A free weekend for Haxity is underway on Steam, offering a chance to sample this Early Access cyberpunk deck building game. There's also a streamer brawl that will take place tomorrow, and this post has details on how to tune in. A Free Weekend Trailer offers a look at the game, and here's the skinny on the game:

Fight head-to-head in fast-paced card battles in this cyberpunk, action deck-builder. Experience intense, skillheavy matches, while you draft, punch and hack your way through your opponents. This is the only hardcore PvP deck-builder out there. Will you be the one to conquer the streets of Haxity?

Slot your moves and plan the attack
Hack the outcome and outsmart your opponent
Execute your strategy and unleash your combos

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Geoff Keighley tweets that EA will be showing off the next Dragon Age game at next week's Game Awards: "Don't miss a special look at the next DRAGON AGE from @bioware during #TheGameAwards next Thursday." In other news related to the game, there's a note from Christian Dailey on the BioWare Blog responding to yesterday's news that Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah have left BioWare. Christian talks about taking the reins of the project: "Obviously stepping into this role on Dragon Age after Mark is a bit humbling. Mark is someone that I look up to and is a true BioWare legend. We all hope to make him proud as we look to deliver the best Dragon Age story yet, otherwise we know we’ll hear about it…." There's more on the game on Kotaku where they report on a Twitter outburst by Dragon Age voice actor Greg Ellis on Mark Darrah's along with indications that this makes it likely Ellis will no longer be working on the series. This all makes it seem appropriate that EA says that today is Dragon Age Day. They offer a community celebration of the occasion on a the Dragon Age Website.

DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition is now available on the Epic Games Store and Steam, offering an new complete edition of DRAGON QUEST XI with additional side quests, an orchestral soundtrack, a 2D mode, and more. Here's a new trailer and if you want a sample, there's a playable demo on Steam. Here's more:

A fantastic addition to the DRAGON QUEST library, this sprawling standalone adventure is the perfect starting point for new players and rich with all the features RPG fans familiar to the series have come to enjoy.

Taking up the mantle of The Luminary and joined by a unique cast of loyal companions, players can enjoy over 100 hours of riveting gameplay and enthralling storylines. The hunted Hero will travel across continents and vast oceans to uncover the mystery of his past and take on an ominous threat facing the world. An epic beginning of a new adventure, this enchanting world is brought to life by series creator Yuji Horii, character designer Akira Toriyama, and series composer Koichi Sugiyama.

Continue here to read the full story.

John Wick Hex is now available for Windows and macOS on Steam following an exclusive run on the Epic Games Store for this stylized action strategy game based on the movie series. Today also marks the debut of the game for Xbox One and Switch. There's a chance to save some of your gold coins as well, as this carries a 30% launch discount. Here's a refresher:

Created in close cooperation with the creative teams behind the acclaimed films, John Wick Hex captures the look and feel of the series’ signature gun fu combat with unique time-based tactical gameplay that blurs the line between strategy and action. Think and strike like the legendary hitman himself, choosing every action and making quick decisions in the heat of battle. Everything you do has its own risks/rewards and changes the situation at hand, so plan your moves carefully, grab new weapons and ammo as they fall from your foes, and make the most of every second.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Wolcen- Lords of Mayhem -- Hotfix 1.1.0.1.

• YouTuber shows the effects of Skill-Based Matchmaking in Cold War.

• Epic promises more Fortnite tournaments in 2021 but no World Cup.

• Hunt- Showdown -- Hunt- What's next and an Exclusive teaser.
• Star Wars: The Old Republic Login Rewards and Emote Window - Coming soon in Game Update 6.2.

• Guntastic Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• DARQ Complete Edition Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• This Week On Xbox- December 04, 2020.

• Post-HBO Max Film Release News Fallout.
• Amazon’s free news app on Fire TV now features local stations.
• HBO Max no longer offers one-week free trials.
• Release youtube-dl 2020.12.05. Thanks Ant.

• Don't waste time checking for Nvidia RTX 3080 stock, watch this bot on Twitch doing it for you live. Thanks The Flying Penguin.
• Intel's Ice Lake-SP with 36 Cores Spotted- More Than Advertised.
• GIGABYTE Releases G492-ZD0 Server for NVIDIA HGX A100 8-GPU Platform. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Cool Captain America Case Mod.

• Activision lawsuit accuses Netflix of poaching CFO.

• Neil Druckmann is now co-president of Naughty Dog…
• The Complete Dragon Quest XI Experience Arrives Today with Xbox Game Pass on Console and PC…
• Oscar Isaac To Star As Solid Snake In Sony’s ‘Metal Gear Solid’ Movie…

Last Link of the Day: Coronavirus Rhapsody.

GOG.com is giving away The Witcher: Enhanced Edition Director's Cut for free. They are using this as an incentive to check out their GOG Galaxy client. Here are the instructions:

How? Download or update your GOG GALAXY application. Go to the "Recent" view and check the banner at the top. Click the giveaway button if you agree to receive news, updates, and GOG offers. After a while, the game will show up in your games library inside the application and in your GOG.COM collection.

