Category: games

Save up to £150 off Amazon devices, get Google Pixel 3 with 100GB data for £55 per month, Pokémon Switch bundles for under £300.

Make helping paleontologist Deborah MacGuiness much easier with this dinosaur bone locations guide.

Marvel’s Spider-Man is a critical and commercial success, but if you were holding out to web up a Spidey discount, today is your day. As part of Ebay’s ongoing pre-Black Friday sales, you can get the swinging superhero for $40–the lowest price we’ve seen from the coming sales season. [Update: The sale price has now gone up to $43 as of the time of writing, which is still a deep discount.]

Like many of Ebay’s sale items, this is likely limited by time and supply. You can pick it up at the sale price here. You may have to wait a bit for delivery, though; as of time of writing, delivery is estimated December 5-10. This joins Ebay’s line-up of “Better Than Black Friday” deals, which includes discounts on other recent games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Black Ops 4.

Spider-Man sold record numbers for Sony, and its success helped Sony’s bottom line so much that the company as a whole raised its profit forecast. This Ebay deal is the only discount we’ve seen this season on the standalone game, though Sony is offering a big discount on the game bundled with a new PS4 console as well for Black Friday.

Insomniac and Sony just detailed the second DLC pack Turf Wars, part of the ongoing serialized story The City That Never Sleeps. It’s set to drop next week, on November 20, with new story missions, sidequests, and of course, Spidey suits.

“The feeling of embodying Spidey and using his abilities is astonishing, and the time spent on exploring its major characters help make its story feel heartfelt, despite superhero bombast,” critic Edmond Tran said in GameSpot’s Spider-Man review. “There have been open-world Spider-Man games before, but none so riveting and full of personality, none that explore and do justice to this many facets of the universe.”

Bungie has given word on when to expect Destiny 2‘s next big paid update, Black Armory, along with a heads-up about some growing pains that may come along with it. The new content will drop on December 4, and Bungie warns that the week prior may raise unforeseen issues as it prepares to roll out the update.

In an update on the official blog, the team says it is working to make a list of temporary changes so players will know what to expect, and it encourages anyone impacted by unexpected bugs help forum.

The Black Armory is part of the new Season of the Forge, which will begin on November 27. It will be followed by the Season of the Drifter, followed by another unnamed season. Season of the Forge will add the new The Dawning event, new Crucible content, and new weapons. Annual Pass holders who can access the Black Armory will get Light and Fury weapons, the new Forges of the Chain activity, a Raid Lair, Exotics, and Legendaries.

The blog also noted a set of changes coming to the PvP/PvE hybrid Gambit Mode. Infamy will be more readily available, with Infamy rank point awards for all bounties being doubled. Various challenges have been retuned to be easier to complete and a new bounty rewards Primeval envoy kills. Ranking up in subdivisions will award Legendary weapons and armor. Plus the players who receive their Primeval second can only receive one “catch-up” stack of Primeval Slayer, rather than multiple stacks based on performance.

If you need to rack up Infamy, next week will be the time. A Double Infamy event will take place next Tuesday, November 20 through Friday, November 23, followed by a Triple Infamy event from November 23 through Tuesday, November 27.

Finally, Bungie suggested the transition into the next year of Destiny 2 will come with its own changes and plans for the future. The company has previously said it has a full year of content planned following Forsaken. Black Armory will be the first piece of content for Annual Pass holders and more free content for everyone is coming.

“The time has come to begin a new conversation about how the Destiny endgame will continue to thrive in the months to come,” the blog states. “What will each Season hold for every player of Destiny 2? How will the Annual Pass add to that experience? These are the questions we want to answer as we introduce you to a whole way to to enjoy your hobby as a Guardians with new challenges to conquer and new rewards you’ll want to add to your inventory.

“Next week, as the holiday season begins in our neck of the woods, the news coming out of our studio will be random and light. The week after, we’ll be exploring all the details of another kind of season. Stay tuned for what comes next.”

