Rockstar is rolling out a big update for Red Dead Redemption 2‘s online component, Red Dead Online, next week. The game’s Summer Update arrives on PS4 and Xbox One on September 10 and adds a variety of new challenges, Dynamic Events, items, and gameplay adjustments, along with new specialized roles for players to take on called Frontier Pursuits.

Rockstar describes the Frontier Pursuits as “an ongoing series of Roles for players to inhabit, delivering a wide array of themed activities that each offer unique items, skills and more as you progress through each Role.” As you complete these activities, you’ll earn Role XP that will help you unlock new Role Ranks, which in turn will net you Role Tokens, special items, new skills, and even role-specific Free Roam events.

The first three pursuits are the Bounty Hunter, Trader, and Collector, with additional roles coming in the future. The Bounty Hunter focuses on tracking down criminals; the Trader lets you open up a shop and sell animal pelts and meat; and the Collector specializes in searching for valuable treasures. You can read a more detailed breakdown of the three roles on Rockstar’s website.

In addition to the Frontier Pursuits, next week’s update will include new Free Roam events for each of the new roles, as well as other welcome tweaks like additional Stable slots and the ability to reset your character’s appearance without resetting your progress. Rockstar is also making balance adjustments to “reduce reliance on headshots as the primary kill method in PvP.”

In other news, Red Dead Redemption 2 recently surpassed 25 million copies shipped, Take-Two Interactive announced in its latest earnings report. Rockstar was also listed as the publisher of something called Bonaire according to the Australian Classification website. It’s still unclear what Bonaire is, although there has been speculation that it could be some kind of DLC for Red Dead Redemption 2. That, however, is unconfirmed.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/red-dead-redemption-2-onlines-big-summer-update-ar/1100-6469593/

Nintendo has announced a new Nintendo Direct broadcast for this week. The presentation will air tomorrow, September 4, at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET, and it’ll reveal more details on Switch games coming this year.

According to the company, this week’s Nintendo Direct will feature “roughly 40 minutes of information” focusing on titles on the way to Switch in 2019. Nintendo specifically mentions we’ll learn more about Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Pokemon Sword and Shield, which are launching in October and November, respectively.

We’ll also presumably hear more about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s next DLC character, Banjo-Kazooie. The bear and bird duo are slated to arrive this fall, so it seems likely we’ll learn when they’ll be dropping and get a closer look at how they’ll play.

It has also been some time since we’ve heard about Town, the new Switch RPG from Pokemon developer Game Freak. The game was announced during last September’s Nintendo Direct with a 2019 release window, but we’ve learned nothing new about it since, so we may get another look at it during tomorrow’s broadcast.

As usual, Nintendo will stream this week’s Direct on its website, Twitch, or YouTube channels. GameSpot will also have the stream up along with full coverage of the presentation, so you can tune in right here and follow all the news as it breaks.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-nintendo-direct-announced-for-tomorrow-focuses/1100-6469569/

Listings for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed Rogue Remastered for the Nintendo Switch have been spotted on Greek retailer The Console Club’s website. The bundle has since been removed but was priced at €38.90 and was available for pre-order.

Earlier this year, Assassin’s Creed III Remastered was released on the Switch, and with the series moving to a bi-annual release schedule, it would make sense for Ubisoft to fill up that vacant year by porting the series to other platforms.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was originally released in October 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, before launching alongside the newly released PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Rogue had a more curious launch, arriving a year later at the same time as Assassin’s Creed Unity. It only appeared on the previous generation of consoles, with a remastered version eventually making its way to PS4 and Xbox One last year.

Black Flag was praised at the time for altering the series’ formula with exciting naval battles and a pirate adventure across the Caribbean. “If there was ever any question that Assassin’s Creed needed something ambitious to get the series back on track, Black Flag is that game and then some,” said GameSpot’s review. Rogue wasn’t received quite as positively as it opted to tread water instead of moving the series forward in any way. “Instead of a rich, fleshed-out game, Rogue is a short, mildly entertaining adventure that’s thin on core content, but thick with information. It’s intriguing information though, particularly if you’re a series fan, just don’t expect the best of adventures while you’re taking it all in,” GameSpot’s review concluded.

