Author: Trafficblast

SteelSeries is known for producing solid gaming headsets, and the company’s Arctis line is especially great. Durable frames, high level of comfort, that signature Arctis sound – there’s a reason a bunch of them landed on our Best Gaming Headsets of 2020 list.

Take the Arctis 1 Wireless Xbox Johnny Silverhand Edition headset for example. At first glance, it offers more of the same; this limited model features all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from the Arctis line. That said, some slight tweaks to its design make it more compatible with Microsoft’s console this time around – including compatibility with the upcoming Xbox Series X.

Design and Features

SteelSeries’ Arctis 1 Wireless Xbox headset is similar to the one we reviewed last year. It still has a steel-based headband wrapped in plastic and foam. The frame applies slight pressure for a snug fit while the soft, padded cushions hug the ears for extra stability. A detachable mic extends from the left cup, connecting right above several important features. They include a Micro-USB jack for charging, a standard 3.5 mm audio jack, the volume wheel and a microphone mute switch. The right cup houses the power button and LED that indicates connectivity and overall battery life.

Again, these basic design elements can be found in the previous model. That’s not a bad thing mind you. The frame is sturdy. Built with durability in mind, it feels solid enough to survive a fall from a computer desk or short table. And while the steel headband isn’t very flexible, the pressure it places on the ears is reasonable. As someone who’s sensitive to that sort of thing, I can’t stress enough how important this is. No one wants to wear an uncomfortable pair of cans. Thankfully, the Arctis 1 is all about comfort; its extremely soft ear cushions can attest to that.

The Arctis 1 feels great to wear. They’re also rather easy to use. It only takes a second or two to raise the speaker volume and/or mute via the left cup. Long pressing the power button (on the right cup) turns the headset off and on. A short press will answer/end calls or play/pause music; skipping between the next and previous track requires double and triple presses, respectively.

Connecting wirelessly to various devices is also a breeze. This is thanks to that the aforementioned tweaks and multiple connecting cables. The PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Android devices – sans Samsung phones prior to the Galaxy Note 10, which lack voice functionality via USB-C – utilize the Arctis 1 wireless dongle. This is done by either connecting the dongle to a device’s USB-C port directly or by using the USB-A adapter cable. The same goes for the Xbox One. Previously, you’d have to connect the headset to an Xbox One controller using a 3.5 mm audio cable. That’s not the case anymore. Just simply shift the wireless dongle’s mode to Xbox, connect it to the USB-A adapter, plug it into the console and you’re off to the races.

The Arctis 1 Wireless Xbox headset is great in terms of form and function. I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up the flashy decorations on the unit I tested. Inspired by Keanu Reeves’ Cyberpunk 2077 character, the Johnny Silverhand special edition is uniquely stylized. Half black, half chrome (or silver), each earcup seems to visually showcase Johnny’s human and cybernetic sides. The right cup is adorned with an Oni Demon – part cyborg as well – while the left is chromed out, the words “No Future” are scratched into the frame.

Everything from the Samurai headband to the silver mic arm screams Cyberpunk. Even the inside of the ear cups is stylized, featuring an Arasaka – a megacorporation found in the upcoming game – logo and serial number. Basically, the cool design should resonate with Cyberpunk fans.

Performance

Like previous Arctis headsets, this one features SteelSeries’ high-performance speaker drivers. Their purpose is to provide pertinent details during play. You won’t get a true 7.1 surround sound experience. But you will be able to pinpoint a rival’s location in Call of Duty: Warzone by the sound of their footsteps.

Being able to hear where enemies are is important. Being able to communicate that information to your peers is even more so. The Arctis 1’s 2.4 Ghz wireless connection and ClearCast mic help in this regard. For one, the connection was always solid. I never had to deal with latency issues or choppy audio regardless of what I was doing during play. Even when I went upstairs towards the back of my house, away from my Xbox, I was still able to hear my friends in private chat. My friends could also hear me thanks to the ClearCast mic. Made with a bidirectional design, the mic was great at picking up my voice while ignoring background noises; my teammates couldn’t hear my kids running around while we played various games.

