Month: January 2020

Crisis On Infinite Earths is the biggest Arrowverse crossover event ever. Taking place over five nights, many DC comics superheroes made appearances. Here are our 15 favorite Easter eggs from the CW crossover.

Phantasy Star Online 2, the popular online action-RPG, will not be locked to any specific regions when it launches later this year on Xbox One, according to the North American PSO2 Twitter account.

A fan asked whether the upcoming online-ARPG will be region-locked. The NA PSO2 Twitter account responded that there are currently “no plans” to seclude players to any regions and that region-locking is not on the table for PSO2 “at this moment.” Things could change later on down the road, however.

PSO2 is holding a closed beta next week, with sign-ups available now and pre-loading starting on Monday, February 3. The closed beta, exclusive to Xbox One, starts on Friday, February 7 and ends the following Saturday. Playing the closed beta lets you earn in-game rewards, and all progress will carry over to the open beta and official game launch. You can download PSO2’s closed beta from the Xbox Insiders Hub app.

While Phantasy Star Online 2 was announced for Xbox One during Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has confirmed that the game isn’t exclusive to the brand.

Season 2 of Fortnite Chapter 2 is just around the corner, but there are still a few more Season 1 challenges to complete in the popular battle royale game. The latest batch of missions is called Camo Vs. Chic, and a number of them have you traveling around the island looking for certain objects. One such challenge asks you to destroy a telescope, television, and telephone pole. If you’re having trouble tracking those down, we tell you where to go below.

Where Are The Telescope, Television, And Telephone Pole Locations?

Many homes around the island have television sets, so you can find those fairly easily in residential areas, particularly in the western portion of the map. Similarly, telephone poles are a common sight around suburban areas, so you shouldn’t have much difficulty coming across one as you play.

Telescopes, however, are a bit trickier to track down, as they are not nearly as common as either of the aforementioned objects. That said, you can reliably find one on the island just off the northern shore of the map, northwest of Craggy Cliffs. The telescope is hidden in a bush, so look around carefully and you’ll be able to spot it.

How To Complete The Challenge

Now that you know where you can find the three objects, all you need to do is destroy them, be it with your pickaxe or a weapon you pick up along the way. You don’t need to destroy all three within a single round to complete the challenge, but you may be able to anyway given how plentiful televisions and telephone poles are.

This isn’t the only challenge that may give you some trouble from the Camo Vs. Chic set. Another asks you to fish up an item at three different No Fishing signs. If you need help tracking those down, be sure to check out our No Fishing sign locations guide. You can also see our other maps and guides in our full Fortnite Chapter 2 challenges roundup.

Over the past 50 years, arguably no filmmaker has made a bigger impact on the industry than Steven Spielberg. He has directed many monster box office hits like Jaws, Jurassic Park, and the Indiana Jones franchise. Spielberg has also won a pair of Academy Awards as a director for Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List. If you’re a Spielberg fan, Amazon has a stellar deal on a great Spielberg Blu-ray collection that includes blockbusters like Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, and lesser-known works like The Sugarland Express and Duel.

Normally $100, the Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection is currently discounted all the way down to $22.97. It’s fulfilled by Amazon and Prime-eligible, but orders placed now won’t ship for a few days. The Blu-ray collection includes the following eight movies:

• Duel (1971)
• The Sugarland Express (1974)
• Jaws (1975)
• 1941 (1979)
• E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
• Always (1989)
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Steven Spielberg Director’s Collection | $22.97 ($100)

The major selling points are obviously the popular films: Jaws, E.T., and the pair of Jurassic Park movies. The discounted price would be great even for just those four films. But for those interested in seeing where Spielberg’s genius started to form, this collection offers a glimpse into that, too.

Based on a short story by Richard Matheson, Duel was Spielberg’s first feature-length film and originally released on television before getting a theatrical release. Crime drama The Sugarland Express was Spielberg’s debut theatrical release and kicked off his longtime collaboration with legendary composer John Williams.

Along with the standard assortment of special features–behind-the-scenes looks, deleted scenes, original trailers, etc.–this collection comes with a booklet with information on each film.

Xbox One is getting another dashboard refresh, and an Xbox Insiders update gives a preview of what’s likely to be coming to all users. For the time being these features are only for Alpha users of the Insider program, so it’s unclear exactly when most of the changes will roll out to the wider audience.

