The Surge heads to an amusement park for its upcoming expansion, A Walk in the Park

Players returning to The Surge this December will be able to beat up the bad guys in a brand new environment.

A Walk in the Park is set in CREO World, a holiday retreat for the workers of CREO. It takes the action of The Surge into a more colourful and ‘fun’ environment than they might be used to, although there are still roving crowds of evil robots and ‘insane’ rescue teams roaming around, looking to kill you.

By the sound of it there will be death traps everywhere and at least one huge boss fight to look forward to in the middle of the park, so we don’t imagine you’ll get to spend much time riding rollercoasters or eating corndogs. There will, on the other hand, be sixteen brand new weapons to try out, so maybe the absence of a ring toss game isn’t too big a deal.

A ‘Complete Edition’ of the game is also coming, which will give you The Surge along with its DLC. This will be available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, although a definite release date has not yet been nailed down. It means that if you’ve been waiting to check out The Surge, though, it’s worth waiting just a bit longer. There’s also a fairly extensive demo of the game available, if you’d like to give that a shot.

The Surge was an under-the-radar release this year, but one that plenty of people enjoyed – hopefully this last bit of DLC will be good fun.

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A Bloodborne comic book is coming, which might be the closest we get to a sequel

We might not be returning to a digital version of Yharnam any time soon, but this comic book should sate some of our bloodlust.

Titan has announced Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep, written by Ales Kot (Generation Gone, Zero, Wolf), and with art by Piotr Kowalski (Wolfenstein, Dark Souls, Sex).

The press release included a brief synopsis of the comic’s plot:

‘A nameless Hunter awakens in an ancient city where horrific beasts stalk the shadows and the streets run slick with the blood of the damned. Seeking an escape from the endless Night of the Hunt, the Hunter embarks upon a dangerous, gore-filled quest with the hopes of ending Yharnam’s twisted endemic.’

It sounds like a plot very close to the game, then, although whether or not it is meant to be an adaptation of the game experience isn’t entirely clear.

Kot himself is a mega fan of Bloodborne, having put over 200 hours into it. Hopefully he used our enormous Bloodborne guide to get through some of the trickier bits.

Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep’s first issue will hit comic stores, both physical and digital, in February 2018. If it’s as hardcore as the original source material you will want to watch out for paper cuts.

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Destiny 2’s Leviathan Raid Challenge is live – here’s how to conquer it

If you’re ready to take on the big new challenge in the Destiny 2 Leviathan Raid, you’re going to want to be prepared.

We’ve covered the Leviathan Raid in some depth before as part of our extensive Destiny 2 guide. We’ve shown you how to complete the Raid and the best way to collect all nine secret chests, but now we’ve got a new challenge to take on.

Challenge mode is now live. Discover the new way you will be challenged in the Royal Pools encounter. http://pic.twitter.com/Qhz5syOYwI

— Bungie (@Bungie) October 31, 2017

The Leviathan Raid Challenge can be encountered in the Royal Pools, and will require some real skill and teamwork to get through. Luckily, Arekkz has all the best advice for overcoming the challenges ahead.

This Challenge is tied to the Royal Pools, which is the first room in the rotation for the Raid right now. This means that if you just want to try the Challenge, but not tackle the full Raid right now, it’s easy enough to dip in and then leave again.

As covered in our Raid advice, this room requires players to stand on four pressure plates around the outside of the arena. There’s a plate in the center too, and players need to collect the Psionic Protection buff from here to really stand a chance in this encounter. For this Challenge, though, one player must always stay in this central area.

They need to either stay on the plate or in the water surrounding it. If they go outside the water – or even jump, leaving the ground – the challenge is failed. This means that you need to nominate the most reliable and heavily armoured member of your team for this position – get a good Titan in there, we’d say. They’ll need to be careful with Psions, which can, of course, lift you up.

The best way to do this, Arekkz says, is to nominate one player for the center, another as the ‘runner’, and then assign the other four players to the four pressure plates. It’s important that each person knows exactly what their role is. The person in the center needs to stay put, while the runner’s job is to dash between different pressure plates and hold them while the players on them travel to the middle to recharge their buff.

Every time the runner leaves to go to the next plate, they should pass through the middle to recharge their buff as well. Ultimately, the runner won’t be able to pull off a perfect version of this plan – every now and then a player will need to leave their plate before the runner gets there, or the runner may want to leave a plate 10 seconds early if they know the player is on their way back. It’s all about good communication.

The person in the middle basically needs to look after themselves as best they can, fending off enemies while trusting in their team mates to handle the pressure plates. Luckily, they’re always right next to where the buff spawns.

This will take longer than the Royal Pools usually would, but if you work together, and the runner does their job effectively, then this shouldn’t be too much harder than it usually is. Basically players on the plates should prioritise always having a buff, and the runner’s job is to make the process of them going to collect it as painless as possible.

Once the plates are all locked in place, all players should rush into the middle to attack the canisters together – if you can get this done fast and do all the canisters in one phase it’ll all be over much faster. The players who aren’t forced to stand in the middle should prioritise the Psions, too, lest your central player get lifted.

This may take a few attempts and some practice, but if you follow this guide and work together well you should be able to crack it. You’ll get your chest for completing the Royal Pools, but after that there will be a second chest, with the Emblem and some gear. And then congratulate the rest of your team, of course, because you couldn’t have done this without them.

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Battlefield 1 is bringing the Nivelle Nights map to all players who don’t own the relevant DLC

Nivelle Nights will soon be available to every Battlefield 1 owner, regardless of whether or not they have the Premium Pass or They Shall Not Pass DLC pack.

The map, set over battlefields across Malmaison and Soupir under the moonlight, is a trench heavy map, meaning that there’s a lot of close-combat and firing across no man’s land. It’s a beautiful map, despite all the mud.

The map, which was previously only to players who owned the relevant DLC, will now be available for all players, Dice has announced. This is a fine treat for those who have not invested in the season pass but are still playing Battlefield 1, although it doesn’t seem likely that the other maps included in the Premium Pass will be unlocked for everyone any time soon, with Battlefield 1 still proving quite popular and the next series entry not yet announced.

There are also more Operations coming, although you will need DLC to access them.

In any case, it’s fairly well established at this point that EA sees online play and charging for extra content as the way forward, but it’s still nice to get something extra for free now and then.

Battlefield 1 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Overwatch: the next update will likely nerf Mercy and buff Ana

The team at Blizzard will continue their ongoing pursuit of perfect balance with the next round of Overwatch character nerfs and buffs.

The good folks at PCGamesN have noticed some posts by director Jeff Kaplan on the Overwatch forums that hint at some upcoming changes that we’re likely to see introduced into Overwatch.

First up is Mercy, who recently received a major overhaul that completely changed the way she can be played. Players have loved the change, and the fan-favourite recently received a small buff to her Valkyrie ability, but Blizzard may have overpowered her a bit.

In his post, Kaplan admitted that the team felt that Mercy’s resurrect was a bit overpowered, and is “still playing out like an ultimate ability”. He went on to say that “the tuning of resurrect is off currently and needs to be brought in line”.

Later in this same thread, Kaplan turned his attention to Ana, who will be tweaked on the PTR soon. “Yes. We’re increasing her damage”, Kaplan said. “We’ve been testing it internally for a while. Last night, we threw our competitive group at it (Masters/GM level players) and they really liked it also. So it will probably make the PTR soon.”

