The second season of Stranger Things comes out on Netflix this month, but you don't have to wait that long to get back into the series. An official Stranger Things game is now out for free on iOS and Android devices, and it's dripping in show lore and '80s nostalgia.
The pixelated, retro-inspired side scroller puts you in the shoes of Hopper and the other Stranger Things kids. You travel around Hawkins, Indiana and other locations from the show, dodging and battling enemies and solving puzzles to advance. Developer BonusXP says each character has their own unique abilities. For example, Lucas can nail anything with his Wrist Rocket and Nancy has an entire collection of bats to swing.
In addition to exploring and solving mysteries, you're also tasked with collecting Eggos and Gnomes. While Stranger Things: The Game is completely free (with no microtransactions), collecting these items will unlock more of the game. You can also speed run levels to try to beat other players' times on leaderboards and on social media.
The Star Wars Battlefront II beta is now underway for some players. EA has announced more details about the PC version specifically, revealing its minimum and recommended requirements. Starting off, you'll need 15 GB of hard drive space to install the beta client. As for the rest of the requirements, you can see them below, as posted on EA's website.
Minimum PC System requirements:
OS: 64-bit Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
Online Connection Requirements: 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
Hard-drive space: 15 GB
Given that Battlefront II is only in a beta state, it's possible that the final PC requirements will change for the full release. We'll report back with more details as they become available. The Battlefront II beta runs October 6-9 on PC, as well as Xbox One and PlayStation 4. People who pre-order can get in two days early, beginning on October 4.
Progress from the beta does not carry forward to the full game. This is often the case with betas--for EA games and others. For Battlefront II specifically, EA said, "We want everyone to start on a level playing field at launch, whether they have been able to take part in the beta or not, so we're resetting all progress after the beta." Here's what's included in Battlefront II's beta.
A new trailer for Battlefront II released recently that showed off how much more content the game has compared to its 2015 predecessor. The video is narrated by Star Wars actor John Boyega, who famously lamented the absence of a single-player mode in the previous game.
The PlayStation 4 version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has received an update enabling it to benefit from the extra horsepower in a PlayStation 4 Pro. Developer CD Projekt Red has said that, with the patch, The Witcher 3 and "all additional content feature support for 4K resolution" and also get a "slight boost to performance."
No further details have been revealed on which areas of performance specifically benefit. It's unclear whether the game runs at native 4K or is upscaled. GameSpot will put the update through its paces and report back with more details on how the The Witcher 3 runs on PlayStation 4 Pro.
The Witcher series recently reached its 10th Anniversary and, to celebrate, CD Projekt Red released a very wholesome video featuring main character Geralt looking back on his memories. He's shown among friends at a birthday party where people are playing Gwent, so we know he's doing well, bless him.
Another game that recently joined the venerable ranks of GameSpot's 10/10-worth titles was Divinity II: Original Sin.
"From lonely farmhouses through pitched battles with gods in far-flung dimensions, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the most captivating role-playing games ever made," said critic Brett Todd. "Its immaculately conceived and emotion-wrought fantasy world, topped by brilliant tactical combat, make it one of the finest games of the year thus far, and it has to be regarded as an instant classic in the pantheon of RPG greats."
Ahead of its release next month, EA has launched the beta for Star Wars: Battlefront II. It's not available to everyone currently but will soon open up to include all players across PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Beginning today, anyone who pre-ordered Battlefront II by September 30 (or otherwise obtained a beta code) can begin playing. Everyone else receives access beginning on Friday, October 6, with the beta running until October 9.
However you get in, you'll have access to four total modes: Galactic Assault, Starfighter Assault, Strike, and Arcade. The first three are all online multiplayer modes, while Arcade is a 1-2 player mode that can be played locally in split-screen. You can check out our previous coverage for more details on what's in the Battlefront II beta.
The Fast and Furious series has evolved from a set of relatively niche films about car racing to one of the biggest franchises in Hollywood. The inevitable sequel has now been confirmed with a release date, but the wait for it will be longer than we've become accustomed to.
Fast and Furious 9, or whatever it ends up being called, will release on April 10, 2020, the series' official Twitter account revealed today. It posted only the image below, which features the hashtag #F9 and a date.
With the most recent movie, The Fate of the Furious, having released on April 14, 2017, this will be a three-year wait for the next entry. There were only two years in between each of the last five films, and that was despite the fact that Furious 7 had to deal with the death of Paul Walker during production.
Amid its roaring success and popularity, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has recently encountered a variety of server issues that have kept players from getting online. Developer Bluehole has now addressed the situation, explaining, "It has become increasingly difficult to manage servers during peak times," and vowing to continue working on improvements.
In a blog post, Bluehole opened with an apology, saying, "We would like to sincerely apologize to everyone for the recent server issues which resulted in long waits and any inconveniences. Our development team has been continuously upgrading the service architecture to address the increasing concurrent player numbers and tackle any emerging issues. Despite our daily efforts, there were some unexpected issues during peak times and we were unable to resolve some of the issues as fast as we would have wanted to."
When designing PUBG's lobby server, Bluehole expected to have to deal with about 1 million concurrent players during Early Access. As has been well documented, PUBG has smashed Steam records, surpassing Dota 2 and setting new all-time records for peak player count. (Just today, its peak topped 1.65 million players online at once.) The company began developing new server architecture in late June, but it's been unable to keep up with the explosive growth of the game.
"To alleviate the above, our development team will prepare our servers far more in advance so that they can handle a much larger number of concurrent players," it said. "This is something that we plan to continuously improve on."
Bluehole also discussed server crashes in Asia, saying it did not sufficiently test the cloud service it enlisted when its existing one could not meet demand. This resulted in servers being overloaded, and thus the "frequent crashes." The developer said it's "investigating the issue in order to prevent it from happening in the future."
"The entire development team is doing their best to make sure all PUBG players in the world can play PUBG smoothly whenever they want," it said. "Again, we would like to sincerely apologize to all the players who experienced any inconveniences due to server problems or connection errors. Please rest assured that we have doubled our efforts to improve the quality of the service. On a side note, we have been continuously working on optimization and doing our best to make gradual improvements.
