Rocket League, the popular car-soccer game, recently pledged to remove loot boxes in favor or a more transparent “Blueprint” system, which lets you see what you’re getting and choose whether to spend your credits building it. The Blueprint update has now arrived, and developer Psyonix has published extensive patch notes alongside it. All Keys and Decryptors have been turned into Credits and Bonus Gifts, Crates have been turned into Unrevealed Blueprints, and a new Item Shop offers a rotating selection of goods.

It’s a substantial change, and already many players are taking to Reddit to complain about how pricing works in the game, noting that customization upgrades are now prohibitively expensive and much harder to get your hands on. A thread on Reddit is cataloging complaints from players about prices; as of now, it has 1700 replies. Elsewhere, users are noting examples of items, like the Pyrrhos exotic wheels, that have been massively marked up.

As one post sums it up, if you’d bought 23 keys before, you’d get 23 items; now a single item might cost the same in credits as 23 keys would have cost. It remains to be seen whether this system will see changes based on user feedback, or if Blueprint trading will lessen the issue for the community. For now, though, it seems that the change has made cosmetic items in Rocket League more expensive, albeit also more transparent.

Rocket League released in 2015, and is available for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. Psyonix was bought out by Epic back in July 2019.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rocket-leagues-loot-boxes-are-gone-and-the-communi/1100-6471935/

It looks like Vanquish is returning to modern consoles, with a listing for an Xbox One version having appeared on the Microsoft Store. The game page lists a February 18, 2020 release date, and promises some upgrades for the game, which originally launched on Xbox 360 and PS3. PlatinumGames, the developer of the original, is also listed as the developer here.

The description listed states that “the hit sci-fi shooter returns,” and under “features”, it says that the game is “remastered for the first time on Xbox One” and features “4K graphics at 60fps” on Xbox One X. No official announcement has been made as of yet, so it appears that this page has given the impending release of Vanquish on Xbox One up early. Curiously, the game is stylized as ‘Vanquish’ on this page and as ‘VANQUISH’ on the game’s Xbox 360 page. That version of the game can also be played on Xbox One, thanks to backwards compatibility.

It’s unclear whether the game will also come to PS4 and Nintendo Switch, but it’s certainly possible, as there’s no indication that this release will be exclusive to Microsoft’s platform. Vanquish previously came to PC in 2017. PlatinumGames is also currently working on Bayonetta 3, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/vanquish-for-xbox-one-appears-on-microsofts-store-/1100-6471933/

Nintendo Switch Online is expanding its selection of NES and SNES games this month, with the addition of six new games on December 12. These include four SNES titles and two from the NES, expanding the system’s offering out to 50 NES titles and 24 SNES titles. The new games are a mix of familiar SNES titles and perhaps lesser-known NES games, including one SNES game that only received an official release two years ago as part of the SNES Classic Mini—Star Fox 2.

The three other new SNES titles coming are Super Punch Out!!, Kirby Super Star, and Breath of Fire II. Of these titles, Breath of Fire II is the only one not also available on the SNES Classic Mini, and both SNES Breath of Fire titles are now available to subscribers on Nintendo Switch. Star Fox 2 is likely the highlight for many, though–the game was completed in the 90s but was never released. Although it only earned a 5/10 in our review, it’s an interesting curio.

The NES titles added are Crystalis, an action-RPG set in a ruined civilization, and Journey to Silius, a run-and-gun shooter. While both titles are less well-known than your Metroids and Super Mario Bros, they’re interesting additions to the service. From December 5, Nintendo will also be discounting its NES controller bundle by 50%, if you want the authentic experience.

This is the first set of new games to appear on Nintendo Switch Online since September, when the first 20 SNES games all dropped at once. Nintendo has said that updates will happen less often from now on, so don’t necessarily expect more games in January. Nintendo Switch Online users also have access to games like Tetris 99 and Super Kirby Clash.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-online-introduces-six-new-nessnes-/1100-6471930/

After being delayed for Xbox One and PS4, Apex Legends Update 3.2 is now live across all platforms. The update is huge–both in terms of data size and the quality-of-life changes it implements.