This comes just after Activision publicly noted that Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion failed to meet sales targets. In that call, the company signaled that it would be looking for new ways for players to spend through in-game microtransactions. As Bungie plans whatever it has in store for seasonal content, it may also have to make changes to answer for revenue expectations from the game’s publisher.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has gotten another global update across all platforms, including quality-of-life improvements, a new Perk system modifier, and PC-specific balance changes. Plus it includes the usual round of regular bug fixes that are to be expected with an ongoing live game.

In the patch notes, Treyarch says that the PC balance updates are distinct from the other platforms and the teams evaluate them separately. As a result the notes have their own PC section with additional keybinds, more slight toggles for things like push to talk or Asus Aura RGB effects, and several balance changes to weapons.

Meanwhile, all modes got improvements to detecting melee attacks, exploit fixes in Multiplayer, and crash fixes in Zombies. The Zombies mode also got a new modifier to its Perk system to increase weapon reload speed. If you’ve played previous games you may recognize this as the “Speed Cola” perk. Combining it with Fast Mags/Hybrid Mags, it results in a 50% overall increase.

“This preserves the role of these weapon attachments in creating the quickest-handling guns in each weapon class,” reads the notes. “Additionally, we wanted to ensure the reload modifiers from certain Pack-a-Punch versions of weapons are still meaningful, which stack with the new ‘Speed Cola’ tuning values.”

If you haven’t yet grabbed Black Ops 4, Amazon has a hot deal offering it for $40. This matches the best sale price across retailers on Black Friday. Plus, if you need a system to go with it, Sony just announced a new PlayStation 4 bundle that includes the game for free.

Check below for the full patch notes.

Black Ops 4 November 15 Update Patch Notes

Multiplayer

• Gameplay

  • Improved melee attack hit registration. More improvements to come in an upcoming patch.

  • Added enemy attachment information to Killcam.

  • Resolved an issue where players leaving a match shortly after joining could cause a white square to appear in the Scoreboard.

• Create-a-Class

  • Closed an exploit that allowed players to apply Dark Matter, Gold, or Diamond Camos on any weapon regardless of camo progress.

  • Resolved an issue where players with Signature Weapons could encounter UI Error 55068 when selecting a weapon under another Custom Class tab.

• CWL Custom Games

  • General

    • Specialist Equipment restrictions are now implemented as intended.

    • Players now continue to earn score toward Scorestreaks after the first round of CWL Search & Destroy and CWL Control.

  • Torque

    • Torque is no longer selectable in CWL Search & Destroy to align with current official CWL ruleset. These changes will continue to be tested and reviewed for viability in competitive play.

    • Torque’s Razor Wire no longer does damage to align with current official CWL ruleset.

    • Resolved an issue where players could become stuck and unable to move when walking into an enemy Torque’s Razor Wire.

• Maps

  • Nuketown

    • Closed an exploit where players could grapple on top of the red shed.

  • Firing Range

    • Closed a cover exploit on top of some sandbags.

• Scorestreaks

  • Fixed a crash that could occur when shooting down the Care Package, Mantis, or Strike Team Helicopters.

• Modes

  • Gun Game

    • Resolved an issue in Gun Game where winning a match, then leaving the lobby before the next game starts, could cause that player’s name to appear on the next game’s Scoreboard with stats from the previous game.

• Challenges

  • EKIA tracking has been added for Domination and Control to the “Proactive Measures” Challenge requirements in the Game Heroics category.

Zombies

• Stability

  • Global

    • Fixed a crash that could occur when a player disconnected while the Chakram was thrown.

    • Fixed a crash that could occur when the Blightfather performed its tracking missile attack.

    • Fixed a rare crash that could occur while using Anywhere But Here.

    • Fixed a rare crash that could occur while using the Chakram throw.

    • Fixed a rare crash that could occur upon Homunculus death.

