Blizzard has released the latest Overwatch patch, and of course the most exciting additions come in the form of cosmetics--including new Legendary skins--and a new limited-time co-op Brawl. But more meaningful to the game long-term are the balance changes, which are revealed in the full patch notes for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
New content related to Overwatch Archive 2018 event aside, there are several hero updates in this patch. D.Va receives a small nerf, as the explosive damage from Micro Missiles is reduced to 4 from 6 and Boosters now does less impact damage (10, down from 25). According to Blizzard, she simply could deal too much damage in a hurry as-is.
"D.Va's burst potential is a bit too high, so we're reducing the damage of her Micro Missiles and Boosters impact," Blizzard explained in the patch notes on its website. "Prior to this change, each missile dealt 3 impact damage and 6 explosive damage. We're reducing explosive damage from 6 to 4 but leaving the impact damage the same, the net result being 21% damage reduction."
Reaper also sees some changes, but for the better (assuming you like Reaper). Death Blossom now reloads his shotguns after it's used, and his Wraith Form gets some improvements. Its movement speed bonus has been increased to 50% from 25%, and the ability can now be canceled. "These changes help Reaper use Wraith Form more consistently as an escape, but they also open up new options, such as chasing down key targets," Blizzard said.
Another notable change involves Mei's Endothermic Blaster now being able to pierce through enemies--but not barriers like Reinhardt's shield. As Blizzard explained, "This change helps Mei combat multiple targets that are clumped up and makes it easier for her to keep freezing a specific target if another enemy gets in the way. This change also helps her ultimate more consistently freeze enemy targets, especially if they are near each other."
Brigitte, the game's newest hero, gets a new option for her Barrier Shield to be toggled on and off (rather than holding the key or button), while Zenyatta loses 15% of the fire rate on Orb of Destruction's secondary fire. "Zenyatta is meant to be able to deal a lot of damage, especially for a support, but his alternate fire burst damage was a bit too high," Blizzard said. "This change keeps the overall damage the same but lowers the DPS slightly and makes it harder to hit multiple shots at very long ranges."
Finally, Moira gets some attention, although purely in a cosmetic way. Blizzard has adjusted the transparency of her visual effects depending on how close they are to the camera.
Last September, it was reported that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi was the latest director to be attached to Warner's long-delayed live action adaptation of the classic manga and anime Akira. Waititi has now confirmed that he is involved with the project, even if it doesn't sound like he's gotten very far with it.
Waititi was asked about Akira in a recent interview with Dazed, and while he did not confirm that would direct it, he did speak about his intentions for the project. "I haven't really started to get my head around it yet," he admitted. "What I want to do is an adaptation of the books, 'cause a lot of people are like, 'Don't touch that film!' and I'm like, 'I'm not remaking the film, I want to go back to the book.'
"A lot of the people freaking out haven't even read the books, and there are six gigantic books to go through. It's so rich. But Akira is one of my favourite films. My mum took me to see it when I was 13 and it changed my life."
Waititi is the latest in a long line of filmmakers to be linked to the Akira remake. In March last year, it was reported that David Sandberg (Light's Out) and Daniel Espinosa (Life) were under consideration to direct. Prior to that, Star Trek Beyond's Justin Lin was in talks, while Mad Mad director George Miller previously revealed that he was also approached by the studio.
In 2015, it was rumored that a trilogy was being planned, with Christopher Nolan involved at some level. Before that, The Shallows director Jaume Collet-Serra was attached--click here to see some concept art of this version. Last year, a report in Deadline stated that a trilogy is still part of Warner's plan for Akira.
In 2012, the film actually reached the pre-production stage before the Vancouver productions offices were shut down by the studio.
The manga of Akira ran between 1982 and 1990 and is widely credited for popularising Japanese comic books internationally. Equally, the success of the 1989 movie version did much to introduce Western viewers to anime, and is now considered one of the finest sci-fi films ever made.
Microsoft is making a ton of new titles backwards compatible with Xbox One this month. Along with the 19 original Xbox games coming to Xbox One's backwards compatible library throughout April, a new 360 title is now playable on the current-gen console, and it even receives enhancements on Xbox One X.