"Our team will not be content with the status quo and will do our best to improve your experience. Thank you for your patience and understanding."
Like its predecessor, Divinity: Original Sin II is an incredibly mechanically complex RPG with hundreds of quests and secrets to discover. While the game reveals some details, it's mostly up to you to figure out how to navigate its world. To help you better equip yourself with the knowledge to survive, we've compiled all of our in-depth guide articles and accompanying videos below. Keep in mind, there are potential spoilers in some of our guides, so tread carefully.
Check back often as we update this feature with more guides. And for more about the acclaimed RPG, be sure to read our Divinity: Original Sin II review. The game is out now for PC, but it's been in Steam Early Access for almost a year. It's the sequel to our 2014 PC Game of the Year, Divinity: Original Sin, and it netted over $2 million from 40,000 fans on Kickstarter. It features over 1,200 characters, all of them fully voice-acted.
Original Sin II is a difficult game that eagerly punishes your mistakes in combat or even when talking to NPCs. With so many factors to consider as you explore, it can be tough to survive. To help newcomers to the series, we've gathered nine tips to know before you set off to Fort Joy and into the world of Rivellon.
Much likes its predecessor, Original Sin II lets you choose a pre-made character or completely customize one. And while you are free to create a custom character, you can also opt for an Origin character (whose class and skills you can adjust). Here are some major tips to help you find out what class best suits your needs.
The game is filled to the brim with clever dialogue and hidden secrets, so much so that you could spend well over 10 hours in the opening area, Fort Joy, alone. To help you make the most of your early adventures across Rivellon, we've highlighted nine cool things you might've missed in the fort.
Building up a party takes time. With how mechanically complex the game is, there's a lot to take into consideration as you assemble your merry band of adventurers. To help you create the best party possible, we've gathered tips detailing what to look for. In addition, we've provided pointers that'll help you better manage your party.
Original Sin II is one of the most challenging RPGs out right now, with a deep and intricate storyline, tons of quests, and tactical combat that demands the most out of players. That's why we've gathered some expert tips on how to tackle the game's various challenges, as well as details on what you need to do to become a god in the fantasy land of Rivellon.
It's easy to get by with your party's base skills and abilities in your early runnings. However, as you progress, the need to acquire more powerful skills becomes paramount to your survival.For better or worse, there are a multitude to choose from. From the fiery devastation of Dragon's Blaze to the rogue-buffing Assassinate, there's something for everybody. But with so many skills to experiment with, it's not always easy to tell which skills are the best for you. To help acquaint you with the most effective skills in the game, we've compiled 11 of what we believe to be the best.
A new gameplay trailer for Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite has been released, showing upcoming DLC characters Black Panther and Sigma duking it out. Capcom has also released images of new premium costumes for those characters, as well as Monster Hunter, another fighter that'll be added to the game.
According to Capcom, "Black Panther is a melee fighter who utilizes quick slashes with his claws to win the fight. T'Challa can also cling to walls as well as jump from one to another in a matter of moments, allowing him to escape pressure, but to also pounce on an opponent from multiple angles."
In the gameplay trailer he can be seen quickly moving around the stage, slashing his enemy on both the ground and in the air. He also calls in Sigma to extend combos and do devastating damage.
"Using his energy sword, Sigma is able to control the battle by opening up dimensional rifts that linger around the screen, hindering his opponent's movement options," Capcom says about the character. "Armed with a command grab and a counter teleport, he has options to deal with overly aggressive teams that may try to take advantage of his slower but imposing move set."
Black Panther, Sigma, and Monster Hunter will be available on October 17 at no additional cost to those that purchased the 2017 Character Pack. Alongside the characters will be the costumes you can see below. Capcom has said it also has "premium costumes for the full roster coming soon."
In GameSpot's Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite review, it was awarded an 8/10. "The mechanics underlying Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite make it an outstanding fighting game," reads the review. Capcom has understood what caused the stagnation of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3's competitive scene and, to some extent, the issues Street Fighter V currently faces.
"In response it has created a fighting game focused on individuality and expression, with deep systems that reward studious players but also accommodate casuals. As someone who both plays and watches fighting games, I am excited to see what the future holds for Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite."
WWE 2K18 is a few weeks away from its release on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, hitting stores on October 17, with the Switch version coming later this fall. The newest installment of the sports entertainment series offers improved graphics, a more in-depth MyCareer mode, and for the first time in 2K's run, up to eight superstars competing in a match at the same time.
Once again, WWE 2K18 boasts the largest roster ever, with over 180 original playable stars. In addition, there are multiple match types from one on one to eight stars fighting on their own, and every variation in between with quite a few stipulations to add to your matches. In addition, it adds Road to Glory mode, which adds a new dynamic to the typical online play that comes in the way of certain tasks that must be performed during each match.
During a WWE 2K event at the WWE Archives in Connecticut, GameSpot had the opportunity to talk to two of the devs behind the game: creative director Lynell Jinks and Ramelle Ballesca, the game designer behind the revamped MyCareer as well as the online mode Road to Glory.
GameSpot: One of the new additions to last year's game were the segments and promos in MyCareer as well as Universe mode. What improvements have you made to it this year?
Ramelle Ballesca: Especially with the promos, one of the things that we felt we were lacking, was just making superstars feel like themselves when they're getting in the ring, doing those promos. We added a ton of animations to specific superstars like the Undertaker, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Enzo so that they feel like themselves when doing a promo.
Is it going to be kinda the same format where somebody says something and you reply? I loved the idea, but it felt like as a player I couldn't understand sometimes what was going on.
RB: We saw that too, I mean we listen to you guys a lot. One of the things that we noticed was that the way we scored promos wasn't essentially the best way, so we changed that this year. Now instead of scoring based on are you being a good guy or a bad guy, we focused it on more so just picking a topic and sticking to that topic. You see that a lot with the combos from last year that was probably the most fun part, so we took that and put that on the forefront and said, "Hey, all right, you have four choices of the things you want to relate to the WWE Universe." Then from there, scoring based on are you sticking to what you are saying or are you sort of flip-flopping a little bit? Now, you could totally say what you want, and you'll be scored heavily based off of that now.
