In an age where day-one updates and mandatory installations are the norm, it's been pleasant for Nintendo Switch to have physical games you can insert and play immediately. Despite what its box might suggest, Lego City Undercover won't prove to be an exception.
Some concerns were raised recently when a photo of Undercover's box made its way online (via Nintendo Everything), suggesting it had a sizable required update. A note on the back states, "Up to 13 GB storage required for game download." That would be unusual for a Switch game, and particularly problematic as that would take up roughly 40% of the system's internal storage.
As it turns out, this is simply a mistake.
"The information is listed incorrectly on the packaging of Lego City Undercover for Nintendo Switch," a spokesperson told GameSpot. "Players who purchase a physical copy of Lego City Undercover on Nintendo Switch at retail are getting the complete game and do not need to download additional content to enjoy the full experience."
The spokesperson further clarified that you don't need an internet connection in order to play the game. Instead, one is merely "suggested" so that you can download "the typical content update patch."
Prior to this being straightened out, there had been speculation that this had been a deliberate move in order to keep the game's price down.
A previous report from Eurogamer suggested that manufacturing costs for physical Switch games can be higher than those for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, particularly for those requiring high-capacity game cards. Additionally, digital Switch games reportedly can't be priced lower than their physical counterparts. While Nintendo has not confirmed these details, it may explain why multiplatform games such as Rime and Minecraft: Story Mode carry a higher price on Switch than other platforms.
With all of this in mind, some players speculated that Lego City Undercover was shipping on a lower-capacity game card in order to keep the physical and digital price of the game down.
It turns out that isn't the case, though it doesn't rule out the possibility of a developer potentially doing so in the future.
You might need to do a double-take if you go over to Reddit user tettzan777's house to game; he's transformed an old Nintendo 64 into a working Nintendo Switch dock. Check out the end result:
In a post on Imgur and in a YouTube video (below), tettzan unveils the "Nintendo Switch 64" and how he made it. This shows how he modded the broken N64's cartridge slot into a Switch dock. He also swapped out the controller ports for USB ports.
Tettzan says there's plenty of space between the dock and the Switch, so the unit never touches the edges and gets scratched. Some players have reported the official Switch dock can scratch portions of the system's screen, which tettzan hopes to make less likely with a further adjustment to his mod.
"I'm planning on adding a thin box surrounding the cartridge slot and sticking a soft felt on top to make a better fit for the Switch," he said on Reddit.
If you're concerned about a working console being gutted for this mod, don't worry. Tettzen says he got a haul of 13 broken Nintendo 64s with the intention of refurbishing them. This one was the most damaged, so he decided to get creative and give it a new lease on life.
With Destiny's new Age of Triumph update--the game's final live event--Bungie is celebrating the game's past few years. That includes one of its more infamous moments.
Until he was replaced by veteran voice actor Nolan North, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage's performance as your Ghost companion was maligned. In particular, a line in the Destiny alpha where he exclaims, "That Wizard came from the moon!" was the butt of numerous jokes, and it ended up being cut for the final game.
With Age of Triumph now available, Reddit user Undead_Primate has discovered the dialogue has been restored as a joke. After completing the mission, the Dinklage line plays, followed by North's version of Ghost clearing its throat. You can watch a video clip here.
It isn't the first time Bungie has embraced the ridiculous line, as it previously sold a shirt with it adorned on the front. It became the Bungie store's best-selling item within an hour of going on sale.
The Age of Triumph update also features other nice, less jokey touches for longtime Destiny fans, such as restoring the original main menu music.
The first trailer for the big screen adaptation of Stephen King's It has arrived. The horror movie releases in September, and this first teaser delivers the terrifying goods. Check it out below--but be warned, scary clowns lie ahead!
The film's young cast includes Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard, Jaeden Lieberhe (Midnight Special), Sophia Lillis (37), Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Chosen Jacobs (Hawaii Five-0). It also features Bill Skarsgard as the demonic clown Pennywise.
King's classic novel was published in 1987. The author recently revealed he had seen the film and was very happy with it. He tweeted:
Andy Muschietti's remake of IT (actually it's Part 1--The Losers' Club) succeeds beyond my expectations. Relax. Wait. And enjoy.
