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Overwatch Anniversary Kicks Off Next Week

Overwatch is celebrating its three year anniversary event this month, with a special seasonal event that pays homage to the game’s history. The event begins on May 21 and goes on through June 10 and during it players will be able to collect new cosmetics, participate in special events, and more.

The star of any Overwatch event are the new skins, and this anniversary event will be no different. It will debut six new legendary skins and three epic skins, as well as new dances for the three most recent characters: Baptiste, Ashe, and Wrecking Ball.

Seasonal brawls will be coming to the Arcade, and they’ll be rotated daily. Those include the Overwatch Archives – Storm Rising brawls.

During the duration of the event, logging in will get you one bonus Legendary Anniversary Loot Box, which guarantees one Legendary item. If you purchase a 50 Loot Box bundle, you’ll get an extra Legendary Anniversary Loot Box as well. Previous seasonal event loots will also be included in loot boxes during the anniversary event.

To kick off the event, Blizzard is offering a free trial from May 21-May 28. It will be debuting new cosmetics throughout that week as well. You can start pre-loading the trial on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One now, to be prepared for the free period. The Anniversary event lasts through June 10.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-anniversary-kicks-off-next-week/1100-6467009/

E3 2019: All The PlayStation Games Confirmed So Far

E3 2019 is fast approaching and there’s going to be a ton of PS4 games. While Sony won’t be attending this year, that doesn’t stop other developers from bringing PS4 games to the show. Big name publishers like Bethesda, Electronic Arts, and more are showcasing some of their biggest new games.

Sony decided against appearing at E3 2019 out of a desire to showcase its games in new and different ways compared to previous years. “As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community,” the company said in a statement to GameSpot. “PlayStation fans mean the world to us and we always want to innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers. As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019. We are exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019 and can’t wait to share our plans with you.”

Death Stranding, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us Part II are still the company’s biggest upcoming tentpole releases. We’ve gotten a few updates since last year. Developer Hideo Kojima did tease via Twitter that he was working on a new trailer for Death Stranding. On the other hand, The Last of Us Part II co-director Anthony Newman said on Twitter that developer Naughty Dog is looking to hire people to help “close out” the long-awaited game. Unfortunately, Ghost of Tsushima hasn’t received any recent development updates.

E3 will last about three days going from June 11-13. A handful of press conferences from the industry’s biggest companies are scheduled to precede the show. Read on for the full list of confirmed PS4 games so far, and check back as we continue to update this article with more in the coming days.

All The PS4 Games Confirmed For E3 2019

  • Anthem (EA Play)
  • Apex Legends
  • Battlefield V (EA Play)
  • Bee Simulator
  • Borderlands 3
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Doom Eternal
  • Dying Light 2
  • FIFA 20
  • Fortnite (Summer Block Party)
  • Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
  • Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory
  • Scavengers
  • Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
  • The Fisherman – Fishing Planet
  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
  • The Riftbreaker
  • The Sinking City
  • The Walking Dead: Onslaught
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
  • Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
  • WRC 8

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-all-the-playstation-games-confirmed-so-far/1100-6467006/

E3 2019: All The Nintendo Switch Games Confirmed So Far

The biggest gaming showcase of the year, E3 2019, is only a few weeks away. This year’s expo kicks off on Tuesday, June 11, and while it’s shaping up to be a bit quieter than past years (thanks in large part to Sony’s decision to sit this E3 out), some big games have already been confirmed for the event, with even more surprises undoubtedly waiting to be announced.

While Microsoft is reportedly gearing up to unveil its next-generation Xbox console(s) during its E3 2019 briefing, Nintendo will be looking to continue the Switch’s impressive sales momentum by highlighting some upcoming games for the hybrid system in a pre-recorded Nintendo Direct presentation, which is scheduled to air at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST on June 11, just before the expo proper begins.