There was a lot of mention of the fact your MyCareer character will have many different people to interact with backstage. How does that kind of come into play into the whole MyCareer mode?
RB: This year, we sort of shifted back to telling a narrative, so a lot of that is going to happen backstage. You're going to be talking to superstars, getting into rivalries with them backstage, and then you might want to ambush them backstage during the storyline and stage a backstage brawl and take them over to the limousine and hit them over there. We want to make sure that when we tell these storylines it's not just two people talking. We wanted to add a lot of the interactivity that we've had in the game, so enabling those interviews with Rene and also again...
Lynell Jinks: Side quests as well.
RB: Yeah, side quests as well. When you're not actually in a storyline, you could go up to some other superstars, and they'll tell you, "Hey this guy ambushed me last week. I want you to do the dirty work." You can get a lot of that different flavor in there also.
You can become a minion for whomever is backstage?
LJ: Yeah, and there's legends too that you can interact with backstage as well in MyCareer.
RB: One of the storylines involves talking to legends and getting their take on how to become a superstar. I don't want to talk too much of the storyline, but you'll get involved with people like The Rock, and they'll sort of guide you along the way as well.
There was going to also be the inclusion of other players who are using the game or if you are friends with them on Xbox or PlayStation. Are there gonna be other people you can also interact with or are they just guys you can just beat up in the background?
RB: No, we treat them just like any other superstar, any roster superstar for instance. They'll be backstage. Yes, you can brawl with them at your leisure, but also you'll get side quests, and they'll tell you what to do in terms of like, "Hey, do you wanna do a promo with them?" Or do a backstage brawl with them, or do a match with them and get like five stars during that match. We treat them just like any other superstar.
This year's game had a big bump in the graphics department. What was the process for this and how did you make it even more realistic than last year's game?
LJ: I was set in that direction, and honestly just working with Yuke's to make sure that they reach what my goal was and our goal was. For me, it was to deliver the best looking wrestling game ever, right?
It's disappointing when we came out [with] WWE 2K15 on the current gen platforms now, and we saw what the guys upstairs on NBA were doing and what everyone else was doing, it just wasn't there. Every year, we try to push it, and we just couldn't do it without rewriting the whole graphics engine, and so that was the mandate from day one when we started working on this thing, and we worked real closely with Yuke's to ensure that we basically got what you see now.
It took a long time to get it that way and to get there, but I feel like we hit it, and I'm glad you feel the same way because it's one of those things when you're working in that bubble and you are comparing yourself to what you did last year and years previously. You kind of get tunnel vision and so you don't really see, you know its like, "I think we did it." But it's great to hear your guys' response and seeing the hard work that we put in, not only at VC 2K, but at Yuke's as well.
This is the first time you guys have included eight-man matches. Prior to that, we've only seen six-man matches, aside from that Royal Rumble game for Dreamcast. What was your decision behind going eight-man matches, aside from getting closer to a traditional Survivor Series match?
LJ: For us, Survivor Series, but we need one more to recreate that accurately, but I think since we picked up the license from THQ that was kind of our goal, but again, when this franchise has a history that's really long with Yuke's and there's already an engine there, there's certain limitations that we couldn't get past. I mean it's not only just what we can do graphically, but what the gameplay limitations are as well. We finally got a point where we could spend some time in making sure we could create a cohesive eight-man match without things just blowing up or some unpredictable happening as well as creating a whole new system on how we can render eight guys on the screen at once and keep frame rate at a reasonable rate.
One of the things we had to do was to introduce some [level of detail] which we've never had on the current gen platform. What you were seeing was the high-res model all the time in the previous iteration of our game, and this year, in order to get eight men working, we really had to look at ways that we can optimize the character for those match types so that we can run eight men.
One of the new gameplay mechanics you guys have added this year is carrying. What is the carry system and what does it add to the game?
LJ: The carry system, I know it's been in previous versions of the game but it was one of the thing's that hasn't been in the most recent games. It was implemented in a much more limited fashion previously, so what we wanted to do was create a new carry system that had all these modifiers that you can you carry a guy in different positions, if you want to put him in the powerbomb position, if you want to carry him into a fireman's carry, or if you just want to modify how you walk around and carry that guy and interact with the objects around the ring, in the ring, backstage. To me, it felt like the right time to create that freedom now that we introduced all these different areas to our game.
One of the driving forces too was who's on the roster now, you're seeing guys like Braun Strowman picking guys up and throwing them out. So that kind of drove that as well, just seeing what's happening on programing, and this was really the only way to do it accurately but not just with a cut scene or just a preset move but to allow the users to do it as well, and not just in a Royal Rumble match, just giving that freedom to everyone everywhere.
Showcase mode is gone, which you had included with DLC last year, and it was the focus two years ago, and now the focus is on MyCareer. Is there gonna be enough for the average person to play within MyCareer?
RB: I think it's a combination of My Career and Road to Glory now. You're going to create your MyCareer player, and then you're going to have this ecosystem that you can play in where, if you wanna go online and challenge other players with my MyPlayer, I can do that. Or if you just want to hear a really good storyline and take the MyPlayer through several narrative experience, that's what MyCareer is for, but it's really Road to Glory I feel like is the new feature this year.
LJ: I think we talked about that. It was the objectives that you get in Road to Glory mimic what you used to be able to do in Showcase, I think a lot of people like that. It's like, "Oh there was these objectives I had to complete these objectives in order to move the story along." But those objectives are now in Road to Glory in the daily events. In order to get that pay-per-view event and qualify for that match, you gotta get those stars and in order to do so you have to complete those objectives in the daily event. We feel like, that to me we hit on that, but it's going to constantly be changing and it's going to be different every pay-per-view. I think that's going to give it more legs than Showcase ever had because we're going to be updating this throughout the whole year.
In Create a Superstar mode, what are the big changes this year for the game?
