Shacknews Recent Articles http://www.shacknews.com/rss?recent_articles=1 en-us Palmer Luckey Will Do 'Anything To Help the VR Industry' http://www.shacknews.com/article/101462/palmer-luckey-will-do-anything-to-help-the-vr-industry http://www.shacknews.com/article/101462/palmer-luckey-will-do-anything-to-help-the-vr-industry <p>Speaking at a VAQSO panel at Tokyo Game Show 2017, Palmer Luckey spoke about virtual reality and his views on future VR products. VAQSO is demonstrating a smell-producing attachment for VR HMDs and the early part of the panel was spent discussing the product. The moderators pivoted the discussion to broader VR topics.&nbsp;</p> <p>Palmer went on to say some interesting things about the medium which he helped bring to consumers several years ago at Oculus. "Anything to help VR, I'll do it," said Luckey when he was thanked by the panelists for stopping by their booth. When asked about the pace at which consumer adoption of VR HMDs has been going he pointed to the problem of waiting for the next great VR HMD. "VR is always going to be getting better," if you wait forever you will never end up experiencing it.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/IMG_4426.JPG" alt="" width="700" height="525" /></div> <p>One of the most interesting moments of the panel came when Palmer gave a hint at what he is currently working on. "I think the future of virtual reality is implant technology," said Luckey. He went on to say that "I can't talk about my ideas. They're too crazy." It definitely seems like Palmer is still interested in working on VR technology but he also commented that there are a ton of HMDs hitting the market. It doesn't seem like making another VR head-mounted display is something that interests him, which makes the rumors that he may acquire HTC Vive swirling around <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101433/palmer-luckey-will-appear-on-the-htc-stage-at-the-tokyo-game-show" target="_blank">his appearance today at their TGS 2017 booth</a>&nbsp;seem pretty unlikely.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p>Check out <a href="https://twitter.com/PalmerLuckey">@PalmerLuckey</a> throwing signed <a href="https://twitter.com/vaqso_vr">@vaqso_vr</a> t-shirts into the crowd after his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TGS2017?src=hash">#TGS2017</a> panel. <a href="https://t.co/qYhvcU9uaW">pic.twitter.com/qYhvcU9uaW</a></p> &mdash; Productive Citizen (@technosucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/technosucks/status/911398300460359680">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 18:30:00 PDT Asif Khan Modojo Rewind: Twice The Time, Twice The News http://www.shacknews.com/article/101458/modojo-rewind-twice-the-time-twice-the-news http://www.shacknews.com/article/101458/modojo-rewind-twice-the-time-twice-the-news <p>A fortnight has passed since the last Modojo Rewind was forged, and throughout those dazzling days and placcid nights, great bounties of information coalesced within the aether, swirling, agitating, and spontaneously materializing into a tide of new stories covering all angles of the mobile and portable gaming kingdom. Every significant market in the handheld gaming arena found its way into the headlines, and thanks to this surprising deluge, Modojo has had the opportunity to curate a collection of must-know stories, including a bevvy of Nintendo Switch release highlights, Apple's reveal of the two new iPhone models, the launch of iOS 11, and suprising details regarding the Switch's mysterious "flog" emulator.</p> <p>Though their mettle will be tested, glorious detail awaits all those brave enough to face this week's Modojo Rewind.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/modojo-www/assets/article/2017/09/12/should-you-buy-iphone-8-or-iphone-x_feature.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="428" /></div> <h2>The Latest From Apple Park</h2> <p>Last week, consumer electronics corporation Apple made their <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24088/how-when-and-where-to-watch-the-iphone-8-event" target="_blank">first-ever showing at the all-new Steve Jobs Theater</a>. The show was a particularly big effort, with the company eventually revealing several new products, including the <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24091/apple-unveils-apple-watch-series-3" target="_blank">LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3</a>, the new <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24092/apple-details-new-apple-tv-with-4k-and-high-dynamic-range" target="_blank">4K and HDR-compatible Apple TV 4K</a>, two all-new iPhone 8 models, and the formal reveal of the company's latest flagship device, <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24094/apple-announces-the-iphone-x" target="_blank">the iPhone X</a>. With so much new tech around, of course we had to unveil some critical stats, so we've got new stories on&nbsp;<a href="https://modojo.com/article/24093/apple-unveils-new-iphone-8-models-features-and-specifications" target="_blank">models, features, and specifications for the iPhone 8</a> as well as a new guide that should help mobile users <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24095/should-you-buy-an-iphone-8-or-an-iphone-x" target="_blank">decide between buying an iPhone 8 or the new iPhone X</a>.</p> <p>Not too long after the showing, Apple began the formal rollout of iOS 11, the latest and most feature-packed version of their mobile operating system ever. Even though it's shiny and new, however, there are some reasons to wait on installing the OS, and we've got a new guide on <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24112/should-you-wait-to-install-ios-11" target="_blank">why it might be a good idea to wait to install iOS 11</a>. Still, some people just don't want to wait, and for all of those users who have already placed a pre-order for the new iPhone 8, we've got an all-new guide detailing how to protect their latest investment by picking up one of <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24107/the-best-iphone-8-cases" target="_blank">the best iPhone 8 cases on the market</a>.</p> <p>Of course, Apple didn't make all of the mobile news: Google and HTC announced a new cooperating agreement that sees the Android developer exchanging $1.1 billion in exchange for a host of HTC employees that worked on the Google Pixel phone. While the motivation behind this act isn't totally clear, we've got some ideas on <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24117/google-and-htc-announce-cooperation-agreement-what-could-this-mean-for-consumers" target="_blank">what the Google HTC collaboration could mean for consumers</a>.</p> <p>Naturally, we can't leave out the mobile gaming realm: Pokemon Go developer Niantic is teasing players with&nbsp;<a href="https://modojo.com/article/24114/pokemon-go-equinox-celebration-tempts-trainers-with-double-stardust" target="_blank">a rare chance to earn double Stardust</a> in celebration of the coming equinox as well as <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24108/pokemon-go-latest-update-adds-new-free-item" target="_blank">a free new in-game Global Goals t-shirt</a>; Apple surprise-revealed the <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24119/the-witness-is-now-available-for-ios-devices" target="_blank">immediate launch of The Witness for iOS devices</a>; lastly, we've got <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24106/2-for-2-review-additional-entertainment" target="_blank">a review for the recently-released free-to-play puzzle title 2 For 2</a>, which combines classic tile matching gameplay with a math-based twist and culmines in a deliciously addictive experience.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/modojo-www/assets/article/2017/09/19/nintendo-switch-built-in-nes-emulator-golf-cover_feature.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <h2>Switching Things Up</h2> <p><a href="https://modojo.com/article/24097/watch-todays-nintendo-direct-stream-right-here" target="_blank">Nintendo hosted yet-another Direct Presentation last week</a>, and as might be expected, the company revealed loads of new information regarding Nintendo systems, including <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24098/minecraft-is-landing-on-the-3ds-eshop-today" target="_blank">a release date for Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition</a>, <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24102/nintendos-classic-arcade-games-are-coming-to-the-switch" target="_blank">a selection of classic arcade games coming to the Nintendo Switch</a>, <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24105/snipperclips-plus-cut-it-out-together-is-coming-to-nintendo-switch" target="_blank">a new version of Snipperclips called Snipperclips Plus</a>, <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24103/arms-latest-update-includes-customizable-controls-new-fighter-and-new-arena" target="_blank">the formal debut of Lola Pop in Arms</a>, a slick-looking "HD-2D" <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24104/project-octopath-traveler-gets-a-nintendo-switch-demo" target="_blank">RPG codenamed Project Octopath Traveler</a>, and <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24099/nintendo-direct-september-13-highlights" target="_blank">a vast array of minor news and release dates for upcoming games</a>.</p> <p>On the less-formal front, more details have surfaced regarding "flog," the mysterious bit of code found within the Nintendo Switch firmware that seemed to be <a href="https://modojo.com/article/23938/hackers-uncover-the-switchs-built-in-nes-emulator" target="_blank">a fully-functioning NES emulator</a>. It turns out that flog is an emulator after all, albeit one wrapped around <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24113/the-nintendo-switchs-built-in-nes-emulator-contains-a-copy-of-golf" target="_blank">a digital version of the NES sports title Golf</a>. Curiously, the emulated version of Golf seems to have been intended for use with motion controls, which would make it the first Famicom title to ever be updated for that type of input. Even more curious are <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24115/how-to-unlock-the-nes-title-golf-on-nintendo-switch" target="_blank">the steps required to launch Golf</a>, which involves a series of specific hand gestures as well as setting the Switch to the date that beloved Nintendo president Satoru Iwata passed away.</p> <p>Lastly, we've got a few stories for those Nintendo fans looking to step their gaming up to the next level: the company has just launched re-released versions of classic Pokemon titles Gold and Silver for the Nintendo 3DS, and we examine&nbsp;<a href="https://modojo.com/article/24120/should-you-buy-pokemon-gold-and-silver-on-the-nintendo-3ds" target="_blank">whether Pokemon fans should buy Gold and Silver for the 3DS</a> by taking an in-depth look at the significance of the series' second generation. We've also got all the information Switch owners need to know to break out of the Switch ecosystem by <a href="https://modojo.com/article/24116/how-to-connect-nintendo-switch-controllers-to-pc" target="_blank">connecting Nintendo Switch controllers to a PC</a>.</p> <p>As always, more stories like these as well as the biggest news in the mobile and portable gaming realm can be found over on <a href="https://modojo.com/" target="_blank">Modojo</a>.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 17:00:00 PDT Kevin Tucker Absolver Review: Like Water http://www.shacknews.com/article/101459/absolver-review-like-water http://www.shacknews.com/article/101459/absolver-review-like-water <p>In Absolver, you arrive on the scene as a fallen empire attempts to gather itself back together. You&rsquo;re guided by the new rulers of this land as you seek to become an Absolver, an elite corp of peacekeepers. While playing Absolver, a melee brawler that pays homage to the martial arts tradition, I thought of Bruce Lee&rsquo;s legendary quote: &ldquo;You must be shapeless, formless, like water.&rdquo;The journey to the honored title of Absolver, and even the experience <g class="gr_ gr_57 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="57" data-gr-id="57">after,</g> is set upon a road that is as simple or as complex as you want it to be. It will acquiesce to your desires, like water.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/AbsolverRe5.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>The path to becoming one of those peacekeepers involves becoming more adept at Absolver&rsquo;s main dish: melee combat. Thankfully, that main dish is an incredibly delicious experience with more layers than I expected. You&rsquo;ll choose from three fighting styles (with a fourth to be unlocked later) to use in the game but you can expand and evolve your style over time by adding new attacks to your Combat Deck and changing your combo structures. Button-mash at your own risk, but this brawler rewards pacing and laser focus on the stance and moves of your opponents. In short bouts of frustration, I&rsquo;d start throwing everything but the kitchen sink at enemies, only to be quickly be reminded I should relax when I was countered into oblivion and my health bar depleted rapidly.</p> <p>After surviving the tutorial, Absolver&rsquo;s world opens up and you&rsquo;re able to explore eight areas with another unlocked later. The Guidance Bridge is the hub for players and a few exits from it lead to areas for you to fight and explore. There&rsquo;s not much actual &ldquo;guidance&rdquo; at this hub other than a totem with a few lights to show where your main targets are and, in general, the game takes a very hands-off approach to discovering the corners of the game world in way that&rsquo;s reminiscent of hardcore RPGs like The Surge or Dark Souls. That minimalist approach can be found all over Adal, from the art design to the sound, and it all comes together in a really beautiful package.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/AbsolverRe8.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>When it comes to voice acting, there&rsquo;s barely any to speak of. Your own character and the majority of those you encounter in the world are silent. This works well in a couple of ways: It gives you a chance to appreciate the lovely ambient noises of each area you move through and it also makes the voice acted boss fights that much more impactful. Words aren&rsquo;t spoken aloud in Adal except to signal the appearance of an important character so you&rsquo;ll do the most communication with your fists and, when you do, every statement is striking. The sounds of your limbs cutting through the wind and the varying degrees of impact all come together to create a wonderful song you won&rsquo;t get tired of hearing throughout your experience.</p> <p>The general structure early on has you fighting through the game world against AI and other players as you seek out special warriors. Once those warriors are defeated, you&rsquo;ll unlock the final dungeon: The Tower of Adal. Throughout all of this, you&rsquo;ll be earning gear that changes your strength, defense, health, stamina, and speed. The speed attribute isn&rsquo;t increased over <g class="gr_ gr_73 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-del replaceWithoutSep" id="73" data-gr-id="73">time,</g> but is changed depending on the weight of your gear. Thus, you can put on heavier gear that will likely give you a defense boost, but it will likely slow your attacks and make it easier for opponents to read and defend against. Once you complete the game&rsquo;s campaign, you&rsquo;ll become an Absolver and the endgame will be focused on improving your Combat Deck, facing harder versions of bosses, and creating a school based on your fighting style if you reach a certain level of prominence.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/AbsolverRe7.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>You&rsquo;ll often see a bunch of players running around and getting their bearings in the Guidance Bridge hub and other locations because Absolver is always online. You can turn it off temporarily but, you&rsquo;ll be reconnected to the online world once you enter a new area of the map. You&rsquo;re able to team up with the other players you see in your instance and take on the scattered AI enemies and bosses. You can also eschew the cooperative element and just fight anyone you come across, but you will have to encounter them at some point no matter what.