Shacknews Recent Articles http://www.shacknews.com/rss?recent_articles=1 en-us How to Open Hidden Chambers in God of War http://www.shacknews.com/article/104436/how-to-open-hidden-chambers-in-god-of-war http://www.shacknews.com/article/104436/how-to-open-hidden-chambers-in-god-of-war <p>Players will encounter Hidden Chambers almost from the beginning of <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/topic/god-of-war-2018">God of War</a>, but it&rsquo;s not clear how these are unlocked or what hides inside them. This can be a frustrating situation, leaving one to wonder if they&rsquo;ve missed something along the path or if they&rsquo;re just not seeing the solution. Luckily, this guide will explain how to unlock Hidden Chambers in God of War.</p> <h2>How to Unlock Hidden Chambers</h2> <p>Right off the bat, it&rsquo;s impossible to get into a Hidden Chamber during the first story mission, The Marked Trees. If that&rsquo;s the only concern, I&rsquo;ll also state that players cannot miss gaining the ability to unlock these, so feel free to back out of this article now if you don&rsquo;t want to find out when this happens. For those that want to learn the details, continue reading.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/god-of-war-playstation-4-kratos-atreus-troll-bludgeon.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="292" /></div> <p>Hidden Chambers cannot be accessed until the very beginning of the eighth chapter, Behind the Lock. The ability to access them is unlocked at the end of the previous chapter, The Magic Chisel. Both events are tied to story progression, which is as much detail as anyone will get from me. Just know that it&rsquo;s impossible to miss these events.</p> <p>For those interested, read the Shacknews guide for all Hidden Chambers in God of War, where we show the location of each one, and talk about how to get inside. There is much to do and discover in each, so finding and unlocking these should be a priority when Kratos and Atreus have some down time.</p> <p>For more help on the path, visit the Shacknews God of War walkthrough and guide. We&rsquo;ll help track down each of the game&rsquo;s collectibles, provide solutions to puzzles and riddles, and help those interested learn about the many mechanics and systems in place.</p> Thu, 19 Apr 2018 09:00:00 PDT Bill Lavoy Free Dying Light Content Drop #6 Features New Bounty, Subsonic Ammo Blueprint Reward http://www.shacknews.com/article/104443/free-dying-light-content-drop-6-features-new-bounty-subsonic-ammo-blueprint-reward http://www.shacknews.com/article/104443/free-dying-light-content-drop-6-features-new-bounty-subsonic-ammo-blueprint-reward <p>Dying Light&nbsp;gains new life once again! Continuing to execute on the promise of <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100761/dying-light-isnt-actually-dying-so-techland-will-add-12-months-of-dlc" target="_blank">new Dying Light DLC for a year</a>, the latest content drop has gone live. Content Drop #6 answers <g class="gr_ gr_52 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="52" data-gr-id="52">fans's</g> requests for easier access to the new Subsonic ammo via a new event called Snake in the Grass.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/dying-light-content-drop-6-free-snake-in-the-grass-subsonic-ammo-easy-re3.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="429" /></div> <p>Snake in the Grass features a new bounty called Subterfuge, which forces players to tap into their more stealthy skill sets to survive. Players will use decoys and <g class="gr_ gr_15 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="15" data-gr-id="15">sneaking</g> to survive the Volatiles and, if they complete the bounty, will receive the blueprint for Subsonic ammo. This ammo is what players need to utilize the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/102564/become-a-silent-zombie-assassin-with-dying-lights-second-free-content-drop" target="_blank">silenced pistols</a> introduced in a previous content drop.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104087/dying-light-update-introduces-free-new-prison-heist-mode" target="_blank">Content drop #5 featured an entirely new area</a> to play in, so these continuous drops aren't just light fare.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/C-NN4TQ9i8A"></iframe></p> <p>If you're wondering why Dying Light has been getting a steady stream of new content three years after release, first off, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Second, it's part <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100761/dying-light-isnt-actually-dying-so-techland-will-add-12-months-of-dlc" target="_blank">Techland's dedication to a community that has continued to play the game for so long</a>. The team is also adding their own&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/102393/techland-introduces-dying-light-bad-blood-a-competitive-survival-expansion" target="_blank">survival/battle royale mode with Bad Blood</a> in the near future. Stay tuned to Shacknews for more updates.</p> Thu, 19 Apr 2018 08:35:00 PDT Charles Singletary A Selection of PS4 and PSVR Titles Now Have Permanent Price Drops http://www.shacknews.com/article/104442/a-selection-of-ps4-and-psvr-titles-now-have-permanent-price-drops http://www.shacknews.com/article/104442/a-selection-of-ps4-and-psvr-titles-now-have-permanent-price-drops <p>A series of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR titles have apparently received permanent price drops. If there were any specific titles you were interested in trying out but didn't want to commit to anything until you could grab it on sale, this is your chance to pad your collection out. There's a generous list of games down 25% to 50%, including blockbusters like&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/99101/horizon-zero-dawn-review-well-oiled-machine">Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition</a> and <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/98305/the-last-guardian-review-tri-camaraderie">The Last Guardian</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>The following games are available (thanks, <a href="https://www.cheapassgamer.com/topic/367120-psn-weekly-deals-417-double-discount-sale-12-divinity-os-20-skyrim-se-6-titanfall-2-10-sundered-more/?p=13982649">CheapAssGamer</a>!):</p> <ul> <li><strong>Driveclub VR - $14.99 - 25% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Everybody's Golf - $19.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Gran Turismo Sport - $39.99 - 33% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Gran Turismo Sport Digital Deluxe Edition - $49.99 - 38% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Gravity Rush 2 - $19.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Hidden Agenda - $9.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition - $39.99 - 20% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>The Inpatient - $19.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Knack 2 - $19.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>The Last Guardian - $19.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>PlayStation VR Worlds - $14.99 - 25% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Rigs Mechanized Combat League - $19.99 - 33% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>StarBlood Arena - $14.99 - 25% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>That's You! - $9.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - $29.99 - 25% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Until Dawn: Rush of Blood - $14.99 - 25% Off</strong></li> <li><strong>Wipeout Omega Collection - $19.99 - 50% Off</strong></li> </ul> <p>Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Hidden Agenda, and The Inpatient are some of the PlayStation VR's best titles, and they're all permanently cheaper so now there's no excuse to skip them. PlayStation VR Worlds is also an experience worth having if you've got a few extra bucks laying around as well.&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MfyMfeXXQ7U"></iframe></p> <p>You can create a miniature library of solely new PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 games for a couple hundred bucks here, so this is a great opportunity to grab a few new games before the God of War apocalypse descends upon us tomorrow.</p> <p>See anything you're going to be grabbing? Let us know which ones strike your fancy and which ones you'll be adding to your digital game collection!</p> Thu, 19 Apr 2018 07:45:00 PDT Brittany Vincent YouTube Is Testing New Way To Address Demonetization Issues and Platform Abuse http://www.shacknews.com/article/104441/youtube-is-testing-new-way-to-address-demonetization-issues-and-platform-abuse http://www.shacknews.com/article/104441/youtube-is-testing-new-way-to-address-demonetization-issues-and-platform-abuse <p>After the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101529/youtube-requires-monetization-to-include-patreon-links">YouTube</a> Adpocalypse occurred, where tons of major advertisers pulled support from the platform, YouTube and its users were left high and dry. Now, YouTube is looking into a new video flow to help creators get back on their feet when it comes to demonetization issues. Specifically, a new self-certification process would let YouTubers offer their own information about what each video upload contains in terms of the guidelines relating to advertisers.</p> <p>"In an ideal world, we'll eventually get to a state where creators across the platform are able to accurately represent what's in their videos so that their insights, combined with those of our algorithmic classifiers and human reviewers, will make the monetisation process much smoother with fewer false positive demonetisations," YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said of the new process in an <a href="https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2018/04/an-update-on-our-2018-priorities.html">official blog post</a>.</p> <p>With the new steps users must follow to remain monetized and earn any major income at all on the platform, Wojcicki stated that it had indeed been frustrating for smaller channels to deal with. On the flip side, she noted that the new guidelines were working for advertisers, however, as it had improved their "confidence." Good for advertisers, bad for those trying to make a buck.