  • IX

    • Fixed a crash that could occur when fighting the Destroyer during the Main Quest.

    • Fixed a crash that could occur upon completing the Arena Rock side quest.

    • Fixed a rare crash that could occur when enemies spawned during the Ra obelisk step in the Main Quest.

• General

  • Resolved an issue in Blood of the Dead where ambient music would abruptly stop and restart when progressing through rounds.

  • Closed an exploit where players could use certain Elixirs without consuming them.

Blackout

• Characters

  • Updated descriptions for Ranger, Airborne, Frogman, Seal, and Battle Hardened characters to clarify that they are unlocked by progressing to a specific Echelon.

• General

  • Miscellaneous

    • Resolved an issue where attempting to load a custom Paintjob could cause a UI Error message to appear.

    • Fixed a crash that could occur when switching between modes.

    • Fist Bump returned to the Gestures menu.

    • Resolved an issue where the Daily Tier Skip icon could appear misaligned in the main menu.

  • Black Market

    • Resolved an issue where current Tier progress could be reset by acquiring a Special Order.

    • Resolved an issue where the Black Market menu could disappear when switching between the Multiplayer and Zombies menus.

General (PC ONLY)

• Stability

  • Fixed a crash occurring on CPUs that don’t support SSE4.1 instructions extension. This issue was affecting AMD Phenom CPUs.

  • Fixed a rare crash during the first seconds after launching the game.

• Gameplay

  • Added three new keybinds for Stance Up, Stance Up/Jump, and Stance Down.

  • Added a gameplay option for ADS sensitivity trigger timing.

  • Added a gameplay option to remove hitmarker visual and/or sound.

  • Added an option to toggle Asus Aura RGB effects On or Off.

  • Adjusted iron sights and scope movement while turning to make them appear close to the center of the screen.

  • Fixed an issue where the Push to Talk keybind would not work with an overlay opened.

• Miscellaneous

  • Resolved an issue where the player could not name Paintjobs.

  • Fixed an issue where the player could not change reticle color with the mouse.

  • Added visual improvements on tooltips throughout various menus.

  • New messages will now always be displayed in the chat box, including callouts.

  • Aligned buttons in the Custom Games lobby.

Multiplayer (PC ONLY)

• General

  • Resolved an issue with re-rolling enemy Care Packages with the Engineer Perk.

  • Resolved an issue where a Specialist would appear in the preview slot when no Specialist was selected during the Specialist draft.

  • Resolved a visual issue in Heist where the close button would remain on screen when closing the Buy menu with the ESC key.

  • Resolved an issue where the textures would appear pitch black for several seconds at the beginning of a match.

Weapons (PC ONLY)

• SMGs

  • Saug 9mm

    • Hip fire spread increased.

  • Spitfire

    • Hip fire spread increased.

    • Slightly reduced the hip-fire bonus granted by the Laser Sight attachment.

  • Cordite

    • Hip-fire spread increased.

• Tactical Rifles

  • Auger DMR

    • Slightly increased rate of fire.

  • ABR 223

    • Reduced delay between each burst.

• Sniper Rifles

  • Paladin HB50

    • High Caliber I – Now grants a one-shot kill to shoulders and above.

    • High Caliber II – Now grants a one-shot kill to the stomach and above. Hands and lower arms have been removed from the one-shot one kill zone.

    • Fixed an issue where the game was not using the PC description for the Paladin and its attachments.

Blackout (PC ONLY)

• Gameplay

  • Added a keybind to tag an item.

  • Added Perk activation feedback in the player HUD.

  • Pressing the Interact key will now close the Stash while looting a Stash.

  • Resolved an issue where players could use a Trauma Kit before the game began to start with 200 Health.

  • Resolved an issue where the “Toggle” healing would heal faster than the “Hold” option.

  • Resolved an issue where the Free Look mode would make it impossible to move the RC-XD.