With a game like Overwatch, even minor changes like this can shift the meta in big ways – some characters fall out of focus, others rise up and take their place. Mercy, in particular, has become much more popular since her overhaul. Whether or not any changes made to these characters will result in significant shifts remains to be seen.

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There’s nothing in EA’s financials to comfort you if you’re worried about loot crates and the future of single-player games

Digital is increasingly important to EA, and games as service are a central component of its success.

EA has released its Q2 FY2018 financials and there’s little to surprise in the quarter ending September 30, AKA the Sports Quarter, AKA The One Where There’s Rarely Any Interesting News In The Financials.

The publisher made a point of underlining its $689 million in digital net revenue, up from $566 million in the same quarter last year. That’s a very significant slice of the $959 million total it made over the quarter, itself a jump on on the $898 million of one year ago.

Providing highlights, EA said digital bookings for the past 12 months are up 26% year-on-year to $3.24 billion.

Madden Ultimate Team saw 25% more players than in the same quarter last year, while FIFA Mobile grew to 113 million unique players.

“We saw a notable shift to digital in our sports titles and remarkable growth in Ultimate Team,” CFO Blake Jorgensen said.

“Our sports titles have once again shown their value in delivering a stable and dependable performance. This quarter demonstrates how they can drive our business and offers a window into how our games will evolve over the months and years to come.”

Beyond sports, Battlefield 1 now clocks in at 23.54 million players globally, and The Sims 4 is looking at 40% more monthly active players year-on-year.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson noted “new EA SPORTS titles, top-performing mobile games, and expanding esports competitions” as key factors in EA’s growth this quarter, and made a point of underlining EA’s preparedness for the ongoing “digital transformation” of the games industry.

The executive said investors can expect “more stunning new titles, thriving event-driven live services including competitive gaming, and continuing innovation for our players on all platforms.”

In short, digital and games as service is paying off hugely for EA and it plans to continue pushing these areas.

The recent closure of Visceral and digital “pivot” of its Star Wars game, combined with the enormous success of service games, has brought on a fresh wave of anxiety regarding the future of single-player, story-driven experiences.

Before you clutch your pearls, do check out reports of real problems with Visceral’s Star Wars title, which don’t make EA look great but paint a more nuanced picture of a very expensive team with a hugely ambitious plan and fundamental difficulties delivering on it.

On the other hand, former BioWare staffer Manveer Heir had some pretty damning things to say about EA’s design philosophy while chatting with Waypoint (Eurogamer has some key quotes if you’re not the podcast type), which may help explain the underwhelming Mass Effect: Andromeda.

It’s an anxious time to be a Dragon Age fan, isn’t it? Especially given the cliffhanger ending of Trespasser. Fingers crossed BioWare’s core team wants to keep delivering those big single-player visions and makes a good case for it.

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Rocket League zooms onto Switch on November 14 with exclusive Nintendo-themed cars

Rocket League finally has a Switch release date.

The enormously successful sequel to obscure PS3 classic Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars is coming to Switch on November 14, and will feature a few Nintendo-exclusive cars.

The Mario and Luigi NSR cars look much like everyone’s favourite gaming brothers, while the Metroid: Samus’ Gunship vehicle is exactly as sleek and orange as you’d want. It’s also the closest we’re getting to Metroid on Switch in some time, we suspect, with Metroid Prime 4 still a while away.

Rocket League will bring all the features available in the other versions to Switch, but portability will be big – being able to take Rocket League to Christmas lunch is going to liven things up a bit, even if your uncle squints at the screen and says that it’s too small to properly play.

Rocket League might be two years old at this point, but it’s still getting frequent updates and additions. Hopefully the Switch version will keep pace.

November will be a big month for the Switch: it’s also getting Sonic Forces, Doom, Snipperclips Plus, LA Noire, Rime, Skyrim, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2, and both Resident Evil Revelations games this month.

Will you be picking up Rocket League for Switch? Let us know below.

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'South Park: Phone Destroyer' to Destroy All Phones November 9th

South Park: Phone Destroyer, the collectible card game based on the irreverent animated show, has been in soft launch for quite some time now, but on November 9th it will destroy every iOS and Android device worldwide. The (as to be expected) inappropriate card game lets you play with new and twisted versions of iconic characters, like Cyborg Kenny, Stan of Many Moons, and others, much more inappropriate characters. As in every card game like this one, you collect various cards that you then put together into the best deck you can. And then you go ahead and try and beat everyone around you.

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In South Park: Phone Destroyer you can play in real-time PVP battles but also through a single player story written in collaboration with South Park Digital studios. And you can fully customize your player as well. Players in our forums have been enjoying the soft-launched version and say the monetization model is pretty generous with no timers. Now you only have to wait until November 9th to play the game. And to kill Kenny, of course.

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Our star #Overwatch player Lu "Diya" Weida joins @ShanghaiDragons @overwatchleague @PlayOverwatch 加油！圣地亚哥！http://pic.twitter.com/EnmswDTuu4

Our star #Overwatch player Lu "Diya" Weida joins @ShanghaiDragons @overwatchleague @PlayOverwatch 加油！圣地亚哥！ http://pic.twitter.com/EnmswDTuu4

Our star #Overwatch player Lu "Diya" Weida joins @ShanghaiDragons @overwatchleague @PlayOverwatch 加油！圣地亚哥！http://pic.twitter.com/EnmswDTuu4 posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

The Dueling Fates Update is now LIVE. #http://Dota2pic.twitter.com/IBf4OSqJqA

The Dueling Fates Update is now LIVE. #Dota2 http://pic.twitter.com/IBf4OSqJqA

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Destiny 2 will go down for a while on Thursday to implement a console update and a PC hotfix

Guardians, there’s an upcoming period of Destiny 2 downtime that you might want to plan around.

Destiny 2 will go down for about four hours on Thursday, November 2, so that the game can be updated. During that time, you’ll need to find something else to do with yourself (personally I recommend reading through our Destiny 2 guide).

According to Destiny’s help page, at 8:00 AM Pacific / 3:00 PM UTC, the game will be unavailable to log into. An hour after this, players who were already playing when this period began will be kicked briefly so that the updates can be implemented.

This will be done to bring the game up to version 1.0.6, which is going to make public spaces more populated and introduce various tweaks to Crucible match parameters. At the same time, the PC version will get a hotfix that will address issues players may have had with their clan pages, and to fix performance issues some might have experienced.

In addition to Update 1.0.6, Destiny 2 PC will receive Hotfix 1.0.6.1 to address issues impacting Clan rosters and performance degradation. https://t.co/SSZ3NshJtA

— Bungie Help (@BungieHelp) October 31, 2017

The work is scheduled to end at 12:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM UTC, but the update will be available two hours prior, meaning that you can jump straight back in when the game returns.

So, yes, it’ll be down for a bit, but Destiny 2 will come back slightly more stable and enjoyable than before. What’s not to like?