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p>c&rsquo;mon guys we got this<br /><br />YouTube: Delete Logan Paul's YouTube Channel - Sign the Petition! <a href="https://t.co/92jcg7GpOH">https://t.co/92jcg7GpOH</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/Change?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Change</a> <a href="https://t.co/r5kpJpujGZ">pic.twitter.com/r5kpJpujGZ</a></p> &mdash; Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/LoganPaul/status/961004409206353921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <p>YouTube content creators will get a chance to sign up for the new sponsorship program that began a brief test period in September 2017 that seems to have assisted with those sponsored's ability to make money. The platform is also working to help reduce abuse in the form of spam and hateful comments with the introduction of moderation tools. Though we all know that this is the internet and such abuse or hateful comments is always going to be a part of the deal.</p> <p>Hopefully YouTube's new policies will act as a beacon of hope for those who have lost faith in the platform, especially after dealing with the Logan Pauls of the world and other trash out there who consistently make things more difficult for everyone else. It can still be a decent site, it just needs a lot of work.</p> Thu, 19 Apr 2018 06:20:00 PDT Brittany Vincent The Wave VR Scores 6 Million In Funding http://www.shacknews.com/article/104434/the-wave-vr-scores-6-million-in-funding http://www.shacknews.com/article/104434/the-wave-vr-scores-6-million-in-funding <p>It's been a good year for the team over at the Wave VR and it looks like things are only going to get better for them. The company, which specializes in providing a social platform for VR concerts and events, has recently secured another $6 million dollars in&nbsp;series A funding led by RRE Ventures. Investors include some top venture capital firms like&nbsp;Greycroft VR Gaming Tracker Fund, The VR Fund, and Upfront Ventures. Along with all these companies that you've probably never heard of other investors like&nbsp;Andy Ross from OK Go, the co-founder <g class="gr_ gr_693 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="693" data-gr-id="693">and</g> CEO of Giphy, Alex Chung, and&nbsp;Matt Brimer of General Assembly have also thrown down on the latest round of funding.</p> <p>This latest influx of cash&nbsp;brings the Wave VR's funding up to $10 million dollars, which the company claims will allow them to expand the app's community tools as well as bring it onto other platforms. Along with expanding development potential, the company has now opened a Los Angeles office to help them collaborate with artists and musicians on high-profile virtual concerts and events for 2018.&nbsp;</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/wave-vr-secures-more-funding-two.png" alt="" width="700" height="342" style="undefined" /></div> <p>The latest funding round comes hot on the heels of a successful collaboration with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/103712/sxsw-2018-htc-vive-partners-with-devs-for-ready-player-one-vr-arcade-content">Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One</a> film which gave fans the chance to experience a VR dance club from the movie.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to&nbsp;Adam Arrigo, TheWaveVR CEO and co-founder "The VR ecosystem is approaching a tipping point with the release of &lsquo;Ready Player One&rsquo;. With hardware prices coming down, stand-alone headsets like Oculus Go and Vive Focus on the horizon, and developers discovering best use cases, VR is on a sure path to <g class="gr_ gr_1345 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="1345" data-gr-id="1345">become</g> mainstream. We spent last year nailing down the format for these fully interactive concerts and proved people love our experience; this year we&rsquo;re focused on how that content gets created and shared.&rdquo;</p> <p>VR aficionados who want to check out the Wave VR for themselves can head over to&nbsp;<a href="http://thewavevr.com/">the company's website</a> for more details.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> Thu, 19 Apr 2018 06:00:00 PDT Blake Morse Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass Teased for Full E3 Reveal http://www.shacknews.com/article/104440/serious-sam-4-planet-badass-teased-for-full-e3-reveal http://www.shacknews.com/article/104440/serious-sam-4-planet-badass-teased-for-full-e3-reveal <p>Croteam has officially&nbsp;<a href="http://www.croteam.com/serious-sam-4-planet-badass-official-reveal-coming-e3-2018/">revealed</a> the latest game in the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/62094/serious-sam-hd-four-pack">Serious Sam</a> series today, in the form of <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/79545/serious-sam-4-coming-aided-by-new-humble-bundle-funds">Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass</a>. The developer took to the Reboot Develop conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia to bring us the news, though all we have to work with at present is a decidedly badass teaser trailer, which lives up to the game's name.</p> <p>The teaser trailer shows off Sam cruising the lush countryside on a rockin' hog as he positively oozes cool. He certainly doesn't seem like the protagonist of an absolutely bonkers twitch shooter, but looks can be deceiving. Of course, he can't just have a peaceful ride. He's got to be antagonized by enemies. One headless monster hurtles toward him while he zooms over a hill for a big reveal: Thousands of enemies waiting to tear him to shreds. Luckily, he's Serious Sam, and this is no big deal.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Q33N833aPX4"></iframe></p> <p>&ldquo;In the past seven years Croteam has released six new game projects. But we always get asked the same question &ndash; where is Serious Sam?&rdquo; Croteam&rsquo;s co-founder opened Reboot Develop with a bang as he keyed the crowd up for more Sam.</p> <p>He confirmed further that a full reveal by way of Devolver Digital will happen at E3 2018, so unfortunately we won't know much more about the game until the show happens. You can check out the&nbsp;<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/257420/agecheck">Steam</a> page right about now, but it's pretty devoid of info.</p> <p>This isn't the first time we've heard about Serious Sam 4, though. It was originally revealed back in 2013 and funded by Kickstarter. As far as news regarding the title, however, this is our first real update. It's going to be a real treat returning to this franchise, that's for sure.</p> Thu, 19 Apr 2018 05:45:00 PDT Brittany Vincent Destiny 2 Exotic Weapon Buffs and Power Level Increases Highlighted in Bungie Blog http://www.shacknews.com/article/104439/destiny-2-exotic-weapon-buffs-and-power-level-increases-highlighted-in-bungie-blog http://www.shacknews.com/article/104439/destiny-2-exotic-weapon-buffs-and-power-level-increases-highlighted-in-bungie-blog <p>After months of feeling burned out on Destiny 2, the latest Bungie blog (This Week at Bungie) has reignited some fire through mention of exotic weapon buffs and Power level increases coming with the release of Destiny 2&rsquo;s second DLC, Warmind, on May 8.</p> <p><a href="https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/46754">In the blog</a>, Bungie brings to the table Senior Designer Jon Weisnewski to discuss some of the changes coming to exotic weapons at the onset of Season 3. The three guns mentioned are Graviton Lance, Skyburner&rsquo;s Oath, and Rat King. For anyone who&rsquo;s spent some time killing aliens with these weapons, you&rsquo;ll know that they don&rsquo;t really &ldquo;feel&rdquo; exotic and there&rsquo;s no real draw to use them over a particularly powerful legendary weapon &ndash; looking at you Midnight Coup and Nameless Midnight.</p> <p>While Graviton Lance receives no explanation outside of a video, the other two weapons get a little rundown about their strengths and how they will be improved.</p> <blockquote>When firing from the hip, Skyburner&rsquo;s Oath now lobs slower projectiles at a faster rate of fire that tracks targets and explodes&hellip; The end result is a dual utility weapon that fires hit-scan, high-damage projectiles while aiming down sights and rapid-fire, lobbed, exploding, tracking projectiles from the hip.</blockquote> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yC4vx6giOgM" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Rat King has always felt a little too weak, especially given the current ammo constraints still plaguing Destiny 2. However, once Update 1.2.0 launches in May, the Rat King should become a more viable option for players outside of being a meme.</p> <blockquote>We made Rat King full auto to ensure the rate of fire increase can make a difference when running in a pack. Rat Pack perk now triggers when fireteam members have Rat King slotted as their kinetic weapon, stowed or in hand. We also front-loaded the stat benefits of Rat Pack so they increase a bit more drastically with one or two fireteam members&mdash;and upped the base invisibility timer of Vermin to seven seconds.</blockquote> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WsRAthxZttI" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Anyone who&rsquo;s had a chance to play the Leviathan raid will know that those Cabal Colossus units pose a massive threat, but it appears as if Rat King &ndash; when used in a full Fireteam of six &ndash; make short work of the missile-launching behemoth.</p> <p>In terms of the ever-increasing climb to become a more powerful Guardian, players will need to re-evaluate their expectations. When Warmind launches,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/102358/destiny-2---new-max-level-and-power-level-cap">the new max Power level</a> hard cap will increase to 380, or 385 when kitted out with +5 mods. However, the climb from 370 to 380 will be about as time consuming as the climb from 340 to 370.