Pokemon Go Supereffective Week Event Begins Today, Features New Shiny Pokemon

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Pokemon Go‘s November Community Day has come and gone, but Niantic still has a few events lined up for the hit Pokemon mobile game this month. That begins with Supereffective Week, which kicks off today, November 19, and introduces a new Shiny Pokemon to catch.

From now until November 26, you’ll be able to find Pokemon that are effective against Team Rocket and other trainers more often in the wild, as well as in Raid Battles and through Field Research tasks. On top of that, you’ll receive twice the normal amount of Stardust from trainer battles, and PokeStops will distribute more Potions and Revives than usual. Finally, you’ll have your first chance to encounter Shiny Tentacool in the wild.

Following Supereffective Week, a new Legendary Pokemon, Terrakion, will make its debut in Pokemon Go. The second member of the Swords of Justice trio is set to appear in five-star Raid Battles beginning November 26, replacing the current Legendary, Cobalion. Terrakion will be available in Raids until December 17.

Before November comes to an end, Niantic is also holding Pokemon Go’s first-ever Friend Fest. That event runs from November 27 to December 2, and during that time, “family-themed Pokemon” such as Nidoran and their evolutions will appear more often in the wild. On top of that, trading Pokemon with friends will require half the usual amount of Stardust, and you’ll be able to make two special trades per day. You can read more details about this month’s Pokemon Go events on the game’s official website.

In other Pokemon news, the series’ latest mainline games, Pokemon Sword and Shield, launched on Nintendo Switch last week, and to celebrate their release, Galarian Weezing recently made its debut in Pokemon Go. The Galarian Pokemon appeared for a special Raid Hour immediately following November’s Community Day, and while that event has ended, it can still periodically be found in four-star Raids. Additionally, Niantic has added new avatar items based on the default trainer outfits from Sword and Shield to the Style Shop.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-supereffective-week-event-begins-today-/1100-6471560/

Shenmue 3 Actually Exists, Is Out Now

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Shenmue 3 has finally arrived, putting an end to an almost 20 year Shenmue dry spell. The series debuted on the Dreamcast and the most recent game was released in 2001. It was always planned as a larger narrative, but fans of the series have been waiting a long time to see it return.

The story follows Ryo Hazuki, and a recent launch trailer showed some nostalgic elements as well as continuing story hooks like the antagonist Lan Di. The first two games weren’t commercial successes, but the franchise has remained a cult favorite for its portrayal of daily life in Japan and a grounded story.

Even aside from the long wait for a sequel, Shenmue 3 itself has been a long time coming. The Kickstarter opened on June 15, 2015, and quickly broke Kickstarter records–with an assist from Sony’s E3 press conference. Original director Keiji Okayasu returned to direct the revival project. It’s available on both PS4 and PC, though its Epic Games Store exclusivity on PC has been the cause of some controversy.

Reviews of the game are sparse so far, with only user reviews available on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Still, the Kickstarter success suggests the fan demand is high, so success here could warrant further sequels and deliver on the series’ goal of being a multi-part epic. If you need to catch up, a remaster of Shenmue 1 & 2 were released last year.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shenmue-3-actually-exists-is-out-now/1100-6471557/

Uncharted Director Amy Hennig Is Forming A New Game Studio

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Amy Hennig, the director and writer of Uncharted 1, 2, and 3, as well as Jak 3, Battlefield: Hardline, and Visceral’s cancelled Star Wars game, is launching a new games studio. Hennig has joined Skydance Media, the company that produced such films as Mission Impossible Fallout, Gemini Man, Annihilation, and Terminator: Dark Fate. She will oversee the company’s new game development label, working alongside her former Electronic Arts co-worker Julian Beak. This news comes via a report from VentureBeat, and Skydance has since issued a press release welcoming Hennig and Beak on board.

In a statement to VentureBeat, company CEO David Ellison says that the pair have been hired because “the interactive media landscape is continually changing and Amy and Julian are creative and visionary leaders of this evolution.” Hennig, whose first credit is 1989’s ElectroCop, says that her studio will make games aimed at both traditional gamers and “non-gamers,” and will work on “story-focused experiences” for “both traditional and emerging streaming platforms.” Hennig left EA after the closure of Visceral, the studio behind the Dead Space series, and the cancellation of the Star Wars game she was working on. At Skydance Media, she says, she met “kindred spirits” who believed in her work.

Hennig says that, while they haven’t settled on exactly what they will work on first, she will take on an “interactive showrunner” role, while Beak will serve as an executive producer on their titles. Her aim is to work as “a storyteller” with her games. She believes that the studio will remain “small and focused” under her supervision, working on smaller titles.