</p> <p>At launch, this &ldquo;always online&rdquo; feature could lead to some incredibly frustrating moments. Enemies would randomly pop up or disappear suddenly, putting you in a precarious situation or taking away your opportunity to learn new moves. When you block, counter, or dodge enemy attacks that aren&rsquo;t a part of your own combat deck, a progress bar climbs until it fills and, once you defeat that enemy, that progress is chiseled in and you learn the move if you have done enough. If you die, that progress is lost, and it&rsquo;s also lost if the enemy just disappears. The server issues also hindered the private PvP matches. With a combat system so dependant on timing and awareness, constant stuttering muddies the experience fully.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/AbsolverReFinal.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>Appearances can be deceiving when it comes to martial arts. With the right knowledge, the unassuming or physically unimposing can dismantle opponents completely. Absolver, on its surface, is a multiplayer brawler with progression elements. At its center, it is a hardcore RPG that will reward players that invest in it heavily and it has more than enough value at its lower price. The game&rsquo;s most significant issues have been addressed with a patch, thankfully, and any that step into the world of Andal is in for a treat.&nbsp;</p> <hr /> <p><span>This review is based on a PS4 code provided by the publisher and the game was played on PS4 Pro. Absolver is now available on PC and PlayStation 4 for $29.99. The game is rated T for Teen.</span></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:45:00 PDT Charles Singletary The Cartridge Family 006 - SNES Classic Edition Review Roundup http://www.shacknews.com/article/101460/the-cartridge-family-006---snes-classic-edition-review-roundup http://www.shacknews.com/article/101460/the-cartridge-family-006---snes-classic-edition-review-roundup <p>When Buffa&rsquo;s away, the children play. Unfortunately Papa Buff had to take care of his other children during today&rsquo;s recording, so we definitely missed out on his SNES expertise which likely would&rsquo;ve made for a more enriching show. However, what we have for you is a silly and entertaining run through of all the games that come shipped with Nintendo&rsquo;s new all-in-one retro console. Before that, however, we&rsquo;ll run through some recent headlines in the gaming world but for the most part you can look forward to some fun talk about some old, old (but charming) video games. Thanks as always for listening!</p> <p><iframe width="100%" height="200" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://embed.radiopublic.com/e?us=https:%2F%2Fplay.radiopublic.com%2F9ae7c3ce-f742-4193-9a84-3c3eef9ce601%2Fep%2Fs1!0c7a31c5729a5915f7db8bd8855c3a82cd793f4c&amp;if=9ae7c3ce-f742-4193-9a84-3c3eef9ce601&amp;ge=s1!0c7a31c5729a5915f7db8bd8855c3a82cd793f4c&amp;gs=_blank"></iframe></p> <p>On this show:</p> <p>- Joseph Stasio - <a href="http://twitter.com/beardedaxe">http://twitter.com/beardedaxe </a></p> <p>- Vin Genova - <a href="http://twitter.com/vinbatplays">http://twitter.com/vinbatplays </a></p> <p>- John Benyamine - <a href="http://twitter.com/hammersuit">http://twitter.com/hammersuit</a></p> <p></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:30:00 PDT Joe Stasio Best Deals From PSN's Weekend Flash Sale http://www.shacknews.com/article/101457/best-deals-from-psns-weekend-flash-sale http://www.shacknews.com/article/101457/best-deals-from-psns-weekend-flash-sale <p>Sony has activated another Flash Sale, just in time for the weekend. Running from now through 8AM (PST) on September 25, 2017, the sale includes deals on a variety of PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Vita games, with discounts as high as 75%.</p> <p>You can check the <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/flash-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-FLASHSALE17LP" target="_blank" title="PlayStation flash sale">official flash sale page</a>&nbsp;to find all of the deals, but there are quite a few to sort through. We&rsquo;ll potentially save you some time by discussing a few of the ones that caught our eye below. Prices referenced are in USD.</p> <p>On PlayStation Vita, you can currently find The Arland Atelier Trilogy Plus offered at a 70% discount. Regularly priced at $79.99, the collection includes Atelier Rorona Plus, Atelier Totori Plus, and Atelier Meruru Plus. It is available for $23.99 while the sale lasts.</p> <p>JoJo&rsquo;s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven Bundle offers the base game, as well as a playable Kujo Jotaro and custom victory voices that otherwise are available as DLC. You can download everything for $14.99, a savings of 75%. Meanwhile, JoJo&rsquo;s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle on PlayStation 3 is offered at an 80% discount, meaning it will currently set you back only $5.99.</p> <p>Also on PlayStation 4, Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force is available for $14.99, which is a 70% discount. If you like JRPGs, the game may be of interest, since it represents the best edition of a reasonably popular title from <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/83143/turn-based-jrpg-fairy-fencer-f-coming-westward" title="Fairy Fencer F headed west">late in the PlayStation 3 generation</a>.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yMIKs1PKrEM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Rayman Legends on PlayStation 4 is also available, and at a 75% discount that drops its price to $9.99 from the standard $39.99. An even deeper discount is offered on The Darkness II, a comic-based shooter for PlayStation 3 that is 80% off its standard price. You can download it for only $7.99 through the sale&rsquo;s duration.</p> <p>If you&rsquo;re interested in a VR experience, you also might want to grab Oasis Games Shooter VR Bundle while it is available for only $6.24, or the Oasis Games Horror VR Bundle for $4.99. Each title is available at savings of 75%. Other games offered at pleasing discounts include Broken Age (now only $3.99), <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/87509/2014-game-of-the-year-7-south-park-the-stick-of-truth" title="South Park: The Stick of Truth praise">South Park: The Stick of Truth</a>&nbsp;(only $7.99), <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/99716/disney-afternoon-collection-review-racecars-lasers-aeroplanes" title="The Disney Afternoon Collection review on Shacknews">The Disney Afternoon Collection</a>&nbsp;(priced at $7.99), Sid Meier&rsquo;s Civilization Revolution 2 Plus (offered for $4.99 on Vita), and Ratchet &amp; Clank Future: Quest for Booty ($5.99, compared to the usual $14.99).</p> <p>The PlayStation Flash sale is a terrific event. Check it out so you don&rsquo;t miss the opportunity to spend way more money than you really should.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 15:45:00 PDT Jason Venter Weekend Console Download Deals for 9/22: Free Overwatch Weekend http://www.shacknews.com/article/101456/weekend-console-download-deals-for-922-free-overwatch-weekend http://www.shacknews.com/article/101456/weekend-console-download-deals-for-922-free-overwatch-weekend <p>With Junkertown opening its doors, that means it's time to pick up Overwatch again. And as part of the latest update, that means Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners can play for free this weekend, with the full GOTY edition discounted across both platforms.</p> <p>Xbox owners can also look for some deals on Battlefield, while PlayStation is throwing a giant Flash Sale, along with deals on the Assassin's Creed and Batman franchises.</p> <p>Here's our selection of this weekend's console deals:</p> <h3>Xbox One</h3> <p>The following games are a part of Xbox One Games with Gold/Deals with Gold. An Xbox Live Gold Subscription is required to receive these discounts.</p> <ul> <li>Forza Motorsport 5: Racing Game of the Year Edition - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Forza-Motorsport-5-Racing-Game-of-the-Year-Edition/C2B33LKKCRVJ?rtc=1">FREE!</a></li> <li>Oxenfree - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/store/p/Oxenfree/BSK1GN27RB8R">FREE!</a></li> <li>Overwatch GOTY Edition - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/store/p/Overwatch-Game-of-the-Year-Edition/C0QN5M9ZTC38">$38.99 (35% off)</a> (Complete Add-Ons Collection also on sale)</li> <li>Styx: Master of Shadows + Styx: Shards of Darkness - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Styx-Master-of-Shadows--Styx-Shards-of-Darkness/C543H40H6NL6?rtc=1">$24.00 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Styx: Shards of Darkness - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Styx-Shards-of-Darkness/BTBWJ7WC1Q76?rtc=1">$20.00 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Kholat - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Kholat/BS2P4JMZNPVT?rtc=1">$13.39 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Black &amp; White Bushido - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Black--White-Bushido/C2RQLL92FRXH?rtc=1">$9.09 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Super Time Force - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Super-Time-Force/BS33QFX5JWN6?rtc=1">$6.00 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Heart &amp; Slash - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/HeartSlash/BNPJV2Z29721?rtc=1">$6.60 (67% off)</a></li> <li>Anoxemia - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/store/p/Anoxemia/C11W9R4R5MLP">$2.64 (67% off)</a></li> <li>Dex - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Dex/C09XZ31GMN2N?rtc=1">$10.00 (50% off)</a></li> <li>forma.8 - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/forma8/C4R102C0KWRF?rtc=1">$6.00 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Deformers - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Deformers/BXKJX3RP596W?rtc=1">$20.09 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Livelock - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Livelock/BNJTSCTSMXGM?rtc=1">$5.00 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Mighty No. 9 - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/p/Mighty-No-9/C1CJ25XTKDSB?rtc=1">$8.00 (60% off)</a></li> </ul> <p>The following deals are available to all Xbox One users.</p> <ul> <li>Battlefield 1 Revolution - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/Battlefield-1-Revolution/BPL68T0XK96W">$41.99 (30% off)</a> (Battlefield franchise on sale <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/promotions/sales/battlefest-sale">here</a>)</li> <li>Far Cry Primal - <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/Far-Cry-Primal/BV6BRSLFJW3W">$20.00 (60% off)</a> (Full Far Cry franchise on sale <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/promotions/sales/far-cry-sale">here</a>.)</li> </ul> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YLcjfALaQh0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h3>PlayStation 4</h3> <p>The following deals are available to all users. PlayStation Plus members may be eligible for additional discounts.</p> <ul> <li>Overwatch GOTY Edition - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/overwatch-game-of-the-year-edition/cid=UP0002-CUSA01842_00-OWGOTYBUNDLE0000?emcid=ps-ga-871">$47.99 (20% off)</a></li> <li>Borderlands: The Handsome Collection - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/borderlands-the-handsome-collection/cid=UP1001-CUSA01401_00-BORDERLANDSHDCOL?emcid=ps-ga-871">$19.79 (67% off)</a></li> <li>The Disney Afternoon Collection - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/the-disney-afternoon-collection/cid=UP0102-CUSA06809_00-DISNEYLEGCOLLPS4?emcid=ps-ga-871">$7.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Grim Fandango Remastered - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/grim-fandango-remastered/cid=UP2154-CUSA01319_00-GRIMFANDANGOPS04?emcid=ps-ga-871">$4.49 (70% off)</a></li> <li>Other PS4 games in the PlayStation Flash Sale can be found <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/flash-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-FLASHSALE17PS4G?emcid=ps-ga-871">here</a>.</li> <li>Assassin's Creed Syndicate - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/assassin%e2%80%99s-creed-syndicate/cid=UP0001-CUSA02389_00-ACVICTORYGAMEPS4?emcid=ps-ga-871">$19.99 (60% off)</a> (The full Assassin's Creed franchise is on sale <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/assassin's-creed-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-UBISOFTPUBSALE%7Cplatform~ps4%7C?emcid=ps-ga-871">here</a>.)</li> <li>Injustice 2 - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/injustice-2/cid=UP1018-CUSA05462_00-INJUSTICE2000000?emcid=ps-ga-871">$47.99 (20% off)</a></li> <li>Batman: Arkham Knight - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/batman-arkham-knight/cid=UP1018-CUSA00133_00-BATMANARKHAMKNHT?emcid=ps-ga-871">$9.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Batman: Arkham VR - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/batman-arkham-vr/cid=UP1018-CUSA05335_00-ARKHAMVRLT000000?emcid=ps-ga-871">$15.99 (20% off)</a></li> <li>PlayStation celebrates Batman with a slew of Batman games. Find the full list <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/batman-day/cid=STORE-MSF77008-BATMANWEEKGAMESG?emcid=ps-ga-871">here</a>.</li> <li>Final Fantasy IX - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/final-fantasy-ix-digital-edition/cid=UP0082-CUSA08877_00-FFIXDIGITALED000?emcid=ps-ga-871">$16.79 (20% off)</a></li> </ul> <p>The following deals are available only to PlayStation Plus members.</p> <ul> <li>Infamous: Second Son - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/infamous-second-son/cid=UP9000-CUSA00223_00-SECONDSONSHIP000?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> <li>Strike Victor EX - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/strike-vector-ex/cid=UP2335-CUSA03009_00-STRIKEVECTOREX75?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> <li>RIGS Mechanized Combat League - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/rigs-mechanized-combat-league/cid=UP9000-CUSA02983_00-RIGS000000000000?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> <li>WE ARE DOOMED - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/we-are-doomed/cid=UP2195-CUSA01783_00-WEAREDOOMED00000?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> <li>Hatoful Boyfriend - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/hatoful-boyfriend/cid=UP3643-CUSA01957_00-HATOFULBOYFNDPS4?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> </ul> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JhtU_sjQzjM?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h3>Nintendo Switch</h3> <ul> <li>Puyo Puyo Tetris - <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/qFpqVnA8gCkDnd6Qp1dm7eG9XcaHsyX8">$24.99 ($5 off)</a></li> <li>The Bridge - <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/zS_9D7eaS-oyBAUBuIp7_UMvWvk5_Rle">$7.99 (20% off)</a></li> </ul> <h3>Nintendo Wii U</h3> <ul> <li>Terraria - <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/0Zrzx6zqSsnFnGF7A5tDF_CJ6j055EHM">$14.99 (50% off)</a></li> </ul> <h3>Xbox 360</h3> <p>The following games are a part of Xbox 360 Games with Gold/Deals with Gold. An Xbox Live Gold Subscription is required to receive these discounts.</p> <ul> <li>Battlefield 3 - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/Product/Battlefield-3/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80245410950">FREE!</a></li> <li>Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Grand-Theft-Auto-San-Andreas/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802545408b8">$7.49 (50% off)</a></li> <li>L.A. Noire - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/LA-Noire/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8025454086c">$9.89 (67% off)</a></li> <li>Max Payne 3 - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Max-Payne-3/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8025454086b">$9.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>The Escapists - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/The-Escapists/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802464a07d1">$4.99 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Midnight Club: LA - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Midnight-Club-LA/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802545407f8">$7.49 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Mighty No. 9 - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Mighty-No-9/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584114a4">$7.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Realms of Ancient War - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/RAW/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584111ee">$2.49 (75% off)</a></li> </ul> <p>The following deals are available to all Xbox 360 users.