</p> <p>Senior Designer Daniel Auchenpaugh was brought in to discuss the finer details of this increase in Power as well as the decision behind making it more difficult to attain maximum Power. You can read Auchenpaugh&rsquo;s full breakdown (it&rsquo;s big) in the Bungie blog, but the short of it is that they wanted to &ldquo;bring back meaning and accomplishment to achieving the Power cap&rdquo;. This will be accomplished by deemphasizing grinding public events and instead shift the focus to completing end-game content like raids and competing in Trials of the Nine. Without playing the end-game content, you simply will not be able to reach max Power, unless of course you have a clan that can unlock the clan engrams, but then again, those will now only grant rewards 0-2 points above your current gear.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/Destiny-2-Trials-of-the-Nine-The-Third-Spire-Emissary-of-the-Nine.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>These changes should hopefully see a style similar to what was in the original Destiny, where players couldn&rsquo;t simply reach the highest levels by farming low-level content. It should also drive more players toward the end-game activities, such as Trials of the Nine, which is in dire need of a larger player pool.</p> <p>Outside of the discussion around Power cap and exotic weapons, This Week at Bungie also touched on the current Iron Banner event, which is the first ever 6v6 Iron Banner &ndash; unless of course you played the first three years&rsquo; worth of Iron Banner in the original Destiny.</p> <p>The final piece of good news that was repeated in this post is that all players will have access to the new maps at the launch of Warmind. This should prevent dividing the Crucible into old maps and new DLC-specific content. The takeaway from this is that these maps will be given out to all players, even those who don&rsquo;t purchase the second expansion, though we will have to wait for Bungie to confirm.</p> <p>All of this discussion is beginning to warm up the cold and dead feelings I had toward Destiny 2 after the abysmal Curse of Osiris DLC. Even the recent&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104280/destiny-2-development-roadmap-extended-into-seasons-3-and-4">Destiny 2 Development Roadmap</a> is looking pretty exciting. One thing is for certain, if Bungie pulls the plug and makes the same errors with Destiny 3, it&rsquo;s going to be near impossible to bring anyone back.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 22:00:00 PDT Sam Chandler Cities: Skylines Takes a Walk in the 'Parklife' DLC in May http://www.shacknews.com/article/104433/cities-skylines-takes-a-walk-in-the-parklife-dlc-in-may http://www.shacknews.com/article/104433/cities-skylines-takes-a-walk-in-the-parklife-dlc-in-may <p>Now that the suburbs and industrial districts are starting to flourish, the time has come to focus on building up those parklands. <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/topic/cities-skylines">Cities: Skylines</a>' next expansion is Parklife and it focuses on the neighborhood greenery.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/Cities-Skylines-Parklife-2.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>Parklife introduces five new maps, along with a new park area tool that allows players to construct park districts along any empty plot of land. These parks can be kept looking spry with new Park Maintenance services that level up these new lands. Players can also add new assets, like sightseeing bus tours, amusement parks, nature reserves, and zoos. Even the empty spaces between buildings can be decorated with gardens, making it possible to build entire cities with zero wasted space.</p> <p>For those who would rather not pony up the extra money for a new expansion, Cities: Skylines will receive a free update that adds a tourism panel, trees that can reduce noise pollution, a camera mode upgrade, new tourist models, and new modeling features.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1My4hXYVXR4?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Cities: Skylines - Parklife will release on PC on May 24. For more, visit the game's <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/715191/Cities_Skylines__Parklife/" target="blank">Steam</a> page.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:20:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia Tera's Ruinous Manor Expansion Includes New Max Level Dungeon http://www.shacknews.com/article/104432/teras-ruinous-manor-expansion-includes-new-max-level-dungeon http://www.shacknews.com/article/104432/teras-ruinous-manor-expansion-includes-new-max-level-dungeon <p>Gamers who like to take on massive quests in a fantasy world without breaking their real-world banks have by now certainly heard of Tera, the free-to-play MMO from developer <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/topic/bluehole-studios">Bluehole Studio</a>. The game has received fairly consistent updates since its release back in 2012, and the publishers at En Masse Entertainment have recently announced the release of Ruinous Manor, an expansion to Tera that includes an all-new dungeon designed specifically for high-level players.</p> <p>According to a press release for the expansion, Ruinous Manner is slated to provide challenges that will require the utmost skill out of seasoned players. That challenge comes via the new max level dungeon, the likes of which will also include several high-level rewards like rare items, crafting materials, and dyad niveot structures.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-0drXY2NkMQ" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>The press release also contains information about the BAM boss battles the expansion has on offer. These include bouts with "the deadly claws of Atrocitas, the powerful kick attacks of Malgarios, and Lacheilith, a true nightmare armed with a piercing tail scythe, life-draining soul spheres, and triple lasers."</p> <p>Tera is still available for Windows PC players, but those with home consoles should note that the game made just recently made its console debut, landing for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One earlier this month on April 3. Players can learn more information about the game by following the&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/TERAonline" target="_blank">Tera Twitter account</a> or by stopping by the <a href="http://tera.enmasse.com/" target="_blank">official Tera website</a>.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:10:00 PDT Kevin Tucker PUBG Is Free to Play On Xbox One This Weekend http://www.shacknews.com/article/104431/pubg-is-free-to-play-on-xbox-one-this-weekend http://www.shacknews.com/article/104431/pubg-is-free-to-play-on-xbox-one-this-weekend <p>Been thinking about&nbsp;checking out PUBG, but don't wanna throw down your hard-earned greenbacks without taking a test drive first? If you happen to own an Xbox One and have a Gold membership, then this weekend is your chance to do just that. Starting on April 19 at 12:01 a.m. PDT and running until Sunday, April 22 at 11:59 p.m. PDT players will be able to download the title by clicking on the Gold member button on their Xbox live home dashboard or hunt it down in the online store.</p> <p>PUBG is one of the biggest success stories in the last year of video games. Its 1vs100 battle royale gameplay has chalked up tens of millions of players since its launch and has spawned a number of copycat&nbsp;titles including a recent entry from Cliffy B's Boss Key Productions called <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104252/radical-heights-gameplay-4k-ultra-settings">Radical Heights</a>. As of right now, it's a console exclusive for the Xbox One, meaning this will <g class="gr_ gr_68 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Grammar multiReplace" id="68" data-gr-id="68">be console</g> gamer's only chance to try it out for free. Players will get to try out everything PUBG has to offer including solo, duo and team combat, and any Battle Points earned during the special trial weekend will carry over if a player decides to purchase PUBG after the trial.&nbsp;</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 328px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/PUBG-free-weekend-xbox-one-one.jpg" alt="" width="328" height="394" /></div> <p>According to <a href="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2018/04/10/pubg-free-play-days-weekend-april-19-22/">the Xbox website</a>, along with the free trial&nbsp;weekend, there are also some new outfits that players can pick up for their in-game avatars. For $6.99 players will get a new baseball cap, long-sleeve shirt, hi-top shoes, and cuffed jeans. The DLC outfits will be available for purchase between April 19 and May 19 for the fashion-forward battle royale players.&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tjx35mpHysI" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Remember, Xbox Live Gold members will be able to try PUBG out for from starting&nbsp;April 19 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, April 22 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:00:00 PDT Blake Morse Platinum Games Joins With DeNA for New Free-To-Play Mobile Title World of Demons http://www.shacknews.com/article/104430/platinum-games-joins-with-dena-for-new-free-to-play-mobile-title-world-of-demons http://www.shacknews.com/article/104430/platinum-games-joins-with-dena-for-new-free-to-play-mobile-title-world-of-demons <p><a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/103112/platinum-games-designer-responds-ask-ninty-to-fans-demands-for-bayonetta-on-ps4">Platinum Games</a>&nbsp;has been hard at work on a new project, though it might be different from what you're expecting. The company has been working in tandem with mobile developer DeNA for a new title called World of Demons. It's an upcoming free-to-play game where you'll take on the role of samurai Onimaru, shrine maiden Sayo, or a third character who's yet to be named. Together, the three characters work to defeat the yokai and oni (read: demons) roaming about their world. And when you see a demon, you know you just have to slay it.