• Stability

  • Fixed a crash occurring when aiming down sights using a Hades equipped with a 2x scope.

We are also currently aware of some issues that were introduced with the new title update on PC, and the team is working on fixing the following issues:

• Left arrow to navigate through Custom Classes in the Create-a-Class menu is missing.

  • Players can still change tabs by using the “Navigate to Previous Tab” and “Navigate to Next Tab” keybinds.

• Hitmarker options are not always set to their default value when launching the game.

  • New options were introduced to allow the player to remove the visuals and/or audio for hitmarkers. If you wish the enable them, you will find the following options in the Interface tab in the Options menu:

    • Hitmarker Visuals

    • Hitmarker Sound Effect

    • Damage-Based Hitmarkers

Warframe has grown from a modest free-to-play experiment that was very much a work in progress to a remarkably impressive online game with an ever-growing fan-base. Since its launch in 2013, the action-RPG starring “Space Ninjas” slashing and shooting across the universe has evolved in a big way after its many expansions, giving players more ways to customize their characters and partner up in different scenarios–including open world settings–to take on the toughest challenges in the game. Out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, developer Digital Extremes and along with Switch port veterans Panic Button Games, have now set their sights on their most ambitious project to date–a port of the massive game for Nintendo Switch.

Set for release on November 20, Warframe will bring its fast-paced and kinetic gameplay to Nintendo’s portable console, marking the first time the game will be playable on the go. To put into perspective how much of an undertaking it is to rework Warframe for Switch, the online game receives updates and content drops on a regular basis. Furthermore, the Switch release will launch with the game as it was prior to the Fortuna update–the largest expansion to date–offering 14 different planets to travel to, over 200 melee weapons and firearms to collect, more than 30 unique characters to level up and master, and an involved plot detailing the escalating war among different factions vying for control.

Diving into Warframe for the first time can be daunting, but once you get into the swing of it you’ll find a game that offers a lot of variety and involved systems–something akin to the power grind and gameplay found in Bungie’s Destiny. We recently tried out the Switch version of Warframe ahead of its launch and came away pleased with how faithful it was to the previous releases of the game, which was certainly a tall order in its own right.

As one of the console’s few online-only games (putting it in the same company as the immensely popular Fortnite), Warframe will find a new audience on the mobile console. Like Fortnite, Warframe is a games-as-a-service title with its own of set of unique features and in-game purchases and won’t require players to have access Nintendo Online.

One of the biggest challenges that Digital Extremes had to overcome was not only bringing the scale of Warframe to the Switch, but also figuring out how to translate its fast action and crisp graphical fidelity to a more modest platform. Digital Extremes teamed up with Panic Button Games, the same studio behind the solid Switch ports of Doom (2016) and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, and the two developers worked extensively over the last year to make sure the next port of the game could stand up alongside the versions. Speaking with GameSpot, Digital Extremes producer Mark Ollivierre and Panic Button Games’ Studio GM Adam Creighton described the process of porting the game.

“All the games we’ve worked on are a little different, so they come with different challenges. Whether it’s Doom or Wolfenstein 2 or even [Warframe],” said Creighton. “This is the first always-online game-as-a-service title that we’ve done for the platform, and it’s definitely something we wanted to do. That’s part of why there was a mutual interest on the Digital Extremes and the Panic Button side to do this. Because for me, I’m a portfolio person, this is very much where I see a big chunk of games going. Before we talked to Digital Extremes folks, this was a title that I enjoyed, wanted to be part of it, and I’d look at as kind of that epitome of a triple-A, free-to-play title.”

If you’re familiar with the feel and playstyle of the console editions of Warframe, you’ll be able to pick up the Switch version easily. However, some clear concessions were made to ensure the game was in stable shape for the portable hardware. While other versions run at a consistent 60 FPS, the Switch port performs at a mostly stable 30 FPS and at 720p. Swapping between docked and undocked modes is simple and painless, and there isn’t much difference in performance between the two–which is impressive. However, some occasional dips in frame-rate during the more intense encounters can occur, particularly when multiple players use their powers and weapons simultaneously.

