Today's version 2.13 update for Hitman 2 adds a Snow Festival event along
with the Winter Sports Pack and other changes for those who own the
assassination sequel. Those who don't should still break out the long underwear,
though, as word is
tomorrow this will become free for all in a trial version that will remain
available for about three weeks: Celebrate the Winter season at the
HITMAN 2 Snow Festival in Hokkaido and throw snowballs at your target in a new
mission! Starting on January 21 and through February 12, The Snow Festival
brings winter-themed items and the Snow Master Challenge Pack that rewards two
new unlocks: The Ice Pick and The Snow Festival Suit!
January 21st: For HITMAN 2 players who own the Legacy Pack, The Snow Festival
will be available via the Hokkaido Legacy location for the duration of the
event. The Snow Festival Suit and Ice Pick are permanently unlocked for anyone
who unlocks them during the event.
January 22nd: For anyone that doesn’t own HITMAN 2, the entire Hokkaido Legacy
Location (including the Snow Festival) can be downloaded and enjoyed for the
duration of the event. This free trial will be available to download on January
22nd at 13 UTC for Xbox One and PS4 players and 18 UTC for PC players. The trial
will end at the same times on February 12.
Progress will carry over to the main game.
A
tweet from Mark Darrah explains what will be different in the full version
of Anthem, compared to the demo for the mech action game (thanks
VideoGamer.com). Here's word on what to expect and what not to expect: So
how’s the Anthem demo different from the game?
- we start you in the middle
- no tutorials
- no pilot picker
- balance is super different
- economy is completely different
- 6 weeks less bug fixes
A
post to the Atlas Website announces emergency maintenance and an NA
PvP rollback being conducted in the pirate game after more shenanigans in the
game. Following last week's incident where
unauthorized access to an admin account caused players to be beset by sea
monsters and deluged by aircraft and tanks, the new breach similarly spawned
drakes and giant whales in the game and spammed players with messages to
subscribe to Pewdiepie (because nothing makes you want to follow a streamer more
than having your game disrupted). If you want to see this in action,
this clip
(NSFW) and this one
(NSFW) offer a look (thanks
Eurogamer.net). Word is this time did not involve a compromised account, but
it is invoking bans for those responsible and bonus drop rates for those
affected: The damage done was caused by a technical exploit which we have
now protected against, no administrator accounts were compromised in this
situation. We apologize for the inconvenience and we thank for your patience and
understanding during this time.
In regards to action taken, multiple accounts have been banned in relation to
this, by ourselves and BattlEye, though the evidence and our extensive logging
indicates that this group does not have any specific ties to any one company,
but are instead targeting streamers and large or well-known companies. We will
continue our investigation and will take action on all involved accounts and
companies when we learn of their involvement immediately.
To compensate, we’ll be extending the 2x Bonus Rates until Wednesday. Please be
assured that this is a priority for the team and we are working extensively to
ensure that it does not occur again.
A video of Battlefield
5 gameplay shows off what the game looks like when the graphics options in
the game are turned down below the minimum level offered in the game menus
(thanks
[H]ardOCP). According to the clip, players are being banned from the game
for using this trick, and it shows why, as it allows the player to see enemies
that would otherwise not be visible. This raises the question of whether
improving visibility in such a way is actually cheating, but the bans suggest
DICE has already made their judgment on the matter. They note that many players
use an external program to achieve this effect, but that this can be
accomplished by editing some text config files as well, and question whether
this can actually be detected by the game's anti-cheat software, or were the
players who were banned for doing this only caught because they were streaming
the game when using this technique. Continue here to read the full story.
A
post on Den of Geek says "Star Wars: EA Reportedly Will Not Let BioWare Make
KOTOR Games." This sounds more sensational suggested by the
source of
the story, which is a tweet from Kotaku's Jason Schreier. This was part of a bigger
discussion of cancelled Star Wars games. In response to a post saying that
Knights of the Old Republic had a good "scoundrel" protagonist, but
expressing doubts about trusting the BioWare anymore with such a project, Jason
says BioWare has tried and failed more than once to get a green light for a
third KOTOR game: They've tried to make it happen, more than once from
what I've heard. No luck
A new video from
Nightdive Studios for their upcoming
revival of System Shock, the classic action/RPG (thanks Simon). This shows off
the game's final art style as they hope to head off confusion on this topic,
since previous videos included placeholder alpha artwork. This project raised
$1.35 million through a now-complete
Kickstarter, but the description also includes word that they are offering
another chance to back the game by preordering it through
BackerKit.
Word is: We wanted to create a small preview of the final art as there was some
confusion due to our previous video of the Adventure Alpha containing only
placeholders.
Combat is next!
If you missed out on the Kickstarter and still wish to support this project,
check out our
BackerKit!
Continue here to read the full story.