</p> <ul> <li>Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-us/Product/TEKKEN-6/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024e4d07fc">$7.99 (60% off)</a> (Full Battlefield franchise on sale <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-us/Product/Battlefield-Bad-Company-2/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802454108a8">here</a>.)</li> <li>Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon - <a href="https://marketplace.xbox.com/en-us/Product/Far-Cry-3-Blood-Dragon/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802584113bf">$5.99 (60% off)</a> (Full Far Cry franchise on sale <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/promotions/sales/far-cry-sale">here</a>.)</li> </ul> <h3>PlayStation 3</h3> <p>The following deals are available to all users. PlayStation Plus members may be eligible for additional discounts.</p> <ul> <li>Ratchet &amp; Clank Collection - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/ratchet-clank-collection/cid=UP9000-BCUS98282_00-RATCHETCOLLECPS3?emcid=ps-ga-871">$7.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>South Park: The Stick of Truth - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/south-park-the-stick-of-truth/cid=UP0001-NPUB31306_00-SOUTHPARKTSOTGAM?emcid=ps-ga-871">$7.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Persona 4 Arena Ultimax - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/persona4-arena-ultimax/cid=UP0005-NPUB31563_00-P4AU000000000000?emcid=ps-ga-871">$9.99 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Other PS3 games in the PlayStation Flash Sale can be found <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/flash-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-FLASHSALE17PS3G?emcid=ps-ga-871">here</a>.</li> <li>Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/assassin%e2%80%99s-creediv-black-flag/cid=UP0001-NPUB31246_00-AC4DIGITALPS3001?emcid=ps-ga-871">$7.99 (60% off)</a> (The full Assassin's Creed franchise is on sale <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/assassin's-creed-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-UBISOFTPUBSALE%7Cplatform~ps3%7C?emcid=ps-ga-871">here</a>.)</li> </ul> <p>The following deals are available only to PlayStation Plus members.</p> <ul> <li>Truck Racer - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/truck-racer/cid=UP4008-NPUB31353_00-TRUCKRACER000000?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> <li>Handball 16 - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/handball-16/cid=UP4008-NPUB31717_00-HANDBALL16000001?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> </ul> <h3>Nintendo 3DS</h3> <ul> <li>River City: Knights of Justice - <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/ldWbzV4KxhDHYrmO6gdbYZgh_SI-a3dk">$7.49 (50% off)</a></li> <li>River City Tokyo Rumble - <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/7tHpjBDgkcUxluhbnxFxOXxMuLVP8T3Z">$14.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Harvest Moon: Skytree Village - <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/hk0Vgm45J7YTpOqAGZ2CZl0yG3cbCD2c">$14.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Terraria - <a href="http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/SZ3F_kGkZ3-h94LPtVjK9mX3FJlefiVH">$9.99 (50% off)</a></li> </ul> <h3>PlayStation Vita</h3> <p>The following deals are available to all users. PlayStation Plus members may be eligible for additional discounts.</p> <ul> <li>Tearaway - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/tearaway/cid=UP9000-PCSA00144_00-TEARAWAY0TRIAL00?emcid=ps-ga-871">$7.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Ratchet &amp; Clank: Full Frontal Assault - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/ratchet-clank-full-frontal-assault-ps-vita/cid=UP9000-PCSA00086_00-RATCHETCLANKFFAV?emcid=ps-ga-871">$3.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Crypt of the NecroDancer - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/crypt-of-the-necrodancer/cid=UP1162-PCSE00806_00-CRYPTNECRODANCER?emcid=ps-ga-871">$2.99 (80% off)</a></li> <li>Other PS Vita games in the PlayStation Flash Sale can be found <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/flash-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-FLASHSALE17PSVG?emcid=ps-ga-871">here</a>.</li> <li>Assassin's Creed Chronicles Trilogy - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/assassin's-creed-chronicles-trilogy/cid=UP0001-PCSE00700_00-ACCVITA000000001?emcid=ps-ga-871">$9.99 (60% off)</a> (Full Assassin's Creed franchise on sale <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/assassin's-creed-sale/cid=STORE-MSF77008-UBISOFTPUBSALE%7Cplatform~vita%7C?emcid=ps-ga-871">here</a>.)</li> </ul> <p>The following deals are available only to PlayStation Plus members.</p> <ul> <li>WE ARE DOOMED - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/we-are-doomed/cid=UP2195-PCSE00793_00-WEAREDOOMED00000?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> <li>Hatoful Boyfriend - <a href="https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-us/games/hatoful-boyfriend/cid=UP3643-PCSE00653_00-HATOFULBOYFNDPSV?emcid=ps-ga-871">FREE! for PlayStation Plus</a></li> </ul> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 14:30:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia Weekend PC Download Deals for 9/22: Free Depth Weekend, Humble Store Summer Sale Encore http://www.shacknews.com/article/101453/weekend-pc-download-deals-for-922-free-depth-weekend-humble-store-summer-sale-encore http://www.shacknews.com/article/101453/weekend-pc-download-deals-for-922-free-depth-weekend-humble-store-summer-sale-encore <p>There's a heavy bounty to be found in this weekend's PC deals, with many digital retailers still finding something to celebrate. Bundle Stars turns 5 and offers up a slew of deals, while the Humble Store wraps up its End of Summer Sale by giving everyone a second chance at all of the past month's deals.</p> <p>Not to be outdone, Steam is offering a free weekend of Depth. If that game sounds familiar, it's because our own Greg Burke recently spotlighted the game on our YouTube channel. Check it out!</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HhJbfhPBkSc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Here's our selection of this weekend's PC deals:</p> <h3>Amazon</h3> <ul> <li>LawBreakers [Steam] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Boss-Key-Productions-Inc-LawBreakers/dp/B071K9D1T2">$22.49 (25% off)</a></li> <li>Mass Effect: Andromeda [Origin] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-Andromeda-Pre-load-Instant/dp/B01H0LFUDI">$39.99 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Star Wars: Battlefront [Origin] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Battlefront-Standard-Download/dp/B00WL9PSYG">$15.43 (49% off)</a></li> <li>Dragon Age: Inquisition GOTY Edition [Origin] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Game-Digital/dp/B0167AK9Y8">$39.99 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Mirror's Edge Catalyst [Origin] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mirrors-Edge-Catalyst-Online-Game/dp/B00ZQ2SWK2">$19.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Need for Speed [Origin] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Need-Speed-PC-Digital-Code/dp/B00ZQ2T954">$29.99 (25% off)</a></li> <li>NieR: Automata [Steam] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/NieR-Automata-Online-Game-Code/dp/B01KUAMF66">$38.99 (35% off)</a></li> <li>BioShock Infinite [Steam] - <a href="https://www.amazon.com/2K-BioShock-Infinite-Download/dp/B009SPZ11Q">$19.99 (33% off)</a></li> </ul> <h3>Bundle Stars</h3> <p>Use the promo code <b>BIRTHDAY5</b> to receive an addition 5% off of your Bundle Stars purchase.</p> <p><a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/baldurs-gate-the-complete-saga">Pay $20.39</a> for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition, and the Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear DLC. These activate on Steam.</p> <p>Or <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/best-of-indie-legends-2-bundle">pay $3.49</a> for Party Hard, SpeedRunners, Door Kickers, Never Alone Arctic Collection, The Fall, Cook Serve Delicious, Sir You Are Being Hunted, and CastleStorm. These activate on Steam.</p> <p>Or <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/bundle/middle-earth-shadow-of-mordor-bundle">pay $4.99</a> for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its DLC packs. These activate on Steam.</p> <ul> <li>Tekken 7 [Steam] - <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/tekken-7">$28.99 (42% off)</a></li> <li>Prey [Steam] - <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/prey-game">$28.79 (52% off)</a></li> <li>Dishonored 2 [Steam] - <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/dishonored-2">$19.19 (52% off)</a></li> <li>DOOM [Steam] - <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/doom">$14.39 (52% off)</a></li> <li>Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition [Steam] - <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/ori-and-the-blind-forest-definitive-edition">$9.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Quantum Break [Steam] - <a href="https://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/quantum-break">$19.99 (50% off)</a></li> </ul> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HKXYBIOXinE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h3>Direct2Drive</h3> <ul> <li>Direct2Drive will return with more deals next week.</li> </ul> <h3>GamersGate</h3> <ul> <li>For Honor [UPlay] - <a href="https://www.gamersgate.com/DD-FOR-HONOR-NA-RELEASE/for-honor">$26.40 (56% off)</a> (Gold Edition and Deluxe Edition are also on sale)</li> <li>Minecraft: Story Mode Season One [Steam] - <a href="https://www.gamersgate.com/DD-MINECRAFTSM/minecraft-story-mode-a-telltale-games-series">$6.25 (75% off)</a> (Adventure Pass is also on sale)</li> <li>Tekken 7 [Steam] - <a href="https://www.gamersgate.com/DD-TEKKEN-7-RELEASE/teken-7">$26.49 (47% off)</a></li> <li>Mortal Kombat XL [Steam] - <a href="https://www.gamersgate.com/DD-MORTAL-KOMBAT-XL/mortal-kombat-xl">$10.00 (75% off)</a></li> <li>LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens [Steam] - <a href="https://www.gamersgate.com/DD-LEGO-STAR-WARS-THE-FORCE-AWAKENS/lego-star-wars-the-force-awakens">$15.80 (60% off)</a></li> <li>LEGO Marvel's Avengers [Steam] - <a href="https://www.gamersgate.com/DD-LEGO-MARVEL-AVENGERS/lego-marvels-avengers">$11.99 (40% off)</a></li> <li>Other games in GamersGate's LEGO-Mania sale include the LEGO Batman games, LEGO Jurassic Park, and more. Find the full list of deals <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.gamersgate.com/campaign/id/4432/">here</a>.</li> </ul> <h3>GameStop</h3> <ul> <li>What happened, GameStop? We'll be back next week.</li> </ul> <h3>GOG.com</h3> <ul> <li>Serial Cleaner - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/serial_cleaner">$7.49 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Darkest Dungeon - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/darkest_dungeon">$9.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>FTL Advanced Edition - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/faster_than_light">$2.49 (75% off)</a></li> <li>This War of Mine - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/this_war_of_mine">$4.99 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Firewatch - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/firewatch">$8.99 (55% off)</a></li> <li>Crypt of the NecroDancer - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/crypt_of_the_necrodancer">$3.79 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Rime - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/rime">$20.09 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Tacoma - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/tacoma_game">$15.99 (20% off)</a></li> <li>The Witness - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/the_witness">$15.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>The Flame in the Flood - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/the_flame_in_the_flood">$7.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Kerbal Space Program - <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/kerbal_space_program">$23.99 (40% off)</a></li> <li>GOG.com has gone crazy with its Big Deal Sale, offering record low prices on dozens of recent releases. Find the full list of sales on <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.gog.com/promo/20170911_weekly_sale">GOG.com</a>.</li> </ul> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wh6IEObKFyA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h3>Green Man Gaming</h3> <ul> <li>Sid Meier's Civilization VI [Steam] - <a href="https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/sid-meiers-civilization-vi/">$32.15 (46% off)</a></li> <li>Stellaris [Steam] - <a href="https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/stellaris/">$16.00 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration [Steam] - <a href="https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-20-year-celebration/">$24.00 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth [Steam] - <a href="https://www.greenmangaming.com/games/sid-meiers-civilization-beyond-earth/">$10.56 (74% off)</a></li> <li>Other games in Green Man Gaming's Weekly Sale, including the Tomb Raider series and Civilization series, can be found <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.greenmangaming.com/hot-deals/">here</a>.</li> </ul> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qvBf6WBatk0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <h3>Humble Bundle</h3> <p><a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/very-positive-bundle-2">Pay what you want</a> for RIVE: Wreck, Hack, Die, Retry, Neon Chrome, and Dungeon Souls. Pay more than the average $7.25 for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor GOTY Edition, Ultimate Chicken Horse, and Oxenfree. Pay $10 or more to also get Death Road to Canada and Beat Cop. Pay $80 or more to also get Middle-earth: Shadow of War (coming in October) and a Shadow of War T-shirt. These activate on Steam. (Except the T-shirt, obviously.)</p> <p>Or <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/capcom-sega-atlus-bundle">pay $1 or more</a> for Rollers of the Realm, Zeno Clash 2, Sonic Adventure 2, Bionic Commando, and Citizens of Earth. Pay more than the average $6.90 for Renegade Ops Collection, Sonic Generations Collection, Resident Evil 4, Dead Rising, and Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure. Pay $12 or more to also get Motorsport Manager and Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition. These activate on Steam.</p> <ul> <li>Outlast + Outlast: Whistleblower [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/outlast-deluxe">FREE through the end of Friday 9/22</a></li> <li>Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege [UPlay] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-siege">$23.99 (40% off)</a></li> <li>Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands [UPlay] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-wildlands">$40.19 (33% off)</a></li> <li>For Honor [UPlay] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/for-honor">$29.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Tom Clancy's The Division [UPlay] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/tom-clancys-the-division">$19.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Ubisoft sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/ubisoft-summer-sale-encore/">here</a>.</li> <li>Prey [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/prey">$29.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Fallout 4 [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/fallout-4">$20.09 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Dishonored 2 [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/dishonored-2">$29.99 (25% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Bethesda sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/bethesda-summer-sale-encore/">here</a>.</li> <li>Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/call-of-duty-infinite-warfare">$29.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Bundle [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/marvel-ultimate-alliance-bundle">$29.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Deadpool [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/deadpool">$19.