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The Promising 'Strain Tactics', by 'Autumn Dynasty' Devs, Releases November 2nd

Strain Tactics, the real-time-with-pause tactical game by the developers behind Autumn Dynasty, is about to rappel onto your devices November 2nd, and it looks like it's going to be a fun one, provided the controls work well. In Strain Tactics, you control a squad of soldiers whose job is to save the earth from an alien infestation; no pressure. You build and command a team of 1 to 5 members, picked from over 80 playable characters with unique personalities and traits. This team drops in the middle of a map, and then you can either position it and watch it perform as it watching an RTS, or you can go in and take care of every little detail and every tactical move.

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There's a lot going on in this game. In addition to picking who you want on your team, you get to pick what weapons they'll bring along. There are over 150 unique items and weapons, so there's plenty of customization to be had. The game comes with over 30 maps, a ton of different missions, and much, much more. The game will be a premium app for $4.99, and it will release November 2nd. In the meantime, check out our forum thread for more on Strain Tactics.

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Assassins Creed Origins Funny Moments - Conquering the Seas!

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The Humble Jumbo Bundle 10 will give you Wasteland 2 and six other games for $10

Humble Bundle continues to serve up the goods with yet another ‘jumbo’ bundle deal.

Joining the currently active Humble Extra Life Bundle and the truly excellent Humble Day of the Devs 2017 Bundle, this new bundle offers further cheap treats.

The Humble Jumbo Bundle 10 currently offers up 7 games for little money, but more will be added to the middle ‘beat the average’ tier within a week.

Right now, if you pay any amount of money, you’ll be given these games:

• Grey Goo Definitive Edition
• Epistory – Typing Chronicles
• Oddworld New ‘n’ Tasty

Oddworld is the highlight there, but the other two sound interesting as well. Beat the current average (currently $5.55) and you’ll also get these:

• Prototype 2
• Kingdom: New Lands
• How to Survive 2

Along with more, currently unannounced games in a week. Finally, the $10 tier nets you just one game, but it’s a good one – Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut. This huge CRPG offers a huge adventure that will be sculpted by the choices you make along the way. You’ll also net the game’s soundtrack as a little bonus.

As always, you can choose how to split the profits from this bundle, with charity profits this time going to the Call of Duty Endowment, which is focused on employing war veterans.

This bundle will be available for the next two weeks.

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Super Mario Odyssey continues Nintendo’s very good year by selling 2 million copies in 3 days

Nintendo’s 2017 hot streak continues with phenomenal early sales figures for Mario’s latest adventure.

The latest Super Mario game, which released exclusively for Nintendo Switch on October 27, has done rather well for itself.

According to Nintendo’s six month briefing for the fiscal year (a period that began in March), the game’s sales have been tremendous. To quote the briefing directly:

“While about 7 million units of Nintendo Switch hardware have been delivered into the hands of our consumers around the world, we estimate that the global sellthrough of Super Mario Odyssey has already exceeded 2 million units in just its first 3 days. The holiday sales season will soon go into full swing, and we plan to make more Nintendo Switch systems available in the market.”

Super Mario Odyssey – which is a tremendous game, by the way – was always going to sell well, but these figures are still surprising. With Christmas on its way, this figure will, of course, keep rising.

The 7 million sales figure for the Switch is also significant – it means that the Switch is on track to overtake the lifetime sales of the Wii U within its first year on sale. Yowza.

Elsewhere in the briefing, Nintendo has revealed that the SNES Mini has racked up 2 million sales since its launch. That’s a lot of people picking up Star Fox 2 for the first time.

Basically, Nintendo’s having a very good year. Super Mario Odyssey was not the final big Switch release for the year, either – look forward to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on December 1.

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PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds now has an Xbox One release date

We’ll be able to play PUBG on our consoles before the year is out.

The wildly popular battle royale shooter will arrive as a console exclusive on December 12 this year, as part of the Xbox Game Preview program. It will be enhanced for Xbox One X as well.

The game will likely remain in early access for some time. According to the press release, “various Xbox One features and functionality will change and come online over time just like they have on PC, with our goal being to have both versions align to each other as soon as possible.”

The game will launch on Xbox with vaulting, which is going to be nice.

There’s also a great interview up on Eurogamer with Brendan Greene (PlayerUnknown himself) the Xbox and PC versions will run on different schedules. The PC version is on track to leave Early Access around the same time the Xbox One version enters the Preview program, and the Desert map will not be available on Xbox at launch.

The Xbox edition will also launch alongside three different console exclusive cosmetic packs: the PUBG Warrior Pack, the PUBG Accessory Pack and the PUBG Tracksuit Pack. These are planned to be the only in-game purchases available during the preview period, and will apparently only exist for a short time.

The Xbox One version of PUBG is currently playable at Paris Games Week (and be sure to check out this livestream from the show). The rest of us will have our hands on it soon.

A physical version will also release down the track, but this initial release will be digital only.

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'Elder Scrolls: Legends' 'Return to Clockwork City' Expansion Coming Next Month

The Elder Scrolls: Legends [Free] continues to expand, and this time next month it will get a brand new story expansion called Return to Clockwork City. As you can guess from the title, this expansion brings all kinds of mechanical creations to the game and a locale first introduced in The Elder Scrolls III Tribunal expansion. The Clockwork City was built by the tinkerer god Sotha Sil, but the city later became his tomb. And now the question is, what secrets are hidden there? You'll be the first mortal to enter the city in centuries, so expect great secrets (and a ton of dust).

The expansion will land November 30th and will bring over 55 new cards that players can collect by playing through 35 story missions. These cards will let you search for lost treasures, construct steam-powered machines, or even go all mad scientist on the world and bring to life mechanical abominations. The new expansion brings new creatures called Fabricants, creatures of flesh and metal, that look fun to play with. There are also new mechanics, Treasure Hunt and Assemble, which you can read about in detail here. I usually enjoy blends of fantasy and steampunk, so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Return to Clockwork City.

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Beautiful Adventure Game 'Abi' Coming November 2nd

There's something very cute about little robots acting like humans (Wall-E and BB-8 are just some examples), and I think Abi and DD, the two robot stars of the upcoming adventure game Abi, might join your list of favorite mechanical devices. Abi is a melancholic story of two robots exploring a desolated world where humanity is long gone. In this puzzle adventure game, you'll control both Abi, the small robot programmed to be an educator, and DD, the hulking industrial robot, as you try and uncover the mystery behind the sudden disappearance of all humanity. Humanity's impact, though, is visible throughout the world you'll explore.

Abi is gorgeous, with great art style and animations and wonderfully somber music. It feels like one of those games you want to play on the couch with the lights out. Wall-E is one of my favorite movies ever (well, the first half of it at least), so I'm really looking forward to Abi. The game is releasing November 2nd, and it will cost you $2.99, a small price to pay to keep those poor little robots company.

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'Roblox' Gets Big Cross-Platform Update, Mobile Players Can Now Play With Xbox Players

Roblox [Free] is an incredibly popular cross-platform game that lets its players do pretty much whatever they want, and now it's grown even more by allowing Xbox One players to play along with the ones on mobile (and PC). This new update brings the over 60 million active players together in a way similar to what Mojang did with Minecraft's Better Together update. This is a pretty big deal for one of the biggest games in the world right now (even if it doesn't get the attention it deserves sometimes). Currently, Roblox is the number 2 Adventure game on the App Store with 4.7 average rating, a ton of players, and plenty of room to grow.

