In one of the most shocking moments in recent comic book history, writer Brian Michael Bendis--a staple at Marvel Comics for years--is headed to DC Comics, signing an exclusive deal with the publisher. The mind behind Ultimate Spider-Man, House of H, Secret Invasion, Powers, and Spider-Men--some of the best comics at Marvel over the past decade, will be working with a whole new batch of characters in the coming years.
Brian Michael Bendis in Image Comics' Nailbiter
DC announced the news (via Twitter): "We are beyond thrilled to welcome Brian Michael Bendis exclusively to the DC family with a multiyear, multi-faceted deal. He's one of the premier writers in the industry having created so many unforgettable stories wherever he's been, and we can't wait to see what he has planned for the DC Universe."
Bendis retweeted the statement, adding "This is real. I love you all. Change is good. Change is healthy. I am bursting with ideas and inspirations. Details to come!"
This won't be the first time Bendis has written at DC. Back in 2000, he wrote a story for Batman Chronicles #21 called "Citizen Wayne," where Clark Kent tries to learn Bruce Wayne's darkest secrets. However, Bendis has never had a full-time gig at DC until now, so the doors are wide open for him to take on old characters and create some new ones.
While non-comic book readers may not be familiar with him, they will know some of the characters he's created. Bendis is credited with creating Jessica Jones, who has her own Netflix series; Quake, who is one of the main characters on Agents of SHIELD; Maria Hill, who has appeared in numerous Marvel movies; and Ganke; who Spider-Man Homecoming's Ned Leeds is based on, whether or not Sony and Marvel would like to admit it.
As of now, there is no information as to what Bendis will be working on at DC first, and the writer still has comics finishing up at Marvel, like the mini-series Spider-Men II.
It's a big week for Xbox, as the Xbox One X launches today, and with it comes a new round of Deals with Gold, offering up to 85 percent off certain games. This week's deals include one that is enhanced for the Xbox One X. Quantum Break is a time-bending action game game that recently received an update that introduces Xbox One X enhancements. For a limited time, it's half off at $20 for Xbox Live Gold members.
If you're looking to get a racing game fix, Forza Motorsport 6 and the Forza Horizon 2 bundle are 50 percent off, among others. You can also pick up Homefront: The Revolution for just $12, and tons of its DLC content is also half off in this week's Spotlight sale.
Like Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro before it, the Xbox One X represents a mid-generational upgrade that offers a significant boost in performance over its predecessor. Microsoft says the console will allow developers to render games natively at 4K, offer high-dynamic range for more accurate colors, improve load times, and bolster framerates. While we encountered issues with some of these enhancements, the Xbox One X has the potential to really soar when its power is leveraged effectively.
The Xbox One X retails for $500 / £449 / AU $649. For that, you get the console, a 60-inch long power cable, a six-foot high-speed HDMI cable (needed for 4K HDR), Xbox One controller, two AA batteries, a 14-day free trial for Xbox Live Gold, and a one-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass.
Design
The console measures 30 x 24 x 6 cm (11.8 x 9.5 x 2.4 inches), which technically makes it the smallest Xbox console yet. This is really impressive when you consider the fact that it has an integrated power supply unit, like the Xbox One S before it. This means that you don't have to deal with an obnoxiously large external power brick like with the original Xbox One. Despite its small size, however, it's the heaviest Xbox One at 8.4 pounds.
Aesthetically, it looks a lot like a matte black Xbox One S. Like the S before it, it has a physical power button, which strays away from the original Xbox One's capacitive touch equivalent. This is a welcome tweak considering it was often prone to accidental shutoffs. The front of the console also sports a 4K HDR Blu-Ray drive, one USB 3.0 port, and a controller pairing button. The ports on the back remain identical to the S; from left to right it offers: HDMI out, HDMI in, two USB 3.0 ports, IR out, S/PDIF, and Ethernet. The X is backwards compatible with the existing Xbox One accessories, though you'll need a Kinect dongle if you want to use Microsoft's recently discontinued camera system.
Overall, the design is simple and clean. It has plenty of ventilation through the back and when you couple this with its compact size, you get a sense that Microsoft prioritized function over a flashy design here. Luckily, it still has an unassuming aesthetic that should fit right in with most personal entertainment centers.
