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Sniper Elite 5 Update 1.11 Fires Out This September 13 (Update)

Rebellion has fired out Sniper Elite 5 update 1.11 on all platforms, and this is an unannounced title update. In addition to that, the studio is also teasing what seems to be new content for the game, too. Read on for what’s new in the Sniper Elite 5 September 13 patch notes.

Sniper Elite 5 Update 1.11 Patch Notes | Sniper Elite 5 September 13 Patch Notes:

Update: Rebellion has released official details regarding today’s update, and it brings a free new Survival Map, alongside the latest batch of content for Season Pass One owners.

Playable in both solo and co-op, ‘Amongst the Rubble’ takes you back to the once beautiful city of Saint Nazaire. Now ravaged by war, it’s down to you and your teammates to defend the Command Post as you fight a seemingly never-ending stream of Nazis in the smoke-filled streets and ruins.

The Concealed Target Weapon and Skin pack will take your stealth to the next level as you hunt down your enemies from the shadows. The pack includes:

Left of image shows the Ghillie Suit Skin in action, blending in with the foliage, and on the right, all angle shots of Karl and Monika showing off the skin.

  • HS.22 pistol
  • Pea Dot Camo weapon skin
  • Ghillie Suit Elite character skin (Karl and Monika)

The authentic World War 2 Ghillie Suit Elite character skin (available for Karl and Monika) is designed to break up your visual silhouette, allowing you to blend in with your surroundings for the ultimate stealthy approach. When paired with the Pea Dot Camo weapon skin it becomes particularly effective as you stalk your prey.

Meanwhile, the covert HS.22 pistol features an integral suppressor which makes it practically silent. Firing .22 calibre rounds with almost no recoil, this sidearm is deadly and accurate.

The Concealed Target Pack is available now as part of Season Pass One, costing $34.99 or as a standalone purchase for $9.99. Season Pass One also includes the Landing Force mission and weapons packs released last month as well as two further content drops in the coming months.

Patch Notes

We’ve been busy working on improving your Sniper Elite 5 experience. In addition to the Amongst the Rubble Survival Map and the Concealed Target pack, our new update has addressed several issues and finessed some features and gameplay to enhance your overall experience.

To highlight a few key changes, you’ll now notice the Game Update information will be displayed to you in game letting you know about new content and patches!

Ask and ye shall receive – Map Voting has come to Sniper Elite 5. You can now vote for the map you’d most like to play in the forthcoming match. And over in the Shooting Range, we’ve now added callouts so you can better practice those testicle shots!

We’ve also rolled out Prestige Mode! This mode allows players to restart their progression multiple times, earning new and improved rewards. The option to trigger Prestige Mode is available in the Service Record once you have reached level 50 in adversarial multiplayer modes.

We appreciate your continued support and feedback. We’d like to extend our gratitude to the members of our community who’ve been an integral part of bug fixing – sending in reports, save files, and such!

Please keep them coming as they assist in improving your Sniper Elite 5 experience. You can reach out to our team through the Help Centre if you require any support.

Sniper Elite 5 Team

  • Added FREE ‘Amongst the Rubble’ Survival map
  • Support for NEW ‘Concealed Target’ Weapon & Skin pack
  • Added Prestige Mode allowing players to restart their progression multiple times
  • Added support for highly requested Map Voting in Quick Match multiplayer lobbies
  • Added Shot Callout functionality in the Firing Range
  • Added ‘Game Update’ functionality to highlight new content and DLC
  • Updated the Axis Invasion rematch messaging to be clearer if the invader declines a rematch
  • Fix to a ledge in Secret Weapons that players could climb down but not back up
  • Fixed an issue where special ammo types were disappearing after saving game and reloading
  • Resolved an issue where players could get stuck on a ladder in No Cross
  • Fixed a set of stairs in Secret Weapons that some players found hard to climb
  • In Spy Academy we have fixed an issue where players could fall through a wall and under the game map
  • Resolved issues caused by having Satchel Charges in Equipment slot one
  • Fixed a known issue with Exfiltration from Liberation
  • Replaced incorrect German translation of ‘stealth’ on Mission Summary screen
  • The P.K Berlin scope was displayed the wrong way round on rifles, now displays correctly
  • Resolved collision issues which were allowing players to breach the fence when playing No Cross on Flooded Village
  • Fix for Multiplayer D.L. Carbine Kills within the weapon’s audible range being recorded as a negative value rather than a positive – this fix will kick in the next time a kill within audible range is recorded, and no progress towards the associated Extended Suppressor Barrel unlock will be lost
  • In Survival Mode an issue where weapons dropped on raised surfaces could not always be picked up again has been fixed
  • Fixed issue of players falling through the map on Atlantic Wall
  • Instances of Karl picking up a weapon and appearing empty handed have been resolved
  • Fixed a rare issue where SMG Kill Cam would display incorrectly
  • When playing Invasion Mode players will no longer be able to leave the game during Kill Cam to avoid the kill being attributed
  • Resolved an issue where players can fall through the map below the bridge on Spy Academy
  • Fixed a multiplayer bug where players with Toughened Skill respawn with only four health bars.
  • Replaced a missing zip line on War Factory

Fixes for Landing Force:

  • Fixed an issue where Schmidt can fall through the map when killed leaving players unable to get the scuttle codes
  • Players can no longer get stuck in lift shaft
  • Fixed the radio tower animation when a player invades the game after the tower has been destroyed
  • Resolved an issue where players can fall through the map
  • Removed incorrectly placed Alarm button board
  • Fixed various collision and texture issues
  • Fixed grammatical and spelling errors

Rebellion has not released the official patch notes just yet, but that should change soon. In the meantime, Rebellion has pushed out a new snippet of gameplay which has morse code in it too.

Per Steam, the morse code says “NEW INTEL, SUPPLY CACHE INBOUND” which could mean that a new announcement is on the way. 

Once we know the official patch notes, we’ll update the post accordingly, so refresh this post from time to time.

Update: Official patch notes have been added to the article.

Source: Sniper Elite

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Alex Co

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

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Babylon’s Fall Ending Service on Feb. 27, 2023, Large-Scale Updates Cancelled

While Babylon’s Fall was just released in March of this year, it seems the game has tanked very hard that Square Enix is pulling support from it very soon. According to a new announcement, Babylon’s Fall will end service on February 27, 2023 — not even 12 months after its release.

Any planned large-scale updates for the game have been cancelled, and sale of the game’s premium currency, Garaz, has been halted, too. 

Here’s the announcement from PlatinumGames:

Greetings Sentinel Force,
Thank you very much for playing BABYLON’S FALL.

With the desire of delivering an exhilarating online multiplayer action RPG set in an elaborate high fantasy world, we launched the game’s official service on Thursday, March 3, 2022, and have continued to undertake additional development and operations. However, it is with deep regret to inform you that we will be terminating the game’s service on February 27, 2023.

As a result, we will also cancel the large-scale updates that we had planned. In terms of the plan moving forward, Season 2 will run until Tuesday, November 29, 2022, as scheduled, and the Final Season will begin with the maintenance scheduled on the same day. This Final Season is the period during which you can earn the ranking rewards of Season 2.

As a way of expressing our gratitude to all our players, we plan to implement as many events and other initiatives as we can, leading up to the end of the service.

Schedule Until the End of Service

Tuesday, September 13, 2022 Sales of the premium currency Garaz suspended
Following the publication of this announcement, sales of the digital version, as well as the physical version on retailer sites, will draw to a close.
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 Season 2 ends
Sales of Premium Battle Pass end
Final Season begins
Final Season Special Rewards
Rankings – Zenon: Very Hard
Event Missions 1st Wave
December 2022 End-of-Year/New Year Special Rewards
January 2023 Event Missions 2nd Wave
Rankings – Ereshkigal: Very Hard
February 2023 Event Missions 3rd Wave
Quest Boost
Monday, February 27, 2023 at 11:00 p.m. (PT) Service ends
“Hanging Garden” player site closes

Caution

  • Schedule may be subject to change without prior notice.
  • After the service ends on Monday, February 27, 2023 at 11:00 p.m. (PT) you will no longer be able to play the game.
  • All gameplay data on the game servers will be deleted following the termination of the service.

Lastly, the studio also gave a closing statement stating they’ve learned a lot from the feedback provided by players.

