Do you have any gaming hardware-related questions? Like, do you want to know what might be bottlenecking your system or what PC components you should buy for your next build? Or maybe you're just curious to learn what specific graphical settings do or what certain technical jargon means. Perhaps you just want some PC myths debunked. We're starting a new reader mailbag feature called GameTech Support, where you can ask our GameTech editors anything tech-related to get answers tailored to your specific curiosities.
For your question to be considered, please leave a detailed one in the comments below.
Gamescom has only just wrapped up, and the next big gaming convention is just around the corner. With the Tokyo Game Show just weeks away, Sony has announced the date for its traditional pre-TGS press conference, which is sure to bring some PS4 game news.
As shared on Japan's PlayStation Blog, the event is scheduled for 4 PM JST on Tuesday, September 19. Those in North America, in particular, will likely have to adjust their sleep schedule to follow along live--that translates to 12 AM PT/3 AM ET/8 AM BST on September 19.
Sony didn't provide any indication as to what we can expect from the event. Being tied to TGS and aimed at the Japanese market, not all of the news will necessarily be of interest to those of us residing elsewhere in the world. Past years have brought news about a wide variety of games--everything from Yakuza 6 to Gravity Rush 2 has been announced at this annual press conference.
A livestream of the event will be available on YouTube and through the embed above. We'll also report back with all of the big news as it's announced.
Ark: Survival Evolved has been playable since 2015, but it's been in Early Access for that entire time. Today, it finally launches in full on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, and Studio Wildcard is throwing in some new content to mark the occasion.
Alongside its release, Ark is getting a substantial content update. This includes a full orchestral soundtrack, a new storyline, new end-game content, otters and phoenixes, and the Ragnarok DLC pack. Ragnarok is a free expansion that was built by community modders and adds a huge new island.
Even excluding the delays, the run-up to launch hasn't been exactly smooth for Studio Wildcard. It sparked controversy among fans when it announced that the price of the game was doubling ahead of release; the Early Access version cost only $30. Further, it previously announced that it would wipe competitive multiplayer servers before the full release, although the developer reversed that decision in July.
Beginning October 9, players in the US can visit a participating GameStop store to pick up a free code for Marshadow, making this the only official way to obtain the Mythical Pokemon so far. The dual Fighting/Ghost-type monster will be level 50 and comes equipped with its own unique Z-Crystal, Marshadium Z, which lets it unleash the Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike Z-Move during battle. It also knows the following attacks:
Spectral Thief
Close Combat
Force Palm
Shadow Ball
Like previous distributions, players can get their Marshadow by selecting the Mystery Gift option from the games' menu and choosing to receive the Pokemon "via code/password." After entering the code you received from GameStop, you can pick your Pokemon up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center.
The Marshadow giveaway will run for a much shorter time frame than previous distributions, ending on October 23, so Sun and Moon players will not want to miss their opportunity to add the rare Pokemon to their teams. In the meantime, GameStop is still distributing codes for a battle-ready Salazzle until September 4.
Just as the game's quality flies in the face of that first reaction, if you assume a game is easy just because it stars Mario and Rabbids, you're dead wrong. Mario + Rabbids is a tough game, and you'll need to plan ahead to ensure you bring the right party members, upgrade the best skills, and buy the correct weapons. We have plenty of tips to help you succeed, and we've rounded up all of our guides so far for you below.
Starter Tips
Being a master Mario + Rabbids tactician takes more than just your instincts. " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">13 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting]
Here are some essential tips to increase your chances of success in this Mario and Rabbids crossover. " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">9 Tips to Get You Started]
Characters
Here's an introduction to each of Mario + Rabbids' characters, when you'll find them, and the situations in which they're best used. " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Mario + Rabbids Characters Explained]
It's another packed week of releases for Xbox One. A total of 18 new games are set to arrive on the console this week, with a number of them already available at retail and in the Xbox Store.
Today's batch of releases contains some especially noteworthy titles. Among them is ReCore: Definitive Edition, an enhanced version of last year's action game. Along with improved visuals, the title features new content in the form of new Core bots, dungeons, and more. The most signification addition, however, is Eye of Obsidian, a new adventure that takes players to the Starving Sea, a previously unexplored area of the planet. You can pick up Definitive Edition for $20/£15; those who already own the original ReCore can download an update that adds all of the new content to the title for free.
Ark: Survival Evolved
Also releasing today is the popular Jurassic survival game, Ark: Survival Evolved. The game has been available in Xbox Game Preview for almost two years, but today marks its full release at retail and in the Xbox Store. The game is available in standard and Explorer's Editions, the latter of which includes all current and future expansions. The base game retails for $60/£50, while the Explorer's Edition runs for $100/£75.
Fallout 4 received a new update on PC today that finally adds support for Creation Club, Bethesda's collection of additional content created by developers and community members. Alongside Creation Club, the patch also fixes some bugs and adds a Message of the Day.
In essence, Creation Club is Bethesda's attempt at monetizing new content and mods. Following the paid mods controversy in Skyrim, Bethesda announced this service as a sort of compromise. Bethesda works with top modders in the community to help them start earning money. In an interview with GameSpot at E3 2017, Bethesda marketing VP Pete Hines explained that the company "bring[s modders] in as, now you're a game developer with us, not on a mod."
All content must be created for Creation Club specifically; Bethesda promises on its website that it won't retrofit existing mods to become paid. In addition, this new content must go through Bethesda's QA process and will be compatible with all mods. Pete Hines said on Twitter that Creation Club content is more like "mini DLCs" than mods.
