Kotaku Tuesday, March 8, 2022 4:45 PM  In the week and change since Elden Ring's launch, conversations about its difficulty have run the same, tired course as those concerning all its FromSoftware predecessors. The biggest point of contention seems to lie with the player's inability to pause the game, but it turns out you can pause Elden Ring, no mods… |
Kotaku Tuesday, March 8, 2022 4:30 PM  Amazon Games has addressed the online discourse surrounding its popular 2019 South Korean MMORPG Lost Ark and elaborated on future updates geared towards fixing the dated depictions of its female characters. |
Kotaku Tuesday, March 8, 2022 3:50 PM  A custom Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade model of Cloud Strife wearing a leather jacket drew criticism from the users of mod repository NexusMods earlier this week due to the way it exposed the brooding protagonist's chiseled abs with a form-fitting crop top. |
Kotaku Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:46 PM  Sony's next State of Play livestream showcasing games for the PlayStation 5 will take place Wednesday, March 9, the company announced today. It didn't say what will be shown, but Sony did tease new reveals and updates from "beloved Japanese publishers." Are we finally getting a release date for Final Fantasy XVI? |
Kotaku Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:30 PM  On February 27, software engineer Michael Smith surpassed his own previous world record for Konami's 1981 coin-op classic Frogger, a feat which involved maxing out the game's score counter multiple times. His new score sits at a comfortable 1,356,520, handily toppling his previous record of 970,440. |
Kotaku Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:10 AM  Most games don't get upgraded for a new console generation even once, let alone twice. After first coming out on Xbox 360 and PS3 back in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V will finally get an "enhanced and expanded" version on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this month, but with one pricey wrinkle: GTA V will be $20 cheaper on… |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 5:07 PM  Picture Terraria - now turn it top-down and fill it with Diablo-style procedurally-generated dungeons to crawl, and you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect from Core Keeper. The game's demo was one of the big hits of the recent Steam Next Fest, and now it's drawing in an impressive number of paying players in Steam Early Access. Core Keeper hit Early Access today with a 10% launch discount, bringing the price down to $11.69 / £9.89 / €11.69. It reached a peak concurrent player count of 7,555 on day one, which is a bit shy of Steam's top 100, but an impressive debut for a new indie game from an as-yet-little-known studio. Core Keeper has already been playable in a variety of betas up to this point, which partly explains its popularity. The game is playable either in solo or in eight-player co-op, and has you digging through an endless cave to gather resources, build your base, upgrade your equipment, and seek out a whole host of monstrous bosses to power up your Core and unravel the setting's mysteries. |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 3:35 PM  It's hard to believe that the skaven-smashing co-op game Vermintide 2 is already four years old, but it's true - and to celebrate, Fatshark have activated the limited time A Quiet Drink mission between now and March 20. The studio says there's more to come, however, with a quality of life update set to roll out next week. A Quiet Drink sees the Ubersreik Five (or four? Eh, no matter) out in town carousing their way toward the Hungry Troll Tavern, on the hunt for some of the legendary Bugman's XXXXXX, supposedly the most refreshing alcoholic beverage ever brewed. Naturally, they're set upon by hordes of skaven, and some chaos warriors eventually turn up to join in the ruckus. In other words, it's a regular night on the town. If it's been a while since you've dipped into Vermintide 2, now's a good time to check out what's changed while you've been away. The Chaos Wastes update effectively doubles the map area of the vanilla game with a semi-roguelike expeditions mode that sees you travel into the realms of chaos to stave off the coming apocalypse. Plus, the game is currently 80% off on Steam. RELATED LINKS: Vermintide 2 release date, Vermintide 2 Chaos, Vermintide 2 careers |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 1:52 PM  Whether it's because of the asynchronous multiplayer features or a dedication to keeping you immersed in a harsh world, you typically can't pause From Software's Soulsborne games. From Demon's Souls to Dark Souls III, the game will just keep running even while you explore the menus, and while Sekiro turned out to be an exception, Elden Ring is not. Or, at least, it seemed that Elden Ring was another no-pauser. But you actually can suspend the game at any time by popping open the menu, entering your inventory, opening the help function, going up one slot, and choosing 'menu explanation'. The game freezes for as long as the help box is on screen, and action resumes the moment you close it. The hidden 'feature' was noted by popular Souls YouTuber Iron Pineapple on Twitter today, and we've double-checked to find that it works both on PC and PlayStation 5. You can even take breaks during boss fights. Five button presses is perhaps four too many for a pause feature, but hey, if you really need to take a brief break, the option's there. RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 1:19 PM  Just over two years after its original launch in Korea, Lost Ark went worldwide this February courtesy of Amazon Games, and it looks like the global launch has been a resounding success. The devs have announced in a press release that the game has now exceeded 20 million users across the worldwide versions of the game. Lost Ark crossed the 20 million global player mark as of March 7. The devs say that 10 million of those players come from the newly-added regions of North America, Europe, South America, and Australia. 