Leading up until today, we received a lot of feedback from all our Sentinels through multiple surveys, official livestreams, our official Discord server and social media channels, which has been a great help to us in the Development and Operations teams. In particular, through our surveys we received a great deal of enthusiastic messages of support alongside keen observations of issues and suggestions for improvement. This really made us feel that we were able to create the world of BABYLON’S FALL together with our players. Despite all of your support, we are truly sad and sorry to say that we will be unable to continue with the game’s service.

Given the state of the game, and how few players are engaging, this isn’t really that a surprise. Hopefully, Square Enix and PlatinumGames learn from the mistakes from this game.

Source: Hanging-Garden

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Alex Co

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

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Battlefield 2042 Update 1.000.021 Fires Out for Version 2.0.1 This September 13

Battlefield 2042 update 1.000.021 is now out on all platforms, and this is for patch version 2.0.1! Players can expect adjustments to Paik, the AM40 and The Avancys, and more. Read on for the BF2042 September 13 patch notes.

Battlefield 2042 Update 1.000.021 Patch Notes | BF2042 September 13 Patch Notes:

Alongside a small number of bug fixes we are correcting the visual effects (VFX) of Paik’s EMG-X Scanner for which we Hotfixed the range and duration on September 1. As a result, the Scanner’s VFX no longer extends beyond its effective range. We have also decreased the uptime of the Location Revealed notification for Scanned targets as you’ve told us this notification was intrusive during gameplay.

Changelog

  • The Avancys and AM40 no longer display visible weapon shake when firing after switching from a secondary weapon
  • Resolved instances where red containers could glitch inside the ship on Stranded
  • Resolved an issue where the “Interact” button would sometimes trigger repeatedly. This could for example cause you to enter a vehicle again directly after exiting 

Paik

  • The EMG-X Scanner VFX now matches the maximum range of this ability (25m)
  • The Location Revealed notification for spotted target now remains on screen for 0.3s

As for the title update, DICE says it’s set for end of September/early October, and will house the Renewal map rework, the Polaris RZR and new Vault Weapons.

Source: EA Answers

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Alex Co

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

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Battlefield 2042 Update 1.18 Deployed for Patch 2.0.1 This September 13

DICE has released Battlefield 2042 update 1.18, and this is called patch version 2.0.1, and includes a few fixes for the specialist Paik, alongside other bugs. Read on for what’s new in the Battlefield 2042 2.0.1 patch notes.

Battlefield 2042 Update 1.18 Patch Notes | BF2042 Update 2.0.1 Patch Notes:

Alongside a small number of bug fixes we are correcting the visual effects (VFX) of Paik’s EMG-X Scanner for which we Hotfixed the range and duration on September 1. As a result, the Scanner’s VFX no longer extends beyond its effective range. We have also decreased the uptime of the Location Revealed notification for Scanned targets as you’ve told us this notification was intrusive during gameplay.

Changelog

  • The Avancys and AM40 no longer display visible weapon shake when firing after switching from a secondary weapon
  • Resolved instances where red containers could glitch inside the ship on Stranded
  • Resolved an issue where the “Interact” button would sometimes trigger repeatedly. This could for example cause you to enter a vehicle again directly after exiting 

Paik

  • The EMG-X Scanner VFX now matches the maximum range of this ability (25m)
  • The Location Revealed notification for spotted target now remains on screen for 0.3s

As for the title update, DICE says it’s set for end of September/early October, and will house the Renewal map rework, the Polaris RZR and new Vault Weapons.

Source: EA Answers

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Alex Co

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

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Deep Rock Galactic Update 1.18 Shoots Out This September 13

Ghost Ship Games has fired out Deep Rock Galactic update 1.18 (PS5 version 1.000.018), which seems to be data for the big Oktoberfest event kicking off this September 15. Read on for what’s new in the Deep Rock Galactic September 13 patch notes.

Deep Rock Galactic Update 1.18 Patch Notes | Deep Rock Galactic Update 1.000.018 Patch Notes | Deep Rock Galactic September 13 Patch Notes:

Ghost Ship has not released the official patch notes just yet, though the Oktoberfest content has been revealed, which we’ve included below.

We told you last week, but here it is again: Oktoberfest has returned to Deep Rock Galactic, with new Cosmetics, a new Oktoberfest Beer, and a chance to earn double Seasonal Mission XP! The event is starting next week, September 15th (13.00 CEST), and will end on October 3rd (13.00 CEST). So dust off your lederhosen, and get ready for the workplace party of the year! Prost!

Assignment, new Hats, and Space Rig decoration

As you’ve come to expect from a DRG event, you will get access to a new, lucrative Assignment while Oktoberfest is running. Complete it and you will be rewarded with two new hats to commemorate the festivities, along with a most handsome compensation for your efforts.

Wearing either the traditional Trachtenhut or the Kegger is sure to get you and your colleagues in a festive mood. And if that doesn’t do it, Management has made sure the Space Rig is decorated to fit the beer-and-sausage theme of the season.

Usually, that would be it. But this time, management found some extra budget to allocate to this event. You’re in for a treat, miners!

Seasonal Oktoberfest Beer

During the event, you will have access to an entirely new brew never before seen on the Space Rig. Longbeard Brewery has made a beer to go along with the Oktoberfestivities:

The Best Wurst Beer is a tangy, sausage-flavored brew concocted especially for thirsty Oktoberfest-goers! Longbeard Brewery has ensured Management that it really is the best Wurst beer on the market, so it will without a doubt live up to its name. Management was also able to secure a hefty shipment of this new delicacy, so we should be all set in terms of supply until the event ends. You’d think it almost impossible to secure enough of this new brew to last us through Oktoberfest, but Management has come through – obviously!

Enjoy it, miners – you’ve earned it.

Earn Double Season XP

A Longbeard cargo freighter crashed on approach, scattering its cargo of specialty beer mugs across Hoxxes! The Oktoberfest celebration is in jeopardy, we can’t serve beer if we don’t have beer mugs! It’s a catastrophe!

Recovering a “Best Wurst Beer” mug during a mission will trigger a bonus, doubling your Mission Performance Points for that mission!

We ask all employees to drink responsibly during the mug shortage.

You will have to contain your yodeling for one more week until Oktoberfest starts. We trust the party as well as the new beer will both be experiences to remember! In the meantime, how about distracting yourself in the best way possible: Work! Morkite doesn’t mine itself, you know.

In addition to that, a vague image has been relayed last week too.

Once the official patch notes are out, we’ll update the post accordingly.

Source: Steam

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Alex Co

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

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The Division 2 Update 1.44 Released for TU16 Season 10 This September 13 (Update)

The Division 2 update 1.44 is now out on all platforms during the game’s maintenance window, and this is for Season 10: Price of Power or also known as Title Update 16 (TU16)! Agents can expect new Manhunt, new gear and weapons and more! Read on for what’s new in The Division 2 September 13 patch notes.

The Division 2 Update 1.44 Patch Notes | The Division 2 Season 10 Patch Notes | The Division 2 TU16 Patch Notes | The Division 2 September 13 Patch Notes:

Update: Ubisoft has released the official patch notes!

[TCTD2] News - Season 10: Price of Power 01

MANHUNT

A lot has happened during Season 9, and there’s something bigger brewing in Season 10: Price of Power.

We need to track down the latest target, General Peter Anderson. He’s power hungry and looking to secure his position in the True Sons as Antwon Ridgeway’s successor. This puts him in a position to build an alliance strong enough to take down The Division.

Anderson is looking to mend the relationship between the Black Tusk and the True Sons, so it is up to us to locate and eliminate the threat that Anderson poses.

[TCTD2] News - Season 10: Price of Power 02

This season will also reveal more about the connection between Captain Fredrick Lewis and Manny Ortega. Furthermore, we’ll be diving deeper into the origins of the True Sons. If you haven’t caught up with the in-game audio collectibles scattered around the open world: the True Sons originated from former Joint Task Force (JTF) members.

CALENDAR

For those of you who participated in the manhunt during Season 9: Hidden Alliance, you’re most likely familiar with the new Manhunt Mechanics that were introduced. However, if this is your first season in The Division 2: Warlords of New York, or if you missed out on the last season: Manhunt targets are now taking over main missions in the campaign!

Whilst we don’t want to divulge too many spoilers, we can let you in on a little inside intel we gathered: your Prime Target mission objective is not set in D.C.

[TCTD2] News - Season 10: Price of Power 03

COUNTDOWN

Countdown is our new endgame mode for The Division 2 released with Season 9. Agents are deployed into a power plant to prevent a lockdown. Whilst racing against the clock, agents must secure the site and stabilize the power plant. Whilst preparing for extraction, agents are suddenly pursued by heavily armed and technologically advanced hostiles.

