Month: October 2019

Apex Legends Season 3 Is Nice To Newcomers, Presents A Good Opportunity To Jump In

With the start of Season 3: Meltdown, Apex Legends received the largest update it ever has–implementing so much new content that the game is almost unrecognizable from what it was in Season 2. Whether a conscious decision or not, the new changes make for an experience that’s more accessible to those who haven’t played the battle royale in a while or are looking to start.

Fundamentally, Apex Legends is still the same game. You still team up with two other players in a 20-team battle royale match. Every previous Legend is still playable as well, giving a leg up to those who’ve been playing the game since launch. However, with Season 3, a lot has changed, giving newcomers time to get acclimated to how Apex Legends works while veterans get readjusted.

For one, the map is completely different. Everyone plays on World’s Edge, as Kings Canyon has been (most likely only temporarily) removed. So all the strategies that tie into knowing the terrain–whether it’s ideal drop spots, best sniping locations, or secret hiding nooks–all have to be discovered again. For the first time in a while, veterans don’t have an advantage when it comes to knowing the map inside and out because everything is brand-new.

World’s Edge is also huge, easily more than twice the size of Kings Canyon. This provides two benefits for those who aren’t used to Apex Legends’ fast-paced firefights. For one, there are now way more viable places to land and find decent loot, so it’s easier to avoid dropping next to another squad right at the start. And second, because the map is so big, you’re not going to run into other squads nearly as often in the beginning of the match. There are now long stretches of nothingness between firefights–something that almost never occurred in Kings Canyon–providing numerous opportunities in a match to safely heal and loot for supplies. The vastness of World’s Edge means you’re likely to see enemy squads before they can ambush you too. You have to contend with snipers more often as a result, but the new map has certainly made Apex Legends matches play out a lot more slowly.

All of which isn’t to say the fast-paced battles are gone. For those looking for a more traditional Apex Legends experience, you have options. The blue circle that highlights high-tier loot areas is back and the loot-heavy dropship has been replaced by an equally loot-filled train. Both spots are clearly marked on your map, making them both easy to find and avoid.

Weapon loot has also been changed to better appeal to new players. Respawn has redesigned many of the weapons so that you no longer need to know which guns are objectively the best, you just have to find the firearms you’re best with. Two of the stronger weapon attachments in the game–disruptor ammo and skullpiercer rifling–have been removed, affecting every weapon that utilized either hop-up. Specifically, the Alternator and Wingman have dropped in utility, no longer being nearly as dominant as they previously were. Both guns were almost unfairly powerful with their corresponding hop-up attached, but only if you were a decent shot; the Alternator has a powerful recoil and the Wingman requires an exceptionally steady and patient hand under pressure to be effective. It’s not easy to be proficient at either one at first, especially if you’re new to first-person shooters, presenting a significant advantage for those who’ve been playing Apex Legends for a while. Now that advantage is just gone.

In place of those weapon attachments, a bunch of guns that are fairly easy to use have brand-new hop-ups in Season 3. The two easiest assault rifles to use in the game, the R-301 and Flatline, (as they have no wind-up time and possess fairly low recoil and decent range) have a new attachment, the anvil receiver, that increases their semi-auto damage. The easiest sniper rifle to use, the G7 Scout (as it has low recoil and semi-auto fire), and the far easier of the two shotguns to use, the EVA-8 (as it fires very quickly), have a new double tap trigger hop-up that allows them to fire two shots with every trigger pull. Respawn has also implemented various buffs and nerfs across most of the library of firearms in Apex Legends, all of which have seemingly created a more balanced experience.

The new weapon, the Charge Rifle, is also a nice addition, presenting a fairly beginner-friendly option for long-range combat. Though it requires time to charge, the weapon fires a targeting laser as it’s warming up. Provided your scope has a powerful enough zoom to see what you’re shooting at, the targeting laser assists in pinpointing your shot. The laser itself also does minor damage, so even if your shot misses its mark, you’re still assisting your team just by pulling the trigger in the right direction.