LJ: For me, it's seeing what everyone else is saying and the things that they want to create, so that's kind of our drawing board. Every year, we try to enhance it even more. For us, it was seeing how similar a lot of the faces--even with the face photo capture--we're still seeing a lot of superstars that look the same. On the 2K Dev Instagram throughout the year, I would post the 2K Fav of the day. Seeing a lot of similar generic looking guys because of their face or whatever, we saw that was one of the things that we wanted to reintroduce was just having really good templates for people to start off with.
Having different races and ethnicities to help break up that variety, but then not losing the ability to customize that even further if you want to, using the face photo capture, or even just moving sliders around. We still kept that in place. Like I said the teeth option, being able to like hide teeth, which was like seeing it on Mick Foley, but I can't recreate someone who looks like that. So things like that, adding support for different materials like glow, which was really hard to get in, black light. I know people want to create really crazy out there superstars...
That's me.
LJ: Right, and I'm with you. Just seeing what the community creates, that kind of drives what we wanna do. Like having the ability to not only limit the glow on attire but on tattoos or on your hairstyle, whatever. If you want to create a guy who's just from a different planet, you can. It's just making sure you guys have the tools to create and have the freedom to create guys that you want rather than feeling like you're limited because you don't have a certain tool or certain method to do things.
Every year, we know we're going to add more things, like one of my favorite features I talked about in my dev videos was, I'm an old school guy, the 8-bit filter for Create-A-Show. Just having your game look different, the hashtag "be like no one" is not just a tag on. That was our thing. We want everyone's game and experience to be different. Like I said, like the heads, we don't want the same looking guy all over the place, if you want to create a... Like last year. we did the old bad VHS filter, added the 8-bit filter you know just because I think, which was kind of inspired by Ramel. On the inside, he does like 8-bit art, which I really think is brilliant. I'm like, "Aw man, that'd be cool if we added a filter." We added that, so you can have a show that looks like an old school video game.
The other area was, Create a Video, saving highlights was the big thing. I know last year a lot of people complained that you weren't able to have free cam, we added that support back in there but we took it a step further, by allowing you to hide the background, hide the referee, hide the crowd. So [that] you can create like a green screen effect when encoding your videos you can overlay in the actual Create a Video option, overlay things on top of it, behind it, so you can have your superstars placed on different videos, videos placed on top of it. Just, giving users the ability to have their own video, tron, or whatever that feels like it's at the same quality as the rest of the WWE superstars on this.
The TV version of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan stories has been in the works for some time, and we finally have some footage. Jack Ryan is produced by Amazon and stars John Krasinski as the CIA analyst; the full trailer will premiere at New York Comic-Con this weekend.
In the meantime, Amazon has released a first teaser. It doesn't reveal much, but it looks very intense and serious, and gives us a first look at Krasinski in the lead role. Check it out below:
The show will debut on Amazon Video in 2018. It comprises eight one-hour episodes, and the entire season will be directed by Morten Tyldum, who helmed the Oscar-nominated The Imitation Game.
Last year, former Office star Krasinski spoke about what would set this show apart from previous screen incarnations. "The line between film and TV has blurred so much over the years," he said. "I think Jack Ryan is a product of that blurring so much that I think that they're not even really considering it a TV show, they're calling it a movie that's being told in [eight] parts.
"[Showrunner] Carlton Cuse's whole plan is we're gonna shoot it on a movie budget, [and] we're gonna have the same stunts as movies. It's gonna feel like a movie but you're gonna watch it every week.
"He just felt that two hours wasn't enough time to tell a Jack Ryan story, because Tom Clancy's books are so detailed and rich. If [Ryan] has a superpower it's his intelligence, so there's a lot of problem solving and things that take time. That's the beauty of the spy genre."
Krasinski will be the fifth actor to play Ryan. The character first appeared in the 1990 thriller The Hunt for the Red October, portrayed by Alec Baldwin. Harrison Ford starred in two Clancy adaptations in the early 1990s, with Ben Affleck and Chris Pine both playing the character since then.
While Krasinski is best known for playing hapless Jim Halpert in nine seasons of The Office, he did take on a more action-packed role in 2015's Michael Bay-directed war movie 13 Hours.
Another week of deals and discounts have arrived on the PlayStation Store in the US. There is no game- or publisher-specific sale this week--and thus, far fewer things are on sale--but there are still some worthwhile deals to be had across PlayStation platforms.
Two of the year's best PS4 games are both on sale right now. Most notably, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, which was only released in August, has dropped from $40 to $30 for everyone. Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus members can get Nier: Automata for $39 ($42 without Plus).
PS3 and Vita owners have almost no options at all. Space Hulk's Vita version is $16, AeternoBlade is $3.74, and Blue-Collar Astronaut is $4 (with Plus, or $7 without it). Beyond that, there is some discounted Pinball Arcade DLC and little else.
Sony's Day 1 Digital offer is still ongoing. Purchasing two select games (from a list of some very good ones) on PSN nets you a coupon for 20% off a future purchase. Additionally, if you're a subscriber, October's free PS Plus games are now available.
Can you believe it? It's already October. Not only are we now closer to the flood of new game releases this holiday season, but the start of the month also means free games.
Xbox Live Gold members can now pick up the first of October 2017's free Games With Gold titles. These include Gone Home on Xbox One, which is free all month long, and Rayman 3 HD for Xbox 360 (October 1-15). Later in the month, The Turing Test will be free on Xbox One and Medal of Honor: Airborne will drop to the low, low price of free as well on Xbox 360.
Also don't forget that one of September's free Games With Gold titles, Oxenfree, stretches into October. It will continue to be free on Xbox One through October 15, giving you some more time to grab it if you haven't already done so.
Much like last year, Blizzard will celebrate October in Overwatch with a Halloween-themed event. Halloween Terror makes a return next week and will run for the remainder of the month, offering new cosmetic items for players to earn.
Blizzard announced today that Halloween Terror has a release date of October 10 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it runs through November 2. It also shared the very brief teaser video above that shows off new Halloween-themed skins for McCree and Reaper, the latter of which already had an excellent one from last year's event. The video was accompanied by a poem which reads: "The nights grow cold / And monsters appear / A great evil gathers / And Halloween draws near..."
