Category: games

Sebastian Castellanos is heading back into STEM – here’s a rundown of what awaits him.

Turns out the helmet is not just an homage to Darth Vader.

FIFA’s history on Nintendo consoles is shaky, with past releases often inferior, dated shadows of the games on PlayStation and Xbox. Unfortunately that trend continues with FIFA 18 on Switch, a passable on-pitch experience that is sadly stripped back and devoid of so many of the features that make the franchise currently so appealing.

FIFA 18 on Switch is at its best when playing a straight-up match, but that’s largely because it offers little else. Mechanically it has more in common with last year’s game: the pace and control is similar, and as such, dribbling isn’t as responsive as it is currently on PS4 and Xbox One. Players feel heavy and are slow to turn too, so the sluggishness is even further exaggerated.

Continue reading…

The Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta has been extended for all players across PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

An amendment has appeared on the Star Wars Battlefront 2 Beta event page, showing the beta now closes Thursday October 12 at 3:00 AM AEDT.

The beta was originally scheduled to finish yesterday after being available as an early access for preorder customers since October 4 and has been open to all as of October 6.

While fun to play, the beta also features a loot box system, which has given us cause to worry about the potential pay-to-win nature of the full game.

Continue reading…

Be sure to visit IGN Tech for all the latest comprehensive hands-on reviews and best-of roundups. Note that if you click on one of these links to buy the product, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.

The AT2020 microphone by Audio Technica is an excellent, professional quality condenser microphone with a single cardioid pattern and a great price (See it on Amazon). But it isn’t without its downsides. The price and quality are great, but casual hobbyists should be aware that there are more steps required to getting audio into your computer than a simple plug-and-play mic. It’s mostly for people who want to crystal clear audio for voiceover and podcasting and aren’t afraid of a little tinkering.

Continue reading…

Join Erick and Joey as they dive back into the spooky Halloween Terror event in Overwatch to open lootboxes for new skins and more.

Ubisoft has finally revealed its plans for Assassin’s Creed Origins‘ post-launch content. The game will receive two major expansions after its October release date, in addition to a number of smaller add-ons, some of which will be free.

The two main DLC packs are called The Hidden Ones and The Curse of the Pharoahs. The former will launch in January 2018 and is set many years after the base game as you clash with the Romans in a new region. The latter, meanwhile, will introduce a “a new, mystical realm” in which you’ll encounter “beasts such as Anubis warriors, scorpios, and more” as you investigate the curse that has resurrected dead Pharaohs. The Curse of the Pharoahs launches in March next year.

The two story expansions are included in Assassin’s Creed Origins’ season pass, which costs $40 in the US (international pricing has yet to be announced). That also bags you two smaller add-ons–each containing new outfits and weapons–as well as 500 in-game credits and an exclusive weapon. Check out everything included in the season pass at the bottom of this article, via Ubisoft.

Origins’ Gold Edition and Steelbook Edition contain the season pass for no extra cost, though many of the game’s other special editions do not include all added content. For more, check out our breakdown of all six Assassin’s Creed special editions. Separate from the season pass, Assassin’s Creed Origins will receive an array of free content, including a Photo Mode, an Educational Mode, and a Horde Mode that sees players “fight endless waves of enemies in the Gladiator Arena.”

In other news about the huge open-world title, Ubisoft recently revealed Assassin’s Creed Origins’ PC specs and system requirements in addition to a new trailer. For more on the series, check out our look back at every Assassin’s Creed game. Origins launches for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on October 27.

Assassin’s Creed Origins Season Pass DLC

• DLC 1 – The Hidden Ones: This story-driven expansion builds upon the growth of the Brotherhood, taking players years after the events of Assassin’s Creed Origins as they clash with an occupying Roman force in a new region. This expansion will extend the level cap, allowing players to keep on making their character progress. Available in January 2018.
• DLC 2 – The Curse of the Pharaohs: In this story-driven expansion focusing on Egyptian mythology, players will fight against undead pharaohs and explore a new, mystical realm. During their journey, players will encounter famed Egyptian beasts such as Anubis warriors, scorpios and more, as they investigate the cause of the curse that has brought the dead pharaohs back to life. The Curse of the Pharaohs will increase the level cap further and introduce brand new Abilities. Available in March 2018.
• The Roman Centurion and Horus Packs: Two exclusive add-on packs including a new outfit, weapons, shield and mount. Available in November 2017.
• A package of 500 Helix Credits: Available at the launch of the game.
• An exclusive rare weapon: the Calamity Blade. Available at the launch of the game.