</p> <p>Each character will play a little bit differently, thanks to the touch-based control scheme. You'll need to draw symbols to bring on special finishing moves to blow your opponents away, which adds a nice little flourish to what could otherwise feel like a very typical hack and slash. You can also collect over 80 yokai to take into battle with you, three at a time.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Zms7Anbxsx8"></iframe></p> <p>The yokai will act as a big part of the game, as you can collect them or get them via "gacha" methods, similar to games like Fire Emblem Heroes. You can fuse them together into more powerful beings, and even have your yokai fight other players' squads. In addition, there's a Skirmish campaign, Samurai Stronghold matches, and a glut of other content to wade through. And because it's a free-to-play game, you know it'll probably have some kind of timers or something to get you to spend money, but we'll see how that goes down.</p> <p>In the meantime, check out the launch trailer above. Look like your cup of tea? It's currently open for <a href="https://worldofdemons.com/">preregistration</a>, so you can jump into the game as soon as it's up for download.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:00:00 PDT Brittany Vincent Nintendo Labo: Genius or Insanity? http://www.shacknews.com/article/104426/nintendo-labo-genius-or-insanity http://www.shacknews.com/article/104426/nintendo-labo-genius-or-insanity <p>The French have a saying: <em>Les extremes se touchent</em>. It&rsquo;s a way of saying that things so far out on either side of a spectrum might actually have some overlap. Some of the world&rsquo;s brightest minds throughout history, for example, have had a touch of madness. Perhaps some of Nintendo&rsquo;s designers have this trait too. Innovation requires unique thinking. Nintendo&rsquo;s newest innovation, Labo, is a series of cardboard construction kits that interact with the Switch platform. And frankly, it feels so mad, that maybe it&rsquo;s brilliant.</p> <p>As Nintendo describes it, Labo &ldquo;combines the magic of the Nintendo Switch system with the fun of DIY creations.&rdquo; It draws on the appeal of building blocks like Lego as well as the Switch itself, which has already sold well over 14 million units worldwide. Nintendo will begin by selling a Variety Kit and a Robot Kit on April 20th, for $69.99 and $79.99, respectively.</p> <p>Reactions to the Labo announcement a few months ago were, unsurprisingly, polarizing. Some took to social media to lavish praise on Nintendo for doing something truly creative, something that no other major company in the business would even dare to attempt. Others bemoaned the fact that Nintendo is charging people 80 bucks for pieces of pre-cut cardboard.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/nintendo-labo-piano.png" alt="" width="700" height="525" /></div> <p>Nintendo&rsquo;s product track record is certainly not flawless (Virtual Boy, Wii U anyone?) but if the house of Mario can legitimately sell cardboard pieces at those prices, it&rsquo;s hard not to think of it as genius. The margins are going to be substantially better.</p> <p>As Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter explained, "The only costs are design (R&amp;D) and marketing. My guess is that R&amp;D is very low, but marketing is around the same as for any other games. So the difference in profits is the difference in R&amp;D spending. That is likely $50 - $80 million total. If they sell 10 million Labo [units], the profit per unit will be $5 - $8 higher than a conventional game."</p> <p>The announcement and pending launch also serve to fill a marketing gap for the Switch, which is coming off the stupendous release of Super Mario Odyssey last holiday but doesn&rsquo;t have any major first-party titles on the immediate horizon.</p> <p>&ldquo;Labo is a great and novel product that fits well with Nintendo's history and its penchant for coming up with cool accessories,&rdquo; Joost van Dreunen, CEO of SuperData Research told me. &ldquo;Its key value currently is to boost the marketing effort for the Switch. Releasing the Labo footage unexpectedly bought Nintendo a lot of traction on social media, which is clearly a critical component to its overall marketing strategy. By continuing to feed its fanbase, Nintendo keeps its core offering top of mind.&rdquo;</p> <p>That said, the analyst was unsure &ldquo;whether people will buy it en masse and whether it will have a life-cycle beyond a few weeks of novelty before it ends up on a shelf much less relevant.&rdquo;</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D4v_LcHnDbs" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Predictions aside, Nintendo Labo is already a hit with one important crowd: creatives. The bulk of the developers I spoke to about the cardboard kits expressed genuine enthusiasm.</p> <p>&ldquo;There's something about building the toys you play with that I'm sure will reach a broad audience,&rdquo; said Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois Major, co-founder at Tribute Games, which has released the Contra-like 2D action title&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/mercenary-kings-reloaded-switch" target="_blank">Mercenary Kings Reloaded</a> on Switch and other platforms.</p> <p>&ldquo;With games like Minecraft, we've proven people are open to non traditional and linear experiences. However, the Labo games will need to be as creative as the cardboard construction.&rdquo;</p> <p>Klaus Lyngeled, CEO of Zoink, which just released the platformer Fe, is equally enthused.</p> <p>&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s an amazingly creative idea,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I personally really love games that also are toys. A few years back we developed a plush toy for the Wii called <a href="http://www.zoinkgames.com/portfolio-item/weewaa/" target="_blank">WeeWaa</a>. It was a real passion project for me. My kids were quite young then and both played a lot of games and with their plush toys, so I created this cute little character that could eat the Wiimote, and when you moved WeeWaa he would react accordingly on screen.&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;As we designed the game we explored lots of ways to use the accelerometer and IR camera and I can really see how Labo is being very creative with all these features.&rdquo;</p> <p>Mike Wilson, co-founder of both Devolver Digital and Good Shepherd, has gotten to know a wide array of developers over the years, and he knows creativity when he sees it.</p> <p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty sure my response was the same as everyone else&rsquo;s, which at first was like &lsquo;WTF is this a joke?&rsquo; and then soon moved to &lsquo;Wow this is crazy and kind of cool.&rsquo; As someone that works with a lot of developers, I don&rsquo;t think the potential of Labo has even sunk[en] in,&rdquo; he commented. &ldquo;... I could see the younger end of Switch players really embracing it. I love it when Nintendo does weird stuff!&rdquo;</p> <p>Nintendo, of course, has always had youth in mind when developing its games. That family-friendly image extends to Labo, as well. It&rsquo;s something that&rsquo;s targeted at kids, yes, but importantly it&rsquo;s an activity that can be enjoyed jointly with parents. Anecdotally speaking, my wife does not play games, but as a woman who&rsquo;s very artistic and crafty, she&rsquo;s already cut and assembled things for our two toddlers using Amazon boxes. Who&rsquo;s to say that&rsquo;s not an untapped audience for Nintendo?</p> <p>&ldquo;Since I have kids, I'm already planning on buying some of the Labo things,&rdquo; John Comes, CTO of indie publisher tinyBuild Games told me. &ldquo;As someone who was also a mechanical engineer at one time, the entire concept is right up my alley.&rdquo;</p> <p>Jeremy Dunham, VP of Publishing at Rocket League developer Psyonix is planning to purchase Labo as well. &ldquo;I plan on buying Labo for my kids when it's released to see what they think. I'm really excited to see what kind of ideas this kit will spark and how different (or similar) those ideas are to other building sets,&rdquo; he remarked.</p> <p>There&rsquo;s something especially gratifying about learning to build things. You take a certain pride in what you&rsquo;ve constructed. When I was a boy in 1986, I used to play endlessly with a mechanized, battery-powered construction kit called Robotix. Had I been told that I could hook up my Robotix creations to my Nintendo Entertainment System to control Mario&rsquo;s jump or Simon Belmont&rsquo;s whip, I think I would have been ecstatic. Nintendo may be onto something special with Labo.</p> <aside> <p class="pull-quote">I feel like this is the first gaming platform that can bridge the gap between 'games' and 'educational games'.</p> </aside> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/nintendo-labo-kids.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="525" /></div> <p>&ldquo;My son already has an engineering mind, so the STEM learning opportunities will be huge,&rdquo; Comes said. &ldquo;I feel like this is the first gaming platform that can bridge the gap between 'games' and 'educational games'. There's such a divide there when you weigh teachings vs. fun gameplay.&ldquo;</p> <p>Dunham, too, is optimistic about the educational aspect, but he cautioned that Nintendo must remain open to broad possibilities with Labo.</p> <p>&ldquo;If you're only ever relegated to a few recurring designs, or add-on packs are hard to find, or any other number of challenges, it could be limiting,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think of toys like Lego and love their concept of giving you blueprints, but still giving you the freedom to make whatever you want. If Nintendo Labo maintains that kind of flexibility, the potential is very, very high. The real trick is making sure that the cardboard itself is the only rigid thing about it.&rdquo;</p> <aside> <p class="pull-quote">I also imagine that a community of Labo hackers will form and we might see some much more innovative designs floating around the internet.</p> </aside> <p>Major added, &ldquo;Labo is a great opportunity to see what makes something tick&hellip; it [could]l be a great parent/kid weekend project. A Labo kit could replace building a birdhouse.