GameSpot has contacted Ubisoft for confirmation on the bundle’s existence.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag-and-rogue-spotted-fo/1100-6469566/

Last week Codemasters released the first video in an upcoming series focusing on the FIA Formula 2 Championship. F1 2019 marks the first time in series history that both F1 and F2 races are featured in the game, with players able to play through the full F2 2018 season at launch. A free update adding the 2019 season is due to arrive in the coming weeks, but last weekend’s tragedy has posed a tough dilemma for Codemasters.

22-year-old French F2 driver, Anthoine Hubert, was sadly killed in a horrifying collision at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday. Hubert, who was driving for the BWT Arden racing team, struck the tire wall at the top of Spa-Francorchamps’ world-famous Eau Rogue/Radillon corner.

After a previous crash had spread debris onto the track, Trident driver Ralph Boschung slowed down and moved towards the run-off area to avoid the field of debris. Hubert, who was following close behind Boschung and had no view of the previous crash, swerved right to avoid the slowing car, clipping Borshung’s rear wheel with his front wing. The impact sent Hubert’s car into the tire wall at an acute angle, deflecting it sideways into the path of Charouz driver Juan Manuel Correra, who struck Hubert’s car at an estimated speed between 155 and 167 miles per hour. The devastating impact tore both cars apart. Hubert and Correra were transported to the circuit’s medical centre where Hubert died from his injuries.

FIA cancelled the following day’s sprint race out of respect for Hubert and his family, and now Codemasters faces a difficult decision over Hubert’s inclusion in the upcoming F2 update for F1 2019.

This season was Hubert’s first in the competition, and Codemasters will have no doubt modelled his likeness in the game for the upcoming F2 2019 season update. The important question is whether it would be insensitive to leave him in the game, perhaps as some kind of tribute, or would it be crass to remove him completely by replacing him with whoever takes his place in real life. The decision should probably rest with Hubert’s family.

In the case of Correra, the other driver involved in the accident, the situation is a little clearer. He suffered serious injuries, undergoing surgery for fractures in both his legs and a minor spinal injury, but he’s in stable condition. Correra won’t race again this season, and might not race again for the rest of his life, but he is alive so the dilemma isn’t quite as tricky.

Players on the F1 subreddit have been posting tributes to Hubert, capturing screenshots of their laps in his pink BWT Arden F2 car on tracks at Monaco and Paul Ricard, where Hubert claimed victories this season. A touching gesture for a heartbreaking tragedy.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/f2-drivers-death-poses-tough-decision-for-f1-2019/1100-6469565/

Among the new features in this month’s NHL 20 are Alumni Teams, which are squads featuring legacy players and even teams altogether that no longer exist.

There are 33 Alumni Teams in NHL 20. Among the former teams featured in the game are the Hartford Whalers, the Minnesota North Stars, and the Quebec Nordiques. The rest are teams that still exist today but they feature rosters of some of the best players from each team’s history.

Hailing from Connecticut myself, I am particularly excited to play as The Whalers. The team played its final game in Hartford in 1997, before moving to Raleigh, North Carolina where they became the Carolina Hurricanes. Mark Rein, the co-founder and vice president of Fortnite studio Epic Games, is one of the minority investors in the Hurricanes.

During last year’s NHL season, the Hurricanes played the Bruins in Hartford Whalers jerseys as part of a commemorative event. They even played the famous Whalers “Brass Bonanza” goal-celebration song. Check it out in the video clip below from the NHL.

NHL 20 launches on September 13 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. In other news, EA Sports has officially announced the Top 50 highest-rated players, and Connor McDavid is No. 1.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nhl-20-introduces-33-alumni-teams-and-the-whalers-/1100-6469562/