The most noticeable interface change comes to the main Home screen, which replaces the Twists with dedicated rows for Game Pass, Mixer, Xbox Community, and the Microsoft Store. Microsoft says you’ll be able to customize the layout by adding or removing rows. This part of the update will be entering full public release in February. The My Games & Apps UI will also be getting more content grouping settings for easier navigating, along with labels for trials and demos, and a cleaner settings menu.

Other new additions include image support in your messaging conversations. You’ve been able to send that hilarious animated gif in the mobile or desktop app, but now it will display properly on console. Notifications will let you set a portion of your screen to appear, and Xbox Game Pass will let you select an individual game to download from within a bundle. If you have external storage, a new “move” option will appear in your storage management for an easier time freeing up space.

Microsoft also announced that Mixer is getting a few big changes in upcoming updates. You’ll be able to switch your chat mode to “classic chat,” which displays the chat messages in their own window alongside the stream. You can also manually select video resolution, and viewing info and VODs from your favorite streamers will be a smoother experience.

Blizzard has detailed Overwatch patch 1.45 and explained a shift in its approach to updating the game going forward. As part of the developer update, game director Jeff Kaplan revealed that the team will be adopting a new balance philosophy that involves implementing more frequent and impactful updates to deliberately change the meta.

This, according to the studio, is an effort to respond to feedback from players who have been asking to keep the game fresh. As part of this new strategy, Blizzard has said it will be making and reverting changes more rapidly than before.

The mechanism used to implement these changes is a new mode that is represented through the “Experimental” card on the mode select screen. Here, Blizzard will test major changes to the game that may or may not make it to the main game. Although it sounds similar to the Public Test Realm–which is a PC-only build of the game used to iron out balance and bugs–Blizzard notes that the Experimental Card is not for bug testing, it’s specifically for testing balance changes, modes, and rules. Additionally, those that take part will still be able to earn experience and progress, as well as unlock loot boxes.

Leading up to the reveal of patch 1.45, rumors swirled that Blizzard was preparing to introduce a pick and ban feature. This, it seems, is not entirely the case. Instead, Blizzard is opting for Hero Pools where certain characters will be disabled from Competitive Play for a given week, and availability will be rotated weekly. The cadence for the rotation is also being examined, so it may be that it is quicker or slower in the future.

Importantly, Blizzard has said Hero Pools as a feature is being tested during Season 21 and, depending on how it performs, it may not return for Season 22. The goal of the Hero Pools approach, Blizzard says, is to allow the meta to change weekly and to encourage hero diversity in matches. Finally, the update will bolster anti-cheating efforts and have workshop quality of life updates.

In terms of balance, Blizzard is currently testing a version of the game that makes a number of significant changes to Reaper, McCree, Orisa, Sigma, Hanzo, and Baptiste. You can read the latest PTR patch notes to learn about the upcoming Overwatch buffs and nerfs.

Blizzard is currently working on Overwatch 2, which will have a significant story mode. Character progression will be distinct for Overwatch 2’s campaign and multiplayer. As of yet, Overwatch 2’s release date and platforms have not been confirmed.

In 2020, there is no shortage of ways to play retro video games. Whether it’s with micro-consoles from Nintendo and Sega, remastered re-releases, or RGB-modded consoles, there’s never been a better time to enjoy the games of our past. However, when it comes to recreating our days in the local arcade, bringing old cabinets into your home can be an expensive, time-consuming hobby–not to mention the space you need to house them. Sure, you can play old arcade games on most modern platforms, but the feeling of competing for a high score just isn’t the same on a DualShock 4. This is where Arcade1Up comes in, and for the past couple of years, the company has released 3/4-scale cabinets of some of video game’s biggest classics, including Mortal Kombat, Rampage, and now, BurgerTime.

Arcade1Up’s latest is a limited-edition BurgerTime cabinet, which also includes a number of other Data East classics: Karate Champ, Caveman Ninja, and Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja. After building the cabinet–which is about as relaxing as building IKEA furniture–the unique shape of the BurgerTime machine is particularly striking. Arcade1Up did a good job in making BurgerTime feel like you’re bringing the actual cabinet home. For the first time, the company has created panels that more closely resemble the original machine–nearly all of Arcade1Up’s cabinets before this have shared the exact same physical design. BurgerTime’s rounded panels give the cabinet more character, excellently paired with the panel art featuring Peter Pepper.