One of the cooler new features added in Season 3 is the brand-new audio cues, specifically warnings for when you’re being attacked by more than one squad. Apex Legends’ firefights can be hectic once the playable safe area becomes small enough, so it’s occasionally difficult to discern one enemy team from another. For anyone who’s worried about holding their team back by not knowing when to retreat, there’s now an audio cue to help you out. If you’re fighting an enemy squad and another squad suddenly tries to flank you, a teammate’s character will call it out. Bangalore, for example, might yell, “Ambush! Ambush! There’s another squad!” or Caustic may call out, “We’re being attacked by two different squads!” It’s a small change, but it makes it so much easier to understand how much the odds may be stacked against you–a boon for those who struggle with situational awareness.

However, more than anything, Crypto’s addition to Apex Legends provides the easiest way to join your friends and not have to worry about knowing how everything works. Crypto is at his best when he’s tucked away in the corner and using his tactical to get eyes on enemy targets. Playing as Crypto actually gives you an excuse to not jump headfirst into a firefight because you benefit your team most by initially pinpointing targets with your drone. You might not rank as high as your teammates for your post-game stats, but playing as Crypto allows you to contribute without being adept at shooters–so you don’t have to worry about your teammates being too angry at you if you’re still learning. Crypto is a great addition to Apex Legends as a result. He’s certainly not the best character for aggressive styles of play, which is common if you decide to participate in Gold or higher ranked play, but he’s definitely the easiest of the current eleven Legends to grasp. At the very least, simply playing as him helps you get acclimated to Apex Legends’ role-centric gameplay as well.

And once you do reach level 10 and go into ranked play, you don’t have to worry about being judged for a low kill count at the end of a match. Ranked matches now also keep track of your assists, rewarding you for your performance if you manage to shoot an enemy a few times before your teammate finishes them off. It’s immensely satisfying to know the game rewards you for fulfilling a support role. In Season 2, it was very difficult to engage in ranked, knowing you were primarily rewarded for only surviving and kills, as it then curated a competition within your squad to get the kill shot over winning together. Apex Legends–which has remained entirely squad-based save for a limited-time solo mode during Season 2–finally feels more like a cooperative experience. If you’re just jumping into Apex Legends with Season 3, you don’t have to immediately be good enough to get kills. And, of course, this new assist system means veteran players will most likely be more willing to come to their less experienced teammate’s aid as well, now knowing their own performance and rank will get a nice boost even if they don’t get the kill shot.

There has never been a better time to get into Apex Legends. Crypto is the most beginner-friendly Legend ever introduced and the distance between veterans and newcomers has been shortened by evening the playing field in terms of guns and forcing everyone to drop onto a brand-new map. Some of these perks will diminish as the season goes on and new patterns settle into old habits but, for now anyway, Season 3 is the most accessible Apex Legends has been for new or inexperienced players since the battle royale game launched.

Destiny 2 Necromantic Strand Location: Where To Go For Essence Of Brutality Quest

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Once you’ve gotten a foothold on the moon in Destiny 2‘s new Shadowkeep expansion, you’re going to want to get down to business and track down some of that sweet moon loot. To do that, you’ll want to complete the story campaign to gain access to the Lectern of Enchantment, where you can turn a new item, a Nightmare Essence, into a special moon-themed weapon or piece of armor. Once you find the Essence of Brutality, you can convert it into the Loud Lullaby hand cannon–provided you can find another item called a Necromantic Strand. Here’s where to go and what to do to get it.

