Gaming News

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Devs Hold 3-Hour AMA Without Ever Mentioning Skill-Based Matchmaking

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 developer Sledgehammer Games held a Reddit AMA on Monday intended to answer a ton questions about the game's multiplayer. However, it remained silent on one of the game's most controversial issues: Skill-Based Matchmaking. For those unfamiliar, Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) has been a long-running hot topic in the world of Call of Duty, as it is meant to put players in lobbies made up of similarly-skilled players. Unfortunately, some higher-skilled players have been known to lose on purpose so they can match up against lower-skilled players. Many have called for SBMM to just be part of Ranked playlists, but those requests and many more have never been addressed. Activision has never truly spoken on the...

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Dev to Pull Infamous 'Groot' Skin While It Works on a Fix

Sledgehammer Games is finally working on a fix for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s infamous Gaia Operator outfit — a.k.a. the “Groot” skin. The skin, which is available as an alternate costume for the Nova Operator, has been criticized by the Call of Duty community ever since its debut with Modern Warfare 2 Season 6 in late September. Unlike other outfits, the tree-like get-up has been said to be harder to spot during battle due to the many holes in its torso. Although the skin was adjusted to improve visibility shortly after launch, it seems the release of Modern Warfare 3 on November 10 led to more frustrations. The newest entry in the Call of Duty series allows players to bring their unlocks, weapons, and purchases from the...

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Flashback 2 Review

Released in 1992 for the Commodore Amiga and then a year later on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, the original Flashback was so groundbreakingly cinematic that it was initially advertised as being a “CD-ROM game on a cartridge.” Sadly its long-awaited sequel, Flashback 2, doesn’t break any new ground – but it does manage to break in almost every other way imaginable. Poorly presented, sloppily executed, and absolutely lousy with progress-stalling bugs, I’m not sure you could experience a Flashback more unpleasant than this even if you’d dropped all the acid at Woodstock. You wouldn’t know that it’s been 31 years since the original Flashback, partly since Flashback 2’s story runs concurrently with that of its predecessor and...

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Fortnite Planning to Disable Age-Gated Cosmetic, Reveals v28.00 Update Release Date

Fortnite is disabling its controversial age restrictions over cosmetics, which fans have criticized as one of the game's "worst updates." In a message on its website, Fortnite's developers announced that the cosmetics will be disabled in lieu of a long-term coslution. The full message follows below. The announcement was greeted positively within the Fortnite community following the backlash over the age restrictions, which saw every cosmetic item receive an age rating that was only compatible with certain islands. Epic Games claimed that the move was "to help parents and players make informed play decisions about the thousands of games and other experiences in Fortnite." Epic Games will continue to investigate the possibility of...

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The Simpsons Hit & Run's Developers Are Just as Confused as Fans About Why We Never Got a Sequel

The developers of The Simpsons: Hit & Run finally sat down to discuss why the cult classic open-world game never got a sequel, and honestly, it sounds like they're just as confused as fans. Programmers Cary Brisebois and Greg Mayer, producer Steve Bocska, designer Darren Evenson, executive producer John Melchior and designer-writer Chris Mitchell dove into the details of what happened in a call with reporter Ben Hanson. A three-minute clip of the interview was posted November 20 on the MinnMax YouTube channel. As it turns out, a follow-up game was in the works by Radical Entertainment, the developers revealed. But when asked about the rationale behind the decision to halt production on the sequel, Melchior said, "I don't know." "It...

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Best SD Card for Steam Deck is On Sale for Black Friday

Black Friday is out and about, seeking people to deliver its deals to. We are but humble servants of the people, and if you are somebody who needs some high-quality SD storage for gaming devices like the Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, or whatever else, I've got you covered. If you need more Steam Deck goodies, grab this dock on sale now. Looking for the best Black Friday has to offer? Check out our Black Friday deals hub mega-post. TeamGroup A2 Pro Plus SD Card for $22.99 This particular gem has 512GB of space that can move data at 160MB/s, meaning if you choose to use it in a video camera, you'll get 4K quality recordings in this MicroSDHC card. With UHS-1 Speed Class 3 and video speed class V30, it has it where it counts. Continue...

