Author: Trafficblast

After multiple delays, Nintendo finally rolled out its paid online subscription service for Switch last September. While the company doesn’t typically disclose usage numbers, it did share some insight on how the service has been faring thus far.

In its recent financial results briefing, Nintendo revealed that the Nintendo Switch Online service has more than eight million subscribed accounts. According to the company, this figure doesn’t include accounts that only participated in the free trial, but it does factor in every account included under a family membership, which allows up to eight account holders across different Switch consoles to share the benefits of one subscription.

“Nintendo Switch Online has had a good start,” president Shuntaro Furukawa said in the briefing. “In keeping with the goal of providing Nintendo Switch owners with ‘More Games. More Features. More Fun,’ we are working on continuing to expand the service offerings.”

Nintendo didn’t share any further details on how it will expand NSO, but during the briefing, the company teased that it is working on an unannounced Switch game that is “suitable” for the service (via Siliconera), presumably meaning it will emphasize online play. Rumors have circulated that SNES games could also be coming to the service, although Nintendo hasn’t confirmed this.

Much like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live, the Nintendo Switch Online service is required to play Nintendo Switch games online. It gives subscribers a few other benefits as well, such as the ability to back up their save data to the cloud and exclusive access to a library of classic NES games. NSO subscribers are also eligible for “special offers,” such as an exclusive set of NES-style controllers for Switch.

Sharing screenshots and videos from Xbox One has been notoriously difficult throughout the console’s life cycle. Thankfully, Microsoft has listened to people’s concerns and made it a little easier, though you’ll need to use a separate app to take advantage.

The Xbox App–known earlier in its life as SmartGlass–has been updated, and it can now share media from your Xbox One to social networks and your smartphone directly. Xbox director of programming and community figurehead Major Nelson shared the news on Twitter with a screenshot that showed Instagram, Discord, iMessage, email, and Twitter as some of the sharing options in the newly updated app.

Be warned, however, that at the time of writing Xbox Live is experiencing sign-in errors on Xbox One, so you might struggle to try out the app’s new features for the time being.

In other Xbox news, the free Games with Gold for February have now been revealed. The Xbox One games include Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, an 8-bit style game modeled loosely after Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse that’s available for the entire month. Super Bomberman R, meanwhile, joins the rotation on February 16 through mid-March. On Xbox 360, you get Assassin’s Creed Rogue, which is available through February 15, after which it will be replaced by the original Xbox game Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy.

Steam is offering another free game to download through its client. This time it’s the 2015 indie horror game Kholat from Polish studio Imgn.Pro. The creepy game is narrated by actor Sean Bean. You can pick it up now on the Steam Store until February 4 at 9 AM PT.

Kholat has you exploring the Russian Ural Mountains to uncover the mystery of nine students who went missing in 1959. The game is based loosely on the real-life Dyatlov Pass Incident, in which nine students ventured into the Kholat Syakhl (“Dead Mountain” in Mansi) and were each found dead over the span of four months. The game goes in a much more supernatural direction with their disappearance.

“In many stories, blizzards and the frigid cold provide a specific kind of terror, and Kholat’s moaning winds cry out tales of lost souls that the game ignores in favor of shapeless nonsense,” critic Kevin VanOrd wrote in GameSpot’s review. “Its ideas reveal the game Kholat wanted to be, but its aspirations soar far higher than the game it became. What good is a mystery if you don’t care about what it might tell you?”

Steam has been giving away free games through its service for some time, but it recently got more competition with the advent of the Epic Games store. Epic’s challenger to Steam’s PC store dominance is offering its own free games–currently the Jackbox Party Pack–as well as striking exclusive distribution deals for games like Metro Exodus and The Division 2. This has started to garner a response from Valve regarding the aggressive moves. The Ubisoft store is also offering a free game right now, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China.

Ubisoft is offering another new free game, for a limited time. This time it’s the 2D stealth-action game Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, one of the very few Assassin’s Creed games that doesn’t take place in Europe or the Americas. Make sure to claim your free copy through the Ubisoft Store anytime by February 5.

This was one of a trilogy of Chronicles games, which each featured a new setting and Assassin. China features the female assassin Shao Jun, who trained under the series’ biggest star, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. She returns to her homeland to take out a group of Templars called the Eight Tigers. Subsequent Chronicles games would be set in India during the Sikh Empire and Russia just after the October Revolution.

Ubisoft has made a regular practice of giving away free games through its PC storefront, and this comes just as Epic Games has started to do the same for its own burgeoning store. Steam and Epic have been starting to battle it out publicly lately. Ubisoft’s own store is competing with them to an extent, but as a publisher it’s also able to partner with either store. The Division 2 is eschewing Steam for the Ubisoft Store, for example.

