and diversity of what is said to be a short and sweet journey.

A Mainframe With a Few Twists

A retro platformer with some interesting puzzle ideas, MainFrames is unlikely to win game of the year, but could be a fun and clever little romp for those in the lookout for out-of-the-box adventures. Or maybe I should say inside-the-screen adventures? Whatever your preferred label is, and despite some potential frustration with wall jumping, this is shaping up to be a clever little app.

MP1st was given access to a preview build of MainFrames. MainFrames is launching for PC in Q1 2025.

Tags: Assoupi MainFrames Preview The Arcade Crew

Vitor Braz

Home > News

GTA Online New Zombie Mode Attracts Over 1.2 Million Players

  by   Taha  
1:51 pm in News

Rockstar Games recently introduced a new Halloween mode in GTA Online, and it’s already breaking records. The limited-time event, called Ludendorff Cemetery Survival, was launched a few days ago and has brought many players back to the game.

According to GTAO Stats, the Ludendorff Cemetery Survival mode has reached 2.7 million total plays, with over 1.2 million of those being unique players. These numbers show that players still really enjoy GTA Online, even after being out for over ten years.

Ludendorff Cemetery Survival stats
Ludendorff Cemetery Survival stats showing over 2.7 million total plays and more than 1.2 million unique players in GTA Online.

The Ludendorff Cemetery Survival mode seems to take inspiration from Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare, where players face off against waves of zombies. In this new mode, players grab weapons and battle through crowds of the undead in a creepy cemetery. The mix of intense action and Halloween vibes is proving to be a hit, bringing both longtime fans and new players into the game.

This success also explains why Rockstar isn’t in a hurry to release GTA 6. The continued support for GTA 5 keeps players engaged, giving the developers time to focus on perfecting the next game.

To this day, GTA 5 remains the second best-selling game of all time, right behind Minecraft, with over 200 million units sold. The game has also made an impressive $8.6 billion in revenue, further proving its long-lasting popularity. With events like this pulling in millions of players, it’s clear that GTA Online isn’t dying anytime soon.

Looking ahead, with GTA 6 expected to launch in Fall 2025, the success of GTA Online shows just how important the online part of the game has become for Rockstar. There’s a strong chance that GTA Online will carry over into the new game or possibly evolve into a new version, though nothing has been confirmed yet. Given Rockstar’s history, whatever they decide will likely keep players engaged for years to come.

More MP1st Reading:

Thanks, Tez2!

Tags: GTA Online
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Taha

Television kills your vision.

Home > News

Windblown Hands-On Preview – Brush Yourself Off and Try Again, Try Again…

  by   Tyler Nope  
12:26 pm in News

Windblown is the new rogue-lite from developer Motion Twin, famous for their previous game, Dead Cells. Since Dead Cell’s release in 2018, Hades came out and completely upended the rogue-lite market, and Motion Twin took notice. For those curious how the studio’s new project is shaping up, MP1st is here to weigh in on our hands-on preview.

Windblown Is Like Hades and Dead Cells Meet, With the Dial Cranked Up

Not unlike Hades, Windblown offers a hub that you return to between runs. This hub, called The Ark, is where you can purchase upgrades using various currencies gathered during runs. The Ark is a safe haven for anthropomorphic animals displaced by the Vortex, which has created chaos in their world. Each run has you diving into the Vortex to get as far as you can, returning with loot and new citizens of The Ark. Citizens of The Ark unlock new features — sometimes vendors, sometimes for other things, like access to cooperative multiplayer.

I had the chance to explore the first two biomes. Though there are only five or six enemy types in each biome, each enemy does offer unique challenges. Some have simple attack patterns like lobbing grenades, while others are more complex, combining two or three moves that make them harder to deal with. There are also elite variants of some of these enemies, with added health and damage multipliers, though I sometimes found these difficult to differentiate from the standard versions.

Combat is largely inspired by Hades, though Windblown adds some twists to the dodge-and-attack formula. For instance, when wielding two weapons, if you complete a combo you’ll notice a marker above your head. Hitting the button for the other weapon will unleash a devastating finishing move to your enemies. There are also certain weapons that provide you with bonuses should you press the attack button at the right time. When fighting more powerful enemies, you can also pull the left trigger when indicated to perform a finisher which provides bonus loot.

