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Xbox’s Phil Spencer Will Play Destiny 2 With Bungie This Week, Here’s How You Can Join Him

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As the leader of Xbox, Phil Spencer is a very busy man, but he still finds time to play games. One of his favorites is the Destiny franchise. Back in 2017, he said he had spent more than 700 hours playing the sci-fi shooter. Now, Bungie has announced a special Destiny livestream event featuring none other than Spencer.

On Tuesday, September 10, Spencer will play Destiny 2 alongside Bungie CEO Pete Parsons during a multi-hour livestream from 3 PM to 5 PM PT. Parsons and Spencer will team up to play the Destiny 2 Heroic Strike playlist. That means they’ll be in public matchmaking, so you’ll have a chance to be their third squad member.

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Those who do matchmake with Spencer and Parsons have the chance to win a special emblem related to the event. You can see all the important information about the event down the page.

Bungie Bounty—Strike Team Edition

  • Destiny 2 on Xbox Live
  • Heroic Strike Playlist
  • Tuesday, September 10 3–5 PM PDT
  • Gamertags:
    • Phil Spencer — P3
    • Pete Parsons — Mango

Destiny 2’s next expansion, Shadowkeep, launches on October 1 for PC, as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Recently, Bungie announced plans to introduce a Fortnite-style battle pass in Destiny 2 timed with the release of Shadowkeep.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xboxs-phil-spencer-will-play-destiny-2-with-bungie/1100-6469731/

Pokemon Go: Deoxys Raids, New Shiny Pokemon, And More Ultra Bonuses Now Live

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Niantic’s second wave of Ultra Bonuses has arrived in Pokemon Go. For the next several days, players around the world will have a chance to hatch region-exclusive Pokemon from eggs. That’s not all; the Mythical Pokemon Deoxys, which has up until now appeared exclusively in EX Raids, will be available in standard Raid Battles for a limited time.

From September 9-16, all four forms of Deoxys will appear as bosses in five-star Raids, making this your first opportunity to capture them outside of the invite-only EX Raids. On top of that, Farfetch’d, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros may hatch from 7 km eggs, and if you’re very lucky, you may hatch their Shiny forms.

If you need help challenging Deoxys in battle, Pokemon that are effective against it, such as Absol, Tyranitar, Houndoom, and more, will also appear as Raid bosses throughout the week, giving you a chance to build a powerful team before taking Deoxys on. You can see the full list of this week’s Ultra Bonus rewards below.

Niantic still has one more wave of Ultra Bonuses on the way, and it is saving perhaps the most exciting batch for last. Beginning September 16, the first Gen 5 Pokemon will appear in Pokemon Go. Among other Pokemon, players will have a chance to encounter Klink and its Shiny form in Raid Battles, while Shiny versions of Patrat and Lillipup will appear in the wild. Mewtwo will return to Raids as well, and this time, you’ll have a chance of encountering its Shiny form.

Before the third set of Ultra Bonuses arrive, Niantic will host a Pokemon Go Community Day. This month’s event takes place this Sunday, September 15, and the featured Pokemon is Turtwig, the Grass-type starter from Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. You can catch up on other recent Pokemon Go news below.

Pokemon Go Ultra Bonuses

September 9-16

  • Farfetch’d, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Tauros may hatch from 7 km eggs. You may also hatch their Shiny forms
  • All four forms of Deoxys will appear in five-star Raid Battles
  • Pokemon effective against Deoxys will appear in other tier Raids

September 16-23

  • Klink and Shiny Klink will appear in Raid Battles
  • Shiny Patrat and Shiny Lillipup will appear in the wild
  • Mewtwo that know Psystrike will appear in five-star Raids, as will Shiny Mewtwo

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-deoxys-raids-new-shiny-pokemon-and-more/1100-6469724/

Shenmue 3 Refunds Are Limited-Time Only

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Things have been rocky for the long-in-development Shenmue III, and developer Ys Net revealing the action-adventure game’s Epic Games Store exclusivity has not sit well with Kickstarter backers expecting Steam keys. While Epic CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed that refunds will happen, the process seems confusing and only lasts for a limited time.

Ys Net published an update on Shenmue III’s Kickstarter page, revealing the steps necessary for backers to receive an alternative package or a total refund. Sometime in mid-September–Ys Net did not specify when–backers will get emails from video game collectible site Fangamer notifying them of their current selected version of Shenmue III. These emails will contain surveys for those who want to amend the version they’ve chosen. The survey period only lasts two weeks from the time backers receive the Fangamer email.