Skydance Media has some involvement in games already, and are working on The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, as well as their previous VR title Archangel. The company courted controversy earlier this year after hiring disgraced former Disney/Pixar animation chief John Lasseter, who left the company after allegations of sexual harassment arose. Lasseter’s hiring eventually led to Emma Thompson exiting a movie produced by the company.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-director-amy-hennig-is-forming-a-new-gam/1100-6471554/

PlayStation 5 Controller Patents Show Off Next Gen Design Changes

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The PlayStation 5 is coming, with the next-generation Sony console currently being planned for a Holiday 2020 release. This means that the system is still at least a year away, but we’re starting to get some idea of what the console will be like. Now a new patent for the PlayStation 5 controller has appeared on the website for the Japanese patent office, and it’s giving us a glimpse of the rough shape of the PlayStation 5 controller. At first glance it looks very much like the Dual Shock 4, but there are some big changes that have been made.

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AS VGC notes, the images in the patent point towards a few changes, such as smaller sticks, larger triggers, a USB-C charging port, and no light bar. While this is by no means the definitive final version of the PlayStation 5 controller (the infamous PlayStation 3 “boomerang” controller was abandoned before the system’s launch), odds are that many of these changes will appear on the final design. The touchpad remains in place, and the general shape appears very similar to the Dual Shock 4.

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Sony has previously discussed their new controller, revealing that haptics will replace the standard rumble, allowing for a “broader range of feedback” that will allow for a more nuanced approach to how the controller vibrates (much like the Switch’s “HD Rumble”). The L2/R2 triggers on the PS4 controller will be replaced with adaptive triggers, so developers can program for added resistance–the R2 button might be harder to press if a character is pushing something heavy, for instance, or you might feel resistance when pulling back the string on a bow. The controller is reportedly being developed to give players a stronger sense of place within their environments, and to give developers new options in the experiences they can replicate.

We also know that the PlayStation 5 will still require games to be installed from discs, and that Sony is hoping that the system will be adopted by players quickly. We’re also starting to see games announced for it, including numerous Ubisoft titles and Path of Exile 2.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-5-controller-patents-show-off-next-gen/1100-6471551/

Firewatch Dev’s Next Game, In The Valley Of Gods, May Be In Jeopardy

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Though nothing has been officially announced, something seems to be going on with In the Valley of Gods, the sophomore effort of Campo Santo. Several prominent members of the Campo Santo team have changed their Twitter bios to imply they are no longer working on the game, and In the Valley of Gods has been removed from the studio’s official website.

Twitter user Tyler McVicker noticed that In the Valley of Gods environmental artist Jane Ng, art director Claire Hummel, and designer Jake Rodkin all changed their Twitter bios on November 17, 2019. The changes can be seen in the tweet below.

The homepage of the official Campo Santo website has also been altered. Previously, the website listed In the Valley of Gods as Campo Santo’s current project. That has since been removed–Campo Sampo’s debut, Firewatch, is currently the only game listed on the website’s homepage. All that said, the official website for In the Valley of Gods still exists.

Campo Santo first announced In the Valley of Gods during The Game Awards 2017. Like Firewatch, In the Valley of Gods is a single-player, first-person adventure game. Campo Santo’s new game, however, is set in 1920s Egypt, stars an explorer turned filmmaker, and sees you accompanied by an AI-controlled partner. In April 2018, Campo Santo announced it had been acquired by Valve, transitioning In the Valley of Gods from an independent game to a Valve one. Since then, there hasn’t been news about In the Valley of Gods–though that hasn’t stopped us from pining for it.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/firewatch-devs-next-game-in-the-valley-of-gods-may/1100-6471550/

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Lightsaber Guide – How To Get More Colors (Spoilers)

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Pretty much every Star Wars game with RPG elements has allowed you to customize the color of your lightsaber’s blade–from Knights of the Old Republic to The Force Unleashed. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is no different, though you’ll have to play through a majority of the game’s campaign in order to unlock additional kyber crystals to customize your blade.

In Fallen Order, there are eight different lightsaber blade colors: blue, green, orange, purple, yellow, cyan, magenta, and indigo. That’s pretty much every color used by a Jedi. If you were hoping to make Cal’s lightsaber the same crimson red as the Imperial Inquisitors and Sith or the neutral colors of white or black, you’re out of luck. Those colors aren’t available in Fallen Order.

Spoiler warning: most of these colors are unlocked simply by completing Fallen Order’s story. If you want to know exactly how to unlock each color and you don’t mind being spoiled, however, then keep reading.

The two easiest colors to unlock are the ones you start out with: blue and green. You don’t have to do anything but boot up the game to unlock these colors. The default color of Cal’s lightsaber is blue–if you prefer green, just walk up to a workbench and adjust the color. These workbenches are scattered throughout the planets that you’ll discover and explore in Fallen Order. Many have BD-1 and lightsaber upgrades on them–three of them allow you to upgrade your single-bladed lightsaber into a double-bladed one. For easy access, there’s a workbench in The Mantis, which you’ll unlock as a hub area as soon as you complete Fallen Order’s tutorial level on Bracca.