4.7 million new players joined the game in the first three days after the Western launch alone. The MMO's player counts were already setting records with the concurrent player numbers we can see publicly on Steam. It's the fifth game on Steam to reach over 1 million concurrent players, and has the second-highest peak player count in the platform's history. It's also holding onto players remarkably well, and is still regularly hitting daily peaks over 800k. RELATED LINKS: Best MMOS and MMORPGs on PC, Upcoming PC games, Best fantasy games on PC |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 1:02 PM  March 8, 2022 Rainbow Six Siege: Demon Veil's release date is currently targeted for March 15. Last month Ubisoft revealed the next chapter of Rainbow Six Siege and confirmed that the FPS game's Year 7 Season 1 will be Demon Veil. Now, Ubisoft has provided some contradictory info on when the update was scheduled to launch, but marketing director Laure Guilbert has now confirmed that the new season is currently scheduled to kick off on March 15. The new season will introduce the multiplayer game's latest operator Azami, who can throw kunai blades and even repair holes and breaches. Ubisoft already revealed Siege's Year 7 roadmap, but failed to specify the exact release date for Demon Veil. If you've been confused by this, you're not alone. A couple of store pages suggested that Demon Veil would be kicking off this week. Anyone who picked up the Year 7 Premium Pass would have noticed that the special "exotic weapon skin for the MPX" unlocked this coming Tuesday, March 8. Buried in a recent press release, Ubisoft quietly noted that Rainbow Six Siege's Demon Veil season was indeed "launching March 8" - and the page for the new season on Xbox consoles even provides a release time, although a slightly different date. RELATED LINKS: Rainbow Six Siege Year 5 operators, Best Rainbow Six Siege operators, Play Rainbow Six Siege |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:48 PM  Windows 11's TPM requirement has left many hoping to upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft's operating system confused at best, and frustrated at worst. However, even those with eligible gaming PCs that meet the prerequisite are enduring their own share of frustrations with TPM, particularly those with Ryzen processors. Thankfully, a fix is on the way from AMD. In a support article on its official website, AMD says it has determined that the cause of these stuttering issues is related to "extended fTPM-related memory transactions in SPI flash memory." Users will need to apply a BIOS patch in order to resolve the problem for good, which the company expects to be available in early May. In the meantime, AMD recommends installing a hardware TPM module if you can't go without the functionality. If you can forgo it for now, users report that disabling fTPM in your motherboard's BIOS shouldn't negatively system performance, but we recommend proceeding with caution. RELATED LINKS: Zen 4 CPUs - everything we know, RDNA 3 GPUs - everything we know, Best gaming CPU |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:46 PM  Early Access RTS game Warno has an update out today that adds two brand new maps to the map pool. Patch Six introduces Mount River and Two Lakes, as well as a new single-player mode for the Death Row map. The update also includes a welcome list of tweaks and fixes, so let's get down to business. Mount River is a new 3v3 map that developer Eugen Systems says is 83 square kilometres. Its varied terrain features plateaus, forests, and towns, but its central area is shaped by three lakes that create a series of defensible chokepoints. However, should one battlegroup gain a solid foothold there, the western corridor of the map is prime for flanking manoeuvres, so there's no chance for anyone to get too complacent. Two Lakes, on the other hand, is a narrower 2v2 map that features central fields surrounding two towns. Adjoining this is a U-shaped forest, which can allow a player to regain some of the initiative if their opponent swiftly captures the towns. |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:45 PM  Opera continues to suit and boot its GX browser with all the gamer necessities, this time welcoming Logitech G Lightsync support with open arms. Now, anyone running the best gaming mouse for lefties, the best gaming keyboard with a low profile, or just about any Logitech peripheral can synchronise their lighting with the browser. Hooking your clickers and keyboards up to your browser yields some pretty handy benefits outside of your games. You can customise your own lighting effects and animations or choose from a range of presets that shine when you receive a message, a download is complete, or you activate your RAM, CPU, and network limiters. It's a lifesaver not having to manually monitor my inbox during work - just keep a tab open and let the lighting do its thing. It's no trouble if you mix and