&rdquo;</p> <p>Lyngeled took it even one step further, suggesting that Labo has genuine classroom potential: &ldquo;I could see that the Swedish educational system might pick this up and start using it in class -- especially if you can start programming your own toys, which it seems like Nintendo are hinting at in the trailer. I also imagine that a community of Labo hackers will form and we might see some much more innovative designs floating around the internet."</p> <p>But what about the selection of cardboard as Labo&rsquo;s building material? Surely, Nintendo has made a mistake by not using plastic? Time will tell how durable these kits can be, but Nintendo explained the reasoning behind its decision in a recent <a href="https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2018/180210e.pdf" target="_blank">investor Q&amp;A</a>.</p> <p>Shinya Takahashi, Nintendo Director and Managing Executive Officer, remarked, "I'm sure we surprised everyone with the use of cardboard, but it's not so far-fetched if you consider how familiar the material is, at least to Japanese people who, from a young age, use it for play and as a material for creating things such as fancy crafts.&rdquo;</p> <p>Tokyo-based veteran games journalist Justin Leeper can attest to how ingrained the papercraft hobby is with Japan&rsquo;s youth. His mind immediately turned to Origami upon watching the Labo announcement trailer.</p> <p>&ldquo;While a mere novelty in the West - &lsquo;Aunt Carol can make paper cranes&rsquo; - origami is a long-standing and beloved art here in Japan. Building is much more than a niche portion of Japanese toys as well,&rdquo; he told me. &ldquo;Go to any toy store in Tokyo, and you&rsquo;ll see beautiful dioramas you can buy and build from scenes out of Studio Ghibli movies, for example, or metal sheets that somehow turn into abstract TIE Fighters. Then there&rsquo;s Gundam models, train sets, Lego... all based on building.&rdquo;</p> <p>He continued, &ldquo;The Japanese are also big on packaging. A gift isn&rsquo;t a gift unless its box is put in another cardboard box that&rsquo;s placed in a decorative bag and wrapped with a few hundred yards of ribbon."</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/danboru-labo.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" /></div> <p>"Cardboard is called &lsquo;danboru&rsquo;, a word whose origins I&rsquo;ve never known despite being written in the character set for foreign-to-Japan words. There&rsquo;s a relatively popular manga character, Danbo, who&rsquo;s a cardboard robot from the series Yotsuba&amp;. If anything, it shows the acceptance of cardboard in Japan&rsquo;s pop-culture consciousness.&rdquo;</p> <p>For his part, Comes isn&rsquo;t concerned about Labo&rsquo;s cardboard pieces. Should a piece wear out, there&rsquo;s an obvious fix, he said:</p> <p>&ldquo;I personally feel like cardboard was the perfect material to use. It's very approachable. I'm not worried about it getting damaged. I mean, it's cardboard. If it breaks, take the last Amazon box you got and cut out the same piece.&rdquo;</p> <p>Along with the worries about cardboard longevity, there&rsquo;s still the very legitimate issue of price sensitivity. Nintendo will have to convince parents that the value that Labo brings justifies the expenditure. Dunham, however, has seen much worse in the hobby industry.</p> <aside> <p class="pull-quote">There appears to be a bit of a stigma associated with the cardboard so far, which is understandable, but kids and their parents will tell Nintendo really quickly if the quality and replayability is worth the price once it's out.</p> </aside> <p>&ldquo;As a parent of two kids myself, I can tell you that most crafting/building/exploration kits are typically a bit more expensive than you'd expect,&rdquo; he offered. &ldquo;There appears to be a bit of a stigma associated with the cardboard so far, which is understandable, but kids and their parents will tell Nintendo really quickly if the quality and replayability is worth the price once it's out.<br /> <br />&ldquo;Given that a lot of smart-device-controlled robots are typically in the range of $100 or more, though, I can see the argument that the ability to build the toy first would make the price worth it for some.&rdquo;</p> <p>Regardless of how well Labo performs on the market, Nintendo deserves credit for trying something this bold. And let&rsquo;s say that it does take off, would the one-time playing cards company begin to partner up with outside developers to make unique kits for their games? Nintendo has shown an increasing willingness to work with third parties and especially indies on Switch, but extending Labo feels unlikely, even if it does get developers&rsquo; creative juices flowing.</p> <p>&ldquo;That would be fantastic [if they did],&rdquo; exclaimed Comes. &ldquo;I have a mechanical engineering degree and I've made games for 17 years. So building my own Labo thing would be a great combination of my two life loves. I'd spend hours tinkering with building them.&rdquo;</p> <p>Dunham liked this idea as well: &ldquo;A Rocket League kit would be really neat to see on store shelves, but I imagine that Nintendo wants to see how its initial experiment works out first before opening the floodgates. If it is a success, though, and kids start asking for themed sets based on their favorite properties, Nintendo has shown in the past (in games like Smash Bros. and even our own to a lesser extent) that they have no problem finding ways to make that happen.&rdquo;</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/toycon-garage.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="326" /></div> <p>Major went so far as to call Labo &ldquo;an indie&rsquo;s dream&rdquo; and Tribute would love to see Nintendo reach out to indies for more ideas. &ldquo;A lot of innovation comes from smaller studios. It would probably be a great idea to tap into other studios&rsquo; creative minds as long as Nintendo maintains a certain level of quality control,&rdquo; he said.</p> <p>Clearly, the developer community is fired up, but from a business standpoint, getting indies involved in Labo would still involve clearing some major hurdles.</p> <p>&ldquo;[It] would be amazing [to work on Labo], but unfortunately I don&rsquo;t think it will happen. I don&rsquo;t think Nintendo will fund an indie developer to make a game for Labo as it&rsquo;s too niche,&rdquo; Lyngeled said. &ldquo;And funding on our own is too big a risk. We survive because we can sell digitally. Distributing a Labo kit on our own [would be] very complicated. We never managed to get the [WeeWaa] plush out on the market because of distributing.</p> <p>&ldquo;One solution could be that people build a construction [kit] out of household materials and their own cardboard. That could be a fun way to make an indie Labo game. Let&rsquo;s see how well [these] Nintendo kits sell before diving into this.&rdquo;</p> <p>April 20 should be an interesting day for <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104361/heres-the-company-nintendo-is-trusting-with-making-cardboard-for-labo">Nintendo</a>. It could be utterly inconsequential or it could mark the beginning of a new long-term franchise. &ldquo;Given how beloved Nintendo is and how much weight their name carries, I think [Labo] will do very well at launch,&rdquo; Dunham said.</p> <hr /> <p>This article is a preview of <a href="https://twitter.com/greenlitcontent?lang=en" target="_blank">Greenlit Content's upcoming industry site</a>, launching soon.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:00:00 PDT James Brightman Battlefield Royale? DICE Rumored To Be Testing New Mode http://www.shacknews.com/article/104429/battlefield-royale-dice-rumored-to-be-testing-new-mode http://www.shacknews.com/article/104429/battlefield-royale-dice-rumored-to-be-testing-new-mode <p>Call of Duty has entered the rumor mill with reports that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104397/cod-black-ops-4-rumored-to-ditch-campaign-focus-on-multiplayer-and-co-op-modes" target="_blank">Black Ops 4 may release without a single-player campaign</a> so its only right that the other big shooter, Battlefield, gets a turn at inciting&nbsp;a little bit of chaos. The same person who&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/103623/the-next-battlefield-allegedly-takes-place-during-world-war-2" target="_blank">alleges that Battlefield V takes the franchise back to WW2</a> now says that the devs at DIVE are testing out a battle royale prototype.</p> <p><a href="https://venturebeat.com/2018/04/18/dice-battlefield-v-battle-royale/" target="_blank">Jeff Grubb of VentureBeat</a>&nbsp;suggests, via anonymous sources, that mode with similar elements to PUBG and Fortnite is in the works. Thus, imagine an FPS conflict with 100 players dropped onto a map and you'd be in the ballpark. Grubb also adds that "<span>EA could cancel the prototype, it could hold it off for the launch of the next Battlefield or a Star Wars: Battlefront sequel, or it could spin it out into its own game."</span></p> <p><span><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Gh0E5sKYivo"></iframe></span></p> <p><span>If it does perform well in the in-house tests, I could imagine it'll be a part of DICE's typically robust expansion roadmap for the Battlefield games. A full-blown and polished battle royale would be a nice adrenaline shot to the fanbase months beyond launch, but consider it just a rumor for now. Stay tuned to Shacknews for more updates.</span></p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 14:10:00 PDT Charles Singletary The Surge Gets Free 'Cutting Edge' DLC Weapons and Armor http://www.shacknews.com/article/104428/the-surge-gets-free-cutting-edge-dlc-weapons-and-armor http://www.shacknews.com/article/104428/the-surge-gets-free-cutting-edge-dlc-weapons-and-armor <p>Developer Deck13's action RPG&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/99963/the-surge-guide-tips-strategies-walkthroughs-and-more">The Surge</a> was an intriguing release when it first made its debut in 2017, and it's still getting regular updates and DLC even now. There's a sequel on the way, but Deck13 is still hard at work making sure those who enjoyed the first outing are still very well taken care of. The latest offering for The Surge owners is a free supply drop that anyone can download right now.