NEW DIFFICULTIES

We also heard your feedback regarding the difficulty levels in Countdown and with Season 10 we have now introduced three different difficulties for agents to choose what challenge they’re ready to take on:

   
Normal Can be completed solo
Hard   Designed for groups of 8 casual players
Challenging
Current difficulty available at release
Designed for a group of 8 matchmade players.
This can be completed by a team of 2 – 4 hardcore players
Heroic Best suited for 4 – 8 hardcore players

 

NEW COUNTERMEASURES

COUNTERMEASURE DESCRIPTION DEACTIVATION BENEFIT
Skill Suppression Once the enemy is dead, an EMP will be deployed (Disruption Effect) that can affect Agents and their skills in 15 meters radius Enemies no longer deploy an EMP after they die. Reduces 25% of a preliminary Skill Cooldown time if agents kill the enemy within a 15 meters radius
Explosive Resistance Enemies gain +100% Explosive Resistance Enemies no longer have extra Explosive Resistance. Agents gain +25% Explosive Damage
Reload Speed Agents’ total Speed Weapon Reload decreased to 75% Agents no longer have total Speed Weapon Reload decreased to 75%. Agents gain +25% Speed Weapon Reload
Agents gain +25% Speed Weapon Reload
Armor Protection Enemies receive +25% of incoming Armor Repairs Enemies no longer get extra Armor Repairs. Agents gain +25% for incoming Armor Repairs
Hostile Skill Damage Resistance Enemies gain +50% Skill Damage Resistance Enemies no longer have extra Skill Damage Resistance. Enemies Skill Damage Resistance is reduced by 25%
Agents Hazard Resistance Agents Hazard Resistance is reduced by 25% Agents Hazard Resistance is no longer reduced by 25%. Enemies Hazard Resistance is reduced by 25%
Headshot Resistance Enemies Headshot Resistance is increased by 25% Enemies Headshot Resistance is no longer increased. Agents gain +25% Headshot Damage
Critical Resistance Enemies reduce incoming Critical Chance by 25% Enemies no longer reduce incoming Critical Chance by 25%. Agents gain +25% Critical Chance
 

LEGENDARY DIFFICULTY STRONGHOLDS

With Season 10 you also get to challenge yourself and your builds against Legendary Difficulties which will become available for Strongholds Tidal Basin and Manning National Zoo.

This will be a tough challenge. Is it also a great opportunity to help other agents perfect their setup, running with your friends or as a team building exercise.

[TCTD2] News - Season 10: Price of Power 05

GEAR, WEAPONS & TALENTS

With Season 10 we’re releasing a range of new weapons and gear! This includes one Gear and one Brand Set, two new Exotic Weapons plus one Exotic Gear Piece, 2 new Named Weapons and Named Gear Pieces as well as new Weapons & Gear talents.

Not only that, but we are re-balancing existing gear such as the Ongoing Directive and Strike’s Battlegear Gear Sets.

NEW EXOTIC WEAPONS

   
Doctor Home
Exotic variation of the M1A QCB Rifle
Talent Doctor Home
Shooting an enemy with Doctor Home applies a mark. When killed, marked target drops a 15% Armor repair kit.
The kit doesn’t give bonus armor. Only the weapon owner can see the Armor repair kit.
Once the player picks the armor kit, all party members receive the heal.
Busy Little Bee
Exotic pistol inspired by Lightning Rod
Talent Busy Little Bee
Each shot to a different target will give 1 stack – up to 10 max, with each stack giving 20% Weapon Damage increase.

Stacks will activate once the weapon is switched and will last for 10 seconds. Changing weapon again during the said 10 seconds will cancel the buff.

NEW GEAR

   
Umbra Inititiave
Gear Set
2 Pieces equipped give +15% Critical Chance.
3 Pieces equipped give +30% Reload Speed.
4 Pieces equipped give access to two unique talents based on player positioning From the Shadows and Into the Light.

Talent From the Shadows
While in cover, gain 10 Stacks per second up to 50. Each stack will give 1% Critical damage increase and 0.3% RPM. Buff does not apply while shooting from cover. While out of cover you lose 2 stacks per second at normal speed and 1 stack per second if sprinting.

Talent Into the light
While out of cover and in combat, gain 10 Stacks per second up to 50.
Each stack will give 0.8% Armor regen when it is consumed.
Stacks consume, 10 stacks per second, only in cover.

Brazos de Arcabuz
Brand Set
1 Piece equipped gives +10% Skill Haste.
2 Pieces equipped give 1 Skill Tier.
3 Pieces equipped give 20% Magazine Size.

Hermano Talent Perfect Overclock
Allies within 15 m of your deployed skills, gain +30% reload speed and reduce their active cooldowns by 0.6 seconds each second.

Picaro’s Holster
Blue Core Attribute (can be changed to Red or Yellow), a Perfect Attribute of +15% Weapon Damage and 1 random Attribute.

Bloody Knuckles
Exotic Gloves
Talent Over the Top

Throwing a grenade or striking an enemy with a melee attack activates the Seeing Red buff. Seeing Red grants +25% weapon damage and +100% melee damage. Seeing Red lasts 20 seconds and has a 60 second cooldown.

While in cooldown, striking an enemy with a melee attack or hitting an enemy with the effect of a grenade will complete the cooldown instantly.

NEW NAMED WEAPON

   
Lefty – ACS-12 shotgun

Stage Left – SOCOM MIA

Talent Perfect Sledgehammer

Dealing damage with a grenade applies a mark on target. Targets with marks take 40% more damage to armor and -10% movement speed.

BALANCING EXISTING GEAR

   
Striker’s Battlegear Changed damage modifier from multiplicative to additive.

4+ pieces equipped
– Striker’s Gamble
Weapon hits increase total weapon damage by 0.65%, stacking up to 100 times. 1 stack lost per second between 0 to 50 stacks; 2 stacks lost per second between 51 and 100 stacks.

Chest
– Press the Advantage
Increases max stacks for Striker’s Gamble from 100 to 200. 3 stacks lost per second between 101 and 200 stacks.

Backpack
– Risk Management
Increases total weapon damage gained per stack of Striker’s Gamble from 0.65% to 1%.

Ongoing Directive Shooting a status affected enemy will apply a mark.

Killing a marked enemy grants a full clip of Hollow-Point Ammo for your active weapon, and half a clip of the agent’s active weapon to the rest of the party.

  • Hollow-Point Ammo amplifies weapon damage by 20% and applies bleed on hit.
  • Mark lasts for 10 seconds.

QUALITY OF LIFE CHANGES

COUNTDOWN

  • The loot quantity and quality drops from the second wave of Hunters will be increased to motivate players to finish the session.
  • To prevent the players from being kicked out of the group by the Group Leader before and during the extraction, the feature will be disabled for Countdown Game Mode.

EXPERTISE

  • The Expertise cap will also increase from 20 to 21.

USER INTERFACE

  • Added server time in the main menu.
  • Added a quantity preview for material caches that allows to see what’s inside before opening it.
  • Added an option to hide loot beams in the Gameplay Setting.
  • Moved materials for Uzina and Heartbreaker Gear Sets to the correct category.
  • Added an option to sell from Stash at each vendor players can sell stuff to.
  • Adjusted SHD Watch: players can add/assign multiple points at once.

CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION

  • Added character customization allowing players to change body type, skin tone and face shape after starting the character progression.

EXOTIC DROPS CHANCE

  • Exotics can drop in the open world from random NPCs and any activities.
  • Starting from World Tier 5 and above, Exotic items will now have a small chance to drop from any NPC in the entire game, starting from Challenging difficulty. 
    • The chance increases with higher difficulties.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

  • Cap raised for three main resources, namely food, water and components up to 500 units
  • Cap raised for all crafting, optimization materials and DZ credits.
  • Starting from World Tier 5 and above, Exotic components will now have a chance to drop from Control Points Chests starting from Alert level 3 and DZ chests.
  • Removed an interval of randomization for material caches to allow the maximum of each material to be obtained when opening the cashes.

OTHER

  • Added two Season 9 Exotics Dread Eddict and Bluescreen to Haven and BoO display walls.
  • Added an option to hide Signature Weapon in the weapon options in the Signature Weapons inventory screen.
  • Drastically reduced the logoff timer for hardcore characters from 30 to 2 seconds in order to reduce instances of players finding their hardcore characters dead after a crash or disconnect.