If you check your Quests log for info about the Essence of Brutality, you’ll get a hint as to where you need to go to get the Necromantic Strand–it’s located in the Hall of Wisdom, which is a location somewhere on the moon. Unfortunately, the spot isn’t marked on your map, and you’ll only know you’ve reached it when the area’s name pops up on your screen. This one isn’t too tough to locate, however, provided you know where to start. Use these step-by-step instructions to get where you need to go:

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Where To Find The Necromantic Strand

  • Spawn in at the Sanctuary landing zone, where you’ll find Eris Morn
  • Hop on your sparrow and head left toward Archer’s Line
  • When you enter the area, look up to the right. You’ll spot a broken dome building. Head up toward that.
  • When you reach the dome, head through it to the other side. Ahead you’ll see a Hive building you can enter.
  • Head down and into the structure, and keep descending. When you hit the bottom, the first room you’ll enter is the Hall of Wisdom.
  • Kill the enemies and move forward toward the small square outcropping of Hive architecture, just before you enter the next big room filled with enemies. The Necromantic Strand is on the ground right in front of it.

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Where To Find Other Essence Weapon Components

You’ll need to complete two more steps to cleanse the Essence of Brutality so it can be converted into a weapon.

Essence of Brutality Quest Steps

  • Activities Completed (Lost Sectors, patrols, public events on the moon)
  • 50 Hand Cannon Kills
  • Collect Necromantic Strand

With the Essence of Brutality fully cleansed, take it back to the Lectern near Eris Morn to unlock the weapon. Once you’ve done that, you can repurchase the Essence of Brutality again from the Lectern, should you want to try for a different roll on the gun. Just note that buying the Essence will cost you a Phantasmal Core, which can be hard to come by. You can get them from completing some of Eris’s bounties, or by purchasing them at the Lectern. They’ll run you either 20 Phantasmal Fragments, which you get for killing Nightmares, or 25 Helium Filaments, the planetary material you’ll find on the moon.

Destiny 2 Horned Wreath Location: Where To Go For Essence Of Vanity Quest

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Destiny 2‘s new moon location includes a series of quests you can repeatedly undertake to acquire certain armor and weapons. Through the Lectern of Enchantment and other means, you can acquire Essence quests such as the Essence of Vanity, which nets you the Tranquility sniper rifle. This process involves one tricky step, where you have to find the Horned Wreath in the Chamber of Night. Here’s where the Wreath is located.

Unfortunately, reaching the Horned Wreath is a much more complex process compared with the Captive Cord, for instance. The Wreath is found under the surface of the moon, deep in the series of tunnels that the Hive have constructed. It takes several minutes to get where you need to go. Once you do finally reach the correct area, you’ll receive an objective marker once the Wreath is nearby. Here’s a rough outline of what’s involved.

Where To Find Horned Wreath

  • Spawn at Sanctuary and hop on your sparrow, making your way out the right exit
  • Go straight through the Anchor of Light into the Hellmouth
  • Continue straight until you enter a Hive structure through a hole in the side
  • Turn left and make your way down the stairs, then turn right to go down another set of stairs
  • Continue advancing through the ensuing areas until you go down a hallway with a high ceiling and an exit on the left
  • Move forward and then take a right down the hallway in the next area
  • You should now be moving through a series of caves, enter a room, and then exit into another set of caves
  • Proceed into an area with platforms suspended high above a chasm; make a jump over the chasm to go through a door, which should trigger a message saying you’re in the Circle of Bones
  • Move through the tunnels and the room to enter a wide-open area; head right until you see a doorway with what looks like a bright Hive chandelier above it
  • Continue along the path and you should be notified you’ve entered The World’s Grave
  • Take a left and go through the large doorway, then keep advancing until you enter a dark corridor that should trigger your flashlight; you’ll be notified you’re now in the Chamber of Night
  • Move straight through a series of rooms and hallways filled with enemies until you come into a more wide-open room, and you should–finally!–see an objective marker for the Wreath

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As with the other quests like this, finding the Horned Wreath is the trickiest part, but it’s only one of three steps you’ll need to complete.