Specs
CPU: x86-64 2.3GHz 8-core AMD custom CPU
GPU: 6 TFLOPS, AMD Radeon-based graphics clocked at 1172MHz with 40 compute units
Memory: 12GB GDDR5
Storage size: 1TB HDD
External dimensions: 30x24x6 cm/11.8x9.4x2.3 in
Weight: 8.4 lbs/3.8 kg
Optical drive: 4K UHD Blu-ray
Input/Output: Power, HDMI 2.0b out, HDMI 1.4b in, three USB 3.0 ports, IR out, S/PDIF, gigabit Ethernet
Networking: IEEE 802.11ac dual band (5GHz and 2.4Ghz), 2x2 wireless Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi Direct
Power consumption: 245W
Underneath the hood, there's been a lot of talk about the Scorpio Engine fueling the system. At the heart of it is AMD's x86-based 2.3GHz 8-core CPU, which is clocked 550MHz faster than the original Xbox One's octa-core equivalent.
Arguably bigger gains come from the integrated graphics processor, which uses a custom AMD Radeon-based solution that features 40 compute units clocked at 1172MHz. This provides six teraflops of graphics performance, which is over 4.5 times that of the original Xbox One and over 1.4 times that of the PS4 Pro, its nearest console competitor. This gives it enough horsepower to run certain games at 4K (2160p) with high-dynamic range colors enabled.
The Scorpio Engine is cooled via a vapor chamber cooler, which houses a small amount of water that evaporates into steam when it gets too hot. It then reverts back to liquid when the system cools back down. You typically only see vapor chambers in high-end graphics cards, but they've been known to work effectively, and it's nice to see Microsoft implement it here.
While the original Xbox One and PS4 Pro both use 8GB of shared memory across their respective CPUs and GPUs, the Xbox One X features 12GB of GDDR5 RAM that's capable of delivering 326GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is unprecedented for a console. Microsoft says that games will be able to leverage up to 9GB of it, with the rest going to operating system-related tasks.
While we would have preferred an SSD, Microsoft says that the Xbox One X's 1TB hard drive is 50 percent faster than the original's 5,400rpm solution; though we weren't able to validate this claim in our testing, which we'll discuss below. Like the original Xbox One before it, the X supports external USB drives for added storage.
Graphical Enhancements
The main reason to get excited about the Xbox One X is for the prospect of graphical enhancements. Rather than dictate a certain set of graphical targets for developers to hit, Microsoft lets developers use the console's extra processing power as they see fit. Games that are tuned to take advantage of the Xbox One X will carry an "Xbox One X Enhanced" label.
From what we've seen so far, many developers are opting to render games at 4K, which is four times the 1080p resolution of the vanilla Xbox One. Some are also adding HDR support to provide a wider color gamut and higher contrast ratio between white and black levels.
While the Xbox One X is geared towards users with 4K HDR displays, traditional 1080p TVs aren't entirely left in the dust as some developers may choose to use the extra processing power to improve lighting or to add dynamic shadows. Some games will also run more smoothly on the X. Standard HDTVs will also get supersampling, which renders games at higher resolutions and then down samples or "shrinks" them to a lower resolution display. This acts as an effective form of anti-aliasing that reduces undesirable jaggy effects.
While only Xbox One X-enhanced games will reap some of the aforementioned graphical tweaks, Microsoft says that the Xbox One X has tweaks at the hardware level to implement anisotropic filtering to every game in existence. This can help textures off in the distance look clearer.
Visual Analysis
To analyze the visual enhancements that the Xbox One X offers, I compared it against the original Xbox One, a high-end gaming PC, and Sony's PlayStation 4 Pro with multiple copies of games whenever possible.
I hooked up all the systems to the same TV: a 55-inch 4K HDR Samsung UN55KS8000 and then swapped between the HDMI inputs to conduct visual A/B tests. Because the Xbox One X can also bolster 1080p graphics, I also connected both systems to a 55-inch 1080p TV and similarly analyzed the visual differences there.
While a wide variety of Xbox One X-enhanced games are on the way, unfortunately, at the time of this writing, only a handful of games were patched to take advantage of the new hardware. The available games that we tested include Gears of War 4, Killer Instinct, Super Lucky's Tale, FIFA 18, Rush: A Disney-Pixar Adventure, and Disneyland Adventures. You can expect us to do more graphics comparisons in the future as the Xbox One X enhancement patches are released.
Gears of War 4
Testing the third-person shooter on the 4K HDR TV, the resolution bump is immediately apparent from the initial menu screen, which showcases a real-time rendering of protagonist JD Fenix's face. With the Xbox One X, the pores on his cheeks provide a real sense of depth, almost like you could fall into them...if you were tiny enough. On the original Xbox One, they comparatively look more like fuzzy dust particles.
