Halo: The Master Chief Collection PC Edition’s First Beta Test Not Launching This Month After All

At the start of April, 343 Industries announced that it hoped it might be able to release Halo: The Master Chief Collection‘s first PC beta test during the month. But now it turns out that’s not going to happen.

Community director Brian Jarrard said on Twitter that the team had to delay the first beta test, or “flight” in the Halo parlance, due in part to the complexity of the project. Here’s his full statement:

The delay is a bummer, especially because fans have been waiting so long for Halo: The Master Chief Collection to come to PC, but it’s refreshing to hear 343 speak so openly about the development process. There is no word yet as to when the first flights will be available, but Jarrard added that a more in-depth blog post is coming this week with answers.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming to PC in stages, beginning with Halo: Reach (which is also releasing for Xbox One) and continuing chronologically from there–Halo: CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, and then Halo 4. The titles will be released on PC through betas with the aim of testing each title with a limited group of people first before rolling out publicly for everyone. You can sign up for the free Halo Insider program here for a chance to try out the games early.

Each title within the Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC will be sold individually, but the “flights” are free, if you get in. And in a big change for the series, Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be available through Steam.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection originally launched in November 2014 for Xbox One. It faced serious and significant server issues at launch that made the title basically unplayable for some. Microsoft improved the experience significantly over time, and today the title is mostly stable and highly populated with players thanks in part to its inclusion with Xbox Game Pass.

The next Halo game, Halo Infinite, is in the works for PC and Xbox One. It’s supposedly going to be featured during Microsoft’s E3 2019 briefing in June.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-the-master-chief-collection-pc-editions-first/1100-6466541/

May 2019 Games With Gold Announced (Xbox One, Xbox 360)

Besides access to online multiplayer and exclusive game discounts, another perk Xbox Live Gold members enjoy is free monthly games for Xbox One and Xbox 360–and the latest freebies for May 2019 have just been announced. Gold members, here are the titles you can download and keep for free next month:

Available May 1: Kicking things off is Marooners, a hectic party game with local or online co-op where you and your friends play as quirky Marooners. You’ll be dropped into intense minigames, where you can pull some shenanigans and pester each other as you compete (and even haunt each other after you die). You can grab Marooners on Xbox One. Then there’s Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, an EDF spin-off where you take down waves of deadly aliens and giant insects invading Earth. The third-person shooter includes over 300 weapons, jetpacks, and tactical armor, and thanks to backwards compatibility, you can play it on both Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Available May 16: Spring is officially here, but if you can’t make it out to the links, pick up The Gold Club 2019 midway through the month. Available on Xbox One, The Golf Club 2019 features the new PGA Tour Career Mode that lets you play on famous real-world courses and participate in PGA Tour events like the John Deere Classic. Finally, there’s Comic Jumper, our second Xbox 360/Xbox One game that follows the adventures of Captain Smiley, a failed comic book character who jumps into other comics to explore why they’re so popular. Gameplay involves defeating enemies and platforming as Captain Smiley makes his way through various genres, his design and weaponry changing throughout to match each comic’s aesthetic.

Xbox Live Games with Gold for May 2019

Xbox Live Games with Gold for April 2019

Last chance to grab The Technomancer and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 from last month’s batch of games! You’ll have another two weeks to download Outcast: Second Contact if you want it.

Not an Xbox Live Gold member? Get a one-month subscription for only $1 »

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/may-2019-games-with-gold-announced-xbox-one-xbox-3/1100-6466534/

Pokemon Go: Shiny Diglett, Groudon, And More Earth Day Rewards Now Live

For the second year running, Pokemon Go developer Niantic teamed up with Playmob to host a series of Earth Day cleanup events during the month of April. The initiative turned out to be a big success; according to Niantic, more than 14,800 people participated in these events, and as thanks, the developer has rolled out a batch of exciting rewards for a limited time in the Pokemon mobile game.

From now until May 2, Ground-type Pokemon such as Diglett, Sandshrew, and others will appear in the wild more frequently than normal. On top of that, players will have a chance of finding a Shiny Diglett, marking the first time it has been available in the mobile game.

Rounding out the Earth Day rewards, players will receive two times the normal amount of Candy and Stardust each time they capture Pokemon. Finally, the Legendary Ground Pokemon Groudon will also appear as a Raid boss again until May 2. You can see the full list of rewards on Niantic’s website.

