Month: February 2020

Season 4: Assimilation adds Revenant as a new playable character in Apex Legends, and the synthetic nightmare even gives Caustic a run for his money when it comes to creepy one-liners (though it’s cute that Caustic is the only one who doesn’t bully him). But Revenant isn’t the only scary change to Apex Legends; Bloodhound‘s new buff has transformed them into a terrifying hunter.

In Season 4, two legends got new buffs: Crypto and Bloodhound. Crypto can no longer destroy friendly Gibraltar Dome Shields with his EMP, giving the recon legend the chance to safely use his ultimate ability while teaming up with the friendly giant. Honestly, it’s only an okay change–the buffs to Crypto in late Season 3 seem a lot better.

Bloodhound, on the other hand, got a great buff. Bloodhound’s ultimate ability, Beast of the Hunt, allows them to easily track enemies to wherever they’re hiding by marking the path someone took while moving around the map. Originally, the ability only lasted a little over half a minute. Now, Beast of the Hunt can be extended by five seconds for every target that Bloodhound downs.

Note that this effect only requires you down an enemy–you don’t actually have to kill them in order to lengthen Beast of the Hunt. So if you manage to down the two members of a squad and then defeat a third enemy from another, netting you an extra 15 seconds of Beast of the Hunt, you could possibly have enough time to track down and finish off that second team.

Beast of the Hunt is already a terrifying ability. Bloodhound elicits a monstrous roar when it activates and there’s no way to really counter the skill other than finding a way to run away without touching anything (fly through the air on an Octane Jump Pad, for instance, or disappear Into the Void with Wraith). And now the hunter can extend the duration of their hunt just by using it for its intended purpose: taking targets out. Imagine trying to run from a Bloodhound, knowing that as your teammates fall behind you, their sacrifice is only extending the chance that your foe will have enough time to ultimately hunt you down.

Season 4: Assimilation is live in Apex Legends, putting an end to Year 1 and launching the battle royale game into Year 2. The new season adds a bunch of content to the game, including new playable character Revenant and the new Sentinel sniper rifle. It also makes numerous changes to how the battle royale works too, with most of the adjustments aimed at weapons. One weapon, in particular, seems to be screwed more than most: the Havoc.

The Havoc assault rifle was Apex Legends’ first new weapon, added to the game before the start of Season 1: Wild Frontier. An energy weapon, the Havoc set itself apart by being the only firearm to support two different hop-up attachments: the Select Fire and Turbocharger. With Select Fire equipped, the Havoc could change between an assault rifle and a sniper. Meanwhile, the Turbocharger removed the Havoc’s windup time, allowing you to quickly dispatch opponents at close- to mid-range with the gun’s overwhelming bullet output.

However, Season 4 removes the Turbocharger attachment from Apex Legends–much how Season 3: Meltdown removed Skullpiercer and Disruptor Ammo (and no, sadly, Season 4 does not bring either of those two back). The Havoc and Devotion were the only two Apex Legends weapons that supported Turbocharger, though the Devotion isn’t affected by the change. The Devotion and L-Star have been switched (the L-Star is now a standard energy weapon that can be found anywhere and the Devotion is now a golden energy weapon found in Care Packages) so the Devotion comes with a Turbocharger already. The Havoc is not as lucky.

This sucks for the Havoc in two ways. For one, the gun is no longer unique–the core of its identity was that it could transform in two different ways. And second, the Havoc’s default fire isn’t all that good. It needs a Turbocharger to be competent in the late-game. To make up for the nerf, Respawn has buffed the Havoc in other ways (most notably, reducing the horizontal recoil).

These changes should make the Havoc easier to control, but it remains to be seen whether this is enough to keep people going back to the energy assault rifle. If you want a long-range energy weapon, the Triple Take is a better option. Likewise, now that it’s a common gun that you can loot anywhere, the L-Star makes for a stronger close-range option. It’s difficult to discern where the new Havoc is now supposed to fit into Apex Legends’ meta.

Transform your favorite legends into living machines.

Apex Legends says goodbye to Year 1 and kicks off Year 2 with Season 4: Assimilation, which adds a brand-new battle pass full of over 100 rewards for you to earn. Weekly and daily challenges make their return as well, providing a means for you to earn your way towards its rare, epic, and legendary prizes.