The orange kyber crystal is also a color you can start out with, but only if you pre-ordered Fallen Order. If you pre-ordered a physical copy of the game, then you should have a code to unlock the orange blade. Digital versions of Fallen Order should just include the orange kyber crystal from the start. If you didn’t pre-order Fallen Order, then, unfortunately, you’re out of luck. Maybe Respawn or EA will add the orange saber as post-launch DLC but, if not, then this saber color is no longer available for you to unlock.

You unlock all the remaining colors at the same time. Here’s where the article goes into story spoilers. This is your last chance to turn back if you don’t want to be spoiled.

After unlocking the Jedi Flip ability on your second trip to Kashyyyk–the one where you’ll face off against Ninth Sister–you’ll be able to make it past the far jump on Dathomir; it’s the one just past the robed figure who warns you that you shouldn’t keep exploring the planet. Making it past the jump pushes Dathomir’s story forward, allowing you to learn more about the last surviving Nightsister, Mirren, the mysterious robed figure, Taron Malicos, and the bat-like guardian of the planet, Gorgara. Kill Gorgara and reach the temple on Dathomir–Cal will experience a vision that ultimately causes him, in a PTSD panic, to destroy his lightsaber. Upon your return to The Mantis, Cere will impart some wisdom and then send you to Ilos to find a new kyber crystal and rebuild your lightsaber–one that utilizes the parts of Cal’s existing saber and Cere’s old lightsaber.

At the end of the mission on Ilos, Cal will discover a kyber crystal that can be molded to be blue, green, purple, yellow, cyan, magenta, or indigo. Don’t worry, once you’ve made your pick, you’ll still unlock all the remaining colors in the customization menu whenever you go to a workbench. This pick is purely for the cinematic spectacle of the next cutscene. Upon selecting your desired color, Cal will create a new and improved lightsaber–a double-bladed variant with a hilt that can be split, giving him the option of wielding two lightsabers at once. You’ll need it for the fight ahead.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-lightsaber-guide-how-t/1100-6471552/

Street Fighter’s Chun-Li Has Joined The Power Rangers In Their Mobile Fighting Game

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Chun-Li, a mainstay of the Street Fighter series, has joined the Power Rangers. She’s not part of the TV series, or included in the upcoming movie sequel that has been rumored, though–instead she’s joined the mobile game Power Rangers: Legacy Wars to battle against the villain M. Bison. You can see her in her Power Rangers garb, and see how her moves translate to the game, in the video below.

The video description sums up the plot for this new Chun-Li episode within the game: “As Chun-Li’s allies fended off M. Bison’s army of Evil Rangers, she faced him one on one. With her courage, determination, and teamwork, she was able to retrieve the Phoenix Power Coin and save her newfound friends.”

The mobile fighting game developed by nWay pits characters from the TV show against each other, and this is not the first time it has crossed over with Street Fighter. The Street Fighter Showdown event introduced Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, Akuma, M. Bison and Cammy to the game in 2018, but they didn’t get the full Power Rangers suit treatment as Chun-Li has now. Her moveset has been faithfully carried across from the Street Fighter series (which continues to grow with the recent announcement of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition.)

Power Rangers: Legacy Wars is an online tag-team fighting game based on the massively popular franchise. It features series antagonist Rita Repulsa as a major villain, and is free-to-play. As of March 2019, it had been downloaded over 50 million times.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/street-fighters-chun-li-has-joined-the-power-range/1100-6471548/

Half-Life: Alyx – Everything We Know About The VR Half-Life Game

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Half-Life: Alyx was officially announced on November 18 as Valve’s “flagship VR game,” with the promise of more information on Thursday, November 21 at 10 AM PT.

The news comes just a few days after Half-Life 2‘s 15th birthday and 12 whole years after the last real Half-Life game in Half-Life 2: Episode Two. The series has since been long dormant, its iconic cliffhanger ending fueling over a decade’s worth of Half-Life 3 rumors, jokes, mods, and more. In 2017, retired Valve designer and former lead writer of the Half-Life series Marc Laidlaw published details on what would have allegedly been the plot of Half-Life 2: Episode Three. Countless user-created mods and even a fan-made remaster called Black Mesa have filled the void for Half-Life fans over the years, but no Half-Life 3.

But now, new rumors and the subsequent announcement from Valve has finally brought Half-Life back into the spotlight. Details are still scarce, but here’s everything we know about Half-Life: Alyx so far.

Is The Half-Life VR Game Real?