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Roblox has managed to get all those millions of players because it provides them with the opportunity to design any kind of user-generated game they want, from playing cops and robbers, become race drivers, and everything else you can imagine. It's like Minecraft, but the focus is less on what the game comes with and more on what you can do with what the game provides. And I'm glad to see another very popular game going the cross-platform way; I'm hoping that this is a trend we will continue seeing.

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'Iron Marines', a Fantastic Futuristic RTS From the Creators of 'Kingdom Rush', Is on Sale for the First Time

Today is Halloween, and for the vast majority of people this means elaborate costumes, spooky trick-or-treating and binging Stranger Things 2. However, for us mobile gaming enthusiasts, this 'holiday' also brings along with is a slew of brilliant price reductions on the App Store. If you prefer to stay away from the shadows in the comfort of your own home, or you just want to grab one of 2017's best releases at a bargain price, Ironhide Studios has you covered. Iron Marines [$2.99] was a neat futuristic RTS game from the creators of Kingdom Rush [Free (HD)], and received an exultant five-star review in our extensive launch coverage. With some deserved comparisons to the mighty StarCraft, it was certainly not one to miss for real-time strategy fans - if the game did manage to slip by in the usual tsunami of App Store releases, the developer has put Iron Marines on sale for the first time this Halloween, and is now a veritable bargain at $2.99.

Iron Marines was the real deal when it released back in September, and featured a ton of things to micromanage and 14 extensive campaign missions across the game's beautifully illustrated worlds. While there were a number of inevitable freemium elements in the game, these only served to unlock entirely optional characters or speed up the gameplay, and were easily avoidable for anyone wanting a deep, pure and traditional RTS experience. Iron Marines also manages to retain the complexity of genre classics for veterans while also appealing to those who are normally turned off by such strategy titles. I only play the occasional RTS game, yet Iron Marines grabbed me with its abundant charm, and I'd recommend taking advantage of this seemingly limited Halloween promotion. Download Iron Marines for $2.99 from the App Store today, and let us know your impressions on our forum thread.

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'Final Fantasy Dimensions II' Hits the App Store a Day Early as a Premium App

It was just about a year ago that Square Enix announced a proper sequel to their mobile-exclusive premium RPG Final Fantasy Dimensions, known as Final Fantasy Legends in Japan, and it was just last Friday that they announced that the game would be launching on November 1st. Well, we're not quite at November 1st just yet, at least in our part of the world, but Final Fantasy Dimensions II [$14.99] has decided to pop up in the App Store a day earlier than expected. And here's a thing: It's a totally paid, IAP-free release clocking in at a price of $14.99.

This game has a pretty weird history. Originally released in Japan in February 2015 as Final Fantasy Legends: The Crystal Of Time And Space, it was positioned as a direct sequel to the first Final Fantasy Dimensions/Legends but was a free to play game closer to a social RPG than a traditional one. It chugged along in Japan for about a year and a half before Square Enix announced a massive update to the game and a rebranding as Final Fantasy Legends II. That update replaced the original version of the game, but now in conjunction with releasing the game worldwide the original game is now being retired in favor of today's newly-released version of Final Fantasy Dimensions II. Yeah, it's messy.

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Seeing as there are people in the world who have conceivably been playing this game in some form for nearly two years, it'll be really interesting to see what has changed in the move from being a free to play social RPG into a premium paid title. We'll have our Final Fantasy expert Shaun Musgrave put this new Final Fantasy Dimensions II release through the wringer to bring you a review shortly, but until then, assuming you might not want to drop fifteen bucks on a game just to see if it's something you'll like, you can also find impressions and discussion about the game in our forums.

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An iPhone Version of 'Rome: Total War' Is Set to Launch on the App Store This Winter

One of the more surprising iOS ports of recent times is undoubtedly Rome: Total War [$9.99 (HD)], and when it was announced late last year I was truly blindsided by seeing such a legendary PC strategy classic on a tablet device. As with many similar titles, the touchscreen of the iPad proved to be a perfect fit for the game, and the successive release of the Barbarian Invasion [$4.99 (HD)] expansion pack as a standalone release emphasised the suitability of the series to the App Store. However, as with any tablet-exclusive title, many mobile gamers were wondering if Rome: Total War would ever be available for the iPhone. I personally thought such a feat was impossible, as less meticulous releases like RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic [$5.99] were too clumsy on the smaller smartphone screen. The folks at Feral Interactive do love a challenge, however, and so have today announced that Rome: Total War will be available for iPhone devices this Winter for $9.99.

Considering the length of time that it has taken for an iPhone version of Rome: Total War to emerge - the game was released almost exactly a year ago in November 2016 - it's evident that Feral Interactive have gone for more than just a downsized iteration of the title for smartphones. In today's announcement, the developer has claimed that there will be numerous features specifically created for the iPhone's display, including a shiny new interface and enhanced touch controls. However, one question mark does remain over whether the iPhone version comes as a universal update to the previous Rome: Total War on iPad, or whether the game is a standalone release. Either way, some sort of cloud save option to seamlessly continue a campaign across devices is definitely needed, and will hopefully be confirmed as more details are revealed in the lead-up to the title's release. Rome: Total War for iPhone has a tentative Winter release date - swing by our Discord server for more news and impressions as they hit.

An iPhone Version of 'Rome: Total War' Is Set to Launch on the App Store This Winter posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Watch PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Paris Games Week livestream here

Microsoft and Bluehole are hosting a special PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds livestream from Paris Games Week.

Both companies are hyping up the event, so we’re hoping this would be the first time we see live PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds gameplay from Xbox One consoles.

Microsoft is showing the Xbox One X at Paris Games Week, and it would make sense for PUBG to be another showcase title for the powerful console. What we’re really hoping to get, though, is a release date for the Xbox One version.

Bulehole always said the Xbox One version would launch in Game Preview before the end of the year. Today’s livestream seems like a great opportunity to announce a date, especially since “the end of the year” usually means no later than the third week of December.

Whatever it is Microsoft has in store for us, we’ll be watching. The show officially kicks off at 11:30am PT, 2:30pm ET, 6:30pm UK, 7:30pm CET, and you can catch it all below.

Watch PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Paris Games Week livestream here posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Humble Extra Life 2017 Bundle live now featuring Kingsway, Rain World, Pathfinder, and more

Time for another bundle from the folks at Humble. This time, you can get over $450 of stuff for $15.

In this bundle, you’ll be able to pick up copies of Pac0Man Championship Edition 2, Kingsway, Leviathan: Warships, Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition and Rain World, along with a litany of Pathfinder digital books. You’ll also get 10% off your first month of Humble Monthly if you fancy it as well.

As you may expect from the name, some proceeds of this bundle go towards Extra Life, a charity with a mission to help sick and injured children. You can choose how much of your purchase goes towards the charity in the little slider thingy at the bottom of the page.

