Developer Infinity Ward has confirmed that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will get a bunch of new content later this week on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. This includes the return of an old franchise map, which is available to play right now. Hardhat, which was last seen in 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, has been added to Modern Warfare’s 24/7 multiplayer playlist. It is a close-quarters map made for fast-paced skirmishes, but with enough sightlines for long-range fire as well.
What is old is now new with the return of the Hardhat map.
Of course, Hardhat is not the only addition to Modern Warfare this week. The studio added a new Gunfight map to multiplayer, as well as the “Ghost Pack Contingency” bundle that includes two new weapon blueprints, and more.
Adam Sandler and Netflix continue their relationship with the announcement of the new movie Hustle, which will be directed by We the Animals’ Jeremiah Zagar and produced by none other than the NBA’s LeBron James.
In the upcoming film, Sandler will play a recently fired basketball scout who finds a player abroad, with the hopes of making it in the NBA, according to Variety. The film is written by Taylor Materne (NBA 2K20) and Will Fetters (A Star is Born).
In 2014, Sandler partnered with Netflix, and in 2017, he made another deal to make four more movies with the streaming service. This past January, Sandler extended that deal to make four more movies. There will be a steady steam of Sandler movies coming, like last year’s massive success Murder Mystery.
Additionally, Sandler has already been attached to another Netflix movie, Dan Pan. The film will be penned by Tonight Show writer Rebecca Drysdale. Not much else is known about the film currently, and it is unclear if this is part of Sandler’s new deal with the streaming service giant.
While you wait for more Sandler movies to hit Netflix, consider listening to GameSpot’s weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Call of Duty: Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale spin-off of Modern Warfare, has gotten a new item with the latest update. The “Armor Box” can be purchased before or during a battle if you need a little extra protection.
According to an update on the Call of Duty Blog, the new Armor Box is available across all battle royale modes. It’s similar to a Munitions Box in that you can use it to supply the entire team, but as the name implies, it provides armor instead of ammo. You can find it in ground loot or supply boxes, or you can purchase it at the Buy station.
That’s not the only change in Warzone this week. The update also adds more weapons to the Gulag, giving ranged options that Infinity Ward hopes will make for more diverse strategies. And a limited-time “Classic Battle Royale” mode gives you the same Warzone but without Buy Stations, Contracts, or the Gulag.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone have been getting frequent updates, both with game updates like new maps and balance changes, as well as security measures. Recently the game added mandatory 2FA as an anti-cheating measure on PC.
The Gulag is one of Call of Duty: Warzone‘s most defining elements, letting players fight for their right to return back into the game after dying. And if you thought your options within the cramped tiled walls of the prison were limited, developer Infinity Ward is giving you more weapons to play with.
When you’re sent to the Gulag, you start a one-on-one match with a random weapon. The pool for these options was shallow, however, with only pistols and shotguns available. This meant that options for ranged engagements were limited, which is why this week’s update will introduce SMGs and assault rifles into the mix.
Specifically, you can look forward to getting served the AK-47, M13, Kilo 141, Ram-7, Striker 45, and more when fighting in the Gulag. Infinity Ward hopes that these additions will shake up the way players approach these duels, with more options beyond simply rushing your opponent.
The Gulag fundamentally changes the way you think about deaths in a battle royale mode, which is one of the reasons Call of Duty: Warzone stands out more than the series’ previous attempts. In our 7/10 Warzone review, we identified it as an empowering way to get back into the action, saying, “Its subversion of death and the nail-biting Gulag duels give you more ways to stay in a match, while also forcing you to be aware of your surroundings even after wiping a rival squad.”
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Another week means some new content will hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. This week, developer Infinity Ward will introduce a new Gunfight map to Modern Warfare’s multiplayer mode: Aisle 9.
Infinity Ward said there are “multiple ways to fight on this small map,” which will host a variety of game modes in its own playlist. Dubbed “Clean Up on Aisle 9,” the 3v3 moshpit will feature Domination, Grind, Kill Confirmed, and Team Deathmatch. It will also get tossed into the mode’s map rotation.
In other Call of Duty news, Infinity Ward adjusted some of Modern Warfare multiplayer game modes in a recent update. For example, Gun Game Reloaded has a new home in the Quick Play filter, while Boots on the Ground War has been reverted back to classic Ground War. In addition to this, the studio added the Demolition game mode to Modern Warfare’s multiplayer playlist.
The Epic Games Store is partnering with three more digital retailers for keyless game authentications, similar to its partnership with The Humble Store last year.
Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, and Genba Digital have announced integration with the Epic Games Store, letting your purchases appear on the client without any additional steps. Each of these retailers will now let you link your Epic Games account to their storefront. When you purchase a game, it will then automatically appear in the Epic Games client on your PC, without the need to add it manually using a generated key. Epic Games states it does not take a cut of game sales from third-party retailers.
This process helps both consumers and game developers. For consumers it streamlines the process of purchases, and gives additional choices when making a purchase decision. For game developers and publishers, it gives them the peace of mind that sales of its games are coming from legitimate retailers, with the removal of generated keys meaning fewer grey market sales issues.
Pokemon Go‘s May Community Day is just around the corner. The event takes place this Sunday, May 24, and just like last month, developer Niantic is tweaking the event to make it easier to participate in from home amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. To catch you up, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about May 2020’s Pokemon Go Community Day below.
May’s Featured Pokemon: Seedot
The featured Pokemon during this month’s Community Day is Seedot, a Grass type first introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. Throughout the event, Seedot will appear in the wild much more frequently than usual, making this a good chance to stock up on Seedot Candy. You may also encounter Shiny Seedot during the event with a little persistence and luck.
