Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Has Lord Of The Rings Easter Eggs, See Them Here

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is hiding a special nod to The Lord of the Rings, it seems. Multiple players have discovered that, upon reaching England, players can find a tranquil little town called Glowecestre, which is filled with moss-covered houses with small doors. You can probably tell where this is going.

Inside one of these houses is a piece of paper with text that references “little folk” and a “druid.” The note sits on a desk–that bears a resemblance to the one in Bilbo’s house–along with a golden ring. The note reads, “One of the little folk asked me to make the door smaller, as he wants to keep unruly houseguests from his house. After the nonsense with the druid last fall, I can see his point.”

This is not the only Lord of the Rings easter egg in Valhalla, it seems. Another video shows a location where the player can swim underwater where they can loot a dead man to find a “Precious Arm-ring.”

“A fine golden oath-hoop. One worthy of a king,” Eivor says upon finding the ring.

The ring, as it happens, appears to be more treacherous than it may seem. You can check out the video below to see how the scene in question plays out, though it might be more fun for Lord of the Rings fans to experience this for themselves in the game.

Valhalla enjoyed a very strong launch for Ubisoft, with the publisher reporting that the game sold through more units in its first week than any other game in the entire franchise.

GameSpot’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review scored the game an 8/10. “It takes a little while to build momentum, but when it hits its stride, Valhalla is a confident Assassin’s Creed title that takes a few narrative risks which, as a whole, pay off,” reviewer Jordan Ramee said.

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Marvel’s Avengers Now Has An AI Ping System Following Latest Update

Marvel’s Avengers has received an update, and it’s added a useful new ping system that will make guiding your AI companions easier. Patch V1.3.6 is now live on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is coming to Stadia at a later date. The update also adds numerous fixes to the game.

The new ping system currently only works with AI companions, but it gives you more control over their actions. Players can toggle pings with the D-pad, and can set AI fighters onto specific enemies, or have them focus on hacking or smashing doors while the player deals with something else.

The system allows players to have a bit more control over situations they might find themselves in. While there’s currently not an equivalent system for the game’s co-op, developer Crystal Dynamics promises that it “will be implementing additional functionalities in future phases of the ping system”.

While this is still a fairly minor update in the scheme of things, players keen for new characters have Kate Bishop to look forward to in December.

Along with this ping system, numerous other changes, additions, and fixes have been made. The full list is below.

Marvel’s Avengers Patch V1.3.6 notes

Reassemble Campaign and Avengers Initiative

  • Fixed a variety of black screen errors, including:
    • A rare issue where a black screen could occur when vetoing a mission as the timer hits zero.
    • A rare issue where a black screen would occur when attempting to start a mission while players on a strike team are at different progression levels in the campaign.
    • A rare issue where a black screen would occur when attempting a Boss Lair mission another strike team member does not have.
  • Fixed an issue where players could be knocked out of world on the “Alternate Visions” mission when on their way to fight Taskmaster.
  • Fixed a rare issue where infinite load times occurred when switching between heroes at the Hero switcher or WAR TABLE.
  • Fixed a rare issue where loading into the SHIELD Substation Outpost after unlocking it via the campaign resulted in mission chains like “Reigning Supreme” and “Shield Substation Zero” remaining locked, halting Avengers Initiative progress.
  • Rebalanced enemies in the “Olympia Archive” campaign mission.

Art & Animation

  • Fixed a rare issue where black squares would populate on Thor’s face when hovering over Major Artifacts.
  • Fixed an issue where Hulk’s animation would sometimes get stuck when initiating Stranglehold from the air.

Multiplayer & Matchmaking

  • Fixed an issue where a strike team could be stuck in a loading state if another player joined while the host was traveling to an Outpost.
  • Fixed an issue where “Quick Match as any Hero” could result in multiple Hulks on a single strike team.

Combat

  • Fixed an issue where Iron Man’s Magno-Missiles consumed more intrinsic energy than intended, resulting in the firing of two rockets rather than three.

Gear, Challenges, & Rewards

  • Fixed an issue where vendor timers would occasionally hit 00:00 without refreshing.
  • Fixed an issue where gear would occasionally not send to the locker when the player’s inventory was full.

Now Playing: Marvel’s Avengers Video Review

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Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Vs Modern Warfare – Which Is Better?

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the latest game in Activision’s first-person shooter series, and it takes the franchise back to the 1980s for a period-set shooter full of espionage thrills. But how does it compare to the previous game in the series, 2019’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare?

