Insurgency Sandstorm Operation Breakaway Detailed, New Map and Co-op Mode

Insurgency Sandstorm

Operation Breakaway, the new free update for Insurgency Sandstorm, brings lots of various features to the game, including a new map, Outpost game mode, and some new weapons.

Revealed in a new trailer from the game, Operation Breakaway is now available on PC for free and it brings Outpost, a new co-op mode in which you are tasked to hold your position and defend your objective against ever-increasing waves of AI enemies. If you fail to save the objective, you should retreat to a new objective, which in the end leads you to your final and primary base. Check out the trailer down below:

The next big thing is Tell, the brand new map in Insurgency Sandstorm designed for close-quarter combats and set in a middle-east-style urban area. New types of shotguns will join the game to celebrate Tell's addition to the game, but the key weapons that will be added to the game are Famas F1 and AUG A3. While the former has a higher fire-rate, the latter features a bigger magazine.

Aside from the two additions above, some new free skins and outfits will also be available in the game, with four new Breakaway-themed outfits that are only available for DLC owners.

Last but not least, Insurgency Sandstorm is available on Steam with %50 discount until October 12th which is a great opportunity for everyone who wants to have a very realistic experience of an FPS.

Insurgency Sandstorm is only available on PC, but the developers have promised to bring it on PS4 and Xbox One later this year, with Xbox Series X|S and PS5 versions arriving next year.

The post Insurgency Sandstorm Operation Breakaway Detailed, New Map and Co-op Mode by Mehrdad Khayyat appeared first on DualShockers.

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Open Beta PC System Requirements Revealed

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War

The very first Open Beta session of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War begins for PC players as of October 15th and will continue until October 19th. As always, if you don't have a high-end PC, you are probably worried about the system requirements of the game, which has been revealed very recently.

In order to be able to run Black Ops Cold War at the lowest preset, you will need to have an Intel Core-i5 2500K or an equivalent processor from the AMD group. When it comes to GPU, a GeForce GTX 670 or GTX 1650 from Nvidia would be enough, but if you use AMD brands, the lowest-tier graphics card from the red team that would be able to run the game properly is AMD Radeon HD 7950. Eight gigabytes of RAM and 45 GB of free space on your Hard Drive or SSD are the other requirements of the game.

Shifting focus into the recommended system, Cold War developers suggest an Intel Core-i7 4770K processor along with an Nvidia GTX 970 or GTX 1660 Super or an AMD Radeon R9 390 or RX 580 as Graphics Card. 16 GB of RAM and the same amount of free space as the minimum requirements would make a great set for playing the upcoming Beta smoothly at a higher preset. Not to mention that the game will play best on Windows 10 x64, but you can run it on Windows 7 x64 as well.

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 HD space
  • 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 HD space
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Audio: DirectX compatible, requires DirectX 12 compatible system

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Open Beta starts as of tomorrow for PS4 players. The PC community will get access to the Beta as of October 17th, but if you have already pre-ordered the game, you will be able to jump into the multiplayer session from October 15th.

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War will be available for PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on November 13th.

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Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Nintendo Treehouse Coming Today

Pikmin 3 Deluxe

It's been a while since Nintendo's last controversial Nintendo Treehouse Live. The event, which took place early in July, saw Nintendo give us a deep dive into Paper Mario: The Origami King, as well as revealing what they teased as a "first reveal and gameplay for a title in a franchise new to developer WayForward!" This left Nintendo fans excited and speculating what an esteemed developer such as WayForward could be developing. Ultimately, however, the game turned out to be Bakugan: Champions of Vestoria, leaving fans somewhat disappointed.

Now, looking to make amends, Nintendo has announced their Next Treehouse Live presentation, scheduled for later today. Kicking off at 10am PT/1pm ET/ 6pm UK, the event will be taking a look at two of the biggest games from the Nintendo Switch's holiday lineup, Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

The presentation will be livestreamed and feature separate segments on the two titles. Nintendo has confirmed they will be showing off a brand new stage for Pikmin 3 Deluxe, alongside gameplay details for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

While Nintendo hasn't been particularly forthcoming on Pikmin 3 news, plenty of new information regarding Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has been trickling out. Over the past few weeks, Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have revealed information regarding the allies who will be supporting you in Age of Calamity, a further look at Princess Zelda and the four Champions of Hyrule plus the reveal of Impa as a playable character. Not only that, but Nintendo has also confirmed that the once rare Champions Amiibo set would be getting a rerelease but nothing other than a few trailers for Pikmin.