As King notes, the movie is expected to be the first of two films--in the novel, a group of kids overcome their fears to eventually defeat the creature known as It. Years later he returns, and as adults they must work together to finish the job. The first movie will be about the children's story, while a second will chronicle the adults' narrative.
In a new interview with USA Today, director Andrés Muschietti spoke about the terrifying clown Pennywise. "It's established that Pennywise takes the shape of your worst fear," he said. "He doesn't have a steady behavior, he doesn't expose how he thinks, and that's what makes him really unpredictable.
"Pennywise's character is motivated by survival. In order to be alive in the imagination of children, he has to keep killing."
A Phillips-Head screwdriver is the only tool that you absolutely need to build a PC, but if you're constantly building or upgrading rigs, or simply want to take your builds to the next level, here are eight tools that are really helpful.
Magnetic Screwdriver
Since you're going to need a Phillips-Head screwdriver, you might as well make it a good one. We recommend a long magnetic solution. A 12-inch magnetic screwdriver will not only help you access tough-to-reach spots, but its magnetic tip will allow you to pick up any loose screws you may have accidentally dropped inside your case (it happens to the best of us).
While magnets can be harmful to computer components, the ones that you typically find in screwdrivers are too weak to do any harm to your PC.
Anti-static mat
Static electricity can be damaging to computer hardware. One shock can cause components to short. While we always recommend that you touch metal to ground yourself before installing components, using an anti-static mat provides an added layer of safety for your rig.
We recommending something like the ModRight Xtreme Super Large Anti-Static Mod-Mat. Not only is it large enough to fit the biggest of builds and prevents sliding with its non-scratch surface, but it includes a grounding wrist strap, which will prevent you from accidentally shocking your components.
Magnetic Screw Tray
When you're building a PC, you're going to be dealing with a lot of screws. Screws tend to have a nasty habit of falling off tables never to be seen again. That's where something like a magnetic screw tray comes in handy. Even if you find yourself accidentally knocking the tray over, the magnetic tray will likely hold your screws in place.
If you don't want to spend money on a magnetic tray, you can also use an empty egg carton. The different compartments can come in handy when you're trying to separate screws of varying sizes.
Thermal paste remover
If you ever find yourself changing out your CPU cooler, you're going to want to remove the old thermal paste off your processor. ArctiClean makes a good cleaning kit as it includes a bottle of a thermal material remover solution and a second thermal surface purifier. You can dab a bit of this liquid to a paper towel to clean off heat sinks. The stuff also smells like fresh oranges, which is an added bonus.
Alternatively, you can also use isopropyl alcohol. Most drug stores sell 91 percent pure isopropyl alcohol that's relatively cheap and can get the job done.
Thermal paste
If your CPU cooler doesn't come with pre-applied thermal paste or if you wanted to re-attach your old CPU cooler after you've swapped out the processor, you'll need to add new thermal paste to your build. While it's hard to go wrong with thermal paste, one relatively high-performing solution that we like is Arctic Silver 5.
Zip Ties/Velcro Straps
Good cable management is arguably what separates the PC building noob from the pro. One tool, or shall we say tools, that helps with cable management are zip ties and/or velcro straps. You can use them to tie down your loose PC cables to the inside of your case. This will make your builds look much cleaner.
Shears/wire cutter
If you're going to use zip ties to hold down your cables, you're going to want to make sure you cut excess ends of them off with a pair of shears or wire cutters. Most cheap scissors simply won't cut it, unfortunately. Otherwise, the loose plastic can obstruct a fan or make it difficult for you to close your case's side panels.
Headlamp
Yes, we realize this isn't an article about spelunking, but a headlamp can come in handy when you're trying to access dim parts of your build (front panel connectors, we're looking at you). It's certainly not a necessity, but it's nice to have light shine wherever you need it while both of your hands are free.
By Anonymous on Mar 29, 2017 10:00 pm Hunter Pence joins us at the GameSpot studio to play some MLB The Show 17 including Retro Mode, Road to the Show, and some character creation.
Persona 5, the latest entry in Atlus' acclaimed RPG series, launches on April 4 and ahead of its launch reviews have been published.