“Chronicles’ passive pacing is a shame, because the pieces, combat notwithstanding, are mostly strong,” critic Kevin VanOrd wrote in GameSpot’s review. “Furthermore, the exquisite environments craft a setting that makes me eager to see the two upcoming sequels–Chronicles: India, and Chronicles: Russia–in action. If they follow in Chronicles: China’s footsteps, they will be beautiful to behold. I hope, however, that unlike the first entry, they take the leap of faith required to make them play as boldly as they look.”

Most of the Destiny 2 community spent this week chasing The Last Word, the latest Exotic weapon added to the game. Getting the legendary hand cannon from the first Destiny is quite an undertaking, though, thanks to a tough, lengthy quest called The Draw. Luckily, it’s the weekend, and that means Xur is back with Exotics you can buy instead of earn.

As always, Xur is selling a random Exotic gun, plus one piece of Exotic armor for each character class. They’re all from the Year One collection, which means they come from before the big Forsaken expansion. You’ll find Xur this week on Earth in the EDZ, in the Winding Cove area. From the spawn point, head north and climb the cliff until you reach a crashed Fallen ship to find Xur waiting.

Xur brings The Huckleberry this time, an SMG that can deal some serious damage in a short amount of time. Holding down the trigger on the gun increases its rate of fire as well as recoil, meaning that at close range it’s almost universally deadly. Racking up kills also refills part of the gun’s magazine so you can fire even more.

In the armor department, Titans can snag An Insurmountable Skullfort, a helmet that kicks on your health regeneration and restores melee energy for every Arc melee kill you manage, making it great for Titans who love to punch things. Hunters get the Stomp-EE5 boots, which greatly increase jumping height and run speed–perfect for those tough platforming sections in spots like The Whisper quest. Finally, for Warlocks, there’s the Claws of Ahamkara gauntlets, which offer you a second melee charge when equipped. Keep in mind that while Exotic weapons have set perks, Exotic armor gets random perk rolls, so even if you already have all the armor pieces that Xur is carrying, his rolls might be better.

Here are all the Exotics Xur offers this week and what they’ll cost you:

• The Huckleberry (Exotic SMG) — 29 Legendary Shards
• An Insurmountable Skullfort (Exotic Titan gauntlets) — 23 Legendary Shards
• Stomp-EE5 (Exotic Hunter leg armor) — 23 Legendary Shards
• Claws of Ahamkara (Exotic Warlock leg armor) — 23 Legendary Shards

Xur also packs a couple of other handy items. One is a Fated Engram, an expensive pathway to a new Exotic. Dropping 97 Legendary Shards on the item will grant you one Year One Exotic you don’t already have for that character. You can also snag a Five of Swords challenge card for free, which allows you to add difficulty modifiers that increase your score in Nightfall runs.

If you’re still working on taking home The Last Word, check out our guide to completing The Draw. The story tied to the gun is one of the best in Destiny lore, so you might want to get caught up with our story rundown about it as well. Destiny 2 players also have Crimson Days, the game’s Valentine’s Day event, to look forward to, which starts on February 13. After that, there’s the Season of the Drifter, which starts in March–and which will bring back another Destiny 1 fan-favorite Exotic weapon, Thorn.

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Following on the heels of Palkia‘s arrival, a few new Pokemon have begun appearing in Pokemon Go. Niantic has introduced another handful of monsters originally from the series’ fourth-generation titles, Diamond and Pearl, to the mobile game, including a couple of new evolved forms and baby Pokemon.

If you have a Sinnoh Stone, you’re now able to evolve Lickitung, Tangela, Aipom, and Yanma into their respective evolutions: Lickilicky, Tangrowth, Ambipom, and Yanmega. Additionally, male Kirlia can be evolved into the Psychic/Fighting Pokemon Gallade, while female Snorunt can be evolved into Froslass.

A handful of new monsters can also be found in the wild. You’ll now have a chance of encountering Combee, Glameow, and the fossil Pokemon Shieldon and Cranidos out in the field. Happiny, Mime Jr., and Bonsly–the baby forms of Chansey, Mr. Mime, and Sudowoodo, respectively–also now have a chance of hatching from certain Eggs.

Along with the new Pokemon, Niantic has made some notable changes to Raid Battles. As the developer detailed on the official Pokemon Go website, Raid bosses will now have more HP “to offset some of the damage increases made to the attacks of other Pokémon in the last year.” Niantic has also made balance changes for various moves in Trainer Battles, and certain Pokemon are now capable of learning new attacks.