Both titles are releasing on the Nintendo Switch in the coming months, with Pikmin 3 Deluxe releasing on October 30 and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on November 20.

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The Solitaire Conspiracy Has Sold More Copies in its First Nine Hours Than Any Bithell Game At Launch

The Solitaire Conspiracy

In a tweet from developer Mike Bithell, Bithell Games' The Solitaire Conspiracy has sold more copies in its first nine hours than any Bithell Game at launch.

"We've sold more units in the last 9 hours than any of our previous games have across their entire launch days," said Bithell. "Ever. Thank you so much. Sorry for saying the word 'wishlist' so much in the last two weeks. I hope the game met your expectations."

The Solitaire Conspiracy adds a unique twist to the typical Solitaire game and was announced last month. It's set after the destruction of a spy organization called Protego. From there, players take on the role of "C.A.R.D.S" in order to bring back Protego scattered around the world. The game features three modes: a story campaign, a skirmish mode, and a timed countdown mode. Currently, it's only on PC but when a Twitter user asked if the game could come to iOS, Bithell said "definitely interesting." While it's only been out for a day, hopefully the game can release on consoles and mobile to add to its success and reach more players.

This is the latest title from Bithell Games. Their debut title was 2012's Thomas Was Alone and their other recent title was 2019's John Wick Hex. Additionally, it's described as a Bithell Short, which is one of their shorter games that take two to three hours to finish. Other Bithell Short games include Subsurface Circular and Quarantine Circular.

The Solitaire Conspiracy is out now on PC, Mac, and Steam. You can read our written review here. You can also watch our video review below if you're interested.

The post The Solitaire Conspiracy Has Sold More Copies in its First Nine Hours Than Any Bithell Game At Launch by David Gill appeared first on DualShockers.

Geoff Keighley Reiterates that Titles Released in Previous Years Can Qualify for GOTY at The Game Awards

geoff keighley

When it comes to most outlets like our own, the coveted Game of the Year honor is only ever considered for games that released, you know, within that calendar year. That said, perhaps the biggest gaming awards show of the year doesn't abide by these same standards.

In a new discussion with The Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley on Kinda Funny's We Have Cool Friends podcast, Keighley explained a bit more of the reasoning behind the show's voting process. Even though it has been commonplace with The Game Awards for years at this point, Keighley stressed that he isn't the one that decides which games are nominated, even though he is essentially the face of the program. All games chosen for the separate categories at The Game Awards are selected by various participants and publications that are part of a larger voting panel.

Keighley was then asked about the show's stance when it comes to games that are highly-popular within a given year even though they didn't technically release within that same period of time. Again restating that this has been a longstanding rule, Keighley said that games such as Among Us and Hades, which while they may have formally come out a few years back, are absolutely able to qualify for various awards at the show. "If people decide that Among Us is one of the best games of 2020, the fact that it came out in 2018 — totally fine by me," he expressed.

Keighley took his whole explanation one step further and said that with the way games continue to grow and change over time, he wouldn't be surprised if one day there is a game that wins Game of the Year in back to back years at The Game Awards. "I treat our show now sort of like the Emmys treats seasons of TV shows. Breaking Bad can win Best Show two years in a row at the Emmys because it has two seasons, right? So why can't Fortnite win Game of the Year four years after it came out if that was the best [of the] year compared to every other game out there?" Keighley posed.

While I'm sure that some folks out there won't agree with the process by which The Game Awards is going with, I honestly find this all pretty darn refreshing. The fact that The Game Awards is looking to do something of this nature makes the way by which it gives out honors that much more intriguing. And when every other publication or award show that might exist in the gaming space is doing things in the classic manner of only accepting submissions based on the calendar year itself, The Game Awards has found a way to separate itself from everyone else.

As for The Game Awards this year, the show is still set to take place on Thursday, December 10, 2020. Those nominated for awards at the show this year will likely be announced in November, so stay tuned.