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Returnal Director Harry Krueger to Leave PlayStation Studio Housemarque After 14 Years

Housemarque’s Harry Krueger, who is best-known for serving as game director for trippy sci-fi shooter Returnal, is leaving the studio after 14 years. Housemarque announced the news in a post on its website and sends the creative off with well-wishes. Krueger led the team through development of the PS5 game but also has credits for other titles, such as Outland, Resogun, and Nex Machina. Krueger shared a statement regarding his exit, saying that he has been “incredibly fortunate to work on one dream project after another, and had the privilege of working alongside some truly talented and wonderful people along the way.” “It's been an honor to accompany Housemarque on this journey, witnessing our growth from our smaller...

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Starfield's 1.8.86 Update Officially Adds DLSS Support and Finally Allows You to Eat Food on Sight

Starfield unveiled a big update on Monday, officially rolling out DLSS 3 support to PC players, various graphics and performance improvements, the ability to eat food without picking it up first, and a whole lot more. Bethesda Game Studios had been testing DLSS 3 support in beta for the last few weeks. Update 1.8.86, however, makes DLSS Super Resolution, Deep Learning Anti-aliasing (DLAA), Nvidia Reflex Low Latency, and DLSS Frame generation available to all players with compatible Nvidia graphics cards, satisfying a long-requested feature from PC players. In another long-awaited addition, the update also adds a "consume" button for food and drinks, allowing you to eat as soon as you find the items in-world or save them for later...

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Lethal Company, Steam's Latest Hit, Reaches 100,000 Concurrent Players

Steam's latest hit is a cooperative horror game about scavenging derelict moons called Lethal Company, and its now reached more than 100,000 concurrent players. Developer Zeekerss posted on X/Twitter to celebrate the achievement, below, revealed by player tracking website SteamDB. "While I was asleep Lethal Company passed 100,000 concurrent players," they said. "Unbelievable, thank you for playing. Releasing updates for this game will be very fun." Lethal Company released in Steam Early Access on October 23 and steadily increased in popularity until last week when it spiked. Sitting at a peak of 47,933 on November 14, Lethal Company's numbers grew every day before jumping from 60,838 on November 17 to 88,751 the next day. It crossed...

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The Perfect Steam Deck Dock Is On Sale for Black Friday

Black Friday sales have officially started, and online retailers have begun to roll out dozens of deals. While Valve isn't selling the Steam Deck at a discount, Amazon has a great deal on another Steam Deck docking station. The JSAUX Dock allows you to broadcast your Steam Deck onto the display of your choice, whether that be a TV or monitor. At $31.99, this deal is at a 36% discount for Black Friday, and a great discount for those buying a Steam Deck or Steam Deck OLED. Steam Deck Docking Station Only $31.99 for Black Friday We consider the JSAUX Docking Station to be the best Steam Deck dock for good reason. It has a plethora of features that make this a worthwhile purchase. For starters, the device has 4K capabilities. You can take...

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Microsoft Snaps Up Highly Rated Steam City Builder Against the Storm for PC Game Pass

Against the Storm leaves early access next month with a 1.0 update that adds a new game mode, publisher Hooded Horse has announced. Not only that, but Microsoft has snapped up Eremite Games’ roguelite city builder for PC Game Pass. The 1.0 release date is set for December 8, which is when Against the Storm launches on the Microsoft Store as well as PC Game Pass. Against the Storm is described as a “dark fantasy city builder where you must rebuild civilization in the face of apocalyptic rains”. As the Queen’s Viceroy, you lead humans, beavers, lizards, foxes, and harpies to reclaim the wilderness and secure a future for civilization's last survivors. The new game mode is called Queen’s Hand, a “specially crafted challenge for...

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With GTA 6 Waiting in the Wings, Fans Find Possible Evidence of Cut GTA 5 Story DLC, Canned Bully 2

As the world waits for Grand Theft Auto 6’s debut trailer, further evidence has emerged of scrapped plans for Grand Theft Auto 5 story DLC as well as Bully 2. As spotted by VGC, the latest news comes from the alleged leak of a database file for Grand Theft Auto 5, which is being dug into by the community. According to Twitter user @billsyliamgta, who credits GTA dataminers, this file includes reference to the unreleased Bully 2. For the uninitiated, Bully is Rockstar’s 2006 game about a juvenile delinquent student named James "Jimmy" Hopkins, who rises through the ranks of Bullworth Academy. Fans have long-called for a sequel, which was once in development at Rockstar’s New England studio in the late 2000s. While Bully 2 was...