As for what Switch games Nintendo will show off, the company has been characteristically tight-lipped, although it does have a number of titles in the pipeline this year. Luigi’s Mansion 3, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Animal Crossing–to name a few–are coming to the system in 2019, and we’ll likely get another look at some or all of them during next month’s Direct. Splatoon 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Super Mario Maker 2 will also be featured this year as part of Nintendo’s pre-E3 tournaments on June 8, and we may get some details on new content for those games–although that has not been confirmed.

One thing we do know, however, is that Nintendo won’t be revealing any hardware at this year’s show. Rumors of a new, cheaper Switch model have been making the rounds in recent weeks, with Bloomberg reporting the system could launch by the end of June, which would make E3 the perfect venue at which to unveil it. However, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa denied that possibility, saying the company has “no plans to announce [new hardware] at this year’s E3 in June.”

Still, while Nintendo is playing its cards close to its chest, a few other developers and publishers have confirmed a handful of Switch games for this year’s E3 already. You can take a look at the list so far below. For more E3 coverage, be sure to check out the full E3 conference schedule and our running list of every single game confirmed to appear at E3 2019.

All The Nintendo Switch Games Confirmed For E3 2019

  • Bee Simulator
  • Doom Eternal
  • FIFA 20
  • Fortnite (Summer Block Party)
  • Splatoon 2 (Nintendo World Championships)
  • Super Mario Maker 2 (Nintendo World Championships)
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo World Championships)
  • Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-all-the-nintendo-switch-games-confirmed-so/1100-6467003/

E3 2019: All The PC Games Confirmed So Far

E3 2019 may still be several weeks away, but there are already quite a few PC games confirmed for the show. We’ve compiled all the ones we know about below. If you’re looking for games coming to Xbox One, PS4, Switch, or VR, we’ve also outlined every single game confirmed to appear at E3 2019.

As per tradition, E3 will host a PC Gaming Show. The live stream is scheduled to start Monday, June 10 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM BST. The show will once again stream on Twitch and is the only press conference at E3 2019 solely devoted to showcasing PC game announcements, trailers, and gameplay reveals. The PC Gaming Show has not confirmed which games will be shown off during the stream, but chances are several of the ones listed below will make an appearance.

Pretty much every game confirmed for E3 2019 is coming to PC. Based on what’s been confirmed already, the major names to keep an eye on are Cyberpunk 2077, Doom Eternal, Halo Infinite, and Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Activision is scheduled to reveal the new Call of Duty game as well, and Gearbox will probably showcase the skill trees of FL4K the Beastmaster and Moze the Gunner, the two Borderlands 3 Vault Hunters that have still not been fully detailed.

Several previously released PC games will be at E3 2019 as well. For example, during EA Play, the publisher will discuss the upcoming plans for both the multiplayer-focused shooter Anthem and battle royale Apex Legends. Iceborne, a major future expansion for Monster Hunter World, will also be at E3.

All PC Games Confirmed For E3 2019

  • Anthem (EA Play)
  • Apex Legends
  • Battlefield V (EA Play)
  • Battlewake
  • Bee Simulator
  • Borderlands 3
  • Call of Duty 2019
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Doom Eternal
  • Dying Light 2
  • FIFA 20
  • Farmer’s Dynasty
  • Fortnite (Summer Block Party)
  • Halo Infinite
  • Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
  • Overpass
  • Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
  • Tavern Keeper
  • The Fisherman – Fishing Planet
  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
  • The Riftbreaker
  • The Sinking City
  • The Walking Dead: Onslaught
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
  • Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
  • WRC 8
  • Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2019-all-the-pc-games-confirmed-so-far/1100-6467004/

Pokemon Go Adds Leafeon, Glaceon, And More Gen 4 Pokemon

A new wave of Gen 4 Pokemon has arrived in Pokemon Go. Gible, Cherubi, Hippopotas, Burmy, and more can now either be found in the wild or hatched from Eggs, and developer Niantic has introduced a handful of new items that enable some more Gen 4 evolutions, including Glaceon and Leafeon.

