Month: January 2021

Pokemon Go is spotlighting another region of the Pokemon world next week. The game’s Sinnoh Celebration event kicks off at 10 AM local time on January 12, and it will feature lots of Gen 4 Pokemon to catch, challenges to complete, and more.

Throughout the Sinnoh Celebration, the following Pokemon will be appearing in the wild more frequently than usual:

• Turtwig
• Chimchar
• Piplup
• Bidoof
• Cranidos
• Buizel
• Drifloon
• Glameow
• Purugly
• Hippopotas
• Skorupi
• Snover

Shiny Buizel will also be appearing during the event, while the following Pokemon will be hatching from 5 km eggs:

• Kricketot
• Budew
• Cranidos
• Shieldon
• Bronzor
• Bonsly
• Hippopotas
• Croagunk

On top of that, various Gen 4 Pokemon will be featured as Raid bosses, including the Legendary Heatran. There will also be a Sinnoh-themed Collection Challenge to complete, as well as event-exclusive Field Research tasks that will reward you with Stardust and Gen 4 Pokemon encounters.

The Sinnoh Celebration runs until 8 PM local time on January 17. You can read more about the event on the Pokemon Go website. Niantic will continue celebrating different Pokemon regions in the run up to next month’s big Kanto Tour event. A Hoenn Celebration is scheduled to follow starting January 19, but no further details have been shared yet.

In the meantime, Pokemon Go’s Unova Celebration is underway until January 10, while January’s Community Day is scheduled for January 16. The featured Pokemon this time is Machop, and if you’re able to evolve it all the way into Machamp during the event, it’ll learn the Dark-type attack Payback.

Even though 2020 saw a lot of tabletop RPG groups move online, the team over at WizKids has been busy.

In addition to their annual block of D&D minis, an update to its modular terrain system, and releasing one of the coolest tabletop accessories we’ve ever seen, the team was also working on a new run of Pathfinder Battles minis. Set to launch early next month, the Darklands Rising series features a host of creatures and monsters often found in the sprawling subterranean caverns below its core setting, along with a few famous faces from the Pathfinder universe.

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We’ve got an early look at the set, which you can check out in the gallery above. It contains roughly half of the 52 minis that can be collected, which are sold in “booster boxes” of four minis each. The Darklands Rising run features some of the most detailed 25mm-scale minis to date, and also reintroduces the “Huge” size category back into the Pathfinder Battles series. The final piece of the set is an impressive “premium” figure of the gold dragon Mengkare, also known in Pathfinder lore as The Great Wyrm.

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This “gargantuan”-sized (based on the rules for Pathfinder creature sizes) figure stands more than 10 inches high, with a wingspan just as wide. Considering most player miniatures stand roughly 1.5″ tall, The Great Wyrm would truly make an impressive centerpiece for any tabletop encounter.

The Darklands Rising set releases on February 3, 2021; booster boxes (or bricks of eight boxes each) and Mengkare can be pre-ordered from WizKids, Amazon, or at your friendly neighborhood game store (safety permitting).

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JR is a Senior Editor at IGN and a huge tabletop RPG nerd. Tell him about your TRPG campaign on Twitter.

Though some players have reported the challenge required to unlock it being bugged, the powerful Streetsweeper shotgun is available to unlock via Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The shotgun seems like it’s going to decimate enemy players, and the challenge to unlock it is actually pretty easy to unlock.

How to unlock the Streetsweeper

Unlocking the Streetsweeper shotgun requires getting a three-kill streak using Black Ops Cold War shotguns at least 15 times. This means that any shotgun in Black Ops Cold War is eligible for the challenge, along with those same shotguns within Warzone. You can only do this once per match, however, so getting repeated kill-streaks in the same match won’t add to your total. Warzone matches are also eligible if you don’t play Black Ops Cold War.

You can also get a special version of the weapon called the Surge Protector as part of the Shock Value pack for 1,200 Call of Duty Points. If you go this route, that variant will be available instantly without having to complete the challenge. The pack also includes a legendary charm, legendary emblem, and epic sticker.

Once you have the shotgun, you’ll see it’s capable of truly ridiculous damage. Some adjustments could change that in the future. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War recently nerfed several weapons, including a DMR that was considered very overpowered. Playlist updates also shifted the modes available in both Black Ops Cold War and Warzone, and added some fan-favorite modes back to the games.