In addition to the Earth Day rewards, Niantic recently announced that a new set of Field Research tasks are coming soon to Pokemon Go. The tasks will go live beginning May 1 and will be available through the end of June. Moreover, each time you achieve a Research Breakthrough during that time frame, you’ll encounter one of the following Legendary Pokemon: Ho-Oh, Lugia, Latios, or Latias.

Shiny Meltan has also returned to Pokemon Go for a limited time. Meanwhile, the game’s next Community Day event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 19. The featured Pokemon this month will be the Gen 3 starter, Torchic, and players will be able to earn triple the normal amount of Stardust for catching Pokemon.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-shiny-diglett-groudon-and-more-earth-da/1100-6466536/

Fortnite Teasing New Shadow Bomb Item

Season 9 of Fortnite is quickly approaching, but Epic Games still has at least one more update in store for the hit battle royale title before Season 8 officially wraps up. The developer hasn’t yet announced when the update will go live, but we’ve now gotten an early look at a new item it’ll presumably introduce.

Fortnite’s in-game News feed has begun advertising a new item called the Shadow Bomb. The grenade is listed in the feed as “coming soon,” suggesting it’ll presumably arrive as part of this week’s update, as Epic likes to tease new weapons and items ahead of its weekly patches. Little info about the item was revealed, but the accompany description reads, “Stealth and utility make for a surprise.”

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Epic has been adding new weapons and items to Fortnite on a near-weekly basis, although last week’s 8.50 update didn’t introduce anything to the game’s arsenal. Instead, that patch marked the start of Fortnite’s Avengers: Endgame crossover event, which encompasses a new Endgame limited-time mode with its own assortment of challenges to complete and Avengers-inspired rewards to unlock.

The Endgame LTM divides players up into two teams: those aligned with Thanos and the Chitauri, and the heroes who must stop them. Players on Team Thanos will need to score the island for the Infinity Stones to power up the Mad Titan, while the heroes will need to follow treasure maps to find the Avengers’ iconic weapons, including Thor’s hammer and Captain America’s shield. The event will run through the end of Season 8.

With Season 9 just around the corner, some unusual events have begun unfolding in Fortnite. Recently, players have discovered a series of mysterious runes around the game’s map, which have been slotting into an alien vault beneath Loot Lake. After the fourth rune was inserted this past weekend, however, plumes of smoke began emerging from the volcano, suggesting an eruption may be imminent.

What this means remains anyone’s guess at this point, but with Season 9 only a few days away, we likely won’t need to wait too long to find out. In the meantime, you can still complete any remaining Season 8 challenges and unlock the last few Battle Pass rewards. If you need help doing that, we’ve put together tips and guides in our complete Season 8 challenges roundup.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-teasing-new-shadow-bomb-item/1100-6466525/

Thousands Of PC Games Marked Down In Steam’s Huge Golden Week Sale

As Golden Week kicks off in Japan, marking a week-long vacation for many Japanese workers, the rest of us can enjoy a huge wave of deals that celebrate the long history of iconic Japanese-made games. If you’re a PlayStation owner, be sure to hit up PSN’s Golden Week sale, which has more than 500 PS4, PS3, PS Vita, and PSP games and DLC discounted until May 7. While Microsoft hasn’t posted a Golden Week sale, PC gamers are in luck, as Steam just launched its own sale on thousands of PC games and DLC, which ends May 6 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET.

A ton of classic Japanese-developed series are represented in Steam’s Golden Week sale, from Dark Souls and Devil May Cry to Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and Resident Evil. Some great games are discounted, including Resident Evil 2 for $39.59, Nier: Automata for $30, Nioh: Complete Edition for $25, and Dark Souls III‘s Deluxe Edition for just over $21. Quite a few fighting games are discounted–Dragon Ball FighterZ is down to just $15, Jump Force is available for $36, and Street Fighter V is only $8.

Other notable deals include Ni no Kuni II for $20.39, The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories for $19.79, Final Fantasy XV for $15, and Monster Hunter: World for $39.59.

SHOP STEAM’S GOLDEN WEEK PC GAME DEALS »

There are literally thousands of discounted games to browse through, so check out some of our picks below.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/thousands-of-pc-games-marked-down-in-steams-huge-g/1100-6466529/

Fortnite Rune Appears To Activate Volcano Ahead Of Season 9

Fortnite is appearing to continue teasing the arrival of Season 9, with a few new world events that may be connected. First, the fourth in a series of mysterious runes has slotted into place in the vault underneath Loot Lake. Shortly after, the island’s volcano has started to emit plumes of smoke, suggesting an eruption may be imminent.