</p> <p>The&nbsp;<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/797280/">"Cutting Edge Pack"</a> sounds pretty dangerous, but it's a goodie bag of three new sets of armor, weapons, and jumpsuits with which you can carve into the competition like a seasoned pro. You get the Angel jumpsuit, which offers a boost to attack speeds, harder impact, and better energy efficiency. The Asclepius offers additional power and life regeneration. Lastly, the Nano Ward augments your suit with explosive blasts when you block enemy attacks.</p> <p></p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 1920px"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/cutting.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" style="undefined" /></div> <p>As far as the offensive items go, you've got a nice selection of weapons to choose from. The Experiment 44H uses containment fields to obliterate enemies, while the Engerhart uses boost technology that also makes it a dangerous candidate for use in the field. The BioN J-1 lets you dismember enemies, and you'll need to do that given the fact that there are six new enemies ready to take your face off.</p> <p>If all that sounds good, the Cutting Edge Pack is available right now for The Surge. Nab it and get nasty on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. </p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 13:45:00 PDT Brittany Vincent EVE Online's Siege of 9-4 Recognized By Guinness As Biggest Single PvP Battle Ever http://www.shacknews.com/article/104424/eve-onlines-siege-of-9-4-recognized-by-guinness-as-biggest-single-pvp-battle-ever http://www.shacknews.com/article/104424/eve-onlines-siege-of-9-4-recognized-by-guinness-as-biggest-single-pvp-battle-ever <p>While Guinness World Records has had to amend its historic achievements in a negative way due to <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104293/billy-mitchell-banned-by-twin-galaxies-all-donkey-kong-score-records-stripped" target="_blank">Billy Mitchell&rsquo;s transgressions</a>, the reference book is adding a new entry recognizing <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104295/eve-online-heads-into-the-abyss-with-latest-content-expansion" target="_blank">EVE Online</a>, a game that has a knack for incredible feats. The Siege of 9-4, an enormous battle that's&nbsp;also known as the &ldquo;million dollar battle&rdquo;, has officially been recognized by Guinness for the most concurrent players simultaneously involved in a single multiplayer PvP video game battle.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kavAF1fkEGU"></iframe></p> <p>A total of 6,142 players participated in the battle and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2018/4/eve-online-gamers-set-new-record-for-taking-part-in-a-huge-video-game-battle-522213" target="_blank">Guinness World Records revealed</a> that it awarded the game&rsquo;s creators during EVE Fanfest in Iceland this past weekend on April 14.</p> <p>The battle revolved around Pandemic Horde&rsquo;s Keepstar Class Citadel. The loss of the citadel would have left the defenders vulnerable without a safe haven, but, after hours of attacks, the defenders kept the Keepstar in-tact. EVE Online players are no strangers to world-changing encounters like this. There was a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/57098/breaking-eve-online-goonfleet-espionage" target="_blank">massive corporation change back in 2009</a> and a recent act of subterfuge even resulted in some real-life death threats.</p> <p>If you want to take part in one of the longest running games around,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eveonline.com/" target="_blank">EVE Online can be played for free right now</a> with limited abilities. Check out our&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104341/eve-fanfest-2018-eve-online-exclusive-interview-executive-producer-andie-nordgren" target="_blank">exclusive interview that focuses on the&nbsp;Into The Abyss expansion</a> and then try it out and see if you want to upgrade to a full account. Maybe you&rsquo;ll be a part of the next great war.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 13:15:00 PDT Charles Singletary Warframe Beasts of the Sanctuary Update Adds New Mode and Armor http://www.shacknews.com/article/104425/warframe-beasts-of-the-sanctuary-update-adds-new-mode-and-armor http://www.shacknews.com/article/104425/warframe-beasts-of-the-sanctuary-update-adds-new-mode-and-armor <p>It's been a banner year for Digital Extreme's Warframe. Their&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/103381/warframe-interview-beyond-the-plains-of-eidolon">Plains of Eidolon expansion</a> introduced open-world gameplay to the long-running&nbsp;MMORPG and since then there's been a steady release of updates and new features rolled out. It looks like the Warframe crew has no plans on stopping either with the recent announcement of a brand new&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/102637/shacknews-most-improved-game-of-2017-warframe">Warframe</a> and gameplay mode. Starting this week PC players will be able to experience the game's brand new survival mode and get their hands on the first new Warframe suit of 2018, Khora, with the Beasts of the Sanctuary update. Xbox One and PS4 players will have the same content coming their way in May.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/warframe-beasts-of-the-sanctuary-update-one.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="393" /></div> <p>Sanctuary Onslaught is a team-based survival mode where players will take on waves of enemies as they make their way towards portals that will take them through various environments. The new survival mode will have players race against the clock as each new portal leap forces them to take care of the hordes of enemies quicker and quicker.&nbsp;</p> <p>The new survival mode will also be where players can get their&nbsp;hands on the new Khora Warframe. Khora&nbsp;carries a metallic whip and has a metallic Kavat companion at her disposal as well. According to the press <g class="gr_ gr_31 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_inline_cards gr_run_anim Punctuation only-ins replaceWithoutSep" id="31" data-gr-id="31">release</g> Khora will introduce a few new weapons and items that include a "Dartgun, Quill Spear, Tenno Revolver Rifle, Zaw Parts, Quill Syandana, and Quill Alt Helmet." She'll also get a set of custom special moves:</p> <p><strong>&middot;Whipclaw:</strong> Send enemies reeling with a deafening whipcrack.<br /><strong>&middot;Ensnare:</strong> Bind a hapless target in living metal, entangling others who stray too close. Disperse the trap with a crack of the whip.<br /><strong>&middot;Venari:</strong> Summon a ferocious, gleaming Kavat. Use again to cycle between Attack, Protect, and Heal postures.<br /><strong>&middot;Strangledome:</strong> Weave a dome of living chain that ensnares and strangles any enemy within, and any foolish enough to approach.</p> <p>Check out the trailer below for a glimpse at the brand new Sanctuary Onslaught mode and to see Khora in action:</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/95flRkK81x0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p><a href="https://www.warframe.com/">Warframe's Beasts of the Sanctuary update</a>&nbsp;will be available on PC this week and will be coming to PS4 and Xbox One in May.&nbsp;</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 13:12:00 PDT Blake Morse Android Oreo 8.1 Update Rolling Out To Razer Phones http://www.shacknews.com/article/104423/android-oreo-81-update-rolling-out-to-razer-phones http://www.shacknews.com/article/104423/android-oreo-81-update-rolling-out-to-razer-phones <p>Mobile phone users have long been caught in the battle between Apple's iOS and Google's own Android operating systems. While many are drawn toward Apple's chic aesthetic, many others are drawn toward sheer power and versality &mdash; the very foundations of Razer's own <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/topic/razer-phone">Razer Phone</a>. Now, some months after its formal release, the Razer Phone is finally seeing a new update to Android Oreo version 8.1, which brings with it new bug fixes and visual tweaks.</p> <p>The new&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/103356/android-810-pixel-2-update-details-and-bug-fixes">Android 8.1 update</a> began rolling out to Razer Phone owners this past Monday, and is slated to find its way onto user's devices for the ten days following. Among the new changes are a general overhaul to the Nova Launcher, "cleaner visual" designs, plus a host of different bug fixes and system improvements otherwise.</p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3zSsIhOkMgo" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Interested to learn more about Razer's flagship mobile device? We went through&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101945/razer-unveils-the-ultra-powerful-razer-phone">everything users can expect from the Razer Phone</a> last November, highlighting details such as the handset's slick 5.72-inch 120Hz Ultramotion display, Snapdragon 835 processor, and Adreno 540 GPU. For the full specs, be sure to hit the link above.</p> <p>Those interested in picking up the Razer Phone will also note that the device is now being carried at Best Buy retail outlets. The price for the 64GB model is currently set at $700 through the <a href="https://www.bestbuy.com/site/razer-phone-with-64gb-memory-cell-phone-unlocked-green-triple-headed-snake-logo/6233141.p?skuId=6233141" target="_blank">Best Buy website</a>. The phone can also still be found for sale at retailers like Amazon, the Microsoft store, or <a href="https://www.razer.com/mobile/razer-phone" target="_blank">Razer's own website</a>.