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Activision sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/activision-summer-sale-encore/">here</a>.</li> <li>Deus Ex: Mankind Divided [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/deus-ex-mankind-divided">$14.99 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/rise-of-the-tomb-raider-20-year-celebration">$23.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Hitman: The Complete First Season [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/hitman-the-complete-first-season">$23.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Square Enix sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/square-enix-summer-sale-encore/">here</a>.</li> <li>Saints Row Ultimate Franchise Pack [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/saints-row-ultimate-franchise-pack">$24.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Metro Redux Bundle [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/metro-redux-bundle">$7.49 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Dead Island Definitive Collection [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/dead-island-definitive-collection">$19.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Deep Silver sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/deep-silver-summer-sale-encore/">here</a>.</li> <li>Street Fighter V [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/darksiders-franchise-pack">$9.99 (80% off)</a></li> <li>Dead Rising 4 [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/dead-rising-4">$23.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>DmC: Devil May Cry Complete Pack [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/dmc-devil-may-cry-complete-pack">$9.99 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Capcom sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/capcom-summer-sale-encore/">here</a>.</li> <li>Tropico 5 Complete Collection [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/tropico-5-complete-collection">$9.99 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Project Highrise [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/project-highrise">$6.79 (66% off)</a></li> <li>Dungeons 2 [Steam] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/dungeons-2">$7.49 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Kalypso sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/kalypso-summer-sale/">here</a>.</li> <li>Grand Theft Auto V [Rockstar] - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/grand-theft-auto-v">$29.99 (50% off)</a> (Shark Cash Card bundles also on sale)</li> <li>Grand Theft Auto Collection - <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/grand-theft-auto-collection">$14.99 (75% off)</a></li> <li>Find other games in the Humble Store's End of Summer Rockstar Games sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/rockstar-summer-sale-encore/">here</a>.</li> <li>In fact, there are just too many deals to list here, period, or we'll be here all day! Visit <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store">The Humble Store</a> and browse at your leisure.</li> </ul> <h3>Origin</h3> <ul> <li>SteamWorld Dig - <a href="https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/steamworld/steamworld-dig/standard-edition">Free!</a></li> <li>Battlefield 1 Revolution - <a href="https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/battlefield/battlefield-1/revolution-edition">$39.99 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Battlefield 1 Revolution + Titanfall 2 Ultimate Edition - <a href="https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/origin/battlefield-1-titanfall-2-ultimate-bundle/ultimate-edition">$59.99 (25% off)</a></li> <li>Find the rest of the games in Origin's Battlefield Blowout Sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/deals/battlefieldblowout">here</a>.</li> </ul> <h3>UPlay Shop</h3> <ul> <li>Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands - <a href="http://store.ubi.com/us/tom-clancys-ghost-recon--wildlands/574474b488a7e3b8638b456a.html">$35.99 (40% off)</a></li> <li>Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege - <a href="http://store.ubi.com/us/tom-clancys-rainbow-six-siege/56c494ad88a7e300458b4d5a.html">$23.99 (40% off)</a></li> <li>For Honor - <a href="http://store.ubi.com/us/for-honor/5759633788a7e3de678b4567.html">$29.99 (50% off)</a></li> <li>Find the full list of games in the UPlay Shop's Fall Sale <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="http://store.ubi.com/us/store/sales/">here</a>.</li> </ul> <h3>Steam</h3> <p>As well as regular discounts, Steam has a couple of additional weekend deals.</p> <ul> <li>Depth - <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/274940/Depth">$4.99 (75% off)</a> (FREE WEEKEND through 9/24 at 4PM ET)</li> <li>Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes - <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/341800/Keep_Talking_and_Nobody_Explodes">$4.49 (25% off)</a></li> <li>Stellaris - <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/281990/Stellaris">$15.99 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Hearts of Iron IV - <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/394360/Hearts_of_Iron_IV">$16.00 (60% off)</a></li> <li>Steel Division: Normandy 44 - <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/572410/Steel_Division_Normandy_44">$26.79 (33% off)</a></li> <li>Steam is holding a Paradox Strategy Weekend sale, featuring Crusader Kings, Europa Universalis, and more. Find the full list of sale items <a style="text-decoration: underline;" 5e98a5="" onmouseover="this.style.color='black';" onmouseout="this.style.color='#5e98a5'" href="http://store.steampowered.com/sale/pdx_strategy_weekend/">here</a>.</li> <li>NieR: Automata - <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/524220/NieRAutomata">$38.99 (35% off)</a></li> <li>Planet Coaster - <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/493340/Planet_Coaster">$30.14 (33% off)</a></li> </ul> <p>And finally, there's the Stardock Steam Publisher sale. For an idea of what to pick up, check out <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101449/best-deals-from-stardocks-steam-publisher-sale">Asif's picks</a> from earlier today.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 14:00:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia Pokemon Go Dev Believes iPhone X Needs To Do More With AR http://www.shacknews.com/article/101455/pokemon-go-dev-believes-iphone-x-needs-to-do-more-with-ar http://www.shacknews.com/article/101455/pokemon-go-dev-believes-iphone-x-needs-to-do-more-with-ar <p>The potential of immersive technology like virtual and augmented reality is untapped and will likely not be fully realized for a long while as creators figure out the best way to put things together. Apple put AR under the spotlight during their reveal of the iPhone X but one of the developers of <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101418/pokemon-go-announces-new-equinox-event" target="_blank">Pokemon Go</a>, an experience that brought augmented reality to a massive audience, believes the AR Apple showed off is just the tip of the iceberg.&nbsp;</p> <p><span>"<span>So&hellip;. did we just see the future today</span>?" Hanke asked in his <a href="https://medium.com/@johnhanke/did-we-just-glimpse-the-future-of-augmented-reality-3a859d9f89e2" target="_blank">blog post</a>&nbsp;after the <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101312/iphone-x-closes-apple-event-with-super-retina-oled-display-and-face-id" target="_blank">Apple iPhone X presentation</a>. "Yes and no."</span></p> <p><span>Hanke felt that Apple's&nbsp;AR exhibition focused too heavily on the visual effect of having a digital object or annotation overlaid on the camera view of the device. That's "really missing the point" as he put it.</span></p> <p>"<span>What AR&nbsp;</span><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">really</em><span>&nbsp;means is connecting digital information, objects, and experiences with the physical world&nbsp;</span><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">in situ</em><span>&nbsp;as you experience them. It&rsquo;s the part about connecting information to the world that&rsquo;s important. The way that information gets to you is secondary. What I mean is&hellip; AR can be something like we see in the movie &lsquo;Her.&rsquo; It could be a whisper in your ear&nbsp;</span><em class="markup--em markup--p-em">telling you</em><span>&nbsp;the path to walk or historical facts about the building in front of you."</span></p> <p>There are projects that come fairly close to what Hanke speaks of but, one of the barriers to mass AR adoption is the lack of an affordable and comfortable wearable. As time passes, AR headsets are getting closer to that reality but we won't see true AR for a while. Apple's device will help to influence the early conversation, though.</p> <p></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 13:30:00 PDT Charles Singletary Destiny 2 - Sunbracers Exotic Warlock Gauntlets Review http://www.shacknews.com/article/101454/destiny-2---sunbracers-exotic-warlock-gauntlets-review http://www.shacknews.com/article/101454/destiny-2---sunbracers-exotic-warlock-gauntlets-review <p>As casual players begin returning to their normal routines, dedicated Guardians are starting to get a sense for what gear works and what gear doesn&rsquo;t in Destiny 2. We&rsquo;re beginning to arrive at objective conclusions for whether something should be locked away in our vault until it&rsquo;s patched into relevancy, or if we should wear it above all else. With&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101443/destiny-2---xurs-location-week-2---september-22-2017" title="Xur Location and Wares Destiny 2 Week 2">Xur&rsquo;s Week 2 wares</a> including the Sunbracers Exotic Warlock Gauntlets, it&rsquo;s as good a time as any to review this item and see what it&rsquo;s worth.</p> <h2>Sunbracers Exotic Warlock Gauntlets</h2> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/destiny-2-sunbracers-exotic-gauntlets-warlock.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>The Sunbracers Exotic Warlock Gauntlets, as mentioned, are available through Xur right now, but that will end and you&rsquo;ll have to get the from a drop once he&rsquo;s gone. If you don&rsquo;t own them, grab them no matter what. There is no harm in owning every Exotic piece of gear for your class. Be prepared for the game to change and currently insignificant items to become essential.</p> <p>Here are the perks of the Sunbracers Exotic Warlock Gauntlets in Destiny 2.</p> <ul> <li>Helium Spirals: Increases duration of Solar Grenades and grants grenade energy on Solar melee hits.</li> <li>Mobility Enhancement Mod: Increased Mobility</li> <li>Plasteel Reinforcement Mod: Increased Resilience</li> </ul> <p>The Sunbracers should also come with a Kinetic Munition Loader that will improve the reload speed of your Kinetic weapon, and raise the Defense rating of these Gauntlets by five. That&rsquo;s important to know if you plan to infuse these into something, or something into them.</p> <p>The Sunbracers are a very niche Exotic. The only reason you&rsquo;d really be interested in using them is to double the duration of your Solar Grenade. However, the effectiveness of that is tied directly to whether you can keep your target inside the grenade&rsquo;s area of effect for the full eight or so seconds that it will last with the Sunbracers. Therefore, it&rsquo;s probably not helpful for you to wear the Sunbracers because you plan to use your Solar Grenade on random enemies or in PvP. Instead, it would be something you purposely use on a boss who isn&rsquo;t likely to wander out of the area of effect in the eight seconds.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1PLMoYENeQw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>How could the Sunbracers be useful? Imagine for a moment that you&rsquo;re completing a Nightfall with a Solar burn, be it permanent or through the Prism mechanic. If you can land the Solar Grenade on the final boss while wearing the Sunbracers, enjoying the effects of the Solar burn or Solar Prism, you could do a huge amount of damage in a short amount of time. Of course, this is assuming everything works out perfectly in your favor, which is rarely the case.</p> <p>For more help with Exotics and your general PvP and PvE journey, be sure to visit the Shacknews <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101225/destiny-2-complete-strategy-guide" title="Destiny 2 Complete Strategy Guide">Destiny 2 complete strategy guide</a>. We&rsquo;ll cover everything you need to know to help you become the most powerful Guardian you can.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 13:30:00 PDT Bill Lavoy Limbic Entertainment Partnering with 505 Games on a New Survival FPS http://www.shacknews.com/article/101452/limbic-entertainment-partnering-with-505-games-on-a-new-survival-fps http://www.shacknews.com/article/101452/limbic-entertainment-partnering-with-505-games-on-a-new-survival-fps <p>Limbic Entertainment and 505 Games have announced a partnership that will find the latter publishing an unannounced game from the former. That title, an online survival sandbox game, will serve as a new intellectual property within the increasingly crowded genre.</p> <p>On the official Limbic Entertainment site, the development studio is introduced as &ldquo;industry veterans,&rdquo; and the team is described as &ldquo;best known for its work on the Might &amp; Magic franchise in cooperation with Ubisoft and their current [work] on Tropico 6 with Kalypso.&rdquo; Gamers outside of Europe likely won&rsquo;t recognize the studio for any work at all beyond the recent contributions to those two franchises, but the studio also worked on a successful game for children in Germany called Colorelli, among <a href="http://www.limbic-entertainment.de/index.php/games" target="_blank" title="Limbic Entertainment games developed">numerous others</a>.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5duAO2DcOT8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&ldquo;Our team is excited to dive into creating a new IP, and we are especially happy with the creative freedom in our cooperation with 505 Games,&rdquo; said Stephan Winter, CEO, Limbic Entertainment. &ldquo;505 is making a name for itself as a great publishing partner, and we knew right away they were the right company to embark on this project with us, as we move to defy the current limitations of the survival genre. We think players will really respond to this game, and we&rsquo;re looking forward to sharing more details soon.&rdquo;</p> <p>Limbic Entertainment is based in Hesse, Germany. The company was founded in 2002 by Stephan Winter, Eike Radunz, and Alexander Frey, a trio of developers who previously contributed to the popular Anno series while working at <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/46504/ubisoft-picks-up-anno-publisher" title="Ubisoft purchases Sunflowers">Sunflowers</a>. Its staff is rather small by industry standards, with a core group of around 50 people, but the site notes the team working on the upcoming project has grown to include 40 developers. Limbic Entertainment is also actively accepting <a href="http://www.limbic-entertainment.de/index.php/jobs" target="_blank" title="Limbic Entertainment employment applications">employment applications</a>.</p> <p>&ldquo;We are always on the lookout for new development partners who bring something unique to our diverse and indie-focused portfolio, and Limbic Entertainment&rsquo;s new project does exactly that,&rdquo; said Tim Woodley, SVP of global brand and marketing, 505 Games. &ldquo;The team at Limbic is pushing the limits of the online multiplayer survival genre, putting a fresh spin on an emergent game world and an innovative character progression [system], and we&rsquo;re looking forward to having a part in bringing that to players around the world.&rdquo;</p> <p>505 Games is a global publishing studio with offices in the United States, the U.K., France, Germany, China, and elsewhere. The prolific publisher has had its hands on everything from Rocket League, to Terraria, to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, to Payday 2, and has been active on PC, consoles, and handheld devices for more than a decade.</p> <p>No one is ready to talk about just when the new game might be released, but we will likely hear more about it soon enough. Are you anxious to play another online survival sandbox game?