All players will get 100 Credits, Bethesda's digital currency, for free to start out with for Creation Club content; additional Credits can be bought on digital storefronts. It's all pretty confusing, and we'll likely not fully know how it works until it launches on all platforms and creators start releasing content through it. Bethesda itself said today, "It's easier to explain Creation Club by trying it yourself."
Alongside Creation Club, the update also adds a few other features. There's now a Message of the Day in-game, support for the ESL file format, and patch version numbers and notes on the in-game Mod Details page. Further, it fixes a bunch of bugs and improves stability related to turning mods on and off.
The update is currently only available in beta through Steam; you must go into the Steam menus for Fallout 4 and select the beta update manually to install it. Creation Club is also coming to PS4 and Xbox One sometime soon. Further, it's planned to be released for Skyrim: Special Edition on consoles and PC this September.
NBA 2K18 is getting a couple of huge names as commentators. 2K Sports revealed today that former NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett will provide commentary in the game.
It also released a new video that gives one of the best looks yet at NBA 2K18's new and improved gameplay. You can also listen to some of the discussions and analysis that Bryant and Garnett will provide when they're commentating on a game.
According to the developer, the two are just "Guest Commentators," indicating that there'll be a different crew in the booth more frequently. 2K explained that Bryant and Garnett will appear "on a rotating basis," although it's unclear if they'll commentate random games or games that fit a certain criteria. Rotating commentary teams were introduced last year to the 2K series.
NBA 2K18 launches on September 19 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. It'll star Kyrie Irving on the cover, although he'll be in his old Cleveland Cavaliers uniform on the standard version. Later on, 2K will release a version of the game with Irving wearing his new Boston Celtics uniform, assuming his trade to the Celtics goes through.
In an interview with Eurogamer, Brendan "Playerunknown" Greene revealed that the locale will be 8x8 kilometers, the same area as the currently playable map. Bluehole had originally intended to make the area 75% smaller--only 4x4--but changed its plans.
"For 100 players an 8x8 just makes more sense and it gives more flexibility when we move onto custom games and things like that," he said in the interview.
In addition, Greene hinted at some other aspects of the desert map. It won't have nearly as much water as the original map, but it will have a small river--and Greene said that the studio is planning on making some smaller watercraft for use on the river. In addition, although he stopped short of confirming that bicycles are coming to the game, he did say that Bluehole has the tech to create them.
" style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">three more games]
The Xbox One's backwards compatibility feature, introduced in November 2015, lets you play Xbox 360 games on the new console. But what games are available? We've now rounded them all up--and we'll continue to update this post as new games are made available.
Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Lineup (As of August 17, 2017):
New titles are bolded
3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures
A Kingdom for Keflings
A World of Keflings
Aegis Wing
Age of Booty
Alan Wake
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Alice: Madness Returns
Alien Hominid HD
Altered Beast
Anomaly Warzone Earth
Arkanoid Live
Army of Two
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed II
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (added June 27)
Assassin's Creed III
Assassin's Creed Revelations
Assassin's Creed Rogue
Assault Heroes 2
Asteroids & Deluxe
AstroPop
Aqua
Babel Rising
Band of Bugs
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts n Bolts
Banjo Tooie
Banjo Kazooie
Batman: Arkham Origins (disc only -- added August 8)
Battlefield: Bad Company -- added August 17
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Battlefield 3
BattleBlock Theater
Battlestations: Midway
Bayonetta
Beat'n Groovy
Bejeweled 2
Bejeweled 3
Bellator: MMA Onslaught
Beyond Good & Evil HD
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
BioShock
BioShock 2
BioShock Infinite
Bloodforge
Blood Knights
Blood of the Werewolf
BloodRayne: Betrayal
Blue Dragon
Bomberman Live: Battlefest
Boom Boom Rocket
Borderlands
Borderlands 2
Bound by Flame
Braid
Brain Challenge
Bullet Soul
Bullet Soul: Infinite Burst
Bully: Scholarship Edition
Burnout Paradise
Cabela's Alaskan Adventures
Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013
Cabela's Hunting Expeditions
Cabela's Survival: Shadows of Katmai
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Call of Duty: Ghosts (added June 29)
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Juarez Gunslinger
Capcom Arcade Cabinet
Carcassonne
Cars 2
Castle Crashers
Castlestorm
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Catherine
The Cave
Centipede & Millipede
Civilization: Revolution
Clannad
Commanders: Attack of the Genos
Comic Jumper
Comix Zone
Condemned
Contra
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Crazy Taxi
Crystal Quest
Crystal Defenders
Dark Souls
Dark Void
Darksiders
Darksiders II
Daytona USA
de Blob 2
Dead Rising 2: Case West
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero
Dead Space
Dead Space 2
Dead Space 3
Dead Space Ignition
Deadliest Warrior: Legends
Deadliest Warrior: The Game (added August 8)
Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue
Defense Grid
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut
Dig Dug
Dirt 3
Dirt Showdown
Discs of Tron
Disney Bolt (added August 8)
