Author: Trafficblast

Coming from the same team behind the Aliens vs. Predator and the Sniper Elite series, Rebellion’s Strange Brigade focuses on overcoming unique challenges and trials in the vein of a pulpy 1930s action-adventure film. With four-player co-op in mind, you’re tasked with facing off against hordes of ghouls, mummies, and other supernatural beings as your expedition ventures deeper into ancient ruins and lost lands. Set for release on August 28 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, we spent some time going hands-on with the game’s offerings, which goes beyond the standard story campaign.

In the video above, we dive into a co-op session with Rebellion’s head of creative Tim Jones, who helps break down what to expect with Strange Brigade. In the main campaign, your squad of explorers will use their particular skill-sets–including specific weapon loadouts and special powers–to discover the origins of the supernatural threat, while also collecting the lost treasures hidden within the ruins. In similar style to co-op oriented action games like Left 4 Dead, you’ll have to work together to make it through dangerous traps and waves of monsters.

Along with the main campaign are several side-activities and challenges in the form of the Score Attack and Horde modes. In Score Attack, your squad will have to clear through smaller stages as quickly as possible before the time runs out–all the while racking up score multipliers and taking out as many enemies as possible. As is tradition, the Horde mode has your team face off against waves of monsters in levels filled with environmental hazards and other dangers. After the end of each wave, you can turn in cash for new weapons, upgrades, and the unlocking of new areas on the map. But as you branch out further into the level, more enemies will come flooding in, requiring far more coordination within the team.

Strange Brigade looks to be a fun send up of the classic adventure serials, which promised dramatic action and exotic locales to explore. The developers at Rebellion also have plans in store for the game after its release, which will also come packed in with the game’s season pass. Along with a set of new weapons and costumes for existing squad throughout the several content updates, additional characters, weapons and a bonus campaign will also become available sometime post-launch.

For more info on Strange Brigade–releasing August 28 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One–be sure to check back in with GameSpot for more info.

H1Z1 has officially left open beta and launched on PlayStation 4 as a free-to-play game, Daybreak Games announced. The update, which converts the early access version to an official release, makes launch bundles and a season pass available, as well as a new vehicle to roll around in.

Battle Passes are available across three tiers: free, premium, and PS Plus. You can purchase the Premium for $5.50 / €5.50. Plus members will be given that level for free and level progression can be transferred between tiers. You can also purchase a Viper Starter Bundle ($5 / €5) or Hardline Deluxe Bundle ($35 / €35). The Deluxe bundle includes a Premium Battle Pass. Both will be offered at a launch discount until September 4.

Also marking the event are a few new in-game items to purchase with an airdrop ticket. A new explosive RPG from gold-level airdrops can help you take out vehicles, and a SOCOM sniper rifle from purple airdrops gives you another long-range option. A new ARV can help transport you and your entire team, and even includes a hatch for one of the squadmates to fire from.

“Everyone here at Daybreak Games is thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response to H1Z1’s debut on PS4,” said H1Z1 producer Terrence Yee in the announcement. “10 million new players in our first month in open beta is an incredible milestone, and our entire development team has worked tirelessly to build on that early success. We’re beyond excited to officially launch H1Z1 on PS4—this is our fully realized vision for battle royale on console.”

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In May of 2017, Ghost Recon Wildlands released to what seemed like little fanfare. It came on the tale end of a raucous third quarter, from the fantasy trappings of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, to the brilliance of Resident Evil 7.

But in the last year, the game has sold extremely well, and with numerous updates and DLC packs, Ubisoft has kept its promise of post-release support. So, with the recent launch of Special Operations 2, complete with Rainbow Six Siege cameos and new game modes, Mike Mahardy returns to Ghost Recon Wildlands.

In the video above, Mike takes a deep dive into his experience with Wildlands one year after release. He examines the game’s world design, combat mechanics, stealth systems, and storytelling power, and whether the game amounts to more than the sum of its parts.

The action sequel Mission Impossible: Fallout maintained its position at the top of the box office chart in the first weekend of what is often one of the quietest months for theater-going. With all the big Hollywood blockbusters now on release and the more prestigious awards-oriented movies still a couple of months from theaters, August release slots are often used by studios as a dumping ground for movies that aren’t expected to do as well.