From then things get a little messy. Ys Net explains that refunds “may take up to 20 business days to 3 months from the time the refund request is made until the refund transaction is completed.” This means backers could be waiting anywhere from 3-4 months for refunds to process and finalize.

Ys Net apologized for the complications backers have to go through to process refunds saying the length of Shenmue III’s development, plus the complexities of transactions and payment arrangements, may impact the “processing times [for] individual transaction circumstances.” Further, altering in-game rewards is “difficult at this stage of development,” Ys Net said.

Ys Net is planning a trial version for Shenmue III, though It’s unclear if the trial is exclusive to PC. It will release in the second half of September–Ys Net did not specify a date as of yet–and is playable for one hour. Ys Net said the trial will feature a stand-alone act within the game’s first area and there are “lots of activities to experience” in that hour of game time. Saves will not carry over to the final versions when Shenmue III launches on November 19 for PC and PlayStation 4.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shenmue-3-refunds-are-limited-time-only/1100-6469727/

How Long To Complete Borderlands 3? — Depends On Which Side Missions You Do

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Borderlands 3 launches for Xbox One, PS4, and the Epic Games Store on September 13, followed by releases for Google Stadia in late 2019 and other PC storefronts in 2020. For long-time fans who are looking for an adventure, don’t worry, Borderlands 3 offers a lot of content to do.

The fourth mainline installment in the loot shooter franchise acts as a sort of conclusion to the series, completing the narrative arc first put forth in 2009’s Borderlands. That first game took just over 20 hours to beat, and its follow-ups Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel took about 30 and 17 hours respectively. Borderlands 3 takes a little over 30 hours to complete, putting it at about the same length as Borderlands 2. I finished my first playthrough in 33 hours.

On my first playthrough, I typically only stopped to complete side quests when I needed to level up more–as Borderlands 3’s campaign missions are fairly punishing to tackle when you’re below their recommended level. Upon finishing the campaign, I still had about 10 unfinished side quests in my mission log, and another dozen left undiscovered–marked with exclamation points on my map for me to go to and acquire.

It’s difficult to discern just how much more time those side quests would add to the total runtime, as some of Borderlands 3’s optional missions can be completed in as quickly as a few seconds while others can last upwards of 45 minutes. Some have multiple parts too, taking place across the universe on more than one planet. Finishing the campaign also unlocks a few pieces of endgame content, as well as Borderlands 3’s new game plus, True Vault Hunter Mode. So it will take a lot longer than 33 hours to complete everything.

In GameSpot’s Borderlands 3 review, I wrote, “Borderlands 3 has a few stumbling blocks when it comes to bosses, but these fights are overshadowed by the game’s rewarding gunplay and over-the-top humor. The game’s character-driven narrative acts as a satisfying finale for the loot-shooter franchise, and the new mechanics and features–especially the reworked skill trees and weapon manufacturer effects–give you plenty of agency in how you want to play through it. If you’ve never been a fan of the franchise, it’s unlikely Borderlands 3 does enough things differently to change your mind, as the game best excels at continuing what the series has always done: deliver a humorous tall tale of misfits looting and shooting their way to heroism.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-long-to-complete-borderlands-3-depends-on-whic/1100-6469726/

This Huge PC Sale Offers Tons Of Discounts On Everything You Need

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Another week, another slate of savings on PC monitors, desktops, and laptops. Best Buy is the host this time, offering deals on some great G-Sync and FreeSync monitors, in addition to some good-to-great desktops and laptops

The deals range from the very affordable to the extremely pricey–like this $2,550 17-inch Alienware laptop that comes with an RTX 2070 and i7-9700. However, there are also several great, budget monitors if you’re looking for something with adaptive sync capability.

I’ve included some of the most appealing deals below, but if you want to see all of them, head over to Best Buy.

HP Omen Desktop – i7-8700 + RTX 2080

$1,550 ($2,000)

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This HP Omen desktop comes equipped with an i7-8700, RTX 2080, 16 GB of RAM, and a 2 TB HDD + 256 GB SSD storage combo. If you’re looking for an all-in-one desktop option, this is a great choice that can run most modern games at higher settings.

See it at Best Buy

Asus ROG Zephyrus G – 15.6″ Gaming Laptop

$1,050 ($1,199)

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Out of all of the gaming laptops on sale, I’d suggest this Asus one, as it’s $650 cheaper than the 2060-equipped MSI and still packs quite a punch for 1080p gaming performance. This particular Asus ROG comes with a GTX 1660 Ti, AMD Ryzen 7, 16 GB RAM, and a 512 GB SSD.

