While series fans are eagerly anticipating Borderlands 3, those interested in playing some of the existing games will soon be treated to a better-looking experience. As part of its PAX East panel, which was unfortunately plagued with technical issues, Gearbox revealed that it’s releasing improved texture packs for both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and expanding Borderlands 2 VR.

Specifically, these ultra HD texture packs are coming to Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel on PC, and the Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (which consists of the two games) for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. You can see the improvements in the trailer and screenshots below.

There are some differences between how the texture packs work on consoles versus on PC. Console players get 4K and HDR support, along with remastered environment textures, characters, and vehicles, along with improved anti-aliasing and improved shadows. PC gets many of these same things, but there’s no mention of HDR, though Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) has been improved. The full lists for the respective platforms follows below.

The ultra HD texture packs will be available for free on all supported platforms; they release on April 3. PS4 Pro owners will find it as a single DLC pack for Handsome Collection, while PC and Xbox One X players can download the packs individually for Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel.

PS4’s Borderlands 2 VR is also getting an improvement, as Gearbox will update the PlayStation VR game to include all of the non-VR version’s DLC. A free update arriving this summer will add Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty, Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt, and Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep.

Alongside all of this, Gearbox’s PAX East panel brought some other exciting news. Borderlands 3 is officially real, and the studio is also re-releasing an enhanced version of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition.

PS4 Pro/Xbox One X Improvements:

• 4K Ultra HD resolution and HDR for Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro players
• Remastered 4K environment textures, including geometry and skyboxes
• Remastered 4K characters and vehicles
• Updated weapon meshes and textures
• Re-encoded 4K Cinematics
• Improved Anti-Aliasing, including improved edge line implementation
  • This includes improved ink line definition and framing/outline around character models
• Higher Resolution Dynamic Shadows
  • Improved quality and smoothness of shadows, especially during movement

PC Improvements:

• Remastered 4K environment textures, including geometry and skyboxes
• Remastered 4K characters and vehicles
• Remastered 4K weapon meshes and textures
• Improved Anti-Aliasing, including improved edge line implementation
  • This includes improved ink line definition and framing/outline around character models
• Higher Resolution Dynamic Shadows
  • Improved quality and smoothness of shadows, especially during movement
• Improved Screen Space Ambient Occlusion
  • An improved SSAO method for more realistic ambient lighting

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-borderlands-2-pre-sequel-update-brings-improv/1100-6465897/

During Gearbox’s PAX East keynote presentation, the company revealed Bulletstorm: Duke of Switch Edition, a Switch port of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition that also includes the Duke Nukem DLC. This way, you can play the game with original protagonist Grayson Hunt or the titular protagonist of the Duke Nukem franchise.

Releasing in 2011, Bulletstorm is a first-person shooter that focuses on rewarding players for killing enemies in the most creative way possible. A remaster for Xbox One, PS4, and PC, titled Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, released in April 2017, adding the option of playing as Duke Nukem–who fits in perfectly with the game’s rather crass humor. The Switch port is scheduled for Summer 2019.

In our Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition review, Scott Butterworth gave the game an 8/10, writing, “For longtime fans, Full Clip Edition doesn’t offer much to be excited about. Additions like Overkill Mode and the upgraded visuals are certainly welcome, but fundamentally, this is the same game they already played in 2011. That said, the experience absolutely holds up: the skillshot system remains wildly fun and inventive, the weapons are still a gruesome joy, and the writing…well, it’s as distinctive as ever. If you missed Bulletstorm when it originally released–and based on sales numbers, you probably did–now’s the time to treat yourself to a clever if cringe-worthy blockbuster.”

Gearbox made several other announcements during its keynote presentation. We Happy Few is getting a new DLC, titled They Came From Below, that will launch next week as a part of the game’s season pass. TinyBuild also has a new horror game coming out on May 23 called Pathologic 2.

Further details about the upcoming Borderlands game was announced as well, but there wasn’t anything new revealed (yet anyway, as the keynote is still going). Gearbox confirmed the identities of some of the characters included in the teaser trailer for the new game, including an older Tiny Tina, Hammerlock, Ellie, and Marcus.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bulletstorm-is-coming-to-switch-and-duke-nukem-wil/1100-6465895/

Google Stadia, a cloud-based platform that streams games from a remote data center to nearly any device, is designed to work on laptops, phones, tablets, PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, and TVs with Chromecast. All graphics processing is relegated to off-site hardware, so all you need is a strong internet connection. It’s a technologically impressive concept, and we were eager to be one of the first to experience it on the GDC 2019 showroom floor. Both Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and 2016’s Doom were playable at the event, and though they ran and looked great, I couldn’t help but notice one significant shortcoming.