A new video (posted
last week but embargoed until today) for OUTWARD offers a little "Dev
Diary Wanderlust" for this recently announced
RPG in the works at Nine Dot and Maximum Games. The title reflects how this
focuses on travel and survival in the game environment, as well as your luggage:
"This video showcases the variety and depth of not only the game’s environment,
but also the mechanics of an undervalued and iconic piece of gear: the
backpack." The video comes along with more on those topics: OUTWARD is a
hardcore RPG that tempers fantasy elements with realism. The player must survive
against natural dangers like hunger, disease, and the elements as well as
monsters and brigands. This is where the backpack comes in; without the
limitless inventory seen in other RPGs how will the player surpass the
challenges that enemies and the environment present to them? The larger your
backpack, the more prepared you can be. However, carrying too much encumbering
equipment will leave you vulnerable in a surprise attack. Which pack you carry
can be just as much a deciding factor as the weapon you bring into battle and
your chosen fighting style.
Additionally, the player’s map-reading skills will be put to the test. Exploring
the corners of Aurai with nothing but a backpack provides a thrilling experience
that can be described as the peak of adventuring! You decide if you want to
travel light or not, but you will have to make sure you are able to adapt to
your environment. Aurai has four distinct regions that you will need to navigate
with the help of your trusty compass, your map, and your ability to locate
landmarks. The game will not do that for you. Not to worry, though. With
preparation, you will be able to overcome most challenges that OUTWARD will
throw at you.
Continue here to read the full story.
HZ3 Software
announces the release of Strange Telephone, a 2D, pixel-art adventure
game for Windows featuring multiple environments. This uses a phone number
mechanic, though we're not familiar with many places that use their six-digit
phone number system. This is available on
Steam
and PLAYISM, with
each offering a 10% discount for the launch. Here's
a trailer showing
things off, and the announcement explains further: Strange Telephone
delves into the multi-ending 2D adventure game, developed by HZ3 Software.
Travel around a strange pixel world, automatically generated by a 6-digit phone
number.
The protagonist Jill is trapped in a dark world with a large door floating
before her. She is aided by Graham, who takes on the form of a telephone. Making
phone calls with Graham creates various worlds that can be explored. In each of
these worlds are items to be found, including the key that will lead to her
escape.
Features:
- A unique and enticing adventure game.
- Fascinating pixel art, captivating music and carefully designed
animation.
- A huge upgrade from the original game released on mobile.
- 11 different endings
- New stage designs, items and characters.
- Character introductions for everyone you meet.
Continue here to read the full story.
GFK Chart-Track offers their latest charts tabulating game sales in the
United Kingdom for the week ending January 19th. Here's the
all-platforms chart and here's how
they summarize all the
action: "It is the biggest debut in the long running series’ history for Bandai
Namco. Big hitters ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ and ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’ are
non-movers at No3 and No4 respectively while ‘FIFA 19’ drops 3 places to No5. No
other new titles manage to break in to the All Formats Top 40 chart this week."
On the
PC chart, Football Manager 2019 maintains its foothold on the top spot on a
chart that mostly speaks Simlish. Here's the PC top 10:
| POS. |
|
TITLE |
LABEL |
LAST WEEK |
| 1 |
- |
FOOTBALL MANAGER 2019 |
SEGA |
1 |
| 2 |
- |
THE SIMS 4 |
EA GAMES |
2 |
| 3 |
- |
THE SIMS 4: CATS & DOGS |
EA GAMES |
3 |
| 4 |
- |
FARMING SIMULATOR 19 |
FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE |
4 |
| 5 |
- |
THE SIMS 4: SEASONS |
EA GAMES |
5 |
| 6 |
- |
THE SIMS 4: GET FAMOUS |
EA GAMES |
6 |
| 7 |
˄ |
THE SIMS 4: CITY LIVING |
EA GAMES |
9 |
| 8 |
* |
THE ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE |
BETHESDA SOFTWORKS |
- |
| 9 |
˄ |
THE SIMS 4: GET TO WORK |
EA GAMES |
11 |
| 10 |
* |
WOLFENSTEIN: THE OLD BLOOD |
BETHESDA SOFTWORKS |
- |
Back to the future edition. Thanks Ant.
- Battlefield V NVIDIA Ray Tracing RTX 2060 Performance on
[H]ardOCP.
- Last Year: The Nightmare on
Gaming Nexus.
- 1STPLAYER Bullet Hunter MK6 Keyboard on
TechPowerUp.
- iStorage diskAshur2 External Hard Drive on
ThinkComputers.org.
- Logitech G533 Wireless 7.1 Surround Gaming Headset on
Overclockers Club.
- MSI GeForce RTX 2080 Ti LIGHTNING Z Graphics Card on
Guru3D.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Graphics Card on
TechSpot.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Graphics Cards on
Techgage. 1080p & 1440p Gaming Performance.
- Palit GeForce RTX 2070 GameRock Premium 8 GB Graphics Card on
TechPowerUp.
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Day, a celebration of the slain civil
rights leader and his dream. There are
parades around the country to commemorate the occasion, but oddly none in
New York City. Interesting MLK trivia: We've recently learned his name is very
difficult to pronounce, proving a greater challenge for newscasters to get right
than the name of former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.
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