Of course, you’re going to die a lot, and when you die you return to the Ark to spend some of the currency you picked up. Cogs can be spent on certain upgrades that are offered at various intervals throughout the game. Memonite Dust unlocks weapons and trinkets (secondary abilities, think grenades) that can then be discovered during your runs. You also gather Gold Shells, which you’ll spend during runs on things like refilling your health flask, new weapons, and new trinkets.

There are points during runs at which you’re given options on how to proceed to keep you from running from point A to point B. These options are sometimes mandatory – choose one of these two directions based on the reward in each – but sometimes they’re optional. I found these optional paths to be quite intriguing. If I could beat the waves of enemies, I’d have a bonus. These bonuses can be things like +5% damage or +25 max health, and those are tempting, but they often come at the expense of lost health, which, naturally, is something you’ll want plenty of when facing the bosses at the end of the biomes.

Throughout my various runs, I rarely found a reason to go as fast as possible. Windblown does not reward you for going through a biome quickly, at least not in this demo. This was something I’ve always enjoyed about Dead Cells. If you reached certain areas within a time limit, you’d get bonus loot. It provided an added layer of difficulty and choice and is something Windblown should consider taking from Dead Cells.

Those who have played Hades or Dead Cells are going to see both games all over this one. Both of those are amazing experiences, so being a bit of both is far from a bad thing. Motion Twin has done just enough new stuff to warrant giving Windblown a spin. If you’re looking for an entirely new experience, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for one of the most fun games, then Windblown has you covered. A demo is now available to try out on Steam for those looking to scratch that rogue-lite itch.

Preview key provided by publisher Windblown is available on Steam via Early Access on October 24, 2024.

Tags: Motion Twin Windblown

Tyler Nope

Home > News

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare 3, Warzone Coming to Xbox Cloud via Game Pass on Oct. 25

  by   Alex Co  
11:22 am in News

Starting October 25, Xbox Cloud Gaming support is coming to three Call of Duty and they are, Black Ops 6, Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone. Those subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be able to load these bad boys up on their consoles, PCs, mobile devices and select Samsung TV, Amazon Fire TV and Meta Quest devices.

Call of Duty Games Coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming on October 25:

  • Launching on October 25, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is an action thriller set in the early ’90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics. Featuring a mind-bending narrative that is signature Black Ops; Black Ops 6 also provides adrenaline-pumping Multiplayer action and the return of Round-Based Zombies. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies. Learn more and upgrade to the Vault Edition at CallofDuty.com.
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will also be available with Xbox Cloud Gaming for Game Pass Ultimate members starting October 25, 2024. Modern Warfare III launched with Game Pass in July 2024 and delivered a single player Campaign, Multiplayer mode, and an open world Zombies experience. Modern Warfare III gives fans access to a full package of incredible content, including a variety of post-launch content.
  • Call of Duty: Warzone is a massively popular free-to-play battle royale experience. Team up, drop in or fly in solo to be the last squad standing to win. Play a variety of game modes including special limited-time modes with friends throughout the year. Game Pass Ultimate members will be able to experience massive battles via streaming with Xbox Cloud Gaming starting October 25, 2024.

For more on how it works, you can check out this tech support page.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set to hit the PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC this October 25.

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Tags: Call of Duty Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Xbox Game Pass
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Alex Co

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

Home > News

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Might Be Getting Fan-Fave GT Character Based on Datamined Files

  by   James Lara  
10:59 am in News

When the news finally broke that Dragon Ball Sparking Zero would feature some Dragon Ball GT characters, fans of the series were in celebration, as favorites such as Baby, Super Saiyan 4 Goku, Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta, and even Omega Shenron were set to return to the series for the latest game. And though not all the characters made the cut, the game did at least feature one major character from each arc. Well, almost all of them, as fans quickly took notice of the absence of Super 17; though if recent datamining is anything to go by, we may be getting him in an upcoming DLC. 