The post Geoff Keighley Reiterates that Titles Released in Previous Years Can Qualify for GOTY at The Game Awards by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

Rainbow Six Siege Receives a Tachanka Rework on October 7th

Rainbow Six Siege Tachanka

The wait is finally over for all the Tachanka mains in Rainbow Six Siege to get their hands on the Russian lord's new weapon. Ubisoft will apply the promised Tachanka rework tomorrow on October 7th.

Revealed by a recent tweet from the official Twitter account of Rainbow Six Siege, the anticipated rework for Tachanka is going to be fully shown tomorrow and will likely be applied to the game at the same time.

https://twitter.com/Rainbow6Game/status/1313153183951323138?s=20

As announced at the beginning of Operation Void Edge, the rework for Tachanka will allow him to pick up his turret as a primary weapon, meaning it's no longer a mounted gun. The interesting part is the turret's destructibility will remain the same, which is going to make Tachanka really powerful, but that's not all. Aside from mobilizing his machine gun, Tachanka will also get a flameable-grenade launcher as a new gadget, which works approximately similar to Capitao's crossbow.

Aside from the new weapons, there were also some leaks that the Russian operator will receive an elite skin, however, it needs a confirmation yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTJMOhifch8

 

Rainbow Six Siege is currently in Operation Shadow Legacy that was launched earlier last month. The new season added Sam Fisher, a.k.a. Zero, as the new operator to the game. It also brought some new gadgets and sights to the most of the operators, making a big difference in the game since its launch.

Rainbow Six Siege is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game will be available for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PS5 as well earlier in November.

The next season of Siege which will likely be available earlier next year is set to bring a new defender to the game. According to the leaks, the next operator will be able to set traps on doors, something like a mixture Kapkan and Castle.

The post Rainbow Six Siege Receives a Tachanka Rework on October 7th by Mehrdad Khayyat appeared first on DualShockers.

Overwatch Gets Free Trial Week On Nintendo Switch

Overwatch

Nintendo Switch Online subscribers have got lots to sink their teeth into this month. At the start of the month, Super Mario Bros. 35 was released. The alternate take on the battle royale formula is free for subscription holders and sees 35 players fight to be the last Mario standing. Now, revealed through the Nintendo of America Twitter account, Nintendo Switch Online members can play Blizzard's mega-hit Overwatch free of charge for a week.

The trial begins on November 13 at 11am PT and runs for a week, until November 20. Nintendo Switch Online members will be able to play the full game during this period.

Through its website, Nintendo confirms that any progress will carry over should players choose to purchase the game during the trial, saying:

"Join us and play Overwatch® for free* beginning October 13! You'll have access to all the maps and heroes in a variety of game modes. The Overwatch Game Trial begins October 13 and ends October 20. Any experience or items you earn during this free trial will transfer over if you decide to purchase Overwatch: Legendary Edition; just be sure you purchase the game on the same Nintendo Switch Online account you played with during this Game Trial."

Overwatch has been one of the most successful games on the current generation of consoles. The 6v6 hero shooter is incredibly accessible for all players, has a very broad appeal for streaming and a huge range of heroes for players to choose from. The free trial coincides with Overwatch's first anniversary on the console, as it released on October 15, 2019.

The Overwatch free trial and Super Mario Bros. 35 aren't the only benefits that Nintendo Switch Online members have received recently. Subscribers to the service, which Nintendo recently confirmed has reached 26 million subscribers, now have access to even more games in the NES/SNES libraries. At the end of September, four more games, including Donkey Kong Country 2 and Mario's Super Picross, were added to the service.

The post Overwatch Gets Free Trial Week On Nintendo Switch by Sam Woods appeared first on DualShockers.

Frostpunk: The Board Game Is a Work of Art That You Need To See

Frostpunk The Board Game, Kickstarter, board game

Frostpunk is an incredibly harsh survival strategy game from 11 bit Studios. The game has been wildly successful in the digital space, so it only makes sense that its board game version would demolish its Kickstarter funding goal. The campaign went live earlier today and is already quickly closing in on $500,000 raised. That's rocketed the game up the Kickstarter charts and, once you see, you'll immediately know why.

https://twitter.com/GCUtabletop/status/1313421514214125569

Unsurprisingly, the game is visually gorgeous. The video game version of Frostpunk has stunning art and they've used it well here. Plus, the miniatures are excellent and all Kickstarter backers will have their minis pre-shaded. That adds a ton of depth to each piece and, if you don't plan to paint your minis, is an awesome touch that you don't usually see.