Essence of Vanity Quest Steps

  • Activities Completed (patrols, public events, Lost Sectors on the moon)
  • Sniper Rifle kills
  • Horned Wreath found

Once you knock out all three steps, you can return to the Lectern to receive Tranquility, a kinetic weapon slot sniper rifle. As with other weapons obtained through Essence quests, you can reacquire the quest from the Lectern to try getting a different roll. Thankfully, the Horned Wreath step only needs to be done the first thing you ever do the quest.

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You can purchase Essence of Vanity at the Lectern for a Phantasmal Core, which can be earned from some Eris Morn bounties or bought for 20 Phantasmal Fragments. The Fragments themselves are earned by killing Nightmares, or you can buy them (again at the Lectern) for 25 Helium Fragments.

Cyber Monday 2019: What Is Cyber Monday, Deals To Expect, And More

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When it comes to sales, nothing really surpasses the mania surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which together make up the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Whether you’ve got your eye on a new console, game, or piece of tech, there’s no better time to snag the products on your wishlist at a discount. But if you’re planning to do your shopping on Cyber Monday, it’s still important to have a plan and know what to expect. While you may not see the other shoppers grabbing things off shelves and tossing them in their carts, know that the best deals will still sell out quickly online. Here’s everything you need to know to prepare for Cyber Monday 2019.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is basically an extension of Black Friday, except you’re sitting at a desk pretending to work while browsing deals instead of physically shoving your way through crowded stores (although many Black Friday deals are, thankfully, available online as well). The online shopping holiday is relatively new, dating back only to 2005, and it was created to encourage people to shop online and to compete with brick-and-mortar stores’ sales on Black Friday.

The online-only deals may not be as good as the doorbuster sales on Black Friday, but since those brick-and-mortar deals tend to have low stock and long lines, you really can’t beat the ease and convenience of shopping on Cyber Monday (and online shopping in general).

When is Cyber Monday 2019?

Cyber Monday is always the Monday after Thanksgiving, and this year, that falls on December 2. Because of Black Friday, many sales will run that entire weekend and even into the following week, but certain deals will become available only on that Monday.

Best Cyber Monday 2019 deals to expect

Cyber Monday deals will likely be on par with what we see during Black Friday 2019, and you can check out our full Black Friday 2019 preview for a guide to what we expect for holiday deals. For now, here’s an overview of the kind of deals you’ll likely see:

Games

Nearly any game from recent years will be marked down, but releases from early 2019, like Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5, should see some nice discounts in the $15-$30 range. More recent releases, like Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Borderlands 3, may drop as low as $40.

Consoles

Don’t expect to see any crazy deals on the Switch Lite or newer Switch model with better battery life, though we may get some good console bundles during Cyber Monday. We do expect the original Switch model will get discounted to $250 or even less–and that’s not a bad option if you’ve yet to invest in a Nintendo Switch, if you don’t want to commit to handheld-only play.

The PS4 and Xbox One are nearing the end of their lifespans, and as a result, discounts on those systems are common these days. If you’re looking to pick one up during Cyber Monday, you can expect to see the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X as low as $300; meaning, the base consoles may go for less than $200. Keep an eye out for some great console bundles, too, which will throw in a game along with the system.

Other deals

Aside from games and consoles, Cyber Monday will also be a great time to snag a discounted membership for PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online, or Xbox Game Pass. You’ll also find discounts on VR systems, controllers, headsets, memory cards, computers, Blu-rays, and much, much more.

How to get the best Cyber Monday deals

The same way you get the best Black Friday deals: by paying attention to retailers in the weeks leading up to the event and having a plan. Some retailers will promote their upcoming deals for Cyber Monday, but you can also find leaked Cyber Monday ads online to get a heads-up on what products will be on sale. Of course, you’ll want to stay tuned to GameSpot, as we’ll be covering all the leaked and officially confirmed deals in the weeks leading up to Cyber Monday as well as during the event itself. And remember: If you spot a good deal, hop on it fast, as the hottest products will sell out in the blink of an eye. For the most up-to-date information, be sure to follow GameSpot Deals on Twitter–we’ll keep you posted on the best deals in gaming and entertainment as we spot them.