Disney Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (added August 3)
Domino Master
Doom
Doom II
Doom 3: BFG Edition
Doritos Crash Course
Double Dragon: Neon
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon's Lair
DuckTales Remastered
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara
Dungeon Siege III
E4: Every Extend Extra Extreme
Earthworm Jim HD
Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (added July 12)
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Encleverment Experiment
Escape Dead Island
F1 2014 (added July 12)
Fable II
Fable III
Faery: Legends of Avalon
Fallout 3
Fallout: New Vegas
Far Cry 3
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
Feeding Frenzy
Feeding Frenzy 2
Fighting Vipers (added August 8)
Final Fight: Double Impact
Flashback
Flock
Forza Horizon
Fret Nice
Frogger
Frogger 2
FunTown Mahjong
Galaga
Galaga Legions
Galaga Legions DX
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Gatling Gears
Gears of War
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 3
Gears of War: Judgment
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime
Gin Rummy
Golden Axe
Go! Go! Break Steady
Golf: Tee It Up
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grid 2
Gripshift
Guardian Heroes
Gunstar Heroes
Guwange
Gyromancer
Gyruss (added July 25)
Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax
Halo: Reach
Halo: Spartan Assault
Halo Wars
Hard Corps: Uprising
Hardwood Backgammon
Hardwood Hearts
Hardwood Spades
Harms Way
Haunted House
Heavy Weapon
Hexic 2
Hexic HD
Hitman: Absolution
Hydro Thunder
I Am Alive
Ikaruga
Ilomilo
Injustice: Gods Among Us + disc-only Ultimate Edition
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos
Iron Brigade
Jeremy McGrath's Offroad
Jet Set Radio
Jetpac Refuelled
Joe Danger Special Edition
Joe Danger 2: The Movie
Joust
Joy Ride Turbo
Juju
Jurassic Park: The Game
Just Cause 2
Kameo
Kane & Lynch 2
Killer Is Dead
The King of Fighters '98
The King of Fighters 2002
Lazy Raiders
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead 2
Lego Batman
Lego Indiana Jones
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Limbo
Lode Runner
Lost Odyssey
Lumines Live!
Luxor 2
Mad Tracks
Magic: The Gathering 2012
Mars: War Logs
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
Matt Hazard: Blood, Bath, and Beyond
The Maw
Medal of Honor: Airborne
Meet the Robinsons
Mega Man 9
Mega Man 10
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (added August 15)
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug XX
Midway Arcade Origins
Might & Magic Clash of Heroes
Military Madness
Mirror's Edge
Missile Command
Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine
Monday Night Combat
Monkey Island: SE
Monkey Island 2: SE
Moon Diver
Motocross Madness
Ms. Splosion Man
Ms Pac-Man
Mutant Blobs Attack
Mutant Storm Empire
MX vs. ATV Reflex
N+
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
Neogeo Battle Coliseum
Nights Into Dreams
Of Orcs and Men
Omega Five
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Operation Flashpoint: Red River
The Orange Box
Outland
Pac-Man
Pac-Man C.E
Pac-Man CE DX+
Pac-Man Museum
Peggle
Perfect Dark
Perfect Dark Zero
Phantasy Star II
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds
Pinball FX
Planets Under Attack
Plants vs. Zombies
Poker Smash
Portal: Still Alive
Portal 2
Prince of Persia
Pure
Putty Squad
Puzzle Quest
Puzzle Quest 2
Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
QIX++ Puzzlegeddon
Rage
Raiden IV (added July 25)
Raskulls
Rayman 3 HD
Rayman Legends
Rayman Origins
Red Dead Redemption
Red Faction: Armageddon (added July 25)
Red Faction: Battlegrounds
RoboBlitz
Rocket Knight
R-Type Dimensions
Runner 2
Sacred 3
Sacred Citadel
Saints Row IV
Sam & Max: Beyond Time & Space
Sam & Max Save the World
Samurai Shodown II
Scarygirl
Scrap Metal
ScreamRide (added August 15)
Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.
Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World
Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage
Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl (added August 3)
Shadow Assault/Tenchu
Shadow Complex
Shadowrun
Shadows of the Damned
Shank 2
Shinobi
Shred Nebula
Shotest Shogi
Silent Hill: Downpour
Skate 3
Skullgirls
Skydive
Small Arms
Soltrio Solitaire
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic CD
Sonic The Fighters
Sonic The Hedgehog
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II
Soulcalibur
Soulcalibur II
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Space Ark
Space Giraffe
Space Invaders Infinity Gene
Spelunky
The Splatters
Splosion Man
SSX
Stacking
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
Steins; Gate 比翼恋理のだーりん (Japan only)
Steins; Gate (オリジナル版) (Japan only)
Steins; Gate 線形拘束のフェノグラム (Japan-only, requires game disc)
Strania
Street Fighter IV
Stuntman: Ignition
Super Meat Boy
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (added July 13)
Supreme Commander 2
Syberia
Tekken 6
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Texas Hold 'Em
Ticket to Ride
TimeShift
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Tomb Raider: Underworld (added July 27)
Torchlight
Tour de France 2009
Tour de France 2011
Toy Soldiers
Toy Soldiers Cold War
Toy Story 3
Tower Bloxx Deluxe
Trials HD
Trine 2
Tron: Evolution
Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon
Unbound Saga
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
Viva Piñata
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series (added August 29)
The Walking Dead: Season 2 - A Telltale Games Series (added August 29)
The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Miniseries (added August 29)
If there weren't already enough new games to play today--a particularly busy Tuesday for new releases--you now have a new place to play some older titles. Microsoft has announced the addition of three more games to the Xbox One's backwards compatibility list.