Yes, Half-Life: Alyx was officially announced by Valve.

There have been a lot of rumors, jokes, and memes around the idea of a new Half-Life game over the last decade, but this one’s coming from Valve itself. It isn’t Half-Life 3, but it’s still new Half-Life.

When Will We Know More About Half-Life: Alyx?

The full reveal of Half-Life: Alyx will happen later this week: Thursday, November 21 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Check back here for updates once we know more.

Where Did These Latest Rumors Start?

The most recent rumors, which eventually culminated in Valve’s official announcement of Half-Life: Alyx, started because of an alleged interview transcript between Geoff Keighley (supposedly) and Valve representatives. The now-deleted transcript suggested a December reveal at The Game Awards and a March 2020 release window. While Half-Life: Alyx is real, the rest of the information has not been confirmed by Valve.

Valve’s History With VR

Half-Life: Alyx isn’t the first time rumors or even official information from Valve on a Half-Life VR game have circulated. In March 2015, Valve programmer Jeep Barnett told Kotaku that Valve was not saying “no” to the possibility of Half-Life in VR.

“…we don’t know what the right thing is [yet],” Barnett told Kotaku. “Our most precious resource is time, and we don’t have enough time for people to do everything. Would we like to make all of our franchises in VR? Absolutely. But we don’t have enough time or people. So we have to figure out what’s the best fit, what plays to the strengths of VR.”

This was the same year Valve unveiled its Portal VR demo, which shipped with its first Vive dev kits that same year. In 2016, Valve released the HTC Vive to the public.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-alyx-everything-we-know-about-the-vr-hal/1100-6471549/

Dragon Quest Builders 2 Is Coming To PC This Year, And There Are Preorder Bonuses

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Dragon Quest Builders 2 is coming to PC on December 10, bringing the popular Dragon Quest spin-off to PC for the first time. The game, which mixes Minecraft-style building and crafting with a JRPG structure, is available now to pre-purchase on Steam, and carries a price tag of $59.99 / £49.99 / AUD$89.95.

Preordering the game will nab you several bonuses, which will be available in-game once it releases:

  • Medicinal Herb Decoration: a recipe for a decorative Medicinal Herb
  • Dragon Quest Logo Decoration: a recipe for the famous DRAGON QUEST logo.
  • Chimaera Wing Decoration: a recipe for an ornamental Chimaera Wing
  • Sigil Blocks: five recipes for blocks which have either a Sun, Moon, Star, Water drop or Heart symbol
  • Lo-Res Luminary Recipes: a set of recipes for building the Scions of Erdrick
  • Legendary Line Art Recipe: a recipe for a painting of the Scions of Erdrick

All content made available to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch owners who purchased the Season Pass will also be available for PC users at no additional charge. This includes:

  • Designer’s Sunglasses
  • Hotto Stuff Pack: includes over 40 new recipes to design structures in the style the Hotto Steppe resting area and access to an all-new island with new materials.
  • Aquarium Pack: Unlock the fishing rod, plus access to a fishing island where you can catch 40 different fish.
  • Modernist Pack: Includes over 70 recipes for modern-looking structures, hairstyles and clothing.

The PC version will also likely feature the epilogue that was added to console iterations of the game post-launch. If you want to test the game out and have one of the consoles it’s available on, there’s a jumbo demo available that lets you play through the first few hours on both PS4 and Switch. We gave Dragon Quest Builders 2 an 8/10 in our review, and critic Heidi Kemps stated that “Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a great game, combining exploration, sandbox-building, questing, and town-management into a delightful package that will gladly suck up your time and put a big smile on your face.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-quest-builders-2-is-coming-to-pc-this-year-/1100-6471543/

Black Friday 2019 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare Deals

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This year, Black Friday 2019 is stacked with deals on pretty much every video game released in 2019, including some of the best that have released in the last month. That includes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the latest entry in the popular first-person shooter series, which sees quite a few discounts from different retailers.

The best deal for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare comes from Walmart, which has the game for $38. Walmart kicks off its online sale for Black Friday on November 27 at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET. The deals will also be made available in stores starting at 6 PM local time on November 28.

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | $38 ($60)

Modern Warfare received a score of 7/10 in our Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare review. GameSpot’s Kallie Plagge was disappointed by its lackluster Spec Ops mode but still enjoyed Modern Warfare’s exciting campaign and new multiplayer modes, including the 2v2 Gunfight mode.

“The pitfalls of Spec Ops don’t detract from what Modern Warfare does well, though,” she wrote. “Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts. And while the campaign ends up playing it safe in the end, it’s still a memorable one, and it lays a strong foundation for where the Modern Warfare series could go from here.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/black-friday-2019-call-of-duty-modern-warfare-deal/1100-6471539/