Call of Duty: Mobile Review in Progress

The Call of Duty franchise is no stranger to mobile gaming. In years past I have fought Call of Duty zombies on a phone, and even used a Nintendo DS stylus to aim down the sights (I don’t recommend it) in similarly scaled-down and unambitious games designed for the limitations of those platforms. But the succinctly titled Call of Duty: Mobile is different. It represents a concerted effort from Activision to make a mark on the notoriously difficult-to-crack and overcrowded mobile market that now includes the likes of Fortnite and PUBG, and it wants to bring in people for the long term. You won’t find a campaign, but the multiplayer modes are substantial and even include a full battle royale. What’s put forth is impressive, though the controls are iffy and the free-to-play microtransactions are a dark cloud on the horizon.

Continue reading…

Joker: The 5 Films That Influenced the DC Movie

Joker director Todd Phillips has revealed the five movies Joker fans need to watch to understand the influences for his DC standalone film. These are the films that Phillips and his co-screenwriter Scott Silver drew from the most for their gritty, more realistic interpretation of the iconic supervillain. And there’s not a Batman movie among them.

In my review of Joker, which I gave a 10 out of 10, I said: “Clearly drawing its spirit and style from classic ‘70s and ‘80s films like Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy, A Clockwork Orange, and Dog Day Afternoon, director Todd Phillips’ Joker presents a Gotham City that is unmistakably a stand-in for the hellish New York City of the era.”

Continue reading…

One Of 2018’s Best Games Comes To PS4, Xbox One, And Switch Very Soon

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Lucas Pope’s celebrated puzzle game Return of the Obra Dinn is currently exclusive to PC, but that is changing soon. Pope announced on Twitter that the swashbuckling game will launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on October 18.

The London-based Warp Digital handled the console versions of Obra Dinn. According to Pope, the different console versions have “feature and performance parity” across all versions.

GameSpot picked Return of the Obra Dinn as one of the best games of 2018. In the game, you play as an insurance adjuster working for the East India Company in the early 19th century. Your job is to discover the fates of all 60 crew members and passengers aboard the Obra Dinn, which was lost at sea only to drift back to harbor several years later with no one on board alive.

GameSpot’s review of Obra Dinn scored the game a 9/10. The game’s developer, Lucas Pope, previously made Papers, Please.

Matt Damon Turned Down Avatar And Missed Out On $250 Million

Actors turn down movie roles all the time, and now we’ve learned about another big name who said no to a movie that went on to become very successful.

Oscar winner Matt Damon told GQ UK that James Cameron offered him a role in his 2009 blockbuster Avatar. Damon added that Cameron offered him 10 percent of the box office grosses, which would have been a huge sum of money in the area of $250 million.

“Jim Cameron offered me Avatar,” Damon said. “And when he offered it to me, he goes, ‘Now, listen. I don’t need anybody. I don’t need a name for this, a named actor. If you don’t take this, I’m going to find an unknown actor and give it to him, because the movie doesn’t really need you. But if you take the part, I’ll give you ten percent of…'”

Damon trailed off here but he was seemingly referring to 10 percent of the Avatar box office grosses. The movie made $2.78 billion at the box office, so 10 percent of that would be around $278 million.

It’s unclear what role in Avatar turned down, but it could be that of Jake Sully, the male lead that would ultimately be played by Australian actor Sam Worthington.

Damon might have turned down the Avatar role for any number of reasons, and few could have known what a blockbuster success Avatar would become. He’s not the first big actor to say no to a role in a movie that would go on to be a smash hit.

Damon himself turned down the role of Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight; the role went to Aaron Eckhart. Emily Blunt, meanwhile, said no playing Black Widow in Iron Man 2 in a role that eventually went to Scarlett Johansson. Al Pacino turned down Han Solo, while Nicolas Cage passed on playing Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings.