The same could be said when playing on other devices. Especially on my PC, where I could use its sound settings and/or the SteelSeries Engine 3 software to tweak my experience. Which actually brings to me my only complaint: the inability to address sound issues on the Xbox One. There were times when a game’s sounds would drown out portions of the chat. Gunfire, loud music, explosions – whenever things got really exciting, I’d have a hard time hearing anyone who was speaking lower than usual. And because the headset doesn’t differentiate/split the game audio from voice chat, cranking up the volume only made things worse.

To be fair, this issue had more to do with the console than the SteelSeries’ headset. That’s because there’s no menu option to change the volume when connected wirelessly. If you connect it to an Xbox One controller via the 3.5 mm audio cable, an audio option pops up under settings that allows you to adjust how much of the game’s audio is heard over chat. That doesn’t happen when connected through the wireless dongle. Outside of changing the stereo settings – choosing audio formats like Dolby Atmos – and tweaking the mic’s output, you’re pretty much stuck with a shared audio experience. That’s not the case with the PS4 though. On Sony’s console, you can toggle between having all of the audio or just the chat coming through your speakers when using the headset wirelessly.

Purchasing Guide

The limited edition SteelSeries Arctis 1 Wireless Xbox Johnny Silverhand Edition is compatible with PC, PS4, Android phones (with a USB-C port), Nintendo Switch, and Xbox – both the Xbox One and the upcoming Xbox Series X. It can be found at Best Buy or direct from SteelSeries with an MSRP of $109. The regular edition is available without the Cyberpunk branding for $10 less.

InXile Entertainment, a California-based video game developer founded by Brian Fargo, confirmed that its next project after the release of Wasteland 3 will be a new triple-A RPG developed using Unreal Engine 5.

Considering inXile is now a Microsoft first-party studio, it means the Xbox Series X will indeed have first-party games developed using Epic’s game engine.

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In response to a question from a fan on Twitter, inXile Entertainment confirmed that its next video game project will “indeed be using Unreal Engine 5 for our next project.” Studio boss Brian Fargo also confirmed on Twitter that its “next gen RPG” will use Unreal Engine 5.

Unreal Engine 5 is Epic Games’ next-gen game engine. Two major features of the engine are two technologies called Lumen and Nanite. Lumen is a universal lighting system that makes it easier for developers to create realistic lighting effects, while Nanite lets developers import movie-quality digital assets directly into their games.

In an interview with IGN Tim Sweeney said that the technology running the Lumen in the Land of Nanite tech demo was possible thanks to the SSD technology in the PS5. But Sweeney also said the same two technologies were able to run on the Xbox Series X.

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Xbox boss Phil Spencer also tweeted how “many of our [Xbox Game Studios] are using Unreal,” and mentioned Ninja Theory is using the engine for Hellblade 2.

InXile is currently developing Wasteland 3, a sequel to the isometric post-apocalyptic RPG, Wasteland 2.

In 2018 Microsoft Studios announced that it acquired InXile along with Obsidian Entertainment to join its new Xbox Game Studios stable. Other Xbox Game Studios developers include Rare, 343 Industries, Ninja Theory, and more.

Both Xbox and PlayStation are prepping to reveal more next-gen games, with Sony’s CEO confirming PS5 game reveals will happen soon. Meanwhile, Xbox is planning another 20/20 livestream focused on first-party titles, including Halo Infinite.

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Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN.

The 93rd annual Academy Awards show isn’t scheduled to air until February 28, 2021, but it appears that due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming ceremony could be delayed.

Per Variety, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering a postponement of the 2021 telecast on ABC. “It’s likely they’ll be postponed,” a source close to the situation informed Variety. The outlet goes on to report that the details surrounding the potential delay have not been formally discussed and “another source says the date is currently unchanged.”

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Back in April, the Oscars changed its rules in a big way because of Coronavirus, allowing movies that debuted on digital or streaming platforms to qualify for Best Picture. However, this new exception is only being made for the upcoming 93rd Academy Awards. In normal circumstances, the Academy requires a movie to be shown in a movie theater in L.A. County “for a theatrical qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily.”