Regardless of how you may feel about Dragon Ball GT as a whole, there’s no denying that it did give us some of the coolest characters in Dragon Ball history. From the new Super Saiyan 4 form to Baby and his golden great ape transformation to even the Black Star Dragons. Dragon Ball GT may not have had the best story, but it certainly had some of the best characters, even if some did feel a bit wasted with their potential or at least the storyline. 

One such character that many can agree that fits that category is Super 17, an Android formed out of the fusion of two Android 17, one that lived on after the Cell saga, while the other one built in hell by Dr. Gero (17’s original creator) and Dr. Myuu (Baby’s creator). It was a very cool concept, though in execution, the Super 17 arc had far more faults to it, with many calling it the worst written arc in all of Dragon Ball history.

Personally, I enjoyed it, but I completely understand the criticism around the arc, especially with how some of the characters, both heroes and villains ended up being portrayed during the arc, a far cry from how we last saw them. 

Still, Super 17 ended up being a fan favorite because, despite the writing of the arc, he had a pretty awesome design that felt menacing. He might not have been the best-written character, with his motives being rather generic and done to death in the series, but he was still pretty cool. He’s not as cool as Cooler, but he’s still cool. 

Anyway, Super 17 isn’t in Dragon Ball Sparking, but that may change, as recent datamines from Bluesky user MandoMega has revealed that Super 17, along with a handful of other characters, are references in the files. Not playable, just leftover data that may indicate that they’re planned for DLC.

That or they’re scrapped altogether, though one interesting development that occured during the weekend is that the voice actor of Super 17 took to X to “comment” on the rumors of Super 17 coming to Sparking. Quotations around the word “comment” because he didn’t really say anything about it. 

The acknowledgment does make this interesting enough. Either they’re under an NDA, thus the lack of saying anything, or they’re not in the know, meaning if the datamining is indeed real, he may not have been contacted to come back for the character. 

Who knows, but with Dragon Ball Sparking Zero being confirmed to get at least three post-launch DLC packs, we’d wager there’s a good chance that Super 17 gets added post-launch. 

Tags: Dragon Ball Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > Hardware

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 Review – Great Audio, Even Greater Convenience

  by   Paulmichael Contreras  
10:02 am in Hardware

Turtle Beach has been busy updating their catalog of hardware. We recently reviewed the Turtle Beach Air, Stealth 500, and Stealth 600 Gen 3. But they weren’t done there, as they recently sent us their updated Stealth 700 Gen 3. With the largest earcup drivers to date, and two USB dongles to decrease audio switching time, have these headphones improved enough aspects to warrant an upgrade? We’ve spent a couple of weeks with this headphone set, and can answer that question in this review.

What’s in the Box?

In the box is the headset, a 2m / 6.5 ft USB-A to USB-C cord (which is slightly longer than the cord included in the other versions), a quick start guide, and two USB wireless transmitters, otherwise known as dongles. Despite costing $20 more than the Atlas Air, no carrying case is included. That’s fine, though, because I could easily see these as being someone’s daily driver, thus negating the necessity of a case in the first place.

After an initial top up of the battery, which didn’t take long (a couple of hours at most), turning on and pairing via Bluetooth to my Galaxy Z Fold 4 was quick and easy. Updating wasn’t quite as intuitive, as the process requires that both USB dongles are plugged into something, with the power on, as the app refuses to update only the headphones. So, be sure you’re near two powered USB ports when you try to use the Swarm II app.

Speaking of which, the Swarm II app has been updated to be compatible with their latest headset. That’s really all they’ve done this time around. You have the same access as with the other recently-updated headphones, and can save preset equalizers, toggle sound signatures, toggle and adjust their “Superhuman Hearing” feature, which filters audio to emphasize Footsteps, Gunshots, or other noises, and you can even adjust what some buttons and even what one of the dials does.