Here’s what you’ll get in total:

Pay what you want

• Majesty Gold HD
• Pac-Man Championship Edition 2
• Majesty 2
• Pathfinder Online Early Enrollment
• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Digital Beginner Box
• Pathfinder Core Rulebook
• Pathfinder Player Character Folio
• Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guide
• Pathfinder Society Pregenerated Characters
• Pathfinder RPG Bonus Bestiary

Pay more than the average

• Leviathan: Warships
• Kingsway
• Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition
• Pathfinder GameMastery Guide
• Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide
• Pathfinder Bestiary
• Pathfinder Strategy Guide
• Pathfinder Society Season 6
• Pathfinder Ultimate Equipment

Pay $15 (£11.36) or more

• Rain World
• Pathfinder Society Season 7
• Pathfinder Inner Sea World Guide
• Pathfinder Inner Sea Poster Map Folio
• Pathfinder Chronicles: Rise of the Runelords Map Folio
• Pathfinder Chronicles: Kingmaker Poster Map Folio
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Skull and Shackles Poster Map Folio

Pay what you want for the Humble Extra Life Bundle 2017

Humble Extra Life 2017 Bundle live now featuring Kingsway, Rain World, Pathfinder, and more posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Escape from Tarkov gets big update, early open beta details revealed

Escape from Tarkov has recently received a big patch as development of the upcoming open beta continues.

Currently in closed beta, the latest update for Escape from Tarkov focused on bringing new content. Over 70 new items were added, which include new weapons like the AKM, new weapon mechanics such as the ability to blind fire, and more.

This content push also affected starting gear for all players, though the benefits vary depending on the pre-order edition you own. This includes expanding the stash sizes for all versions.

Beyond the new content, the update added voice commands and gestures to make communicating with other players easier. Grenades have seen a big rebalance, alongside a larger balance pass on armour and character damage.

Finally, the update made some optimisation improvements for RAM usage, and improved the enemy AI. Developer Battlestate reiterated that the open beta is still on track for release at the end of year. The open beta is Escape from Tarkov’s next big milestone, and its release will bring another big update to mechanics, add new content, and more optimise performance more in graphics and network usage.

Escape from Tarkov gets big update, early open beta details revealed posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

'DeCap Attack' Review - That's No Way to Get a Head in Life

The early 1990s were a strange time for video game characters. Side-scrolling platformers were without question the most popular games, to the point that just about every company had to come up with a mascot or three to put in their own spin on the genre. An awful lot of those characters were simple variations on Sonic the Hedgehog, throwing a pair of big googly eyes on some kind of anthropomorphic animal with an attitude in a vain effort to create some sort of familiar look. Licensed characters from other media and even real celebrities were also popular choices for similar reasons. Then there was Chuck D. Head. He's a mummy with his face on his chest, which he stretches out to attack enemies. Sometimes he finds a head with another face on it, and he throws that head like a hefty boomerang as another means of attacking. Chuck is the star of DeCap Attack [Free], a surprisingly high-effort platformer from SEGA and developer Vic Tokai.

Although DeCap Attack represents Chuck's first (and I believe only) appearance in a video game, it's actually the final game in a very loose series of titles. The first game appeared on Nintendo's 8-bit NES console and was known as Kid Kool in the Western world. It's a pretty terrible game by most accounts, nearly reaching "so bad it's good" status. Nearly, but not quite. The next game in the series was titled Psycho Fox and was released on SEGA's 8-bit Master System console. Actually, it might be a stretch to call it a separate game, since it shared many level layouts with Kid Kool. But it was a slightly more playable game, so let's give it at least that. That brings us to SEGA's 16-bit console, but the oddities don't end there. In Japan, this third game was based on a licensed anime property called Magical Hat. There wasn't much point in carrying an unknown license over to the West, but rather than make the bare minimum of changes to drop it the way so many other games did, SEGA opted to completely reskin the game. They also made a few small changes to the gameplay while keeping the bulk of the physics and stage designs the same.

There are a few things that, for better or worse, all of the games in that series share. The main character always has a short range attack at his disposal, with a longer range ball-type attack available as a power-up. You're always trying to get from one end of a stage to the next, and almost all of the games make use of multiple levels and routes. But perhaps the strongest shared characteristic can be found in the loosey-goosey physics. The main characters in all of these games are, for lack of a better description, very slippery. There's a palpable weight to them, and the height of their jumps greatly depend on how much speed they build up first. This is one of the things that makes Kid Kool so aggravating, and it threatens to put the kibosh on DeCap Attack at times, too.

Thankfully, unlike in Kid Kool, you can usually scroll the screen back in DeCap Attack. Your projectile will also return to you eventually whether you retrieve it or not. These two changes make it a lot less frustrating to make your way through the levels, and the SEGA Forever features of being able to save anywhere and rewind your playthrough by 15 seconds help to bridge the rest of the gap. DeCap Attack can still be incredibly frustrating at times, but its difficulty is probably more tolerable here than it has ever been. If you don't have an MFi controller, you had better be a virtual button virtuoso if you want to make it through the game, however. Oh, and one heads-up to newcomers who might be used to just speeding through levels: the final stage of each area not only has a boss fight waiting at the end, but also requires you to find a special item hidden somewhere in the stage. If you don't have it and try to leave, you'll be spit back out into the stage to find it.

In addition to that special item and the head power-up, Chuck can also find a selection of potions and items scattered around. Unlike in many platformers, these items are not used upon pick-up. Instead, you can access a status screen that allows you to select and use them whenever you see fit. It's probably best to use most of them during the boss battles, but I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. Since they're tucked away on a separate screen, it's easy to forget about them. I suspect DeCap Attack wouldn't have quite as fierce a reputation if more people remembered these goodies. Mind you, you'd still have to deal with the fact that there aren't any mid-stage checkpoints, but we're living in a magical future where we can create our own mid-stage checkpoints. Take that, classic difficulty.

DeCap Attack leans pretty heavily into its reskinned theme, which has the unfortunate effect of making the game's areas feel a bit similar to one another from a visual standpoint. Some of the enemies feel a little out of place in such ghastly settings, too. But I think it's worth it just for Chuck's lumbering gait alone. He handles about as well as a cow on ice skates, but bless his heart, he's not deceiving you. The poor guy looks like he's barely keeping himself from face-planting at the best of times. The music is also quite delightful. The game's odd choice of a horror presentation makes it a great choice to play on Hallowe'en or any other spooky time of year.

If you're familiar with the other recent SEGA Forever mobile releases, you should know the score here in terms of how this particular version fares. You can play the game for free with ad support, or you can pay a one-time IAP to get rid of the non-SEGA ads and activate a couple of extra features like offline play. The emulation is okay but not great. SEGA Forever has made major strides since its launch in this regard, but there's assuredly a fair bit of track on the road ahead. The two biggest sticking points remain the audio, which occasionally glitches out or sounds off-tune, and the performance should if you have anything online going on in the background while you play. I also found the virtual controls to be oddly non-responsive at times in this game in a way that the controls of the other SEGA Forever releases weren't. Nothing that can't be worked around with a little patience, but still worth mentioning.

DeCap Attack is a decent game from the SEGA 16-bit library. I wouldn't say it was excellent even in its own era, and pouring it through virtual controls and a sometimes-finicky emulator doesn't do it many favors. At the same time, if you look at this game in the context of the iOS library, it's pretty darned fun. Chuck is a great character, even if he is weird as all get-out. There's just so much personality in DeCap Attack that I found myself liking the game more than I probably should. Easily worth the download, and the price to buy the IAP still feels like I'm cheating poor ol' SEGA. The only question that remains is whether or not it's worth investing time into. If you love platformers and don't mind a challenge, I'd say the answer is yes.