In regards to whether or not the Oscars will actually be delayed, Academy president David Rubin told Variety that “It’s impossible to know what the landscape will be. We know we want to celebrate film but we do not know exactly what form it will take.”

In other Oscar news, find out why Joker was never going to win Best Picture, and check out the complete 2020 winner’s list right here.

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David Griffin still watches DuckTales in his pajamas with a cereal bowl in hand. He’s also the TV Editor for IGN. Say hi on Twitter.

Ruby Rose is exiting the title role in The CW’s Batwoman. The network will recast the role of Kate Kane with a new actress for the second season, which isn’t slated to debut till January 2021.

“I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season,” Rose said in a statement obtained by Deadline.

“This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.”

Rose continued, “I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity, but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created.”

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Batwoman, which just recently aired its first season finale, was already renewed for a second season at the time Rose announced her exit.

While no official reason was given for Rose’s exit, Deadline reports that it is not related to the very serious injury Rose endured filming season one.

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The creative powers-that-be reiterated that they would recast the role of Batwoman with another LGBTQ actor:

“The studio and network are firmly committed to Batwoman’s second season and long-term future, and we — along with the show’s talented creative team — look forward to sharing its new direction, including the casting of a new lead actress and member of the LGBTQ community, in the coming months.”

For more on Batwoman, check out our review of the Season One finale, how it sets up the next CW crossover, and get the skinny on that (kinda sorta) Bruce Wayne reveal.

Total War: Three Kingdoms has a new hotfix available for those playing the beta version The update is not live in the full game as of yet, with the beta edition acting as a testing grounds for the fixes before going live. The patch includes the long awaited Greenskins faction rework, updates to the Mortal Empires map, and a huge amount of much-needed bug fixes.

Here’s the full update notes, which are available in Chinese and Korean on the official Total War website.

Total War: Three Kingdoms 1.5.2 Patch Notes

Diplomacy Changes:

• Fixed issue where if an individual deal component was not the first part of a diplomacy deal it could lead to problems later – for example if a Mercenary Treaty wasn’t added first in a deal, that treaty might not complete correctly when its time limit runs out
• Fixed issue where Liu Bei couldn’t annex Han Empire settlements in Mandate of Heaven
• Fixed issue where asking subjects to end a feud as an Empire leader wasn’t working correctly – it would say they had agreed to make peace but they wouldn’t actually have made peace (this now no longer happens)
• Fixed issue where the Coerce diplomatic action was missing for Lü Bu
• Fixed remaining issues that meant a player couldn’t make peace when in an alliance war
• Fixed issue where multiple alliance wars could be proposed at once
• Fix for factions other than Bandits and those that aren’t under player control being able to sign mercenary treaties
• Fixed issue where it was possible to issue ultimatums to factions you were already at war with
• Fixed issue where it was possible to be at war with an alliance member if they issued you a mercenary contract and the target asked you to turn against the issuing faction
• Fixed issue where if a mercenary faction asked another mercenary faction to be a mercenary for them, they wouldn’t be assigned a mission to attack a target
• Fixed issue where the mercenary contract bar would stick around at the top of the screen if the mercenary lord made peace with the mercenary target
• Fixed issue where, if you are kicked from an alliance/empire, you could wrongly have wars with both the alliance/empire and individual members of the alliance/empire
• Fixed issue where consequential deals information was missing from some war event messages, for example declaring war on a faction with vassals will now once again show consequential wars with vassals in the event pop-up

Character Changes:

• Added more faction fondness for characters in A World Betrayed so that more legendary characters are happy to stay in their historical factions, for example:
  • Zhang Liao now has fondness for Lü Bu’s faction and a positive relationship with Lü Bu
  • Diaochan now has fondness for Lü Bu’s faction
• Fixed issue where all court nobles were getting the governor salary by default, even if they were a family member. Now by default a character’s salary is 150 and then increased by titles and becoming governor (250 base) and minister (350 base). It is then further modified up or down by effect from tech tree etc. Family members will again have 0 salary
• Halved AI salaries for court nobles, administrators and ministers
• Increased time characters with unique art remain in the character pool after they leave a faction or their faction is destroyed, from 20 turns to 50 turns
• Corrected Guo Si’s class display in battles, he is now consistently displayed as Wood
• Changed Wu Jing’s personality type so his faction is less aggressive in campaign, giving more time for Sun Ce to complete his objectives
• Cheng Pu now uses a corrected unit in records mode in the Rise of Warlords campaign so he now has a bodyguard. This fix will only apply to campaigns started after this patch
• The following characters were spawning as the wrong element in the A World Betrayed campaign (which has now been fixed):
  • Han Fu
  • Liu Qi
  • Yuan Shang
  • Xu Rong
  • Yang Biao
  • Wei Huang
  • Xuan Fan
  • Fan Min
• Added effects to the career trait for the following characters, and also set their starting traits as they were missing them:
  • Gao Dai
  • Zhu Fu
  • Xu Zhao
  • Wu Huan
  • Shi Yi
  • Shi Huang
  • Shi Wu
• Zhang Yan’s and Zheng Jiang’s skill trees have been updated to include new Bandit skills
• Fixed issue where Lady Mi and Tao Qian were missing Resilience
• Fixed issue were Lady Bian’s armour gave Resolve instead of Authority
• Fixed incorrect Chinese character used in the name of Yang Hong
• Fixed issue where Yuan Huan was not gaining access to the Agricultural Development assignment his career trait should have given him
• Fixed issue where any faction could get the Sun Quan/Zhang Zhao event if they had Zhang Zhao in their faction
• Ma Xiu and Ma Tie’s starting ranks are now consistent in Rise of Warlords and A World Betrayed
• Fixed issue where Luo Jun couldn’t unequip his starting armour or weapon
• Fixed issue where Yan Baihu was missing a normal horse in his starting equipment which prevented him from unequipping his starting horse
• Corrected Wang Dang’s background in the campaign selection screen to match his actual background in campaign
• Corrected Lu Zhi’s spawn years so he cannot spawn in the A World Betrayed start date anymore
• Changed Li Jue’s AI personality so it no longer references Dong Zhuo
• Fixed issue where Zheng Jiang started with Archer Militia in her retinue which she can no longer recruit
• Fix for characters added in A World Betrayed, or who got updated backgrounds in A World Betrayed, not supporting any political faction if they join Liu Hong’s faction in the Mandate campaign
• Tao Qian’s wife Lady Gan is now in both Mandate of Heaven and Rise of Warlords
• Fixed issue where Que Xuan leaves Tao Qian on turn 1 in Rise of Warlords
• Fixed issue where Han Dang leaves Sun Jian on turn 1 in Mandate of Heaven on higher difficulties
• Zhao Yun no longer starts with the Blue Blade in any campaign
• Sun Ce death event in main campaign now waits until at least the year 200 to fire
• Adjusted Guo Tu’s birth year so he appears of age in Yuan Shao’s court in the A World Betrayed campaign

Campaign Changes:

• Removed warning of wrong game version in load game menu as the warning is incorrect
• Fixed issue where Fervour effect bundles were not being removed after the Mandate War ended
• Halved Prestige given by Lü Bu’s Personal Victories
• Corrected issue where for each of the Bandit factions one of their unique units started with a cap but the other didn’t. Their unique units now have no cap, and do not gain a cap through any technologies. Other Bandit factions can still gain access to some of the other Bandit factions’ unique units via the Bandit Network
• Moved many instances of modifiers to Family Estates income from effect bundles to other sources to correct issue where income could drop/increase on a save load
• Reduced Prestige given by Bandit buildings to reduce pace of their campaign
• Fixed issue where Liu Hong mission “A Legacy for the Han Dynasty is crafted by the Emperor” did not have a target building to construct
• Replaced bonuses to silk and spice income in Bandit network with a bonus to commerce income
• Fix for mission to take 95 regions not appearing correctly for Lü Bu once he has eliminated the other Emperors. Victory could still be achieved but the mission alerting players to this that was not appearing
• Cao Cao no longer captures the Emperor if his faction is no longer around
• Fix for Sun Ce’s Grandmaster Legacy of Wu set bonus not applying correctly to characters
• Fixed dilemma “A Thief No More” to correctly spawn a character into Cao Cao’s faction
• Fixed issue where Foreign Assignments were not available in the Eight Princes campaign
• Eight Princes factions now have access to Zhanmajian Infantry and the Imperial units added in Mandate of Heaven
• Spies are now available from the start for Bandit factions in the Rise of Warlords campaign
• Zheng Jiang can again Demand Tribute from Han factions
• Applied a fix to Sun Ce’s ambitions so that upon completion they always give at least 1 turn of boost to Reckless Luck
• Fix for Lu Zhi’s “Art of War” not unlocking correctly
• Fixed issues in multiplayer campaigns where if both players are Bandit factions and have Mercenary Contracts they could get each other’s rewards. They now get the correct rewards for their faction
• Fixed issue where the Population icon and Fervour icon was not being shown on the province panel for major settlements
• Fixed issue where completing missions for Sun Ce that granted characters before that character had come of age would not lead in them being given to him. Now if these missions are completed the character will join him once they are of age
• Fixed issue where Lü Bu, on betraying Liu Bei, would sometimes get territory that did not belong to Liu Bei
• Fixed issue where AI faction leaders could get titles
• Fixed issue where heirs becoming faction leaders could keep their titles
• Fixed issue where the “A Way Out” dilemma could occur multiple times if the campaign was saved and loaded
• Reserves effect from Share the Spoils and Raiding stance is now being applied correctly
• White Cranes Bandit tech melee evasion bonus increased from +3% to +5%
• Fixed issue where it wasn’t possible to construct State Workshop in Jianye as one already technically existed in a slot that isn’t visible when it is conquered
• Corrected issue with downgrades for Bandit resource buildings causing issues – these can now be converted properly by Han factions
• Sun Ce’s flag now correctly changes when he forms a Kingdom
• Corrected issue where many horse speeds had not been updated to reflect new unit speeds
• Fixed issue where the new Bandit skills were not giving attribute points
• Fixed issue where Prime Minister position was not appearing correctly for many factions in Mandate of Heaven campaign
• Fixed issue where it was impossible to construct buildings in Jian’an when it was colonised in the Mandate of Heaven campaign
• Fixed typo in population effect for People’s Compassion technology
• Fixed incorrect spelling of Chen Gong and Cheng Gong in campaign selection screen
• Fixed several instances of “a lot” being spelled as “alot”
• Fixed issue where Sun Ce was not getting any event pop-ups when increasing faction rank
• Fixed issue where Yan Baihu’s Family Estate income was too low in the Rise of Warlords campaign
• Fixed issue where Sun Ce was not getting the same effects from port buildings as Sun Jian
• Fixed issue where there were problems trying to upgrade the Taoist Temple chain (unique to Pengcheng commandery) as non-Yellow-Turban factions
• Swapped Banditry income from Copper and Iron chains for Industry income for Bandits to give more chains with Industry income
• Replaced references to Administrators in campaign selection, buildings and Bandit Network for Bandits with references to Underlings
• Camp Crushers and Flying Riders now shown in Lü Bu’s campaign selection screen. These have replaced Xiliang Cavalry and Heavy Xiliang Cavalry because of the limited amount of space to display faction unique features
• Fixed issue where Guo Jia’s Greatest Warrior objective could not be completed
• Corrected several dilemmas that used a layout that meant the second option for them could not be seen
• All characters in Lü Bu’s faction can now recruit Flying Riders when they are rank 2, instead of just Fire characters
• Fix for Emperor effect bundle for Yan Baihu and Zhang Yan calling them “Empress”
• Fixed issue where the public order bonus when Administrator effect from the Master of Writing title was not being applied correctly
• Fixed issue where the new Bandit Villainy skill was not correctly unlocking the Reward the Villainous & Corrupt assignment
• Cao Xing should no longer spawn in A World Betrayed until the event for Lü Bu