Superb Audio Quality

The most important question for any headphone is how good the audio quality is. For the Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3, there’s good news. The 60mm dual drivers perform excellently. With a dedicated tweeter for bass and a separate one for treble in each earcup, this means an extended frequency response rate from 10 Hz to 40,000 Hz (on PC, anyway) can be achieved. In practice, this means music sounds very accurate. These headphones have a slight emphasis on bass, and due to their size, at higher volumes, they actually shake a little bit that you can literally feel, like what you’d expect with, say, a loudspeaker. It’s moving an impressive amount of air to be able to do that. Having said that, at those higher volumes the bass can occasionally sound a bit muffled. Though of course this is the most subjective part of any headphone review. But most likely, whatever your taste in audio, the Stealth 700 Gen 3 likely won’t disappoint.

The quoted 80-hour battery life is probably accurate; we haven’t needed a charge yet despite dozens of hours of listening time. Turtle Beach’s latest generation of headsets has amazing battery life overall, so this is not surprising to see in the Stealth 700 Gen 3. It also feels like it will hold up over time, thanks to the hybrid leatherette/athletic fabric ear cushions that surround the memory foam. I get sweaty when playing extended sessions of Beat Saber, and simply wipe them with my shirt or a paper towel to ensure extra moisture is dried up after. So far, there is no evidence of them having gotten sweat on them, as the fabric seems to do a good job of wicking it away.

Thanks to that same generous padding on the earcups, as well as some on the inside top of the metal-reinforced frame, it’s easy to wear these headphones all day, despite their large size. The earcups can be rotated a full 90 degrees, so you can lay them flat when not in use. The frame feels solid, and the metal yokes don’t creak against the plastic of the earcups which house the drivers, nor does the plastic itself make much of any sound when adjusting the headphones.

Crossplay Audio is Convenient

If you’re like most gamers these days, you have at least two devices you play games on that aren’t your phone. With most gaming headsets, it can be a minor hassle having to physically move a USB dongle to whatever device you’re currently playing. The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 solves this issue by simply shipping out with two USB dongles. You can have them plugged in to whichever two devices you like, and a simple press of a button on the right earcup causes the headphones to produce a beep, indicating that it has switched channels to another USB dongle. A perfect example is having one dongle plugged into a PS5, and the other into a PC. It’s something I could easily see players setting up once, and then never having to touch again. Sure, in the grand scheme of things this is a small problem, but the convenience is something you quickly get used to the more you use it.

The microphone is the classic flip-to-mute boom that Turtle Beach is known for, and the USB dongle pulses in red if the headset is connected to its channel and the mic is muted, glows green, or turns blue depending on the status of the mic and/or connection status. It’s nice to be able to see at a glance what the state of your equipment is in without having to take it off or remove your hand from the controller to feel if everything is in the right spot. The PC version has a wider capture range going all the way up to 32 kHz, and those I spoke to said my voice sounded very clear. There is also a mic monitoring feature, which can be used as a sort of transparency mode. Since this is a software solution, it’s not quite as lifelike as headphones with dedicated hardware, however it’s definitely good enough to hear your name called when you’re immersed in VR, for example.

Verdict

The Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 is a well-rounded, premium gaming headset with superb audio alongside some great connectivity options. The ability to have phone audio play at the same time as the console or PC audio is incredibly convenient, and people who want to stay connected while playing their games should seriously consider this headset. The dual drivers in each earcup play great quality audio, even if the bass might need some tweaking on rare occasion. Two separate USB dongles, along with a flip-to-mute mic complete this very convenient, versatile audio package, especially at $199.99 (USD).

Score: 9/10

Pros:

  • Massive, fairly accurate 60mm dual drivers deliver loud, punchy sound
  • Premium build quality feels like it will last for a long time.
  • Easy to pair with phones and other Bluetooth-compatible devices
  • Dual USB transmitters come in handy to quickly switch audio sources
  • Flip-to-mute mic is very handy
  • Extremely long 80-hour battery life

Cons:

  • Bass can occasionally sound muffled at very loud volumes
  • Updating firmware cannot be done only on your phone unless you have two available USB ports somewhere nearby

Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3 review unit was provided by the manufacturer. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

Tags: Headphones Stealth 700 Turtle Beach Turtle Beach Stealth 700 Gen 3
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Paulmichael Contreras

Paulmichael has been writing in the gaming industry since 2008. Living just outside of Los Angeles, he has been lucky enough to attend numerous gaming events around the world, including the last ten E3 shows (RIP)! A thoughtful reviewer, every game you see scored by PmC has been given careful attention. Paulmichael is also an aviation fan and an avid snowboarder. Favorite games include: No Man's Sky, Gran Turismo 7, skate., CloverPit.