'DeCap Attack' Review - That's No Way to Get a Head in Life posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Farpoint with PSVR Aim Controller down to £53 today

In the UK, you can now snap up the Farpoint bundle that includes the PlayStation VR Aim Controller for its lowest ever price.

Normally retailing at £80, the Farpoint and PSVR Aim Controller bundle, can now be had for just shy of £53, which is officially its cheapest ever price.

Farpoint itself is often seen as PlayStation’s golden child when it comes to VR titles, offering a full single-player first-person shooter experience entirely in virtual reality. It’s a great example of what the PSVR can do and while it’s not required, the PS VR Aim controller is designed to take full advantage of it. Sure, it looks goofy outside of VR, but having a tactile controller to grip while playing a VR shooter is hugely beneficial to the experience.

If you’d like to give it a shot, you can find it on the link below.

Farpoint with PS VR Aim Controller for £52.85 from ShopTo

Farpoint with PSVR Aim Controller down to £53 today posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Hellblade sales above expectations, almost broken even

Hellblade was a risky experiment for developer Ninja Theory, but it’s so far proven to be a success.

Ninja Theory spent years using its own money to create a wholly-owned new IP, developed from the ground up as a digital-only game. The result was Hellblade, which many agree is a pretty good game. But what about the financial end, did it all work out for the studio?

According to creative director Tameem Antoniades, it has been a success. Speaking to GamesBeat in a long postmortem, Antoniades revealed that the studio is actually planning to release a new developer diary specifically to talk about sales numbers, cost, and other details that he hopes would help other developers in similar situations.

“It sold better than our expectations,” said Antoniades. “I think it’s almost broken even, or it’s about to break even in the next couple of weeks. I’d have to check.”

Though it may sound unimpressive compared to juggernauts like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the point is that sales were above expectations. “We weren’t expecting to break even for six, eight, nine months on this game. It looks like within three months, it will have broken even and then some,” added Antoniades.

The best part, as the creative director points out, is that the bulk of the money goes to Ninja Theory and not to a third-party publisher, because the game is self-published.

The rest of the piece is well worth your time, give it a look through the link above.

Hellblade sales above expectations, almost broken even posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Best Black Friday deals for Xbox One, Xbox One X, and Xbox One games – 2017

Check out the best Black Friday deals on Xbox One bundles and games.

Black Friday is fast approaching and if you want to live to see the dawn of another day, online shopping is your salvation. Deals for the deals god.

There are deals galore to be had in November when Americans from all over America take the day off to eat turkey as a ruse to worship at the altar of retail shopping.

We’ve cottoned on here and while the turkey eating didn’t make it across the pond to the UK, frittering money away on heavily discounted items sure has.

This page will showcase the very best Black Friday deals for Xbox One, Xbox One X and associated games. You can also check out our top picks for the best PS4 Black Friday games deals and likewise the best Nintendo Black Friday games deals and best PC gaming Black Friday deals. While you’re here, you may also want to check out our top picks for the best Black Friday TV deals, too.

When does Black Friday start?

Black Friday is on Friday, November 24 this year, the day after Thanksgiving, and runs until the following Monday, November 27, when you can take advantage of Cyber Monday deals.

To ease you into the pre-Christmas festivities, the sales usually run for the week before Thanksgiving, so we expect discounts to start rolling out from Friday, November 17. We’ll keep you posted with all the best bargains as we hurtle towards the holiday.

Last year was a big one and the overall cheapest Xbox One bundle for the UK audience was an Xbox One S 500GB console that came with copies of Minecraft and Forza Horizon 3, that was discounted down to just £199.99 at the time. The best value Xbox One deal, however, was from GAME, where you could grab an Xbox One S 500GB model with FIFA 17, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 3 and a NOW TV Movies pass, all for £229.99. The stock of that one didn’t last too long, as you might expect. As for games, Amazon kept up a steady stream of discounts on some big name titles like Titanfall 2 (£28), COD Infinite Warfare (£35), Skyrim (£30), Dark Souls 3 (£17) and Fallout 4 for its lowest ever price of £13.

2016 also offered up a whole range of offers on 4K televisions which were a hot ticket item for many video game fans and console owners. Specifically, Amazon offered the top of the range LG 65-inch 4K TV for £1200 (£300 off), Currys discounted the Samsung 70-inch HDR-enabled 4K TV to £1300 (£600 off) and Costco hosted a Philips 49-inch 4K TV for only £530.

So what do last year’s deals tell us about Black Friday 2017? Quite a lot, actually. There was a definite focus on adding value to console bundles by throwing in a frankly ludicrous amount of games and pricing the whole lot up with a big saving rather than just discounting consoles on their own. With this year’s release of the Nintendo Switch and the upcoming launch of Microsoft’s brand new 4K-enabled Xbox One X, it’s likely that we’ll start to see the older model Xbox Ones and PS4 units being sold off for extra cheap prices, most likely with a slew of games packed in.

That said, now that the PS4 Pro has been out for a year and the Xbox One X will be on the market by the time Black Friday 2017 actually rolls around, it’s highly likely that we’ll see a whole range of 4K TVs seeing deep discounts, especially if they happen to be last year’s models and not the current cutting-edge tech. This year’s freshest sets haven’t seen a vast improvement over 2016 models, so you shouldn’t be at a disadvantage for picking up an older set, especially if you can get one for dirt cheap.

In the meantime, we’ve put together a list of some of the best console bundles and game sales out there at the moment, if you can’t hold off until Black Friday.

Best Xbox One console bundles

UK

Xbox One S 500GB – £194.99

Xbox One S 500GB with Assassin’s Creed Origins, Quantum Break and Halo 5 – £229.98

Xbox One S 500GB with Assassin’s Creed Origins, Doom, Dishonored 2, Fallout 4 and NOW TV – £229.99

Xbox One S with Minecraft, Quantum Break and Halo 5: Guardians – £230

Xbox One S with Assassin’s Creed Origins – £239

Xbox One S 500GB with Forza Horizon 3, Hot Wheels DLC, Forza Motorsport 7 and an extra controller – £249

Xbox One S 500GB with Middle-earth: Shadow of War – £229.99

Xbox One S Minecraft Console Bundle 500GB – £215.99

Xbox One S 1TB Console – Forza Horizon 3 Bundle – £289

Xbox One S 500GB + FIFA 17 + Mass Effect Andromeda – £249.99

US
Xbox One S 500GB with Minecraft – $259.99

Xbox One S 500GB with Forza Horizon 3 – $249.99

Xbox One S with Battlefield 1, Destiny 2 and 3 Months of Xbox Live – $279.99

Xbox One S with The Division, Forza Horizon 3 and Destiny 2 – $279

Xbox One S with Gears of War 4, Destiny 2 and The Crew – $299

Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition (GameStop Exclusive) – $582.99

Xbox One S Battlefield 1 Special Edition 1TB Console Bundle – $349.99

Xbox One S Gears of War 4 1TB Standard Edition Console Bundle – $245.77

Best Xbox One game deals

UK

Forza Motorsport 7 – £34.85

Doom – £9.49

Prey – £18.99

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus – Welcome to Amerika Pack – £45.99

Assassin’s Creed Origins Gold Edition – £68.99

Call of Duty: WW2 + Animated Zombies Weapon Camo + Zombies Prima Strategy Guide (Amazon Exclusive) – 49.99

FIFA 18 Zavvi Exclusive Fan Box – £69.99

GTA 5 – £29.99

Forza Motorsport 7 – £41.99

US

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider – $19.99

Titanfall 2 – $21.89

LEGO Worlds – $19.99

Destiny 2 Hunter Bundle – $134.99

Destiny 2 Warlock Bundle – $134.99

Destiny 2 Titan Bundle – $134.99

Destiny 2 Collectibles Bundle (GameStop Exclusive) – $129.99

Destiny 2 Collectibles Bundle (GameStop Exclusive) including expansion pass – $284.99

Forza Motorsport 7 Ultimate Edition – $99.99

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider – $29.96

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Gold Edition – $99.99

If you’ve been planning on getting a new console and aren’t fussed about 4K or having the newest model, you should definitely hold out for Black Friday sales.