Keep in mind, my hands-on time was at the Google stations on the GDC show floor, so your mileage may vary. There are a lot variables at play in addition to the internet connection, and these are early playable builds under unknown conditions. Display response time is another factor that we couldn’t account for during the hands-on demo, and it’s an important spec to consider, especially for a PC-like experience–these were not gaming-grade monitors at the demo stations.

Input lag was the worst offender during my time with Doom; this was readily apparent when swiping the mouse around to aim. The aiming reticule would trail behind my mouse movements ever so slightly, and for a game like Doom–a hyper-fast first-person shooter that relies on precision aiming–it can be a deal-breaker. Playing on a controller mitigated the emphasis on speed and precision and made input lag a little less of a factor, but it doesn’t negate the issue altogether. Another thing to note is that Google staff told me the Doom demo in particular was running in a low-latency mode available on Stadia itself. From a fidelity standpoint, the game ran at a consistent frame-rate using medium-high settings with adequate overall image quality; artifacting (or compression) didn’t affect the experience. However, it’s a bit disappointing that input lag could hold this back from being the ideal way to play a game as fast as Doom.

[Update: Google, for its part, insists latency wouldn’t be an issue for Stadia. This claim came from Phil Harrison, who sat down with GameSpot to discuss a range of Stadia questions, including exclusive games, pricing, and data caps. Not long after Stadia’s reveal, Apple announced its new foray into games with Apple Arcade. That service works like Xbox Game Pass and is not cloud-based, as Apple made it clear that–in an apparent nod toward Stadia concerns–its games can be played offline.]

I also got to revisit Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with Stadia and it felt very similar to Google’s early cloud-gaming beta that called Project Stream. Of course, Odyssey doesn’t have the same emphasis on speed and accuracy as Doom, so naturally the experience translated better to the cloud-based platform. When peeking at some of the settings, the demo was running at 1080p, 60 FPS, with a 20 Mbps bit rate. The game had decent visual quality with some discernible artifacting, but we were playing up-close on large TVs which isn’t a typical setup.

At launch, it’ll be capable of delivering up to 4K resolution and 60 FPS thanks to a brand-new AMD GPU rated at 10.7 TFLOPs that powers the data center hardware–remember, the Xbox One X, currently the most powerful console to date, has 6.0 TFLOPs. Stadia will come with a whole roster of features in addition to the convenience of playing games over a powerful cloud-based platform.

Google will also offer its own controller for Stadia which has integrated Google Assistant, its voice-controlled AI technology–developers will be able to incorporate this capability into their games. Additionally, Stadia will have seamless streaming to YouTube with plenty of features change how people will able to jump into multiplayer games (Crowd Play), and share specific gameplay moments for other players to jump into (State Share).

Google isn’t the only one staking a claim in cloud-based gaming, however. Microsoft’s Project xCloud, which also streams games from hardware at a data center to devices via an internet connection, will be having test runs later this year as well. For more on the game streaming landscape, be sure to read our quick rundown of all the gaming companies investing in cloud gaming and what they’re offering.

If Google can improve key aspects, namely the apparent issues with input lag, Stadia would be a serious competitor in the gaming landscape. Otherwise, there may be limitations as to which games would work best on this new platform. Regardless, the accessibility that Google will offer is unprecedented. While cloud gaming itself is not new, the combination of accessibility and convenience could help this service to establish a foothold. We’ll all be able to see for ourselves when Stadia launches sometime in 2019.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/google-stadia-hands-on-impressions-with-the-new-cl/1100-6465694/

Pokemon Sword and Shield may be on the horizon, but The Pokemon Company isn’t done giving away freebies for the series’ latest 3DS installments, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Players with a Pokemon Bank subscription can now claim two more free Pokemon in the seventh-gen games, and these are a little different from the ones you can normally catch.

For a limited time, you’ll be able to receive a free Oranguru and Passimian by signing into Pokemon Bank. What makes these particular Pokemon special is they come with their Hidden Abilities, which normally aren’t obtainable in the games. Passimian’s is Defiant, which raises its Attack any time one of its stats is lowered by the opponent, while Oranguru’s is Symbiosis, which will pass the item it’s holding to an ally in Double or Triple Battles when that Pokemon consumes its own held item.

You can claim Oranguru and Passimian in either of the Ultra games or the original Sun and Moon versions. To download them, you’ll need to insert your game of choice in the 3DS and access the Pokemon Bank app. After you see a notification that the gifts are available, you’ll need to open the game, then pick the Pokemon up from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center. It’s unclear how long this distribution will run, so you’ll want to act fast.

Pokemon Bank is a paid cloud service that allows you to easily store and move Pokemon between all of the series’ sixth- and seventh-generation 3DS Pokemon games. Subscriptions cost $5 / £4.49 per year. As an added bonus, The Pokemon Company regularly distributes free Pokemon to subscribers; last year, for instance, it gave away all three Alola starters with their Hidden Abilities. You can also store Pokemon from the 3DS Virtual Console versions of Red/Blue/Yellow and Gold/Silver/Crystal on Pokemon Bank.