match your peripherals, either, as Logitech G Lightsync support joins Corsair iCUE and Razer Chroma integration. While this leaves SteelSeries Engine, Roccat Swarm, and Asus Aura out of the mix, Chroma and iCUE offer support for plenty of third-party products, so the chances are your setup should be compatible with Opera GX's reactive lighting. RELATED LINKS: Logitech G Pro Wireless review, Logitech G PowerPlay review, Logitech G502 Lightspeed review |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:34 PM  As part of a hotfix for the new Fortnite 19.40 update, Epic Games' popular battle royale game now has killer poultry. Avian Ambush week has begun, and these Fortnite loot chickens can net players some powerful weapons - if you can kill them before they kill you. Anyone who's played The Legend of Zelda games, particularly Ocarina of Time, will know of the terrible fury unleashed if you dare to attack the Cuccos. Fortnite players are in a similar situation now, as Epic has added special "loot chickens". Shoot one of these glowing birds and it will drop a decent weapon, depending on the colour of the chicken's aura - purple for a Legendary item seems the most common. Unfortunately, this will cause all of the chickens in the surrounding area to attack the player, even if they're just the regular type. They don't do too much damage but can call a lot of unwanted attention to the player, so make sure to either get them before they get you - or nab the loot and escape. RELATED LINKS: Fortnite V-Bucks, Fortnite Skins, Fortnite Creative Codes |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:30 PM  Okay, yes, it's not actually Grand Theft Auto IV protagonist Niko Bellic, but this achievement from speedrunner named 'niko bellic' is still worth calling your cousin about. Barely one week after the launch of Elden Ring, the runner managed to beat the game in under two and a half hours - without dying. The full video (via The Loadout), which you can watch below, was published on March 3. Neither Speedrun.com nor the SpeedSouls wiki yet has leaderboards set up for Elden Ring, so it looks like niko bellic's run still doesn't have much competition. As far as future speedruns go, niko bellic says on Reddit that "I think I´ll just leave it up to the better Souls speedrunners than me (like The Happy Hob). They will surely even get the speedrun time of the game down to an hour in the next couple of months, so I am very much looking forward to that." For now, the runner recommends interested players check out the SpeedSouls Discord for further insight into how the run is progressing. RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:30 PM  Wondering what the next Genshin Impact banner is? Genshin Impact banners adhere to a pretty regular schedule. Each update arrives with a new banner that lasts around three weeks, and after it expires, it's followed by a second banner which also lasts roughly three weeks, at which point it's update time once again. This means even though we hear rumours of new Genshin Impact characters arriving in forthcoming updates, we won't know their exact release date until we know which banner they will be a part of, and whether it'll be the first or second banner in the update. Occasionally, banners don't stick to this schedule - most notably, update 1.3 had three two-week banners, so that Hu Tao's banner didn't cross over with the Chinese New Year. Typically, each limited character banner - or Event Wish - contains a five-star character, and three four-star characters. There's also a Weapon banner - Epitome Invocation - which runs alongside each character banner, and features different weapons each time. Here's everything you need to know about the current and upcoming Genshin Impact banners. RELATED LINKS: Play Genshin Impact for free, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:28 AM  We're back with another Galactic Civilizations IV civilization preview, and this time we're going to look at the Terrans. Every space 4X game has some kind of human analogue, or a vision of a future Earth as we step into space. Thanks to events of Galactic Civilizations IV's canon storyline, the strategy game's fourth entry sees humanity split into two distinct factions. Now that the game is in beta, you can jump in and try them both for yourself by pre-ordering today. The Terran Alliance has been in every Galactic Civilizations game to date and is portrayed as flexible, likeable, and innovative. In the lore, humans were the first species to invent hyperdrive technology, which they then spread to the rest of the galaxy. This sparked an arms race that set the stage for the game's traditional strategy premise of different factions competing for galactic dominance. But there's now a second playable human faction: the Terran Resistance. During the events of Galactic Civilizations III, the Terran Alliance was weakened during a war with the Dread Lords, after which the Drengin and the Yor beat humanity all the way back to Earth. Though their home world was protected by an impenetrable force field, a massive blockade kept the humans confined there. The remnants of the Alliance that were trapped outside the Sol system then formed the Terran Resistance. RELATED LINKS: The best 4X games on PC, The best turn-based strategy games on PC |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:24 AM  Borderlands spin-off Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is out in just over two weeks, and the shape of Gearbox's latest FPS game is beginning to come clear. Now the developer