As revealed during the latest episode of Inside Xbox, Sonic Generations is now playable on Xbox One. The game originally released in 2011 and features both classic 2D and modern 3D Sonic game styles. You can read more about it in our original Sonic Generations review.
If you own a disc of Sonic Generations, you can simply pop it into your Xbox One X and begin playing. If you own the game digitally, it will be waiting for you in the Ready to Download section of the My Games and Apps menu. You can also purchase a digital copy of the game from the Xbox Store.
We're almost halfway through the week, but we're not thinking about the weekend. In today's episode of GameSpot Daily, we're thinking about games like Red Dead Redemption, God of War, and a whole mess of original Xbox titles. Oh, and Nicki Minaj. Yep, all that and more in 30 minutes or less.
Red Dead Redemption headlines today's episode with its stunning 4K update on Xbox One X. Microsoft's continued backwards-compatibility support has given Red Dead and four other games the updates needed to run at 4K. Cowboys have never looked this good on an Xbox platform. Other games benefiting from the new updates include Gears of War 2 and Darksiders. We talk about the rest in today's episode.
In addition to that, Microsoft announced a total of 19 original Xbox games coming to the Xbox One's backwards-compatible library. They arrive throughout April and include games like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, [the original] Star Wars Battlefront II, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. We run down these three and the other 16 today.
Now you're probably wondering why we're thinking about Nicki Minaj, and that's because she's releasing new music this week. However, one particular song and promo image caught our eye. Nicki is set to release a song called "Chun-Li" on Thursday, and we could not be more excited for it.
As for Boss Key Productions' new battle royale shooter, we're a little disappointed. Currently, Radical Heights only features male avatars, though the developer has commented on this and says female characters are coming soon. Thankfully, any cosmetic you unlock can be worn by both male and female contestants, but we've still got some thoughts on this one.
God of War is nearly a week away from release, and we're still learning more about Kratos's return to the forefront. We've learned about a new Immersion Mode that eliminates most of the HUD elements, in addition to four difficulty settings, one of which sounds incredibly hard unless you're a Canadian like me. You'll see what I mean in today's episode.
And lastly, we bid farewell to SteamSpy, which would gather publicly accessible data from Steam and estimate the number of games sold on the platform. A recent update turned everyone's profiles hidden by default, thus rendering SteamSpy unable to function the way it's intended. It was a valuable tool for getting a somewhat accurate view on the PC video game market and will be missed. Don't cry because it's gone; smile because it happened.
So that's what you'll find in today's episode, but be sure to tune in every day of the week at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST/7PM BST/4 AM AEST for another episode of GameSpot Daily. We cover the most exciting gaming news in 30 minutes or less or we're not getting a 4K update.
The new God of War game for PlayStation 4 coming out soon will have four difficulty options, Sony has announced--and the most difficult one sounds very challenging. From easiest to m most difficult, the options are called "Give Me A Story," "Give Me A Balanced Experience," "Give Me A Challenge," and "Give Me God of War."
Sony recommends that people play on "Give Me A Balanced Experienced," which aims to offer a balanced but challenging experience. If you want to experience the story and not struggle too much, "Give Me A Story" is the option for you. The "Give Me A Challenge" option is "harder and less forgiving," Sony says. This is the option to go with if you're a confident player who is familiar with the God of War series (even though the combat is changed).
And finally, the "Give Me God of War" option is aimed at people "who wrestle polar bears in their undies," Sony said. For this mode, Kratos is weaker, enemies are stronger, and enemy behaviour is changed so that it is "as threatening as possible." Additionally, on this ultra-difficult mode, you cannot change difficulty if it gets too tough. You'll have to completely start over on a new game. You can see the complete descriptions for all of God of War's difficulty modes listed below.
Additionally, Sony has announced that God of War will have an Immersion Mode that only fills the HUD with the most necessary items. "There's no right or wrong way to play; you'll certainly have a lot of helpful info close at hand if you're playing with the HUD fully enabled," Sony said. "But for those fans who are sensitive to the HUD, or perhaps for folks who want to stream or capture and would prefer as little UI as possible, there you go."
Finally, there is another mode that lets you choose which HUD elements you want to have on, off, or enabled through the touch pad only for a short time.