As revealed in a recent leak, three new kinds of Lure Modules have been added to Pokemon Go: Glacial, Mossy, and Magnetic. These can be purchased from the in-game store, and placing them in a Poke Stop will attract certain kinds of Pokemon to that area; the Glacial Lure, for instance, draws in Ice- and Water-types, while the Mossy Lure attracts Grass, Bug, and Poison Pokemon.

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Moreover, activating the Lure Modules will allow certain Pokemon to evolve; the Glacial and Mossy Lures let Eevee evolve into Glaceon or Leafeon, respectively, while the Magnetic Lure lets Magneton and Nosepass evolve into Magnezone and Probopass. Niantic says the new Lure Modules will also be given out as rewards for completing Special Research tasks “later this season.” You can read more details about the Pokemon and Lures on the Pokemon Go website.

In other Pokemon Go news, the game’s next Community Day takes place this Sunday, May 19. The featured Pokemon this month is Torchic, the Fire-type starter from the series’ Gen 3 games, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. If you’re able to evolve Torchic into its final form, Blaziken, up to an hour after the Community Day ends, it’ll learn Blast Burn. You’ll also receive three times the usual amount of Stardust for capturing Pokemon during the event.

Shortly after May’s Community Day ends, Niantic is kicking off an Extraordinary Raid Week event. From May 21-28, new Pokemon will appear as Raid bosses, including Bronzor, whose Shiny form also has a chance of appearing. On Saturday, May 25, the developer is also holding a special Lapras Raid, which will feature an appearance by Shiny Lapras.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-adds-leafeon-glaceon-and-more-gen-4-pok/1100-6466999/

Great PC Game Sale Kicks Off At Green Man Gaming

A major PC game sale already launched this week in the form of Epic’s Mega Sale, but for those who may prefer to own games on Steam, another major sale just kicked off that you’ll want to keep your eye on. Digital store Green Man Gaming, which sells licensed digital game keys, is celebrating its ninth year in business with a week of flash deals.

A new wave of games will be available every day and stick around for 48 hours, so you’ll want to grab the deals you want quickly. In addition to the discounted games, Green Man Gaming is offering free bonus gifts with certain deals, including DLC and sometimes even a full game or two. All the deals that have been posted so far are for PC and/or Mac, and you’ll have to have a free Steam account to redeem them.

SHOP GREEN MAN GAMING’S BIRTHDAY SALE »

Browse the full offering of deals at Green Man Gaming, and see some of the current deals below! We’ll be updating this story as more deals become available, so stay tuned.

Day 2 deals

(end May 19 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM BST)

Day 1 deals

(end May 16 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM BST)

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/great-pc-game-sale-kicks-off-at-green-man-gaming/1100-6466998/

Code Vein Network Test Dates Announced; Play The Souls-Like This Month

Bandai Namco has announced the dates for the upcoming Network Test for Code Vein. As we previously speculated, the test will begin at the end of May and continue into the first days of June.

For the US, Code Vein’s Network Test begins May 30 at 8:00 PM PT / 11:00 PM ET and continues until June 3 at 12:00 AM PT / 3:00 AM ET. In Europe, the test starts May 31 at 4:00 AM BST / 5:00 AM CEST and ends June 3 at 8:00 AM BST / 9:00 AM CEST. Though Code Vein is releasing on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, the Network Test will only be live on consoles. To participate in the Code Vein Network Test, sign-up on Bandai Namco’s website. You’ll receive your Xbox One or PS4 code on May 29, allowing you to preload the demo before the test goes live.

In the Network Test, you’ll be able to play through the opening chapter of Code Vein and try the game’s multiplayer. In Code Vein, you usually travel throughout the world with an NPC companion. If you want, you can also team up with one other human-controlled character for a three-person party. Though Code Vein takes inspiration from Dark Soulsboth thematically and mechanically–Bandai Namco’s game does not feature invasions. Multiplayer in Code Vein is entirely supportive.