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 13:10:00 PDT Kevin Tucker Insomniac Offers More Details on Spider-Man's Playable Mary Jane http://www.shacknews.com/article/104422/insomniac-offers-more-details-on-spider-mans-playable-mary-jane http://www.shacknews.com/article/104422/insomniac-offers-more-details-on-spider-mans-playable-mary-jane <p><a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/100153/spider-man-ps4---what-we-know">Spider-Man on PlayStation 4</a> is <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104159/spiderman-gets-ps4-release-date-has-our-spider-sense-tingling">just a few months away</a> from swinging across New York. And while Peter Parker is at the center of the story, a lot of his supporting cast has also been introduced as part of the game. The most interesting of these characters is Mary Jane Watson, Peter's ex-wife and long-time friend and/or love interest, who is going to be a playable character herself.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/SpiderMan-Playable-MJ.jpg" alt="Spider-Man's Playable Mary Jane" width="700" height="394" style="undefined" /></div> <p>An <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2018/04/18/everything-we-know-about-mary-jane-watson-in-spider-man.aspx" target="blank">ongoing Game Informer feature</a>&nbsp;goes into further detail regarding this nugget that Insomniac originally dropped to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/10/31/marvels-spider-man-mary-jane-is-a-playable-character" target="_blank">IGN</a> last October.&nbsp;MJ will work as an investigative journalist for <i>The Daily Bugle</i>. Think something similar to her character in the more recent <i>Ultimate Spider-Man</i> animiated series on Disney XD. She'll be a valuable resource to Spidey/Peter in this game, pointing him towards tips and leads, like Marvel's answer to Lois Lane.</p> <p>Creative Director Brian Intihar confirmed in the Game Informer piece that Mary Jane will be playable in certain instance and have her own unique gameplay mechanics. Intihar notes that MJ will "see Spider-Man from a different experience," implying that her playable portions will take place while Spider-Man is in action. As one of the few people who know about Peter's life as Spider-Man, she'll be right in the thick of several missions, which will apparently prompt players to take control of her directly.</p> <p>More details on Mary Jane's role in Spider-Man can be found on <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2018/04/18/everything-we-know-about-mary-jane-watson-in-spider-man.aspx" target="blank">Game Informer</a>. Spider-Man swings onto PS4 on September 7.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 12:40:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia For Honor Revamps Training Mode This Week http://www.shacknews.com/article/104421/for-honor-revamps-training-mode-this-week http://www.shacknews.com/article/104421/for-honor-revamps-training-mode-this-week <p>When a game receives as many frequent updates as For Honor, it's inevitable that certain elements of the original release are going to get outdated. That's especially true for the tutorial mode. Playing For Honor 1.0 is going to feel noticeably different from playing For Honor as it is today.</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/FH_Arenamode_menu_knights_1524013808.jpg" alt="For Honor Training" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>That's why Ubisoft is going back in and tweaking the game's original Training Mode and updating it for Season 5. This will add new tutorials and challenges for those jumping into this game for the first time, as well as long-time players looking for a refresher course.</p> <p>"The new features offer a chance to learn the game's controls in the Apprentice Trials, practice advanced techniques in the Warrior Trials, or improve your skills with (or against) any Heroes or move sets that might be giving you trouble in the Arena Training mode," Ubisoft's Mikel Reparaz says on the <a href="https://news.ubisoft.com/article/for-honor-adding-new-training-mode-in-free-update" target="blank">Ubisoft Blog</a>. "There's also a scoring system to give players the chance to measure their progress, and Training Media, an in-game library of video tutorials on the Faction War, different game modes, and other features."</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aOy4c5wSUg0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>Look for the new For Honor Training Mode to debut Thursday, April 19 as part of a free update.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 12:20:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia New Call of Duty Alexa Skills Will Help You Get Better At The Game http://www.shacknews.com/article/104420/new-call-of-duty-alexa-skills-will-help-you-get-better-at-the-game http://www.shacknews.com/article/104420/new-call-of-duty-alexa-skills-will-help-you-get-better-at-the-game <p>Are you a total scrub? Ever wish you could just "git gud" at <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101984/call-of-duty-ww2-review-in-progress">Call of Duty</a>? Instead of honing your craft and practicing like everyone else, why not talk to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/102305/destiny-2-limited-edition-ghost-speaker-has-amazon-alexa-commands">Amazon's Alexa</a> about your performance? Starting today, the Call of Duty Alexa Skill is available to help you become a better player. Somehow. At the very least, the skill can tell you in a soothing voice how well you're doing in comparison to your friends if she doesn't accidentally cancel your request in mid-sentence.</p> <p>The skill will help Alexa offer improvements on your recent games, offering personalized recommendations based on your performance in the previous round to help you better prepare for the next game. You can ask Alexa which of your friends are online so you can pick the worst ones to go head to head with. Or you could check your buddy list, because that's a little faster.</p> <p>The app is free, as well it should be, and can use AI and machine learning to create recommendations for players in terms of loadouts, play styles, perks, and more. The goal is for Alexa to essentially become your "personal Call of Duty coach," according to Activision, and to "get to the fun faster." Performing tasks with Alexa hasn't historically gotten things done for me faster, but I'm willing to give this a try.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7c8O_XqZf78"></iframe></p> <p>You can use the skill during matches, in between matches, or outside of the game. You'll also get special "onboarding experience" from Alexa about Call of Duty: WWII in general, because cut scenes are hard and mission objectives don't just appear when you need to see what you're doing (they do).</p> <p>Sarcasm aside, it's a pretty cool little skill that some may benefit from. The videos created to show it off, though? We could have done without those. Prepare to cringe. There is a female player involved for once, though, at least I can say that.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/M0qYOfotof8"></iframe></p> <p>The skill is available now if you're interested in trying it out.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 12:00:00 PDT Brittany Vincent New LEGO Incredibles Trailer Demonstrates the Power of Teamwork http://www.shacknews.com/article/104419/new-lego-incredibles-trailer-demonstrates-the-power-of-teamwork http://www.shacknews.com/article/104419/new-lego-incredibles-trailer-demonstrates-the-power-of-teamwork <p>If you're a Disney or Pixar fan, you've got plenty to look forward to this summer, with&nbsp;<a href="http://movies.disney.com/incredibles-2">The Incredibles 2</a> hitting theaters and LEGO The Incredibles releasing on all major platforms. Today, Warner Bros. gave us something to whet our appetites for all things Incredible: a new look at LEGO The Incredibles, with the game's first real trailer!</p> <p>As you were likely expecting, LEGO The Incredibles showcases a whole host of different powers you'll come to wield as each member of the Parr family. In fact, the trailer follows the superpowered clan as they suit up and tackle the day with their unique talents.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8DiNsbvkNtw"></iframe></p> <p>Both the original Incredibles movie and the upcoming Incredibles 2 will be represented in the game, with abilities like Mr. Incredible's super strength and Elastigirl's transformations taking center stage. Players will work together as the game drives home the meaning of teamwork as the family is the strongest when they combine their talents.</p> <p>LEGO The Incredibles is launching on June 15 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Go see the movie, then grab the game and have a family gaming night. You deserve it!</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 11:25:00 PDT Brittany Vincent Epic Games Removes Fortnite Guided Missile, Addresses Weapon Swapping http://www.shacknews.com/article/104418/epic-games-removes-fortnite-guided-missile-addresses-weapon-swapping http://www.shacknews.com/article/104418/epic-games-removes-fortnite-guided-missile-addresses-weapon-swapping <p>New features hit Epic Games' popular battle royale&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/topic/fortnite">Fortnite</a> all the time, and while some such as&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104253/port-a-fort-grenade-pops-up-a-shelter-instantly-in-fortnite">the Port-a-Fort</a> might capture players' imaginations, others like the Guided Missile draw their ire. Fortunately, the development team is prepared to address player feedback concerning these and other features, and has recently posted a new update that directly addresses the Guided Missile as well as peeking and weapon swapping.</p> <p>In a post made over on the <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/FortNiteBR/comments/8cyked/peeking_weapon_swapping_and_guided_missile/" target="_blank">Fortnite subreddit</a>, Epic Games detailed some of the changes players can expect to see soon. In particular, the team addressed player feedback regarding the Guided Missile by essentially removing it from the game. It's not written out of the code, of course; the team says they've "put the Guided Missile into the vault while we figure out the next steps for its future."