Take on the role of an elite strike team sent to protect the world from a looming alien threat.
source /news/9117-the-protagonist-ex-1-is-an-indie-xcom-like-heading-to-steam-in-2020
Tetris 99 has featured a handful of other Switch games for its Maximus Cups, but now the frenetic puzzler will be the star of its own crossover event. Nintendo has announced Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s next Spirit Board event will be based on Tetris 99, and it will introduce a handful of new Tetrimino Spirits to the game.
The Spirit Board event kicks off at 11 PM PT on October 24 and runs through October 29. During that time, the following five new Spirits will appear periodically on the Spirit Board, and you’ll receive extra gold for defeating them.
The Spirit Board event will overlap with Tetris 99’s eighth Maximus Cup, which runs from October 25-28 and features a new theme based on the upcoming Luigi’s Mansion 3. Players will be able to unlock the special theme by amassing at least 100 points by the end of the event. Previous Tetris 99 events have featured themes based on Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Super Kirby Clash, and Splatoon 2.
As for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the game’s latest DLC character, the bear and bird duo Banjo-Kazooie, arrived last month alongside a Mii Fighter costume of Sans from Undertale. The next add-on fighter will be Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury, and he’s slated to join the roster sometime in November.
One more as-yet unannounced fighter remains in Smash Ultimate’s Fighters Pass, but that won’t be the end of the game’s DLC. During its big September 2019 Direct, Nintendo announced that even more DLC fighters will be added to Smash Bros. Ultimate in the future, although the company hasn’t shared any more details beyond that.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/smash-bros-ultimate-is-adding-tetris-blocks-as-spi/1100-6470814/
It’s just about time for the Festival of the Lost, Destiny 2‘s annual Halloween-themed in-game event. This year sees the return of Halloween masks you can unlock, candy you can earn to buy stuff, and a new exclusive auto rifle awarded for taking on the event’s terrors.
Bungie detailed the Festival in a blog post, which gives a few details about its new activity and the loot you can chase by participating. It starts on October 29, and once again, players will return to a spooky version of Mercury’s Infinite Forest. Dubbed the Haunted Forest, your goal there is to get as far as you can in 15 minutes. If last year’s event is anything to go on, you’ll encounter a few frightening enemies inside that hunt you as you try to kill as many enemies as possible and take down a big boss at the end. Last year, kills helped extend your timer to keep a run going as long as possible, with better rewards based on how far you were able to travel in the forest.
A Festival guide from Bungie also suggests that Terrors will return this year. These are super-tough Hive enemies that hunt you pretty much without end as you run through the Haunted Forest, adding a slasher movie vibe to the whole affair. Bungie also warns that you’ll want to “beware what awaits you at the end.”
Your big reward for clearing out the Haunted Forest is the Braytech Werewolf auto rifle, an exclusive reward that’ll only be available during the Festival of the Lost. As Bungie details, you’ll first earn a Masterworked, curated version of the auto rifle that drops at the soft cap of 950 Power when you complete its requirements–most likely by completing a fairly involved quest. Once you’ve got one version of the Werewolf, you’ll be able to earn new random rolls of the gun to try to find your favorite version.
Venturing into the Forest and completing Festival of the Lost bounties will earn you Chocolate Strange Coins, which you can then spend on special Festival rewards. These include a variety of masks of different characters that you’ll be able to wear on a helmet you earn during the Festival. This year, the masks are all armor ornaments for the Masquerader’s Helmet you’ll get from vendor Eva Levante, which means you can wear them without a big Power loss as in previous years. You’ll find five new masks from Eva, and if you have the masks from 2018’s Festival of the Lost, you’ll be able to equip those as well.
The Halloween event also has its own Eververse rewards, most of which take on a David S. Pumpkins flair with a skeleton theme. You can snag glowing skeleton armor for your characters, as well as a skeletal pterodactyl ship. A few fun and creepy ghost shells are in the rotation, as well as Spooky, a Sparrow that’s just a broom you can ride as if you were on your way to Space Hogwarts.