We played through Code Vein’s opening chapter during a preview event and had the chance to try the game’s revamped Blood Code system. After delaying the game in July 2018, Bandai Namco changed how Code Vein’s build system works. Now, thanks to Code Vein’s eight unique Blood Codes, you can quickly respec your vampiric character with new stats and abilities in seconds whenever you want. Most of the eight Blood Codes are too melee-focused, but a few do provide interesting abilities, such as a teleporting backstab called Phantom Assault.

Code Vein is a perfect example of how Dark Souls has had a lasting impact on the gaming industry. In our The Most Influential Games Of The 21st Century series, Tamoor Hussain wrote, “Dark Souls’ impact on gaming is undeniable. Such is its influence that the term Souls-like has become a genre in and of itself. But describing a game as ‘Souls-like’ can mean so many things, from challenging gameplay to emergent storytelling, or even a distinct sense of place. The fact that the term can be used in such a diverse way to explain facets of action games, RPGs, puzzle games, or even text adventures is the strongest indication of just how important the game was and is to this day.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/code-vein-network-test-dates-announced-play-the-so/1100-6467000/

Destiny 2 Players Aren’t Happy About Exotics Getting Weaker In Upcoming Patch

As ever, Bungie is continuing to tweak Destiny 2 with balancing changes through live updates, but the next one hasn’t garnered much excitement from fans. With the Season of the Drifter coming to a close at the end of the month, Bungie used a blog post to detail its next slate of changes to the game, and they’re all of the “nerf” variety–weakening some of the game’s most-used, best-loved equipment.

On its blog, Bungie detailed some of the upcoming changes coming with its next content season, the Season of Opulence, which starts on June 4. The new tweaks focus on ratcheting down the power of several Exotic weapons and pieces of armor. According to the post, through the Season of the Drifter, Bungie saw a lot of Exotics becoming “must-pick” items for various loadouts, and the changes are meant to get other items back into the rotation a bit more. Most of the changes focus on players’ Super abilities, which charge up over time but which can be fast-tracked with certain pieces of armor and “Orbs of Light” created by other players.

“Primarily, we’re paying attention to pieces of Exotic armor that grant back Super energy,” the post reads. “We felt they are increasingly becoming ‘must-pick gear choices. Orb generation from teammates is meant to be the best way to accelerate your Super generation. These Exotics are allowing players to bypass this teamwork mechanic by generating a large amount of Super energy without relying on other players’ orbs.”

Exotics like the Skull of Dire Ahamkara helmet for Warlocks and the Ursa Furiosa gauntlets for Titans give Super energy back to players when they use their Super abilities, and under the right circumstances, can almost fully fill up a player’s energy bar–which means they can launch several Supers in succession. That’s great if you’re enjoying wrecking a lot of enemies all at once, but apparently, it’s not really what Bungie is going for.

Several weapons are also receiving nerfs in the update, most notably the Whisper of the Worm. The Exotic sniper rifle currently sports infinite ammo if you can manage to land only critical hits with it on enemies. The change will remove the infinite ammo perk; Bungie says it’s hoping to make other sniper rifles more viable with the change, instead of Whisper being the de facto choice in all circumstances. It’s worth noting that Bungie made this same change in Destiny 1 to Black Spindle, an Exotic sniper rifle that’s very similar to Whisper.

Players haven’t responded too well to the upcoming slate of changes, even though they’re not actually in the game yet. Bungie’s Twitter post pointing to its blog was awash in memes mocking the changes as fans protested the weakening of armor and weapons that have become staples in the game.

It’s worth noting that Bungie hasn’t released the full patch notes for the Season of Opulence update, so there will probably be others to go with these changes that might change how players feel about them. And Bungie is constantly making adjustments to Destiny 2 in order to make weapons, armor, Supers, and abilities more or less viable. It’s very likely we’ll see further adjustments to a lot of these things as the game continues to evolve.