Every Fortnite battle pass has added a number of new skins that come alongside an emote, back bling, glider, and other accessories that are unlocked as players level up. These additions could be used with any skin, but Season 4 introduced special versions of these items that were tied to specific characters. Players worry that these new cosmetic restrictions will continue into future seasons, limiting their ability to customize as they see fit.

This change was introduced with various Marvel characters. Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir could only be used by characters that were worthy like Captain America and Thor. Dr. Doom’s glider and emote, alongside a number of other items, were also tied to specific heroes.

“I get Marvel, but Mave’s glider is stupid,” said Redditor ExtraTime101. This change was believed to only apply to Marvel characters, but now it’s continued into Season 5. Mave, one of the hunters you can unlock, features a glider specifically made for her. It can’t be used on other characters.

“I don’t know why people are so obsessed with their skin being unique,” said Redditor JerCoMambo. “If we buy the battle pass we should be able to mix and match any cosmetic.”

Mave’s glider is similar to the glider for Dr. Doom, Storm, Iron Man, and Thor. They each feature the character striking a pose as different special effects surround them. These gliders were clearly designed with these heroes in mind–but players want to see their favorite Fortnite characters wielding these superhuman abilities as they float to the ground at the start of a match.

Every battle pass has also come with additional unlocks tied to specific challenges and levels that would become locked once the season ended. Players argue that they should be able to unlock items at whatever pace they’d like–especially if they had to pay for the opportunity in the first place. They apply the same argument to this skin-specific restriction.

Part of the appeal of purchasing the battle pass is getting additional accessories for every character in your locker. As more content continues to roll out, many players don’t want to be unable to use new additions just because they decide to stick with their skin of choice.

The newest update for Valve’s incredibly popular free-to-play shooter CS:GO has arrived, and one of the most notable changes pertains to a feature that has been removed.

The patch notes state that, when a player disconnects or is kicked from a classic competitive or wingman mode match, a bot will no longer replace them. Should the entire team vanish, a single bot will be spawned in for the other team and remain idle.

Valve provided no rationale for why it made this decision to remove bots. The appeal of bots was that, should a teammate get disconnected for any reason, the squad would still have a fighting chance instead of being forced to play one team member down.

Elsewhere, the January 7 CS:GO patch fixes various exploits and issues with a handful of maps, while some changes have been made to the game’s ping system. Specifically, pings will no longer highlight weapons in competitive matches.

You can see the full patch notes below, as compiled by Valve and posted on the game’s website.

CS:GO is far and away the most popular game on Steam. The latest data shows that the shooter had more than 1 million concurrent users by the latest count.

CS:GO – January 7 Patch Notes

[ GAMEPLAY ]

• When a player disconnects or is kicked in classic competitive and wingman modes, they will no longer be replaced by a bot. If the entire other team leaves, one bot will be left on the other team, idling in spawn.
• Fixed bots not navigating properly in Warmup arenas.

[VIEW MODELS]

• Reduced size of SWAT sleeves matching all existing models.

[ MISC ]

• Fixed a crash in Windows dedicated server when “version” command is issued.
• Pings no longer move when walked over by characters, and will no longer highlight weapons in competitive matches.
• Adjusted Retakes clip areas in Mirage and Train

[ PERFECT WORLD ]

• Accounts that completed government identity verification have been upgraded to CS:GO Prime Account Status for Steam China.

[ MAPS ]

Ancient

• Further optimizations
• Fixed some clipping bugs

Cache

• Fixed a pixel-gap in the Cargo containers in T-Spawn (Thanks to the perceptive individual that reported it to 3kliksphilip!)
• Fixed Cargo containers not having their proper colors.
• Fixed bomb explosions being visible above the A site. (Thanks markman2575!)