God of War launches on April 20 exclusively for PlayStation 4. For more, check out GameSpot's new video where we play the game alongside Stranger Things star David Harbour and game director Cory Barlog.
God of War PS4 Difficulty Options:
Give Me A Story: lets you experience the story without too much of a difficult gameplay challenge. You won't be taking a gondola to the top of the highest peaks in all the Norse Realms, but you will have a far greater margin for error in enemy encounters.
Give Me A Balanced Experience: is the mode we'd recommend most players start with. The name says it all. We've tuned it to deliver a balanced, challenging playthrough.
Give Me A Challenge: is harder and less forgiving. It is recommended for players who find action games extremely intuitive, and for confident long-time God of War series veterans who've beat past games on harder difficulties.
Give Me God of War: is the sort of thing reserved for people who wrestle polar bears in their undies. Maybe not quite that, but it's the most difficult mode in the game. We haven't just made you weaker or enemies stronger; we've looked at enemy behaviors and placements in encounters as well, tweaking everything to make it as threatening as possible. Best of all, you cannot change difficulties once you start a game on this mode, so if you suddenly realize you're in way over your head, you'll have to start a new game. Don't be sorry, be better?
The latest update for Fortnite has arrived, bringing with it new content and other changes, particularly for Battle Royale mode. However, an issue has cropped up involving the game's latest weapon, the Guided Missile, forcing Epic Games to remove it temporarily.
As confirmed in a tweet from the game's official Twitter account, an "animation issue" has emerged involving the weapon. Specifically, "sprinting after firing the Guided Missile causes the player model to be stuck with no running animation." As a result, Epic is "temporarily disabling it" on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and mobile until a fix can be implemented. The developer doesn't provide any sense for how long that will take, whether it'll be a matter of hours or days. Another problem that sprouted up after the new 3.5 update involving accuracy and reticle issues has already been resolved.
The Guided Missile was added recently and fires a rocket that players can remotely control (though doing so leaves you vulnerable) and even ride on top of. It's proven to be a controversial addition, though the new update does take steps to reduce its effectiveness. The maximum turn rate of the missile has been decreased by 75%, while its movement speed has been reduced by 15%. It's one of a number of balance changes to go along with the newly added Port-a-Fort item, which builds a pre-made fort when thrown. A revamped version of the 50v50 limited-time mode is also on the way.
The Guided Missile problem isn't the only lingering issue from the new update. A keybinding issue is affecting PC (and PS4 players using keyboards), while the new replay system is causing crashes. Epic shares the status of all of these problems (and any others the game is facing) on its public Trello board, allowing fans to stay on top of how they're being addressed.
A previously unpublished novel by Lord of the Rings creator JRR Tolkien is to be released for the first time later this year. The Fall of Gondolin was written by the legendary British author in 1917 and is a work than many Tolkien fans never thought would be published.
The Fall of Gondolin is edited by Christopher Tolkien, the 93-year-old son of the author, and is illustrated by veteran Tolkien artist Alan Lee. It is the first story that the writer wrote set in Middle-earth and was started while he was in hospital recovering from injuries sustained during World War I. The novels chronicles some of the history of Middle-earth in the years before the events of Lord of the Rings and is described as "a template for everything Tolkien wrote afterwards" by John Garth, author of the book Tolkien and the Great War.
"It's a quest story with a reluctant hero who turns into a genuine hero," Garth said, via The Guardian. "It has a dark lord, our first encounter with orcs and balrogs--it's really Tolkien limbering up for what he would be doing later."
The Fall of Gondolin will be published on August 30. Its impending arrival on shelves is surprising, given that Christopher Tolkien strongly suggested last year that no more of his father's work would be published. Beren and Luthien, a restored, reedited edition of collected Tolkien stories was published in 2017, and was described by Christopher as "(presumptively) my last book in the long series of editions of my father's writings".
In related news, more details emerged last week about Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show. It was revealed that the show will potentially cost $1 billion to produce, due to the fact that the studio is required to make five seasons. It is very unusual for a series of this scale and cost to have an upfront commitment of this size, but these were the terms of the deal with the Tolkien Estate and publishers HarperColllins. In addition, Amazon must have the first season in production within two years.