You really get much better detail overall with less jagged aliasing issues running on the X. This is especially evident around characters' hair or distant items with straight lines. Overall, it amounts to a cleaner, sharper image.
Gears of War 4 also sports arguably the best implementation of HDR we've seen in a game yet. The high-dynamic range allows colors to appear more realistic. The original Xbox One looks much more washed out and muted in comparison. The X's high-contrast implementation also provides really dark black levels, which, again, contributes to a more realistic image that pulls you into the scene.
In terms of pure image fidelity, it surprisingly looked better than our high-end gaming PC equipped with a GTX 1080 running the game maxed out, as it offered extra dynamic shadows that don't seem to be available on the PC. Unfortunately, the game doesn't run at 60 FPS here on the Xbox One X, so a high-end PC will be able to beat it in terms of framerate.
Fortunately, Gears of War 4 also offers a performance mode that eschews the native 4K rendering in favor of a smoother experience. Here, it looks visually closer to its orignal Xbox One counterpart, but often felt like it was running at 60 FPS.
Hooking everything up to the 1080p TV, the Xbox One X does a good job making the display punch above its standard HD resolution. While there are still some jaggies, supersampling effects provide a very potent form of anti-aliasing. While the difference between the Xbox One X and the original Xbox One isn't as prominent on a standard HDTV, the overall image still looks noticeably clearer with less noise. The Xbox One X can effectively make your 1080p TV look as good as it possibly can.
Super Lucky's Tale
When it comes to Playful's platformer, there's much less to analyze. Super Lucky's Tale supports 4K 60FPS with the Xbox One X and 1080p 30 FPS on the original Xbox.
Whether playing on the 4K TV or 1080p display, the frame rate increase with the X is noticeably smoother. The game looks very crisp running on the 4K TV with the Xbox One X. When hooked up to the 1080p TV, the X's supersampling does make it look slightly sharper than its Xbox One counterpart, but it's not super prominent unless you're really looking for it up close.
Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct already runs at a locked 60 FPS on the original Xbox One. The X simply bumps up the resolution to 4K, which mitigates most of the jaggies.
The game doesn't support HDR, and the Xbox One X makes shadows look too dark on our HDR display. We didn't encounter this issue running the game on our traditional (non HDR) 1080p display, however. Here, the original Xbox One looked washed out in comparison to the X. We also noticed improved anti-aliasing and better anisotropic filtering that made details in the background a little more clear.
FIFA 18
FIFA 18 is the only Xbox One X-enhanced game available at the moment that's also enhanced on the PS4 Pro. When we pitted the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro head to head here, it was honestly hard to tell the difference. Both platforms render the game at 4K, but neither system is able to achieve a stable 60 FPS.
The biggest visual difference we could tell between the two consoles was that color on the Xbox One X looked more realistic on our 4K HDR TV. On the PS4 Pro, the grass looked a bit too "nuclear green" in comparison, which gave it a more "videogamey" aesthetic.
Beyond that, if you're looking for more graphical comparisons between the two consoles, you'll have to wait until we have access to more Xbox One X enhanced games post launch.
Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure
This family-friendly mini-game compilation supports 4K and HDR through the Xbox One X. The enhancements allow the game to feature vibrant colors and look sharp, but it clearly isn't able to run at a smooth 60 FPS, as we encountered the odd, occasional hiccup. This is disappointing considering Rush doesn't look very graphically demanding, especially not compared to something like Gears of War 4. This could be due to how the game was originally designed or may speak to the quality of the update.
Disneyland Adventures
Like Rush, Disneyland Adventures supports 4K and HDR through the Xbox One X's enhancements, but, again, the frame rate didn't see an improvement with it running below 60 FPS. Despite the official HDR support, the game ended up looking a little dim on our 4K HDR television.
4K HDR Video Support
To test out the Xbox One X's 4K HDR video playback capabilities, Microsoft provided us with a 4K HDR copy of BBC's Planet Earth II series.
On our 4K HDR TV, the nature documentary looked stunning. The visuals were sharp and crisp, and it was easy to make out every strand of hair on a sloth and every texture of each tree branch.
The color reproduction is equally amazing. The blues of the ocean and the greens of the forest are realistically portrayed. The bright rays from the sun pierced down through tree canopies very convincingly. This is about as good as it gets as far as home theater setups go.