In the following gallery, we list all of the major rewards you can earn in the battle pass. Along with the aerial emotes, character and gun skins, and badges that we’ve pictured here, you’ll also earn several other smaller prizes (like in-game currency and Apex Packs) for completing the battle pass. However, to keep this gallery to a manageable number of images, we’re cutting out those smaller rewards. (Also keep in mind that, just by logging in within a week of Season 4’s launch, you’ll get some Apex freebies to celebrate the one-year anniversary.)

That said, in terms of the currency, Assimilation’s battle pass is the same as ones in Wild Frontier, Battle Charge, and Meltdown. Completing most of the battle pass will not only net you enough currency to buy the battle pass for next season (in this case, Season 5), but you’ll also earn enough crafting materials to nab a single legendary cosmetic from Apex Legends’ in-game store. So if you’ve been eying a certain legendary character skin or execution, this is your chance to just buy the item instead of relying on luck from the loot boxes.

Of all the rewards in Season 4’s battle pass, the new character skins are our favorite. Lifeline’s new rare Health Drain skin, Wattson’s new legendary Cyberpunked skin, and Wraith’s new legendary Perfect Soldier skin all transform them into simulacrums or cyborgs. A simulacrum is what new Apex Legends character Revenant and Titanfall 2‘s Ash are, a human consciousness that has been put into a mechanical body. Caustic and Crypto get new simulacrum skins too, though their skins aren’t tied to the battle pass.

For more on what to expect from the game itself following the update, check out the Apex Legends Season 4 patch notes.

Battlefield 5‘s big new update, Into the Jungle, has arrived–a bit ahead of schedule. The free expansion’s biggest and most notable addition is the huge new map, Solomon Islands. It’s now been discovered that this map contains a deadly surprise–a crocodile lurking in the water.

A new video from Battlefield content creator Westie shows off this crocodile–and as you might have guessed, it bites! This croc will probably kill you if you don’t swim away fast enough, as it appears to do 35 damage when it bites.

The crocodile isn’t the first underwater animal threat in Battlefield 5, as the game also features sharks in some of its waters. Previous games featured even bigger creatures, including a Megalodon easter egg.

The Solomon Islands map isn’t the only part of Into the Jungle that went live early. The M2 Carbine rifle and the Model 37 shotgun also dropped in ahead of schedule. Instead of removing them, DICE has decided to not only keep them in the game but make them instantly unlocked for all players. They will become default weapons, so you will find them in your loadout menu the next time you log in.

Also now available in Battlefield V are two new gadgets–the M1A1 Bazooka and the Lunge Mine–and a new Elite character, Misaki Yamashiro. For more, check out the full patch notes on EA’s website.

PlayStation is shuttering one of its UK game studios. The company confirmed to GI.biz that it will close its studio in Manchester, England, which was working on a virtual reality title.

The closure is related to PlayStation’s ambitions to “improve efficiency and operational effectiveness.” The report says every employee is being laid off, though a specific number was not disclosed.

The Manchester studio was founded in 2015. It was working on an unannounced VR game, and the status of this project is now in question. It’s unknown if it is canceled or if development will shift to a different studio.

Whatever the case, this is just the latest UK game studio closure for PlayStation. In recent years, the company shut down Guerrilla Cambridge and Evolution. PlayStation still has two studios in the UK, including Media Molecule (LittleBigPlanet, Dreams) and London Studio (Blood & Truth).

2020 is a big year for the PlayStation brand, as Sony is launching the PlayStation 5 this year. Just recently, Sony launched the PS5 website, though it doesn’t contain much information.

While Disney+‘s The Mandalorian–which has a new season coming this fall–took place after Return of the Jedi, the series sure did have a lot of Stormtroopers and Empire officers hanging about. And one of the cool Imperial vehicles from the final episodes of Season 1 can be yours to own, in toy form.

Hasbro is releasing the Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Imperial Troop Transport Vehicle this spring. It’s the giant vehicle during the season finale that all the Stormtroopers got out of when Mando and company were hiding in the bar. It’s currently available for pre-order at various retailers, and you can check out some images of the toy below.

While the press release for the vehicle states it will release in the spring, Best Buy has the release date listed as March 16, while GameStop lists it as March 1. The Imperial Transport will cost $70, and it features a removable roof, opening doors, fold-down seating, and movable turret. The new toy is actually inspired by the original Kenner vehicle which was released in 1979.

