Archived News:
Tuesday, Nov 30, 2021 Saint Andrew's Day - Giving Tuesday
CoD: Vanguard/Warzone Season One Includes New Kernel Level Driver [7:41 pm ET] – Share – 4 Comments
The
Call of Duty Blog has details on Season One for Call of Duty: Vanguard,
which gets underway on December 8th. The first 24 hours will be Early Access for
those who own Call of Duty: Vanguard, and after that it will be free-to-play for
everyone. This will launch the new Warzone Pacific map, bringing the Pacific
theater of World War II to the battle royale 70 years to the day after the US
declared war on Japan. Word is: "Featuring a dedicated Playlist with new
vehicles and Vanguard weapons, Warzone Pacific’s first season kicks off another
year of free content comprised of 15 huge, distinct areas to explore and fight
across." The launch will also include a new kernel-level anti-cheat driver,
which is news that never fails to spark controversy. Here's word:
As part of the Season One update, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat will deploy a new, internally developed kernel-level driver on PC to assist in identifying cheaters in Warzone. This will allow players to focus more on the fun new offerings in Warzone Pacific as #TeamRICOCHET fights unfair play with its new anti-cheat security initiative. This kernel-level driver is coming first to Warzone and will be required for all PC players as of this update.
Caldera and Warzone Pacific are just the beginning for the free content to be offered in Season One of Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone. Stay tuned for additional intel about two free functional weapons, new Operator, Zombies content, Multiplayer modes and two maps all launching on December 8, including a Pacific-inspired take on a fan-favorite Call of Duty map. Later in the seasons fans can expect two more Operators, an additional core Multiplayer map and returning small-team tactical mode, additional Zombies info, another free weapon unlocked via Challenges and a festive celebration across both games.
Rainbow Six Siege High Calibre Launches; Play for Free This Week [7:41 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
High Calibre is now available for PC and consoles, kicking off the fourth
and final season of Year 6 in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. The new season
adds Irish operator Thorn, reworks the Outback map, and begins a new Battle
Pass. If this catches your interest, but you're still undecided, you're in luck,
because the game will be free for everyone to try from December 2-6. Here's a
High Calibre Battle Pass Trailer, and here's more of what to
expect:
In High Calibre, players will discover a brand-new defender: Thorn, equipped with the Razorbloom Shell: a throwable proximity device that once triggered initiate a timed blast. If an enemy player doesn’t get out of the area of effect on time, they will receive damage at the end of the fuse timer. Thorn is a medium speed, medium armor Operator, and her loadout consists of the new custom made UZK50Gi or the M870 as primary weapons and the 1911 TACOPS or the C75-AUTO as secondary weapons.Continue here to read the full story.
In addition, the Outback map has been rebuilt to improve balancing and player comfort. Both the main building and its exterior have been tweaked to allow Attackers to create and execute more effective strategies. In addition, new exterior soft walls have been added to the building, and some areas have been refurbished and cleaned up to remove junk and provide better lines of sight and balance.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite Season 2 Next Month [7:41 pm ET] – Share – 10 Comments
Cold Iron Studios and Focus Entertainment announce December 14th is when to
expect Season 2 to begin in Aliens: Fireteam Elite. Word is this will
come with free rewards for everyone who plays the xenomorph-infested
third-person shooter. It will also launch alongside the Nostromo Salvage Pack, a
second Endeavor Pass DLC Pack. Here's the plan:
Following the September release of Season 1: Phalanx, this new season includes free bonuses for all players, including a new mode called Point Defense. This fast-paced alternative to Horde Mode will challenge players in a new survival-based defensive match where your fireteam must protect, repair, and hold three different strategic points through multiple attack waves from the xenomorph hive. Players can unlock up to 20 new rewards by completing the mode at various difficulties.Continue here to read the full story.
Season 2: Point Defense features the following free content:
- New Game Mode: Point Defense
- New Feature: Lifetime Stats
- New challenge cards
- New weapons, attachments, and cosmetics as Point Defense rewards or in the in-game store
Blood Bowl 3 Delayed [7:41 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Nacon announces new release dates for a few more games following
the news of the delay to
Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong. Word is that Blood Bowl 3 will
release later next year than previously planned and there will also be delays to
Train Life: A Railway Simulator and Hotel Life: A Resort Simulator.
Here are all the details:
Initially planned for release in February 2022, Blood Bowl 3 an adaptation of the Games Workshop board game, will release later in 2022. The game has already received many positive updates and Cyanide Studio continues the development in order to ensure a high-quality adaptation of the renowned board game. Fans can still try out Blood Bowl 3 before it releases with upcoming closed beta before launch.Continue here to read the full story.