As has been the case for the last year, the Festival of the Lost will feature its own set of specific Triumphs to clear during the three-week event. There are also a few Festival-specific mods that can give you an edge in the Haunted Forest, like Vampiric Touch, which gives you health regeneration on precision kills, and Energetic Assassin, which makes precision kills grant grenade and melee energy. You’ll only be able to use those mods during the Festival, though, so make sure you unlock them and equip them early for best results.
The Festival of the Lost is open to all players, including those in the free-to-play New Light version of Destiny 2. You’ll need to be at least 770 Power to access the Haunted Forest, which is pretty low and easily attainable with a bit of grinding even if you’re brand new to the game. The Festival of the Lost kicks off on October 29 and runs for three weeks, through November 19.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2s-festival-of-the-lost-brings-skeleton-th/1100-6470818/
We’re inching ever closer to shopping mania of Black Friday, but it looks like some retailers can hardly wait until November. Walmart is leading the way this year, launching an early access holiday event this Friday, October 25, at 12 AM ET (9 PM PT on Oct. 24) with savings across all its categories, including gaming. These pre-Black Friday deals include some special console bundles and discounts on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Arcade 1UP machines, and more.
While the deals Walmart has announced so far haven’t exactly been mind-blowing, there are still some decent discounts. Here’s an overview of the best deals to expect once the sale is officially live. (Note that we’ve included links to the product pages where possible, as some sale prices have already appeared, but not all of them are live on Walmart’s site yet.)
Nintendo Switch bundle with your choice of game | $330
This deal was popular during Prime Day, and it’s back at Walmart for this early holiday sale. Walmart will be offering a Nintendo Switch bundle that includes your choice of game for $330, down from the usual $359. We haven’t yet confirmed which games will be available, but our guess is that this bundle will include first-party titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as it has in the past. We’ll update this story with more details when the price cut goes live.
Xbox One S with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Original Modern Warfare Trilogy | $250
This bundle will include an Xbox One S, a copy of the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and backward-compatible versions of the original Modern Warfare trilogy for $250–a pretty solid deal.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (PS4 or Xbox One) | $60, includes 3 hours of double XP
If you’re more interested in owning the game itself, which releases Friday, Walmart is handing out three hours of double XP with every purchase of Modern Warfare (standard edition only) for PS4 or Xbox One as well as select products like Mountain Dew and Doritos. This exclusive offer is already live at Walmart.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate: Buy 3 months, get 3 months free | $50
Combining Xbox Live Gold with Game Pass for both console and PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is a worthwhile membership for any Xbox owner. Walmart will be offering three months free with any purchase of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, essentially getting you six months for $50. While you can currently get your first month for $1 over at the Xbox Store, this is still a solid deal if you’re already a subscriber, since you could tack this onto your existing membership.
Arcade 1UP Machines | various
These arcade cabinets stand at 4 feet tall and feature several classic games, including Asteroids (on sale for $165) and Centipede (on sale for $175). Fighting game titans Street Fighter 2 (on sale for $245) and the Mortal Kombat trilogy (on sale for $279) also have their own machines and feature in this early holiday sale.
Outside the realm of gaming, we’ll see discounts on televisions and other electronics, including two great 4K TVs from Vizio in 55- and 65-inch options. If you’re waiting for Black Friday to buy a TV, this deal is worth considering ahead of time. Both sets feature HDR, Apple AirPlay, and Chromecast support, in addition to Alexa/Google voice control and its own built-in smart apps like Netflix. I actually own the 55-inch version of this particular series of TV, and when paired with a soundbar, it’s a great experience for gaming and movies.
Walmart also has a slate of deals on Apple products, such as iPads, AirPods, and Apple Watch. Previous and current-gen models of the iPad are discounted, in addition to AirPods with a wired or wireless charging case. The particular Apple Watch that’s on sale features GPS and cellular as well as a 44mm Sport Loop and aluminum case.
Check out more of the best upcoming deals in gaming and tech below, but be sure to head over to Walmart for the full sale after it kicks off tonight.
Gaming
Tech
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/walmarts-pre-black-friday-sale-kicks-off-friday-ge/1100-6470791/
Best Buy is gearing up to compete with Amazon’s holiday retail offerings, with a new offer for free next-day shipping for the holidays in the US. The is better than Amazon’s two-day shipping for Prime members, especially since Best Buy doesn’t require any membership for the offer, but it does come with a few caveats.