In the video above, Dave Jewitt and Richie Bracamonte compare the two games across three topics: multiplayer, campaign, and the battle between the Spec Ops and Zombies modes. From a multiplayer standpoint, Cold War provides a more arcadey Call of Duty experience compared to the Battlefield-inspired action of Modern Warfare.

Dave and Richie also break down the two games’ single-player campaigns and discuss the merits of Black Ops Cold War’s replayability versus Modern Warfare’s rejuvenation of the Call of Duty campaign. And finally, the pair compare the maligned Spec Ops mode from Modern Warfare with Black Ops Cold War’s Zombies mode, discussing which of the two modes they prefer.

WWE Survivor Series 2020 Live Updated Results: Raw Vs. Smackdown For Brand Supremacy

WWE’s Survivor Series is happening soon, as the final major PPV of 2020. This is the one time a year where Raw and Smackdown battle each other for brand supremacy. Fans will see champions from Raw face champions from Smackdown in what should be an exciting show. It will also be one of the last times we see the Thunderdome at the Amway Center. Below, you can check out the winners and losers of each match as it wraps up.

Survivor Series is taking place at the Amway Center, and of course, it will be surrounded by the Thunderdome. And right now, you can check out the Kickoff Show on WWE’s YouTube, Twitter, or the free tier of the WWE Network. If you want to watch the main card, though, you’ll need to subscribe to WWE’s streaming service. It costs $10 a month, and in addition to watching live-streamed events, you can also check out a massive catalog of in-ring competition and original programming.

One of the big draws to the WWE PPV is none other than the traditional Survivor Series match which sees Raw and Smackdown each pick five competitors for a tag team elimination match. There are only six matches on the card right now–none of which have been announced for the Kickoff Show. For now, here’s what’s booked for Survivor Series.

Match card:

  • Raw and Smackdown Battle Royal [KICKOFF SHOW]
  • Men’s Survivor Series Match
  • Women’s Survivor Series Match
  • Bobby Lashley vs. Sami Zayn
  • The New Day vs. The Street Profits
  • Asuka vs. Sasha Banks
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns

Below, you’ll find the results and notable moments from every single match taking place over the course of the evening, starting with the two-hour-long kick off show.

Kickoff Show

No Caption Provided

Show notes and late match additions:

  • The Kickoff Show starts at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET. Normally, this is a two-hour long event, but it looks like WWE is going for just an hour-long preshow this year.
  • A dual brand Battle Royal was announced for the Kickoff Show.
  • There is also a rumor that Undertaker’s final farewell during Survivor Series will somehow involve The Fiend.

Updating…

Black Friday 2020: Save On Star Wars Squadrons, PS Plus, And More At Green Man Gaming

PC game store Green Man Gaming is getting in on the Black Friday fun with its own sale, and it’s offering substantial discounts on some of the best new PC games and even subscriptions like PlayStation Plus. The GMG Black Friday sale is live now through December 2 and just might be one of your best opportunities to buy PC games all year.

Some of the best deals include Star Wars: Squadrons for just $22, which is nearly half off its standard price. You can also get Fallout 76, which continues to improve, for about $13, and the underrated shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is just $8. One extra bonus you can snag is a year of PlayStation Plus for about $42. More deals will be available on Monday, November 23.

The majority of the games in GMG’s Black Friday sale are playable on Steam, and you can see the digital store listed next to the game in question before you buy it. EA’s are compatible with Origin, while Ubisoft’s make use of its Uplay service.

Both Star Wars games on this list are among the best EA has made thus far. Squadrons is a space combat simulator with several different ship types to choose from, each with their own weapon, engine, and hull options. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, meanwhile, is a narrative-driven action-adventure game packed with lightsaber combat and harrowing escape sequences.

Black Friday 2020: Marvel’s Avengers Will Get A Big Discount This Week

Black Friday deals have been rolling out over the past month, but with Thanksgiving week here at least, the event is culminating with some of the best game prices of the year. That includes discounts on video games that released in 2020, Marvel’s Avengers among them. If you’ve yet to pick up the superhero action game, Black Friday is an ideal time to do so. GameStop will have the best Black Friday deal on Marvel’s Avengers, dropping it to just $27 USD later this week.

Marvel’s Avengers is scheduled to get additional content in the near future. In addition to the next-gen versions releasing in 2021, the first Marvel’s Avengers DLC character, Kate Bishop, will release next month.

In GameSpot’s Marvel’s Avengers review, editor Phil Hornshaw wrote, “At times, Marvel’s Avengers struggles to unify a thoughtful story focus with a more momentum-based, action-heavy live game system–but both have their good qualities. As with Bruce Banner and the Hulk, it’ll be worth sticking with Marvel’s Avengers to see how it might reconcile the two halves of its personality in the future to make something even better.”