A free weekend is undrway for Embr on Steam, allowing everyone to sample this Early Access firefighting game for the next few days. Here's a recent video to get you fired up about this, and here's more to fan the flames:

Welcome to the Embr Free Weekend! This weekend only, you and your friends can experience the thrills of life as private firefighters, and test the waters as trial Embr Respondrs! Want to upgrade to a permanent Respondr certification? Sign up today and get 30% off your purchase!

For prospective Respondrs to Embr, prepare yourselves and friends for frantic first person cooperative firefighting set in a hyper-capitalist reality where traditional emergency services are a thing of the past. As private firefighters, you get to save lives, salvage property, clear hazardous gas, and even take up a few side gigs, all on your own convenient schedule!

Scale buildings with your ladder, or upgrade to a grappling hook. Smash windows with your fire axe, or purchase yourself a breaching charge. Toss clients down to your trampoline, or equip them with a stylish parachute. Embr brings the power of the free market to you!

Continue here to read the full story.

Activision is pushing back the launch of Season One for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Warzone from December 10 to December 16. A separate announcement notes the series has taken in over $3 billion in the past year, so they may be trying to protect their cash cow from the release of Cyberpunk 2077, but they do not specify whether or not this is their reasoning. They do say they are offering XP bonuses and free content to all players. This post has all the details and here's a summary:

The release date of Season One across the new Black Ops Cold War and free-to-play, free-for-everyone Warzone has been moved from December 10 to December 16.

Season One is the largest free content drop in Black Ops history: a massive expansion of free content, including the comprehensive integration of Operators, weapons, player progression, and Battle Pass rewards across Black Ops Cold War and Warzone.

To thank players for their continued support and patience, Treyarch will be enabling Double XP and Double Weapon XP in Black Ops Cold War from 10AM PT Saturday, Dec. 12 until the launch of Season One.

Two free bundles will also become available to all Black Ops Cold War players through a new Pre-Season offer. Players simply need to log in between 10AM PT Dec. 8 and 11PM PT Dec. 15 to claim both bundles.

A new Update 8 patch for Hell Let Loose is now available on Steam, introducing lots of changes to the 50v50 World War II shooter. This post has details on the update, which they are calling The Red Ball express, which is not named after a cathouse. Some issues have popped up since this went live, and their Developer Briefing #105 has their response to user feedback, as well as a list off official server providers for the game. Here's a feature list:

Hell Let Loose: Key Update #8 features:

• Deeper logistics gameplay: The addition of 12-player transport trucks and supply vehicles enable troops and resources to be brought to where they’re needed quicker than ever before; a wider variety of tools for the Engineer class for greater tactical options
• Overhauled Hurtgen Forest map: One of the original maps launched in Early Access, the revamped Hurtgen Forest features more clearings for an improved field of fire, varied terrain across the map, and a greater opportunity for cover
• Bullet penetration: Materials throughout the game react differently to being hit by different ammo types and ranges, deepening the immersion and increasing the realism of the frontline experience
• Unit designation: Officers can designate their squad’s role in battles, empowering teamwork across the frontline and providing better strategic intelligence for commanders
• Explosion overhaul: Explosions in Hell Let Loose are more realistic than ever before, with multi-layered visual and sound effects.

CCP announces they are developing a native macOS client for EVE Online. This will allow those who think different to experience the warmth and camaraderie of one of the ruthless outer space MMORPG. They say they expect to have this in players' hands in the first half of 2021:

Today, Icelandic videogame developer CCP Games is proud to announce that EVE Online, the deep and uniquely player-driven spacefaring MMO game, will soon run as a native app on macOS Big Sur.

CCP’s platform development efforts for EVE Online are fully focused on enabling native support for macOS Big Sur and Apple’s powerful graphics processing framework, Metal. With live public testing of the native macOS intel-based client due to launch in Q1 2021, the Metal-powered EVE Online experience is scheduled to be playable on the Mac in the first half of next year.

• Weekend Sale: games for all monster hunters up to 80% off - GOG.com.

• Blockchain Tycoon Phase 2 - Available Now.
• Hockey Manager 20|20 - 2020-2021 Update online.
• Epic Games Releases Unreal Engine 4.26.

• Sandy Petersen giving a Doom 2 level 16 house tour. Thanks Frans.

• Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond - The Final Preview - IGN.