As always, we've collected together a number of reviews and put them below so you get a good sense of its critical reception. It seems Atlus has delivered another superb experience, as the general consensus looks to be overwhelmingly positive.
In GameSpot's Persona 5 review critic Lucy James awarded the game a 9/10, saying it is "stuffed to bursting point with gameplay ideas and presentation flourishes."
She continued: "There's an overwhelming level of artistry in every part of Persona 5, making it a truly standout entry in the series. It's a refined, effortlessly stylish RPG that will be talked about for years to come."
"Persona 5 is a game that shouldn't be missed. It's stuffed to bursting point with gameplay ideas and presentation flourishes--there's an overwhelming level of artistry in every part of Persona 5, making it a truly standout entry in the series. It's a refined, effortlessly stylish RPG that will be talked about for years to come." -- Lucy James [Full Review]
Polygon -- 9/10
"It's been almost a decade since the original release of Persona 4, a game that introduced many players--including myself--to this series. With that amount of time, with the amount of energy and passion a lot of Persona 4 fans put toward that game, it would have been easy for Persona 5 to be a letdown. Instead, it successfully pushes this series to new heights of polish, allure and charm. It has a few blemishes, enough to distract a bit from the intriguing and weighty themes that the game wrestles with. But even through the rough patches, Persona 5 doesn't give up a drop of its colorful personality." -- Phillip Kollar [Full Review]
Eurogamer -- Essential
"Persona 5 is unconscionably sublime. Every beat, every subtlety, every movement of the camera - it all translates into a kinetic masterpiece, strung together with the best visuals this side of Atlus. Persona 5 won't change your mind on JRPGs if you lack a taste for the genre, but if you're in any way a fan, well why the hell are you still reading this? Go forth and damn well purchase." -- Cassandra Khaw[Full Review]
Kotaku -- No Score
"This game will take many, many hours of your time. In exchange, you'll get a terrific, pulpy story told with style to spare. Persona 5 took nearly 100 hours of my time, and I gave it gladly." -- Kirk Hamilton [Full Review]
Game Informer -- 9.25/10
"If the opening hours of Persona 5 are like starting a massive novel, then the closing hours are like finishing one, complete with the bittersweet finality of turning the last page. But it also carries an immense sense of satisfaction. After 100 hours of playing, all of my big questions were answered. I understood the characters, I knew my way around the world, and I had fun almost every step of the journey. You become a resident of Persona 5 the more you play it, and it has the rare ability to transport in a way few games can." Joe Juba [Full Review]
Fallout fans who've been pining to play Bethesda's strategy spinoff on Steam are getting their chance: Fallout Shelter has now been released on PC's biggest gaming platform.
The game tasks players to built their own vault, creating a functioning shelter for their dwellers who have escaped the wasteland of Fallout's post-apocalyptic world. You build improvements, level up survivors, and send your residents out on quests for rewards.
Fallout Shelter is free to download, with the option of buying extra items and resources in the Steam store. It's not Shelter's first PC release (Bethesda launched the game on its own client last year), but now players will get the chance to earn Steam achievements and take advantage of Steam's cloud support.
Fallout Shelter is also getting an update today across all platforms. There are more than 30 new quests for players to send their dwellers on, and a limited-time Easter Quest that will reward you with an exclusive legendary pet, a free lunchbox, and other rewards.
Fallout Shelter was released for iOS and Android in 2015. Last month, it launched on Xbox One and Windows 10 as a Xbox Play Anywhere title, meaning you can download it on one platform but also access it (and any saved games) on another. It's gained more than 75 million players worldwide, and with today's Steam release, no doubt that number will just continue to climb.
Persona 5 is a game overflowing with style. From bold black and red menus that leap off the screen to the pop-and-lock of scene transitions that carry the player from one colorful corner of Tokyo to the next, it's a game about youthful exuberance and the power that lies within it. But its beauty isn't just skin deep. Persona 5's gameplay systems evolve and coalesce over its 80+ hours to deliver a confidently executed role-playing experience that is not only satisfying, but worth the almost decade-long wait since Persona 4.