Users on the Fortnite subreddit have captured both in action. The fourth rune is the latest to slot into place as they’ve been approaching one-by-one over the last several days. The volcanic smoke was confused as a “tornado” but appears to be heralding something destructive.

All of this appears to be laying the groundwork for the next big world event, which will accompany the seasonal changeover. The next season should be coming within a few weeks, so now is the time to start teasing the event. Fortnite tends to accompany its season changes with world events that disrupt the map and add new gameplay elements. A volcanic eruption would certainly fit the bill, but the game has been known to throw a curveball and have events trigger something unexpected.

Meanwhile, a limited-time mode has been added to celebrate the release of Avengers: Endgame, the latest MCU blockbuster. You can equip the Infinity Gauntlet and several pieces of iconic Avengers gear, and complete challenges that will grant you special themed rewards. The mode won’t last forever, though, so if you want to try it out or earn some of those snazzy rewards, you should get right on it.

Fortnite has become known for offering frequent updates, both with special LTMs like the Avengers event and with large-scale seasonal changeovers. Epic Games has reportedly adopted a crunch culture to rapidly iterate on the massive game, which means that all these events comes at a cost.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-rune-appears-to-activate-volcano-ahead-of/1100-6466532/

New Black Ops 4 Trailer Details New Specialist And Huge Blackout Changes

Treyarch has released a new Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 trailer for the game’s upcoming content drop, titled Operation Spectre Rising. The new Operation introduces a brand-new Specialist, as well as new features in Black Ops 4’s different multiplayer modes.

The new Specialist is called Spectre. Armed with a sharp katana, Spectre is able to approach groups of enemies and quickly leap between them to deliver devastating slashes. They can also see the outlines of enemies through their smoke grenades, allowing them to get the drop on targets. Spectre will also be added to Blackout as a new skin for your character.

Three new maps drop in Operation Spectre Rising as well. Artifact is a collection of narrow paths that weave between a collection of rocks and cliffs. You can stay hidden down below, but have the chance of running into an enemy hiding behind a corner, or take the high ground at the cost of exposing yourself. Masquerade is a new metropolitan map that intermixes back alleys with large open spaces that are populated by festival decorations you can use as cover. Finally, WMD comes to Black Ops 4 in the new Operation as well, which is a remaster of the map of the same name from the original Black Ops.

The Blackout map receives a huge update in Operation Spectre Rising. Much like how Fortnite‘s map transforms over time, the original map in Call of Duty’s battle royale mode is undergoing a change, nicknamed Wetworks. The dam that marked the top of Blackout will be destroyed, allowing all the water behind it to flood into the rest of the map. This sees all of the shipping containers at shipyard get washed out to sea, and for many of the areas at lower elevations to become flooded. This provides greater utility to boats and helicopters in Blackout, as many pathways on the map can now only be traversed by going through or over water.

Operation Spectre Rising also adds new characters to play as in Blackout battle royale, new game modes (Bounty Hunter, Prop Hunt, and Zombie Gauntlets), and new weapons (Ballistic Knife, Tigershark LMG, Nifo’oti Club), outfits, and weapon charms and camos. The Operation goes live on April 30 on PS4, and follows on Xbox One and PC at a later date.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-black-ops-4-trailer-details-new-specialist-and/1100-6466531/

Pokemon Go: Last Chance To Catch Origin Forme Giratina

Time is running out to catch Giratina in Pokemon Go. Niantic brought the Legendary Pokemon back to Raid Battles earlier this month, this time in its Origin Forme, but it’s slated to leave the mobile game once again today, April 29, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET, making this your last opportunity to capture one for the foreseeable future.

Unlike Giratina’s standard Altered Form–the form it took when it first appeared in Pokemon Go during last year’s Halloween event–its Origin Forme is more serpentine in appearance and has offense-oriented stats. In Pokemon lore, this is the form Giratina assumes in the Distortion World–a parallel universe the Pokemon was banished to.