Further specifics have not yet been announced, but along with new cosmetics, we may also see the return of Junkenstein's Revenge. (That seems likely given that Junkrat's Junkenstein skin is featured in the logo for this year's event.) The co-op mode pits a team of four against waves of enemies in what amounts to Overwatch's take on Horde mode. We'll report back as Blizzard shares more details; for now, the developer has only said that the update introduces "spooky new content."
Earlier this year, Yahoo announced that 1 billion of its accounts were hacked. That made it the single-largest data breach ever in terms of the number of accounts. Today, Yahoo announced that it was even worse. All 3 billion of its accounts were compromised.
Yahoo said in a news release that it "obtained new intelligence" with the help of of "outside forensic experts." Based on this new information, Yahoo can now say that "all Yahoo user accounts were affected" by the August 2013 breach.
Stolen user account data did not include clear-text passwords, credit card info, or bank details, Yahoo said. Though the hack is not an ongoing situation, Yahoo said it is continuing to work alongside law enforcement on the matter.
Another element at play here is that the disclosure of the massive Yahoo data breach came during Verizon's buyout of Yahoo. As GameSpot sister site CNET explains, Verizon was originally set to pay $4.83 billion for Yahoo but the price was slashed by $350 million following the revelation of the breach. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating Yahoo to determine if it alerted users to the breach fast enough.
Verizon's chief information security officer, Chandra McMahon said in a statement that Verizon is "committed to the highest standards of accountability and transparency, and we proactively work to ensure the safety and security of our users and networks in an evolving landscape of online threats."
McMahon went on to pledge: "Our investment in Yahoo is allowing that team to continue to take significant steps to enhance their security, as well as benefit from Verizon's experience and resources."
The next DLC character for fighting game sequel Injustice 2 has been announced. The Atom is coming to NetherRealm's Xbox One and PlayStation 4 brawler "soon," according to the announcement video.
The Atom AKA Ryan Choi is armed with "quantum shrinking technology" and the "subatomic power of the quantum bio-belt" to wreck his foes. Check out the video embedded above to see the Atom in action. As you can see in the trailer, the Atom can shift from his super-small size to full size basically instantly in the middle of a fight.
According to ComicBook, the Atom will be available through Injustice 2's third character pack, beginning in December. Injustice 2's second character pack included Black Manta, Hellboy, and Raiden, the latter just being released today.
The Atom's announcement was made tonight during the Chasing the Cup Injustice 2 fighting game TV special on the CW.
Playerunknown's Battlegrounds is one of the biggest games on the planet right now, and it's coming to Xbox One later this year. Microsoft reached a deal with developer Bluehole to bring PUBG to Xbox One first, though it could come to PlayStation 4 later. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that Bluehole is having discussions with Microsoft about "extending their agreement to publish the game exclusively on Xbox."
This information is sourced to people who asked not to be identified due to the private nature of the supposed discussions. The report goes on to say, citing the same sources, that Bluehole is apparently looking to have PUBG be exclusive to Xbox One on console for a longer time period than originally planned.
There are no specifics available regarding the duration of Microsoft's exclusivity deal with Bluehole for PUBG on Xbox One. When the console edition was announced at E3, Microsoft said PUBG would be a "console launch exclusive" for Xbox One, suggesting it could come to PlayStation 4 at some point in the future, not unlike the path of Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Microsoft wouldn't comment on Bloomberg's report when approached by the publication. All it had to say was that, "Right now, the team is solely focused on bringing the best game possible to Xbox One and PC. We have nothing further to announce at this time."
According to Bloomberg, Bluehole is in discussions with "all of the major console companies" about making PUBG available to a "broader audience." The report goes on to specifically state that Bluehole is talking to Sony about bringing PUBG to PlayStation 4 after the exclusivity period on Xbox One ends.
A new update for the just-released Forza Motorsport 7 is out now, making fixes for the Xbox One and PC versions of the racing game. Among other things, this update addresses stability issues on PC and fixes the frame rate counter.
The update also clears out problems related to liveries. Some wouldn't show up in multiplayer and some liveries applied as paint colours only. Additionally, Forza 7 locked up in some situations when canceling liveries; all of those problems should be fixed now.
Fixed numerous livery-related issues, including some liveries applying as paint colors only, liveries not appearing in multiplayer, and game lock-ups when cancelling liveries.
Fixed an issue where vinyls would not appear in the vinyl editor for players who were creating vinyl groups with HDR enabled.
Arabic text is no longer reversed in game menus
Default profile slider settings for wheel users are no longer maxed out
Benchmark mode on PC now displays the correct minimum FPS
Framerate now improved in loading with G-Sync enabled.
Actor Jared Leto's next movie role is going to be Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Rush Hour series director Brett Ratner will direct the untitled film, which sounds like it's still a long time out.
Ratner told THR that Leto came to him when he heard that Ratner obtained the film rights to Hugh Hefner's story. Leto reportedly told Ratner, 'I want to play him. I want to understand him.'" Ratner said he believes Leto has what it takes to excel in the role.
According to THR, the Hugh Hefner movie is only in the early stages of development. Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment originally had the rights to Hefner's life story in 2007, and Robert Downey Jr. was at one point slotted to play Hefner. The rights later expired and Ocean's 11 producer Jerry Weintraub picked them up for Warner Bros. Ratner's RatPac Entertainment obtained the rights after Weintraub died in 2015.
Hefner and Leto were expected to meet at the Playboy Mansion in April for the premiere of American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story. However, Hefner wasn't taking guests that day apparently due to his failing health. Hefner died on September 27 at the age of 91.
Ratner said he's confident there is enough footage of Hefner available that Leto will be able to "get as much information as he wants."
Hefner's cause of death was confirmed today by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. According to EW, he died of cardiac arrest and respiratory failure after contracting a blood infection called septicemia and drug-resistant e. coli.
Microsoft has announced a new Halo mixed-reality project called Halo: Recruit. It's not a game, or part of a game, but instead it's described as a "fun little arcade experience" that serves as an introduction to Halo's world.
The five-minute Halo: Recruit experience features some of Halo's "most iconic characters," which is no doubt a reference to Master Chief and Cortana, at least. There will also be some weaponry (Battle Rifle and Magnum, probably) and the Warthog, developer 343 said in a blog post. Additionally, you'll get to stand next to an Elite, which is probably going to be a frightening experience.