May’s Community Day Move: Bullet Seed
If you can evolve Nuzleaf–Seedot’s evolved form–into Shiftry during May’s Community Day, it’ll know the event-exclusive move Bullet Seed, which it normally cannot learn in Pokemon Go. You’ll have up to two hours after the event ends to evolve Nuzleaf and have it learn Bullet Seed.
Seedot
May Community Day Hours
Like last month, Niantic is extending May’s Community Day by a few extra hours. The event will run for six hours instead of the usual three, from 11 AM to 5 PM local time. That means you’ll have until 7 PM local time to learn May’s Community Day move.
Special Research
As with last month’s event, Niantic is holding an exclusive Special Research story quest during May’s Community Day. This month’s questline is called Seeing Double, and completing it will net you rewards like Incenses, Golden Razz Berries, and more items. However, you’ll need to have a virtual ticket to participate in the Special Research quest. Tickets costs $1 USD and can be purchased through Pokemon Go’s in-game shop.
Other Bonuses
On top of increased Seedot spawns, there will be a few extra bonuses during May’s Community Day. First, you’ll receive triple the usual amount of XP for catching Pokemon during the event. Any Incenses that you use will also last for three hours rather than the standard 30 minutes. Finally, if you’re Great Buddies with your Buddy Pokemon, it will give you helpful items like Poke Balls throughout the Community Day.
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
Gamescom has moved to an all-digital event in the wake of coronavirus concerns, and as a result the show is getting a slight date shift. Previously scheduled to take place August 25-29, the new digital event will instead be held August 27-30. That also shifts the date for the Opening Night Live event held by Geoff Keighley, which will now be August 27.
According to the announcement, Gamescom will now serve as a “content hub” for news and publisher events. Unlike the standard Gamescom, the digital event won’t require a ticket since the events will be streaming. Opening Night Live will kick off the show, in addition to some other special events like Gamescom: Awesome Indies and Gamescom: Daily Show. The event will culminate in the August 30 presentation of Best of Show.
The annual Devcom conference will take place August 17-30, running partly concurrently with Gamescom.
“Although Gamescom will unfortunately not take place in Cologne this year, it will be impossible to miss it on the internet,” said managing director Oliver Frese in the announcement. “Our digital concept is showing the way forward in the event landscape and many of the innovations will become an integral part of Gamescom in the years to come.”
Geoff Keighley promoted the new Opening Night Live date on Twitter, and reiterated that it will serve as the end-point of the Summer Game Fest digital event.
The Chex Quest of 1996 was essentially an ambitious Doom mod, which meant that it used a now-dated combination of 2D sprites in 3D environments. This HD remake overhauls the game’s visuals, as well as adding in multiplayer modes with six playable characters. This is still an advergame, however: In order to unlock those characters, you can buy packages of Chex Mix or check Chex Mix’s Instagram account for the codes.
Despite its “advergame” status, many kids from the era fondly remember playing Chex Quest as one of their formative PC gaming experiences, which has led to its continued popularity over the years. Recently, boutique publisher Limited Run Games announced that it will be giving the game a physical release, as well as a $150 collector’s edition that comes with a replica Zorcher and several other goodies. Today is the last day to pre-order either package.
If you can’t get enough Chex Quest, there’s an official Chex Quest 2 that was released online back in 1997, and a Chex Quest 3 that was put together by original developer Charles Jacobi in 2008. Chex Quest 3 includes the first two games as standalone “episodes.”
Click To Unmute
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
This episode of New Releases opens and closes with some hot remasters: The Wonderful 101 and Saints Row: The Third. There’s also a re-release of The Persistence if you’re looking for a horror experience. Meanwhile, hero shooter fans can jump into Amazon Games’ Crucible, and Jaws enthusiasts can take control of their own deadly shark in Maneater.
The Wonderful 101: Remastered — May 19
Available on: PS4, PC, Switch
Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, Platinum Games’ cult classic is back, with an improved framerate, graphics, and controls. For those who missed out on the game the first time, here’s the gist: 100 superheroes can fuse together into giant fists, guns, and more to leap through levels, solve puzzles, and beat bosses. Physical copies of the remaster are unfortunately delayed due to coronavirus, but the May 19 launch date is locked in for the digital release.
More Coverage:
Crucible — May 20
Available on: PC
Crucible
Amazon Games is getting into the hero shooter genre with Crucible, but the matches aren’t just about taking out your opponents. Crucible also incorporates PvE elements, with third-party creeps to battle on the map. Take them out, capture the command point they were guarding, and you’ll rank up your squad and unlock perks. Each character’s abilities are quite versatile too, letting you incorporate multiple playstyles in each match.
More Coverage:
The Persistence: Complete Edition — May 21
Available on: PS4, PC
The Persistence: Complete Edition
The complete edition takes The Persistence and simply removes its mandatory VR requirement. So if you don’t own a PSVR or PC headset, you’ll be able to experience the horror roguelike now. It’s set on an abandoned space station overrun by mutants, and you’ll have to contend with them as you try to repair the ship and make your way back home.
Maneater — May 22
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Maneater
Before the events of Maneater, a fisherman disfigured a baby shark and killed her mama. You take control of the orphan shark and get revenge, earning new abilities as you feed and grow. You’ll use these abilities to feast on swimming civilians and battle other predators in a variety of watery environments, from the oceans to the inland rivers. The PS4, Xbox One, and PC versions are launching this week, but the Switch version will release at a later date in 2020.
More Coverage:
Saints Row: The Third Remastered — May 22
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Saint’s Row: The Third Remastered
Switch got its own Saints Row 3 port last year, and now a remastered version is coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s set in a better-looking Steelport, thanks to updated visuals, better textures, and a new lighting engine. As you’d expect, it includes the original game plus every bit of previously released DLC–that’s three full expansions and 30 add-on packs.