It’s not an exact copy of the original cabinet’s design, however. In fact, the Arcade1Up machine features more stylized curves than the original. This feels important in evoking the original, as the rest of the machine is like any other Arcade1Up cabinet. The original 1982 cabinet features a screen that’s flush with the control board, asking the player to look downward at the screen. Arcade1Up’s rendition will have you looking straight ahead, much like the rest of the company’s line-up. And of course, Arcade1Up cabinets don’t utilize CRT monitors, instead opting for modern flat screens. The Arcade1Up display looks great, but if you are looking for that exact original experience, it will be different than you remember.

Otherwise, Arcade1Up’s BurgerTime cabinet is gorgeous. The colours are bright and emulate the original design, with a light-up marquee that makes the machine pop in a dimly-lit room. It’s a beautiful cabinet, and thankfully, games are well-emulated to help make it a great experience.

Ported by Other Ocean Interactive–with assistance from Digital Eclipse, which is known for its excellent work on classic game compilations like Mega Man Legacy Collection and Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Edition–the games play, look, and sound great. The joysticks are responsive and feel sturdy, while the buttons are satisfying to click when you need to pepper a living sausage or kick a ninja. The control board includes two joysticks and two buttons per player, giving you everything you need to play each game the way they were made to be played–the dual joysticks are for use with Karate Champ, the game that kickstarted the fighting game genre as we know it today. It’s a good selection of games, especially if you have a friend to enjoy them with.

Everything about Arcade1Up’s BurgerTime cabinet works great. It’s as simple as putting it together, plugging it in, and playing. The simplicity is also its downside, however. Arcade1Up’s machines don’t offer anything beyond the means of actually playing the games. There aren’t any video options, sound settings, art galleries, or anything in between–something as simple as scanlines or a sound test would be appreciated. It’s also important to note that there’s no official way of obtaining new games for Arcade1Up’s cabinets.

Arcade1Up makes excellent machines. The BurgerTime cabinet is exemplary of the company’s dedication to create experiences that–while not exactly as they were back in the day–are roughly as good as you remember. But at the end of the day, the $399 price tag is a lot to ask for from most people. Arcade1Up’s 3/4-scale cabinets are awesome machines, but they’re only for those who are most passionate about the featured games. Thankfully, Arcade1Up treats those games with the respect they deserve, and anyone who cares about Data East’s classic games will find a lot to love in the BurgerTime cabinet.

The BurgerTime cabinet is sold exclusively on Arcade1Up’s website for $399, and it’s only available for a limited time. If you order before January 31, you’ll get guaranteed shipping by March 1.

Arcade1Up recently announced a series of smaller, more affordable products at CES 2020. These include classic micro-consoles and new plug-and-play systems for classic series like Mega Man, DuckTales, and Pac-Man. You can see all of the retro gaming hardware we loved at CES 2020 right here on GameSpot.

Ubisoft has outlined the alterations coming to For Honor on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One with Year 4: Year of the Reckoning, which kicks off on Thursday, February 6. The Year 4 plans include a bevy of changes, including a new Battle Pass system, increased customization options, additional heroes, and more.

Goodbye Year Pass, Hello Battle Pass

The biggest change headed to For Honor in the coming year is a brand-new Battle Pass, a replacement to the Year Pass. Similar to other games like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, For Honor’s Battle Pass will feature a Free and Premium track that resets after each season. The Battle Pass will be limited to customization items and consumables, and is not required to unlock the new heroes.

For Honor’s new Battle Pass changes which customization items are unlocked. No longer will you randomly unlock items at the end of every match. Instead, the Free track gives you access to things such as new ornaments, steel, color swatches, embossings, and more. The Premium track lets you acquire new signatures, weapons, executions, and others. Ubisoft said this new reward system will give you “clear objectives throughout the 100 tiers” so you know exactly what you are unlocking and when.

New Year, New Heroes

Two new heroes will make an appearance during the Year of Reckoning, but Ubisoft hasn’t specified who these characters are, which faction they will belong to, what roles they will fill, or any other details. Ubisoft did confirm when we can expect these new heroes: one during Year 4, Season 2; another during Year 4, Season 4. Like the previously released heroes, both can be unlocked through a purchase using real-world money or Steel, which is For Honor’s in-game currency.

A Few Other Changes To Look Forward To

Ubisoft is also making a few adjustments to the core experience and the competitive scene. These include balancing heroes and game modes, making Dominion the main competitive game type, added events, and more.