Home > Title Updates and Patches

F1 24 Update 1.011 for v1.11 Brings Season 3 Part 2

  by   Alex Co  
6:39 am in Title Updates and Patches

Codemasters has released F1 24 update 1.011, which is for version 1.11 that brings Season 3 Part 2! Players can download the data now and alongside the new events, there are bug fixes, AI improvements and more outlined below.

What’s New in F1 2042 Update 1.011?

Season 3 – Part 2

Added new Season 3 Events, including:

  • Challenge Career: Ayrton Senna – From October 15
  • Brazil Pro Challenge: Gabriel Bortoleto – From October 25
  • Race Scenario: 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix – From October 25

The v1.11 patch for F1®️ 24 will roll-out on all platforms from Monday, October 14 at 10am UTC. Please ensure you are connected to online services in order to receive updates.

Here’s a list of everything that’s been updated in this latest patch:

Bug Fixes

  • The official F2™ 2024 Championship now uses the correct calendar of tracks
  • Fixed an issue where the ERS Deployment limit was too high by setting it back to the correct level
  • Issues with the Safety Car, Auto Recovery, and Practice Programmes at Brazil have been fixed

AI/CPU Behaviour

  • AI in F2™ races will now make better tyre choices in sessions with changing weather conditions

Graphics/Visuals

  • The halo has been updated on both Mercedes cars
  • Improvements to a number of F2™ 24 driver helmets
  • Corrected the location of a sponsor on the Kick Sauber cars
  • Intel XeSS 1.3 added, which adds Ultra Quality and Ultra Performance settings

Tracks

  • The finish line at Brazil has been updated to match real life
    • Because of this change, the Time Trial leaderboards have been reset for this circuit

Miscellaneous

  • UDP – F2™ Engine ICE power is now reported via the CarStatusData packet
  • Various UI Improvements

You can keep track of all our F1 24 coverage here.

[Source: EA]

Tags: f1 F1 24
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Alex Co

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

Home > News

Reddit Down in Specific Areas This October 14

  by   Alex Co  
4:02 am in News

It seems Reddit is seeing issues loading and is down in some regions outside of the US per user reports this October 14, 2024. There is no announced downtime, so this is not planned maintenance.

Where Is Reddit Down?

Based on our own testing by our writer, Reddit is having issues loading in Dubai and other parts of the Middle-East. We can confirm it is working in Asia, and in the US. So far, the official Reddit status page has not acknowledged any downtime. However, Downdetector has seen an uptick in user reports:

Multiple reports on Twitter/X have confirmed it’s out for some as well with users seeing this error “upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers. reset reason: connection failure,”

We’ll monitor the situation and will update the article as more news about it develops. If you can’t connect to Reddit,  leave a comment below and let us know where you’re connecting from.

More MP1st Reading:

Tags: Reddit
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Alex Co

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

Home > News

Game Freak Confirms Data Breach With Statement; Already Contacting Employees Who Had Their Data Stolen

  by   James Lara  
October 13, 2024 6:30 pm in News

A massive data breach has occurred at Game Freak, and though some had thought that it wasn’t true, source code, employee information, and details on unreleased Pokemon games, movies, and even the Switch successor soon leaked online. A day after the leaks, Game Freak, the developers behind the Pokemon franchise, finally confirmed that the breach was real and that they’re already taking action.

Game Freak Statement Confirms Breach

Issuing the statement on their official website, here’s what Game Freak had to say n(via Google translate) about the breach and what they’ve done.

GAME FREAK Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Satoshi Tajiri, hereinafter referred to as “our company”) has discovered that personal information of our employees and others was leaked in connection with unauthorized access to our servers by a third party in August 2024. We sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience and concern this has caused to all those involved.