You can try Halo: Recruit at Microsoft Stores (a list of locations was not mentioned) or by downloading it for free from the Windows Store starting on October 17. You need a Windows Mixed Reality headset to try it. All of the headsets that will be available this holiday are now up for pre-order, and you can visit this page to see a full rundown of available models.
Halo: Recruit was made by 343 in partnership with VR developer Endeavour One. 343's Kiki Wolfkill said in the blog post that she was initially skeptical about mixed reality/virtual reality, in part because she was concerned about feeling claustrophobic with a helmet on. "Boy was I wrong," she said. "There are precious few opportunities as a creative team to get to explore a truly brand new medium--the mixed reality space is exactly that, and it's magical. Here at 343 Industries, we are just starting to dip our toes into the mixed reality space but we are hugely passionate about the potential to truly explore and play in our universe with this technology."
Wolfkill also teased that more Halo mixed-reality experiences could come to be, though none have been officially announced as of yet.
Microsoft brought a Halo experience for its HoloLens headset to E3 2015. A few GameSpot editors tried it and came away generally impressed. That demo was a primer of sorts for the Halo world, letting you walk through a physical environment while wearing the headset and virtually become a Spartan. We had some qualms about that demo, so it will be interesting to see what Halo: Recruit does differently.
Turtle Rock Studios, the developer behind Left 4 Dead and Evolve, has announced its next game. "The Well" is a turn-based fantasy role-playing game for Samsung Gear VR. It's described as a "classically designed RPG built distinctively for VR" with a "storybook art style" and a "dark, dreamlike atmosphere."
What does that really mean? Check out the first trailer below to get a look at The Well. The key art and some screenshots can also be seen below.
The Well is not Turtle Rock's first VR game, as the studio already released titles like Face Your Fears, Blade Runner 2049: Replicant Pursuit, and Otherworlds. But The Well is more ambitious than those, Turtle Rock GM Steve Goldstein said in a statement.
"The Well is not only our most ambitious VR title to date, it is our most unique," he explained. "We're excited to create a new, original fantasy world unlike anything we've seen before, and it's specifically crafted for the Gear VR platform. It's not just a fun game, it's beautiful. Gear VR is a medium that allows us to push the creative envelope and bring to life games we never thought possible."
The Well puts you in a mysterious world called Tholl, which is brimming with magic and fantastical creatures. You can play as one of four classes--Warrior, Mage, Rogue, and Druid--and each of course has their own specific set of spells and abilities. You'll assemble a party of other characters and can level up your squad over time, earning more abilities in the process.
The Well launches on October 11, priced at $10 in the US. The game launches on the first day of this year's Oculus Connect event, and the game will be playable there.
Bungie has rolled out the latest weekly reset for Destiny 2, which soon see some server downtime and the release of a new 1.0.3.1 update. Among other things, the weekly reset means a new Nightfall is now available, complete with another set of modifiers, Challenges, and rewards.
This week's Nightfall Strike is Savathun's Song. As always in Destiny 2, you'll have to rush to finish, as a time limit is in place. But whereas last week's Nightfall featured a modifier that didn't permit you to extend the time limit, one of the modifiers this time around is Timewarp - Anomalies. Throughout the Strike, you'll encounter floating objects that can be destroyed, with each one providing an additional 30 seconds for you to make it to the final boss and defeat it.
The other active modifier is Momentum (which was to be used in an earlier Nightfall but had to be replaced because it was broken). When you stand still, neither your health nor shields will regenerate, which means taking cover like you normally might isn't a viable strategy. Instead, you'll want to consider sprinting, which actually increases the rate of your recovery.
There are again three Challenges, the first of which is the returning Speed Of Dark; this tasks you with finishing the Nightfall with at least five minutes on the clock, which may require taking out most or all of the anomalies you encounter. Unbroken requires completion of the Nightfall with fewer than three deaths. And The Best Defense asks you to shoot down 15 projectiles before defeating Savathun's Song.
Completion of the Nightfall rewards players with Powerful Gear rewards. This is one of the few activities to offer those, and they're among the best items you can get your hands on. It's also a reliable way to increase your Power level past 265, should you be struggling to pass that point. If you haven't made it to that point, you may want to consider waiting until after you've raised your Power level before grabbing the Nightfall reward. This Nightfall will be available until the next weekly reset, which occurs at 2 AM PT / 5 AM ET / 10 AM BST / 4 PM AEST on Tuesday, October 10.
If you haven't yet unlocked the Nightfall, you'll need to complete two Strikes and approach the suggested Power level of 240 before Zavala will allow you to take part in them. Traditional matchmaking is not available, but in its place we have Guided Games, providing players with the opportunity to be matched up with members of a clan for the mission (which requires a Nightfall Ticket). Alternatively, clan members can sign up to serve as guides through the Nightfall, and doing so does not require a Ticket.
Sony has added another batch of PS4 games to PlayStation Now in North America. October brings 18 new titles to the streaming service, including a number of horror games that arrive just in time for Halloween.
PS Now is available for PS4 and PC and costs $20 per month to subscribe. If you're curious about trying the service, Sony is also offering a seven-day free trial for first-time users.
Microsoft has revealed the latest batch of deals for Xbox Live Gold members. This week's selection includes discounts on a number of great games and DLC bundles for both Xbox One and Xbox 360, which will only be on sale until next week.
Xbox One Gold members in particular can find savings on some acclaimed titles. BioShock: The Collection is available for $30/£22.50, while Borderlands: The Handsome Collection has been discounted to $19.80/£14.85. Another BioWare RPG is on sale this week; this time, players can pick up Dragon Age: Inquisition Game of the Year edition for $13.20/£8.25 and its DLC bundle for $9.90/£8.25. Some other notable discounts for Gold members include:
Even if you don't have an Xbox Live Gold membership, you can still find discounts on some great titles this week, including Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition ($16/£16), Injustice 2 Deluxe ($48/£42) and Ultimate editions ($60/£54), Lego City Undercover ($25/£25), and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year edition ($8/£9.60).