Balance Changes:

• Adjusted Zhou Tai’s autoresolve values
• Changed Zhou Tai’s Undying Vow ability to be active so it deactivates under the right conditions
• Changed Sun Ce’s Blood Fury ability so that it only fires in duels
• Reduced power of Zhanmajian Infantry and Handmaid Guard
• Xu Chu and Handmaid Guard now give less damage resistance to nearby heroes
• Halved duration of Yan Baihu’s Poison Volley, UI stats for damage have updated based on the changed duration
• Increased ammunition of Mounted Crossbows
• Fixed issue where change to Knowledge of Body healing value wasn’t included in update 1.5.0
• Qiang Hunters were using wrong attribute set
• Mercenary Cavalry Captain now correctly using cavalry spacing rather than infantry spacing
• Qiao Sisters ability and Zhang brothers abilities now have correct deactivation conditions
• Added the following units to the following characters in custom/multiplayer battles:
  • Gao Shun now has access to Protectors of Heaven and Defenders of Earth
  • Jia Xu now has access to Xiliang Cavalry and Heavy Xiliang Cavalry
  • Guo Jia now has access to Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and Heavy Tiger and Leopard Cavalry
  • Pang Tong now has access to Yi Archers and Yi Marksmen
  • Xun Yu now has access to Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and Heavy Tiger & Leopard Cavalry
  • Yan Baihu now has access to Protectors of Heaven and Defenders of Earth
  • Yan Yu now has access to Protectors of Heaven and Defenders of Earth
  • Zhang Liao now has access to Xiliang Cavalry, Heavy Xiliang Cavalry, Camp Crushers and Flying Riders
  • Chen Gong now has access to Xiliang Cavalry, Heavy Xiliang Cavalry, Camp Crushers and Flying Riders
  • Diao Chan now has access to Xiliang Cavalry, Heavy Xiliang Cavalry, Camp Crushers and Flying Riders
  • Sun Ren now has access to Tiger Guard
  • Sun Quan now has access to Tiger Guard and Handmaid Guard
  • Zhou Yu now has access to Tiger Guard and Handmaid Guard
  • Sun Jian now has access to Handmaid Guard
  • Gan Ning now has access to Handmaid Guard
• Diaochan now gets a unique weapon at Enchantress level in custom/multiplayer battles
• Xun Yu now gets a unique weapon at Marquis of Wansui level in custom/multiplayer battles
• Added the following missing abilities to the following units:
  • Mercenary Infantry now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Zhanmajian Infantry now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Pearl Dragons now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Tiger Guard now have access to Caltrops
  • Protectors of Heaven now have access to Caltrops
  • Mercenary Archers now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Defenders of Earth now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Imperial Sword Guard now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Imperial Gate Guard now have access to Caltrops
  • Imperial Palace Crossbowmen now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Infantry of Jing now have access to Caltrops
  • Imperial Defenders now have access to Caltrops
  • Yue Remnant Warriors now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Azure Dragons now have access to Caltrops
  • Fury of Beihai now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Thunder of Jian’an now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Onyx Dragons now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Destroyers of Treachery now have access to Diamond formation
  • Defenders of the Empire now have access to Shield Wall formation
  • Camp Crushers now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Handmaid Guard now have access to Diamond formation
  • Chen Royal Guard now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Chen Peacekeepers now have access to Wedge formation
  • Defenders of Hebei now have access to Caltrops
  • Rapid Tiger Infantry now have access to Smoke Screen, Caltrops and Circle formation
  • Warriors of the Left now have access to Smoke Screen, Caltrops and Circle formation
  • Huanglao Paragons now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Venerable Wu now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Scholar Warriors now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Archery Masters now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Jiazi Raiders now have access to Wedge formation
  • Fervent Defenders now have access to Shield Wall and Hollowed Square formations
  • Guardians of the Land now have access to Caltrops, Shield Wall and Hollowed Square formations
  • Watchmen of the Peace now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Exemplars of the Tao now have access to Smoke Screen and Caltrops
  • Spearmen Gang now have access to Shield Wall, Turtle and Circle formations
  • Ascetics of the Way now have access to Shield Wall and Hollowed Square formations
  • Peasant Volunteers now have access to Loose formation
  • Poachers now have access to Loose formation
  • Redeemed Outlaws now have access to Shield Wall and Circle formations
  • Zealots of the Way now have access to Caltrops
  • Bringers of Peace now have access to Caltrops and Smoke Screen
  • Gallant of the People now have access to Caltrops. Corrected their formations to right ones for their element
  • Tyrant Slayers now have access to Diamond formation
  • Righteous Vanguards now have access to Diamond formation
  • Youxia now have access to Caltrops and Smoke Screen
  • Arm of the Supreme Peace now have access to Caltrops
  • Bringers of Righteousness now have access to Smoke Screen
  • Chosen of the Eight Immortals now have access to Caltrops and Smoke Screen
  • Messengers of Heaven now have access to Wedge formation
  • People’s Warband now have access to Circle formation