User Interface
Microsoft released its overhauled Xbox One dashboard last month. While there is a small learning curve to new user interface, it's snappier than past iterations. We did encounter some menu slowdown while we were downloading a bunch of games and quickly flipping through all the tabs, but it's certainly not as sluggish as past updates.
The new dashboard also allows you to filter games that are Xbox One X Enhanced, though it doesn't tell you what specific graphical enhancements the console offers.
Noise, Heat, Power Consumption, and Boot Times
Sitting in the dashboard, the Xbox One X runs silently. When we fired up Gears of War 4, a slight hum from the cooler arose, but it's impressively whisper-quiet.
Using Flir One's heat camera, we measured the Xbox One X's temperature.
The console does get a bit warm, however. Just sitting in the OS, we clocked it at 54.3 degrees Celsius. When we fired up Gears of War, it rose to 61.7 degrees C. It's not scorching hot to the touch by any means, but it is significantly hotter than the PS4 Pro we tested last year, which we saw hit 46.1 degrees Celsius when we were gaming on it. Interestingly, the temperature dropped to 57 degrees C when we switched over to Gears of War 4's Performance mode, which optimizes frame rate over visual fidelity.
We also saw this mirrored when we measured the system's power draw. The Xbox One X consumed 144 watts of power under Gears of War 4's Performance mode, but 174 watts in the higher fidelity Visual mode.
In terms of boot times, Microsoft asserts that the Xbox One X's hard drive is 50 percent faster than the original Xbox before it, and while we did see improvements here, they weren't as good as the company's claims. From a cold boot, the X took 7.5 second to turn on. This is just 0.6 seconds faster than the original Xbox One. Loading up Gears of War 4, the X took 50.8 seconds to boot to the main menu, which was roughly seven faster than the Xbox One. When I loaded up the same Act 1 mission, both consoles took 31 seconds.
When I fired up Killer Instinct, the X launched the game in 37.7 seconds, whereas the original Xbox One did so in 44.1 seconds. While there's generally a measurable performance gain when it comes to load times, it's not as significant as Microsoft is claiming thus far.
Conclusion
As Xbox head Phil Spencer has suggested, the Xbox One X shares a lot in common with the company's high-end Xbox One Elite controller. Both devices are designed for enthusiasts through and through, and are priced accordingly. This makes the less cost-prohibitive Xbox One S a better fit for most people.
While the Xbox One X is an expensive box, from a hardware standpoint, you're getting a very powerful and capable machine. You'll be hard pressed to build a comparably powerful PC for $500. On top of that, you get a 4K HDR Blu-ray player, which can cost several hundred dollars on its own.
The Xbox One X isn't perfect. From what I can tell so far, its load times don't live up to Microsoft's claims, and I noticed some poor HDR implementation, but when a developer is able to take advantage of the hardware, you can get sharper visuals, more vibrant colors, better performance, and added graphical bells and whistles. Playing Gears of War 4 on the Xbox One X really feels like it's the way it's meant to be played.
Should you get an Xbox One X? That answer should largely depend on whether you'd be happy with the console's library of games. You can check out a list of all the Xbox One X-enhanced games here. If you're happy with the lineup and are thinking about jumping in, allow me to outline three different scenarios for you. If you game on a 1080p TV and don't have any plans to upgrade to a 4K one, the Xbox One S is going to be a better fit for you. While you will get some graphical enhancements with the X, you don't really get your money's worth if you don't have a 4K HDR TV. But what if you already own a 4K HDR TV and an Xbox One? In this case, I'd only recommend getting the X if you have the disposable cash to spare for the increased visual fidelity and performance benefits. If you have a 4K HDR TV, don't have a current gen console, and are looking to purchase one, however, the Xbox One X is a great choice.
By Anonymous on Nov 07, 2017 11:17 pm This week in Destiny 2 Faction Rally has arrived for the first time for PC with new weapons and more, as well as the Inverted Spire Nightfall with Timewarp: Rings and Momentum.
Ubisoft has released its earnings report for the first half of its fiscal year. Although it didn't launch until after that period, perhaps the most striking result the publisher had to share was a major boost in sales of Assassin's Creed Origins compared with the previous game, Assassin's Creed Syndicate.