This week's Deals with Gold discounts are available until 3 AM PT/6 AM ET on October 10. You can find the full list of discounts on Major Nelson's blog.
Star Wars Battlefront II's beta kicks off on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in only a few days, on October 6 (or October 4, if you pre-ordered the title before the month began). Ahead of its launch, EA has revealed all the modes and maps that players will be able to sample.
The Star Wars Battlefront II beta will consist of four modes, including Galactic Assault and Starfighter Assault. The former pits two teams of 20 players against each other in a large-scale battle as either a Clone trooper or Separatist droid. As in EA's live demonstration of the mode during E3, Galactic Assault will take place on the Naboo: Theed map during the beta. Starfighter Assault, meanwhile, is a 24-player space battle. In this mode, players will be able to try Battlefront II's three new starfighter classes and pilot Hero Ships from the prequel, original, and new Star Wars trilogies.
The remaining two modes featured in the beta are Strike and Arcade. The former is a class-based mode that doesn't feature any heroes. Players will have to use the unique abilities of their class to work together and complete objectives. During the beta, Strike takes place on Takodana. Arcade is Battlefront II's offline mode for one to two players. It is set on Naboo and features two options: a team battle with AI allies and enemies, and a one-vs.-many battle in which players take on a wave of foes.
The Star Wars Battlefront II beta runs until October 9. EA says that the Battlefront II beta is "among the biggest" the publisher has ever offered and warns players that downloading and installing it will take some time. EA has also outlined the beta's minimum and recommended specs for those planning to play on PC.
Rockstar has rolled out the latest update for Grand Theft Auto V. This week, GTA Online players can pick up yet another new aircraft and take part in a new Adversary mode, Stockpile.
Stockpile is described as a "jet-fueled take on capture-the-flag." The mode supports two to four teams and up to 16 players, all of whom are piloting aircraft equipped with machine guns and missiles. The object of Stockpile is to snag as much loot as you can and bring it back to your base; the team with the largest haul by the end of the round will be declared the winner. To commemorate Stockpile's launch, players can earn double GTA$ and RP from the mode until October 9.
Also available now is the new Mammoth Mogul. This heavily armed plane comes outfitted with a .50 caliber turret and a front-facing machine gun, and it can be upgraded with additional features like jet-assisted takeoff and a bay for explosives. You can purchase a Mammoth Mogul from Warstock Cache & Carry.
Continuing the aerial theme, this week's batch of discounts revolves primarily around aircraft. For a limited time, players can get 25% off of the following items and upgrades:
Hangar Workshop
Engine Upgrades (all vehicles)
Armor Upgrades (all vehicles)
Aircraft Handling Upgrades
Aircraft Weapons Upgrades
Flight and Air Racing Suits
Mobile Operation Center Cabs
APC (both Buy it Now & Trade Price)
Progen T20 (Super)
Lastly, this week's Premium Race is Around the Docks, which is restricted to motorbikes. As usual, all who participate in the race will earn triple RP, and the players who finish in the top three will be rewarded with a substantial GTA$ bonus. The Time Trial this week is Power Station. Those who manage to best the target time will earn a hefty GTA$ and RP reward.
Unlike its predecessor, Destiny 2 will release on PC. Although players will have to wait longer for it--Destiny 2 doesn't launch on PC until October 24 but is already available on Xbox One and PS4--the PC version does feature a variety of improvements and differences compared with its console counterparts. To help you get an idea of what to expect from the PC release of Bungie's hotly anticipated sequel, we've gathered all of the essential details below.
For more on the game, check out our Destiny 2 review. We also have tons of Destiny 2 guides, tips, and tricks for those who have already begun playing on consoles or are simply looking to get a head start on how things will work on PC.
Destiny 2 PC Release Date and Differences
The PC version is confirmed to release on October 24, while the Xbox One and PS4 versions are already out, having launched on September 6. (Betas on all platforms have also wrapped up.) In terms of actual playable content, everything is the same on PC--with one exception. Sony's timed-exclusive content for Destiny 2 affects not just Xbox One players, but those on PC. The PS4 version comes with an extra Strike, Crucible map, and some items that will not be available on other platforms for at least one year. There's no precise date for it yet, but after PlayStation-exclusive content in Destiny 1 remained exclusive for longer than expected, Bungie has explicitly stated that this Destiny 2 content will be out by the end of 2018.
Destiny 2 PC Minimum Requirements and Recommended Specs
While there may be changes made for the final release, Destiny 2's PC beta brought a list of minimum and recommended system specs. Additionally, Bungie provided a list of hardware for those looking to upgrade their systems, with CPU and GPU minimums and recommendations.
Texture Anisotropy (Anisotropic Filtering, up to 16x)
Texture Quality
Shadow Quality
Depth of Field
Environmental Detail Distance
Character Detail Distance
Foliage Detail Distance
Foliage Shadow Distance
Light Shafts
Motion Blur
Wind Impulse
Render Resolution
High Dynamic Range (HDR)
Chromatic Aberration
Film Grain
Destiny 2 PC Control Scheme
The PC version uses a relatively straightforward control scheme, which you can see in the image below. It's worth noting that the controls are completely customizable.
Destiny 2 Doesn't Use Dedicated Servers
Unfortunately, the game will use peer-to-peer servers. However, this doesn't work quite the same as in the previous game; when Bungie explained why Destiny 2 doesn't use dedicated servers, it noted that you'll never run into a host migration situation.
Destiny 2 PC Impressions
During our hands-on time with the game, we found the mouse and keyboard support to be a welcome addition. It enhanced the overall feel of multiplayer, though it did seem to make the single-player portions we played easier than we anticipated. You can check out our analysis of the PC beta for a technical look at the game; for further impressions of the PC version, watch the video below.
Destiny 2 Review
If you're hoping the game is dramatically different from the original Destiny, you may be in for a disappointment, but those seeking a refined version of that game will likely be pleased. You can read our impressions of the full game on console in our Destiny 2 review diary and Destiny 2 review-in-progress.