</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 13:08:00 PDT Jason Venter Destiny 2 - Best Trials of the Nine Weapons http://www.shacknews.com/article/101451/destiny-2---best-trials-of-the-nine-weapons http://www.shacknews.com/article/101451/destiny-2---best-trials-of-the-nine-weapons <p>No matter how hard developers try to balance things, some items inevitably rise above the rest to become the meta in certain activities. In Trials of Osiris in the original Destiny, Sniper Rifles became the meta. In the Trials of the Nine for Destiny 2, a couple weapons have emerged as the &ldquo;best&rdquo; thus far, although by best we just mean that everyone is using them. Safe to assume they&rsquo;re not the worst, though.</p> <h2>Best Trials of the Nine Weapons</h2> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/destiny-2-best-trials-of-the-nine-weapons.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="425" /></div> <p>According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TrialsReport/status/910559192724930560" target="_blank" title="Destiny Trials Report Twitter">Destiny Trials Report Twitter</a> account, the two most popular weapons in Trials of the Nine for Week 1 were the MIDA Multi-Tool Exotic Scout Rifle (Kinetic) and the Uriel&rsquo;s Gift Legendary Auto Rifle (Energy). The MIDA Multi-Tool racked up over 20 million kills, which accounts for about 35 percent of all kills in the Trials of the Nine last week. It was also used by at least one Guardian in 98 percent of Trials of the Nine matches, which is astonishing.</p> <p>Other weapons used in more than 50 percent of the Trials of the Nine matches were Prosecutor Legendary Auto Rifle (Energy), and the MIDA Mini-Tool Legendary Submachine Gun (Energy). These are all options worth considering when you and your fireteam step into Trials of the Nine this week.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qnKYXY6nCDM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>If you&rsquo;re wondering how you can get your hands on these weapons, Shacknews has a guide for <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101285/destiny-2---how-to-get-the-mida-multi-tool-exotic" title="How to Get the MIDA Multi-Tool in Destiny 2">how to unlock the MIDA Multi-Tool and MIDA Mini-Tool</a>. The other weapons are a bit more complicated, though, as they are generally obtained through decrypting Legendary Engrams. The two you want to focus your attention on are the Prosecutor and Uriel&rsquo;s Gift, as they are objectively the two best Auto Rifles in the game right now.</p> <p>Head into Trials of the Nine with a MIDA Multi-Tool as your Kinetic, and either the Prosecutor or Uriel&rsquo;s Gift Auto Rifles as your Energy weapon. The guns are almost identical, so swap them in and out as you see fit.</p> <p>For more help on your PvP and PvE journey, be sure to visit the Shacknews <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101225/destiny-2-complete-strategy-guide" title="Destiny 2 Complete Strategy Guide">Destiny 2 complete strategy guide</a>, where we help you obtain Exotic gear, work your way through the Raid, and even cheese the Nightfall.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 12:15:00 PDT Bill Lavoy So You Think You Want to Go 4K? http://www.shacknews.com/article/101448/so-you-think-you-want-to-go-4k http://www.shacknews.com/article/101448/so-you-think-you-want-to-go-4k <p>After upgrading most of the components in my PC earlier this year, I convinced myself that my 5-year-old display was keeping me from enjoying my time spent at the computer to the fullest. I first began using an LCD TV in 2011 when I replaced a Dell U2711 monitor that I hated gaming on with a 40-inch Samsung. The Samsung began to fail around a week after its warranty expired and I replaced it with a bargain bin VA panel TCL HDTV. Using a 1080p panel of that size was not ideal for many types of computing tasks, but it shined when it came to displaying games and the extra size really helped immersion. I researched high-speed 27-inch gaming monitors and the extremely expensive ultrawides, but I ended up in familiar territory.</p> <p>Near the end of July 2017 I began the journey into 4K with the purchase of the TCL 43S405. The 43S405 was featured in a guide I wrote about&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100650/best-4k-tvs-for-pc-gamers" target="_blank">affordable 4K TVs for desktop usage</a> back in July. In the 5 years since I acquired my older TCL set, LCD TVs experienced advancements in line with any other high-tech device. Panel manufacturers continued to evolve and improve production to the point where budget-class sets could rival or beat the performance of flagship offerings from years past. After moving on from the 3DTV fad, TV manufacturers pushed hard towards increasing the industry standard resolution to 4K (3820x2160), providing a sharp picture that featured four times as many pixels as common 1080p displays.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/mirrorsedge24k.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">The sharp textures and excellent lightning of Mirror's Edge 2 produces a lifelike image when rendered in 4K.</p> </div> <h2>Why Bother With HDR?</h2> <p>Along with the race to expand 4K adoption, LCD manufacturers began offering panels capable of displaying wider color gamuts and shining much brighter than previous offerings. This feature is known as high dynamic range, or HDR for short. HDR-capable displays produce bright, high-contrast images with incredibly vibrant colors. PC gamers may be familiar with a simulation of this effect in games. It first debuted in October of 2005 with the Half-Life 2: Lost Coast level. The setting attempts to mimic the extreme contrast between brightly lit areas and darker scenes in the shadows by artificially blowing out the brightness of the display to mimic the effect our eyes experience when leaving a dark room to walk outside into the bright sun. The simulated video game effect offered no enhancement to colors as virtually all displays were incapable of reproducing the additional colors.</p> <p>The wide color gamuts provided by the new generation of HDTVs offers color reproduction previously available in only the most expensive professional-grade monitors. Typical gaming monitors (and most conventional PC displays) offer a much more limited color space and traditional levels of brightness. HDR-capable monitors will have widespread availability in the coming years (LG&rsquo;s 32UD99-W and Samsung&rsquo;s C32HG70 are the only available HDR monitors at the time of writing). As of right now, HDTVs are the only way to experience this next big advancement in display technology for an affordable price.</p> <h2>Why Not a Gaming Monitor?</h2> <p>Coming back to the TCL 43S405, I settled on the panel for the reasons outlined in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100650/best-4k-tvs-for-pc-gamers" target="_blank">4K TV PC display guide</a> and because Target was offering to ship it to me for free at an unbeatable price of $279. At this price point, my options with a 27-inch 1440p display were limited to a few basic 60Hz models. Anything with a high refresh rate or adaptive sync would cost me at least $120 more and still leave me short of the 4K resolution and HDR output offered by the TCL. 27-inch G-Sync capable monitors or the popular ultrawides would be in the neighborhood of $800 more, unless I went with a poor contrast, color-banding TN panel. None of the displays I compared it to could match the eye-popping contrast or color reproduction. That&rsquo;s not to say I wasn&rsquo;t making a compromise with the TCL, as there are no perfect displays. The VA panel in the TCL offers a limited viewing angle when matched against a nice IPS display, making a poor choice for use as a side monitor or for any viewing that is off-center. If you get your head very close to the screen, you can notice a subtle color degradation on the extreme corners. The display&rsquo;s 60Hz refresh rate is less than ideal compared to the high-speed 27 and 34-inch offerings, but current limitations in cable standards prevent the use of any refresh rate over 60Hz at 4K anyway.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/gtaV4k.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">GTA V's cityscape becomes hypnotic when the heavy aliasing on utility poles and power lines is removed at 4K.</p> </div> <h2>Getting Set Up</h2> <p>Unboxing and setting up the 43S405 was a breeze. I quickly attached some wall mount brackets to the rear VESA holes and had the panel flush-mounted to the wall above my desk less than 10 minutes after it was pulled out of the box. I used a new HDMI 2.0b-certified cable to connect the display to my video card. This particular screen uses a built-in Roku-based firmware and menu system. I was able to login to my existing Roku account and it downloaded all my apps automatically. I entered the setup menu and made sure to select HDMI 2.0 for the applicable port I was using instead of the default HDMI 1.4. HDMI 1.4 is limited to 30Hz refresh rate at 4K, does not support 4:4:4 chroma subsampling for text readability, and will not support the wider color gamut needed for HDR. I got booted into Windows and the PC auto-adjusted itself to the native 4K resolution. Using the nVidia Control Panel was required to set the output color to 10-bit with full dynamic range.</p> <p>I tapped Win+D on my keyboard to minimize all windows and take a survey of my desktop wallpaper and icons. I was not expecting such a crisp, vibrant picture. Admittedly, I was coming off of using a 1080p panel at 75% DPI scaling for years, so just about anything would be an improvement, but to call the results produced by a 4K display impressive is an understatement. I snapped 4 different windows into the corners of the display and each one was like a perfect 22-inch monitor of its own, without the hassle of the bezels you get with a multi-monitor array. I hopped onto Youtube and began watching 4K/60fps videos and the grin on my face grew wider. Sadly, HDR is not currently supported by Youtube on the desktop yet. I was able to view HDR-enabled Youtube videos using the Youtube app with the built-in Roku software on the TV, though, along with HDR Netflix, Amazon Video, and Vudu.</p> <p>I pointed my browser at a few monitor testing and calibration website to check for problems and as a guide for making sure my brightness, contrast, and color settings were up to snuff. The TCL display offered all the standard options, but most of the advanced gamma and white balance controls were only accessible via the Roku smartphone app. At first, I saw this as an inconvenience, but after using it to manipulate white balance values, I can safely say that using a touchscreen is so much more effective than a standard remote and conventional TV menus. Simply inputting the number values I needed was much easier than hitting left or right on a remote 700 times.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/hellblade4k23.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is one of the best looking games of 2017. The 4K presentation is nothing short of stunning.</p> </div> <h2>But What About The Games?</h2> <p>By this point, I was ready to hop into games.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/95440/how-to-equip-a-community-flag-in-rocket-league" target="_blank">Rocket League</a> was the first test and while it has always looked pretty good, it is a treat when playing at 4K. Seeing the raindrops cause refractions in the water puddles on NeoTokyo and noticing the individual reflections of light in the metallic paint spray on my rocket car while moving at full speed was not something I imagined&nbsp;was possible. All the shimmering effect seen on distant walls and on the bubble people in the stands was eliminated, giving the game the look of a pre-rendered CGI movie. Despite using the older GTX 970, I was able to maintain a locked 60fps at maximum settings, though Rocket League has never been a particularly demanding title on GPUs. It only took about 12 seconds of playing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100976/pubg-graphics-guide-increase-your-fps" target="_blank">PUBG</a> at 4K to realize that my older card would not be effective with any demanding titles at such a high resolution.</p> <p>I tried everything I had installed on my Steam account to get an idea of how each game performed at 4K and which settings needed to be compromised to reach a stable 60fps. Some very well optimized titles like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/94698/doom-2016-walkthrough-collectables-guide-and-hidden-secrets" target="_blank">Doom</a> could run at high settings with a locked 30fps at 4K, but that was a less than ideal solution. Enter the magic of scaling. Sony&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/97637/everything-you-need-to-know-about-playstation-4-pro" target="_blank">PS4 Pro</a> and Microsoft&rsquo;s upcoming&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100771/xbox-one-x-pre-order-and-release-date" target="_blank">Xbox One X</a> tout the ability to experience your console games at 4K resolution, but with hardware that often pales in comparison to most gaming PCs, the number of games that render on those consoles at full resolution is extremely limited. The solution was to render the more complex or graphically intensive games at lower resolutions and then upscale the result and output to TVs at 4K. While this method does not offer the same crisp look of a native 4K render, it gets really close. Uncharted 4, one of Sony&rsquo;s flagship 4K titles, is actually rendered at 1440p and upscaled before hitting the display. When things get hectic on screen while playing, the difference can often be unnoticeable.</p> <h2>GPU Display Scaling: The Secret Weapon</h2> <p>While most TVs and monitors have a built-in display scaler, they are usually underpowered and can produce less than ideal results. When upscaling from a PC with a nice graphics card, PC gamers can take advantage of the beefy hardware provided by their GPU. In my case, the nVidia control panel offers the option to scale non-native resolutions with the monitor or GPU. I selected the GPU option and used a program called&nbsp;<a href="http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/custom_resolution_utility.html" target="_blank">Custom Resolution Utility</a> to create some 16x9 resolutions that would be easier on my GPU than 4K and offer high-quality results when combined with the upscaler on my GTX 970. I added 3584x2016, 3200x1800, and 2944x1656 using the CRU utility. These resolutions were now selectable for display on the Windows desktop and all my games. The GPU scaling I enable ensures that all images being sent to my display are native 1:1 pixel 4K (3840x2160).</p> <p>While Doom had previously been choppy at full 4K, I could now play the game at the highest settings with 8x TXAA with a locked 60fps using the 2944x1656 resolution and the results were fantastic. It looked so much better than the 1080p experience I was used to and ran butter smooth. Batman: Arkham Knight could reliably hit 60fps using upscaling if I used medium settings and disabled the nVidia Gameworks options. The Gotham skyline was breathtaking now that all the aliasing and shimmer from distant buildings and light was gone. Individual raindrops could easily be seen and the increase in resolution allowed for better colors since there were now 4 pixels providing color where 1 had previously been.Some games were still unable to hit 60fps with scaling and lowered settings. My 3 year old graphics card was simply not designed for this, even though it put up a strong battle and would be more than adequate for lighter gaming and day to day 4K desktop usage.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/metroLL4k.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">The dark sewers and interiors of Metro: Last Light shine in 4K. Character models and clothing textures look incredible.</p> </div> <h2>Calling In the Big Guns</h2> <p>As a PC gamer, there is nothing like the feeling you get when you buy a new graphics card. In this case, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/99368/geforce-gtx-1080-ti-reviews-roundup" target="_blank">nVidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti</a> was chosen to push my 4K performance into the stratosphere. The card is so fast that it makes a horrible value for PC gamers at 1080p because modern CPUs are often incapable of delivering instructions to it in a timely manner. At 1440p and above, the card can stretch its legs and do what it does best. Virtually all of the games that required upscaling and lowered settings were now running at native 4K on ultra. It is hard to describe my reaction to seeing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/89619/the-witcher-3-the-wild-hunt---find-all-places-of-power-power-overwhelming-trophy" target="_blank">The Witcher 3</a> at 4K60fps. It looked like a hyper-detailed painting come to life. I hopped onto Roach and simply galloped across the countryside for almost an hour.