Assassin’s Creed Origins Free DLC

• The Trials of the Gods: Epic boss battles against Egyptian gods that take place during special timed events, victorious players will receive prestigious rewards. The first Trial of the Gods event will be available 15 days after the launch of the game.
• The Nomad’s Bazaar: A wandering merchant gives players daily quests to complete in order to earn mysterious exotic rewards. Available at the launch of the game.
• Photo Mode: Players will be able to capture and share the beauty of the Egyptian landscape and indulge their inner wildlife photographer while discovering in-game pictures taken by other players. Available at the launch of the game.
• Horde Mode: Players will fight endless waves of enemies in the Gladiator Arena. They will be able to compare their scores with their friends and challenge them asynchronously. Available in early 2018.
• Discovery Tour: This new educational mode turns the world of Assassin’s Creed Origins into a combat-free living museum and will give everyone the opportunity to learn more about Ancient Egypt through guided tours curated by historians and Egyptologists. Available early 2018.

Essential Skills

There are a lot of skills to choose from in Middle-earth: Shadow of War, and you obviously want to choose wisely. Skills are divided across six categories, with each accommodating different playstyles ranging from stealth to full offensive. And after unlocking each base skill, you can unlock three upgrades for that skill. Click ahead to check out some of the most useful skills in the game along with recommendations of their best upgrades.

But if you’re worried about venturing down a path you may not like in the long term, don’t worry too much–Shadow of War is very generous with doling out Skill Points. While you can’t take a Skill Point back, it’s very easy to earn another one through normal play. You’ll find our recommendations for primary and sub-skills in the order they appear on the skill tree.

Shadow of War is out now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It was originally slated to launch in August, only for it to be pushed back to October. A free-to-play strategy RPG version of Middle-earth: Shadow of War for iOS and Android devices launched ahead of the game’s release. For a brief rundown on the original game’s plot, check out our feature detailing the game’s story so far.

For more on how to better play Middle-earth: Shadow of War, check out our roundup of tips, guides, and walkthroughs. And be sure to read our full Shadow of War review right here.

Combat Skill: Fatal Counter (requires level 15)

Want to take out enemies quickly? You need Fatal Counter. This sub-skill of the moderately useful Perfect Counter skill lets you mow through groups of enemies with relative ease. The game is generous with it blue flashing Counter indicator, and with this skill active, any Orc you fend off is automatically a dead Orc.

Combat Skill: Ground Finisher

In combat, an effective way to kill an Orc is to execute them while they’re stunned on the ground with the right shoulder button and the square/X button. However, this execution takes time, leaving you open to enemy strikes, which often forces you to cancel out of it whenever danger looms too close. Fortunately, there is a skill to circumvent this: the Ground Finisher skill decreases the amount of time it takes to perform this powerful takedown. To ensure you’re never interrupted again, pair it with sub-class ability Wraith Shield to counter enemies with Celebrimbor while you’re doing your business.

Combat Skill: Ceaseless Might (requires level 19)

The upgrade for the fifth combat upgrade Brutal Aggression is a highly useful one. With Ceaseless Might you get a second opportunity to use any of your might-depleting skills. That means you can double down on useful abilities like executions and abilities like Elven Light.

Combat Skill: Adamant (requires level 13)

If you find yourself wishing you had just one more chance to stay in the fight after facing defeat a few too many times, then Adamant is for you. This Upgrade for Retaliation (the final skill in the Combat chain) gives you one more Last Chance circle, which you can find in the bottom left of your mini-map, allowing you to cheat death one more time.

Predator Skill: Wraith Chain

If you’re a big fan of sneaky stabbing Orcs, then Wraith Chain is the perfect skill for you, as it allows you to link up four stealth kills at a time with enough Focus. While this can be an effective skill, it’s made even more useful with its Shadow Blade upgrade, which makes it so your first chained skill consumes no Focus. Forget luring a small group of Orcs one by one to bushes for sneaky stabs; Wraith Chain just lets you clear them out entirely.