[TCTD2] News - Season 10: Price of Power 11

APPAREL EVENTS

With Season 10 we are hosting two apparel events where you can collect new outfits, masks, completion rewards and vanity backpacks.

When the events are active, you can earn Apparel Cache keys in game by levelling up your watch levels and unlock the different items through caches. The best part is there are no duplicates in these event caches!

SHD Paragon

This apparel event is scheduled to be released on September 27th and features 6 outfits to collect alongside completion rewards such as vanity backpacks and masks.

A sneak peek below at one of the outfits shows the Sharpshooter outfit which is inspired by specializations we have in game. Certainly one for the tactical gear lovers out there.

[TCTD2] News - Season 10: Price of Power 08

Dark Path

November 1st is when we drop our Dark Path Apparel Event and this one has another set of 5 outfits to collect. With two events this season you can get your hands on more vanity backpacks and masks to change your look in Season 10.

These outfits are fit for getting spooky (or creepy) on the streets of NY or D.C. as evident by the Baby Face outfit pictured below.

[TCTD2] News - Season 10: Price of Power 09

SEASON PASS

The optional Season Pass is available for 1000 Premium Credits ($10 or your regional equivalent) in the in-game store, granting additional cosmetics and opportunities for season gear as you progress.


Ubisoft hasn’t released the official patch notes yet, but here’s a a look at some of the confirmed new stuff included via Ubisoft Massive’s stream for Season 10.

Title Update 16

The official patch notes are announced for after the maintenance, so this overview is subject to change

Content

  • New Manhunt
    • Season 10: Price of Power
  • Countdown
    • 3 New Difficulties
    • 8 New Countermeasures
  • 1 New Gear Set
    • Umbra Initiative
  • 1 New Brand Set
    • Brazos de Arcabuz
  • 2 New Named Items
    • Lefty – ACS-12 shotgun
    • Stage Left – SOCOM MIA
  • 3 New Exotics
    • Doctor Home – Rifle
    • Bloody Knuckles – Gloves
    • Busy Little Bee – Pistol
  • Additional Legendary Difficulty
    • Tidal Basin
    • Manning National Zoo
  • Quality of Life Changes
    • Barbershop Upgrade
    • Hide Loot Beams
    • Hide Signature Weapon
    • New Exotic Drops
  • Balancing Changes

Season 10: Price of Power is launching on September 13, sending Agents on a new Manhunt. The target is General Peter Anderson, a True Sons leader trying to broker a peace with the Black Tusk in order to martial their combined forces against The Division. Well, we can’t have that, now, can we? As you and your fellow Agents take out targets on the trail of General Anderson, you’ll earn rewards through the new Season Pass and get the chance to score new cosmetic items during apparel events.

As an important detail, the jacket General Anderson is wearing is the one he took from General Antwon Ridgeway – the former leader of the True Sons.

Apparel Event

SHD Paragon focuses more on military outfits.

=> Sharpshooter Outfit

Dark Path is more oriented to the Halloween end of things with more creepy masks.

=> Babyface Outfit

Countdown

New Difficulties

With TU16, Countdown got 4 new selectable difficulties:

Normal – can be completed solo
Hard – designed for groups of 8 casual players
Challenging – current difficulty available at release, designed for a group of 8 matchmade players. Can be completed by a team of 2–4 hardcore players
Heroic – best for 4–8 hardcore players

This comes directly from the TU15 PTS feedback, where players asked to complete Countdown solo or wanted a harder version. So, they added these new difficulties to make it more accessible and more challenging. You can play each mode with up to 8 players, but you can also try to complete the heroic version solo.

More Rewards

  • It became obvious that players just joined a session to kill the first four hunters and then left.
  • That made the session for the remaining players a lot harder.
  • That is why they’ve increased the currency reward when you complete the extraction
  • The drops of the first four hunters were decreased, while the drops of the second four was increased. So, while the overall amount is the same, you get more during the extraction phase.

More Countermeasures

With TU16, they add more countermeasures, you can check them out in the PTS Patch Notes.

=> Patch Notes

Kick Prevention

This change will also go live with TU16:

To prevent the players from being kicked out of the group by the Group Leader before and during the extraction, the feature is now disabled.

They’ve heard the concerns during the PTS phases, but they want to collect more feedback about it first, before they make more adjustments.

Countdown Trailer

Countdown also has its own trailer now:

=> Trailer


New Legendary difficulty

The Strongholds Tidal Basin and Manning National Zoo also get legendary difficulty.


PTS Changes

  • They went through a lot of comments and it was very insightful.
  • The Picaros Holster generated a lot of feedback and there will be further changes with TU 16.1 (https://trello.com/c/7JVSju0H/15-gear-picaros-holster)
    • In phase 1 the 20% weapon damage was added on top of the other bonuses and that was just too powerful.
    • But trying things out is the core reason for PTS and sometimes they go one way in phase 1 and a completely other way the second phase to find a middle ground.

New Exotic Drops

TU16 adds new exotic drops to the game and they’ve published a drop rate table on the Known Issues board:

=> Exotic Drop Chances

They know that the drop-rates appear low, especially when they are in the 0.0…% ranges, but by adding drop chances on every NPC in the game, you have the chance to get an Exotic drop from a random red NPC in the open world. This way you don’t get a flood of new Exotics, but it creates these random success moments in normal gameplay.

Once the official patch notes are out, we’ll be sure to update the post.

Update: Official patch notes are available and we’ve updated the post.

Source: Ubisoft

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Alex Co

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Riders Republic Update 1.12 Out for Season 14 Freestylin’ This September 13

Ubisoft has released Riders Republic update 1.12 (PS5 version 1.012) today for all platforms to implement the new Season 14 Freestylin’ content. This update comes with some new features as well as several bug fixes. Check out the full Riders Republic September 13 patch notes down below.

Riders Republic Update 1.12 Patch Notes | Riders Republic Update 1.012 Patch Notes | Riders Republic September 13 Patch Notes:

PATCH SIZES

PC: 8.74 GB
Xbox One: TBD
Xbox Series X | S: TBD
PlayStation 4: TBD
PlayStation 5: TBD

NEW FEATURES:

  • We are bringing you the much requested after BMX career! Available from the 14th for every Year Pass holder.
  • Non Year Pass owners will still be able to enjoy the BMX in free roam.
  • Area 52 will be a new area to show off some of your skills and we are introducing a BMX area.
  • Our new season brings you several elements for Freestylin’ which includes (emotes, outfits, challenges, world content, game learnings, audio and radio)
  • We have joined forces with some new sponsors such as : VANS, WeThePeople, Cult and Flybikes.
  • We are bringing you a fancy new Splash Screen!

IMPROVEMENTS:

  • We are providing the ability to deselect a ghost from the Leaderboard.
  • Grind transfer scoring for BMX, quarter pipe transfers and guidance detection for grind (Snowboard/ Ski)

MAJOR ISSUES:

  • Fixed a crash happening when you teleport to a group member through the wheel on PC
  • Prevented a save compatibility issue. No more scare your save is lost!
  • ALPACA Issue is now tamed!
  • Fixed a few issues when the price wasn’t correctly displayed or the purchase impossible.
  • Addressed the inconsistent grind transfer mechanic, often resetting the trick.
  • Improved the Manual scoring tricks.

MINOR ISSUES:

  • Fixed several camera issues.
  • Corrected several placeholder names.
  • Removed the collision between players in most trick events for the leaderboards.
  • Fixed a collision which would cause an Infinite fall.
  • Backpack for the female character should now be in place.
  • Paramotor straps won’t glitch when equipped on the Kenny Costume.
  • Female character will be able to enjoy the Thirst Quencher and Borgir Summer emotes correctly.
  • Fixed a wheel clipping for the Commensal Absolut SX 01 seat.
  • Player tags will now display correctly in mountain view.
  • The UI is now fixed on multirun events in the Leaderboards.
  • Fixed a slowmo block for the Mass race Yosemite Clash.
  • Session Markers are now updated when a player leaves and rejoins the group.
  • Track titles are now appearing correctly.
  • Fixed an unwanted motion blur effort during turn/ rotations in tricks with the snowmobile.
  • Improved the landing condition in wheelie mode.
  • Parachute is now back on wingsuit or RWS after opening the parachute.
  • Fixed a temporary light overexposure present on surfaces after closing Main Menu at night.