Total War: Three Kingdoms is available on PC, Linux, and Mac. The game sold over 1 million copies in its first week and has continued to receive multiple updates in the year since.

THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games have released an all-new trailer for the upcoming Destroy All Humans! remake, detailing some of the action in the game’s opening moments.

The game begins in Turnipseed Farm, filled with poor, unsuspecting cows. Crypto, the main protagonist of the game, announces his invasion of Earth and his intent to destroy all humans before using his telekinesis to lift and throw cows around the level.

Eventually, players will be able to fly away in their flying saucer to put an end to Turnipseed Farm and seek out bigger sections of human society to terrorize.

The invasion begins on July 28 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. If you are a huge fan of the series, you can pre-order the $400 collections edition of the game before the release. For more on this upcoming remake, here’s an extended gameplay presentation.

Hunt: Showdown has received a major update for its PS4 and Xbox One versions, and it has brought cross-play to the online shooter. Players can now team up–or fight against–players who own the game on another system.

There’s a catch, though–right now, you can still only send invites to players on the same console as you, so cross-play between friends isn’t possible to organize just yet.

Update 1.3 has been detailed on Reddit, which explains that when searching for random partners, you can get matched with players from either console. While the game is also available on PC, this update is console-only.

Plenty of other new features have been added with this update too, including the new Grunt Doctor and Concertina Armored AI enemies, a new time of day (sunset), and some new equipment, including the Martini-Henry IC1 Marksman and the Decoy Fuses tool.

Hunt: Showdown has joined a growing list of games that support cross-play, and hopefully in the future it will be possible for players to send invites to their friends on other consoles.

Here’s are some of the highlights of Update 1.3 for consoles–check the Reddit thread for all the details.

Hunt: Showdown Update 1.3 Patch Notes

Update on previously reported issues

• We are aware that crashes have affected many player’s overall experience, and we are looking into these with the highest priority. Until now, we were not able to track the errors properly, but included with this update, we have added markers to help us identify the cause of the reported crashes mainly on PlayStation. Unfortunately, this update does not include fixes for these issues yet, but will help us tackle them much quicker and fix them as soon as possible with a Hotfix.
• Implemented various Bug fixes to reported problems.

1.3 Issues

• The DLC Bundle images appear incorrectly in the store, make sure to read the description before buying them.
• We have noticed some rendering issues on the PS4, we will keep you updated regarding this.

AI

Doctor Grunt

• New Grunt AI variation
• Carries a medical kit (similar to the ones players can find at resupply stations or randomly in the world) on his back that he drops when killed.
• Wields a rusty bone saw that causes poison damage.

Concertina Armored

• New Armored AI variation.
• Fully entangled in concertina wire, this Armored causes bleeding damage when a Hunter gets too close.
• More resistant to melee attacks in general.
• Less resistant to all types of bullets.