The aforementioned Legendary Pokemon Palkia will appear in Raid Battles until February 28. Meanwhile, the next Pokemon Go Community Day is scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 16. The featured Pokemon this month will be Swinub.

Microsoft has announced a ton of anime deals for February. There are some massive deals live right now for Funimation movies and TV series that will last until February 4, but several less aggressive discounts will continue for the rest of the month.

Until February 4, the Dragon Ball Z movies Battle of Gods–which is offered in the original Japanese and dubbed–and Resurrection F are discounted to $3 and $4 respectively. In Resurrection F’s case, it’s actually cheaper to buy the movie than it is to rent it. For even more Dragon Ball Z, Microsoft is offering the first season for free until February 4, and you can buy the other eight seasons at the discounted price of $7 each. Goku and his friend’s story continues in Dragon Ball Super, and Microsoft is selling the first five seasons of the series at a 63 percent discount each.

Every other Funimation series on sale until February 4 is an ecchi anime, so expect a ton of sexual fan service and partial nudity. Of the lot, Prison School and Keijo are probably the two noticeable standouts, although Rosario + Vampire and My First Girlfriend is a Gal are worth looking at if you’re a fan of harem romantic comedies. The full list of anime on sale until February 4 is outlined below.

Microsoft’s Funimation Anime Sale

Movies

• Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
• Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F

TV Series

• Dragon Ball Super
• Dragon Ball Z
• Cat Planet Cuties
• My First Girlfriend is a Gal
• Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid
• Prison School
• Rosario + Vampire
• Seven Mortal Sins
• Ikki Tousen
• Keijo
• Freezing

Throughout the rest of February, there are dozens of other anime series and movies on sale as well. Unlike the Funimation anime above, these other titles are only 40 percent off, as opposed to 60 or more. That’s still a pretty good deal though, especially for grabbing quality titles like 2017’s In This Corner of the World, 2018’s Napping Princess, or the entirety of Digimon Adventure Tri. Seasons of Naruto Shippuden, One-Punch Man, Sword Art Online, and Hunter x Hunter are on sale as well. There are too many good deals to list them all here, but we’ve outlined the best ones below.

Microsoft’s February Anime Sale

Movies

• Digimon Adventure Tri: 6-Film
• Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal
• Boruto: Naruto The Movie
• Blame! Movie
• Fireworks
• In This Corner of the World
• Napping Princess

TV Series

• Yu-Gi-Oh!
• Death Note
• Sword Art Online
• Naruto
• Naruto Shippuden
• Hunter x Hunter
• One Punch Man
• Cardcaptor Sakura
• The Prince of Tennis

A recent patch for Fallout 76 reintroduced problems that had already been fixed in a previous patch. But in an ironic twist, Bethesda’s hotfix to take care of the issue again introduced a bug that’s even worse. The problem appears to be ongoing, so it’s difficult to tell when a new fix will be issued to fix the issues caused by the fix to the fix.

Rock Paper Shotgun reports that when Patch 5 rolled out, it brought back issues that had already been fixed in Patch 4, such as making bobby pins much heavier than they should be. The company issued a mea culpa and quickly sent out a hotfix, but that seems to have introduced a new bug that trashes crafting materials.

Users on the Fallout 76 subreddit noticed that the autoscrapping system isn’t working as intended, and many complain that they’ve lost materials that they had converted to bulk. The studio hasn’t given any further updates on when to expect the latest issue to be resolved.

Fallout 76 has had a history of unintended problems both in and outside the game. A recent bug temporarily disabled nukes, an important late-game feature. Outside of the game, Bethesda was heavily criticized for misleading advertisements about a special edition canvas bag, and then in its attempt to make right and provide the bags, it leaked users’ personal data. This was on top of the generally low review scores that the game suffered upon release.

The studio is still forging ahead with plans to keep supporting it, however. It has announced updates coming this year including a new mode without PvP restrictions, and the ability to run your own shop.

The Last Word, one of Destiny‘s best Exotic guns, is now a part of Destiny 2, thanks to a new mission called The Draw. But if you’re looking for older Exotics, another weekend means another chance to hit up Xur to buy some of the best gear in Bungie’s shooter. Check out the video above to see where Xur is and what he’s offering this week–you can also read all the details in our text guide.

Meanwhile, if you need some help maximizing your time trying to get The Last Word, we’ve got a guide for you there, too. The story around the gun is actually one of the most interesting in Destiny’s lore, and concerns another iconic weapon: Thorn. Read our lore rundown about the sordid history of the two weapons, and get hyped–Bungie teased the return of Thorn in the Season of the Drifter, the upcoming Destiny 2 season that starts in March.