See it at Best Buy

Acer Predator XB272 27″ LED G-Sync Monitor

$500 ($600)

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I’m a big fan of Acer’s Predator series of monitors, and if you’re not looking to go any higher than 1080p with your games, then this is a great G-Sync option with a 240 Hz refresh rate.

See it at Best Buy

Dell S2719DGF 27″ LED FreeSync Monitor

$285 ($400)

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If you’re looking for a 1440p monitor with FreeSync, then this Dell monitor deal is worth looking at. It’s got a 27-inch display, 155 Hz refresh rate, and 1 ms response time.

See it at Best Buy

Dell SE2717HR 27″ IPS LED FreeSync Monitor

$150 ($190)

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IPS monitors typically have the best colours when compared to regular LED-lit displays. However, with this monitor you are giving up a faster refresh rate and higher resolution, only clocking in at 75 Hz and 1920×1080.

See it at Best Buy

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-huge-pc-sale-offers-tons-of-discounts-on-ever/1100-6469722/

New Borderlands 3 Launch Trailer Is Ready For Mayhem

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Borderlands 3 shoots onto PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 13, and ahead of its release, the looter-shooter got a new rocking trailer showing the Vault Hunters jamming out to some Queen.

The new trailer shows the four Vault Hunters–Amara the Siren, FL4K the Beastmaster, Moze the Gunner, and Zane the Operative–wreaking havoc and causing mayhem as they attempt to thwart Troy and Tyreen Calypso’s evil plans. It’s a dazzling display of lights and explosions and chaos, all soundtracked to Queen’s “Seven Seas of Rhye” from the band’s 1973 debut album Queen and the 1974 follow-up Queen II.

The critics have spoken and we’ve compiled a roundup of Borderlands 3 reviews from various publications. In our Borderlands 3 review we said, “The game’s character-driven narrative acts as a satisfying finale for the loot-shooter franchise, and the new mechanics and features–especially the reworked skill trees and weapon manufacturer effects–give you plenty of agency in how you want to play through it. If you’ve never been a fan of the franchise, it’s unlikely Borderlands 3 does enough things differently to change your mind, as the game best excels at continuing what the series has always done: deliver a humorous tall tale of misfits looting and shooting their way to heroism.”

Borderlands 3 may be just on the horizon, but developer Gearbox already has plans for the game’s first wave of post-release content. These include a Halloween-themed limited-time event called Bloody Harvest, a much larger update called Maliwan Takedown, and the first of its major DLC expansions all launching before the end of 2019, with more content likely to come in 2020.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-borderlands-3-launch-trailer-is-ready-for-mayh/1100-6469720/

Apple iPhone Event: Watch It Here, Get Start Times, And More

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Apple is preparing to unveil new products, and you can watch all the announcements as they happen. The event will take place September 10 at 10 AM PT / 12 PM CST / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino.

GameSpot sister site CNET expects the event to focus on hardware. That will include three new phone models, rumored to be the iPhone 11, 11 Max/Pro, and 11R. Those are likely to include better cameras and processors, and a new iOS13 operating system that is also likely to be highlighted. Apple is facing the challenge of spurring on customers to upgrade, so we’ll see how these new phones stack up. We may also see new Apple Watch models.

Apple has streamed its events for years, usually through its own devices and Safari browser. This event will mark the first time Apple will stream through YouTube, owned by its tech competitor Google. That means you can simply bookmark this page and come back to watch at showtime.

Apple has recently been expanding from tech hardware and software to entertainment and services, like its Apple TV Plus streaming service which will host original programming, and the upcoming Apple Arcade game subscription service. On that front it’s also seeing increased competition, including from Google, which is preparing to launch its own Play Pass subscription.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apple-iphone-event-watch-it-here-get-start-times-a/1100-6469721/

New Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC Trailer Hints At New Boss Encounters

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Ahead of this year’s Tokyo Game Show, scheduled to run from September 12-15 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, Square Enix showed off a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts III‘s upcoming DLC. Re Mind, the action-RPG’s first piece of post-launch content, is slated to arrive this winter on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Square Enix says Re Mind is a free update for Kingdom Hearts III that sees Sora take on the evil Organization XIII. With a new battle form and friends at his side, Sora will encounter new enemies and bosses as he travels to a familiar realm. In addition to playable characters like Aqua, Roxas, and Riku, you’ll also get access to additional Keyblades when Re Mind launches later in the year. No specific release date has been provided.