Audio

• Hunter Footsteps
• Adjusted the pitch of footsteps to sound slightly higher for teammates and slightly lower for enemies compared to Player footsteps.
• Slightly increased the audible distance of breaking branches that can be found in forest areas.

Arsenal

Mosin-Nagant M1891 Obrez Drum

• An Obrez variant that features the 15 round drum magazine known from the Avtomat variant on this classic bolt-action.
• With a 15/0 ammo pool, total ammunition remains the same however, the Obrez Drum does not need to be reloaded during a fight.
• Available in the Mosin-Nagant M1891 unlock tree within the Book of Weapons, found between the Mosin-Nagant Sniper and Mosin-Nagant Avtomat variants.

Henry-Martini IC1 Marksman

• A Martini-Henry variant with an attached medium-sized marksman scope for increased ranged capabilities.
• Available at the end of the Martini-Henry unlock tree in the Book of Weapons.

Decoy Fuses

• New tool with three charges.
• Mimics a lit explosive when thrown, but does not explode or deal damage after its fuse time.
• Can be used to deceive opponents and flush them out of cover.
• Can be used to break stalemates by pushing into seemingly hazardous positions.
• New unlock option for the Deception tree in the Book of Weapons.
• Decoy Fuses play a tiny explosion sound when they explode.

Levering Trait

• A new trait that allows lever-action rifles like the Winfield series to rapid-fire when aiming from the shoulder.
• Hard to control, but allows shots to be fired at a staggering rate of fire. Levering gives additional flexibility in close range to stand your ground against Shotguns and other rapid-fire weapons.
• Like “Fanning” for single-action revolvers, Levering does not work when aiming down sights (ADS).

Gunplay

• Reworked Chaos Bomb patterns and added more weapon sounds for it to be more likely interpreted as real gunfights.
• Improved handling of successive heavy melee attacks for some bayonet and talon variants.
• Improved handling of successive heavy melee attacks for the crossbow.
• Systemically – just like with Levering – Fanning now also causes slightly increased crosshair spread bloom compared to when firing it normally.
• Consistency pass made on the time it takes to get 100% accuracy when entering scope view across all aperture, deadeye, marksman and sniper weapon variants.
• Derringer, Throwing Knives, Decoys and Blankfire Decoys are now 100% refilled when their tool slot is randomly chosen for resupply upon looting a dead Hunter or using an Item Box. All other items still only receive one extra use per interaction.
• Reduced the stamina cost for Heavy Attacks with the Knuckle Knife to allow 6 instead of 4 heavy attacks

New Legendary Weapons

• Added Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol “Hedera Mortiferum” – 0 Blood Bonds (free for all players!)
• Added Cavalry Saber “Mot Juste” – 400 Blood Bonds
• Added Martini-Henry IC1 “Long Hand” – 400 Blood Bonds

New Legendary Hunters:

• Added “Redneck” – 500 Blood Bonds

Performance

• Optimized the Banishment assets
• Optimize character spawning (first character spawn stall)

UI

• Added controller shortcuts for buy, sell and sell all in Equipment screen
• Added shortcut for “Skip” and “Play” in Training screen
• Added the ability to change the cursor’s speed, found in the HUD settings.

Earlier this month, EA announced the next expansion to The Sims 4, the Eco Lifestyle, which focuses on turning a polluted environment into a sustainable, lush neighborhood for all to enjoy. The latest trailer showcases some of the ways in which players can achieve this.

Evergreen Harbor is going to need someone to lead the neighborhood in cleaning the place up. Players will be able to influence other characters with their own eco living, with communities working together to create methods of reusing, recycling, and reducing their carbon footprint.

Utilize the power of science to invent technology that can have some big effects on the world around you thanks to the new Civil Designer and Freelance Crafter career paths. Install wind turbines and solar panels to power your new eco-friendly home and transform the neighborhood into a blossoming beacon of sustainability in The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle expansion.

The Eco Lifestyle pack will release on June 5 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The expansion is available for pre-order on Origin PC and Xbox One for now. You can check out the official site for a live countdown to the release date.