With that said, the Switch version still does a solid job of keeping up with the action, while also highlighting the strengths of the console. There are surprisingly in-depth controller options that take advantage of the Switch’s myriad play styles with the JoyCons, along with controller sensitivity options to tune the feel of the game to your liking. The Switch version also features motion-control functionality for actions such as fishing, shooting your firearms, and using other tools in-game. Having said that, the Pro Controller still feels like the optimal way to play the game.

The Switch will also features integrated voice-chat, allowing party members to communicate with each other in-game without the need for the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app. If you’re a seasoned player, then you can import your account over to the Switch, which will be available to players during the launch window of the game. The Switch version will exist independently within its own ecosystem of players, though, and there are no plans for cross-play with other versions at this time.

During the development of the port, Digital Extreme and Panic Button got a chance to re-examine the internal workings of the game’s code. While they acknowledge the technical changes between the different releases, they stated that the primary focus of the Switch release was to ensure that it could run at a solid frame-rate and keep all the action fluid and fast. In an interesting turn of events, the collaboration between Digital Extremes and Panic Button Games on the Switch release also led to some unexpected improvements for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions of the game.

“Considering the pace that we developed Warframe, we kind of develop a new system, and almost immediately move onto the next update,” said Ollivierre. “So we don’t always have the luxury to kind of step back and re-examine through old code to see if we can rediscover something. So having Panic Button come in and kind of run a fine-toothed comb through everything, through all the systems in its entirety, definitely exposed a couple sore spots and helped us massage those out, and implement them and improve the overall game across all of our platforms.

At launch, the Switch version of Warframe will offer a lot of content for players to dive into. Unfortunately, it won’t have the recent Fortuna update, which added in the second open-world map and a new hoverboard traversal tool. Currently, the developers plan to release it on Switch sometime in January 2019. Still, the amount of content offered with Warframe on Switch is impressive, and the hardware manages to handle it well. Some of Warframe’s best moments occur when you come up with nuanced approaches to traversal and combat, chaining different jumps, glides, and wall-runs together to swoop in on enemies for a quick kill with your immense arsenal of weapons and skills–and that’s still true on Switch.

There’s really no other game on the Switch like Warframe. Though it’s often been seen as the “Destiny” before Destiny, it certainly goes out of its ways to offer up options and different adventures for players, all of which give off this unique flavor that makes it stand out online action games. It’s one of those games that’s gotten better with age, and with the amount of content that’s still on the way, Warframe on Switch will likely be a solid gateway for those craving an involved action-RPG to dive into.

We’re giving away PS4 and Xbox One codes for Spyro Reignited Trilogy to ten (10) lucky fans! Scroll down to enter.

This is not an instant win. No purchase necessary. Competition ends at 12:00 PM PT on November 26, 2018, in which 10 winners will be chosen at random and emailed a code for the full game (MSRP: $40).

Enter below:

Learn what to do to activate the Y button on the Poke Ball Plus and how to connect it to the Switch.

In the newest episode of our Resident Evil longplay series, Mary Kish (@merrykish) and Mike Mahardy (@mmahardy) fight their way through a zom-infested tanker. Again.

WWE hosts at least one PPV a month, and four times a year, there is a major event. This fall is Survivor Series, coming to PPV and the WWE Network on Sunday, November 18. While the event revolves around the traditional elimination tag team match, the show is actually know for some pretty big debuts.

Because shows like Wrestlemania and Royal Rumble tend to have a little more hype around them, Survivor Series has to do something a bit more special to attract attention. Sometimes, there are shocking moments to get fans talking, and sometimes, there are some crazy title changes. However, the show is also known for debuting some new stars. Since the first Survivor Series in 1987, there have been some landmark debuts, but there are seven that are incredibly important.

