Month: August 2020

Coming from developer Building Box and published Humble Games, Prodeus is a blend of retro first-person shooter action with modern visuals to show off the carnage. Earlier this year, we got a look at the game during the plethora of livestreams in the place of E3 2020. In this GameSpot exclusive, we can confirm that Prodeus will launch in early access on November 10 for Steam.

The newest Gamescom 2020 trailer shows off what you can expect in the game, which is a fast-paced rush through a nightmare gallery demons, monsters, and other horrors you’ll be able to take out in bloody chunks. In the game, you’ll dive into a full campaign that pays tribute to classic FPS games like Doom, Quake, and Duke Nukem. As you fight through monsters’ hordes, you’ll expand your arsenal of weapons to dispatch the increasingly challenging foes. Along with the campaign, Prodeus also has a full map editor, letting you build levels from scratch and share them online.

Just before the reveal of the release date, we heard from Building Box game designer Jason Mojica about the making of the game and how they wanted to pay tribute to the classics of the FPS genre.

“Over the last 15 years, we’ve honed our design skills at some of the larger FPS studios,” he said. “Today, being able to use that knowledge while designing layouts and gameplay that would feel right at home with the retro shooter of yesteryear gives us a unique perspective. We missed the days when you could bust open a level editor and quickly craft something special. Sharing your creations with an inclusive community where ideas bounced around at a fast pace. There was a simplicity in the creative process, where innovation was king. I suppose, in a way, we want to get back to our modding roots and enable a generation of modders with these accessible tools for the game.”

Much like the modern iteration of Doom, Prodeus channels the spirit of what made the classic FPS games so memorable, which is the focus on pure action that kept the plot to a minimum. Following the launch in November, Prodeus will continue to receive updates and new content for the game as well.

For more on Prodeus, and the others games shown off during the days of the online Gamescom 2020, be sure to check out our hub page for the show.

Fortnite’s Season 4 is Marvel-themed, and that includes some of its challenges. The first Wolverine challenge is now available, and it asks you to investigate mysterious claw marks. Here’s where to find them and what to do.

How To Investigate Claw Marks, Explained

Investigating Fortnite’s new claw marks is as simple as approaching one of the designated locations. Just getting close to the claw marks is enough; you won’t need to hold down a button or key to actually do the investigating. But you’ll first need to know where to go, as the game doesn’t offer any specific directions on where to find Wolverine’s claw marks.

Fortunately, all three of the claw marks you’ll need to complete the challenge can be found in close proximity to each other in the Weeping Woods. You can consult our map below or check out the individual images and descriptions for how to hunt these down. These can be investigated in any order.

Claw Mark Location: Near The House

Starting with the northmost claw mark, you’ll find it in the building that’s directly northwest of where the words “Weeping Woods” are on the map. There are two larger buildings in the area, and this is the one that’s farther north. Along the west side of the building (the part that’s closer to the river), you’ll want to make your way to the bottom floor, underneath the porch that lines the floor above. Hiding behind some hedges and next to some air condition units, you’ll see the claw marks on the wall. Take note that this is on the outside of the building, not the inside.

Claw Mark Location: On The Rock Near The Water

Moving south, you’ll see a very small pond that’s situated between the two buildings. There are a few rocks here, but it’s the northern one, closer to the building you visited above, that has the giant claw marks. Simply walk near it or hop into the water and swim over to investigate.

Claw Mark Location: On The Green RV

Continuing southeast, you’ll see a few RVs–these are directly south of the other large building in the area. On the west side of the RV, you’ll find the final claw marks just next to the door.

Claw Marks Challenge Reward

Completing this challenge will earn you the Berserker Barrage spray. This features Wolverine with his claws out, standing in front of some graffiti signifying the noise they make. If this season works like past ones, It’s possible this challenge will be necessary to unlock the Wolverine skin once that’s finally available, but we’ll report back once that’s clear. A new Wolverine challenge will unlock for the first six weeks of the season, at which point you’ll be able to get the Wolverine outfit.

Best Deals This Week

Final Fantasy XIV has a special event that begins today, celebrating seven years since the MMO introduced sweeping changes in 2013’s Realm Reborn update. The Rising anniversary seasonal event is back for the seventh year and will offer players a unique questline that tasks them with protecting J’bhen Tia in Ul’dah’s stained glass exhibition.