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Sounds Like We’ll Eventually Get a Nier Sequel, but Don’t Hold Your Breath

With blockbuster hit Nier: Automata approaching its seventh birthday, fans are wondering when they’ll get a sequel. It sounds like one is coming, but not any time soon. At Korean game event G-STAR 2023, Square Enix producer Yosuke Saito said, while Nier chief Yoko Taro is alive, they will release a new entry in the Nier series. That’s according to a write-up by Japanese publication 4Gamer translated by Twitter user Genki. In the meantime, Saito and Taro are supposedly working on another, non-Nier related project the pair hope to talk about sometime in 2024. Action RPG Nier: Automata launched in 2017 and wowed critics and fans with its beautiful locations and zany, fun-filled combat. It was a surprise breakout hit for Square Enix...

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Cities Skylines 2 Dev Delays Expansion Pass DLC to Fix the PC Version, Apologises

Embattled city-builder Cities Skylines 2 has suffered another setback, this time to the planned release of DLC. Developer Colossal Order today confirmed a delay to the Expansion Pass post-launch content so it can focus on much-needed performance improvements and the already delayed Mod Editor. The first Asset Pack release, initially due out during the fourth quarter of 2023, is now due out during the first quarter of 2024. The Content Creator Packs, initially planned for Q1 2024, are now due Q2 2024. The three DLC radio stations are also delayed. Expansion Bridges and Ports remains on-track for Q2 2024, however. In a blog post, Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen apologised for the delays, insisting “once the PC version is where...

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The Walking Dead: Destinies the Latest ‘Worst Game of 2023’ Contender From Company Behind King Kong

The Walking Dead: Destinies launched last week with little fanfare and it didn’t take long for it to emerge as yet another worst game of 2023 contender from the same company that published this year's terrible King Kong game. The Walking Dead: Destinies is developed by little-known Brazilian studio Flux Games and published by Minneapolis-based GameMill Entertainment. Last month GameMill published Skull Island: Rise of Kong, which went viral for its terrible visuals, gameplay, and cutscenes. IGN's Skull Island: Rise of Kong review awarded it a 3/10, calling it "a boring, buggy, totally unambitious game that isn't even interesting in its failures." It later emerged that Chilean indie studio IguanaBee developed Rise of Kong within a...

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How Black Myth: Wukong Developer’s History of Sexism Is Complicating its Journey to the West

A headless bard, strumming on a three-stringed instrument called the sanxian, sits leisurely on an exposed root of a great gnarled tree, seemingly alone within a brown, parched wilderness of grass and bushes. Yet from the skies, several cloaked figures give chase to a fleet-footed Sun Wukong, the eponymous hero of Black Myth: Wukong, as he carves a bloody path towards a derelict temple. It’s a breathtaking introduction to the latest trailer for the soulslike game, developed by Chinese indie studio Game Science, with a release date that’s slated for 2024. The global buzz around Black Myth: Wukong may be gradually reaching fever pitch, but the excitement over the game feels like it has peaked back in China, with local publications...

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PlayStation Plus Premium Gets 2-Hour Baldur’s Gate 3 Trial and a 1-Hour Gollum Trial

Two new time-limited trials are on offer to PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers, although you may be interested in one more than the other. Larian’s sweeping Dungeons & Dragons role-playing adventure Baldur’s Gate 3 has a new two-hour trial, exclusive to PS Plus Premium subscribers on PlayStation 5. “With crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur's Gate 3 is the new high-water mark for CRPGs,” we said in IGN’s Baldur’s Gate 3 review, which returned a 10/10. Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum now has a one-hour trial, exclusive to PS Plus Premium members. This one’s a bit of a...

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Borderlands 4, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 2, and an Unannounced Brothers in Arms Game Spotted

A raft of unannounced Gearbox games were spotted online over the weekend. As reported by Eurogamer, a developer who worked at support studio Lost Boys Interactive referenced Borderlands 4, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2, and an unannounced Brothers in Arms game in a now-deleted LinkedIn post. All games were mentioned as being built within Unreal Engine 4. Lost Boys Interactive is a division of Gearbox, which itself is a part of the embattled Embracer Group. Embracer is currently working through a brutal restructure that has seen mass layoffs, studio closures, and cancelled projects. Embracer is thought to be trying to sell off Gearbox, but, according to IGN sources, it has struggled to find a buyer for the price it’s asking for. Gearbox...