Ranged Skill: Detonate

Detonate can help you make mischief from afar, as you can unleash a fiery explosion, or call in a group of spiders or ghuls to swarm nearby enemies with its upgrades. Poison Tendril poisons a grog barrel from a distance to damage any orc that drinks from it, and of course, Shadow Strike allows you to reach faraway enemies in a flash and move around the battlefield with ease.

Wraith Skill: Elven Light

Shadow of War doesn’t give you a ton of AoE (Area of Effect) abilities, but the early unlock Elven Light is one of the best in the game. In addition to putting the hurt on a group of enemies, you can also pair it with an elemental effect; fire and poison are the two best choices here, since Hammer of Eregion is a better way to chain frost effects.

Wraith Skill: Consume

More than just doing damage, Consume is an ability that can help keep you alive. If you frequently find your health dipping in battle, Consume requires a full Might charge, but it lets you take out an enemy and get back in the fight with a fuller health bar.

Wraith Skill: Treasure Hunter

This ability might be at the end of the Wraith skill tree, but it’s worth prioritizing early in the game. Without this skill, you have to manually push a button to collect loot from dropped enemies, but once you’ve equipped this skill, just walking over items adds them to your inventory. While it would be better if this were just a normal part of the game and not something you had to waste a skill point on, equipping it almost ensure you won’t leave any valuable items behind on the battlefield.

Mounted Skill: Shadow Mount

Typically you mount beasts by breaking them and holding the circle/B button when you’re near them. But with the Shadow Mount skill, you can instantly mount a beast from afar by aiming at them and holding the circle/B button. This comes in handy particularly during the epic fortress battles, as it allows you to take control of damaged enemy Graugs and Caragors, turning their destructive abilities against your foes.

Mounted Skill: Dragon Rider

Due to how dangerous drakes can be during combat, acquiring Dragon Rider is almost a necessity. The sooner you can have these deadly foes on your side, the better. Their devastating fire breath is effective against the game’s larger foes. Plus, the added perk of being able to ride them makes them a valuable source of transportation.

Story Skill: Hammer of Eregion (requires level 17)

The upgrade skill for the story chain’s Shadow Strider is one of the most helpful skills in Shadow of War. While most abilities are tied to something consumable, Hammer of Eregion allows you to freeze enemies as many times as you want to. While some Captains will knock you back when you try to vault over them, this ability leaves the ones who can be frozen wide open to your devastating combo attacks.

Sylvester Stallone has been teasing fans about the sequel to the hit Rocky spin-off Creed for a few months with casting news and a potential production start date. The star has now revealed who will direct Creed 2–Stallone himself.

The action icon took to Instagram to announce the news. This confirms that Creed director and co-writer Ryan Coogler won’t be involved with the sequel, as Stallone has already stated that he has written the movie’s script. Check the post out below:

While Stallone only acted in Creed, he had written every other Rocky movie until then, and directed four of the films. The movie will see Michael B. Jordan return to the title role, with Stallone expected to play Rocky once more.

In July, Stallone also suggested that fellow action star Dolph Lundgren will reprise his role as Russian heavyweight Ivan Drago, last seen in 1985’s Rocky IV. At that time Stallone posted a series vintage shots of Lundgren from the set of Rocky IV, each one tagged with ‘CREED 2.’ Lundgren himself largely confirmed this news when he posted a training video, with the caption, “Getting ready for something big! #creed 2.”

Stallone won a Golden Globe for his performance as the aging Rocky Balboa in Creed, as well as receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The movie made $173.6 million at the worldwide box office.

In related news, Coogler’s Marvel movie Black Panther hits theaters in February. Chadwick Boseman plays the title character, with Jordan in a supporting role. For a look at that, check out the latest Black Panther trailer.

New York Comic-Con may be over, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end. During GameSpot’s trip to the Big Apple, there were so many cool booths on the floor, but one that caught our eye was Banpresto‘s, a company based out of Japan that makes amazing statues based on anime series. On display at the booth were detailed Dragon Ball and One Piece statues that any anime fan would proudly display in their home. Here’s pretty much everything the booth showed off this past weekend.

Looking for more toys and collectibles? Check out what else we saw at Comic-Con!

This JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Statue At NYCC Is Amazing

Creepiest Chucky, Beetlejuice, And Pinhead Collectibles At NYCC 2017

All The Coolest Batman, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat Collectibles At NYCC 2017

Star Wars, The Last Jedi, And Marvel Get Insanely Detailed Figures At NYCC