We gave all three of those games at least 7/10 in our reviews. From our Endless Space review: "Endless Space is a new game to the 4X strategy scene, featuring non-linear gameplay and a demanding level of difficulty that pushes you to learn from past mistakes and strive to overcome the hurdles of galactic domination. This might not sound like everyone's cup of tea, but you'd be surprised how quickly Endless Space can trigger addictive tendencies."
But the folks at Humble Bundle try to encourage people to part with more than just a buck. If you spend more than the average price people have paid for the bundle (a little over $6 at the time of this writing), they'll also throw in Empire: Total War Collection and Endless Legend: Classic Edition, along with the latter's Tempest DLC.
We gave both of those games at least 8/10 when they launched. In our Empire: Total War review, we said, "It's impossible to condense an experience as broad and as rich as Empire: Total War to a few thousand words. Its complex amalgam of turn-based empire building and real-time skirmishing is exciting and involving, and it's both fuller and more streamlined than its predecessors."
As a final bid for more of your hard-earned money, Humble will throw in Endless Space 2 and Tooth and Tail if you splurge and spend $12 or more. As you can probably guess, these games scored well with critics, too. From our Tooth and Tail review: "Tooth and Tail is a bizarre cocktail of a dozen great ideas. It's a minimalist RTS that tosses out complex tech trees in favor of action-packed but accessible play."
It's been nearly five years since the release of the last Splinter Cell game, 2013's Blacklist. That's part of what makes the sudden return of Sam Fisher in Ghost Recon Wildlands--as part of a broader Splinter Cell-themed update--so exciting. And while it's just nice to see Fisher back and Michael Ironside providing his voice, the update may hint at something more.
After completing the update's new PvE mission, you'll get to see a cutscene, which is included in the video above. Fisher chats with the Ghosts' handler, Karen Bowman, whom he apparently knows, referring to her as "Linda." She says that Grim--Fisher's ally, Anna Grimsdottir--sent word that the "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs says there's a possible empty quiver."
This is a military term referencing the loss of a nuclear weapon--just the sort of thing that could serve as the setup for a Splinter Cell game. Bowman says she can get him transportation, and Fisher responds, "A guy once said, 'The price of success is hard work and dedication,'" and then seems to begin preparing to leave.
There's nothing outright stating this is meant as a tease for a new game; maybe Ubisoft is simply trying to explain why he doesn't stick around to continue working with the Ghosts. While you may not want to get your hopes up, any morsel of news about a new Splinter Cell is going to get fans excited.
Ubisoft hasn't confirmed if a new game is in the works, although CEO Yves Guillemot did provide fans with some hope last year. He said, "Splinter Cell is a brand we talk about a lot. It's also personally one of my favorite series. We don't have anything specific to share at the moment but teams are working on different things, so stay tuned for more."
Subsequently, he elaborated on those remarks, saying, "We are receiving lots of sketches and proposals around the brand, and we're going to pick one up. I think you will be able to see something, but you will have to wait for that."
The new Splinter Cell content in Wildlands comes as part of the free Special Operations I update, which is out now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The mission with Fisher is available indefinitely, although you have a limited time to complete challenges for special gear (including Fisher's goggles).
A new limited-time mode is starting soon in Fortnite: Battle Royale. Following the release of the game's 3.5 update on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and mobile, Epic is planning to kick off the 50v50 v2 event, a modified version of the game's very first limited-time mode.
As its name suggests, 50v50 v2 pits two teams of 50 players against each other. In this mode, players will have full access to the island for 10 minutes before the storm begins closing in. Supply drops will also fall every two minutes in batches of three to six, but they will only land within the final storm circle.
In addition to that, Epic has adjusted the spawn rates of loot in 50v50 mode. The likelihood of floor loot spawning has been increased 15%, and farming resources has been increased by 75%. Supply drops also spawn double ammo along with an extra consumable, trap, and resource drop, while chests spawn double ammo and consumables.
Epic hasn't announced an exact end date for the 50v50 event, but limited-time modes are typically only available for about a week. As this event is a "large squad" mode, it won't track players' profile stats. However, players will still be able to complete all non-squad-based Daily and Weekly Challenges. You can read more about the mode in Epic's patch notes.