</p> <p>Because PUBG is pretty much the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/game/trespasser" target="_blank">Trespasser</a> of 2017, running the game at a stable 60fps using ultra settings at 4K is not possible, even on hardware as capable as the GTX 1080 Ti. Thankfully, the lessons learned trying to make the GTX 970 work with demanding 4K games translated perfectly to the new card. PUBG can be maxed out at 3200x1800 and upscaled to 4K for a silky smooth hot drop onto Murder Island. Many players turn off shadows and manipulate digital vibrance settings to make other players easier to see in order to gain an advantage. It works, but pure resolution is the ultimate advantage. You can see everything. No more wondering if that bush in the distance or the protrusion from the trunk of a tree is a player, you can make the distinction instantly, even while on the move. Old games become new again. 4K resolution reveals how forward thinking the visual design of Valve titles Half-Life 2, Portal 2, and Team Fortress 2 were.</p> <h2>Windows 10 DPI Scaling: Not Even Once</h2> <p>Speaking of those older titles, they bring into light the biggest problem I&rsquo;ve faced with the upgrade to 4K, DPI scaling. Those older Source engine menus worked well from 1024x768 all the way up to 2560x1440p, but they are unusably tiny at 4K. Windows offers a solution to the problem with its built-in DPI scaling, but in practice the experience is about as pleasant as trying to give a rabid badger a bath. For the Windows apps that properly support DPI scaling (hint: there aren&rsquo;t many) things work the way you would expect. For everything else, the pain hits you on a scale from &ldquo;not so bad" to &ldquo;why do I keep computering?&rdquo;</p> <p>Adjusting DPI scaling in Windows is rather straightforward. Right-clicking the desktop and selecting the Display settings option takes you to a pane labeled Scale and layout. From here, you have a pulldown menu of scaling options in 25% increments or the option to input a custom value, which the operating system warns will likely be a bad idea. As badly as the recommended scaling values work, I assume a gun pops out of your optical drive bay and shoots you if you try custom values. Generally the 200% scaling option works well with the 3840x2160 resolution and it simply doubles up the pixels, making your display effectively the same as a 1080p monitor. Users electing to go 4K on a 24-inch or or 27-inch panel may find that the 200% scaling option works well because the screens are much smaller and the increased pixel density of a 4K panel produces a superior image to a native 1080p screen at those sizes.</p> <p>4K users on 32-inch and larger panels will want to chose a lower value to take advantage of the extra real estate afforded by the 8 million+ pixels offered at 4K. On my 40-inch panel, a 125% scaling setting gives a look similar to that of a 27-inch 1440p screen. Text on the desktop and in browsers remains razor sharp and everything it pretty much the correct size. The problems start cropping up the moment you begin using other applications, though.</p> <p>The Steam UI does not appear to work with Windows scaling at all. The whole thing looks like a pixelated mess and it makes library text and the like harder to parse. The Steam in-game overlay suffers the same issue. Oddly enough, Steam&rsquo;s Big Picture Mode appears to offer perfect scaling support and is razor sharp and looks perfect at any scaling interval you select. The Blizzard App is useable, but lacks the clarity seen at native 100% or 200% scaling. EA&rsquo;s Origin client title bar menu only renders at native 100%, though the library and anything inside the window appears to scale properly. Ubisoft&rsquo;s Uplay app works perfectly with non-native scaling modes.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/pcars24k.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">Every rain drop and puddle reflection is crystal clear in Project Cars 2.</p> </div> <h2>It Can Get Worse</h2> <p>As unpleasant as the poor scaling issue is with Windows apps, playing games when using any DPI setting other than 100% gives unpredictable results when trying to play games. After I got my DPI scaling the way I wanted it for browsing and work, I ventured back into playing games, only to find that a large number of them were not working properly. The issues ranged from having mouse cursors fail to align with onscreen menus or being put into invisible, inescapable boxes to some games launching into 1080p windows within a full 4K black screen. Once the games started exhibiting this behavior, some could be fixed by hitting Alt+Enter a few times and others became totally unresponsive as if the graphics card driver had failed. A few of them required that I power down my PC manually, bypassing the preferred Windows shutdown since Crtl+Alt+Del would not snap them out of the freeze.</p> <h2>The Scaling Solution</h2> <p>At first, I was unable to pinpoint why everything was going wrong. I incorrectly assumed that my GPU driver install had not gone properly or my new display and PC were not fully compatible with each other. Contacting support for a few of the games did not really get me anywhere. After scouring forums from Google results, I saw a pattern developing. Most of the folks having similar issues that were able to reach satisfying conclusions determined that these games simply do not support Windows DPI scaling. Sure enough, selecting 100% scaling, rebooting and trying the game again fixed everything.</p> <p>This was an unacceptable solution that wasted time and was tedious. Thankfully, a workaround exists that solves the issue for 99% of the problem games. Right-clicking the game&rsquo;s executable and navigating to the compatibility tab offers the option to override DPI scaling behavior of the system. This allows the given game to ignore the Windows scaling issues and run like normal.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/ryse4k.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">Crytek's maligned Ryse: Son of Rome remains one of the best looking PC games years after release.</p> </div> <h2>HDR and PC Gaming</h2> <p>PC gamers can enjoy the benefits provided by the newest HDR panels provided they have the right hardware and the games support it. An AMD RX 400 or 500 series GPU is required for Team Red users and a GeForce GTX 1000 series GPU is required for Team Green users. The TV or monitor must be HDR10 or Dolby Vision certified. HDR10 and Dolby Vision are competing HDR standards and have different requirements that must be met before a display can be certified. Dolby Vision certification is less common as it has higher standards for compliance. Only LG&rsquo;s OLED TVs and a few high-end Vizio TVs meet the standard. HDR10 support is a bit more relaxed and open standard. It allows for a wider range of brightness and color space requirements.</p> <p>Generally, a excellent HDR display will offer near full coverage of the DCI P3 color space and a 10 or 12-bit panel with 1000&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candela_per_square_metre" target="_blank">nits</a> or more of brightness. Most HDR video content is mastered at 4000 nits. As with any piece of technology, manufacturers will fudge numbers or use deceptive marketing to make their products seem superior even if they aren&rsquo;t in practice. Many budget TVs will advertise themselves as HDR-ready even when they fall far from being able to meet the recommended specs of the HDR formats. The TCL 43S405 I&rsquo;m using is one such device. While it has a 10-bit panel and is capable of covering ~65% of the color requirements of the HDR10 spec, it can only deliver those colors at a brightness around 250 nits. HDR content still works and is an improvement over SDR, but my particular display is not representative of what you could experience on a fully-compliant high-end OLED TV. To be fair, the TCL costs $6720 less than the Dolby Vision Active HDR-certified LG OLED W.</p> <p><a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/95364/e3-2016-shadow-warrior-2-delivers-extra-awesome-demon-killing" target="_blank">Shadow Warrior 2</a>&nbsp;was the first PC game to feature proper HDR10 support. It was soon followed by <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/97491/obduction-rises-from-the-myst-releases-on-oculus-rift" target="_blank">Obduction</a>, <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/99470/mass-effect-andromeda-reviews-round-up" target="_blank">Mass Effect: Andromeda</a>, <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/98685/resident-evil-7-walkthrough-guides-and-collectibles" target="_blank">Resident Evil 7</a>, <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/96579/hitman-the-complete-first-season-hits-retail-in-january-2017" target="_blank">Hitman</a>, <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101412/forza-motorsport-7-demo-is-a-4k-marvel" target="_blank">Forza Motorsport 7</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/97684/battlefield-1-fall-update-rolling-out-to-pc-ps4-and-xbox-one-patch-notes-released" target="_blank">Battlefield 1</a> and a few others. Adoption of the standard is becoming more common, especially as both of the consoles offer HDR10 support in most new releases. In most games, simply toggling the HDR option in a graphics menu is enough to cause your display to flicker into HDR mode. My TCL goes black for a moment and the image reappears with a HDR watermark the briefly appears in the top right hand corner to let you know everything is working.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/f1174k2.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">In 4K, F1 2017 looks like a pre-rendered cutscene.</p> </div> <p>Most HDR games off separate brightness and contrast settings for HDR mode that allow players with out of spec panels (cough) to compensate for the lack of required brightness or color space. Some games will not show HDR options unless the user has the new Windows 10 HDR option enabled. Enabling this system wide mode works about as well as DPI scaling and is effectively broken for nVidia users since the Creator&rsquo;s Update. Thankfully, if you start your HDR game after enabling the mode, the output is generally correct.</p> <p>When you get it working, HDR is very impressive. Extra details in shadowy areas becomes easier to pick out and bright daylight scenes feel more lifelike due to the enhanced contrast. The best implementation I&rsquo;ve experienced so far has been with Resident Evil 7. It is a dark game to begin with, so the improved contrast alone is a big improvement. When light sources are pointed towards the player for dramatic effect, the overbearing brightness really adds to the immersion. In Forza Motorsport 7, seeing your driver outside the car under an overhang during the midday sun provides some of the most realistic looking lighting I&rsquo;ve ever seen in a game. Colors that are subdued on the driver&rsquo;s suit in the shade are bursting with vibrance on the opposite side that is drenched in sunlight.</p> <h2>What about 21:9?</h2> <p>Ultrawide monitors are the belle of the PC gaming ball in 2017. They are incredibly pricey, but offer increased screen size and immersion compared to their 27-inch counterparts. Anyone considering going 4K should know that a poor man&rsquo;s version of 21:9 is possible when using a larger display. Using the Custom Resolution Utility mentioned earlier, PC gamers can create a 3840x1620 resolution, which uses a 21:9 aspect ratio.</p> <p>This &ldquo;fake&rdquo; 21:9 works really well with a large VA panel capable of deep, inky blacks. The bars on top and bottom of the display are unnoticeable while playing and the large size of the screen keeps the edges of the games in your peripherals when using the proper 21:9 FoV. The increased resolution over typical 3440x1440p monitors is an added bonus and users still get the increased performance from running a resolution below native 4K.</p> <div class="articleImage" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/wither34k.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /> <p class="caption">This 4K nVidia Ansel landscape shot of The Witcher 3 looks okay, I guess.</p> </div> <h2>TLDR</h2> <p>Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. Working through the DPI issues was a struggle I would rather not have had to deal with, but I got past it and everything works the way I want it. In a perfect world, Microsoft would find a way to offer a scaling solution as elegant as Apple provides on OSX. More and more users are going to be upgrading to higher resolution displays in the future and the problem will only get worse. HDR is exciting. It will eventually take over and looking back on games and content in SDR will elicit the same reaction we give to standard definition TV content now that HDTV rules the world.</p> <p>As soon as any company offers a fully-compliant HDR panel near the 40-inch size, I will immediately upgrade (there are no true HDR panels under 55 inches currently). Gaming monitor manufacturers promised that Freesync 2 and G-Sync 2 displays would be on shelves soon, but no concrete dates have been given and no indication has been made if these will be true 1000+nit panels or just &ldquo;HDR-ready&rdquo; like many HDTVs. The brand new Samsung C32HG70 offers AMD Freesync 2 and ~600 nits of brightness with its 1440p high-refresh panel and is the only real option in the PC gaming monitor space for HDR. We are in exciting times in PC gaming and hardware and I can&rsquo;t wait to see what&rsquo;s next. I apologize to anyone who willingly read this novel to the end.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dxD8GR9wyHs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 11:55:00 PDT Chris Jarrard Prepare Your But Whole: South Park Goes Gold http://www.shacknews.com/article/101450/prepare-your-but-whole-south-park-goes-gold http://www.shacknews.com/article/101450/prepare-your-but-whole-south-park-goes-gold <p>Trey Parker and Matt Stone turned heads back in 2014 with the release of <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/83339/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-review-oh-hamburgers" target="_blank">South Park: The Stick of Truth</a>. The duo arguably delivered the best licensed property video game of all time. Featuring sharp writing and a look that was indistinguishable from the long-running series, The Stick of Truth wowed fans of the show. The game was much like a traditional RPG, but went rather light on most of the common RPG mechanics. The upcoming sequel, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, promises a whole new story with deeper RPG mechanics meant to satisfy critics who felt the original was too shallow on the gameplay side. Publisher Ubisoft announced today that production on the sequel has completed.</p> <p>The Fractured But Whole will storm onto the PS4, Xbox One, and PC October 17. Today&rsquo;s gone gold announcement comes on the heels of more than a year&rsquo;s worth of <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/99980/south-park-the-fractured-but-whole-gets-release-date---again" target="_blank">delays and pushed back release dates</a>. It recently&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101271/lifes-harder-the-darker-your-skin-in-south-park-the-fractured-but-whole" target="_blank">attracted some controversy</a> when it was revealed that selecting higher difficulties would result in the darkening of your character&rsquo;s skin color.</p> <p>Earlier this year, some of the devs from Ubisoft San Francisco sat down with Shacknews for an&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100341/e3-2017-south-park-the-fractured-but-whole-gameplay-interview-with-kim-weigend" target="_blank">exclusive interview</a> about the game. PC players may want to check in on the game&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100930/south-park-the-fractured-but-whole-pc-requirements-revealed" target="_blank">system requirements</a> before hopping in. Finally, publisher Ubisoft sent over a brand new trailer in celebration of South Park&rsquo;s gold status. You can check it out below.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="340" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AHAA-MGIyjc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 10:10:00 PDT Chris Jarrard Best Deals From Stardock's Steam Publisher Sale http://www.shacknews.com/article/101449/best-deals-from-stardocks-steam-publisher-sale http://www.shacknews.com/article/101449/best-deals-from-stardocks-steam-publisher-sale <p>Stardock is discounting a number of its popular games&nbsp;and software by up to 75% during the Steam Publisher Sale.