Players who participate in the event will receive rewards, such as a Wind-up Ardbert minion and replica artwork to use in their personal home. You’ll need to be level 15 and above to take part in The Rising. Anyone who is currently experiencing Final Fantasy XIV through its free trial are also eligible to take part in the event. The Rising will run from August 27 until September 14.

Final Fantasy XIV wrapped up a Nier Automata raid, the Moonfaire Summer event, and Yo-Kai Watch collaboration event recently, which gave players new weapons, mounts, and other exclusive rewards. If you’re curious about trying out the MMO, which now has 20 million players registered, be sure to check out our FFXIV starter guide before you start your adventure in Eorzea .

If you’ve ever wanted to be a storm chaser but would prefer not to risk your life, Microsoft Flight Simulator might just scratch that itch. Dozens of virtual pilots have spent the past couple of days hurling their planes into Hurricane Laura as it bore down on the US Gulf Coast.

As Texas and Louisiana braced for impact, the real-time weather featured in Microsoft Flight Simulator was providing a visual spectacle for those flying directly into the storm. The stunning screenshots and videos that followed demonstrate the game’s incredible realism and accurate depiction of storm cloud formations. Virtual storm chasers have been eagerly capturing sights by flying above the hurricane, hurtling through its all-encompassing outer edges, and soaring within the surreal calmness of the eye of the storm.

For as impressive as this all is, it’s also worth noting the seriousness of Hurricane Laura. The storm made landfall overnight near Cameron, Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding to portions of the state, as reported by CBS News. It was downgraded to a Category 2 several hours after coming ashore, but the National Hurricane Center said the storm is still extremely dangerous, with a life-threatening storm surge continuing early Thursday along much of Louisiana’s coastline.

Aside from accurately mapping the weather, Microsoft Flight Simulator also throws up some unusual sights from around the world.

The latest flight sim earned a score of 9/10 in GameSpot’s Microsoft Flight Simulator review. “Microsoft Flight Simulator is a tremendous experience that makes you appreciate natural beauty and man-made ingenuity in equal measures,” said critic Edmond Tran. “Being encouraged to dive into the rabbit hole of learning how to operate genuine, complex machines to perform amazing feats of science is giddying, as is being able to journey across a realistic, mostly accurate depiction of our entire, beautiful planet. Microsoft Flight Simulator is a spectacular technical achievement and a deeply inspiring experience filled with glorious possibilities.”

The Call of Duty League Championship is this weekend and Activision is giving away a unique prize to this year’s best Call of Duty team: A throne.

Alongside the annual trophy and championship ring awarded to the winning Call of Duty esports team, this year’s winner will receive a throne designed by Sheron Barber.

Barber has designed for artists like Drake, Billie Eilish, Rihanna, and Post Malone, but is now teaming up with the Call of Duty League for the prize throne. While the throne isn’t fully built yet, you can check out a design of it below.

The inspirations for the throne come from cubism and classic arcade machines. It will also be customized for the winning team to include the Championship date, as well as names and player statistics from the season.

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Activision recently unveiled Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, a sequel to Black Ops developed by Raven Software and Treyarch. Check out IGN’s Black Ops Cold War preview for full details on gameplay, story, multiplayer, and more.

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 Matt T.M Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Evil Genius 2: World Domination was originally scheduled to launch on PC later this year, but developer Rebellion has decided to delay the evil lair management sim until sometime in the first half of 2021.

Rebellion says in a statement that its team has been successfully working remotely for the past five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that the transition has slowed down some of its progress. As a result, the team wants to take extra time to ensure that the game it releases is as polished as can be for fans to enjoy for years to come.

“We want to release a sequel that will do justice to the franchise and be loved and played by the Evil Genius community for years to come, just like the original,” the statement, posted on Twitter, reads. “And while we know many of you will be disappointed to wait a little longer, launching next year affords us time to do exactly that.”

The statement says that Rebellion will be showing more of the game soon, with information about the game’s closed beta still to be shared. A firm release date is also still be discussed and will be communicated at a later date.

Evil Genius 2: World Domination joins a growing string of delays due to the pressures of the pandemic and the rush to meet end of year deadlines. No game is safe, with Microsoft recently delaying its Xbox Series X launch title, Halo Infinite, and Arkane pushing back its new IP, Deathloop, from a holiday 2020 release into the first half of 2021 too.