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Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Sales are "Insane" – Larian CEO

Baldur's Gate 3 (12)

Early access for Baldur's Gate 3 went live yesterday and despite the bugs, UI complaints and so on, it's proven very popular. A quick glance at the Steam Top Sellers chart showcases the RPG on top but that's not the whole story. According to Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke, sales for the game are "insane."

"Our sales are insane – this is just Early Access you all. We just wanted to have a nice little community to iterate with. Now what are we going to do?" That being said, Larian Studios is known for strong early access support as seen with Divinity: Original Sin 2. Currently, Act 1 is available in early access with about 25 hours of content (though that doesn't factor in all of the character customization and options for replaying).

Acts 2 and 3 are currently in development and while Larian stated that Baldur's Gate 3 would be in early access for "at least one year", it's committed to releasing the game "when it's ready." In the meantime, if you're curious about what Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells, has to offer, then the game is currently available for PC via Steam and GOG along with Google Stadia. Stay tuned for more details and updates in the coming months.

Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access is Now Available

Baldur's Gate 3 (3)

Larian Studios' eagerly anticipated Baldur's Gate 3 is available in early access for Steam, GOG and Google Stadia. It's only the first Act of the campaign but offers 25 hours of content with lots of replay value. Check out the launch trailer below to see it in action.

The story takes place 100 years after Baldur's Gate 2 and sees the protagonist kidnapped by Mind Flayers. Though you and meet up with several other survivors in Avernus, the first of the Nine Hells, the party must contend with tadpoles swimming around in their heads. How the player deals with their tadpole, the various motivations of other party members and the Mind Flayer invasion remains to be seen.

Baldur's Gate 3 arrives in early access with a pretty extensive range of classes, races and sub-races allowing for tons of customization. You can also opt for Origins characters with their own pre-established stories with more being added over time. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta Features New 40 Player Mode

call of duty black ops cold war

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will have its multiplayer beta this week with PS4 pre-orders gaining access from tomorrow till October 12th. Xbox One and PC pre-orders get in from next week but what content can be expected, especially after the alpha? Activision has released details on the same along with outlining the system requirements for PC players.

Along with the usual 6v6 modes and Combined Arms (which is 12v12), the beta will feature Fireteam: Dirty Bomb. This is a new 40 player mode, though more details have yet to be revealed. There will also be a "beta-specific" leveling system featuring new weapons. Scorestreaks and spy tech available via Field Upgrades can also be expected.

Also, those who manage to hit level 10 during the beta will receive an SMG Weapon Blueprint when the full game becomes available. As for system requirements, check them out below.

Minimum:

  • OS: Windows 7 64-Bit (SP1) or Windows 10 64-Bit (1803 or later)
  • CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k or AMD equivalent.
  • Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 2GB / GTX 1650 4GB or AMD Radeon HD 7950.
  • RAM: 8GB RAM
  • HDD: 45GB
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Audio: DirectX compatible, requires DirectX 12 compatible system

Recommended:

  • OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest Service Pack)
  • CPU: Intel Core i7 4770k or AMD equivalent
  • Video: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB / GTX 1660 Super 6GB or AMD Radeon R9 390 / AMD RX 580
  • RAM: 16GB RAM
  • HDD: 45GB
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Audio: DirectX compatible, requires DirectX 12 compatible system

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is out on November 13th. It will be available for Xbox One X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC. Zombies mode was also recently revealed with cross-play support – read more about that here.

Dreams Update 2.18 Out Today, Adds New Instruments and Music Tracks

Dreams

Out of nowhere, Media Molecule has announced a new update for Dreams going live today. Update 2.18 is music-focused and provides a number of new features like new instruments. Players can now mess around with "hundreds" of new orchestral instruments along with new synths, pianos, guitars and so on.

Previews for each have also been improved so sifting through each and every instrument for that one sound has gotten much easier. You can also look forwards to several new music tracks including recent ones like Inside the Box, Welcome Garden and more. "Starting Points" are a newer feature which are shorter than regular tracks but contain cues Art's Dream among other things.

Volume balance has also seen some fixes and existing instruments have had a balance pass as well. Stay tuned for more details on the update when it goes live today. Dreams is currently available for PS4 – you can check out our review of the game here.

Godfall Will Feature Optimal Builds For Both Solo And Co-op Play

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We're a month away now from a new generation of consoles and between the drip-feed approach to marketing both companies employed as well as the stresses from 2020 as a soul crushing year, it was quite a ride. But the time is almost here, and one thing that's worth note is that the slate of launch titles are all looking very varied with a lot of different stuff to chose from. One of those games is Godfall, one of the earliest next generation only titles revealed, and also one of the first that has been used to show off the SSD loading abilities of the PS5. It's also a game you can tackle alone or with friends.

In an interview with Gamebyte, Technical Producer at Counterplay Games Dick Heyne talked at length about the game. One thing he highlighted is something that hasn't been talked about a lot, the game's co-op capabilities, probably one reason it requires online to play. Heyne stated that game scales to however you are choosing to play, but you will have to do some tinkering on your own. Godfall is designed for players to tackle it their way, with builds for going solo or with co-op.