Hopefully you're a fan of some combination of Telltale-developed games, zombies, and/or The Walking Dead. All three new backwards-compatible games hail from Telltale's series of episodic zombie games: The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Season Two, and The Walking Dead: Michonne. The latter is a three-episode mini-series that centers around the titular character, while the other two are full, five-episode seasons.
Like other backwards-compatible games, if you have physical Xbox 360 copies, they can be inserted into the Xbox One to play. If you own any of them digitally, they'll automatically show up in your Ready to Download list. Alternatively, you can just buy the games through the Xbox Store. This should help you catch up with the series before its final season arrives next year.
Some players reported seeing an error message that said servers were down when they weren't. There is also a bug where you select "Unlock and Equip" for an item but it only unlocks and does not equip. Additionally, Sledgehammer said it's looking to do some "fine tuning" on the game's audio and hit marker audio, adding that the NPC call outs for enemy positions "need[s] some addressing."
Additionally, Sledgehammer released a list of features and adjustments it hopes to make to Call of Duty: WWII in time for the game's launch in November or later.
Among the changes is increasing the end-match score for Team Deathmatch from 75 to 100, while Domination kills will increase to 100, from 50. Sledgehammer is also planning improvements to the hit feedback system, covering "better audio and more obvious headshot indicator." Plans are also in place to add a color blind option and introduce a bumper jumper controller configuration.
Note that these proposed changes are not final, so things could change. Sledgehammer also teased that there could be "more updates and perhaps a few surprises" coming.
The second weekend of the Call of Duty: WWII beta begins on September 1, and this time it'll be available on PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One.
It has come to our attention that some users are seeing an incorrect error message saying servers are down when they are not.
We have identified a rare bug where users are seeing a false message about players being kicked from their parties. We have identified and fixed the issue.
We are aware of a bug that prompts you to "Unlock and Equip" an item, but it only unlocks the item and does not equip. We are working on fixing this. (It's annoying to us too.)
Some of the battle chatter and hit marker audio still requires some fine tuning. Specifically, the NPC call outs of enemy positions need some addressing.
There is a bug that is causing some party members to lose connection with the lobby host.
Features And Adjustments To Be Made For For Launch Or Later:
Adjusting Dom kills to 100pts, from 50.
Increasing TDM end match score to 100.
Hit feedback improvements, including better audio and more obvious headshot indicator
Reducing Molotov to x1 per Scorestreak.
Sprint out to ADS time refinement.
Incendiary Shells as default off, and perhaps need to be nerfed.
Marvel has also released some details of the new characters. They include Daniel Webber as Lewis Walcott, "a young veteran who has had a difficult time re-assimilating into Civilian Society," Jason R. Moore as Curtis Hoyle, "a friend of Frank Castle's and one of the few people who knows he is alive," and Paul Schulze as Rawlins, "a high-ranking member of the CIA whose operations in Afghanistan intersect with Frank Castle."
In addition, the titles of the upcoming first season's episodes might have been released. The official Punisher twitter feed posted a series of cryptic messages in morse code. Entertainment Weekly has decoded the 13 messages and they certainly look like episode titles. They are:
3 AM
Two Dead Men
Kandahar
Resupply
Gunner
The Judas Goat
Crosshairs
Cold Steel
Front Toward Enemy
Virtue of the Vicious
Danger Close
Home
Memento Mori
The Punisher stars Jon Bernthal as vigilante anti-hero Frank Castle. Bernthal first played the role in Season 2 of Daredevil, and he will be joined by his Daredevil co-star Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page. Although the show doesn't yet have a confirmed release date, it is expected to hit Netflix later in 2017.
Update: Miiverse's closure won't just be limited to Japan. Nintendo has announced the social networking service will shut down across all platforms worldwide on November 7 at 10 PM PT (1 AM ET/6 AM BST on November 8). This will remove access to all Miiverse functionality, including messaging and creating posts, as well as any in-game Miiverse-related features. For a limited time, Nintendo will allow Miiverse users to download copies of their posts; the process for doing so is outlined here.
Original Story: One of Nintendo's ageing Wii U and 3DS online services, Miiverse, is going offline soon. Nintendo has announced that the service will be taken offline on November 8 in Japan at 3 PM in Japan. There is no word on if the shutdown also applies to other regions.
Update: After going live earlier in Europe and Australia, the Knack 2 demo is now available on US PSN, too. Check it out for yourself here. Original story follows.
PlayStation 4 exclusive Knack 2 has a free demo that's live now on the PlayStation Store--but only in Europe and Australia. No such trial is available on US PSN, and it's unclear if one will arrive in the region before the game's release date next week. The demo comes in at 2.6 GB, and you can download it for yourself here.
The original Knack wasn't critically acclaimed, but designer Mark Cerny said in 2014 that he believes there was still a lot of room to work in the Knack world. When asked if there would ever be a sequel, he responded, "I would love to keep working with the [Knack] brand, definitely. There's a lot unexplored there, I think anybody who played the game would tell you that." Knack was still in the top 20 games sold on US PSN as recently as this year.
We didn't hugely enjoy the original here at GameSpot. Critic Tom McShea said "there's not one element of Knack ... to excite you," and he awarded it a 4/10. You can read more in our full Knack review.
Grand Theft Auto V continues to grow bigger. Rockstar today released the Smuggler's Run update, the latest major expansion for GTA Online, and it packs in quite a lot.
As the name suggests, new smuggling operations are a big part of what's new. You can launch missions out of the new, customizable hangar properties that can be purchased. These come with a free Cuban 800 plane and can house living quarters, an aircraft workshop, office, and show floor (where you can even display Pegasus vehicles you own). Nervous Ron will assist players who jump into the Free Trade Shipping Co. app in-game to launch smuggling missions.