has revealed just what Wonderlands' endgame will look like - a randomised dungeon with gun-vomiting bunnies. As a fantasy game take on Gearbox's Borderlands franchise, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands needs elaborate dungeons filled with loot for players to explore when the game goes live. The developer has lifted the lid on Chaos Chamber, a replayable dungeon with randomised elements that serves as "the core endgame loop of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands". Each Chaos Chamber consists of six unique rooms, punctuated by two boss encounters. There will be optional side objectives, such as defeating enemies in specific areas or protecting a statue of Tina's unicorn Butt Stallion from gangs of vandals. These earn crystals, which can be collected to unlock more powerful loot or add various buffs to the characters - or even debuffs, which make the run harder but will net bigger rewards. |
PCGamesN Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:29 AM  I deleted my 50-hour save file almost as soon as I filed my Elden Ring review. I wanted to play Elden Ring with the wider community, partly to experience the game with the full benefit of its multiplayer systems - it turns out that's mostly hitting walls with prank player messages in front of them - but also because I wanted to help as many players as possible get past the game's first big skill-check: Margit, the Fell Omen. Laying down a summon sign and helping someone defeat a boss for the very first time is my favourite part of Souls games - summoning is one of the coolest multiplayer mechanics in gaming. It's a chance to help someone through a moment of frustration, bask in their elation when you slay the boss together, and show off your build and skills. In the first Dark Souls I helped roughly 40 players defeat the infamous Ornstein and Smough, and early into Elden Ring I decided I'd do the same with Stormveil Castle's literal gatekeeper. Margit's not the toughest fight in Elden Ring, but he's a seriously challenging first major boss, and with the game achieving enviable concurrent player counts, he was bound to block progress for a ton of players. My hunch was spot on: it's been nearly two weeks and just under 60% of the player base has earned the achievement for finishing this fight. RELATED LINKS: Elden Ring system requirements, Elden Ring bosses guide, The best Elden Ring classes |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 8, 2022 5:34 PM  I'm not sure how I feel about the term "boomer shooter". Given that it refers to new first-person shooters which evoke games from the '90s, shouldn't they be millenial shooters? Fresh from killing napkins and mayonnaise, here come millenials to kill Shub-Niggurath. This is clearly me fighting a losing semantic battle, but in any case, Humble's Boomer Shooters Bundle has a lot of great games, including Dusk, Amid Evil, Ion Fury, HROT, and more for £9.05/$12. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 8, 2022 5:02 PM  Every citybuilder is about keeping the districts of your city in balance, but Airborne Kingdom makes it rather more literal. As your flying metropolis expands, you have to apply propulsion machines - fabric wings, gigantic oars, pedal-powered rotors - to make sure it doesn't tip dangerously this way or that. It's delightful, and after a year on Epic's game store, the Epic Games Store, it's available on Steam. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 8, 2022 4:16 PM  Elden Ring hides its open world's beauty behind a layer of difficulty, sure, but it's nothing compared to the Disgaea series. These colourful JRPGs have been hiding some of the deepest and most satisfying levelling systems in all of gaming behind the world's most obnoxious anime characters for years now. The next brutal gauntlet is Disgaea 6 Complete, with a newly announced released date of June 28th. There's also a new character trailer below, which sets out its stall. Can you survive it? |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:07 PM  Square Enix this week announced a four-and-a-bit-month delay for Forspoken, the open-world action-adventure game about a New Yorker pulled into a fantasy world. Previously due on the 24th of May, it's now slated for the 11th of October. Sounds like Squeenix hope to make it the start of a new series, so they're taking time to help ensure it's proper good. Fair enough. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:00 PM  Elden Ring has got me thinking again. Not about its terrible banter I adore or its rolling goats. My mind has turned to its elevators and how FromSoftware does them justice. They aren't just tools to get from A to B but moving platforms that hide secrets or instill a sense of dread. Not to mention their little pressure plates - god they're satisfying aren't they? |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 4:02 PM Rocket Panda Games released a new trailer of the upcoming 2D fighting game Phantom Breaker: Omnia, showcasing a match. The post Phantom Breaker: Omnia Gameplay Trailer Shows New Character Artifactor vs Ende in Action appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 3:56 PM Earlier today, developer Magic Design Studios and publisher Gearbox Publishing dropped a brand new launch trailer for their 2D roguelike, Have a Nice Death, which releases today into Early Access on PC. Feel free to check out the new video for yourself down below: As you can see in the footage above, Have a Nice […] The post Have a Nice Death Gets an Epic Early Access Launch