That’s it for the patch notes. Riders Republic is out now for the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.  

Source: Ubisoft

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Final Fantasy 14 Update 9.70 Casts Out for Patch 6.21 This September 13

Square Enix has released Final Fantasy 14 update 9.69 (PS5 version 1.000.156), which is version 6.21! Included in this update are some class adjustments, housing changes, fixes, and more! Read up on the official Final Fantasy 14  September 13 patch notes below.

Final Fantasy 14 Update 9.70 Patch Notes | Final Fantasy 14 1.000.156 Patch Notes | Final Fantasy 14 September 13 Patch Notes:

Patch 6.21 contains content that can only be accessed by registering the expansion packs for FINAL FANTASY XIV to your service account. To distinguish between adjustments that are and are not affected by the registration of these expansions, the following notations will be used throughout the patch notes:

2.x
These additions and adjustments only require the purchase of FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn and FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward.
4.x
These additions and adjustments require the purchase and registration of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Stormblood.
5.x
These additions and adjustments require the purchase and registration of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers.
6.x
These additions and adjustments require the purchase and registration of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Endwalker.
2.x, 4.x, 5.x, 6.x
These additions and adjustments contain elements that may require the purchase and registration of the expansion packs noted above.

Playable Content

Housing

2.x, 6.x

The illumination of the Pendant Wall Light furnishing has been adjusted.

Battle System

2.x, 4.x, 5.x, 6.x

Actions and traits have been adjusted as follows:

* Each action and trait is listed as it appears at level 90.

Further explanations of action changes and adjustments can be found in the job guide.
View the job guide.

Paladin

Action   Adjustment
Holy Spirit   Potency has been increased from 280 to 300.
Requiescat potency has been increased from 560 to 600.
Confiteor   Potency has been increased from 900 to 1,000.
Expiacion   Potency has been increased from 340 to 420.
Blade of Faith   Potency has been increased from 460 to 480.
Blade of Truth   Potency has been increased from 540 to 560.

Marauder / Warrior

Action   Adjustment
Storm’s Path   Potency has been increased from 130 to 150.
Combo potency has been increased from 410 to 430.
Storm’s Eye   Potency has been increased from 130 to 150.
Combo potency has been increased from 410 to 430.
Fell Cleave   Potency has been increased from 460 to 470.
Upheaval   Potency has been increased from 350 to 360.
 
6.x

The HP of Hephaistos in Abyssos: The Eighth Circle (Savage) has been reduced.

This adjustment applies to both phases of the battle.

Reasoning for HP Adjustment

In our endeavor to create an encounter more challenging than Asphodelos: The Fourth Circle (Savage), the team responsible for final adjustments spent a great deal more time than usual working on balance for this raid battle.

Under normal circumstances, the DPS of this team serves as a base for determining a boss HP value that results in clears as close to the time limit as possible. However, as extra time was dedicated to testing this battle, the team’s overall performance proved to be higher than usual. As a result, the base values used for adjustments were too high, with final values roughly 1% higher than intended.

We have reduced the boss’s HP to bring the battle in line with our initial balance projections. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

6.x

Players will now receive the power of the Echo in Pandæmonium: Asphodelos (Savage).

The Echo will take effect upon entering Pandæmonium: Asphodelos (Savage), increasing players’ maximum HP, damage dealt, and healing potency by 10%.
* Unlike other instances, the strength of the Echo will not increase in the event all party members are incapacitated.

Resolved Issues

  • The following issues have been addressed.
    • An issue when playing as dragoon wherein the effect of Right Eye granted by Dragon Sight is removed when the target party member under the effect of Left Eye is incapacitated.
    • An issue on the island sanctuary wherein certain animals did not appear despite meeting the requirements to find them.
    • An issue on the island sanctuary wherein grazing animals were placed outside the pasture.
    • An issue on the island sanctuary wherein the workshop and granary did not function as intended under certain conditions.
    • An issue wherein the islekeep’s index could be accessed outside of the island sanctuary under certain conditions.
    • An issue on the island sanctuary wherein name plates erroneously displayed in situations where they should not.
    • An issue wherein players who entered an instanced duty or logged out of the game while on an island sanctuary would return to the island at a different location under certain conditions.
    • An issue on the island sanctuary wherein certain achievements could not be earned despite meeting their requirements.
    • An issue on the island sanctuary wherein online status would not automatically change between “Online” and “Away from Keyboard.”
    • An issue when using the glamour dresser wherein executing the /isearch command with a large number of items in the dresser and Armoire forcibly closed the game client.
    • An issue wherein the Rowena’s representative NPC in Foundation would not allow the exchange of certain materia.
    • An issue wherein equipping Isle Farmhand’s Boots together with certain other gear caused their graphics to display incorrectly.
    • An issue wherein the music played using the Stigma Orchestrion Roll and Toll of the Bells Orchestrion Roll were erroneously switched.
    • An issue wherein a blank confirmation prompt would appear when requesting gear repairs under certain conditions.
    • An issue wherein the cost of teleporting from the Stygian Insenescence Cells was incorrect.
    • An issue when using group pose wherein characters using certain emotes would not stop moving when paused under certain conditions.
    • An issue when portraits linked to multiple gear sets were transferred from the beta version to the official version wherein any edits made to said portraits were applied to all linked gear sets.
    • An issue wherein the Dynamic Resolution function (β version) was not achieving the expected effect even with the setting enabled. (Windows version)

Other various issues have also been addressed.

Source: Final Fantasy XIV

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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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The Division 2 Down for Maintenance and Season 10 Roll Out This September 13

As one might expect given the Season 10 release date announcement at Ubisoft Forward, The Division 2 down reports surfacing this September 13 are due to scheduled server maintenance. During this time, players should be prompted to download a new title update to usher in Season 10: Price of Power.

The Division 2 Down Server Status and Updates for September 13:

Here’s the official announcement from Ubisoft:

The servers will shut down for a scheduled maintenance on Tuesday, September 13th at 09:30 CEST, 03:30 AM EDT, 12:30 AM PDT, 03:30 PM HKT.

The estimated downtime is 3 hours.

Maintenance Notes

  • This maintenance will launch Season 10: Price of Power, which comes with a new Manhunt, Gear & Weapons, x2 Apparel Events and more!

  • Patch Notes will follow so stay tuned for updates to this thread as the maintenance progresses!

If there are any changes to the maintenance schedule, we’ll update the post to reflect it. We’ll also be providing a link out to the Season 10 patch notes once they’re out, so stay tuned.

Source: Ubisoft forums

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Alex Co

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Weird West Update 1.12 Rides Out for Version 1.04 This September 13

WolfeEye Studios has pushed out Weird West update 1.12, and this is for patch version 1.04! This brings new features, and a host of bug fixes and adjustments to the game. Read on for the Weird West September 13 patch notes.

Weird West Update 1.12 Patch Notes | Weird West Update Patch 1.04 Changelog | Weird West September 13 Patch Notes:

Alternative Aiming System (Experimental)

With Patch 1.04 we are trialing a new alternative aiming system, different from the classic twin-stick shooter model, where the camera controls are preserved while aiming. This new system can be turned ON/OFF at any point (including in an existing playthrough) in the gameplay options.

Nimpossible Mode

A new game mode will unlock with Patch 1.04, bringing permadeath to the West and a new high-stakes way to play Weird West.

When playing in Nimpossible Mode, manual saving is not possible. The game will auto-save your progress, and you can play and reload from that single dedicated auto-save slot only. Nimp Heads you find during your Journeys will allow you to resurrect, but once you are out of Nimp Heads, death is permanent, your playthrough is over, and the auto-save file is deleted. Are you ready for the hardest challenge yet?

 

Mysterious Deaths Side Content

To go along with the new Nimpossible mode, some side content (available only in Nimpossible) has been added to the game to support the lore around the resurrection process and the deal struck with the Wanderers. This includes two new travel encounters and a side quest that will unlock through your Nimpossible playthrough. The video below shows the starting point of the narrative thread.

Misc Additions
  • We added a tracker of your human kill count in the Reputation TAB, so those of you who are attempting a non-lethal playthrough can easily keep tabs on how this is going at any point during gameplay. (We also fixed the fact that killing Ravenous wrongly counted toward that number.)
  • Related to non-lethal playthroughs, we have also tuned blunt weapons so that attacking too quickly won’t result in you inadvertently killing your target.
  • Upon players’ request and for increased accessibility, we have also added an additional higher level of slo-mo to the “SloMo While Aiming” option that was added with the previous patch

Key Fixes:

Here is the list of the key fixes shipping with Patch 1.04 to be released on Sept 13th!