Seven new aircraft have been added and can be customized to have better engines and handling, countermeasures, liveries, different weapons and bombs, and more. This is all done out of your hangar's aircraft workshop. A full list of the new aircraft follows at the bottom of this post. Aircraft aren't the only new vehicles, as there are now two more cars: the Vapid Retinue and Grotti Visione. A variety of new apparel and tattoo options are also for sale.
Also added is Motor Wars, an Adversary mode that mixes elements of Drop Zone and Penned In. As many as four teams parachute into a location that is constantly shrinking, and they're tasked with finding a weaponized vehicle and taking out the other teams.
Finally, the latest weekly bonuses and discounts have been launched. Logging in between now and September 4 will net you three free t-shirts. During that time, you'll also be eligible for a 25% discount on the following vehicles:
Anti-Aircraft Trailer
Karin Technical
HVY Insurgent Pick-Up
Armored Boxville
BF Raptor
Additionally, the Premium Race during that time is Gauntlet, with only Super-class vehicles available; this pays out big GTA$ rewards to the top three finishers, while everyone gets triple RP. The Time Trial is Casino, and it pays out significant rewards to anyone who beats out the target time.
Buckingham Alpha-Z1: A speedster's dream and a smuggler's preferred getaway racer. Engine: four cylinder, fixed pitch. Wing area: 66 square feet. Top Speed: routinely fatal. Available from Elitás Travel.
LF-22 Starling: One moment you're on the runway, slowly inching into position, wondering what all the fuss is about. The next, you're 220 feet in the air and rising, a shrieking human speck on the front end of a blazing rocket trail headed straight for the stratosphere. The LF-22 Starling packs mounted rockets, optional homing missiles, and bombs for extra punch. Available from Warstock Cache & Carry.
Mammoth Tula: Remember the kid who always had a multi-tool with him? Remember how popular he was? Well, if he had survived high school, there's only one set of keys he would have in his fanny pack: the Tula is a quad-prop monster with VTOL and water-landing capabilities, space for turrets and a bomb bay, and the capacity for JATO upgrades. Be prepared. Available from Warstock Cache & Carry.
Nagasaki Havok: In the world of tactical air support, bigger is better, right? Wrong. Incredibly small and highly maneuverable, if the Havok was any smaller you'd have to stay on the ground and use a phone app to fly it. Throw the option for a machine-gun upgrade and decoy flares, and you're going into any negotiations with a serious edge. Available from Elitás Travel.
Nagasaki Ultralight: What red-blooded American hasn't gazed at an eagle as it soars through an empty sky, refined by millions of years of evolution into the epitome of aerial dexterity and lethal precision and wondered: what could be more dignified, more transcendent? Well, now you know. Available from Elitás Travel.
V-65 Molotok: The poster child for brutalist military chic, the V-65 Molotok has been reproduced in juntas and dictatorships right across the developing world, and that's not just because of the lethal efficiency of its twin nose-mounted machine guns. It's because when you look this merciless, the battle's won before you've even taken off. Available from Warstock Cache & Carry.
Western Rogue: To the casual observer, the Rogue looks like a classic, single-prop training aircraft. And that's exactly what you want them to think. Because with room for machine guns, missiles, anti-intercept countermeasures, and a full-size bomb bay, you'll have those casual observers running for any available cover. Available from Warstock Cache & Carry.
The second Yakuza game of the year arrives today for PlayStation 4. Coming eight months after the release of Yakuza 0 (and well over a year after it first launched in Japan), Kiwami is a remake of the very first Yakuza, which originally debuted on PS2 back in 2005. This new version features a number of improvements over the original, including re-recorded dialogue, updated visuals, and other touches to help modernize the classic title.