According to the announcement, Best Buy’s free next-day shipping requires a $35 minimum purchase. Anything under that will get free standard shipping. It offers the next-day shipping to almost the entire country, but those who fall outside the next-day delivery area will get free standard shipping as well. And for obvious reasons, large items like refrigerators and big-screen TVs (anything “too big to fit down the chimney”) don’t qualify for the free shipping.
On top of that, the retailer will offer same-day delivery across 42 metro areas. You can check if your zip code qualifies through the official site.
The shipping offer lasts through Christmas Day. That means it will be available for Black Friday shopping, and we’ll be tracking the best Black Friday deals as we get closer to the big shopping day.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/best-buy-will-offer-free-next-day-shipping-this-ho/1100-6470808/
We wrote about a ridiculous Amazon Echo Dot sale yesterday, but there’s another stellar smart speaker deal that you may be able to take advantage of right now. From now until November 15, Spotify Premium subscribers can get a free Google Home Mini while supplies last.
The promotion applies to new and existing customers who subscribe to individual or family premium plans. If you have an account already, simply go to this page while logged in to register for the promotion. You’ll receive an email shortly after that will take you to the Google Store. A promotional code discounts the $50 Google Home Mini to zero dollars. You must claim your free Google Home Mini by December 31.
The Google Home Mini functions similarly to other smart speakers. It can play music such as Spotify playlists, answer questions, and interact with other great smart home devices. It’s one of the smallest smart speakers around, but thanks to Google Assistant, it can make a significant impact in your home.
Google recently released the Nest Mini, the follow-up to the Home Mini. While this promotion doesn’t apply to Google’s newest smart speaker, it’s still a no-brainer if you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber. And if you have been considering subscribing to the $10/month premium service, a Google Home Mini certainly sweetens the pot.
If you’ve already claimed a Google Store promotion via Spotify in the past, you sadly aren’t eligible for this deal. Additionally, the promotion doesn’t apply to student plans or free/discounted trials.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/spotify-premium-subscribers-get-a-free-google-home/1100-6470811/
A bonus subscription gets you private worlds and more.
source /news/9116-bethesda-reveals-fallout-1st-premium-membership-subscription-for-fallout-76
Update: Following the leak, Ubisoft has now officially announced Rainbow Six Siege‘s Halloween-themed event, Doktor’s Curse. The event kicks off today, October 23, and runs until November 6. Ubisoft describes it as a “5 vs. 5 Monster Hunt game mode” that’s set on a “Frankenstein version” of the Theme Park map. You can check out the announcement trailer below.
In this mode, players will have to choose to either fight as the Exterminators or as the monsters, the latter of whom are made up of Lesion, Frost, Kapkan, Smoke, and Ela. The monsters are not able to weild weapons, but they can use traps and temporarily turn invisible and run faster to help them escape from the monster hunters.
In addition to the new game mode, the Doktor’s Curse event brings new skins for Smoke, Kapkan, Frost, Lesion, and Ela, and the Halloween skins from last year’s Mad House event are once again available if you missed them the first time around. There’s also a new Ubisoft Club Challenge that lets you earn one of the new Halloween item packs if you can rack up 20 kills in the Doktor’s Curse mode, and a second one if you can win 13 rounds. You can read more about the event on Ubisoft’s website.
The original story follows.
With Halloween just around the corner, many games are getting into the spooky spirit with their own Halloween events, and it appears Rainbow Six Siege will be the latest to join that list. An event titled Doktor’s Curse has been spotted on the Xbox events page (via Dot Esports), and it’s reportedly beginning soon.
While Ubisoft has yet to formally reveal the Doktor’s Curse event, the official Rainbow Six Siege Twitter account tweeted an image of a VHS cassette labeled with the event name, effectively confirming it. According to the Xbox page, the event is slated to begin today, October 23, and run until November 6, but Ubisoft has not made any official announcements regarding it.