Leaked personal information

Personal data regarding our employees, etc.

Items: Name, company email address Number of cases: 2,606 *Our employees, contract workers (including former employees and ex-employees)

Response to those whose personal information has been leaked We are contacting the affected employees individually. For those who cannot be contacted individually due to leaving the company, etc., we will notify them through this announcement and set up a contact point to respond to inquiries regarding this matter.

Measures to prevent recurrence

We have already rebuilt and re-inspected the server, and will strive to prevent recurrence by further strengthening our security measures.

Like any data breach, it’s unfortunate to see this happen. While the idea of being able to get a peak at some of the inner workings of game development is exciting to some, it often, if not always, comes with employee data being stolen, shared, and stolen on the web. Let us hope nothing major comes to anyone who had their info posted, and that Game Freak is doing all they can to help them if it does.

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Tags: Game Freak Hack
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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New Trailer for Video Game Anthology Series “Secret Level” Leaks, Cast Includes Arnold Schwarzenegger and His Son

  by   Efrain  
5:34 pm in News

One of the biggest revelations at this year’s gamescom was undoubtedly “Secret Level,” an animated anthology series created for Prime Video. This series, developed by Tim Miller and Blur Studio — the team behind “L0ove, Death & Robots” — aims to explore many of the industry’s best-known video game IPs, including franchises such as Mega Man, Warhammer, and God of War over a 15-episode season with different storylines.

In an era of critically acclaimed video game adaptations by critics and fans alike, it’s not surprising that the trailer has been well-received, especially when you see that the studio responsible for animating it has a long history of creating impressive cinematic trailers for games like Destiny 2, Titanfall and Halo Wars.

While we recently got another glimpse of the series through an episode preview based on Unreal Tournament, it looks like we now have another trailer on our hands, albeit not shown in a conventional way. A leak that surfaced recently revealed the second trailer, which shows a previously unannounced all-star cast.

A glimpse at a star-studded cast

The leak originated from a Telegram channel, something you can tell by seeing the giant watermark present throughout the trailer. Interestingly, this appears to be the same source from which leaks about the upcoming Sonic movie emerged back in September.

Regarding the ‘Secret Level’ trailer, it’s worth noting that despite being nearly finished, it contains two scenes with unfinished animation, indicating its work-in-progress status.

[Trailer removed in response to a DMCA takedown notice by Amazon]

Looking at the cast featured in the trailer, we can see that the series will be filled with the voices of major stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even actors from globally recognized series, like Claudia Doumit, who plays Victoria Neuman in ‘The Boys’. Here is the main cast:

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • Kevin Hart
  • Keanu Reeves
  • Heaven Hart
  • Temuera Morrison
  • Ariana Greenblatt
  • Emily Swallow
  • Gabriel Luna
  • Ricky Whittle
  • Patrick Schwarzenegger
  • Merle Dandridge
  • Claudia Doumit
  • Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
  • Clive Standen
  • Michael Beach

While we wait for more news about the series, this unofficial sneak peek helps make the wait more bearable. Secret Level premieres on Prime Video on December 10 of this year.

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Tags: Amazon Leak Report Secret Level

Efrain

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Space Marine 2: No Plans for PvPvE; Saber Thinks It’s a “Holy Grail” of Game Design

  by   Alex Co  
4:39 pm in News

While Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 features a full-fledged campaign where players go up against the tyranids, and the game offers a PvP (player vs. player) mode as well, it seems the game would be a logical fit for a PvPvE (player vs. player vs. environment) though there’s nothing like it available in the game.

For those wondering if we can expect that in future updates, developer Saber Interactive has confirmed to MP1st that there are no plans for it. Speaking to the site, we asked Saber whether there’s a chance we can expect PvE elements to be integrated into the match, such as a Xeno outbreak in the middle of PvP match or something similar. Answering the question for Saber is Game Director Dmitry Grigorenko.

MP1st: PvP is strictly competitive, as in player versus player? Or can we expect some PvE elements to also appear? Has the team thought of adding some potential PvE during a PvP match, such as a Xeno outbreak in the middle, so now players have to worry about those on top of each other.