But it’s undeniable that much of the Destiny community is pretty upset with Bungie’s upcoming changes, with some even threatening to defect before the next content drop. That seems like a major overreaction, but Destiny has a pretty vocal community, and Bungie often talks about how much it’s paying attention to what players want. The question now is whether the developer responds to those complaints, and how it might do so.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-players-arent-happy-about-exotics-gettin/1100-6467002/

Rainbow Six Siege Operator Pulled Temporarily

Developer Ubisoft Montreal has taken it upon itself to address issues facing the online tactical shooter, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege. In a tweet, Siege’s official Twitter account announced that, as it works on fixes (which include addressing exploits to claymores and shields), the defensive operator Clash has been disabled.

“Over the past few days, we have been working to address the issues presented from exploits surrounding Clash, IQ, and Deployable Shields,” a blog post on the official game’s website reads. “These combined issues touch on core systems of the game, and will therefore take longer than we consider acceptable to address. We are currently expecting fixes prepared by next week.”

According to Ubisoft, more details will arrive on Tuesday, May 21. Until then, a server-wide update will disable Clash, deployable shields, and claymores. It was scheduled to go live yesterday, but “due to unforeseen circumstances, console deployments for the Clash removal” will land sometime today, May 17, the Rainbow Six Siege Twitter account wrote.

The post concludes by saying the team is hard at work improving their reaction speed to such widespread issues. “As such, our team will develop a more thorough outline for how we should respond to these situations moving forward, with the ultimate goal of improved reaction speed,” it said.

Two new operators were recently announced for Rainbow Six Siege: Nokk and Warden. The two are part of the upcoming Operation Phantom Sight expansion, which will be revealed on May 19 during the Pro League Finals in Milan (which takes place May 18-19).

The game’s recent update reverses friendly fire, a system designed to punish griefers by dealing the damage to them instead of the teammate getting shot. Players will get a brief grace period, but afterward, the damage will be dealt in reverse. So any damage done by primary and secondary weapons, as well as most unique Operator gadgets, will hit the griefing player instead of the innocent teammate.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rainbow-six-siege-operator-pulled-temporarily/1100-6466994/

Rainbow Six Siege Operator Warden Revealed In New Trailer

Ubisoft has released a second teaser trailer for its upcoming Rainbow Six Siege Operation Phantom Sight expansion. This video shows off Phantom Sight’s second Operator, Warden. Warden’s real name is Collinn McKinley and he’s one of Team Rainbow’s older Operators with 30 years of career experience.

In the new trailer, which can be watched below, Warden is identified as a Defender. After a brief shot of a watch that reveals Warden’s ties to both the Secret Service and Team Rainbow, the video transitions to a shot of Warden slowly walking forward as his glasses glow blue. We see glimpses of what Warden sees, which appear to be the possible actions an enemy can take. Regardless of what his glasses do exactly, they seem to be connected to his watch as both gadgets glow with the same luminescent blue.

“Hailing from the state of Kentucky, McKinley rose through the ranks of the Marines before he found his calling for close-protection detail in the Secret Service,” Ubisoft wrote in a blog post. “He demonstrated his skills distinctly when he led the Secretary of State to safety, during an attack where hostiles outmaneuvered all prior planning.”

After learning Phantom Sight’s other new Operator, Nøkk, could use her HEL device to turn invisible and hide in the shadows, we theorized–based on Phantom Sight’s initial yin-yang symbol teaser–that her counterpart would use a gadget designed to find or illuminate the position of Attackers or traps. It seems like that theory is correct, though Ubisoft hasn’t explicitly stated what exactly Warden’s Glance Smart Glasses do, only that they “reflect the nature of his natural talent, to see what most cannot in order to gain the upper hand in any given situation.”

From May 18-19, Ubisoft will host the Rainbow Six Siege Pro League Finals in Milan. On May 19, the developer plans on revealing all the new content and in-game changes coming to Siege in the Operation Phantom Sight expansion, including breakdowns of both Nøkk and Warden.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rainbow-six-siege-operator-warden-revealed-in-new-/1100-6466995/