– Fixed objective sometimes not progressing after killing the Ravenous wave in the Protector Journey preventing player from entering Olvidado Pueblo
– Fixed various rare crashes happening during gameplay
– Fixed Shelby Cross and Sheriff Albright bounty objective not completing if killed in one blow with melee weapon while player was undetected
– Fixed erroneous occurrences of Pigman Hero or Protector Hero leaving the player’s posse during combat
– Fixed not being able to claim bounty reward in Cedar Flats during Oneirist Journey
– Fixed various cases where the brand would not correctly spawn on dead hero corpse or grave during Oneirist Journey
– Fixed cases where Calamity/Player Horse would permanently disappear during travels
– Fixed Posse members stealth quitting the posse during travels due to reputation loss
– Fixed bug where it would not be possible to talk to any ghosts in the game, at Olvidado Pueblo or for side quests
– Reenabled intro movie on Playstation now that Sony’s latest firmware fixed the audio engine issue
– Fixed various edge-case objective blockers around the Wishing Tome and Heroes being at the Broken Steppe during Oneirist Journey
– Fixed game freezing when being hit by Cave Terror’s rock during Cave Terror travel encounter
– Fixed cases of items disappearing from horse saddlebags
– Fixed some overly compressed UI visuals on Playstation
– Fixed blocker with Illiterate Love Notes Side Quest objective
– Fixed amulets properties changing on save/reload when stored at bank or in saddlebags
– Fixed researcher taking wrong items from player inventory when giving her silver knives during the Werewolf Journey
– Fixed underground context switching to outdoors while saving/reloading in one of the mine locations added with Patch 1.03
– Fixed rare case where ending questionnaire would not trigger and would directly skip to end cinematic
– Fixed dead Hero corpse spawning out of its player-made grave on save/reload
– Fixed Relayogram item being stuck in player inventory if you found Galen’s relay before decrypting the Greenwood relay
– Fixed display of acquired key ring notification upon recruiting previous Journey Heroes
– Fixed blocker with blacksmith quest in Bounty Hunter Journey if you opened the cell before the quest started
– Fixed erroneous trespassing triggering while waiting around Galen in Galen’s Crossing dining room
– Fixed upgraded weapon not updating its icon on the HUD right after upgrading it
– Fixed wrong reputation notification text when freeing prisoner in Oleander Temple
– Fixed unequipping amulets with elemental resistance also removing the elemental resistance of the currently equipped vest
– Fixed weapon unequipping itself when upgrading it at the blacksmith forge
– Fixed enemies AI getting stuck when choosing fist fight option in Illiterate Love Notes side quest
– Fixed Saloon Beds being free in all location after paying for a bed once
– Fixed shopkeeper wrongly charging you for the cost of item you could not buy due to your inventory being full
– Fixed blocker with Snack’s objective in Bounty Hunter Journey if you had first knocked out Snack before agreeing to his deal
– Fixed Ruth wrongly being selected to host the Cedar Flats event in the Oneirist Journey if you go there while having her handcuffed due to capturing her during a Bounty Mission
– Fixed hollow tree loots respawning when they should not
– Fixed NPCs in the Fighting Pit sometimes turning against player after the arena skirmish during the Pigman Journey
– Fixed rare case of side quest item not spawning in abandoned town for item fetcher side quest
– Fixed Bounty Hunter Shrapnel Mines not being properly saved/restored upon saving/reloading the game
– Fixed Pigman Joe snow globes being resold with the rest of junk items when selling all junks at the general store
– Fixed Ravenous wrongly counting towards humans kill count
– Fixed some story posse members lacking background story blurb in the Journal Reputation TAB
– Fixed Shelby Cross and Sheriff Albright lacking a description on their Bounty Poster
– Fixed Protector Character holding pickaxe the wrong way when mining
– Fixed NPCs being killed if you spammed the attack key while trying to take them down with non lethal melee weapon
– Fixed AZERTY keyboard not properly displaying bindings for numerical keys
– Fixed edge case with Maryann not being present at Fort Glenn during Protector Journey
– Fixed turning Ruth into a Pigwoman counting towards human kill count
– Fixed weapons showing under player’s horse when put inside the saddlebags
– Fixed some of the junk mail having wrong texts
– Fixed Posse members not properly crouching after loading a save file where they were crouched
– Fixed mound caches sometimes duplicating on save/load/revisiting locations
– Fixed Coven Fruits having a temp description

Source: Steam

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Alex Co

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EA Partners With KOEI Tecmo for AAA “Next Great Hunting Game”

Electronic Arts (EA) is partnering with KOE Tecmo’s Omega Force studio (Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors) to craft a new AAA game under the publisher’s EA Originals label.

Per the press release, the partnership will release the “next great hunting game” and this has been confirmed to be an original IP that’s set in fantasy feudal Japan. More details regarding the announcement are set to be revealed next month.

Alongside the announcement is an artwork released as well:

Here are the quotes from both companies straight from the press release:

“It’s an honor to be partnering with EA Originals and to have the support of a team with such an incredible track record of releasing groundbreaking new games,” said Yosuke Hayashi, Executive Vice President of KOEI TECMO GAMES CO, LTD. “The EA team fully embraces our creative independence and have become invaluable partners offering both development and publishing support. Adding the global resources of EA with our own will help us introduce a new kind of hunting game to a global audience of players and expand our reach into global markets. I’m really looking forward to the day that gamers from around the world can play this new game.”

“Building on the incredible success of EA Originals, which includes the recent releases of It Takes Two and Knockout City™, we’re thrilled to be partnering with the amazingly talented Omega Force team,” said Jeff Gamon, General Manager of EA Partners. “They’ve elevated the hunting genre to the next level, merging their proven talent for combat gameplay with unexpected and innovative mechanics. We can’t wait to introduce their groundbreaking new adventure to the world later this month.”

Once we know more, we’ll be sure to let our readers know. It seems EA’s stretching its legs quite a bit, and I’m curious to see what this is all about.

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Alex Co

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New State of Play Announced for Tomorrow, September 13

Surprise! Sony has announced a new State of Play digital event, and it’s airing tomorrow, September 13! Out of all the State of Play shows announced, this is possibly the most surprising one — especially given we got just a day’s notice.

The new State of Play for September 13 will air at 3 pm PT/6 pm ET/11 pm BST/6 am HKT. According to Sony, this show will deliver new games, updates and reveals heading into Tokyo Game Show which kicks off later this week on September 15.

Fans can expect updates from Sony’s “amazing Japanese partners, along with a few other surprises from developers all around the world.”

The show will clock in at around 20 minutes, and there’s about 10 games set to be shown off. Same as before, fans can watch it unfold on Twitch and YouTube. 

MP1st will be covering the event, so if you can’t catch it, we’ll be posting all the relevant news as it happens.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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Alex Co

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343 Industries: Halo Studio Founder & Head Leaves Company, Microsoft Announces Leadership Restructuring

343 Industries, the studio responsible for the Halo franchise since 2007, is undergoing a major leadership restructuring, as Bonnie Ross, studio founder and head, has announced that she is leaving the company owing to a family medical issue.

Microsoft will be restructuring 343 Industries’ leadership team, with Ross’ role now split into three different positions.

Pierre Hintz will take over as studio lead effective immediately, while Bryan Koski will assume the position of GM of Franchise. In addition, Elizabeth van Wyck will “oversee business and operations.”

Microsoft’s statement reads:

After more than 28 years in gaming at Microsoft, including 15 years leading 343 Industries and Halo through its most ambitious steps forward, Bonnie Ross will be leaving Microsoft and spending more time with her family. We are thankful for her leadership of 343 during which the team launched Halo 4, Halo 5, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, the Halo television series, and Halo Infinite. We wish her all the best. Head of Production Pierre Hintze will become Studio Head effective immediately. The 343 team is hard at work shipping the Winter Update, the biggest Halo Infinite update since launch.

Ross talked about her desire to have had stayed with the company till the Winter Update for Halo Infinite, but also expressed her optimism for the future of the Halo franchise, and the Halo World Championship in October.

Future plans for the Halo franchise and current properties including the Halo television show remain unaffected.