Dmitry: PvPvE is a holy grail of game design. A lot of studios are trying to find it and a lot of them fail. The truth is that it’s a very very difficult task. It sounds great on paper, but when you actually start trying, it becomes apparent that it’s very annoying when you fight other players only to get backstabbed by an AI opponent. This is why most of the games are trying to ensure that PvP and PvE aspects don’t intersect that much, i.e. AI opponents are restricted to specific places on maps, etc. It’s a complicated mode to implement that would change the experience significantly, so I’m afraid there are no plans for it.

In the same interview, Saber also mentioned how they could have designed Space Marine 2 to be an open-world game, but didn’t think fans would like it.

Stay tuned to our full Space Marine 2 interview hitting the site soon.

If you’ve yet to play Space Marine 2, you might want to change that quick! Our review of the game is available here, where we state, “Saber’s first tour of service in the Ultramarines is one that’s decorated with stars, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for the game and the franchise.”

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Tags: Dmitry Grigorenko Saber Interactive Warhammer Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2
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Alex Co

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

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LeBron James Campaigning for Son Bronny to Have Own Call of Duty Character Skin; “Let’s Talk” Activision Says

  by   Alex Co  
12:16 pm in News

While LeBron James might be one of the best basketball players of all-time, another feather the NBA legend can put in his cap is how in the coming NBA season, he will be the first player in league history to play alongside his son on the same floor. It seems the father and son duo are not stopping there, as they’re now aiming to be in Call of Duty as well.

Over on Twitter, LeBron mentioned how his son Bronny wants to have his own operator skin in Call of Duty, and even tagged the official Activision and Call of Duty Twitter accounts to “talk” to him:

Not one to bypass a chance for more promotion, the official Call of Duty account replied that they want to talk to, and how the first father-son duo NBA history could be the first one in Call of Duty history as well.


Needless to say, not only is LeBron influential enough to get his own son drafted by the L.A. Lakers, but seems to have enough clout to get him into Call of Duty even. Chances are, Activision will integrate LeBron and Bronny as operator skins for the soon-to-be released Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which should also be available to use in Call of Duty: Warzone.

Will We See LeBron and Bronny in Call of Duty?

Will this happen? Given LeBron is interested, Activision is also interested, I’d say yes. Once the legalities and money is out of the way, there’s no stopping LeBron and his son from appearing in Call of Duty. They will probably be part of a cosmetic bundle to be sold, which means players have the choice of not buying it at all if they don’t want to.

LeBron and his son won’t be the first or more recent NBA player to make their way into Call of Duty. as we got Kevin Durant introduced in Modern Warfare 2 last year.

This isn’t Bronny James’ brush with video games as well, as just a few months ago, Bronny commented on what rating he felt he deserved in NBA 2K25.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will be released this October 25 on the PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Will we see LeBron and Bronny’s operator skins drop soon after? Once we get more news about that, we’ll let our readers know.

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Alex Co

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

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Metaphor: ReFantazio Does Indeed Support Cross-Save Between PS4 to PS5 Despite SEGA Saying Otherwise

  by   James Lara  
9:56 am in News

For those who own Metaphor: ReFantazio on the PS5 but decided to play the PS4 due to its much smoother performance, there is some good news if you eventually plan on playing on the PS5 should it ever get improved. Saves are transferrable, despite SEGA saying there’s no support.

Metaphor: ReFantazio PS4 and PS5 Does Have Cross-Save Support 

When SEGA and ATLUS dropped the Metaphor: ReFantazio demo last month, they also released a short FAQ (frequently asked questions) detailing what players can transfer from the demo into the final game. At the same time, they confirmed that only the Xbox and Windows PC versions of the game would support cross-save, leaving out support for the PS4 and PS5 versions. 

“You can carry over your demo save data to your main game. Once you launch the main game, you will be asked if you want to carry over the save file. The game supports cross-save between Xbox and Microsoft Store on PC. Unfortunately, there is no cross-save compatibility between PS4 and PS5. In addition, it is not possible to continue the Demo PS4 save on Main game PS5; vice versa.”