&nbsp;</p> <p>Games on Sale:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/226860/Galactic_Civilizations_III/" target="_blank">Galactic Civilizations III</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;$9.89</li> <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/271240/Offworld_Trading_Company/" target="_blank">Offworld Trading Company</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;for&nbsp;$9.99</li> <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/507490/Ashes_of_the_Singularity_Escalation/" target="_blank">Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation</a>&nbsp;for $19.99</li> <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/204880/Sins_of_a_Solar_Empire_Rebellion/" target="_blank">Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion</a>&nbsp;for $9.99</li> <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/404620/The_Political_Machine_2016/" target="_blank">The Political Machine 2016</a>&nbsp;for&nbsp;$3.39</li> <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/496730/Sorcerer_King_Rivals/" target="_blank">Sorcerer King: Rivals</a>&nbsp;for $14.99</li> <li><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/228260/Fallen_Enchantress_Legendary_Heroes/" target="_blank">Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes</a>&nbsp;for $12.49</li> </ul> <p>DLC and bundles are also included in the sale .&nbsp;For a full list of products, visit <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/sale/stardock/" target="_blank">Stardock's Steam Publisher Sale page</a>.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 09:30:00 PDT Asif Khan Hollow Knight Team Cherry Interview at TGS 2017 http://www.shacknews.com/article/101447/hollow-knight-team-cherry-interview-at-tgs-2017 http://www.shacknews.com/article/101447/hollow-knight-team-cherry-interview-at-tgs-2017 <p>Hollow Knight is&nbsp;one of the more enjoyable&nbsp;Kickstarter games we have ever come across. The game is a beautiful platformer that draws inspiration from NES platforms of yesteryear. We caught up with Team Cherry, developer of Hollow Knight, at TGS 2017 and chatted about game development, crowdfunding, and upcoming DLC. They also gave us some keen insight into the resurgence of 2D platformers in recent years and provided some great advice for up-and-coming indie devs. Check out this interview to hear more about Hollow Knight from Team Cherry.</p> <p><span>For more&nbsp;videos, including gameplay and interviews, visit the&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Shacknewsgames" target="_blank">Shacknews</a><span>&nbsp;and&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWdXbx28xPxbotxGIQDjIbA" target="_blank">GamerHub.tv</a><span>&nbsp;YouTube channels.</span></p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NlAQBklYms0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamCherryGames" target="_blank">Team Cherry</a>&nbsp;on Twitter and check out <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/" target="_blank">Hollow Knight on Steam</a>!</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 09:09:00 PDT Asif Khan Such a Tease: Rockstar Has Red Dead Redemption 2 News http://www.shacknews.com/article/101446/such-a-tease-rockstar-has-red-dead-redemption-2-news http://www.shacknews.com/article/101446/such-a-tease-rockstar-has-red-dead-redemption-2-news <p>In less than a week, we'll find out if Rockstar will be <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/97278/10-things-we-want-in-red-dead-redemption-2" target="_blank">granting our wishes for the top things we want in Red Dead Redemption 2</a>. Via Twitter, the company has teased that some information for the upcoming western shooter will be revealed on Thursday, September 28 next week.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p><a href="https://t.co/7iUdR4pE41">pic.twitter.com/7iUdR4pE41</a></p> &mdash; Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) <a href="https://twitter.com/RockstarGames/status/911228595644837888">September 22, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <p>The long-awaited follow-up to Red Dead Redemption was <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/97318/watch-the-red-dead-redemption-2-reveal-here" target="_blank">revealed in October of 2016</a>&nbsp;and Rockstar is sharing some kind of update right before the anniversary of that announcement. Currently, we know that the next game will be infused with <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/97763/red-dead-redemption-2-will-offer-great-story-and-gameplay-elements" target="_blank">incredible emotional depth</a>&nbsp;will advance the gameplay elements somehow.</p> <p>Hopefully, we'll learn exactly what types of new elements players will have in store and possibly even get a glimpse at an online mode. Grand Theft Auto V's online mode has carried the game well since launch and there's no doubt Rockstar will be bringing a similar mode to the western. Rockstar is also reviving one of their cult&nbsp;classics with <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101244/la-noire-getting-vr-case-files-and-ported-to-nintendo-switch" target="_blank">LA Noire receiving a Nintendo Switch port and VR mode</a>&nbsp;built from the ground up.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 08:40:00 PDT Charles Singletary Bluehole Studios Is Concerned That Fortnite Is Replicating PUBG http://www.shacknews.com/article/101445/bluehole-studios-is-concerned-that-fortnite-is-replicating-pubg http://www.shacknews.com/article/101445/bluehole-studios-is-concerned-that-fortnite-is-replicating-pubg <p>Well. It turns out not all imitation is flattering. Epic has been <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101411/paragon-founders-can-try-out-fortnites-pubg-inspired-mode-for-free" target="_blank">pretty gung-ho</a>&nbsp;in the promotion of the Battle Royale mode for their latest game Fortnite and the "Last Man Standing" experience is definitely inspired by the incredibly popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. In a press release and Reddit AMA, the team being PUBG is letting it be known that they aren't fans of this move by Epic.</p> <p><span>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had an ongoing relationship with Epic Games throughout PUBG&rsquo;s development as they are the creators of UE4, the engine we licensed for the game,&rdquo; said Chang Han Kim, Vice President and Executive Producer for Bluehole, Inc, in a press release response to Epic's Fortnite: Battle Royale. &ldquo;After listening to the growing feedback from our community and reviewing the gameplay for ourselves, we are concerned that Fortnite may be replicating the experience for which PUBG is known.&rdquo;</span></p> <p><span><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/o7Z40fle8iU"></iframe></span></p> <p>PlayerUnknown, in a Reddit AMA, also said,&nbsp;<em>&ldquo;Other companies will, of course, enter the marketplace, but I would just hope they put their own spin on the game mode and not just make a carbon copy!&rdquo;&nbsp;</em>Fortnite seems like it'd fit the bill since it includes the base game's crafting and construction elements on top of the Battle Royale formula, but there <g class="gr_ gr_28 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="28" data-gr-id="28">seems</g> to <g class="gr_ gr_29 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="29" data-gr-id="29">be concerns</g> nevertheless. Epic also hasn't been really coy in expressing that the <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101300/fortnite-battle-royale-mode-takes-aim-at-pubg" target="_blank">game mode was inspired by PUBG and H1Z1</a>.</p> <p>This quote from Battlegrounds producer Chang Han Kim closes the press release:&nbsp;<span>&ldquo;The PUBG community has and continues to provide evidence of the many similarities as we contemplate further action.&rdquo;</span></p> <p><span>This could be a big deal. This could also be nothing. PUBG isn't the first game of its kind, though it certainly propelled the genre to a high tier. Fortnite's Battle Royale isn't the first to try to tap into PUBG's success and <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101435/developer-secures-10m-investment-for-1000-player-game-with-pubg-style-mode" target="_blank">certainly won't be the last</a>. Epic's major push to <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101415/fortnites-pubg-style-battle-royale-goes-free-to-play" target="_blank">focus on this soon-to-be-free mode</a>&nbsp;could be responsible for Bluehole Studios' response.</span></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 07:20:00 PDT Charles Singletary Grope, Squirt, & Poke Women in Bullet Girls Phantasia Gameplay http://www.shacknews.com/article/101444/grope-squirt--poke-women-in-bullet-girls-phantasia-gameplay http://www.shacknews.com/article/101444/grope-squirt--poke-women-in-bullet-girls-phantasia-gameplay <p>Shacknews is on location at Tokyo Game Show to bring you the latest gaming news and videos and today we have found... something. Bullet Girls Phantasia will be releasing for PS4 and PS Vita. This game features a singleplayer campaign that wasn't playable on the show floor, but there was another "mode" in which players could do all sorts of things to scantily clad women. Please take a look. <strong>(Just not at work.)</strong></p> <p>For more&nbsp;videos, including gameplay and interviews, visit the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Shacknewsgames" target="_blank">Shacknews</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWdXbx28xPxbotxGIQDjIbA" target="_blank">GamerHub.tv</a>&nbsp;YouTube channels.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mMBIItfugiI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Players can select from a variety of ways to engage&nbsp;the women and are graded based on their performance. The options include a container of condensed milk, a squirt gun, a pacifier, as well as the abilities to slap, grab and poke the ladies. This game was front and center on a major part of the show floor. We will certainly be keeping an eye out for more from Bullet Girls Phantasia as it nears launch.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/IMG_5264.JPG" width="700" height="525" /></div> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 06:50:00 PDT Asif Khan This Weekend in Esports: What to Watch from 9/22-9/24 http://www.shacknews.com/article/101436/this-weekend-in-esports-what-to-watch-from-922-924 http://www.shacknews.com/article/101436/this-weekend-in-esports-what-to-watch-from-922-924 <p>Welcome to This Weekend in Esports, a brief overview of what to watch in the world of competitive gaming for the coming weekend.</p> <p>There's actually a lot to watch for in the next couple of days. That includes the start of the World Championships for League of Legends, a big weekend for Street Fighter V (and also Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite), and more. Let's take a look at what's coming up.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/League-Worlds2017.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" style="undefined" /></div> <h2>World Championships 2017 - Play-In Groups</h2> <p><b>Game</b>: League of Legends<br /><b>When</b>: September 22-24, 10PM PT each day<br /><b>Where to watch</b>: <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/riotgames" target="blank">Twitch.tv/RiotGames</a></p> <p>This is the beginning of the home stretch for the League of Legends season. And as thrilling as this year's NA LCS action has been, this is usually the time of year that China and Korea's best squads take over and show the rest of the world how it's done.</p> <p>For fans of the North American scene, all eyes will be on Cloud9. The team had a close second place finish in the 2017 Spring Split, but started to tail off in the Summer Split, where they went out early against an up-and-coming Team Dignitas squad. They'll be facing off against Team OnE Esports and Dire Wolves for a chance to join the rest of the Worlds playoff field, with their quest kicking off at 11:30PM PT.</p> <p>As the rest of the League of Legends community waits for the knockout stages to commence, Riot has put together a feature on the 20 best players competing in Worlds. <a href="http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/featured/worlds-2017-top-20/" target="blank">Check it out</a>, along with the full video breakdown of the coming month of action.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i1ryBmeqLIQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <hr /> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/SCR2017.png" alt="" width="700" height="394" style="undefined" /></div> <h2>SoCal Regionals</h2> <p><b>Game</b>: Street Fighter V, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, Tekken 7, Injustice 2, more<br /><b>When</b>: September 22-24 10AM PT each day<br /><b>Where to watch</b>: <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_tSGbDf7QOjp0TivO3jJz-PkSrnZj8Encx6C-MpwTIc/edit#gid=1236328394" target="blank">Full streaming schedule</a></p> <p>It's time for one of Southern California's most premiere fighting game tournaments, wtih SoCal Regionals taking place in Anaheim, CA. It'll be another stop on the Capcom Pro Tour, which is nearing its home stretch. With this year's Capcom Cup set to take place at PlayStation Experience in December, there are fewer and fewer chances for perennial favorites like Yusuke Momochi, Eduardo "PR Balrog" Perez, and Martin "Marn" Pham to climb up the standings. Once again, the man to beat will be Victor "Punk" Woodley, who is still in first place by a wide margin.</p> <p>SoCal Regionals is also noteworthy for being one of the first major tournaments to run Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, which is in its esports infancy. It'll be the first site of the <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101392/marvel-vs-capcom-infinite---battle-for-the-stones-is-a-30k-tournament-with-seven-evo-winners">Battle for the Stones</a> and if Wednesday night's Next Level Battle Circuit and Wednesday Night Fights locals were any indication, the field is already filling up with top-level talent. Get a good look at this tournament now, because the tournament rules for MvC:I are likely to undergo some adjustments based on whatever happens this weekend.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9pol6oRaFQs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <hr /> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/OverwatchContenders.png" alt="" width="700" height="373" style="undefined" /></div> <h2>Overwatch Contenders - Week 6</h2> <p><b>Game</b>: Overwatch<br /><b>When</b>: September 22-24, times vary for EU and NA<br /><b>Where to watch</b>: <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/overwatchcontenders" target="blank">Twitch.tv/OverwatchContenders</a></p> <p>It's the last week of the Overwatch Contenders regular season, so the playoff picture will be crystal clear after this weekend. Team Envy will look to wrap up a perfect regular season, but they'll have to beat Rogue, who has some first place finishes at various Overwatch majors in 2017.</p> <p>This will be the best match of the weekend, with the action set to kick off on Saturday, September 23 at 2:15PM PT.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p0WDJQBoKo0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <hr /> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/HGC-Week10.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" style="undefined" /></div> <h2>Heroes Global Championship - Week 10</h2> <p><b>Game</b>: Heroes of the Storm<br /><b>When</b>: September 22-23, times vary for EU and NA<br /><b>Where to watch</b>: <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/blizzheroes" target="blank">Twitch.tv/BlizzHeroes</a></p> <p>Speaking of games that are wrapping up their regular seasons, here's Heroes of the Storm, which closes with a loaded Week 10. Roll20 Esports is on a roll (no pun intended), riding a six-game winning streak that has propelled them into a first place tie in the HGC standings. They'll look to keep the magic alive against SpaceStation Gaming to close out Friday's action at 4PM PT.</p> <p>Menawhile, the other first place team, Team Freedom hopes to break out and gain sole possession of the top of the standings. To do that, they'll first have to beat perennial HGC powerhouse Tempo Storm. Behind both of those teams are fan favorites Gale Force Esports, who take on Superstars.