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Black Friday Bargains Ooze Out Early, 2023 Games Slashed, Controller Prices Cut, and More!

Welcome back to Black Frida—er, week. Though the official day of deals itself kicks off on the 23rd, a bunch of retailers have jumped the gun way earlier with their bargains. Join me below as I make sense of this amorphous sales frenzy. I've picked out the truly exceptional price drops on the games and peripherals that are actually worth caring about. This Day in Gaming Aussie birthdays for notable games and hardware - Bust a Groove (PS) 1998. - NFS: Undercover (PC, PS2/3,X360) 2008. - MK vs. DC Universe (PS3,X360) 2008. Table of Contents Nintendo Switch PC Xbox PlayStation Nice Savings for Nintendo Switch Expiring Recent Deals Hardware Watch How much to make the switch to Switch? Back to top Purchase Cheaply for PC...

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25 Years On, Half-Life Still Feels Like It’s From the Future

The 1990s was an astonishing period for video games – an entire decade where it felt like a revolutionary vision of the future arrived every six months. Super Mario 64 made the third dimension an essential addition to platformers, Baldur’s Gate brought astonishing scope to RPGs, and Resident Evil turned a simple house into a terrifying interactive nightmare. These examples remain immortal classics, but also paved the way to a better future for their respectives series and genres. But there’s one ’90s classic that has an unusual relationship with the future. Half-Life, the revolutionary first-person shooter created by just 30 people at the then newly-formed Valve Software, still feels like it's a generation ahead. Its surface may have...

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Elden Ring Is Just $20 for Black Friday

Reigning Game of the Year, Elden Ring, is now available at a stellar price of just $19.99 at select retailers. This Black Friday deal marks a significant discount from its original $59.99 price tag, translating to a substantial $40 in savings. This should be regarded as one of the standout deals of the season, with this offer already available ahead of Black Friday proper on November 24. Retailers have wasted no time in launching their respective deals, and the Elden Ring discount is one of the standout offerings. With Black Friday fever in full swing, gaming enthusiasts have the opportunity to snag this critically acclaimed title at an unbeatable price before the rush intensifies on Friday. Don't miss out on the chance to secure one...

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Modern Warfare 3 Devs Tout ‘Historically Low Crash Rates,’ Discuss Updates to SMGs and Other Feature

Modern Warfare III’s launch had “historically low crash rates” for a Call of Duty game, Sledgehammer developers say. They also hinted at changes that might be coming to Modern Warfare III in the future, and dropped some information on the upcoming Season 1 during an hour-long interview with content creator Repullze. Sledgehammer’s Adam Iscove, Senior Development Director, and Greg Reisdorf, Multiplayer Creative Director on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, claimed the controversial sequel was “historically stable at launch,” but that they’re aware of ongoing server issues like packet bursts and will continue to work on and optimize them. Perhaps more important for the Call of Duty community, however, was Iscove and Reisdorf’s...

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Black Friday Deal: Save $35 Off

Black Friday deals are upon us, with dozens of 2023 games already discounted. One of these titles is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which is currently $34.99 at Best Buy and Walmart. This puts Jedi: Survivor at 50% off, which is one of the best early deals we've seen so far. If you haven't had the chance to pick up Cal's latest adventure, this is a great opportunity to do so. Get Star Wars Jedi: Survivor for Only $34.99 Also at Walmart Star Wars Jedi: Survivor takes place five years after the events of Jedi: Fall Order. Cal is still on the run from the empire, and he is running out of places to hide. The sequel revamped the combat system, offering you new skills and attack stances to utilize. Additionally, there are multiple new planets...

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Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Review

Like the four Ultimate Ninja Storm games before it, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is a comprehensive ode to the world and characters created by Masashi Kishimoto. Its immense cast of playable characters, each with exceptionally well-animated movesets, and a heaping handful of maps ripped straight from the anime with loving detail look better than ever before. But no level of source material accuracy can save this absolute mammoth of a game from hollow single-player content and a stale combat system that hasn’t meaningfully changed in fifteen years. As far as Naruto fans go, I’m a bit of a weirdo. I was actually first introduced to the series ten years ago through Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, and I still vividly remember...