Are these changes enough to make Yakuza Kiwami worth a look? GameSpot critic Peter Brown thinks so, calling the game "a faithful adaptation where it counts" and the "perfect starting point for newcomers" in our Yakuza Kiwami review. We've collected a sample of other Kiwami reviews and their scores below. For a wider look at the game's critical reception, be sure to visit GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: Yakuza Kiwami
Developer: Sega
Platform: PlayStation 4
Release: August 29
Price: US $30 / £30 / AU $63
GameSpot -- 8/10
"Kiwami does a great job as both a remake of the original Yakuza game and as a sequel to Zero. Despite that combat remains more of a bump in the road than a rewarding pursuit, it's a no-brainer for existing fans of the series, and shouldn't be overlooked by newcomers, even if Zero passed them by. There's nothing else quite like Yakuza, and Kiwami isn't afraid to show it." -- Peter Brown " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Polygon -- 7/10
"Yakuza Kiwami makes it clear just how far the series has come, and just how far it still has to go. It's keenly designed to bring newly minted Yakuza fans more firmly into the fold by providing all the contemporary comforts they might expect, while also giving longtime fans more to chew on than a shot-for-shot remake ever would have. It's a patchwork, for better and for worse, and as much as I enjoyed my time with it, there's no denying that some of those patches are looking more tired than others." -- Janine Hawkins " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
US Gamer -- 4/5
"Sega remastered the original Yakuza in high style. Using an updated engine, the team behind the series added new character models, re-recorded voice acting, and an expanded city of Kamurocho, all in 1080p at 60 FPS. Yakuza Kiwami bleeds love for the original game. If you haven't played any Yakuza, this is the release to get. If you have, this is a great remaster of a former cult-favorite. It's not as full-featured as current Yakuza releases, but it's still a great time." -- Mike Williams " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Game Informer -- 8.5/10
"I had a lot of fun with Yakuza Kiwami, but it occupies a strange place. I commend Sega for the extra lengths it took with the remake--including replacing the Western actors from the original release with all-new dialogue from the Japanese actors--but feels like a relic at times. The game's overall scale is still impressively large, but there's only one main area to explore. Visiting the first entry, enhanced as it is, certainly gave me a greater appreciation for the strides that the series made later. That's probably not what Sega was hoping for here, but it's unavoidable considering the close proximity to Yakuza 0's release." -- Jeff Cork " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Destructoid -- 8/10
"Really, you can't go wrong with Kiwami. I would have liked it if every aspect of the game had been fully redone, but we don't see remakes like this come along often. I can deal with a few stumbling blocks when the core quality of what makes Yakuza so unique and engaging remains untouched. At least now more people can have a chance to experience this classic, which is the best thing about Kiwami's existence." -- Peter Glagowski " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Eurogamer
"Coming so soon after Zero, it's perhaps inevitable that Kiwami feels like a slight downgrade, even if, all things considered, it's superior to the original. Those who only discovered the series for the first time this year should find the chance to catch up with Kiryu and Kamurocho hard to pass up. As for Yakuza veterans, it's a fascinating comparison piece, not least for the opportunity to experience the story in its native language. As good as Mark Hamill was as Majima in the western version of the PS2 original--a particularly fitting piece of casting, since he does feel like the anarchic, garrulous Joker to Kiryu's stoic, taciturn Batman--a game so steeped in Japanese culture definitely feels better subbed than dubbed." -- Chris Schilling " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Mario is certainly no stranger to bizarre crossovers; after all, Nintendo's iconic plumber has competed against his one-time rival Sonic the Hedgehog in more Olympic sports by now than most trained athletes. However, none of his previous collaborations have raised eyebrows quite like Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, his joint adventure with Ubisoft's Rabbids. Fans were bewildered, to put it politely, when the first piece of concept art of the rumored collaboration leaked online, which showed Mario and friends wielding gun-like weapons and accompanied by four bug-eyed Rabbids dressed like the Mushroom Kingdom heroes.
Despite this rather poor first impression, however, the game managed to defy all expectations when it was officially unveiled at E3 2017 this past June. We were pleasantly surprised by its depth and challenge when we recently got to go hands-on with with the strategy RPG, and that level of polish is just as apparent in the final build. In GameSpot's Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle review, critic Edmond Tran said the game "triumphs in creating a magical game world that is undeniably delightful" and called it "a consistent delight."
Reviews of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle have begun cropping up online, and it appears other critics are just as taken with the game. We've collected a sample of other Mario + Rabbids reviews below. For a broader look at the game's critical reception, be sure to check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.
Game: Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Developer: Ubisoft Paris, Ubisoft Milan
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release: August 29
Price: US $60 / £45 / AU $90
GameSpot -- 9/10
"Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle exudes off-beat optimism that never dissolves. It's a consistent delight, no matter how challenging the road becomes, because Kingdom Battle's unique turn-based tactics system is in every way a pleasure to engage with. Coupled with the annoyingly infectious allure of Rabbids, and the always delightful, colorful world of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is an implausibly engrossing formula that is positively challenging and endlessly charming." -- Edmond Tran " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Eurogamer -- Recommended
"On first sight of that leaked artwork, with Mario frowning and pointing his shark-nosed blaster into the camera, many wondered why Nintendo would ever have said yes to the pitch for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. It seems like such a risk. Even setting the guns and the wobbly tone aside, the Rabbids are not Sonic, and XCOM is not the Olympics. The game's director Davide Soliani says that Rabbid Peach just made Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto laugh, and it's true that character embodies a winningly silly sense of fun that permeates the game and is hard to resist. But Miyamoto will also have seen a game put together with great imagination, wit and prudence that makes its chosen genre easier to get along with while also refreshing it; that is at once simple and sophisticated; that fits clean and clever concepts together until they add up to a great deal more than the sum of their parts. And that man knows a beautifully designed video game when he sees one." -- Oli Welsh " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
IGN -- 7.7/10
"Based on its colorful world, beautiful animation, and source material you might expect Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle to be 'My first turn-based tactics game.' But you're in for a surprise: even for XCOM vets some of its battles are challenging puzzles. Some of its tougher levels do devolve into a trial-and-error slog, but a good mix of enemies, objectives, and character abilities keep things interesting." -- Dan Stapleton " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Polygon -- 8/10
"Mario + Rabbids manages to walk a narrow road, offering up a legitimately challenging squad tactics experience without alienating the family friendly Mario audience. While it doesn't quite have the full layer of spit and polish of an in-house title, Ubisoft comes damn close to capturing that Nintendo magic." -- Russ Frushtick " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
US Gamer -- 4.5/5
"Mario + Rabbids is not a concept that I expected to get this much love. This is a legitimately great strategy experience, tailored toward the sensibilities of Nintendo and the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch. It's a charming adventure for Mario, and the Rabbids don't get in the way, even if they don't necessarily add much either. In the same way that the original Super Mario RPG showed Square Enix using Nintendo's property to create some magic, Mario + Rabbids delivers something close from Ubisoft. If you're up for the challenge, pick up Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. It's worth it and I'm glad it exists." -- Mike Williams " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
Game Informer -- 8.5/10
"I was as skeptical as anyone when I heard the words 'Mario' and 'XCOM' uttered in the same sentence, but Kingdom Battle didn't just prove me wrong--it ended up being my favorite Mario game in recent years. Nintendo and Ubisoft took a big risk working together outside their comfort zones, and that risk paid off." -- Jeff Marchiafava " style="word-wrap: break-word;-ms-text-size-adjust: 100%;-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;color: #6DC6DD;font-weight: normal;text-decoration: underline;">Full review]
The Marvel sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp is currently in production, and is set to hit theaters next July. As the title suggests, Wasp actress Evangeline Lilly will play a bigger role than she did in 2015's Ant-Man, alongside co-star Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man himself. Lilly has now revealed the first image of her in costume, tweeted to celebrate the anniversary of comic book legend Jack Kirby's birth. Check it out below:
In addition to Rudd and Lilly, Michael Douglas returns as scientist (and Wasp's dad) Hank Pym, while Michael Peña (The Martian, Fury) is back as Lang's criminal pal Luis. New cast members include Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, and Randall Park (The Interview, Trainwreck) as SHIELD agent Jimmy Woo.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is directed by Peyton Reed, who previously helmed the first film. Reed took over from Edgar Wright, who had worked on the movie for many years but left shortly before production began. Wright recently revealed that he has never seen the final film.