Like its predecessors, it's part social simulator, part dungeon crawler. By day, you're a high school student--busy taking classes, visiting cafes, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. But by night you are the leader of the Phantom Thieves, a ragtag troupe of idealistic teenagers that infiltrate a parallel reality called the Metaverse. Here, the corrupted hearts of adults have manifested as Palaces, and the Phantom Thieves must find and steal Treasures within them to reform their marks, and by extension, society. Think Lupin the Third, but with a socially conscious supernatural twist.
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Together with your friends, you infiltrate the Metaverse. Here lie physical representations of people's personalities, called Personas--angels, demons, and monsters of all shapes and sizes that you battle using elemental attacks. Physical moves can be used to chip away at health points incrementally, but exploiting an elemental weakness elevates battles from turn-based slapsies to a flurry of crushing combos. Hit an enemy weak to fire with Agi and it will crumple, giving you an additional turn to exploit another enemy's vulnerability, either by switching Persona to adopt a different elemental alignment or by passing the baton onto a teammate who can pick up where you left off. Once they've all keeled over, you can launch an All-Out Attack and watch as black silhouettes of your team dance across a striking red background, slicing and dicing enemies until they burst into a shower of blood. This triumphant animation calls to mind The Bride's iconic blue room battle against the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill, and even though you'll see it hundreds of times it never stops being cool.
Improvements to the battle system mean that if you've already identified an enemy's weakness, instead of trawling through menus to locate the specific ability, tapping R1 takes you straight to the move you need. When combined with the baton passing, streamline the turn-based fights into pacy experiences that maintain forward momentum with ease. There's nothing more satisfying than firing off Persona spells, tagging in teammates, and wiping out waves of Shadows without them even getting a look in. Persona 5's combat pulls together some of the best elements from previous games--and it's borderline addictive as a result.
Persona 5's combat pulls together some of the best elements from previous games--and it's borderline addictive as a result.
Negotiations from early Shin Megami Tensei and Persona titles also make a return, but the system is much improved. If you knock down a Shadow, you'll surround it with guns drawn and can commence an All-Out Attack or simply talk to them. The conversation becomes a weird Q&A about your character or society a whole, and it often throws up some hilarious dialogue. There's nothing quite like winning over a succubus by playing hard to get or gaining the favour of a giant demon sitting on a toilet by telling him you, too, are a pretty easy going kinda guy.
Whether you're successful or not, negotiating will get you something. You can demand items, money, or a monster's allegiance, but whether your request is granted depends on your gift of the gab. I found negotiation to be a much more useful reward system than the random pickings offered by Shuffle Time in Persona 3 and 4. When filling my Persona compendium or trying to fuse a specific Persona I'd ask them to join my cause. While grinding I'd use an All-Out Attack to earn more XP. In a pinch I'd demand an item. The new system let me reap the benefits I needed at that point in my playthrough.
Palaces are areas given form by the distorted desires of powerful, corrupted individuals, while the process of infiltrating is akin to pulling off a heist. You need to identify your target by conducting investigations in the real world, then enter the Palace to explore it and secure an infiltration route. Once you've located the corrupted heart of the individual--represented as an ethereal Treasure--you send a calling card to the target in the real world. This act of showmanship not only alerts the world to the target's misdeeds but also gives physical form to the Treasure in the Palace so it can be stolen.
And those Palaces are the best dungeons the series has ever had. No longer are you climbing through levels of procedurally generated corridors to reach a boss at the top. Instead, each Palace contains a myriad of puzzles to crack, traps to avoid, and of course, Shadows to defeat. They are intricate, striking locations that unravel as you explore them, each varying in size, scope, and gameplay opportunities. One is a rat maze filled with locked doors and looping hallways, another is a giant safe that you need to crack, and one is a crumbling pyramid filled with walking mummies. They feel almost like different worlds from a Mario game, each uniquely themed and cycling through gameplay ideas like cards in a rolodex.