In terms of box office, 2017 had the worst August in 20 years, but the mammoth success of Fallout has at least ensured that 2018 will be better. The movie made $35 million in its first three days, bringing its domestic total to $124.8 million to date. The family movie Christoper Robin opened in second place, with a $24.5 take, with the R-rated comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me at No.3 with $12.1 million. Both films fell short of studio expectations, but as Box Office Mojo points out, a lack of competition in the next few weeks should help their ongoing performance.

The week’s only other new release was the Young Adult sci-fi adaptation The Darkest Minds, which debuted at No.8. Despite a wide release, the movie only made $5.8 million, which is the 11th worst opening of all time for a movie released onto more than 3,000 screens.

Elsewhere, the musical comedy Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again slipped to No.4 in its third week on release, while the Denzel Washington-starring The Equalizer 2 dropped to No.5. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Incredibles 2 all continued to do solid business at No.6, 7, and 9 respectively. The animated Teen Titans Go! To the Movies fell to No.10 in only its second week.

You can see the full Top 10 list for the August 3-5 US box office below, as compiled by Box Office Mojo.

US/Canada Box Office For August 3-5:

1. Mission Impossible: Fallout – $35.1 million
2. Disney’s Christopher Robin – $24.5 million
3. The Spy Who Dumped Me – $12.1 million
4. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again – $15.0 million
5. The Equalizer 2 – $14.0 million
6. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation – $8.0 million
7. Ant-Man and the Wasp – $6.3 million
8. The Darkest Minds – $5.8 million
9. Incredibles 2 – $4.9 million
10. Teen Titans Go! To The Movies – $4.7 million

Servers for Epic’s massively popular battle royale game, Fortnite, have gone down for routine maintenance. As announced on Twitter, the developer has take the game offline early on August 7 while it implements a new update across PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. [Update] The servers are now live again. You can read the full Fortnite update 5.20 patch notes to see exactly what’s changed in the game.

The maintenance period is scheduled to begin at 1 AM PT / 4 AM ET / 5 AM BST. As usual, Epic hasn’t revealed how long the downtime is expected to last, although it typically doesn’t take too long. Maintenance periods for Fortnite routinely run between one to two hours, though that could vary depending on the update.

Once maintenance is complete, players will be able to try out Fortnite’s v5.20 update. Epic hasn’t revealed what new content is being added in this week’s patch, although the studio has been introducing new weapons to the game on a regular basis. Fortnite’s previous update brought back the controversial Guided Missile and kicked off the limited-time Fly Explosives mode.

It also remains to be seen if shopping carts and ATKs will return with the new update. Epic recently had to disable both of the game’s vehicles in all game modes due to an unspecified bug. This is particularly problematic because one of the game’s most recent challenges, jumping through flaming hoops, depends on being able to drive a shopping cart or ATK, meaning that players who haven’t already completed the task are currently unable to until the vehicles are re-enabled.

The next set of weekly challenges is scheduled to roll out on Thursday, August 9. Until then, you can see all the challenges currently available in the game in our complete Fortnite Season 5 challenges roundup. You also have until one hour before maintenance begins on August 7 to complete Fortnite’s special birthday challenges and unlock a birthday cake back bling.

Epic Games has detailed the latest patch for Fortnite on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and iOS. Servers for the game were taken offline while update 5.20 was implemented and, among the various performance and gameplay tweaks, the update introduces new features to both the Battle Royale and Save the World modes.

One of the major additions in Battle Royale is the new Double Barrel Shotgun, which Epic describes in its Fortnite 5.20 patch notes as “devastating at close range.” It continues: “the Double Barrel Shotgun packs a punch with each of its 2 shots.” The update also throws a new limited time mode called Steady Storm into the mix: “This Storm waits for no player and there are no safe zones,” Epic says. “Stay aware of the map and keep moving it to the center of the circle in the Steady Storm LTM.”

In the Save the World mode, Ragnarok, The Dark Viking has appeared, giving players a Mythic Outlander with a ground shattering ability called Seismic Impact to contend with. On top of that, there are new Horde Challenges that will let players “test [their] skills and earn lots of loot.”

Take a look at the full patch notes for Fortnite update v5.20 below, courtesy of Epic. To see the Save the World patch notes, click here.

Fortnite Update v5.20 Patch Notes (Battle Royale)

General

• The remaining time left in the Item Shop and Event Store will now appear correctly in Battle Royale and in Save the World.
• Certain interactions will now interrupt reloading.