50v50 is set to begin shortly after the release of Fortnite's 3.5 update. That patch added another new item to Battle Royale: the Port-a-Fort, which can construct a huge fort in a few seconds. Along with that, the update makes an assortment of balance tweaks and bug fixes, in addition to introducing new cosmetic options in Fortnite's paid Save the World mode.
By Anonymous on Apr 11, 2018 09:29 pm Radical Heights is the new Battle Royale game from Cliff Bleszinski and LawBreaker's dev Boss Key. Can it dethrone PUBG and Fortnite with its larger than life '80s style action?
By Anonymous on Apr 11, 2018 09:27 pm A big batch of backwards compatible Xbox 360 games just got announced, while some other titles received Xbox One X enhancements.
Warhammer 40,000 games have arrived with regularity in recent years, with Total War: Warhammer II, Dawn of War III, and Warhammer Vermintide II each coming to PC recently. Fans therefore have plenty to satisfy various different types of itch, since the breadth of games set in the Warhammer universe is so diverse.
Until now, however, the brand hadn't touched on the Diablo-style action-RPG genre. And that's where Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor: Martyr comes in. Developed by NeocoreGames, which has been given its own corner of the Warhammer universe to build its story within, Martyr features a story-driven campaign that takes players to the 41st Millennium, where players are tracking a signal from a lost ship.
In addition to the single-player, there's a separate multiplayer mode where players can team up with up to three other Inquisitors to battle heretics, mutants, and Chaos Daemons, all while earning loot. Unique classes that have abilities that complement a variety of battle strategies will be available, and players will be able to customise and develop them to better suit their style. Other gameplay elements such as destructible environments and a cover system offer the opportunity to take a more strategic mindset into engagements.
You can check out some local co-op gameplay in the video above. Alternatively, check out some PS4 Pro gameplay in the video at the top of this article. For more on the game, check out our video on how Martyr is a fresh take on the action-RPG genre. Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor: Martyr is expected launch on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on May 11.
Update: It's not all sad news for Paige fans. Just a day after announcing her retirement on Raw, we learned on Smackdown that general manager Daniel Bryan was resigning, now that he's back to wrestling. And it didn't take long to find a replacement GM: Paige. Shane McMahon announced the news on Smackdown, ensuring that we'll still be seeing her around for the foreseeable future. The original story follows.
While it wasn't publicly talked about on WWE television, most wrestling fans knew that Raw superstar Paige was injured and forced into retirement. Sadly, on the Raw After Mania, she officially announced it and gave thanks to those who helped her along the way.
Back in December, during a house show, Paige was kicked in the back, which caused her neck to snap. Since then, she has not been allowed to wrestle inside a WWE ring. However, she has been working as the leader and manager of the stable Absolution, alongside Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. She did not partake in the women's Royal Rumble match nor the Women's Battle Royal at Wrestlemania. She sat on the sidelines during both events.
On the Raw After Mania, Paige grabbed the mic after an Absolution match and announced she is retiring. "I would like to thank every single female superstar back there today," she explained. "Be proud to be a part of this division. We have all built this division to be something huge."
She went on to thank Daniel Bryan, who recently came back from a career-ending injury at Sunday's Wrestlemania; his return gave her hope. She also thanked Edge, who was also forced into early retirement. She said that Edge showed her there is a life outside of WWE, and she has to go find "something else." What that means for her fans is unknown at this time.
Paige made it seem like she won't be returning to WWE programming at all, not even as the manager of Absolution. She debuted four years prior in New Orleans where she won the Diva's Championship--while still the NXT Women's Champion. Paige explained that she wanted to retire where she debuted. The crowd thanked her by chanting, "This is your house."
WWE's women's division would not be where it is today without Paige. She was the first female superstar from NXT to help elevate the women's main roster to where it is today. Because of her contributions, the Diva's title was retired, women have main evented PPVs, and women have competed in Hell in a Cell, Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank matches. Thank you, Paige, for helping make WWE's women's division what it is today.
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We check out Radical Heights, the free new battle royale in early access from the developer of LawBreakers.
Radical Heights is the new Battle Royale game from Cliff Bleszinski and LawBreaker's dev Boss Key. Can it dethrone PUBG and Fortnite with its larger than life '80s style action?
A big batch of backwards compatible Xbox 360 games just got announced, while some other titles received Xbox One X enhancements.
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