Trailer appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 3:40 PM Today, Secretlab has revealed that they're teaming up with DC Comics to bring fans of The Dark Knight an impressive new Titan Evo 2022 chair. Upholstered in Secretlab NEO Hybrid Leatherette, The Batman movie edition version of the chair is now available for pre-order on the official website. The sizes include small, medium, and large, […] The post Secretlab Unveil The Batman Chair Collab, Featuring a Magnetic Emblem appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 2:11 PM To celebrate International Women's Day, which is today, Letterkenny has surprised its fans with a brand new special episode. The episode has already dropped on Hulu and Crave, and is centered around an anti-beauty pageant. In the teasers that Hulu has posted so far, the boys talk about some of their favorite women in history, […] The post Letterkenny Celebrates International Women's Day with a Special Anti-Beauty Pageant Episode appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 1:09 PM Today third-party developers provided new assets and details about their upcoming add-ons for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The post Microsoft Flight Simulator Renton Airport Shows Crazy Level of Detail; FS Traffic & Stockholm Arlanda Get New Screenshots appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 12:33 PM Rain Six Siege's new Year 7 season, Demon Veil, will go live next week, so Ubisoft is building up a little more hype for it in the form of an animated story trailer for the upcoming Operator, Azami. This video comes after her cinematic trailer reveal just last month, and it allows us to get […] The post Rainbow Six Siege Animated Trailer Dives Into Azami's Backstory appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:54 AM If you're a Genshin Impact fan and like Nendoroid figures, Good Smile Company just made one portraying Venti available for pre-order. The post Genshin Impact Getting Adorable Venti Nendoroid Figure appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:25 AM Today, Outright Games has announced a partnership with Hasbro to bring fans of the My Little Pony series a brand new video game for the first time in over five years. Titled My Little Pony: A Maretime Bay Adventure, this new adventure will allow fans to play together in the magical world of Equestria from […] The post My Little Pony: A Maretime Bay Adventure Spring 2022 Release Window & Screenshots Revealed appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Twinfinite Tuesday, March 8, 2022 11:15 AM Today developer SimulaM had news to share via press release about its upcoming Jesus simulator I am Jesus Christ. The post I am Jesus Christ Accepting Beta Testers Today for Nowly-Optimized Build appeared first on Twinfinite. |
Siliconera Tuesday, March 8, 2022 4:30 PM
Publisher Square Enix shared the minimum and recommended PC specs to play Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. The PC release of the game will be available to purchase and download exclusively on the Epic Games Store. Team Ninja has developed this game as an action RPG inspired by the world of the original Final Fantasy. Since it launches later in March 2022, this is a chance to compare your PC specs with the minimum and recommended specs Square Enix has shared for Stranger of Paradise ahead of launch. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin PC Minimum and Recommended Specs
Daisuke Inoue, the director of Stranger of Paradise, recently explained how previous Final Fantasy games inspired this game's dungeon designs. However, the primary influence is the original Final Fantasy, and familiar characters like the Four Fiends will appear. The game will also involve with protagonist Jack becoming the infamous villain Garland. Yet despite borrowing familiar characters and iconography, Stranger of Paradise does not exist in the same world as the original Final Fantasy. Instead, it is a reimagining of that world. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin launches on March 18, 2022 on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via the Epic Games Store. It is available to preorder on all platforms. There is both a standard edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition that includes a DLC season pass, digital art book, and digital mini soundtrack. The post Stranger of Paradise PC Specs Shared by Square Enix appeared first on Siliconera. Mar 08, 10:00
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Vanguard is not the only Call of Duty game getting new content in Season Two. Recently, Treyarch released some surprise content into Black Ops Cold War and Warzone Pacific with the Vargo 52 assault rifle. Before you can begin leveling it up, you have to unlock it by completing a challenge. Once you have done so, you can use the best attachments to build a Vargo 52 class that can take over the battlefields of Black Ops Cold War. The Vargo 52 is already powerful in multiplayer, especially on maps with long lines of sight. This class will focus on improving the accuracy of this fast-firing gun. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War best Vargo 52 class Muzzle: GRU Suppressor Barrel: 17.1" VDV Reinforced Body: Tiger Team Spotlight Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip Magazine: VDV 50 Rnd Fast Mag Handle: GRU Elastic Wrap Stock: KGB Skeletal Stock Optic: Microflex LED Let's begin by breaking down the class. The first attachment is the GRU Suppressor, which keeps your shots hidden from ene...