</p> <p>Playoff berths and a trip to BlizzCon are on the line, so look for these teams to bring their best.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IPStILBu1NI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>That's a small sample of what to watch for in the world of esports this weekend. What will you be watching? Join the conversation and let us know in the comments.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 06:30:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia Destiny 2 - Xur's Location Week 2 - September 22, 2017 http://www.shacknews.com/article/101443/destiny-2---xurs-location-week-2---september-22-2017 http://www.shacknews.com/article/101443/destiny-2---xurs-location-week-2---september-22-2017 <p>I&rsquo;m not going to lie; Xur is kind of boring now that Bungie has put him on the map and stripped away all the extra inventory he had. He&rsquo;s still exciting because he&rsquo;s likely to offer Exotic gear that we still don&rsquo;t have, but that will soon end as we progress through the end game and get more stuff. Even so, there are bound to be those who want to know his location and inventory before they load the game, so we&rsquo;ll keep telling you each week. Here is where you can find Xur for Week 2, September 22, 2017, and what he will be selling.</p> <h2>Xur&rsquo;s Location - Week 2: September 22, 2017</h2> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/xur-location-inventory-september-22-2017.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>Currently, Xur is located on Titan, in the Rig zone. You can fast travel to the Rig and make the short trip to where the Agent of the Nine is hanging out. You'll find him tucked away under the main deck. You should be safe from enemies there, although there are some close by.</p> <p>What is Xur Selling?</p> <p>Xur is selling the following items, all of which can be yours for a grand total of 98 Legendary Shards. You should easily be able to get that many per week if you're putting in the time.</p> <ul> <li>The Wardcliff Coil (Rocket Launcher): 29 Legendary Shards</li> <li>Foetracer (Hunter Helmet): 23 Legendary Shards</li> <li>ACD/0 Feedback Fence (Titan Gauntlets): 23 Legendary Shards</li> <li>Sunbracers (Warlock Gauntlets): 23 Legendary Shards</li> </ul> <h2>What Should You Buy?</h2> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/09/destiny-2-xur-location-inventory-titan-september-22.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>The answer to this is very simply, &ldquo;Whatever you don&rsquo;t own.&rdquo; If he&rsquo;s selling any items that you don&rsquo;t have in your Exotic collection that you can afford, buy them. Collect them all. You never know what will happen to the game over the coming months and how the meta will change. Those ridiculous Gauntlets that you refuse to wear might end up being the item that helps you overcome a boss or challenge. Again, buy all the items he is selling if you don&rsquo;t already own them.</p> <p>Now that you know Xur&rsquo;s location for Week 2, September 2, 2017, be sure to visit the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101225/destiny-2-complete-strategy-guide" title="Destiny 2 Complete Strategy Guide">Destiny 2 complete strategy guide</a> we&rsquo;ve been building since the game&rsquo;s release. It&rsquo;s go everything you need to make the most of your journey as a Guardian.</p> Fri, 22 Sep 2017 02:00:00 PDT Bill Lavoy TGS 2017: Earth Defense Force 5 Hands-on Impressions http://www.shacknews.com/article/101440/tgs-2017-earth-defense-force-5-hands-on-impressions http://www.shacknews.com/article/101440/tgs-2017-earth-defense-force-5-hands-on-impressions <p>Shacknews is on location in Tokyo for TGS 2017 and tried out a demo of the latest installment of the EDF series, Earth Defense Force 5. The game was announced at last year's show and Sony showed off a new trailer at this year's Tokyo Game Show PS4 Press Conference.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OiCBgEZfTU4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Earth Defense Force 5 is a shoot-em-up style game that pits players and their NPC team of soldiers against an array of alien bastards that are trying to shoot up your planet. The TGS 2017 demo takes place in some sort of building that is a series of hallways and ramps with some storage bays. The level textures are decent, but the enemies appeared very pixelated. This is most likely due to the amount of enemies that the game has on-screen at any given moment.</p> <p>The graphics aren't the only part of the game that stuck out as less than ideal. Players are able to summon a motorcycle that has a gun attached to the front. I was excited to try out the motorcycle, but was instantly disappointed by its wonky control scheme. If you even scraped the ground with their knee, your character goes flying like a ragdoll in a completely illogical manner. I ditched the motorcyle after a few minutes of being frustrated by its absurd collision detection. Players are able to run, but the camera zoomed in behind the character model in a way that made it almost impossible to see anything. While the core game is decent, these gameplay detracted from the potential fun of murdering hordes of aliens.&nbsp;</p> <p>Earth Defense Force 5 feels like an arcade rail shooter from a different time. Hopefully the developer, Yukes, will be able to polish the game and add some more variety to gameplay when the game launches next year.</p> Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:00:00 PDT Asif Khan Destiny 2 Kicks Off 'Faction Rallies' Next Week http://www.shacknews.com/article/101441/destiny-2-kicks-off-faction-rallies-next-week http://www.shacknews.com/article/101441/destiny-2-kicks-off-faction-rallies-next-week <p>For those Destiny 2 players who&nbsp;have wrapped up the game's campaign, the question becomes what to do in the game next. Those who have read our <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101421/destiny-2-review-light-bright">review</a> probably know that this isn't an easy question to answer, but Bungie is adding another item to the list: Faction Rallies.</p> <p>A Thursday afternoon <a href="https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/46308" target="blank">post</a> on Bungie's website indicates that players will soon be able to pledge their allegiance to one of three factions: Dead Orbit, Future War Cult, or New Monarchy.</p> <p>"Each of the factions of the Tower is having a rally to collect resources for its cause," Senior Designer Tim Williams explains in the post. "They're recruiting Guardians to gather supplies for their faction and destroy enemy resources. They'll offer a suite of rewards to help the Guardians rise up against any enemy threats. As an incentive, each faction has set aside a powerful weapon to entice players to choose their side. The faction whose Guardians collect the most faction packages will be declared the winner. The winning faction will offer the weapon to everyone, but all who pledged loyalty will receive it with a huge discount as repayment for their contributions to their faction's cause."</p> <p>The idea of a cool new weapon should sound enticing to every Destiny 2 player, but the Faction Rallies will only open up to Level 20 players that have completed the game's campaign. After aligning with a faction, it's time to complete public events, Strikes, Raids, Crucible matches, and more in an effort to earn faction tokens. These can be exchanged for loot, with specifics listed in Bungie's announcement post.</p> <p>Faction Rallies kick off next week, with Bungie flipping the switch on Tuesday, September 26 at 2AM PT.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rrDsj22bTpI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:40:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia Overwatch to Give Free PermaBans to Toxic Players Starting Next Week http://www.shacknews.com/article/101438/overwatch-to-give-free-permabans-to-toxic-players-starting-next-week http://www.shacknews.com/article/101438/overwatch-to-give-free-permabans-to-toxic-players-starting-next-week <p>Jeff Kaplan, Overwatch's game director, has already made a <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101347/overwatch-game-director-on-toxicity-if-you-are-a-bad-person-we-dont-want-you" target="_blank">very pointed statement about the players that contribute to toxic experiences</a>&nbsp;online. As of next week, Overwatch will be laying out permanent bans in Competitive play and there will be absolutely no recovering from them.&nbsp;</p> <p>Reported by <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-competitive-permabans-are-coming-next-week/?utm_content=bufferd1d9c&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_campaign=buffer_pcgamerfb" target="_blank">PC Gamer</a>, players that have accumulated three or more seasonal bans could result in a permanent ban that prevents the player from participating in Competitive mode altogether. Better yet, the seasonal bans don't have to happen in rapid succession&nbsp;to accrue enough for a permanent ban.&nbsp;</p> <p><span>Community Manager Josh Engen is quoted as saying that seasonal bans and permanent&nbsp;Competitive bans also won't decay or reset over time. "Once an account is permanently banned, it currently cannot return to good standing." Entirely removing access to one of Overwatch's modes is a pretty strong statement from the Overwatch team and will likely not be the last change involving community improvement.</span>&nbsp;</p> <p>Seasonal bans are accrued&nbsp;by leaving games early or being kicked for idling and include the loss of seasonal rewards. It's an incremental system that allows for some leeway, especially since you'll be able to return to good standing before the ban is handed out for multiple violations, but players will have to be exceptionally careful going forward.&nbsp;</p> <p>If you haven't experienced <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101402/overwatch-patch-has-no-mercy-on-resurrect-ultimate-adds-junkertown" target="_blank">the latest patch</a>, it brought the overhauled Mercy to life and also added the new Junkertown&nbsp;map to the mix.&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JOuKg8HY1BI"></iframe></p> Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:20:00 PDT Charles Singletary Microsoft Adds Four Halo Games to Backward Compatibility List http://www.shacknews.com/article/101437/microsoft-adds-four-halo-games-to-backward-compatibility-list http://www.shacknews.com/article/101437/microsoft-adds-four-halo-games-to-backward-compatibility-list <p>Four more Xbox 360-era Halo games are available to play on Xbox One now, as Microsoft today added a handful of titles to the growing backwards compatibility list.&nbsp;Previously, they were playable&nbsp;only as part of <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/87041/halo-the-master-chief-collection-review-remastered-chief" title="Halo: The Master Chief Collection">Halo: The Master Chief Collection</a>.</p> <p>The latest additions to the program are Halo 4, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 3 ODST Campaign Edition, and Halo 3. They&rsquo;re listed at the top of the <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/backward-compatibility" target="_blank" title="Xbox One backwards compatibility list">current list</a>, which periodically expands as Microsoft enables support for additional games.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DIspQ1NmGf4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>The backwards compatibility program already included Halo: Reach, Halo: Spartan Assault, and Halo Wars, so the latest additions tend to the bulk of the franchise library. Microsoft has <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100232/e3-2017-backwards-compatibility-for-original-xbox-games-coming-to-xbox-live" title="Original Xbox games coming to Xbox One backwards compatibility">previously revealed</a>&nbsp;it expects to bring original Xbox games to the program, perhaps as early as this fall. It&rsquo;s unclear what features and titles will be available, but Microsoft plans to share those details &ldquo;closer to availability.&rdquo;</p> <p>The backward compatibility program is a free service for Xbox One owners that allows them to play select Xbox 360 games, provided they already own them on disc or have purchased them digitally. As digital titles you own are added to the program, they will appear in the &ldquo;Ready to Install&rdquo; area of your Xbox One&rsquo;s dashboard. Physical games require you to insert the disc and install them to your hard drive. The disc is still required, even after you take that action.</p> <p>You can view a current list of games available in a convenient text format on the <a href="https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/backward-compatibility/available-games" target="_blank" title="backwards compatible games on Xbox One">Xbox site</a>. The Xbox 360 library included thousands of titles, so many of your favorites may not yet be supported. Are there any games you&rsquo;re especially anxious to see receive the backwards compatibility treatment?</p> Thu, 21 Sep 2017 16:15:00 PDT Jason Venter Developer Secures $10M Investment For 1000 Player Game With PUBG-Style Mode http://www.shacknews.com/article/101435/developer-secures-10m-investment-for-1000-player-game-with-pubg-style-mode http://www.shacknews.com/article/101435/developer-secures-10m-investment-for-1000-player-game-with-pubg-style-mode <p>If you've got a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds-influenced idea rattling around in your head, now may be a good time to reach out to potential investors. Automaton Games completed an investment round led by Cambridge Venture Partners to create their massive shooter and it includes a space where up to 400 players compete to be the last person standing.&nbsp;</p> <p>Automaton Games is a development team founded in 2015 and, since inception, the crew has been working on pushing the boundaries of massively multiplayer online experiences. Automaton has done experiments and technical demos, but their main project is a tactical shooter MMO that supports 1000 concurrent players in one instance or server. The game will contain RPG-style character progression, social hubs, mission systems, and more all within a photo-realistic and dynamic 12km x 12km map.&nbsp;<a href="https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/18/automaton-raises-10-million-for-survival-game-where-1000-players-fight-in-12-square-kilometers/" target="_blank">Venturebeat reports</a>&nbsp;that the developers are including a "last man standing" mode for 400 players and it will include the dynamic weather effects of the main game space, including blood trails, fire and water effects, dynamic weather, roaming wildlife, and more. This ambitious project will be powered by&nbsp;<a href="https://improbable.io/games" target="_blank">SpatialOS</a>, a cloud-based development platform that allows for the creation of incredibly massive interactive worlds when otherwise impossible.&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve spent the last two years building the technology for a next-generation massively multiplayer online game that requires an entirely new approach to game design and development,&rdquo; said Automaton CEO James Thompson. &ldquo;This project delivers an unprecedented fidelity and scale of world simulation and complex interactions between authored and player-driven content. I&rsquo;m hugely excited that our next step is deploying this $10 million investment to bring the game to launch in 2018.&rdquo;</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101263/pubg-cracks-one-million-concurrent-users-on-steam" target="_blank">popularity of PUBG is fully evident</a>&nbsp;and continues to grow as the days go by. When any genre has a game that sees astronomical success in a short time, you're almost guaranteed to see an influx of similar titles follow in that game's footsteps. Grand Theft Auto V regularly finds some new life in its online mode and a PUBG influenced experience called Motor Wars is responsible for the latest resurgence. Fortnite, Epic's latest game, has also <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101300/fortnite-battle-royale-mode-takes-aim-at-pubg" target="_blank">pivoted away from its standard mode</a>&nbsp;with heavy promotion for its Battle Royale mode. Epic is even <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101415/fortnites-pubg-style-battle-royale-goes-free-to-play" target="_blank">making it free for all platforms</a>, fully cashing in on the Last Man Standing buzz. Who's coming up with a Last Man Standing mode next?</p> Thu, 21 Sep 2017 14:45:00 PDT Charles Singletary