On a "comparable basis," which in this case looks at units sold during their first 10 days, sales of Origins are double that of Syndicate. Ubisoft unfortunately didn't provide specific sales figures, but this is an encouraging sign for the company after it gave the franchise a year off. Despite a generally positive response, Syndicate sales were down in 2015 due to the notoriously buggy launch of Assassin's Creed Unity in 2014. During a post-earnings conference call, CEO Yves Guillemot declared that the series is "officially back."
CFO Alain Martinez said Wildlands in particular has a "bright and exciting future" and boasted about the strong continued performance of Siege. He also noted that Mario + Rabbids sold better than expected and should have a "stronger than usual" sales tail as more people get their hands on Nintendo Switch. As revealed previously, Kingdom Battle is the Switch's best-selling third-party title.
The industry-wide shift toward digital continues to go well for Ubisoft. Digital revenue was up 69.1% year-over-year to €342.6 million. And with the publisher so heavily focused on keeping its existing games such as Siege and Wildlands alive, player recurring investment (a category that includes things like DLC and subscriptions) was up 82.9% to €174.5 million.
Ubisoft's earnings call is ongoing. We'll report back with anything else notable it has to share.
November's lineup of free games for PlayStation Plus members is now available. This month, subscribers can download a total of seven titles across PS4, PS3, and Vita.
As usual, PS4 owners have the biggest selection of games to download. Three titles are free right now for PS Plus subscribers: Worms Battlegrounds, Bound, and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood (the latter of which will be available for a longer-than-usual period of time). Thanks to Cross-Buy, PS4 players can also get a fourth title at no cost, Dungeon Punks.
The aforementioned titles will be free for PS Plus subscribers until December 5, when they'll return to their regular prices. Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, meanwhile, will be free until January 3. You can see the full list of this month's PS Plus freebies and grab them from the links below.
Does Mark Strong have one more supervillain up his sleeve? After portraying SInestro in Green Lantern, Frank D'Amico in Kick-Ass and Septimus in Stardust, it looks like he just might, as the actor might end up playing the evil Doctor Sivana in Shazam, an upcoming DC Entertainment film.
In other Shazam casting news, Annabelle: Creation star Grace Fulton has joined the past of the film, per Variety. The movie will team her once again with Creation director David F. Sandberg, who is helming the DC superhero film. The actress will play a friend of Billy Batson, the young boy who says the magic word "Shazam" to transform into the hero.
Next up for DC is Justice League, which will hit theaters on November 17. The film will follow Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) as they team up to save the world. Then, in December of 2018, Momoa will star with Amber Heard in an Aquaman standalone film.
If you're in the market for a 4K games console, you now have two options: PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Sony made a lot of announcements recently at its Paris Games Week showcase, but we did not get a PS4 Pro price cut or deal ahead of the Xbox One X's release, as some expected. Cut to today, and just as Microsoft's new system is hitting store shelves, Sony has not-so-coincidentally announced a new PS4 Pro bundle.
Dubbed the Only on PlayStation bundle, it consists of a PS4 Pro and a handful of PS4-exclusive games released this year. These include Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Gran Turismo Sport, Wipeout Omega Collection, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Horizon's new DLC expansion, The Frozen Wilds. This is priced at £450--the same amount that Xbox One X costs without any games. Sony indirectly acknowledges as much in its announcement tweet, which followed the price with a winking emoji.
£450 means this is priced at £100 more than a PS4 Pro bundle with one game (FIFA 18), making this a legitimately good deal for those who are interested in what's included. It's currently only available through Game (where it's out of stock as of this writing). However, if you are shopping for a 4K system, one thing to bear in mind is that the PS4 Pro lacks a 4K Blu-ray player, something that is included in both the Xbox One S and Xbox One X.
Earlier this month, it was rumored that development on DC's standalone Flash movie, titled Flashpoint, had been paused. According to reports, the studio was waiting to see how the upcoming Justice League, which features Ezra Miller as The Flash, performed at the box office before moving forward with Flashpoint. However, it has now been reported that the studio is close to greenlighting the movie.
Wall Street Journal writer Ben Fritz recently wrote a piece on Justice League and took to Twitter to provide some extra detail that didn't make it into his main story. Fritz wrote, "[Warner Pictures president] Toby Emmerich said 'close to hiring a director' on Flashpoint, hopes to greenlight soon."
The title Flashpoint was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con in July. It's a reference tothe 2011 Flash comic event that put Barry Allen, The Flash, in a very different universe than the original storyline. Barry travels back in time to prevent his mother's murder and in doing so, changes the DC universe timeline and many of the key heroes and villains in it.