In an interview with Modern Myth Media last year, Reed spoke about his plans for the sequel. "For me, as a comic nerd, I have always thought of Ant-Man and Wasp as a team," he said. "That's a lot of what the second movie is really about--how they work together, and what their personal and professional relationships are like.
"To show her finally fully formed in this movie is really exciting. We really get to introduce this character into that universe. To me she's not a supporting character in this movie. It's every bit as much her movie as it is Scott Lang's."
Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters on July 6, 2018.
Mario's scaredy-cat little brother, Luigi is a long-range attacker in Kingdom Battle. He has a Precision gun that has the longest range of any other in the game, and when you upgrade it, the weapon becomes even more powerful. One of the downsides to Luigi in Kingdom Battle is that he has the smallest health pool of any character.
"Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle exudes off-beat optimism that never dissolves," reviewer Edmond Tran said. "It's a consistent delight, no matter how challenging the road becomes, because Kingdom Battle's unique turn-based tactics system is in every way a pleasure to engage with.
"Coupled with the annoyingly infectious allure of Rabbids, and the always delightful, colorful world of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is an implausibly engrossing formula that is positively challenging and endlessly charming."
One of Adult Swim's signatures are the bumpers that are scattered between shows and commercials--the black screens with text that feature jokes and remarks on a wide variety of subjects. Last night's episode of Rick and Morty was punctuated by one that took a shot at Game of Thrones--and those behind the animated show have already clarified that they weren't responsible.
As pictured below, the bumper doesn't beat around the bush. "The Writing Game of Thrones [2011-2016]," it reads. It's a harmless enough joke, if one that feels like it's a bit out of nowhere. But it apparently doesn't reflect the feelings of the team behind Rick and Morty, despite being displayed immediately after the show.
"We had nothing to do with that game of thrones bumper after last night's ep," a tweet today from the official Rick and Morty account reads. "We hadn't seen it, that was all @adultswim. We [heart] Thrones."
Skrein, the English actor best known for his role as Deadpool bad guy Ajax (as well as the original version of Daario on Game of Thrones) was recently revealed to be playing Hellboy's Major Ben Daimio. This caused some controversy, as the character is of mixed Asian heritage, which Skrein said he did not know. In light of this, he's decided to step down from the role. Skrein shared the news in a message posted on Twitter, saying, "I must do what I feel is right."
"It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the arts," he wrote. "I feel it is important to honour and respect that."
PC players have to wait until October to get their hands on the full release of Destiny 2, but thankfully the game's PC beta test starts today for some. If you've pre-ordered the game, you can try it out in the beta now.
Bungie has already said, however, that some players are running into errors while trying to access the game. The studio is actively working on resolving those issues.
It's available for download through the Battle.net app, although you'll first have to redeem your pre-order code on Bungie's website. If you don't have a code, the beta goes live for everyone tomorrow, August 29.
Content-wise, Destiny 2's PC beta is very similar to the console beta that took place back in July. Players can try out the first story mission, the Inverted Spire Strike mission, and the Countdown and Control competitive multiplayer modes. The only difference is that PC players will get to try out a new multiplayer map.
In its debut week, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy has finally taken the UK chart's top spot from Crash Bandicoot's N. Sane Trilogy. The action-adventure game becomes the sixth PlayStation exclusive to debut at No.1 this year, according to sales monitor Chart-Track. Crash had been on top for five weeks running and seven weeks in total.
Two more new titles manage a top five finish in the week ending August 26, with F1 2017 debuting at No.2 and Madden NFL 18 arriving at No.4. Between those is the aforementioned Crash remaster trilogy at No.3, while the week's only other new release--The Escapists 2--comes in at No.12.
The latest Uncharted adventure launched last week to critical acclaim. Our critic, Peter Brown, said the game "presents an opportunity to show the series from new perspectives," and grows into a "more nuanced, clever experience, ranking among the best in the series." Read more in our full Uncharted: Lost Legacy review.
We also enjoyed the week's other new arrivals; we awarded F1 2017 and Madden NFL 18 a 9/10 each. Check out those reviews here:
You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Starting off, the game received its M rating for containing "Blood and Gore, Mature Humor, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence."