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To catch Origin Forme Giratina, you’ll first need to travel to a Gym where a Giratina Raid is taking place and team up with other players in the real world to battle it. If you manage to successfully defeat the Renegade Pokemon, you’ll be rewarded with a handful of Premier Balls and an opportunity to capture it.

Like its Altered Forme, Origin Forme Giratina is a dual Dragon/Ghost Pokemon, which makes it vulnerable to its own types. Your best bet is to bring along Pokemon like Salamence, Rayquaza, and Gengar, or Dark-types such as Tyranitar and Houndoom. You can read more tips on how to catch Giratina here.

There’s no telling yet what Legendary Pokemon will replace Origin Forme Giratina, but a couple of new ones will be available through May and June’s Field Research quests. If you achieve a Research Breakthrough during those two months, you’ll have a chance to encounter Ho-Oh, Lugia, Latios, or Latias. On top of that, Shiny Meltan is appearing in Pokemon Go again right now, but it’ll only be available until May 5.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-last-chance-to-catch-origin-forme-girat/1100-6466526/

Mad Box Console Drops Trademark Application, Likely Seeking New Name

It appears that the “Mad Box” console from Project CARS developer Slightly Mad is going to need to find a different name. Following a trademark dispute, the studio has withdrawn the application.

PC Games Insider reports that on January 3, 2019, the studio filed a trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), but a French casual games company called “Madbox” filed opposition to the trademark on March 25. It cited “likelihood of confusion on the part of the public,” and Slightly Mad subsequently withdrew its application on April 5.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Mad Box is dead, but it will likely need to find a new name and start the trademark registration process anew. It could also have an impact on the slogan contest announced by studio head Ian Bell, who promised $10,000 and free games for life to the winner. Any entries that used the prior name will likely need to be resubmitted if the name changes.

Earlier this year, Bell showed off some potential designs for the console. We still know very little about the Mad Box–or whatever it’s destined to be called now–other than Bell’s word that it will be the “most powerful console ever built.” That boast comes with some big promises like 120 FPS in virtual reality, and a price point in the realm of current consoles. He has conceded that it’s still in development, though, and likely three years away from coming to market. By then it could face competition from the next generation of consoles–especially as Sony is already outlining its next-generation plans.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mad-box-console-drops-trademark-application-likely/1100-6466528/

Top 10 UK Games Chart: Days Gone Is 2019’s Biggest Launch

Days Gone is the UK’s biggest launch of the year so far, according to sales monitor Chart-Track. Sony’s PS4 exclusive has received a mixed response from critics, but that hasn’t stopped it outselling fellow new entry Mortal Kombat 11, which debuts at No.2.

The rest of the top 10 paints a familiar picture for the week ending April 27. FIFA 19 is at No.3, while Red Dead Redemption 2 continues its strong chart performance at No.4. The Division 2 slips two places to No.5, and last week’s No.1, World War Z, drops to No.10 this week.

But this week’s No.1 received a 5/10 in our Days Gone review. “I did a lot of things in Days Gone,” wrote Kallie Plagge. “I burned every single Freaker nest; I cleared every ambush camp; I maxed out my bike; I took out a few optional hordes just because. Like Deacon with Sarah, I kept going because I hoped to find something, to follow a thread to a possibly fascinating or satisfying or impactful conclusion. But at the end of it all, I’d only gotten scraps.”

Our Mortal Kombat 11 review-in-progress, meanwhile, awards the fighting game an 8/10. Edmond Tran wrote: “MK11 isn’t just a sequel for series fans and Netherrealm devotees, it’s a gateway into the realm of fighting games for anyone who has a passing interest in watching ruthless warriors beat each other silly. Streamlined mechanics keep the act of fighting furiously exciting no matter what your skill level, and comprehensive tutorials encourage you to dig into the nitty-gritty. There’s a diverse roster of interesting characters and playstyles, and the story mode is an entertaining romp. The unfulfilling approaches to the game’s dynamic single-player content and progression may feel like they’ve totally whiffed (at least at this early stage), but Mortal Kombat 11 hits where it matters.”

You can read the full top 10 sales chart for this week below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.

  1. Days Gone
  2. Mortal Kombat 11
  3. FIFA 19
  4. Red Dead Redemption 2
  5. The Division 2
  6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
  7. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
  8. Forza Horizon 4
  9. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
  10. World War Z

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/top-10-uk-games-chart-days-gone-is-2019s-biggest-l/1100-6466523/