</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en"> <p>We&rsquo;ve just released the v3.5.1 update! This introduces fixes for some issues discovered in the recent v3.5 patch. You can learn more about these fixes in the updated patch notes. <a href="https://t.co/0nmoI7jQQu">https://t.co/0nmoI7jQQu</a></p> &mdash; Fortnite (@FortniteGame) <a href="https://twitter.com/FortniteGame/status/984705019344769025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2018</a></blockquote> <p> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </p> <p><a href="http://www.shacknews.com/topic/epic-games">Epic Games</a>&nbsp;also looked into player habits regarding quick weapon swapping. As an unintended side effect of the quick switch mechanic, players were able to essentially able to negate the low rate of fire statistic for some weapons. The team recently added weapon equip times to combat the issue, and will soon be changing the equip times for snipers and crossbows to reduce the time benefit gained by using quick switching.</p> <p>Lastly, the developers addressed an "unintended behavior" centered around the peeking mechanic unveiled in the recent v3.4 update. A bug fix introduced in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/104275/fortnite-update-version-35-patch-notes-include-new-battle-royale-replay-camera-return-of-50v50-mod">the Fortnite v3.5 update</a> caused problems with shooting structures while peeking, but promise that the problematic fix will be removed via rollback in the upcoming v3.4.2 update set to land later this week.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 11:10:00 PDT Kevin Tucker Brawlout Smashes Onto PlayStation 4 and Xbox One This Summer http://www.shacknews.com/article/104417/brawlout-smashes-onto-playstation-4-and-xbox-one-this-summer http://www.shacknews.com/article/104417/brawlout-smashes-onto-playstation-4-and-xbox-one-this-summer <p>The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One appear to be light on party brawlers. Sure, friends can go mano-a-mano in certain fighting games, but there isn't really a game for all-out chaos aside from the rare <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/102538/gang-beasts-review-royal-fumble">Gang Beasts</a> on PS4. Now it looks like Angry Mob Games is here to answer the call.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bdE6EMQkmKU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>On Wednesday, the indie studio announced that&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/95791/super-smash-bros-inspired-brawler-brawlout-coming-to-pc-ps4-and-xbox-one-in-2017">Brawlout</a> would come to PlayStation 4. Some may be unfamiliar with Brawlout, but the Super Smash Bros. community may recognize it, as it's been featured at various esports events. They'll also recognize the resemblance to their favorite fighter of choice, as the idea is to bash opponents until their damage percentage increases and then knock them off the stage. The key difference is that Brawlout completely disposes of defensive tactics, doing away with blocking and shielding in favor of aggressive combos. The similarities are something that the development team are well aware of.</p> <p>"'Isn't this just another Smash clone?' is something we&rsquo;ve heard a lot during development," said Angry Mob CEO Bogdan Iliesiu on <a href="https://blog.us.playstation.com/2018/04/18/introducing-brawlout-a-party-fighter-on-ps4/" target="blank">PlayStation.Blog</a>. "In some ways, yes, we do have elements that people loved in Smash. Character movement, Ledge grabs and even some character power sets are reminiscent of the Nintendo classic. But at its core, Smash Bros. wasn't where we dove for inspiration when thinking about the type of core mechanics we wanted to include in Brawlout. Our game more closely reflects our love for the traditional fighters like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. You really feel the weight of your punches and kicks-in-the-face! Plus combo-breakers! We wanted an aggressive, combo heavy game, not something that was just full of blocks and defensive stand-offs."</p> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2018/04/Brawlout-Cameos.png" alt="Brawlout Cameos" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>Brawlout features seven original fighters, along with several playable cameos from other indie games, like Guacamelee's Juan and Hyper Light Drifter's own Drifter. More characters are being added soon, along with various updates.</p> <p>Brawlout is set to come to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this summer. For those who want to bash each other's skulls in today, the party fighter is already available on PC and Nintendo Switch, with Ranked Mode set to be introduced to the latter version with the 1.3 update dropping later this week.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:45:00 PDT Ozzie Mejia Destiny 2 - New Max Level and Power Level Cap http://www.shacknews.com/article/102358/destiny-2---new-max-level-and-power-level-cap http://www.shacknews.com/article/102358/destiny-2---new-max-level-and-power-level-cap <p>Every time Destiny 2 releases a new expansion, expect the Power level and max level cap to increase. This is the case with Warmind, the second expansion for Destiny 2. Previously, Guardians were only able to grind to level 20, and the max Power level was 300. You could, of course, hit 305 with mods, and then with Curse of Osiris you could hit level 25 and Power 335 with mods. What is the new Power level cap and max level with Warmind, though?</p> <h2>Max Level and Power Level Cap</h2> <div class="articleImage full" style="width: 700px;"><img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/shacknews/assets/editorial/2017/12/destiny-2-new-power-level-max-cap.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" /></div> <p>It's currently not known what the max level will be for players in Destiny 2: Warmind. The current max level is 25, so we could see that rise another 5 points to become level 30. With Curse of Osiris, the increase from level 20 to 25 had practically no bearing on the game, so in the event the max level does increase, hopefully it is in an impactful way.</p> <p>The new max Power level cap will be is 380. Of course, with the use of mods you can reach 385 Power, and you&rsquo;ll need to. Events like the Nightfall and new Heroic Strike playlist are going to require a higher Power than what was released with Curse of Osiris, which was 270. Previously, the Nightfall only required you to be Power 240. Even the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/101374/destiny-2---leviathan-raid-guide" title="Destiny 2 Leviathan Raid Guide">Leviathan raid</a>&nbsp;will likely see a bump in required Power. It increased from 270 in the base gam to 300 Power when Curse of Osiris released.</p> <p>So, with Warmind, everything will receive a bump, and the new Power cap will reflect this, perhaps even the level cap.</p> <p>How do you reach the new max level and max Power level cap? Well, you start by playing through the Warmind story and seeing where you land. However, according to a recent "This Week at Bungie" blog, the journey from 370 to 380 will be about as long as the journey from 340 to 370. To bridge those last few levels, players will need to fight through the most difficult content in the gain, specifically, the end-game content like Raids and Trials of the Nine.</p> <p>Shacknews will be covering Warmind extensively, and you can already read up on our&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> to make sure your Guardian is in tip-top shape. You want to be ready for that new raid lair, don&rsquo;t you?</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:45:00 PDT Bill Lavoy Super Mega Baseball 2 Gets Release Date, Gameplay Trailer http://www.shacknews.com/article/104416/super-mega-baseball-2-gets-release-date-gameplay-trailer http://www.shacknews.com/article/104416/super-mega-baseball-2-gets-release-date-gameplay-trailer <p>Metalhead Software, located in Vancouver, was responsible for one of the biggest surprises in gaming over the last few years. In late 2014, they released a simple, arcade-style baseball game, Super Mega Baseball, that ended up winning the hearts of all who gave it a fair shake. Originally a PS3/PS4 crossplay exclusive, the game was&nbsp;<a href="http://www.shacknews.com/article/89699/xbox-one-and-pc-score-super-mega-baseball-extra-innings-this-summer" target="_blank">updated and ported</a> to both the Xbox One and PC, where it became the defacto best baseball game for either platform (due to PS4-exclusive MLB: The Show being the only big-budget baseball game left in town). The folks at Metalhead decided to expand on the cult hit and set off on making a sequel. Super Mega Baseball 2 looks to improve the experience from the first game by every measure and it will be sliding onto digital shelves on May 1.</p> <p>While the list of improvements and enhancements from the first game is exhaustive, the most important are listed below:</p> <ul> <li>Overhauled presentation including 8 stadiums built from the ground up, more realistically scaled character models, and new, more athletic player animations</li> <li>Comprehensive customization of leagues, team logos and uniforms, and player gear</li> <li>New competitive and co-operative online modes, utilizing dedicated servers</li> <li>Cross-platform play between PC and Xbox One, and between PC and PS4</li> <li>Refined baseball simulation with visceral physics and realistic play outcomes</li> <li>Enhanced image quality on Xbox One X and PS4 Pro</li> </ul> <p>Along with today's news about the official release date, Metalhead also prepared a detailed gameplay overview trailer that dives into the details on how the gameplay has evolved from the original game. Fans who dumped hours into the first Super Mega Baseball will be pleased to see that the development team took great care in working through that game&rsquo;s quirks and shortcomings and appear to have all the gameplay bases covered.</p> <p><iframe width="700" height="394" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7cikfNqD0II" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>When Super Mega Baseball 2 launches on May 1, you&rsquo;ll be able to grab it on PC (<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/414870/Super_Mega_Baseball_2/" target="_blank">via Steam</a>), Xbox One, and PS4.</p> Wed, 18 Apr 2018 10:35:00 PDT Chris Jarrard