The rating summary starts with the mundane, like a description of the turn-based gameplay and how you play as a new kid in town on an adventure. The summary then transitions to the extreme, beginning with explanations of dismemberment and decapitation. This being a South Park game, there will also racial humor and sexual material, though of course in a "cartoony" way, the summary says.
"Characters are depicted urinating and defecating; one extended sequence (in a strip club) depicts a character performing a lap dance while emitting flatulence; one scene depicts a towel character performing an obscured sex act on a man in an alley; another scene shows a man watching security monitors and repeatedly reaching for lubrication behind his desk--all sequences are depicted in a cartoony and over-the-top manner.
"Characters are sometimes depicted nude (e.g,, breasts, buttocks, male genitalia). During the course of the game, players can observe characters snorting lines of cocaine, and in one level, players must complete a quest to bring a marijuana prescription to a character. The words "f**k," "c*nt," and "sh*t," and racial epithets (e.g., "n**ga," "sp*ok") are heard in the dialogue."
In the video below, the host fires pistols like the P1911 and P92, as well as the Kar98k rifle, which are versions of guns from Battlegrounds. He fires them at a cast iron frying pan, with a watermelon placed behind it to see what would happen. We won't spoil all the results for you, but you can probably imagine that PUBG the game is not exactly necessarily accurate to what might happen in real life.
If you're thinking about subscribing to PlayStation Now, you can be sure there is a huge catalog of titles to check out. There are more than 500 titles in the streaming catalog.
Nintendo today announced a Fire Emblem Warriors special edition version for the anticipated Nintendo Switch and 3DS game. In addition to the game, the premium package ($80) comes with three music CDs and 25 character art cards on 5x7 card stock, and a slip case to hold them. The package also has a two-sided poster in it featuring the game's characters, depicting the first games in the series in which they appeared.
One side is in English and the other in Japanese. You can see the contents of the special edition in the image below.
The Special Edition launches on October 20 for $80. That's the same day that the standard edition of Fire Emblem Warriors comes to Nintendo Switch and 3DS.
The Special Edition had already been announced for Europe. Today's announcement for North America came at that GameStop Expo, which is also where the Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon Dual Pack was announced.
Members of the metal/hard/rock/whatever you want to call them band Mastodon have a long history with the show Game of Thrones, as members of the band have appeared in a handful of episodes over the years. This continued on the Season 7 finale last night, with guitarist/singer Brent Hinds and guitarist Bill Kelliher playing White Walkers again.
Hinds broke his leg in a motorcycle accident last year, and he filmed his Game of Thrones cameo before it healed. His broken leg affected the way he walked, making him stagger like a zombie, apparently. The Game of Thrones producers liked this, Hinds said, and even gave his character a close-up.
Mastodon wrote an original song, "White Walker," for the Game of Thrones mixtape Catch the Throne Vol. 2. Their connection to the show runs deeper still, as Game of Thrones co-creator D.B. Weiss is apparently a big fan of the group.
Mastodon fans may also be happy to learn that the group has confirmed rumors and announced a new EP called Cold Dark Place. It's out on September 22, and it includes four tracks, three of which, "North Side Star," "Blue Walsh," and "Cold Dark Place," are from Once More 'Round the Sun recording sessions. The fourth, "Toe to Toes," came out of the Emperor of Sand sessions with legendary producer Brendan O'Brien.
Ubisoft is making some big changes to Rainbow Six Siege's map rotation for the game's Ranked and Casual playlists. Starting with the Ranked changes, Ubisoft is reducing the number of maps in the mix, bringing it down to nine.
The nine maps--Bank, Clubhouse, Oregon, Kafe, Consulate, Chalet, Border, Coastline, and Skyscraper--are the same ones used in the Rainbow Six Siege's Pro League.
"Moving forward, we will introduce the new Ranked and ESL Pro League playlists at the same time we perform the rank reset--and all of that will occur at the start of the new season," Ubisoft explained. "The Ranked playlist, much like the ESL playlist, will be rotated each Season, offering a different selection of available maps."
As for the Casual changes, the number of maps in the playlist is dropping to 15. Ubisoft is doing this with the aim of helping players learn the maps faster. "We have identified the steep learning curve that our new players face in terms of map knowledge, and this is one of the ways that we plan to address it," Ubisoft said.
Some of the maps that are taken out of rotation--but not all of them--are going to be reworked by Ubisoft's level design team. It might be a while before some of the removed maps return, if they ever do, as Ubisoft said "some of them will be over the course of the years to come."
Sometime after the current Season 3 of Siege, Ubisoft will completely remove some maps in part because the game is closing in on the data size allowance.
The 15 maps that will be available once the change is made include Bank, Clubhouse, Oregon, Kafe, Consulate, Chalet, Border, Coastline, Skyscraper, Kanal, Hereford, University, House, Plane, and Theme Park.
The maps that were removed from Ranked and Casual are still playable in custom games, so they are not lost entirely.
Another announcement that Ubisoft made about maps today is that the "Map Preference" system, which lets teams choose maps, is going to be deactivated for all PvP modes, though it'll stay online for Terrorist Hunt. There is no word yet on when the Map Preference system may come back for PvP, but Ubisoft teased that it is "exploring some alternative implementations we believe can improve the experience."
These changes are presumably coming to Siege as part of the much-anticipated free Blood Orchid 3.0 update. This also adds a new map and Operators--and a lot more.
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