• PS5 Pro With Two GPUs In The Works? Thanks Ant.
• EA SPORTS Madden NFL 21 and FIFA 21 Available Worldwide Today on Next Generation Consoles.
• FIFA 21 NXT LVL EDITION Is Now Available For Xbox Series X|S.
• Nine Witches- Family Disruption Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• Shoot 1UP DX Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• Steampunk Tower 2 Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• Tesla vs Lovecraft Game Of The Year Edition Is Now Available For Xbox Series X|S.
• Neon Chrome Overseer Edition Is Now Available For Xbox Series X|S.
• Duck Life Adventure Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• Sleepin' Deeply Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• 60 Parsecs! And 60 Seconds! Reatomized Are Now Available For Digital Pre-order And Pre-download On Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• John Wick Hex Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• Dragon Quest XI S- Echoes Of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition Is Now Available For Windows 10, Xbox One And Xbox Series X|S.
• Players’ Choice: Vote for November 2020’s best new game – PlayStation.Blog.
• Next Week on Xbox: December 8 to December 11.

• Microsoft Surface Pro 8 has a sleek new rival for 2021. Thanks Neutronbeam.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• A Broken Piece of Internet Backbone Might Finally Get Fixed.
• Microsoft Teams calls finally get the overhaul you’ve been waiting for.
• Censorship and the Future of the Internet (video). Thanks Simon.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Razer Is Finally Releasing Tomahawk Gaming Desktop, Now With RTX 3080.
• Intel Advances Progress in Integrated Photonics for Data Centers. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Update on Intel’s Neuromorphic Ecosystem Growth and Progress. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Intel Debuts 2nd-Gen Horse Ridge Cryogenic Quantum Control Chip. Thanks Hypothermia.
• US turns up heat on China's biggest chip-maker.
• Why Your Workplace Software Stinks.
• Build your own advanced USB condom.

• Crooks posing as COVID-19 'cold chain' company phished EU for vaccine intel, says IBM. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Ransomware attack cripples Vancouver public transportation agency.
• Scammers stole millions last Christmas. These six tips could keep you safe online this time around.
• Fake delivery spam was the most rampant scam of 2020.
• IRS to Make ID Protection PIN Open to All.

• Edward Snowden asks Trump to pardon Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
• Intelligence review recommends new electronic surveillance Act for Australia.
• Possible deal for arrested Huawei finance chief.

• Suzerain Review. Make Sordland Great Again! — FRAGS OF WAR.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Case: Corsair 4000D Review - APH Networks.
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler Review - Noctua NH-D15 Review - Neoseeker.
• Graphics Card: ZOTAC RTX 3060 Ti Twin Edge OC Review - Vortez.
• Laptop: Acer Aspire 5 review: a $549 laptop that doesn’t completely suck - The Verge.
• Laptop: Dell G5 15 Gaming Laptop- Feature-rich, Versatile and Well-priced - Digit (video).
• Microphone: Elgato’s Wave-3 USB microphone sounds great, but requires patience - Engadget.
• Monitor: ACER Nitro 32" Curved Gaming Monitor - OverclockersClub (video).
• PSU: Gigabyte GP-P750GM 750 W Review - With an Explosive Attitude - TechPowerUp.
SSD: QLC Goes To 8TB: Samsung 870 QVO and Sabrent Rocket Q 8TB SSDs Reviewed - AnandTech.
• SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe M.2 SSD Review - TweakTown.
• SSD: WD Black AN1500 2TB AIC PCIe NVMe SSD Review - TweakTown.

• Report: Video Games Contribute $90 Billion+ to U.S. Economy - Entertainment Software Association…
• Payday maker Starbreeze settles debts with majority of creditors…
• Democracy 4 in Early Access (after 2 months)…

I did manage to make my voyage to take Jedi the Jindo for a walk. What's funny is how suspicious he was of me when I came to the door. He's very territorial and constantly menaces strangers and delivery people. Since he didn't recognize me in my mask, I got the same treatment. He barked at me furiously through the window, and when I came in the door he actually growled at me. When I showed him my face he whimpered and ran over to greet me, which was very cute. After all the time I've spent walking him he considers me family, and it was great to get to spend a little time with him again.

Masked Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Stories

• ‘Christmas Star’ to light up December sky for 1st time in 800 years.
• Norway excavates a Viking longship fit for a king. Thanks brother19.
• Koala found in Australian Christmas tree. Thanks RedEye9.

Science

• Drug Reverses Age-Related Mental Decline Within Days. Thanks Max.
• After six years and 6bn km, Japan's Hayabusa2 prepares to bring home cargo of asteroid dust.
• Meteor triggers sonic boom and -astonishing- flash of light across multiple states and Ontario.
• Voyager Probes Spot Previously Unknown Phenomenon in Deep Space. Deep Space... 9? Thanks RedEye9.

Media

• Match.com ad directed by Ryan Reynolds is perfect.
• Creative dad takes incredible family photos in China.
• Drone footage shows the shocking collapse of the Arecibo Observatory.

Follow-up

• Carole Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue sanctuary speaks out after tiger attacks volunteer. Thanks RedEye9.

The Funnies

• Safely Endangered Comics on Instagram- “Lil’ sus.”
• Savage Chickens - Tech Support Ninja.
• Stocking Snacks — StBeals.