As Phantom Thieves, you sneak through halls, darting between cover and jumping over obstacles. As you slink into the shadows and ambush an unsuspecting enemy, getting in that crucial first shot, you realize that these Palaces are designed for you to be sneaky. And it feels really satisfying to bounce between coverpoints and ambush an enemy … when it works. Although you're encouraged to take enemies out sneakily, doing so is made difficult by the game's uncooperative camera, which often restricts your view. Similarly, clambering over obstacles doesn't quite feel as good as it should. There are specific spots that you can climb up to access more areas and I often missed these because I wasn't standing in the pixel perfect point to get the prompt needed to jump.
But honestly, this is nitpicking. I loved my time in each of the Palaces, wandering around using my Third Eye Ability to uncover secrets and steal treasures, feeling like Batman on Opposite Day. Its puzzles never became too taxing, even in later dungeons that required backtracking to find a specific item, enemy, or switch using the Third Eye. In these areas the game mercifully opens up shortcuts for you, so you don't feel like you're wasting too much time.
Persona 5 has a hefty run time and while the story remains engaging until its final moments, the gameplay has some pacing issues towards the end.
Balance in such a huge game is tricky. I played on Normal difficulty, and for the vast majority of the game enemies felt well-matched to my level. Persona 5 has a hefty run time and while the story remains engaging until its final moments, the gameplay has some pacing issues towards the end. Instakill attacks, a short supply of elemental power-refuelling SP items, and going long stretches of miniboss after miniboss without a save point mean the latter stages can sometimes feel more frustrating than enjoyable. I've been wiped out half an hour into a fight on multiple occasions, and I'm still a bit bitter.
But Palaces are just one part of the Metaverse. Once you take a Treasure, Palaces collapse, so they're not really the place to grind for levels. For those that enjoy the grind-heavy areas of P3's Tartarus and P4's randomly generated dungeons there's Mementos--society's joint Palace, which takes the form of the depths of Tokyo's subway system. This area is long, with many procedurally generated levels spiralling down towards a mysterious, seemingly unreachable core. It would feel like a monotonous job were it not for the Phansite. One of your Confidants believes so much in the plight of the Phantom Thieves that he sets up a website where members of the public can leave messages of support (or memes).
More importantly, Phansite users can suggest people they think deserve a change of heart. These are figures that aren't quite evil enough to have their own Palace, but who are still misbehaving enough to spawn a demi-boss within Mementos. These side stories of abusive boyfriends, scammers, and thieves are mere tasters--bite size chunks of justice that you can dole out at your leisure while grinding for experience. Infiltrating Palaces can sometimes take hours, so quickly dealing with a few Phansite Requests in one go is a satisfying microcosm of the larger gameplay loop in Persona 5. Plus it made me feel like Judge Dredd, dishing out justice as I saw fit to clean up the city.
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Persona 5 creates a rewarding synergy between its social simulator and dungeon crawling by making everyday activities in the former empower you in the latter. With limited time in each day and a constant deadline to steal Treasures by, it's up to the player to prioritize after-school and weekend activities. Attributes such as Knowledge, Charm, Proficiency, and Guts can be improved by studying, working in part-time jobs, crafting tools, or watching DVDs. In turn, these enable you to build deeper bonds with other characters to strengthen yourself and your cause.
Persona games live and die on characterisation as much as they do on the RPG mechanics that underpin the gameplay, and in that respect the latest entry delivers a cast that is loveable, quirky, and nuanced in equal measure. Although the main group neatly fits into classic anime archetypes initially, over time everyone reveals the baggage they carry and, as you solidify your bonds, they start to show their complexities, creating emotional moments where you work through their pain together.
Sometimes their goals will align with yours and sometimes they won't, so the group can be a little rowdier than previous Persona teams--but that only adds to the experience. I loved that you really had to invest time and effort into each character to crack their personality and unlock how they truly felt. Morgana the amnesic talking cat (it is a Japanese game, after all) is shrouded in mystery, determined to learn about his forgotten past. The quirky Futaba, despite suffering from extreme social anxiety, is the strategic genius behind the group's Metaverse adventures. Ryuji's boisterousness is both the energy the team needs to push forward and the powder keg that could be its undoing. And Ann deals with issues of self-doubt in the competitive field of modelling. These characters grow and change as you spend more time with them: They go from being mechanical tools that you engage with to strengthen their Personas, to real people you can identify and sympathize with. By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I was leaving behind friends I had known for years.