We can't go much further without talking about that massive cube tower Glass Cannon Unplugged is including with the game. Frostpunk players know how important it is to keep the fire roaring and this cube tower simulates that mechanic in a clever way.

Frostpunk: The Board Game plays from 1-4 and lets each player take on their own role. This should cut down a bit on the learning curve as you really only need to focus on your own portion of the city. It's a smart move that makes the game a bit less intimidating to newer players.

Of course, all these miniatures aren't going to come cheap. The Deluxe version runs you about $150, though it does include a ton of stuff. That's not crazy when compared to other big-box Kickstarter games, but it will sting your pocketbook.

Frostpunk: The Board Game is on Kickstarter for 22 days at the time of this writing. Give it a look, if you need something to play next fall.

The post Frostpunk: The Board Game Is a Work of Art That You Need To See by Ricky Frech appeared first on DualShockers.

Pokemon GO is Helping 1,000 Small Businesses During the Pandemic With Launch of Recovery Initiative

Pokemon GO

Given the severity of the COVID-19 around the world and the impact that it has had economically, small locally-owned businesses have especially felt the impact of the pandemic over the past several months. In an effort to assist small businesses during the pandemic, Niantic and Pokemon GO have launched their Local Business Recovery Initiative to support 1,000 small businesses in a variety of countries.

In a blog post on their official website, Niantic officially announced that it has launched its Local Business Recovery Initiative to help support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Announced earlier this year, the initiative detailed that Pokemon GO players could nominate their favorite local and small businesses–such as cafes, restaurants, bookstores, and more–to become sponsored in-game locations in Pokemon GO for one year, providing the businesses with free promotion and foot traffic from players.

According to Niantic, over 38,000 small and local businesses were nominated by players in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Japan, with Niantic having narrowed down its nominees to the participating 1,000 businesses spread across those 5 countries. In a statement, Niantic senior product manager Carla Li explained that the initiative is "designed to spotlight many local businesses beloved by players and which have been negatively impacted by the global pandemic." Additionally, Li explained that for the businesses chosen by Niantic, "becoming a sponsored location will drive awareness and aid in the recovery of both the businesses and the communities which they serve."

Pokemon GO has been a game that has had to adapt rapidly to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as shifting its annual GO Fest to a completely virtual setting for the first time ever, and making changes in-game to accommodate social distancing and avoiding large gatherings. However, the Local Business Recovery Initiative is one part of Niantic's commitment to using the platform of Pokemon GO to help out both its communities and its player in uncertain times.

Pokemon GO is available now on iOS and Android.

The post Pokemon GO is Helping 1,000 Small Businesses During the Pandemic With Launch of Recovery Initiative by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.

Mortal Kombat 11 Next DLC Fighter to be Revealed on Thursday

Alongside announcing that Mortal Kombat 11 had sold 8 million copies across all platforms only yesterday, NetherRealm Studios' Ed Boon teased that we might soon be learning more about future content for the highly-popular fighting game. Well, we now know exactly when that announcement will be taking place.

In a new tweet that came with an accompanying teaser video today, Boon revealed that more information on the future of Mortal Kombat 11 will be divulged on Thursday, October 8. In particular, it seems as though this teaser video that we were shown is part of a much larger trailer that will be going live at 9:00am EDT/6:00am PDT later this week.

As for the teaser video itself, all we were briefly shown was a snippet of a Taktana, which is the alien species that the character Baraka belongs to, running through either a forest or a jungle. Boon posted the video along with the message, "Who is chasing that Tarkatan?" making it sound as though the next DLC fighter for MK11 is hunting this character down.

Based on past reports and rumors, we have some pretty good ideas of who this pursuer could be. John Rambo from the Rambo action films is said to be one of the new additions to the roster of MK11 based on information that was found from data miners. Other classic MK fighters including Mileena and Rain are also said to be coming in the future. It stands to reason that if these rumors are true, we'll likely see all three characters unveiled later this week.

Whatever Boon and the team at NetherRealm have to share about Mortal Kombat 11 later this week, we'll be sure to keep you in the loop once the announcement goes live.

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