Retailers will be flogging the PS4, PS4 Slim, Xbox One, and Xbox One S at discounted prices as they get in more stock of the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro.

You’ll be sure to get a bargain with console bundles, so save those pennies for a couple more months to make the most of it.

Best Black Friday deals for Xbox One, Xbox One X, and Xbox One games – 2017 posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

“We trust in our creators,” says Sony after revealing new levels of PlayStation violence

Sony has said that it has faith in its development teams while making games that feature extremely violent and mature content.

Speaking to VG247 today in Paris, Sony said that it’s PlayStation’s responsibility to ensure all content is handled and marketed responsibly.

Sony showed two shocking videos during its Paris Games Week press conference last night that left many in the live audience stunned at the levels of violence and misery portrayed in an otherwise barnstorming show.

In new footage of Quantic Dreams’ Detroit: Become Human we witnessed domestic violence and the death of a child, while a new trailer for The Last of Us Part 2 featured a female character being held down and beaten with a claw hammer.

“We’ve always wanted to have a variety of content, lots of choice, we’ve always wanted to be innovative and sometimes challenge as well,” Michael Denny, said senior vice president at Sony PlayStation.

“If you look at Sucker Punch’s new game, Ghosts of Tsushima, it’s great new triple A game, Concrete Genie, something that’s very creative and innovative in its own way, PlayLink and new VR titles. To have thought-provoking and mature content if it’s handled in the right way and aimed at a mature audience, I think that’s part of PlayStation as well.”

“It always has been that we trust in our creators. It’s about the experience and the game they want to make.

“Clearly, we’re involved in producing that and if you’re going to go into areas of challenging content we need to make sure it’s done in an appropriate way as well,” he added. “Part of these things are about playing the game and putting them in context – making sure it’s thought-provoking in the right way.”

Speaking about Detroit: Become Human in particular, Denny played down the scenes of domestic abuse and violence, suggesting it’s only one part of a wider story that presents multiple difficult choices to the player.

“I wouldn’t say it was a central part of the game,” he said. “It’s a big part of that scene about Kara questioning her programming and whether she can react against her master in a very challenging circumstance.

“You’ll see another character, a policeman, and whether or not he saves a hostage or not and the choices there. It’s a very branching game and about making choices for the characters. We introduce Mark as a new character as well, and they’re all going to have big challenges put in front of them. I think the game’s about content that makes you think and making choices in a very branching game with a lot of consequences.”

The Last of Us Part 2 is a game with violent heritage, while Quantic Dreams has created content in the past featuring playable stripping and shower scenes.

“We trust in our creators,” says Sony after revealing new levels of PlayStation violence posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris raises power level to 330, opens Lighthouse to everyone, features new raid content and more

We’ve been briefed by Bungie on Destiny 2’s first major expansion.

It’s always a bit awkward when a game developer stands in front of you and reads a script off a laptop.

That’s the unglamorous reality of this job. We sit in a room and listen to the stiff delivery of a bunch of features for a game. It’s all very polite, but it lasts exactly 11 minutes and is basically a checklist of things Bungie wants us to know about Destiny 2’s first expansion. There’s no opportunity for questions. I’m not complaining, we did walk away with some hard facts. So here they are – everything we know about Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris.

It’s arrives on PS4, Xbox One and PC on the same date, December 5.

You’re going to be exploring Mercury, with new Quests, Missions, Adventures, a Strike and new Raid content.

Social space The Lighthouse, previously only accessible to players who achieved a flawless victory in Trials of Osiris, will be open to everyone.

Character level will go up to 25 and Power Levels will climb to 330.

In terms of story, Ikora Rey sends you to Mercury to find the exiled Warlock Osiris. You’ll be taking on the Vex and there are four main characters featured in Curse of Osiris. Osiris himself is central to all of this, obviously, but it also introduces Sagira, his ghost. She’ll be guiding you through Curse of Osiris and it’s the first time you speak to another ghost in Destiny. She’s voiced by Morena Baccarin, Firefly fans.

Brother Vance from original Destiny will also return, unsurprisingly, as he was the NPC for Trials of Osiris.

One of the Mercury locations is the Infinite Forest, a simulated reality controlled by the Vex. Expect a lot of Vex backstory in Curse of Osiris.

Wormhaven is the PlayStation exclusive multiplayer map.

Bungie is going to broadcast livestreams on Twitch to show off more of Curse of Osiris during November.

That’s it. Script finished, presentation over. Thanks for your time.

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris raises power level to 330, opens Lighthouse to everyone, features new raid content and more posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

How to get the best PS4, PS4 Pro and PS4 games deals on Black Friday 2017

Come get the best Black Friday deals on PS4 bundles and games.

Black Friday is coming and with it, the thrill of not knowing whether you’ll make it out of the high street without getting crushed to death by a stampede of millennials ready to fight to the death over a half-price toaster. Worse still, it might even be an espresso maker.

The eating of turkey is no longer the hallowed day it once was, and all everyone’s waiting for is the chance to rush off down the shops to catch a bargain.

The tradition of clubbing people to within an inch of their life with your free hand while grabbing the last of the merchandise off the shelves has been embraced on all shores, which means you should start saving some cash ahead of time for the big day.

This page will showcase the very best Black Friday deals for PS4, PS4 Pro and games to play. You can also check out our top picks for the best Xbox One Black Friday games deals and likewise the best Nintendo Black Friday games deals. Alternatively, you may want to check out our picks for the best PC gaming Black Friday deals or even the best Black Friday TV deals, too.

When does Black Friday start?

Black Friday falls on November 24th this year, with Cyber Monday deals kicking in a few days later on November 27. Cyber Monday, for those of you who are unaware, is the second week-long set of sales, price cuts and special offers. the Originally this was set to the be online counterpart to the retail-only Black Friday but over the years, the lines have blurred and now it’s just one big discount Smörgåsbord. Expect a fresh set of deals that week since retailers will be keen to keep some tricks up their sleeves.

As for Black Friday itself, a lot of retailers start discounting their stock on the Friday before, so it’s likely that we’ll see some tantalising deals starting Friday 17 November, so keep checking in as we get closer to the big day. As we learned last year, though, there may even be retailers who push things even further back. Once we’re into November, stay vigilant and keep your eyes peeled. Alternatively, just come back here since we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled so you don’t have to.