Steam October Top Sellers [7:41 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
This page on
Steam is where you can buy all of the top-selling new games for the month of
October on the service. The
Steam Blog has a write-up on all the activity for the month. Here's a bit
that highlights some of the big names on the list:
It comes as no surprise for a Top Release list, but October was filled with marquee franchises popular around the world. These franchises aren't exclusive to gaming either, with characters and stories cherished by movie-goers and bookworms of all ages. Look no further than the Steam debut of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, which has captivated fans for years with its acclaimed manga series. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy also landed on Steam this month, becoming a household name over the last decade in comic book shops and box offices everywhere. For Age of Empires IV, the latest installment of this beloved PC franchise will expand into academia, as students will be given a unique opportunity to earn college credit by combining history lessons with base-building.
Dead Cells: The Queen & The Sea Announced [7:41 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
Motion Twin and Evil Empire announce The Queen & The Sea, a new DLC pack
coming to Dead Cells on PC and consoles early next year. This will
conclude the storylines introduced in previous DLC The Bad Seed and Fatal Falls.
This is called "the most generous content update yet" for the game, which we're
told has now sold six million copies worldwide. Here's a
Teaser Trailer with a look. Here's more:
Today’s new teaser trailer reveals a sneak peek of Dead Cells: The Queen & The Sea, including two new biomes with a twist: one won't be the standard-issue Dead Cells level that you’re used to... and if you make it through this new kind of challenge, there will be a totally new epic ending to the game waiting for you unless you can't defeat the all-new alternative final boss: the Queen.Continue here to read the full story.
To combat the new challenges presented in the new biomes, players can expect a lot more goodies in the next update and more details will be revealed soon.
Sid Meier's Command Series Returns [7:40 pm ET] – Share – 3 Comments
Revived publisher Atari announces it is reviving classic games as well as
classic branding. These are Sid Meier's 1980s Command series of strategy games.
Now available on Steam are
Decision in the Desert,
Crusade
in Europe, and
Conflict in Vietnam. Here's more on the revivals and all three
games:
The three part series of tactical wargames was originally released in the 1980s under the MicroProse label. Sid Meier, later creator of the Civilization series, collaborated with historian Ed Bever to ensure the games’ historical accuracy. Their realism and depth of strategic gameplay earned the titles a loyal following persisting to this day.Continue here to read the full story.
The approach to the Command Series grew from observation of actual tabletop U.S. military scenario exercises. As a result, the games challenge players to manage assets, strategically place and move them around the battlefield map, and outmaneuver the enemy. Victory requires careful strategic thinking and fast responses to rapidly changing battlefield conditions.
Evening Patches [7:40 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Evening Metaverse [7:40 pm ET] – Share – 6 Comments
Evening Tech Bits [7:40 pm ET] – Share – 2 Comments
Into the Black [7:40 pm ET] – Share – 10 Comments
Last Link of the Day:
Amazing Lego-Style HEMP BLOCKS Make Building a House Quick, Easy & Sustainable.
Thanks
VideoSift.
Gone Gold - Dying Light 2 [12:43 pm ET] – Share – 14 Comments
Techland
tweets that development of Dying Light 2 Stay Human is complete, and
the action/RPG sequel is on track for
most recent release date of February
4th. Here's more on the resumption of the zombie infestation:
Dying Light 2 has gone gold!
It wouldn’t be possible without your support over all these years - we will spend an additional time making sure that we’ll deliver the best possible experience for you.
Thank you for being with us!
Can’t wait to meet you in The City on February 4th!
Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition Released [12:43 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition is now available for Windows, Xbox,
and PlayStation, adding some refinements to this platformer sequel. The PC
edition is on the
Epic Games
Store, and it is a free upgrade for those who own the original version. So
what's new? "Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition includes dramatically improved
gameplay mechanics and motion code, audio balance improvements, seven additional
months of polish, improved Slig and follower AI (more intelligent and
responsive), as well as all
previously released updates and brand-new content." Here's the
Launch Trailer and here's an outline of that new content:
Xbox players will go hands-on with Vykkers Labs, a throwback to classic Oddworld 2.5D gameplay featuring short puzzle-filled levels. Earn leaderboard prestige for speed runs or zero-death performances. For those who don’t recall, Vykkers Labs is a large airborne lab used for pharmaceutical testing on animals and run by the sadistic Vykkers.Continue here to read the full story.