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21 Jump Street Directors Are Working With Channing Tatum Again On Something Very Different

The key talent from the 21 Jump Street movies are getting back together to make a monster movie, according to a report from Deadline.

Channing Tatum will star in the movie that is to be produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. They all worked together on 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, both which Lord and Miller directed, with Tatum starring. The pair also worked on the Star Wars movie Solo until Disney fired them and brought in Ron Howard to finish the film.

The new monster movie is based on a “classic movie character,” the report said. It describes the film as a “modern-day, tongue-in-cheek thriller inspired by Universal’s classic monster legacy.” Some of the monster properties that Universal has the rights to include The Mummy, Dracula, and Frankenstein.

Wes Tooke (Midway) wrote the script for the new monster movie, while Reid Carolin (Magic Mike) came up with the idea and wrote the treatment.

Universal’s latest monster movie, The Invisible Man, was a big hit–it took in more than $130 million at the global box office. Before that, Universal released a reboot of The Mummy starring Tom Cruise, but it was a gigantic flop, leading many to question of Universal’s plans for a monster movie universe would move forward.

There is no word yet on who might direct the new monster movie or who else may star in it.

Cyberpunk 2077 Appears to Be in the Wild, So Beware of Spoilers

It appears that physical copies of Cyberpunk 2077 have appeared in the wild, so beware of spoilers and leaks on the internet.

Redditor Justgonnasendit shared an image of Cyberpunk 2077’s physical game case, and claims to have held it in his hands at his Amazon job. This comes well before Cyberpunk 2077’s current release date of December 10, 2020, and means the risk of being spoiled by those who somehow obtain an early copy are now greater.

Screenshot_2020-11-22 r cyberpunkgame - We’re almost there boys I actually had the game in my hands

This particular Cyberpunk 2077 game case is for the PS4 version of the game and features a sticker that states a free PS5 upgrade is available to those who have a PS5 console with a disc drive.

Cyberpunk 2077’s game case also confirms that the game, at least on PS4, will come on 2 Blu-ray discs. Furthermore, those who opt for a physical copy will receive a world compendium, stickers, postcards, a game map, and digital content access.

Justgonnasendit also shared a couple other images, including one of the back of the box and one of a bunch of Cyberpunk 2077 game cases.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/19/cyberpunk-2077-the-final-preview”]

Even though we still have to wait a bit longer for Cyberpunk 2077, a lot has been already revealed about CD Projekt Red’s next game after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. To learn more, check out our final preview after playing 16 hours of Cyberpunk 2077 and our recap of the latest Night City Wire presentation.

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Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

Destiny 2’s New Deep Stone Crypt Raid Beaten, Unlocking Quests For All Players

One of the most exciting new additions for Destiny 2: Beyond Light was the new raid, Deep Stone Crypt, which became available for high-level players over the weekend.

It took nearly six hours, according to Kotaku, but the raid has been completed for the first time by the Luminous fireteam. Their names are Aoterra, Claw, FlFluxux, Schendzie, SiegeDancers, and Sotosolice. For their efforts, the clan gets this unique emblem.

With the raid now completed, all Destiny 2 Beyond Light players are getting new content, including multiple quests and new zones, along with Eclipsed Zones.

Three new exotics are included with the new content, too, according to Kotaku, including a rocket launcher called Eyes of Tomorrow, a sniper rifle (Cloudstrike), and a sword (Lament).

Everyone who completed the Deep Stone Crypt raid in its first 24 hours on Contest Mode will receive a unique emblem that celebrates their accomplishment.

If you want to know more about Beyond Light, check out GameSpot’s early review impressions. On Xbox Series X and PS5, the game can run at 120fps.

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Best Black Friday 2020 Gaming Laptop Deals

Even though new consoles just released, it’s still hard to deny the allure of the gaming laptop. Having a compact and portable way to play PC games is appealing, and thanks to the onslaught of Black Friday deals arriving this week, now’s the best time to snag a new gaming laptop. From powerful gaming machines to budget gaming laptops, there are a ton of options on sale this week, and you’re sure to find a laptop that fits your gaming needs. With stores like Newegg, Best Buy, and Dell all running big sales, there are plenty of gaming laptop deals to go around.

If you’re looking for ways to play your PC games on a bigger and better screen, check out the best Black Friday TV deals and the best gaming monitor deals available for Black Friday 2020. You’ll find great options at every price point, whether you’re looking for a more intimate and responsive gaming monitor or a big-screen 4K TV.