Under Ross, the Halo franchise experienced a complete resurgence since Bungie’s split from Microsoft in 2007. Starting with 2011’s critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary to 2021’s Halo Infinite, 343 Industries released 11 Halo games across all platforms. Despite a mixed-to-negative reaction to Halo Infinite, this is sad news for fans of the franchise and gamers worldwide.

We wish Bonnie Ross all the best for her future.

Halo Infinite is available for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. Check out the game’s roadmap including the Winter Update for the next year here.

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Salman Haider Zaidi

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Modern Warfare 2 Beta Rewards Revealed, Pre-Load Starts Sept. 14

With Call of Duty Next airing this week on September 15, Activision has announced that those who participate in the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta, you’ll be receiving in-game items just by progressing through the ranks! Read on for the full list of Modern Warfare 2 beta rewards.

Note that the beta rewards will only be available if you play them during the open beta, and these rewards will become available at the launch of Modern Warfare 2. The beta rewards will also be available in the next Call of Duty: Warzone releasing later this year as well.

Modern Warfare 2 Beta Rewards:

  • Emblem: “Smashed It”: Unlocks at Operator Level 2
  • Charm: “Buckle Up”: Unlocks at Operator Level 4
  • Player Cards: “Passed the Test”: Unlocks at Operator Level 6
  • Sticker: “Operation First Blood”: Unlocks at Operator Level 10
  • Weapon Blueprint: “Side Impact”: Unlocks at Operator Level 15
  • Operator Skin: “Collision”: Unlocks at Operator Level 18
  • Vinyl: “No Competition”: Unlocks at Operator Level 19
  • Sticker: “Safety First”: Unlocks at Operator Level 21
  • Vehicle Skin: “Floor It”: Unlocks at Operator Level 26
  • Weapon Blueprint: “Frontal Impact”: Unlocks at Operator Level 30

In addition to the rewards, Activision has also announced that for those on PlayStation, the beta can be pre-loaded on Wednesday, September 14, at 10 am PT/1 pm ET/1 am HKT! Note that this early download is for those who have early access or got a key via pre-order on PS4 and PS5.

As per our report yesterday, the Modern Warfare 2 beta client on PlayStation clocks in at around 15-30GB, so make sure you have enough space to download and install it. Check out the complete Modern Warfare 2 beta schedule for all platforms right here.

Stay tuned here on MP1st, as we’ll be giving away MW2 beta codes for all platforms very, very soon!

Source: Call of Duty

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Alex Co

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Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Update 1.002 Sneaks Out This September 12

Naughty Dog has rolled out the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection update 1.002 file on PS5, and this is an unannounced title update for the game. Don’t expect anything major from it, though given the games don’t really need any adjustments, and there’s no new content being added. Read on for the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection September 12 patch notes.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection Update 1.002 Patch Notes | Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves September 12 Patch Notes:

Update: Yep, it seems VRR support has indeed been added!

So far, Naughty Dog has not acknowledged what this patch is unfortunately. Is this the patch that adds VRR (variable refresh rate) support? We can’t tell just yet, though hopefully the studio will comment about it soon.

We’re keeping an eye out on the game’s community as well, and if we spot anything, we’ll be sure to update the post. Speaking of reports, the PC release date seems to have leaked, and there’s even a Fortnite pre-order bonus for those who buy it on the Epic Games Store.

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Alex Co

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Forspoken Game Length to Clock in at 30-40 Hours; In-Game Frequency Exchanges Can Be Adjusted

Those wondering how long it takes to complete Forspoken, we now know the Forspoken game length. Luminous Productions have confirmed that Forspoken will be a 30-40 hour long game for the main campaign.

Speaking to 3DJuegos, Forspoken co-director Takeshi Terada the main campaign will develop across 30-40 hours. Terada has also mentioned promised that the endgame of Forspoken will feature a great deal of secondary missions and exploration, too.

Continuing with the Forspoken news, if you’re one of the many people that didn’t like the quips and cringe-worthy dialogue from one of the trailers Square Enix released last month, we’ve got some good news for you!

First off, here’s the trailer that was released on social media that managed to gain a lot of traction, though for all the wrong reasons.

https://twitter.com/Forspoken/status/1556679378892898306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Speaking to Eurogamer, Forspoken’s Creative Director Raio Mitsuo acknowledged the reactions from social media, and explained a little bit more context about it.

It was unexpected to see the reactions to the social media post. 

Basically, we used existing footage from previous trailers and put something together as a social media post. And yeah, it went kind of viral in a way – that’s not the direction that we thought it was going to go! But I have to admit, some of the memes are actually pretty funny, so I got a good laugh out of it.

“But, you know, for us, it’s not something that we’re concerned with. We’re obviously leaving a lot of information on the table, because we’re taking dialogue and scenes out of context. Forspoken is a very narrative driven game. It’s a very story based game. We don’t want to ruin the experience in our marketing campaign. We’re being very selective about what to use to generate interest and sometimes without that information about what led up to that moment, or what was the character’s state of mind, we’re leaving the audience the full freedom to interpret lines in any way they want. It’s just one of those challenges that come naturally when trying to find ways to show the game without telling the full story, because we definitely don’t want to reveal that.

For those who saw the gameplay videos and heard the banter between Frey and Cuff, and didn’t take to it a lot, you’ll be glad to know that the in-game dialogue frequency can be adjusted via the accessibility menu according to Square Enix.

We’re excited to see Luminous Productions’ attempt at crossing genre boundaries with this game. From the looks of it, Forspoken’s success may finally bridge the gap between the preferences of Japanese and Western gaming communities.

Square Enix‘s Forspoken comes out January 24, 2023 for PC and PS5. It is the second game to be built in the Luminous Engine that first debuted with Final Fantasy 15.

Source: Eurogamer, 3DJuegos

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Salman Haider Zaidi

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Sackboy: A Big Adventure Update 1.19 Released for New Outfit This September 12

Sumo Digital has released Sackboy: A Big Adventure update 1.19 (PS5 version 1.019), and this is for a new outfit more than anything else. Read on for what’s new in the Sackboy: A Big Adventure September 12 patch notes.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure Update 1.19 Patch Notes | Sackboy: A Big Adventure Update 1.019 Patch Notes | Sackboy: A Big Adventure September 12 Patch Notes:

Sumo Digital has not made any acknowledgements or announcements for this title update other than announcing that there’s a new outfit from the game TOEM.

On the PS4’s update history, it states that this patch was for “bug fixes,” which can’t be counted on given most games have generic notes in their update history.

If you spot any gameplay-related changes or whatnot, leave a comment below to let us know what you spot.

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Alex Co

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

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FIFA 23 Player Ratings for the Top Players Revealed, More Ratings Coming Later This Week

With its release just around the corner, EA Sports has revealed the first look at FIFA 23’s Top 23 men’s player ratings. The list includes the likes of Messi, Lewandowski, Benzema, Ronaldo, and many more. However, only one of them can be crowned the best of all.

FIFA 23 Player Ratings – Top 23:

  1. Karim Benzema, 91 – Real Madrid
  2. Robert Lewandowski, 91 – FC Barcelona
  3. Kylian Mbappé, 91 – Paris Saint-Germain
  4. Kevin De Bruyne, 91 – Manchester City
  5. Lionel Messi, 91 – Paris Saint-Germain
  6. Mohamed Salah, 90 – Liverpool
  7. Virgil van Dijk, 90 – Liverpool
  8. Cristiano Ronaldo, 90 – Manchester United
  9. Thibaut Courtois, 90 – Real Madrid
  10. Manuel Neuer, 90 – Bayern München
  11. Neymar Jr, 89 – Paris Saint-Germain
  12. Son Heung-min, 89 – Tottenham Hotspur
  13. Sadio Mané, 89 – Bayern München
  14. Joshua Kimmich, 89 – Bayern München
  15. Casemiro, 89 – Manchester United
  16. Alisson, 89 – Liverpool
  17. Harry Kane, 89 – Tottenham Hotspur
  18. Ederson, 89 – Manchester City
  19. N’Golo Kanté, 89 – Chelsea
  20. Jan Oblak, 89 – Atlético de Madrid
  21. Erling Haaland, 88 – Manchester City
  22. Toni Kroos, 88 – Real Madrid
  23. Marquinhos, 88 – Paris Saint-Germain

FIFA 23 Player Ratings

Apart from that, the publisher promises many more reveals for FIFA 23 are coming this week. EA Sports will reveal the Premier League Most Improved, Bundesliga 5 Star Skillers, and a lot more. By the end of the week, folks can expect to see the top 1,000 player ratings, giving fans more fuel to debate.