PlayStation and Epic Games Store players will experience Toby’s Escape. Like Vykkers, it is a throwback to classic Oddworld gaming short puzzle-filled levels to master. If you have played Soulstorm, you’ll know Toby from the train, but how did Toby escape RuptureFarms and become the train’s conductor...find out in Toby’s Escape.
GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Patched [12:43 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
A new patch is now available for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The
Definitive Edition, updating the open-world action compilation to version
1.03. The game has had loads of problems since
its
launch, and these are the focus of the patch, as the
Title Update Notes include 110 instances of the word "fixed." These range
from the sublime, like stability improvements, to the ridiculous, like fixed
spelling errors.
Halo Infinite Battle Pass Adjustments [12:43 pm ET] – Share – 3 Comments
343 Industries community manager
John Junyszek
tweets about adjustments to the progression rate in the controversial
Halo Infinite Battle Pass. He notes this is not they plan to do to address
complaints about how this works: "We know many of you want even larger changes
and we're committed to doing so, but those will take time. We made this update
based on data and player feedback, and we'll monitor its impact after we push it
live tomorrow morning." Here's what's being changed right now:
After seeing how XP was earned with those changes, we noticed that players were starting their sessions with slower payouts than we'd like. To address this, we will be increasing the XP payout for the first 6 matches of each day. An outline of this update can be found below:
1st Game = 300XP
2nd Game = 200XP
3rd Game = 200XP
4th Game = 100XP
5th Game = 100XP
6th Game = 100XP
7th+ Game = 50XP
We believe this increase will help address those slower initial payouts while also benefiting those of you jumping on each and every day.
Into the Starfield Trailer [12:43 pm ET] – Share – 11 Comments
A new trailer called
The Endless Pursuit goes "Into the Starfield" with Starfield, the
upcoming action/RPG set in space, where no one can hear you riff. This features
three of the game's developers giving us their perspective on the
project:
Join Game Director Todd Howard, Studio Director Angela Browder and Art Director Matt Carofano as they discuss how Bethesda Game Studios’ ambitions, passions and history have shaped the studio and how they are looking to the future with Starfield . Keep an eye out in the coming months for more episodes of ‘Into the Starfield.’Continue here to read the full story.
Starfield arrives exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC on 11.11.22. Play it day one with Xbox Game Pass.
HITMAN 3 Winter Roadmap [12:43 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
There's a Winter Roadmap on
the IO Interactive Website for HITMAN 3, outlining holiday content
coming to the assassination game sequel beginning today. Here's a
Winter
Roadmap (Holiday Special), and here's an overview:
HITMAN 3 joins in on the festive fun and Holiday Hoarders makes it’s much-anticipated debut, starting on November 30. Paris is all decked out, presents are scattered around the palace and snow cannons are relentlessly spreading white joy. It’s not all fun and games though, because well-known thieves Harry and Marv are in town and stealing anything they can get their hands on.Continue here to read the full story.
It’s up to Agent 47, once again, to save the holidays. His reward is the iconic Santa 47 suit.
Holiday Hoarders is a permanent addition to HITMAN 3 for all owners and if you’re playing the HITMAN 3 Free Starter Pack, you’ll be able to play it throughout December for free!
Card Shark Delayed [12:43 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Card Shark will not be released this year as
originally planned. The
Card Shark Website and the
Card Shark
Steam Listing both now display a 2022 release date. The delay is
unexplained, but there's a new
Shuffling to 2022 Trailer to highlight the change. Curious about the game?
Here's the deal:
Our adversaries tonight? An unscrupulous group of scoundrels and rogues, rumoured to possess an unlimited fund between them. If we stick to the strategies you’ve learnt, this will be a walkover." - Comte de Saint-Germain.Continue here to read the full story.
Clid The Snail Next Month [12:43 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Weird Beluga Studio announces their debut game, Clid the Snail, is coming to
Windows on Dec. 15th. This gives plenty of time to work up some garlic butter
for escargot. Here's a new
PC Release Date Trailer, and here's more on this hero on the 3/4ths
shell:
"PC is a very important platform for us mainly because PC gamers are an extremely varied bunch," said Tomas Manzano, Game Developer at Weird Beluga Studio. "Clid the Snail is a very picturesque, dark sci-fi game with plenty of humor and challenging twin-stick gameplay, and we can’t wait for PC players to jump straight into it.”Continue here to read the full story.
Clid the Snail is a dark fable about a grumpy humanoid snail armed to the radula. Clid the exiled snail joins forces with a peculiar gang of outcasts and is tasked with the mission to eradicate a wide-spread slug plague. The top-down twin-stick shooter encourages creative gun play with its vast array of weapons and mechanics, alongside exploration and puzzle solving while exploring a grim-looking world.