Building these relationships with teammates is key to success in the Metaverse. Increasing Confidant Ranks (a rebrand of the Social Link system from Persona 4) by spending time with each of your friends not only affords you deeper insight into their personalities, but also provides bonuses and special moves in battle. A teammate who initially was closed off and distant in the real world can end up literally taking a bullet for you in the Metaverse. Similarly, by improving your personal traits through daily activities you can meet a variety of side-characters that teach you new abilities or offer bonuses that feed back into the battle system.
More than any entry in the series before it, Persona 5 manages to make the mundane not only fit into its gameplay loop but be essential to it. Atlus has perfected the back and forth investment and reward dynamic between the game's two parts to point where even doing laundry is gratifying--and how many games can you say that about?
While there are moments of levity in Persona 5, the actions of the Phantom Thieves are important and often have much bigger implications than even they intended. Persona 5 deals with complex subject matter and really doesn't shy away from dark, even uncomfortable, story beats. A constant theme of the game is oppression and injustice, specifically how people can be suffering them in silence. It uses personal hardships and the pressures of modern day society to explore how the actions of the older generation affect the future of the youth. But there's also an optimism to it all. Its cast approaches complex issues and takes on overwhelming odds with a clarity and gusto that can only be born from teenage naivety, and there's a refreshing, cathartic quality to being part of that. But of course, just like in the real world, things aren't always black and white, and the game does an excellent job of showing how even well-meaning actions can have adverse consequences.
Narratively and thematically, Persona 5 has the potential to overwhelm--particularly once it starts digging into Jungian theories of psychology. Thankfully, however, the writing does a fantastic job of eliminating unnecessary exposition, which ensures the important storylines are clear and everyone--especially series newcomers--is on the same page. It means the first ten hours are a little slow, and may make a lot of surface level observations, but not to the detriment of the story or its characters. Even with the heavy subject matter, it doesn't become overbearing and in fact is filled with little jokes and easter eggs to lighten the mood where appropriate. The localisation team has done a superb job of translating the comedy for a Western audience, too. I'm a big fan of the DVDs you can rent--spoofs of popular Western media like 'The X-Folders' or 'Bubbly Hills, 90210.'
Within Persona 5 is a complex set of interconnected gameplay mechanics, and in almost every aspect Atlus has executed on its vision exceptionally, barring the pacing issues towards the end. At every turn, it presents something to marvel at, whether it's the fluid combat, vibrant world, or the many memorable characters. It's a game I could talk about for hours; I haven't mentioned the ability to connect to the Thieves Guild, which lets you see how other players spent their day or ask them for help answering questions at school. Or the thumping acid-jazz-infused soundtrack that I've not been able to get out of my head. Or even just the joy of seeing how it stylishly transitions between menus. But that encapsulates why Persona 5 is a game that shouldn't be missed. It's stuffed to bursting point with gameplay ideas and presentation flourishes--there's an overwhelming level of artistry in every part of Persona 5, making it a truly standout entry in the series. It's a refined, effortlessly stylish RPG that will be talked about for years to come.
Thanks to Cross-Buy, PS4 will have a total of four games, as both of April's Vita games--10 Second Ninja and Curses 'n Chaos--are playable on both systems.
April's freebies will arrive on the PlayStation Store next Tuesday, April 4. You have until then to claim March's games, which include Tearaway Unfolded and Disc Jam.
Director Luc Besson is known for such hits as The Fifth Element and Lucy, and the upcoming Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets looks every bit as spectacular as his other movies. The lavish space epic is due in theaters in July, and a new trailer has arrived. Check it out below:
Based on the acclaimed French comic book series Valérian and Laureline, the film stars Cara Delevigne, Dane DeHaan, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Clive Owen, Rutger Hauer, and Rihanna. The first trailer was released in November.
Shortly before production began in 2015, Besson posted on Facebook about what audiences could expect. "It's a huge sci-fi film," he said. "It's based from a comic book, maybe the most famous one in Europe. I'm a big fan of it since I'm 12 years old.