Oranguru and Passimian aren’t the only freebies still available for 3DS players. You also have until September 2 to claim an assortment of rare Berries via Mystery Gift. You can see all of the freebies available for Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon in our roundup.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are the next “core” installments in the Pokemon series, and they’re slated to launch for Nintendo Switch in late 2019. The Pokemon Company hasn’t revealed many details about the games yet, but we got our first look at their new setting and starter Pokemon. You can read everything we know about Pokemon Sword and Shield so far here.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-free-pokemon-available-now-for-ultra-sun-and-m/1100-6465891/

Fortnite Season 8 seems to be whizzing by, as we’re already in Week 5. For those with hopes of unlocking everything the Battle Pass has to offer, the clock is ticking. Luckily for you, there’s a way to speed the whole process up: doing challenges. Every week developer Epic Games updates Fortnite with a fresh set of tasks for you to complete. Doing so unlocks Battle Stars which levels up your Battle Pass and makes cosmetics available.

As always, there are two categories of challenges. The first is available to everyone playing the game, while the second is exclusive to those that have spent V-Bucks on a battle pass. Below you’ll find a list of everything that you need to do in both categories.

First up is the free challenges. As part of this players will need to deal damage with scoped weapons, search chests in Paradise Palms or Shifty Shafts, and complete a lap of the race track in Happy Hamlet. If you’ve got the premium Battle Pass, you’ll need to use the Bouncy Ball toy and get 15 bounces with it.

You’ll also have to complete a three-stage challenge that begins with getting shields from Mushrooms, and once that’s done further stages will be revealed. You’ll also need to use a Volcano Vent, a zipline, and a vehicle all in the same match, and head to pirate camps to take out three enemies. Take a look at the full list of challenges below.

Fortnite Season 8, Week 5 Challenges

Free

• Deal damage with Scoped Weapons to opponents (200) — 5 Battle Stars
• Search chests at Paradise Palms or Shifty Shafts (7) — 5 Battle Stars
• Complete a lap of the Race Track in Happy Hamlet (1) — 10 Battle Stars

Battle Pass

• Get 15 bounces in a single throw with the Bouncy Ball toy (1) — 5 Battle Stars
• Stage 1 of 3: Gain shields from Mushrooms (50) — 5 Battle Star
• Use a Volcano Vent, a zipline, and a vehicle in the same match (3) — 10 Battle Stars
• Eliminate opponents at Pirate Camps — 3 Battle Stars

Deal Damage With Scoped Weapons

This one is fairly obvious: grab yourself a weapon and make sure it has a scope. Once you’ve got one of those you’ll need to land 200 points of damage on opponents, and in return you’ll be rewarded with five Battle Stars. Fortnite has scoped sniper rifles, assault rifles, and a scoped revolver. For our money, we recommend looking for an assault rifle, as it’s the most common and also much easier to land shots with.

Search Chests At Paradise Pals or Shifty Shafts

Again, another fairly obvious one. Drop into one of those two locations and, to speed things up, look for an elevated position. From there you should be able to spot nearby treasure chests that you can search. However, be careful as both these areas will likely be crawling with other players also looking to complete the challenge. If you’re able to get there with a scoped rifle and are feeling confident, you could engage enemies and kill two birds with one stone.

Complete A Lap Of The Race Track In Happy Hamlet

This is a nice, easy breezy challenge that lets you have a bit of fun. Happy Hamlet is located at grid reference D9 on the Fortnite map. Drop there, hop into a vehicle, and do a quick lap. Done!

Get 15 Bounces With Bouncy Ball Toy

If you head to your emote locker you’ll be able to select the bouncy ball and throw it for a good time. The easiest way to complete this challenge is to grab the resources necessary to build a high ramp, build up, and once you’re relatively high in the sky, just throw down the bouncy ball and let physics take care of all the hard work for you. Alternatively, just build a 1×1 structure around yourself and throw the ball–even easier.

Gain Shields From Mushrooms

Mushrooms are consumable items in Fortnite that you’re most likely to encounter in the dense forest areas of the map. We recommend heading to Wailing Woods, Dusty Divot, and Shifty Shafts to find them. However, given that they’re relatively prevalent throughout the map, it’s probably easier to just get on with the other challenges and keep your eyes peeled for them as you’re out on your adventures.

Epic Games also recently released update 8.20 for Fortnite. It introduces a new limited-time mode that tasks players with avoiding lava that is constantly rising. There’s also a new trap weapon and a number of other tweaks to the way the game plays. Check out the full Fortnite 8.20 patch notes to see everything included in it.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fortnite-challenge-list-bouncy-ball-mushroom-shiel/1100-6465893/