The major component of the update is the changes to in-game progression. For the first time since launch, the in-game level cap is being increased, going from 100 to 500. The necessary XP to reach level 100 has also been reduced. While leveling, there are more opportunities to earn Apex Packs. The full breakdown is below–all rewards are retroactive, so you’ll automatically earn 14 Apex Packs if you’re already level 100. You will also now earn a new gun charm every 100 player levels.

Apex Legends New Progression System

• Level 2 – 20: One pack every level
• Level 22 – 300: One pack every two levels
• Level 305 – 500: One pack every five levels

The more notable adjustments are in all the quality-of-life changes. The update adds a button prompt for you to cancel a finisher halfway through the animation–allowing you to immediately return to the fight if you’re ambushed. The legendary armor spawn rate has also been reduced, so it’s less likely you’ll have to worry about running into squads completely outfitted in Gold body shields near the end of a match.

There have also been game-changing adjustments made to knockdown shields and Wattson’s Ultimate ability, Interception Pylon. Common and rare knockdown shields are significantly stronger now. Wattson’s new Interception Pylon is now more effective at locking down a zone and allowing her squad to launch an offensive against enemy teams–as it now only intercepts grenades and explosives being thrown in, not out.

Additionally, there’s now an option to toggle whether you want the option to automatically exit out of looting death boxes when an enemy team shoots at you. Final circle locations have also been changed to account for setting up even playing fields at the end of a match, as well as a greater variety of locales for final circle confrontations. The overall color of helmets and armor have also been adjusted to be easier to discern for players with colorblindness.

Update 3.2 also implements dozens of bug fixes, which are listed below. You can also find them–as well as additional detail for all the aforementioned changes–in the update’s full patch notes.

Apex Legends Update 3.2 Bug Fixes

• Fixed bug where other players would appear to be in the wrong Rank (e.g. they are actually Apex Predator but appear Bronze IV)
• Bunch of bug fixes to World’s Edge related to collision, geometry, supply bins spawning in bad areas, and cases where loot couldn’t be picked up in certain areas near Geyser.
• Fixed bug where sometimes the Respawn Dropship would be silent when arriving.
• Fixed bug where Bangalore would reference the Skullpiecer hop-up when pinging a Wingman.
• Fixed issue where player banner would appear off-center in the match summary/squad eliminated screens.
• Fixed a visual bug where the progress bars for Shield Cells and Phoenix Kits appeared desaturated and hard to read.
• Fixed bug where players were able to instantly revive in certain locations.
• Fixed bug for rare cases where a player was unable to revive a teammate while outside the Ring.
• Fixed bug where the visual FX for the knockdown shield would remain visible after being destroyed by an enemy.
• Fixed bug where equipping the EVA-8 Auto Shotgun Double Tap hop-up would remove the rate of fire increase from equipped shotgun bolt.
• Fixed bug where some Legends would relay incorrect “ability not ready” sound FX when trying to activate an ability that was still on cooldown.
• Fixed a visual bug where sometimes when a Legend starts using a Shield Cell it causes their weapon to appear to be briefly floating past their arm.
• Fixed bug where sometimes the Train’s lead car would detach from the rest of the Train after a player stops and then starts it back up.
• Fixed bug for cases where players could get crushed by the Train while standing near the back of the front car.
• Fixed bug where Legend’s faces would appear distorted in third person during matches and while browsing inventory.
• Fixed issues with corrupted graphics and frame drops that we found were related to detonating ordnance in certain locations causing object to trigger bad pixels.
• Fixed bug for cases where flying Crypto’s Drone near the Train can cause Crypto to move around without player input.
• Fixed a bug where Crypto’s tactical hud looked like it was stuck recharging until you used it.
• Fixed bug for cases where a deathbox would not come to rest on stairs and players were unable to retrieve the player’s Banner Card.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-apex-legends-update-increases-level-cap-full-p/1100-6471929/