In related news, it has been revealed that the surprisingly short running time of Justice Leaguewas ordered by Warner CEO Kevin Tsujihara as a reaction to the extended length of previous movies such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film clocks in at 119 minutes, which makes it the shortest movie in the DC universe so far. It hits theaters on November 17.
Xbox One X has been released, marking the debut of the most powerful gaming console to date. Provided you haven't already purchased one but are interested in doing so, you can already pick up a freebie alongside the system--so long as you're okay with not getting your hands on one for launch day.
Over on Ebay, where we often see launch-day discounts or promotions, you can pick up an Xbox One X with a free copy of Ghost Recon: Wildlands right now for $500. This is available through highly rated seller Antonline and features free shipping. It can be shipped to the US, Canada, the UK, and many other countries.
As for Xbox One X, there's no denying it's a powerful console. Our Xbox One X review dives into what you can expect. Whether one is right for you will vary depending on your setup (a 4K TV is recommended but not required) and interest in playing improved versions of games that are playable on a standard Xbox One. An increasing number of titles have received free updates to introduce various graphical and performance boosts, and the system is capable of making games look better across the board. You can check out the full list of all the Xbox One X-enhanced games to see which ones are set to receive updates to really take advantage of the system's horsepower.
It's new releases day on the digital market, and if you're like me, you're probably checking out all the new movie streaming services to see what's new to buy and rent today in the US. This week offered a few new movie releases, one of which won't be on Google Play, at least for a little while.
The biggest releases this week comes from Luc Besson's Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which only banked $40 million domestically but pulled $185 million outside of the United States. It is available on Amazon, Vudu, and iTunes but not on Google Play--at times, other services have exclusive windows on new movies. In addition--available on all services today--Charlize Theron's action-spy-thriller Atomic Blonde was also released as well as the comedy Hitman's Bodyguard, which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds.
On the rental side of things, it's a pretty quiet week. Cars 3 is available as well as the indie comedy Ingrid Goes West, which stars Aubrey Plaza, and it received an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Finally, there are a few worthwhile deals this week, including both Baby Driver and Drive coupled together on Vudu for $22 in the US as well as the fantastic sci-fi action film Demolition Man, which stars Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes for $7 on Google Play.
Movie arrivals on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, and Vudu for November 7, 2017:
New to buy:
Atomic Blonde
Birth of the Dragon
Hitman's Bodyguard
Leap!
The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (Not available on Google Play yet)
Wind River
New to rent:
Cars 3
The Glass Castle
Ingrid Goes West
Deals:
Cars - 3 Movie Collection (Cheapest on Google Play: $46 in HD)
Baby Driver/Drive (Vudu: $22 in HD)
Home Alone 1 & 2 (iTunes: $20)
Demolition Man (Google Play: $7 in HD)
Snatched (Amazon: $8, Prime members only for limited time)
With the latest weekly update, Bungie has launched the second-ever Faction Rally event in Destiny 2. It's now live on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, marking the first time that players on that platform will be able to take part in the limited-time event. Faction leaders have returned to their respective locations in the Tower, and you'll need to pledge your allegiance to one again to participate.
For the uninitiated, Faction Rallies are events where you temporarily join up with one of three factions: Dead Orbit, New Monarchy, or Future War Cult. By playing the game normally, you'll earn Faction Tokens, which can be turned in to your faction's leader for unique rewards. You can see all the Faction Rally weapons, armor, and gear in our gallery. A small selection follows below.
The other aspect of this is competition. Each faction's members work to unlock the most rewards over the course of the event. The faction that emerges victorious will then sell a Powerful, unique weapon for 50,000 glimmer to all players--or just 1,000 if you're a member of that faction. This time around, New Monarchy will sell a sword if it wins, Dead Orbit a grenade launcher, and Future War Cult a fusion rifle.
To get started, you'll have to finish the campaign and reach level 20. From there, head to the Tower and speak with each of the faction leaders (if you haven't done so previously). Doing so will allow you to see the weapon that will be for sale if that faction emerges victorious. You'll then pledge your loyalty and begin earning Tokens through various activities. Once you've accumulated enough, you can return to the leader to cash them in for a faction-specific engram. Bear in mind, only the first 30 rewards you earn with each character will possibly include gear; after that, you'll only get shaders.