Bug Fixes

• Reset to Default will now properly reset keys to the default values.
• Changing input options will show a confirmation message if replacing a current input bind.
• Audio for automatic weapons no longer cuts out after tapping the fire button and then immediately pressing and holding the fire button.
• Fixed an issue that could cause multiple selection boxes to appear when using a controller.
• Reduced memory usage of internal object reference search systems. This will help prevent out of memory crashes.
• Non-English audio device names in the audio settings menu will now display correctly.
• Players using voice chat will no longer join the wrong channels when rapidly switching parties, join the wrong voice channels, or be unable to send or receive voice chat in most cases.
• The mouse cursor lock state in windowed mode will now function properly. Alt-tabbing will return mouse lock status.
• The ‘Sprint Cancels Reload’ option will now function properly with “Sprint by Default” enabled.
• Fixed some display issues with the interaction between the display resolution, 3D resolution, and video quality settings in the Options screen.
• The keyboard ‘key’ hotkey background has been updated to increase legibility.
• Party system is now more responsive to errors related to connection loss when sending certain party messages like kicking and promoting. Should reduce issues with managing party.

Battle Royale

Limited Time Mode: Steady Storm

Summary: Steady Storm has one constantly moving storm closing in on the island. Stay ahead of it and take down the other players to earn a Victory Royale!

Mode Details

• One Storm that closes in over the course of 15 minutes.
• There are no safe zone circles. Keep an eye on the map to predict where the Storm will close in.
• The Storm does 10 damage per second.
• Profile Stats (K/D & Wins) and Challenges are tracked in this mode.

Weapons + Items

• Double Barrel Shotgun added.
  • Available in Epic and Legendary variants.
  • Can be found from floor loot, chests, Supply Drops, and Vending Machines.
  • Delivers high burst damage at very close range but damage falls off heavily at distance.
  • Fires 10 pellets like other Shotguns, has a larger spread, lower critical damage multiplier (1.25x), and a 2 second cooldown time when swapping weapons.
  • Epic Variant
    • Up to 143 base damage per shot at extreme close range.
  • Legendary Variant
    • Up to 150 base damage per shot at extreme close range.
• Vending Machine rebalance.
  • Vending Machines spawn more often, cost less, and have an increased chance to spawn at a higher rarity.
    • Common Vending Machine
      • Spawn chance reduced from 7.27% to 6.67%.
      • Material cost reduced from 100 to 75.
    • Uncommon Vending Machine
      • Spawn chance increased from 14.55% to 20%.
      • Material cost reduced from 200 to 150.
    • Rare Vending Machine
      • Spawn chance increased from 14.55% to 20%.
      • Material cost reduced from 300 to 225.
    • Epic Vending Machine
      • Spawn chance increased from 5.45% to 18.67%.
      • Material cost reduced from 400 to 300.
    • Legendary Vending Machine
      • Spawn chance increased from 3.64% to 8%.
      • Material cost reduced from 500 to 375.
    • Chance for no Vending Machine to spawn at a location reduced from 54.67% to 26.66%
• Reduced Remote Explosives drop count and max stack size.
  • Drop count reduced from 4 to 3.
  • Max stack size reduced from 10 to 6.
• Added a higher accuracy penalty to jumping and sprinting for Dual Pistols, Submachine Guns, and Hunting Rifles.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that would sometimes cause the storm in phase 6 to do 1 less damage than intended.
• Fixed replication issues caused by interacting with a Guided Missile.

Gameplay

• The weapon fire position now more closely follows the actual player position when crouching and un-crouching.
  • Shooting while leaving the crouched stance will no longer fire bullets from full standing height until the animation is complete.
• Crouch does not interrupt emotes anymore and is disabled when emoting.

Bug Fixes

• Certain player models will no longer obstruct camera angles or block crosshairs on slopes.
• Fixed an issue where a wall would become invisible when destroyed on a client, but would still have some health on the server.
• The camera will no longer instantly transition when attempting to aim certain weapons while in midair.
• Trap selection will no longer unintentionally cycle when switching to available traps.
• Fixed an unintentional camera adjustment when entering and exiting targeting while transitioning in and out of crouch.
• Visual effects will now properly play when a vehicle impacts an environment prop.
• Fixed reliability issues when using a rocket launcher to boost shopping carts or the ATK.
• Fixed an occasional failure of glider deploying after exiting a Rift.
• Switching weapons after an emote will now play the correct weapon switch animation.
• Slurp Juice will no longer continue to heal or provide shields after being knocked down.
• Player placed map markers will no longer appear to jitter on the minimap or in the world.