Engage

• Removed several boost spots
• Added stairs in the garage for better rotation flow
• Breakable glass ceiling around A-site and Mid. Smokes and flashes can now be used on A-site
• Removed “office” area on mid
• Added ladder on A upper CT side
• Both entrances of the hut are now wider for better player traffic flow between A-site and Mid
• Lowered A upper and bridge to make entire bombsite more readable
• Removed several awkward angles on A-site
• Removed excessive areas on A-site
• Removed clutter on A-site
• Better FPS around the whole map

Guard

• Widened inner part of connector
• Reduced size of restaurant corner
• Adjusted tarp positions on truck to eliminate some angles
• Lowered half-wall at stairs
• Adjusted timings by pushing CT spawns back a bit
• Shifted crates next to tower further towards pit
• Enhanced visibility for various long range angles
• Removed electric box next to bikes
• Reduced amount of breakable glass at shop
• Blocked angle from CT boost to pit
• Increased size of ladder hole
• Added location names
• Fixed players being able to see into the tower area when boosted at dumpster (u/ReVoLTimE)
• Fixed some Z-fighting and intersecting geo (Thanks Joaokaka1998)
• Fixed various visible nodraw textures (Thanks Joaokaka1998, Fnugz, u/TheSpudd, u/ReVoLTimE)
• Fixed various bomb stuck spots (Thanks Joaokaka1998)
• Fixed player stuck spot on street (Kerluck)
• Clipping adjustments throughout the map (Thanks Joaokaka1998, u/ReVoLTimE, Kerluck)
• Minor visual adjustments and enhancements

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is getting another big update soon, as developer Treyarch has now teased a “mid-season update” that will land on January 14.

This update to Season 1 adds a huge new Fireteam map called Sanatorium, along with a new 6v6 multiplayer mode called Dropkick. Treyarch did not provide any specifics on what this mode is or how it plays, however.

For Zombies, the mid-season update will introduce a Cranked mode that resets the timer every time you kill a zombie. The Onslaught mode in Zombies, meanwhile, introduces the Raid map. PlayStation fans are getting some exclusive content, too, in the form of new Dark Aether intel.

More details about the mid-season update will presumably be shared in the days ahead.

The Season One rollout, which brought Black Ops Cold War weapons to Warzone, was a little rocky. Players spoke out about various issues, and the developers responded with nerfs to a variety of weapons, including the overpowered DMR 14. Looking ahead, the developers have told fans to keep sending in their feedback so the studio can make the game better.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of countless scientists, programmers and other experts, the dreaded Y2K bug wound up being more a minor nuisance than the civilization-ending disaster some feared. But what if that weren’t the case? What if the Y2K bug did, in fact, wreak havoc across the globe and bring humanity to its knees? That’s the premise of the new Image Comics series Deep Beyond, a sci-fi horror saga set in an alternate world where the worst case scenario did come to pass.

IGN can exclusively debut new interior art from Deep Beyond #1 ahead of its February release. Check out these pages in the slideshow gallery below:

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In the world of Deep Beyond, the remnants of humanity cling to life years after the millennium bug decimated civilization, with a small band of scientists keeping the survivors from total annihilation. In this world, even greater horrors are waiting to finish off what’s left of society, especially after a lone researcher is lost in the oceanic abyss. The series is a collaboration between co-writers Mirka Andolfo (Mercy) and David Goy, artist Andrea Broccardo (Star Wars: Doctor Aphra) and colorist Barbara Nosenzo (The Ballad of Halo Jones).

“This comic book could appear a little different from what I’ve written before, but in fact, certain themes that are a constant of my whole production come back: contemporary social (or in this case environmental) issues without being preachy but always entertaining the reader, mixed with the right dose of humor to release the tensest and dramatic moments,” Andolfo told IGN. “And the fact I have to write for an artist that will put my script to paper was an occasion to flex new creative muscles, so to speak. So a great experience that I think made me improve as a scriptwriter.”

“The world we created in DEEP BEYOND is a devastated one, in which nature takes back its spaces, and it is about a planet at the same time different and tragically similar (potentially) to the one we know,” said Goy. “The human race is the main protagonist but also a great menace for the planet, and this will show in unexpected ways.“

Broccardo added, ““After working on a globally known sci-fi scenario like Star Wars, it was a pleasure and an honor creating graphically a whole new world that was a little retro-futuristic, but also immensely plausible.”

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Deep Beyond will run for 12 issues, with the first chapter scheduled for release on February 3, 2021.

For more promising new comics debuting this year, check out IGN’s 21 most anticipated comics of 2021, find out more about DC’s Future State crossover and learn what major plot twist will transform Daredevil this year.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.