The last sentence at the end confirms that it wasn’t strictly speaking about the demo but the game itself. Despite this coming directly from the publisher, it turns out it’s not true. 

On both PS4 and PS5 (and we assume other shared family platforms), once saving becomes available, you’ll gain access to a single save slot called “Network Data.” Saving in this slot will upload your game save to the cloud and become accessible on either platform, meaning you can transfer your PS4 game save over to the PS5 and vice-versa. I know because I tested it myself, moving my Metaphor: ReFantazio save from the PS4 version to the PS5 and then moving it from the PS5 back to the PS4 using the Network Data save slot.

The only thing is that, unfortunately, any achievements earned on one platform won’t automatically be unlocked on the other platform. You have to re-earn trophies.  You also can only do one save at a time, meaning if you want to transfer all your save slots, you have to upload, download, then save in a different slot on one platform, then go back on the other platform and upload the next save, and then download again and save in another slot.

One question some may be wondering: why would you play the PS4 version over the PS5 version? Well, as seen on some past cross-gen titles (such as Elden Ring), the PS4 version of a game can perform better than the PS5 version, though at the cost of worse visuals. The PS5 version of Metaphor does indeed suffer from performance issues, as noted by Digital Foundry in their breakdown with the game seeing dips as low as 40 fps.  I noticed this myself and played through the PS4 version (via backward compatibility on the PS5), and honestly, I can’t say I saw any noticeable dips. It felt like a closer 60 fps experience than the PS5 version did, so for those looking for a stable performance, that option is there. 

At least until ATLUS and SEGA improve on it. When they do, you’ll be able to transfer your save via the method above. 

Of course, there are those who haven’t upgraded to a PS5 and may be doing so when the PS5 Pro drops. If they own the game and are playing it already on the PS4, they can use the Network Data save slot and continue their journey on the PS5 when they get one. 

It’s a bizarre thing for SEGA and ATLUS, not to mention Network Data in their FAQ as a means to transfer a save between platforms, though I do suppose it’s not quite as convenient as the native support we’ve seen in other games. 

Tags: ATLUS Metaphor: ReFantazio Sega
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Announced With a February 2025 Release

  by   James Lara  
October 12, 2024 5:55 pm in News

After remastering the first three Tomb Raider games, Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics are back and remastering three more games! That’s right—the Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered collection has been announced, and it’ll be arriving early next year!

Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Collection Brings Back the Classics With Updated Features

Though they were never officially referred to as numbered entries like the first three Tomb Raider games, the Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered Collection will consist of the three following mainline Tomb Raider games that were published under Eidos Interactive. They are:

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999)

Lara Croft uncovers the lost tomb of the Egyptian God Set, unwittingly unleashing him and fulfilling an ancient prophecy—one that plunges mankind into darkness. Pursued at every turn by her arch-rival, the unscrupulous archaeologist Werner Von Croy, Lara embarks on a journey of discovery across Egypt, where she must overcome the most ingenious puzzles and infernal traps ever devised while facing terrifying evil from beyond the grave.

Tomb Raider: Chronicles (2000)

Following the events of The Last Revelation, Lara Croft is buried in an Egyptian tomb and presumed dead. At her memorial, those closest to her reminisce about secrets from her past. Travel back and experience Lara’s untold adventures, introducing new gameplay mechanics like stealth and tightrope balancing!

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (2003)

Accused of murder, Lara becomes a fugitive on the run, uncovering a sinister conspiracy involving alchemical experiments and the search for ancient artifacts. It’s up to Lara to stop this unholy alliance from unleashing its incredible powers on the world.

Much like the first remastered collection, Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered will feature several improvements over the original releases, the most obvious being the visual upgrade and modern controls. Photomode is also coming back, along with some quality-of-life improvements and support for trophies and achievements.

A fantastic announcement, and personally, I cannot wait to revisit The Angle of Darkness and the other two Tomb Raiders. Speaking of wait, it won’t be long as Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered will officially be released on February 14, 2025, on the  Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Tags: Aspyr Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered
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James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

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