Performance

• Significant GPU optimization on Switch. Moved to the high-end forward renderer. This increases dynamic resolution by 10% in expensive scenes.
• Optimized the way explosives modify buildings to lighten the load on dedicated servers.
• Building props have more efficient network usage when taking damage.
• Melee animation trails now use significantly less network traffic.
• Optimized C4 network usage, the impact sound no longer broadcasts to players outside a certain range. It now only plays for players that are close enough to the impact.

Audio

• Added new equip sounds to grenades.
• Add the ability to honk while driving the ATK.
• Lowered the volume of impact sounds when harvesting vehicles.
• Added audio effects for when spectating squadmates leave the match.
• In the Locker menu, glider audio will fade out when it’s unselected.

Bug Fixes

• Thermal Scoped Assault Rifle scope-in sounds are no longer hard-panned to the left on Switch.
• Audio for the rocket incoming sound will now properly play during close range fights.
• Ambient audio loops will no longer stack on each other and play at once. This was creating a sound phasing issue that sounded similar to a “fighter jet”.
• Footsteps will no longer sound uneven for players outside your field of view.
• Players will no longer hear ‘ghost footsteps’ after eliminating an enemy.

UI

• The Challenges menu can now be opened in-game.
  • Additionally, Daily and Suggested Challenges have been added to the in-game map screen.
• Modified the Battle Royale Challenges screen to display the remaining challenge bundle unlock time as a countdown once it is less than 13 hours away.
• Show off your skills in the elimination feed when you land a trick in All Terrain Karts.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue with the buttons at the top of the Outfit style selection screen overlapping with the draggable window title bar area.
• Eliminations at Haunted Hills Challenge will now display as hard.
• Players who have unlocked the ability to select color styles for the Carbide and Omega Outfits will no longer randomly become locked out of that option.
• The ‘Toggle Favorite’ option no longer shows when selecting styles.
• The Build Bar no longer stays active if it was active on the warmup island.
• Quest updates and vehicle key hints no longer overlap on the HUD.
• Punctuation in the Challenge descriptions has been corrected.
• Fixed clipping on the Item Return screen for systems with aggressive Safe Zone settings.
• Changing setting while inside the Battle Bus will no longer bring up the full HUD earlier than intended.
• The HUD will now show the vehicle currently being driven rather than the one that was driven last.

Art + Animation

• Updated the effect of lighting on character models.
• Added equip and holding animations for all grenades.

Bug Fixes

• The size of the Soccer ball in the juggling emote has been fixed.
• Leaning while on All Terrain Karts no longer cancels emotes.
• Player models will no longer appear twisted while controlling the Guided Missile.

Replay System

Bug Fixes

• Cameras no longer get stuck in a bad state while following the Battle Bus.
• Rapidly skipping through a replay on non-desktop platforms no longer causes a crash.
• The players remaining counter for the 50v50 LTM now appears properly when viewing replays.
• The damage numbers toggle in replays now works properly.
• Damage numbers now properly appear on the final elimination during replays.
• Player list on the Map screen now works correctly using a gamepad.
• Health and shield bars on map screen player list now display correctly.

Mobile

• Customizable fire mode selection screen added to mix and match fire modes.
• Added FPS (frames per second) mode setting for mobile devices.
• Added another individual quickbar button to the HUD layout tool.
• Added mobile Elimination Feed.
• Separated Quickbar buttons are more visible in the HUD Layout tool.
• Harvest tool will now alternate between itself and the previously selected item when tapped.

Bug Fixes

• Completed or expired Challenges are now cleared while navigating between Challenges.
• Ramps will no longer be built through other ramps.
• Shooting when interacting with objects no longer occurs.
• Fixed inconsistency with mobile low power mode support.

A new set of weekly challenges will scheduled appear in Fortnite on Thursday, August 9. If you need a hand doing the current challenges, you can take a look at our Fortnite Season 5 challenges roundup for information on each one, as well as guides on how to do them.