"Godfall is all about letting the player engage with the world on THEIR terms. The difficulty of enemies will scale up in co-op, so while more players naturally increases total DPS, it doesn't necessarily mean you are clearing encounters faster. Put another way, there are optimal solo builds and optimal co-op builds. It will be up to the player to decide which style best suits them. Neither approach should feel suboptimal."

Godfall will launch November 12th for PlayStation 5 and PC. You can check out the game's intro cinematic through here.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Guide – All Gems and Skins for Crash and Coco

crash bandicoot 4 it's about time

If you haven't heard, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a massive game. You'll be busy unearthing all of its secrets along with unlocking the various skins available for Crash and Coco. There are 58 skins in total and while some simply require level completion, others rely on collecting gems (more on that below) and clearing the N. Verted levels.

So in the meantime, check out all the skins that you can unlock in the game via the video below by MrRedRivers on YouTube.

How to Collect All Gems

These aren't the same as the four colored gems, which required completing a few puzzles. These gems are scattered all throughout the game and require perfect platforming. Given how some requirements, like skin unlocks, are tied to collecting them, it helps to know where they all are.

Check out the video guides below by PS5 Trophies. They'll help you locate each and every single gem along with all of the boxes.

Mortal Kombat 11's Next DLC Character Potentially Teased For October 8

mortal kombat 11

The most recent string of Mortal Kombat games that began with Mortal Kombat 2009 (sometimes referred to as Mortal Kombat 9), came to a conclusion with Mortal Kombat 11, topping off a time hopping story about revisiting and reshaping the past. However, maybe somewhat ironically, it seems like it will be getting support longer than previous titles. That isn't too surprising, though, considering its strong sales and all. Now it seems like the shepherd of the franchise is potentially teasing the next fighter in the fighting game's roster.

Ed Boon took to his Twitter to release a brief teaser for something coming on Wednesday. For a few seconds you can see an unnamed Tarkatan running from an unknown assailant. Some recent datamining has found files for fan favorites Rain and Mileena, as well as what some speculate to be John Rambo, and well, his first film is about hunting people in a wooded area similar to this. Just saying.

Mortal Kombat 11 is available now for all major platforms. We will find out what the tease is all about on October 8th.

Blair Witch: Oculus Quest Edition Launches October 29 With Rebuilt Story And Redesigned Environments

Blair Witch

It was last year when we got the surprising horror game from Bloober Team, Blair Witch. The game was set in the same canon as the horror franchise that essentially invented the found footage genre. It released originally on Xbox One and PC, and then trickled to other platforms, and was a solid enough game. Now, though, it's coming to a new platform with some big changes.

The game will be getting a VR title just in time for Halloween, called the Oculus Quest Edition, but it seems to be more than a simple port with tacked on VR. Bloober says that the story has been rebuilt with extended interactions and that environments have been redesigned with VR in mind, which you can see a little of in the trailer below. It's not clear as of yet the extent of these redesigns, but it could warrant a revisit even if you have played the game already.

Blair Witch, in its original non-VR form, is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. The Oculus Quest Edition will launch on October 29th.

Overwatch Will Be Free To Play For Nintendo Switch Online Subscribers October 13-20

Overwatch

Blizzard's Overwatch was one of the first games in the now very populated hero shooter genre, as well as the last original IP Blizzard published. It set the stage for many things to come, and is set to get a sequel at some point in the near future. But that first title is still running very strong regardless of where you're playing it, and if you have a Switch, you can test it out.

As announced via the official Nintendo of America Twitter, it seems as if the title will have a week long free to play period on the system. One caveat is that you will need to be a subscriber to Nintendo Switch Online to take part in the promotion.

Overwatch is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, with the free to play period on Switch running from October 13th to the 20th. Overwatch 2 is currently in development for the same platforms, though as of now, no time frame has been detailed.

Hyrule Warriors: Age Of Calamity And Pikmin 3 To Be Highlighted At Nintendo Treehouse Live Tomorrow

Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity

While many are hyped for the release of Sony and Microsoft's next generation consoles, one can't forget that Nintendo is still very much doing their own thing. They have two first party titles coming this holiday season, one of which is an enhanced re-release of a Wii U title, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and the other is the Zelda spin-off action title, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Now, it looks like tomorrow, we'll get a peek at both.

Via the official Nintendo of America Twitter, it was announced that Nintendo Treehouse Live would be making a surprise return soon, tomorrow in fact. Both of the before mentioned titles will be highlighted. For Pikmin 3 Deluxe, it simply says there will be a "deep dive," and for Age of Calamity it will be a new stage and gameplay details. We just got the reveal of a young Robbie and Purrah for Hyrule Warriors, so who knows what we may see.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe will release on October 30th while Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity releases November 20th. Both titles will be exclusive to the Switch. Nintendo Treehouse Live will air on October 7th.