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😱😱😱 pic.twitter.com/o8H8Yfyn0N— Rainbow Six Siege (@Rainbow6Game) October 23, 2019
This isn’t the first Halloween event in Rainbow Six Siege. Last year, the tactical shooter held a Mad House event that added a haunted variation of the House map, along with a variety of special skins that transformed 10 Operators into ghoulish versions of themselves, as well as Halloween-themed weapon skins and charms.
Rainbow Six Siege’s latest update, Ember Rise, arrived last month and introduced a wealth of new content to the game, including two new Operators: the attacker Amaru and the defender Goyo. Additionally, Ubisoft reworked the Kanal map and made a spate of Operator balance tweaks and other adjustments. You can read the full breakdown of everything new in Ember Rise on Ubisoft’s website.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rainbow-six-siege-halloween-doktors-curse-event-no/1100-6470806/
Fallout 76 has launched a new premium membership service called Fallout 1st, Bethesda has announced. The service is available to purchase now and includes access to private worlds for you and your friends, exclusive items, and membership bonuses.
Private worlds has been one of the most requested features since Fallout 76 was released back in November 2018. Last week Bethesda revealed that private servers would be coming to the game this week, but there was no indication that the feature would be locked behind a subscription paywall. You can purchase a Fallout 1st subscription for $12.99 / £11.99 a month, or buy a full year at a 36% discount for $99.99 / £99.99. It’s a steep price to pay in order to play Fallout 76 privately, either alone or with friends. For comparison, an Xbox Game Pass subscription costs $9.99 / £10.99 a month, and features both Fallout New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, among a myriad of other games. At least only the owner of a private server is required to be a Fallout 1st member. Bethesda has also said it’s looking into incorporating mod support in private worlds.
Aside from receiving access to private worlds, Fallout 1st members will also receive a monthly bonus of 1,650 atoms to spend in the Atomic Shop. There will also be exclusive discounts on items in the store, and members will gain access to their own private Scrapbox, too, letting you store all of your crafting components in a separate place to the limited Stash Box. Meanwhile, the new survival tent will save you some caps by acting as a fast travel point you can place anywhere on the map, and unique emotes and the Ranger Armor outfit give you some more cosmetic options.
Fallout 76 had a rocky launch and was met with largely negative reviews, including GameSpot’s review which awarded it a 4/10. Bethesda has been releasing updates fairly regularly, though, adding features like a battle royale mode and raids.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-76-private-servers-launch-as-part-of-new-s/1100-6470807/
The PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions of Two Point Hospital, the wacky hospital management sim that was released last year on PC, have been delayed until the first half of 2020. They were originally scheduled to arrive late 2019.
“So why the delay?” developer Two Point Studios said in a recent blog post. “Put simply: making a management simulation game on three consoles (and making it the best it possibly can be on all three), is a tricky programming puzzle.
“As you no doubt know, we’ve been beavering away hard at work on Two Point Hospital with our pals at Red Kite Games, who have been doing a great job working with us on the transition of Two Point Hospital over to console.
“We invited press to come into the studio and get hands-on with the game not too long ago, and they loved the direction we were heading in, especially with the revamped control scheme, redesigned for console platforms.
“We also showcased the game at Gamescom, with hands-on playable code on the show floor, which went down well with hundreds of players. It was exciting and rewarding to see so many people getting hands-on with the game.
“All of that reaction has been fantastic to see, and it’s just another reason why we really care about getting the final release right.”
Two Point Hospital is a spiritual successor to the 1997 classic Theme Hospital, with former Bullfrog Productions alumni Gary Carr and Mark Webley, working on both. James Swinbanks praised the hospital management sim in GameSpot’s Two Point Hospital review, saying “The exaggerated, cartoon look and relaxed approach to management make it inviting enough for most players, while the deeper aspects of its economy are enough to keep seasoned players engaged. Two Point Hospital not only re-works an old formula into something modern and enjoyable, it also iterates on the classic brand of irresistible charm and wit, making something that’s truly wonderful.”
Two Point Hospital is available on PC now, with PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions due out in early 2020.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/two-point-hospital-delayed-on-playstation-4-xbox-o/1100-6470804/