Avatar 2, the first of multiple sequels in development, is scheduled to hit theatres in December 2021 after multiple delays.

The Last Of Us 2 Enemies All Have A Heartbeat

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Clickers and raiders may be the enemies in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, but everyone has a heart. According to the game’s co-director, TLOU2 has some new tech that makes heartbeats a vital part of engagement.

Co-director Anthony Newman sat down with Polygon to explain how the tech works. “Just [about] every facet of the game [has been] updated [to] some new level,” he said. “One of them is the audio where, I’m not sure if you noticed it, but as Ellie sprints around and then she settles, she’ll kind of catch her breath.” Doing any sort of activity, like sprinting or engaging in combat or even being near enemies, will cause Ellie’s heart rate to shoot up. There isn’t a stamina meter or a mandated heartbeat, but the elevated heart rates do alter how you approach many of the game’s tense situations.

“What’s happening behind the scenes is [Ellie] has a heart rate that is oscillating up and down,” Newman explained. “And that modulates the bucket of breathing sounds that she’s able to use.” Ellie isn’t the only character in TLOU2 who has a heartbeat. Every character, from other humans to the infected Clickers, has a heart powered by this tech.

Newman said he was able play a more sophisticated cat and mouse with Clickers because he could “kind of understand them by the noises they’re making.” He also said the same goes for humans who will experience a similar sort of “breathing and sprinting and stuff.” This likely means you will be able to sneak around with greater efficiency as enemies emit audible sounds that disclose their relative position.

TLOU2 made a huge splash during PlayStation’s September State of Play. Alongside uncovering a few details, including its length and how many discs its on, we learned the game will finally launch on February 21, 2020 exclusively for PS4.

The Last Of Us 2’s New Upgrade System Will Drastically Change The Way You Play

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One of the several gameplay additions coming to The Last Of Us Part II is a new upgrade system. We recently got our hands on the game at a preview event, and it seems upgrades are more than just a way to make Ellie stronger; they’ll drastically change the way you play. GameSpot editor Phil Hornshaw spent time with the game and also spoke to co-director Anthony Newman about the feature.

When Phil inquired about the upgrade system, Newman said, “There was so much we really wanted to explore in terms of player strategy. We really wanted to try and double-down on allowing players to express themselves strategically and find their own way to play the game. And so something I’m really thrilled about is the new player upgrade system where rather than having upgrades that are just minor stat booths to different things, we really wanted to have upgrades that potentially unlocked entirely new abilities or just had drastic effects on the way that you played a game.”

It seems that several gameplay mechanics will stack as you improve Ellie’s capabilities, Newman gave an example saying, “One totally new ability you can get is holding your breath while aiming to steady your aim. It doesn’t come by default but you can learn it over time.” These can overlap with other systems, and Newman continued, “There are entire crafting recipes, like the silencer for the pistol, that you can only learn via the player upgrade system. Or some really extreme upgrades where you can craft two of an item for the same resources. You can craft two trap mines or two smoke bombs for the same resources.”

By the sound of it, different players may end up with different gameplay experiences gameplay in The Last Of Us Part II, but aren’t beholden to a specific ‘build’ per se. As Newman concluded, “You can find these synergies between playstyle, a set of weapon upgrades that you get at the workbench, a set of player upgrades that all create this confluence of a unique version of the game for yourself.”

Plenty of news has come out for The Last Of Us Part II and we have you covered from every angle. The ways in which you’ll be able to change your play style may also feed into some of the new challenges you’ll face, such as attack dogs that’ll sniff you out and make stealth tougher. For a deeper dive into the game, be sure to read our in-depth preview of The Last Of Us Part II or watch our impressions from the preview event. And if you haven’t seen the latest State of Play livestream from Sony, you can catch a glimpse of gameplay and story from the game.