The way in which Tokens are awarded is different than during the first Faction Rally. Destiny 2's 1.0.6 update made changes to the number of Tokens paid out by certain activities; you'll get more in some ways and fewer in others. Each completed Strike provides from five to nine Tokens; previously, they offered three to seven. The first Nightfall of the week (per character) provides 10 to 18 Tokens, while Heroic Public Events hand out five (down from eight). Additionally, rather than destroying enemy resources in Lost Sectors, all members of a Fireteam will earn Tokens by opening the chest at the end of a Lost Sector.
This Faction Rally runs from now until the next weekly reset, which takes place on Tuesday, November 14. Victory Week will begin at 10 AM PT (1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT) that day, which will give players seven days to purchase the winning faction's weapon and cash in any leftover Tokens.
Everything You Need To Know About Destiny 2's Faction Rallies
Once again, Destiny 2's Faction Rallies are live on the PS4, Xbox One, and--for the first time ever--PC. For the uninitiated, Faction Rallies are an opportunity to earn exclusive rewards ranging from weapons and armor to shaders. In order to do this, you must pledge yourself to one of three factions and fight in its name.
To join a faction, head to the Traveler and talk to one of the three leaders. Arach Jalaal (Dead Orbit faction) and Lakshmi-2 (Future War Cult) can be found in the Hangar, while Executor Hideo (New Monarchy) is tucked away in the Bazaar.
To obtain the items they have, you'll need to trade them for rewards Tokens, which you earn by destroying supplies found in Lost Sectors or doing Public Events, Crucible matches, strikes, and the Raid. This gallery will help you locate each of the leaders and also show you what gear they have to offer.
A new Nintendo Direct presentation is coming very soon. The broadcast airs today, November 7, at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM GMT and focuses on the company's last major Switch release of the year, Xenoblade Chronicles 2. [Update: The Nintendo Direct has ended. In addition to providing an overview of the game, we learned that a free Japanese voice track will be released at launch. Additionally, free Zelda: Breath of the Wild tie-in DLC is on the way, and Nintendo detailed the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 season pass. You can rewatch the Direct below.]
Nintendo hasn't detailed what it will show off during today's presentation, aside from that it will provide a "deep dive on the world of Alrest." You can stream the Direct on the official Xenoblade Chronicles 2 website or right here on GameSpot via the YouTube embed below.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is developed by Monolith Soft, the studio behind the Xenogears and Xenosaga titles. It stars Rex, a Driver capable of wielding living weapons known as Blades. Together with a Blade named Pyra, he voyages to different Titans on a quest to reach the World Tree and find the fabled paradise Elysium.
Like the previous two Xenoblade Chronicles games, the upcoming Switch installment is an open-world RPG. Nintendo gave an in-depth look at its battle system in a nearly hour-long gameplay demonstration during Gamescom, which also provides fans with their first look at a beautiful area called Uraya.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 launches exclusively for Switch on December 1. On the same day, Nintendo is releasing a Xenoblade-themed Switch Pro Controller, which will retail for $75. Be sure to check back for all the major news from today's Direct.
During today's Nintendo Direct, Nintendo revealed Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is getting a season pass. A bunch of DLC is on the way after release, including new story content, new quests, and a new Blade.
The season pass will cost $30 in the US, and for that you'll get quite a bit of content. Firstly, bonus support items will follow the game's release in December this year, before a new quest arrives in January 2018. At some point in spring a new rare Blade will be added, before a challenge battle mode in the summer and new story content in fall 2018. In addition, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will receive a day-one DLC patch that brings an optional Japanese audio track.
No international pricing was announced for the season pass specifically. Nintendo did, however, state that a bundle containing the season pass and main game will cost £77 in the UK--that's £22 more than the price of the base game by itself on the Eshop.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is developed by Monolith Soft, the studio behind the Xenogears and Xenosaga titles. It stars Rex, a Driver capable of wielding living weapons known as Blades. Together with a Blade named Pyra, he voyages to different Titans on a quest to reach the World Tree and find the fabled paradise Elysium.
Like the previous two Xenoblade Chronicles games, the upcoming Switch installment is an open-world RPG. Nintendo gave an in-depth look at its battle system in a nearly hour-long gameplay demonstration during Gamescom, which also provides fans with their first look at a beautiful area called Uraya.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 launches exclusively for Switch on December 1. On the same day, Nintendo is releasing a Xenoblade-themed Switch Pro Controller, which will retail for $75. Be sure to check back for all the major news from today's Direct.
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