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10 Best Call of Duty Games of All Time

There’s no escaping that Call of Duty is currently in a bit of a rut. Although there are bright spots in Modern Warfare 3’s multiplayer and Zombies mode, it ultimately feels all too familiar. And the campaign? Our reviewer Simon Cardy said it was “perhaps the worst Call of Duty single-player campaign I’ve played.” It currently has a disappointing Metacritic rating of 56 and, unsurprisingly, Modern Warfare 3 didn’t make into IGN’s top 10 Call of Duty games (spoilers: it came bottom of the pile). Thankfully, Call of Duty has been exceptional at times and, years on, many of its greatest moments still stand the test of time. So we’re looking back to decide which Call of Duty games are our absolute favorites, and we’re talking about the...

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Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 Detailed With Info on Modes, Maps, and Warzone's Urzikstan Map

In a blog post today, Call of Duty maker Activision gave us a detailed look at the first season for Modern Warfare 3 (2023), which will include new multiplayer maps, a returning game mode, and some updates to the Zombies mode. Season 1 will bring three new maps to the 6v6 multiplayer rotation. "Meat" takes place in a snug East Bay butcher shop, "Greece" is a idyllic-looking coastal town, and "Rio" will let you shoot your friends in a trendy Brazillian shopping center. If you and your bestie are looking for some 2v2 action, then you're in luck, as the Gunfight game mode will be returning with Modern Warfare 3's first season as well. It seems for now you'll have to make due with a single map though, an military training facility...

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Half-Life Is Free-to-Play on Its 25th Anniversary With New Updates and Steam Deck Verification

Prepare to feel old: Half-Life turns 25 on Sunday. And to celebrate, Valve has gone all out on commemorating the milestone, including making Half-Life free to own on Steam for a limited time and releasing a big anniversary update, which includes Steam Deck verification, updated graphic settings, new multiplayer maps, and more. In a blog post, Valve rolled out a massive 25th-anniversary update for Half-Life, with the company deeming "this anniversary version of Half-Life to be the definitive way" to experience this late '90s classic. A few highlights in the new update include Half-Life finally getting verification for Steam Deck, updating the in-game menu's design to look more like the one found in the 1998 original, and UI scaling to...

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Hogwarts Legacy – Nintendo Switch Performance Review

The words impossible port, punching above its weight, and even black magic are thrown around often when it comes to games on diminutive hardware. With Hogwarts Legacy, now launching on the Nintendo’s Switch, it could be another time to wheel out those tropes… but not quite. Hogwarts Legacy is not a miracle port, despite squeezing onto the Switch (quite literally, with a 7.4GB install size compared to 22.1GB on the Xbox One version). It manages to be better than feared, yet in places still rough as expected. Hexed Objects Hogwarts Legacy on Switch offers only a single performance mode, with few options to choose from. This is a step down from the Xbox One version, which has motion blur, film grain and even an unlocked frame-rate...

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's Jobs Include Samurai, Surfer, and Housekeeper

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, essentially Yakuza 8, features a classic role-playing game job system that lets players become a samurai, surfer, housekeeper, and more. As reported by Gematsu, the Japanese Infinite Wealth website was updated to include information on new jobs that will become available to players throughout the game's story. Classic RPGs like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy made the job system a mainstay, but while those ones stuck more to fantasy tropes with mages, knights, and so on, the Yakuza series likes to get a little weird with it. Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which was the first Yakuza RPG, featured plenty of wacky jobs itself such as Fortuneteller, Night Queen (basically a dominatrix), Homeless Guy, and more, but...

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Dragonheir Expands Its Fantasy Multiverse

Today, the first phase of Dragonheir: Silent Gods' collaboration with Dungeons & Dragons, the classic fantasy tabletop game, was officially launched. Iconic Dungeons & Dragons' characters, Drizzt Do'Urden and his comrade Guenhwyvar, as well as their nemesis Errtu the Balor, have now joined Dragonheir's game world for a limited time. Dragonheir：An Open-World Adventure High-Fantasy Strategy RPG Dragonheir: Silent Gods, hereinafter referred to as Dragonheir, is an open-world strategy RPG with a fantasy theme, which integrates the classic TRPG gameplay, such as dice rolls, character customization and other features. In order to defeat their opponents, players must engage with strategic combat, combining their adventurer party’s...

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