From the looks of the images, you can seat seven 3.75″ figures into the transport. Like the rest of the Vintage Collection from Hasbro, the figures and vehicles recreate the world of Star Wars with incredible detail, and while you can play with them–and why wouldn’t you?–the Vintage Collection toys also look pretty sweet displayed around the house.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company.

Fallout 76 famously bypassed Steam when it released in October 2018, instead opting to launch through Bethesda’s own launcher. The publisher has now confirmed a release date for Steam–and it’s (relatively) soon.

Fallout 76 will debut on Steam on April 7 alongside the free Wastelanders update, which adds NPCs to the game. Bethesda is stocking the Steam store with the base game and the Wastelanders Deluxe Edition.

Additionally, Bethesda will sell the game’s microtransaction currency, Atoms, as well as subscriptions to the Fallout 1st program, along with the Tricentennial Pack and the Raider and Settler content bundles (more on that below).

One important thing to know is that Atoms and Fallout 1st memberships for Fallout 76 on Bethesda.net will not transfer to Steam. Atoms do not move between platforms, but Bethesda confirmed that items purchased with Atoms will be shared across Steam and Bethesda.net.

Fallout 76 New Content Bundles:

Descriptions via Bethesda

• Raider Content Bundle
  • Mine Car Planter – A small planter for your crops when no dirt is available (buildable in your C.A.M.P.)
  • Raider C.A.M.P. – Change the look of your Vault-Tec C.A.M.P. deployable to give it a Raider edge
  • Raider Stash Box – Raider-themed Stash box for your C.A.M.P.
  • Raider Faction Flag – New flag for your C.A.M.P. that show off your allegiance to Crater
  • Raider Pathfinder Outfit – Look like another resident of Crater with this outfit (includes mask and bandana)
  • Raider Conquest Loot Bag – Raider-style Loot bag, complete with skull
  • Raider Pillager Backpack – A Raider-style backpack
  • Raider Marauder Power Armor Skin – Unique appearance for your Power Armor based on the Crater Raiders

• Settler Content Bundle
  • Garden Truckbed Trailer – A small planter for your crops when no dirt is available (buildable in your C.A.M.P.)
  • Settler C.A.M.P. – Change the look of your Vault-Tec C.A.M.P. deployable to give it a Settler appearance
  • Settler Stash Box – Settler-themed Stash box for your C.A.M.P.
  • Settler Faction Flag – New flag for your C.A.M.P. that show off your allegiance to Foundation
  • Settler Mechanic Outfit – Look like another resident of Foundation with this outfit (includes hat)
  • Settler Traveler Loot Bag – Settler-style Loot bag that looks like a travel case
  • Settler Relief Backpack – A Settler-style backpack
  • Settler Vigilante Power Armor Skin – Unique appearance based on the Foundation Settlers

Fallout 76 launched to a pretty rocky start, and Bethesda has been implementing several large content updates since the game’s release in order to address player concerns. Prior to Wastelanders, Fallout 76 saw new quests added in Wild Appalachia, a battle royale mode in Nuclear Winter, and challenging team-based raids.

In GameSpot’s Fallout 76 review, Edmond Tran wrote, “Bethesda has stated it intends to continue supporting the game for a long time, but at launch, Fallout 76 is a poor experience. There are echoes of the series’ admirable qualities, but look past that facade, past the cute Vault Boy animations, past the familiar radio tracks, and you’ll find no heart–just an inconsequential wasteland doomed to be nuked over and over again.”

The organizers of the Evolution Championship series–better known as Evo–have announced all of the games that will be featured in the upcoming Evo 2020 competitive gaming tournament.

The titles include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition, Tekken 7, and Dragon Ball FighterZ, among others. You can see the full list below.

Evo 2020 Confirmed Games

• Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4)
• Granblue Fantasy Versus (PS4)
• Samurai Shodown (PS4)
• Soulcalibur VI (PS4)
• Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (PS4)
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)
• Tekken 7 (PS4)
• Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] (PS4)

In addition to the main tournament, Evo 2020 will host an invitation-only tournament for Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 played on Dreamcast to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary. The competition is officially called the “20ournament of Champions.”

Evo 2020 takes place in Las Vegas July 31-August 2, at the Mandalay Bay. You can register for the event here on Evo’s website.