In our Kingdom Hearts III review, GameSpot editor Tamoor Hussain said, “What sticks with me is the exciting battle against elemental titans with Hercules, taking Rapunzel out into the unfamiliar wide world for the first time, snapping selfies with Winnie the Pooh, and going toe to toe with Davy Jones. In 2002, as Sora, I left Destiny Islands to travel across the universe and make new friends. In 2019 I brought old ones home, and I had so much fun doing it.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-kingdom-hearts-3-dlc-trailer-hints-at-new-boss/1100-6469719/

Free New Content Coming To Remnant: From The Ashes

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Free new content updates are on their way to Remnant: From the Ashes. The flawed but fun third-person action-adventure sees a new mode and dungeon arrive later this month, whether you’re fighting alone or with friends in tow.

Adventure Mode releases on September 12. This is a new game mode that allows players to re-roll individual worlds and play altered versions of previous campaign missions. You’ll be able to embark on an adventure through the dynamically generated worlds of Earth, Rhom, and Yaesha, beginning at a single bonfire-esque World Stone and ending once you’ve defeated the world’s final boss. Enemy spawns, points of interest, dungeon locations, and more may be different from the main campaign to throw a spanner into the works. All you have to do is select Adventure Mode from World Settings to begin. This won’t affect your current campaign progress either, and any items or traits gained along the way are free to keep.

Another free update is out on September 19, introducing a new dungeon called Leto’s Lab. You’ll have to fight your way through Research Station Alpha, exploring the lab of head researcher Leto Apostolakis. He theorized that the mysterious red crystals spread throughout Remnant could be used to bridge space-time for near-instantaneous travel, eventually unlocking the World Stone on Ward 16 and allowing mankind to travel to other worlds. Leto’s experiments quickly diverged, however, and the lab was forced to evacuate when one of his dubious experiments went awry.

Leto’s Lab will dynamically spawn on Earth after its release. This new dungeon differs from the others in Remnant by revealing more backstory about the world while mixing in light puzzles with its usual combat.

You can check out GameSpot’s Remnant: From the Ashes review. “For the most part, the experiment is a success, resulting in deeply satisfying combat against creative and challenging enemies,” said Alessandro Barbosa. “Remnant struggles to effectively transfer that success over to an engaging loot system and an interesting story to wrap it all up, but when you’re blasting away foes with weapons crafted from the remains of your latest boss kill, it’s hard not to do so with a wide smile on your face.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-new-content-coming-to-remnant-from-the-ashes/1100-6469716/

Pokemon Sword And Shield May Have Autosave For The First Time

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Nintendo gave us another look at Pokemon Sword and Shield during its latest Direct presentation. While the segment focused primarily on trainer customization and camping, it seems Nintendo may have also inadvertently revealed the games will feature autosaves.

During the Pokemon portion of the latest Nintendo Direct, eagle-eyed fans spotted the words “now saving” in the upper right corner of the screen when the player character enters a fashion boutique (via Eurogamer), which seems to suggest the games will automatically save at various points while you’re playing. The moment in question occurs at around the 45-second mark in the video below.

If Sword and Shield do indeed utilize autosaves, they will be the first mainline games in the series to have the feature. However, it’s still unclear if the titles will only feature one save slot, as all past mainline Pokemon games have, or if there will be separate slots for the autosaves, as in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Whatever the case, we do know that autosaves won’t be replacing manually saving in Sword and Shield; at around the 1:20 mark in the same video, you can see a dedicated Save option when the menu screen is pulled up.

Similarly, the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also the first installment in its series to make use of autosaves. In fact, Switch’s autosave function is the reason Mr. Resetti will be out of a job in New Horizons. In the past, the irritable mole would pop up and lecture a player if they quit the game without saving, but thanks to autosaves, his role is now redundant. However, game director Aya Kyogoku teases that Mr. Resetti is looking for a new job and may yet appear in the upcoming title.

Pokemon Sword and Shield launch for Switch on November 15, just a few days after Nintendo releases a special Pokemon edition Nintendo Switch Lite. You can check out all the new Gen 8 Pokemon revealed so far for Sword and Shield in our gallery. For more on the titles, be sure to check out our Pokemon Sword and Shield pre-order guide.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-sword-and-shield-may-have-autosave-for-the/1100-6469711/