"Valerian and Laureline are two agents traveling through space and time. I have around 800 days of work ahead of me, plenty of time to be discouraged or feel lonely, so I'm counting on your support. I will try to share my adventure with you as much as I can. So... I go back to work."
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is released on July 27.
Many of the changes center around improving performance of the overall dashboard, as well as providing quicker access to frequently used features. The Home screen now houses a much smaller icon for the game you're currently playing and provides options to jump to related areas, such as its Game Hub. Additionally, the background will now feature artwork from the game, provided you don't have custom background art already set.
The Guide screen has also been refined and is now accessed with a single press of the Xbox button, rather than two. The first tab that's shown allows you to move to the Home screen or access the My Games and Apps section, Xbox Store, recently launched apps, pins, and more. There are also background music controls and an easy way to jump into the GameDVR menu, allowing you to record clips of various lengths (up to five minutes) or start recording a manual clip (lasting up to 10 minutes).
At Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm Spring Summit this past Monday, the iconic developer revealed significant changes to its MOBA game, which are encompassed by its 2.0 update. Among the changes are an overhauled progression system, the addition of loot chests, a bevy of cosmetic items, a tweaked currency system, and a new character named Cassia.
Heroes of the Storm will no longer have level caps after the 2.0 update. Player progression is currently capped at level 40 and individual heroes at level 20. The two systems will be unified in that your player level is the sum of hero levels gained. All previous XP gained will carry over to the update, so those who played beyond the progression caps will be leveled accordingly. Along with removing the ceiling, XP gaps between each level will also be reduced to make for faster, more frequent progression. This is due in large part to the rewards that will be tied to player progress.
Each level gained will yield a loot chest--familiar to those who play Overwatch. The newly implemented loot system for Heroes 2.0 guarantees a basic loot chest, while rare and epic loot chests are rewarded for reaching specific milestones. A chest of a certain rarity is guaranteed to drop at least one item of that rarity, and there's a chance of dropping items of higher rarity. You can expend Gold to reroll loot chests as well. Each chest will contain four items which can consist of playable heroes, portraits, voice lines, and announcer packs. Heroes 2.0 also introduces new types of items, including banners, emojis, and sprays.
Emojis will be part of in-game chat and hero-specific emojis are unlockable. Sprays allow you to tag the battleground, another concept similar to Overwatch. Banners are flags that can be dropped on the battleground. Additionally, you'll be able to organize and package cosmetics into loadouts, so you can enter a match with a specific combination of skins, mounts, banners, and sprays. Each character can have up to three loadouts.
The in-game shop will also be renamed Collection, which will include a crafting mechanic using a new item called Shards. Crafting with Shards is simply another avenue to obtain cosmetic items outside of progressing or real money. While Gold is still used to unlock new heroes, the currency system will include Gems, which will now act as real money. Gems can be obtained with real money or through progression, and players will receive 1000 Gems for hitting level 5.
To go along with all the changes in the 2.0 update is a new Assassin hero named Cassia. The following is a breakdown of her abilities:
Avoidance (Trait) - Grants her 65 physical armor when moving unmounted, meaning she'll take 65 percent less damage against basic attacks.
Lightning Fury (Ability) - A javelin projectile that splits into two bolts that can hit nearby enemies.
Blinding Light (Ability) - An area-of-effect (AoE) ability that blinds enemies in its target area for two seconds. It takes 0.5 seconds to activate. Cassia also deals 15 percent extra damage to blinded enemies.
Fend (Ability) - Cassia charges with a flurry attack that damages targets every 0.25 seconds for 1.5 seconds. Multiple targets can be hit within a small range, but Cassia is immobile for the duration of Fend.
Ball Lightning (Heroic Ability) - A projectile that can bounce around enemies up to six times, dealing damage with every hit.
Valkyrie (Heroic Ability) - Summoning a Valkyrie will pull and damage the first enemy hero hit and stun them for 0.5 seconds. Enemies in the path will be knocked back. This ability takes 0.75 seconds to activate.
Open beta for Heroes of the Storm 2.0 starts today, and it will officially launch at the end of April. Additional content for Heroes 2.0 will be revealed in the coming weeks as well.
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