Morning Patches [12:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.
Battling Bugs [12:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Morning Multiplex [12:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- FINAL FANTASY XIV (Version 1.0) Trailer.
- HITMAN 3 - Winter Roadmap (Holiday Special).
- Warframe - Official Cinematic Trailer 2021 - The New War- Expansion Story and Date Reveal. December 15th.
↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.
Op Ed [12:42 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
-
Kotaku - Halo Infinite’s Battle Pass Is Fine The Way It Is—For Now.
"Whether or not you believe that full completion of a battle pass should be a badge of honor solely reserved for the most dedicated players, Infinite’s pass, as it stands right now, is designed to be completed by those who are even moderately engaged each week. It’s a system set up to steadily reward players over the course of months. No one’s going to finish it within the first few weeks. That’s not the point. Mathematically, you’ll get to the end eventually—as long as you stick with it somewhat."
Morning Consolidation [12:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
- Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination Is Now Available For PC, Xbox One, And Xbox Series X-S (Xbox Game Pass).
- MXGP 2021 - The Official Motocross Videogame Is Now Available For Xbox One And Xbox Series X-S.
- This Week's Deals With Gold And Spotlight Sale - Xbox's Major Nelson.
Morning Mobilization [12:42 pm ET] – Share – 1 Comment
Morning Tech Bits [12:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Thanks Ant.
- AMD Allegedly Jacking Up RX 6000 GPU Prices by 10 Percent. Thanks Slashdot.
- Two months in, Windows 11 is still a work in progress.
- Inside Intel’s Secret Warehouse in Costa Rica (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Slashdot.
- ViewSonic Introduces New Portable Monitor Designed for Mobile, PC and Console Gaming.
Morning Safety Dance [12:42 pm ET] – Share – 2 Comments
- Hackers could steal encrypted data now and crack it with quantum computers later, warn analysts.
- Spy chief's warning: Our foes are now 'pouring money' into quantum computing and AI.
- Panasonic confirms cyberattack and data breach.
- Telehealth takes off but security concerns persist. Thanks Ant.
- Your HP printer may need a firmware update to save it from a "Critical" buffer overflow bug.
Game Reviews [12:42 pm ET] – Share – Post a Comment
Hardware Reviews [12:42 pm ET] – Share – 2 Comments
- CPU Cooler: SilverStone Hydrogon D120 ARGB Review - TechPowerUp.
- Headset: EPOS H6PRO Open Acoustic Gaming Headset Review - AusGamers.com.
- Headset: JBL Reflect Flow Pro TWS Earbuds - Nikk Tech.
- Keyboard: Fnatic Streak65 LP review – keys to my heart - Rock Paper Shotgun.
- Laptop: Alienware m15 R6 laptop review- More efficient, but the RTX 3080 is slower than in the predecessor - NotebookCheck.net Review. Thanks Neutronbeam.
- RAM: Neo Forza Faye DDR4-4600 2x 16GB Review - TechPowerUp.
- SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 500GB with 176 Layer Micron SSD Review - TweakTown.
- Virtual Reality HMD: HTC VIVE Pro 2 Review - AusGamers.com.
Out of the Blue [12:42 pm ET] – Share – 47 Comments
Happy Giving Tuesday! This seems much more compatible with the thankfulness of
Thanksgiving than all the shopping holidays between the two occasions. There are
certainly enough worthy causes out there for those lucky enough to be able to
give. Also, happy Saint Andrew's Day to all my fellow Scots (I'm a pretty mixed
mutt of Anglo-Saxon interbreeding). Saint Andrew's Day is the official national day
of Scotland, the national day of Independence in Barbados, and, somewhat
surprisingly, a national holiday in Romania. Someone pour me a single-malt and
pass the haggis.
Giving Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.Stories
- Quarter Shortage Creates a Two-Bit Black Market in Coin-Operated Seattle. Thanks Slashdot.
- RAF on high alert due to increased Arctic activity. Thanks David.
- Russia threatens criminal charges against a NASA astronaut.
Images
- Meet the Beauty Queens of Al Dhafra (may require registration or subscription).
Media
- Sitting in the back bragging about the lane assist feature. AI must've picked the playlist too. Thanks Avus.
- Video shows F-35B jet falling off British aircraft carrier. $80M in the drink.
- Kurstin x Grohl- The Hanukkah Sessions 2021- Night One. Thanks Hypothermia.
Follow-up
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