Here’s a schedule shared by EA Sports of when you can expect further player ratings to be revealed:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 13: Premier League and Most Improved
  • Wednesday, Sept. 14: LaLiga and Best U21
  • Thursday, Sept. 15: Bundesliga and 5 Star Skillers
  • Friday, Sept. 16: Serie A, Ligue 1, Career Mode Highest Potential
  • Saturday, Sept. 17: Best Passers and Best Dribblers
  • Sunday, Sept. 18: Full Database, Fastest Players, Career Mode Gems

Moreover, the women’s player ratings for FIFA 23 will be revealed on September 21 and 22, offering players a fresh look at what EA calls the “most authentic integration ever for women’s leagues.” To find out about the latest rating content straight from FIFA, head on over to the FIFA Ratings Database Hub.

You can check out the collaboration EA did with Marvel to celebrate football legends as special Marvel-inspired FUT heroes right here. FIFA 23 will launch for Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Stadia, and PC on September 30, 2022. Do you agree with EA Sports ratings for the top men players? Let us know in the comments below!

Ibrahim Kabir

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New Nintendo Direct Set for Tomorrow, September 12

A new Nintendo Direct has been announced for tomorrow, September 12, 2022, and it looks like Switch players can expect games coming later this year in this Direct presentation. The show will run for approximately 40 minutes, here’s everything you need to know about the presentation and where to watch it.

The Nintendo Direct will stream live on YouTube (embedded above) or you could also stream it on Nintendo’s official Twitch channel. The presentation will start at 7 am PT / 10 am ET /10 pm HKT.

Here’s what you can expect from tomorrow’s presentation, straight from Nintendo:

Tune in at 7 a.m. PT on Tuesday, Sept. 13, for a Nintendo Direct livestream featuring roughly 40 minutes of information mainly focused on Nintendo Switch games launching this winter.

In other Nintendo Switch-related news, check out the new gameplay video for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope featuring the Wiggler boss fight right here. Make sure to tune in tomorrow, as MP1st will be covering all the major reveals shown at the Nintendo Direct livestream. 

Ibrahim Kabir

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Metal: Hellsinger Review – A Hell of a Headbanger (PC)

Metal: Hellsinger is a heavy metal first-person shooter set in the depths of hell. The comparisons to Doom are hard to ignore – but Metal: Hellsinger distinguishes itself in one key aspect: it’s also a rhythm game. Developed by Swedish studio The Outsiders (led by the Lead Designer of Battlefield: Bad Company 2), it features an original soundtrack with big time metal artists from the likes of System of a Down and more.

Slay to the Rhythm

Throughout the game, a beat meter rolls across your screen. Beat Matching your attacks deals more damage, gives you more points, and increases your Fury meter. Naturally, the goal is to time your shots perfectly with the center of the meter and you’re graded with a “Good” or “Perfect” score depending on how close you get. Perfect timings give you the most points as well as giving the largest increase to your Fury bar.

Fury is the other mechanic related to beat matching. Your Fury meter goes up or down depending on your hit streak, from 1x to 16x. At 16x you deal the most damage, and also get 16 times the score for every action. Hitting off beat or taking damage will decrease your Fury. This bar should be topped up as much as possible if you want to top the global leaderboards.

Of course, a rhythm game has to have a great soundtrack. And boy, does Metal: Hellsinger have an excellent soundtrack. I’m not the biggest fan of metal music, but even I was absolutely in love with these tracks. The original soundtrack features work from metal icons like Serj Tankian of System of a Down, Randy Blythe from Lamb of God, Bjorn Strid from Soilwork, and more.

Each level features a unique track, which sets the stage from the moment you enter. At 16x Fury, the full arrangement including vocals starts to play which is yet another reward for hitting your shots on beat. This soundtrack is just phenomenal. When you really get in the zone and are hitting all your shots on beat it feels incredibly satisfying. Honestly, it is worth playing this game for the soundtrack alone.

Fear the Beat

Combat in Metal: Hellsinger will feel familiar to anyone whose played the likes of DOOM: Eternal. There are five total weapons to choose from, each with a unique ultimate ability. Your character has a double jump and a dash ability which you can use to swiftly evade enemies. Controls feel excellent and there’s a good amount of enemy variety, from slow moving fodder, to challenging mini-bosses that shoot AoE (area of effect) attacks at you. Combined with the beat matching mechanic, combat in Metal: Hellsinger is another highlight.

 

If I had to point out one weak point with the combat, it’s the boss fights. Bosses are re-used, albeit with different movesets which can be difficult to predict and hard to dodge. They shoot waves of projectiles at you which you’ll need to jump and dash to evade. Oftentimes though, they’ll shoot several of these waves at once with little to no telegraphing, so rather than being a predictable pattern it becomes a frantic rush to spam your aerial abilities and avoid taking damage. Dealing damage to them can also be unintuitive. For one boss in particular, it took me several minutes to figure out how to even deal damage to it. The game’s final boss however, is the one exception. It’s the only one that isn’t reused and was overall a very memorable fight.

There are five weapons to choose from, including a shotgun, a crossbow, and dual pistols. You can hold a maximum of two per level which you select at the start. Each features a different ultimate ability that charges up over time. The shotgun unloads a barrage of buckshot at once for a huge amount of damage, while the crossbow shoots a mini gravity bomb that keeps enemies stuck in place for easy headshots. These ultimates are essential for dealing with some of the tougher enemies and will become a crucial part of your kit.

Metal: Hellsinger also features an active reload mechanic which significantly speeds up your reloads. The perfect reload timer seamlessly blends into the rhythm meter, highlighting it in gold. All of this combined makes for a truly excellent first-person shooter experience that blends a traditional shooter with escalating levels of challenge, with the rhythm based gameplay of titles like Guitar Hero and Beat Saber.

A Demonic Tale

Unfortunately, the story in Metal: Hellsinger is somewhat forgettable. You play as The Unknown, a demon who has had her voice stolen from her by the leader of the underworld known as The Red Judge. You must enter the various hells, defeating her minions along the way, in order to dethrone her.

Metal: Hellsinger’s story mostly consists of pre-rendered, animated cutscenes (narrated by Troy Baker) that play before and after each level, setting the stage for the zone you’re about to explore. While the story wasn’t terrible, it takes a backseat to the gameplay and honestly failed to grab my attention. With that said, the excellent gameplay more than makes up for it.

Hellsinger is broken up into eight levels, each consisting of about 15-20 minutes worth of gameplay. All in all, the game can be cleared in about 2-3 hours so it’s certainly on the short side.

Luckily, Hellsinger heavily encourages replayability. Clearing a level unlocks three new challenge arenas, which you can complete to unlock Boons, which are permanent perks you can equip to improve your scores and combat abilities. There’s also a global leaderboard system that compares how well you did to other players at the end of each level. If it weren’t for the review embargo deadline, I, myself, probably would have gone back and replayed each level multiple times just to try and get higher on the leaderboards. There are also multiple difficulty levels to choose from, so you can easily follow up a playthrough on Normal with a Hard playthrough.

The short runtime also sheds light on another problem. The game is so short that it almost feels unfinished. Without spoiling anything, the ending cutscene heavily implies there were supposed to be more levels in the game. I was genuinely confused on if I had just defeated the final boss or not while watching it. As it is though, it looks like those levels will come in a sequel or perhaps in a post-launch DLC.

Final Thoughts

Metal: Hellsinger seamlessly blends tight first-person shooter gameplay with a fantastic soundtrack and rhythm mechanics that will constantly keep you on your toes. The game’s eight levels progressively get more challenging, as you slay your way through hordes of demons and bosses. The original soundtrack is one of the best metal soundtracks I’ve heard ever and it makes the rhythm-based gameplay that much more enjoyable. While the short runtime is disappointing, it’s only because I wanted so much more time to experience it. Combat feels tight and is surprisingly good coming from a small indie studio, although the bosses leave a little to be desired. Despite that, it is absolutely worth checking this out.

Metal: Hellsinger is available September 15 on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Steam and is available day one on Xbox Game Pass.

Final score: 8.5/10

Pros:

  • Amazing soundtrack
  • Great feeling shooter
  • Tight controls
  • Rhythm based gameplay enhances the experience and doesn’t feel tacked on
  • High level of replayability

Cons:

  • Short runtime
  • Bosses are re-used

Metal: Hellsinger code was provided by the publisher. Version tested using the PC version. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.

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