If we’re lucky, we’ll get number eight on Sunday. Because at this point, that’s what WWE needs to make this pay-per-view stand tall. Check out the match card for the upcoming Survivor Series, along with our predictions for the winners. And visit Gamespot on Sunday, November 18, when we’ll covering the entire event live

7. Kane (1997)

Kane is most famous for his initial reveal at In Your House: Badd Blood, when he ripped off the door to Hell in a Cell and Tombstoned the Undertaker. But Kane’s in-ring debut was against Mankind at Survivor Series. He won in under ten minutes and showed that he could do more than stalk about and look scary.

6. Jazz (2001)

After a stint in ECW, Jazz was ready for her closeup. She debuted during the six-pack challenge for the WWE Women’s Championship at the 2001 Survivor Series, and though she lost to Trish Stratus, she would go on to win the WWE Women’s Championship twice: first on a February episode of Raw the following year, and again at WWE Backlash in 2003.

5. Sting (2014)

The crow caw triggered that rare combination of shock and joy from the crowd. Sting, the final holdout from WCW, had signed with WWE and was headed to the ring to confront Triple H at Survivor Series in 2014. He hit his Scorpion Death Drop on The Game and closed the show to massive applause.

WWE had built this up for some time; Sting had been making limited appearance for the company, most notably in a commercial for WWE 2K15, where he was the pre-order bonus character. But unfortunately, this was the peak of his WWE career; he inexplicably lost to Triple H at Wrestlemania 31 and then received a career ending injury at Night of Champions (2015) against Seth Rollins. He was subsequently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.

4. The Rock (1996)

Rocky Maivia’s debut was successful, but typical of WWE’s continual mishandling of babyfaces. He was a smiling, earnest good guy with a vaguely ethnic costume, and the commentators made sure to call him a “blue chip prospect” while emphasizing his blood relations to the legendary Anoa’i family and his father, “Soul Man” Rocky Johnson.

The crowd responded positively, but not with the level of adoration and excitement one would ideally want. He was ‘too’ good and tried too hard; he was too fresh-faced for the crowd to invest or believe in, or take seriously. It would take a heel turn to give him an edge and transform him into the legendary performer he was meant to be.

3. Kurt Angle (1999)

WWE played this debut straight; Kurt Angle really did win an Olympic medal with a broken freaking neck, and they didn’t have to sell him as anything other than that. In his debut match at the 1999 Survivor Series, he defeated Shawn Stasiak and gave every bit of the natural performance that fans would come to expect of him.

Because he was presented as an ’80s babyface, smack in the middle of the late-’90s Attitude Era, the antihero loving crowd booed him. And Angle leaned into this reputation, which made him one of the best, most ironically hated heels of his generation.

2. The Shield: Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns (2012)

What’s great about The Shield’s main roster debut was how understated it was. It wasn’t hyped beforehand to give us false expectations. It wasn’t even done with a musical introduction. Instead, Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns, dressed in matching black turtlenecks, stormed the ring as though they were run-ins from the audience. It was completely in tune with their renegade characterization. Seek and destroy.

All three men would go onto to become wildly popular singles performers; they are at the top of the company today. But for that night at the 2012 Survivor Series, they were three relatively unknown performers, knocking on the door to greatness.

1. The Undertaker (1990)

The Phenom made his debut as the mystery partner on Ted Dibiase’s Survivor Series team. He looked more like the Wild West mortician that he was originally supposed to be, and he had his hair combed back rather than hanging in front of his face. He was managed by a red-faced Brother Love instead of a white-faced Paul Bearer.

But several key essentials were already in place. The organ music. The slow methodical entrance. And his very first Tombstone Piledriver, delivered to the head of Koko B. Ware. This was the beginning of a WWE Legend and a legendary career. And nearly three decades later, the Undertaker can still frighten, inspire, and awe.