Destiny 2 Uses Blizzard Battle.net
Destiny 2 uses Blizzard's desktop app. It's the first game not directly developed by Blizzard to appear on the platform. Activision and Blizzard have changed its name several times recently, but moving forward it will be referred to as Blizzard Battle.net.
Destiny Progress Doesn't Transfer to Destiny 2
Unfortunately, Destiny 1 power, possessions, and Eververse-related items and currency will not transfer over. While your character's appearance will not be abandoned in the sequel for console owners, there's no word if it'll support any kind of transfer from console to PC.
The DC superhero team up Justice Leaguearrives in theaters next month, and a new set of promotional posters has been released. The movie will see Batman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and The Flash team up to fight the evil Steppenwolf. These new posters deliver some stylish, colourful profile shots of the five heroes. Check them out in the gallery below:
In August, it was reported that the reshoots would lighten Justice League's tone. According to actor Joe Morton, who plays Cyborg's dad, "the film felt too dark." He said: "What I heard was that there was a need from the studio to lighten up the film in a way."
Justice League also stars Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as Flash, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg. It hits theaters on November 17, 2017.
There is a problem with Destiny 2's raid system whereby raid keys for the Leviathan challenge are getting removed from players' inventories. That's a problem. Bungie is aware of this and has now explained what's caused the issue and what can be done to avoid it.
There are two situations that Bungie has found to cause this problem, the first is that you'll lose your raid keys when signing in with an alternate character if that character previously had not been signed in since the latest weekly reset. The other instance where you can lose your raid keys is if you earn a raid key and then create a new character.
To prevent the issue, Bungie advises players to sign in with each of their characters in the game or inspect all of them through the Destiny companion app before clearing checkpoints in the Leviathan raid after the reset. Obviously, this is not ideal. So you may be happy to learn that Bungie is working on a more permanent solution for this issue.
Another thing to note is that all of your Leviathan raid progress gets reset every week alongside the weekly reset that impacts the entire game.
Forza 7 is the latest installment in the Forza Motorsport series, and it's out now. It's already been updated, and its Fast and Furious DLC is also available now, but how is the base game?
Reviews have started to go live for Turn 10's new racer, and critics seem impressed. Miguel Concepcion awarded the game an 8/10 in our Forza 7 review, saying it has an "imperfect roster and a selection of modes that doesn't compare to the comprehensiveness of Forza 6 at launch" but that is still "a feature-rich and competition-diverse bundle of racing events that keep you coming back for more." Check the game out in the videos listed below, or you can always play the Xbox One / PC demo if you want to play Forza 7 for yourself.
You can also see more critics' opinions in our review roundup. Alternatively, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic for a wider view on Forza 7's critical reception.
"By the time I had logged a couple dozen hours in Forza 7, the confluence of environmental and driving realism unexpectedly inspired me to recreate real-life racing events like the famous 1996 Zanardi pass at Laguna Seca. These are the kinds of experiments that Forza 7 inspires, thanks in part to the game's variety and flexibility. Even with an imperfect roster and a selection of modes that doesn't compare to the comprehensiveness of Forza 6 at launch, Forza Motorsport 7 is still a feature-rich and competition-diverse bundle of racing events that keep you coming back for more. The ability to control the weather to create rich, painterly cloudy backdrops goes a long way in making up for the lack of zombie modes and the Toyota MR2." -- Miguel Concepcion [Full review]
IGN -- 9.2/10
"Microsoft pitched Forza Motorsport 7 as the ultimate automotive playset, and it's hard to argue otherwise. With enough cars to fill a dozen museums and the most generous selection of tracks to date in the series, the amount of driving, experimenting, and racing here is absolutely mammoth. Accessible as always for beginners but crammed with content targeted at lifelong car junkies, Forza Motorsport 7 is Turn 10's finest love letter to speed and style this generation, no matter what language you speak." -- Luke Reilly [Full review]
Eurogamer -- Recommended
"Arguably, Horizon has now become the lead Forza series, and Forza 7 is clearly inspired by its open-hearted generosity, its accessibility, its willingness to entertain. It doesn't quite hit those heights - and it's sad that this jubilant mood is tainted with a hint of muddled avarice. But you shouldn't let that distract you from what is, regardless, the most fun Forza Motorsport yet." -- Oli Welsh [Full review]
PC Gamer -- 82/100
"Prize Crates are an irritating blemish on the bodywork of an otherwise elegant series, but Forza is still formidable, even with this grabby monkey on its back. An uneven drip of credits don't make driving a '70 Chevelle in first person on a rainy track as the sun cracks through the clouds any less stunning. It's the songbird of cars, the sublime ocean cliffside filling the car poet with wonder and respect. Not much respect for time or skill, but respect for cars at least." -- James Davenport [Full review]
GamesRadar+ -- 5/5
"With some long-ish load times and still-underwhelming visual damage in major crashes, one day it will be bettered, though it's unlikely we'll see that happen in this console generation. There's no other modern racing this good at what it does. Forza Motorsport 7 is the best serious racer on current-gen, and you need to play it." -- Justin Towell [Full review]
Here's something cool and unexpected: 2005's Star Wars: Battlefront II now has online multiplayer support after losing the feature years ago. GOG, the online PC store operated by The Witcher studio CD Projekt Red, announced today that multiplayer support has been restored. And that's not all. There is now cross-play support with Battlefront II on GOG and Steam, so that should ideally help players find matches faster.
This long-awaited feature finally brings the entire Star Wars Battlefront II community together, no matter which part of the galaxy you come from, so go ahead and jump into the fray," GOG announced (via PC Gamer). In its own statement on Steam, Disney said about the multiplayer restoration, "Now you can draft your friends to the 501st legion and join up to 64 other players in a heated online battle for control of the galaxy."
In May 2014, GameSpy multiplayer servers shut down, rendering numerous games' online modes unplayable, including Battlefront II's. If you don't already own the game, it's marked down to just $5 right now on GOG. Steam is offering it for $10.
The next Battlefront game is ... Battlefront II. The game launches in November for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but everyone can try it beginning this week through its open beta. Unlike the first game, the sequel has a single-player campaign, in addition to content and characters from all Star Wars eras.
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