Expect to see a lot of cut price PS4, PS4 slim, Xbox One, and Xbox One S consoles over Black Friday as retailers sell off stock to make room for the shiny new versions; in this case, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.

Looking at last year, you could pick up a PS4 Slim with Call of Duty Infinite Warfare for £189 from eBay, which was by far the cheapest PS4 deal around. In terms of the best value PS4 bundle, Tesco Direct came out ahead with a bundle offering a PS4 500GB Slim console with Uncharted 4, Titanfall 2, Mafia 3, FIFA 17, Dishonored 2 and Battlefield 1, all for £279.99 which is a little insane but unquestionably superb value. As for games on their own, Amazon was offering Destiny The Collection for £20, Overwatch for £25, DOOM for only £16 and then-newly-released Watch Dogs 2 for £32.

Last year’s deals tell us a little bit about what to expect this year. For one, there was a definite focus on adding value to console bundles by throwing in a frankly ludicrous amount of games and pricing the whole lot up with a big saving rather than just discounting consoles on their own. Now that the PS4 Pro has been out for a year and the Xbox One X will be on the market by the time Black Friday 2017 actually rolls around, it’s highly likely that we’ll see a whole range of 4K TVs seeing deep discounts, especially if they happen to be last year’s models and not the current cutting-edge tech.

Best PS4 console bundles

Black Friday is a little way off yet, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t scour the interweb for some juicy deals on PS4 bundles. We’ll start by taking a look at the very best console deals you can find right now in the UK & US, then move onto some key video game releases you should be marking on your calendar. They may not all be at bargain basement prices, but you never know what Black Friday will bring.

UK deals

PS4 Slim 500GB with FIFA 18 and Gran Turismo Sport – £249.99

PS4 Pro 1TB console with FIFA 18 and Wolfenstein 2 – £374.99

PS4 Slim 500GB with FIFA 18, Doom, Dishonored 2, Fallout 4 and NOW TV – £229.99

PS4 Slim White 500GB console – £209.85

PS4 Slim 500GB with Gran Turismo Sport – £219.99

Limited Edition Call of Duty WW2 PS4 Slim 1TB in Camo Green – £259.99

Limited Edition Gran Turismo Sport PS4 1TB Slim for £259.99

PS4 Pro 1TB White console with Destiny 2, Doom, Fallout 4 an Dishonrored 2 for £349.99

PS4 Slim 1TB + Watch Dogs + Watch Dogs 2 – £289.99

PS4 Slim 1TB – £299.99

PlayStation VR headset with PS camera, PS Worlds and Gran Turismo Sport – £350

US deals

PS4 Pro 1TB console – $395.94

PS4 1TB Limited Edition Call of Duty WW2 console for $299.99

PS4 Slim 500GB Uncharted 4 Bundle – $296.99

PS4 Pro 1TB Destiny 2 Bundle – $449.00

PS4 Pro 1TB in Glacier White with Destiny 2 for $449 from Amazon US

Best PS4 game deals

UK

Grand Theft Auto V – £24.99

Middle-earth: Shadow of War – £28.93

Destiny 2 – £29.99

Call of Duty WW2 + Animated Zombies Weapon Camo + Zombies Prima Strategy Guide (Amazon Exclusive) – £49.99

Destiny 2 + Coldheart Exotic + Salute Emote (Amazon Exclusive) – £45.99

Assassin’s Creed Origins Limited Edition + Mercenary Pack (Exclusive to Amazon) – £49.99

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus – Welcome to Amerika Pack – £45.99

Dishonored Death of the Outsider – £15.99

Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite – £34.99

The Sims 4 Deluxe Party Edition – £48.00

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Silver Edition – £59.99

FIFA 18 Zavvi Exclusive Fan Box – £69.99

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 – £39.99

US

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider – $19.99

Mass Effect Andromeda – $29.99

Mafia 3 – $19.89

Destiny 2 + Expansion Pass – $89.99

Destiny 2 Hunter Bundle – $134.99

Destiny 2 Warlock Bundle – $134.99

Destiny 2 Titan Bundle – $134.99

Destiny 2 Collectibles Bundle (GameStop Exclusive) – $129.99

Destiny 2 Collectibles Bundle (GameStop Exclusive) including expansion pass – $284.99

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus Collector’s Edition – $99.96

Assassin’s Creed Origins Deluxe Edition – $69.95

If none of the above deals take your fancy, it’s definitely worth holding out until November to make the most of the bundle deals we’ll almost certainly see during the sales.

How to get the best PS4, PS4 Pro and PS4 games deals on Black Friday 2017 posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Razer's Gaming Smartphone Specs "Leak"

In the PC world, Razer has been a legendary brand as long as I can remember. What kicked off what we now know as "Razer" actually was a product by a company called Karna- The Razer Boomslang mouse. The Boomslang was unlike anything else available at the time, as the level of precision you could get playing games with it really made having the mouse feel like cheating at times. It didn't take long for loads of PC gamers in the late 90's to buy the mouse, as it was basically required equipment for anyone at a LAN party. The Razer brand was rebooted in 2005, but the overall theme of the company has remained unchanged: By gamers, for gamers, even if the specs seem weird or otherwise out of line with what the rest of the market is offering and that definitely seems to be the case with the "leaked" specs of their upcoming gamer-centric smartphone.

So far the most gamer-y thing of the specs that have leaked is the 120hz screen. The most recent iPad Pro has a 120hz screen and the hype is real, it makes a massive difference for gaming. What's going to be interesting is whether or not Android games end up supporting this screen in any meaningful amount. In the Apple world, it's still news when a game gets 120hz support as there's so few of them. Considering reluctance to put much effort towards supporting an Apple flagship product inside the iOS ecosystem, it'd hard to really imagine many Android developers doing the same for one specific phone.

The full announcement comes tomorrow, which we're going to be keeping our eyes on. I'd love there to be more dedicated gaming hardware in the mobile games world, but it seems like every gamer-centric device has floundered, including those backed by much larger companies by Razer.

I still want them to release the dang Razer Junglecat.

[via Android Police]

Razer's Gaming Smartphone Specs "Leak" posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW

Telltale's 'Minecraft Story Mode' Ep. 4 Launches November 7th, Trailer Takes You Below the Bedrock

Minecraft Story Mode Season 2 [$4.99] continues with Episode 4 hitting devices on November 7th. If you’ve been wanting to play Season 2 of Telltale’s Minecraft Story Mode I’d advise you to read Tasos’ review of Episode 1 and avoid reading anything about the latter episodes for spoiler reasons. Episode 4 titles "Below the Bedrock" and it takes you literally to a city below the bedrock. Jesse and the gang have narrowly escaped the Admin’s twisted prison and they find a forgotten city that isn’t completley abandoned. The tale continues as they try and discover the origins of the Admin. Watch the trailer for Episode 4 below:

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Season 2 is a five part series and choices from Season 1 carry over into Season 2. If you missed Season 1 however, Season 2 is accessible to newcomers as well. Check out the forum thread for Minecraft Story Mode Season 2 here. Check out our reviews for the earlier episodes here.

Telltale's 'Minecraft Story Mode' Ep. 4 Launches November 7th, Trailer Takes You Below the Bedrock posted first on http://ift.tt/2k0LiGW