Author: Trafficblast

BioWare has lost one of its most veteran developers. James Ohlen, who had been with BioWare for 22 of the company’s 23 years of operation, has retired from the RPG studio.

In a post on Twitter, Ohlen said he “loved” his time at BioWare where he most recently worked on the new IP Anthem. As for why he’s leaving, Ohlen said, “I need to take a break from the industry and work on something a little smaller and more personal.”

In another tweet, Ohlen said the projects he had the most fun with at BioWare were Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, for which he served as lead designer, as well as Neverwinter Nights. “I’ve been a D&D fanatic since I was 10 years old,” Ohlen said. In his post-BioWare life, Ohlen will stay in the fantasy space. He’s collaborating with another former BioWare creative director, Jesse Sky, on the book Odyssey of the Dragonlords. A “mystery” writer is also working on it.

Ohlen’s list of credits at BioWare is extensive. In addition to Anthem, he was the creative director and lead designer on Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: The Old Republic, according to GI.biz. He also worked on BioWare’s acclaimed Dragon Age franchise.

BioWare’s new game, Anthem, is coming early next year for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Unlike many other BioWare games, it’s an always-online, multiplayer-focused shooter with limited dialogue options. We saw it and played it at E3 and we came away impressed–check out the video above to learn more.

In addition to Anthem, BioWare is working on a new Dragon Age game, but it has yet to be formally announced.

Fortnite Season 5 is officially underway, and there’s plenty of new content for players to sink their teeth into. We’ve already extensively covered the changes and additions, but we also wanted to collect all the new tips and tricks you’ll have at your disposal.

First and foremost, you’ll want to know about the changes made to shotguns–especially considering how significant they’ve been to player strategy in the battle royale. Shotguns will now indicate how many pellets actually hit, with visible markers appearing within the reticle. You won’t be able to cycle between two shotguns like you could before though, as there is now a short period of time after firing a shotgun where another shotgun can’t be fired. Measure your shots carefully, or just find another way to kill someone.

For anyone who’s struggled to get a revive in a past 50v50 or Teams of 20 game, worry no longer. Fortnite is implementing XP bonuses for reviving teammates in both limited-time modes. You’ll only get three bonuses a match though, with an extra 30XP the first time and 10XP for the follow-up second and third time. Hopefully, this influences more players to offer a helping hand instead of leaving their teammates to die.

The Storm is also getting an update. Circles seven, eight, and nine will still shrink but they’ll also be able to shift in random directions. You’ll need to be ready to hoof it at a moments notice.

Between matches, hitting the “Play Again” button now allows players to preview pickaxe visual and sound effects in the Item Shop, Battle Pass, and Locker.

You’ll also have access to the same sound visualizer that were created for mobile on all platforms. Flipping it on puts a small visual indicator on your screen that alerts you to nearby gunfire, footsteps, or chests. However, audible sound effects are muted while the visualizer is on. The new option can be found in the Accessibility tab. Don’t worry about it if you play on a mobile platform, you’ll be unaffected by this change.

While in the new vehicle, the All-Terrain Kart, players will:

• Get a speed boost after drifting.
• Be able to use the roof as a bounce pad.
• Work together to achieve a higher jump (rear passengers can lean back by holding S on keyboards or holding back on the thumbstick for controllers).

On mobile, there’s a new option that lets your gun fire automatically.

Click on the links below to view the rest of our Fortnite Season 5 coverage.

Fortnite Season 5 Coverage:

Nintendo has all but cornered the market on streamlined, cute adventures for all ages. While Captain Toad made his first appearance in Super Mario Galaxy, he’s since been spun off into his own puzzle-platforming series based on a very different type of design philosophy than you may be used to. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker debuted on the Wii U back in 2014, but as Nintendo moves much of its legacy system’s library onto the Switch, Toad has another shot at stardom. And it’s certainly a worthy outing–even four years on–for anyone who appreciates clever puzzles.

The core gameplay conceit is one of level design. You’ll need to rotate a cuboid world around Captain Toad as you look for clues and solutions from multiple angles. Each move helps change the level, affecting how different parts react to one another and to you. As you turn the stage, you can see different pieces and elements. It’s not uncommon to shift things around and notice a “POW” block in a convenient location. Toss a turnip from the other side, and you can dissolve a wall with its power and move through.

Perspective matters, and the obstacles that can affect how you use your perspective are fertile ground for spectacular puzzles. And it allows a breadth of pacing options as well. Some stages feel tense and rushed, but some are set against calming pink clouds. A calm stage can be followed immediately by one filled with foes and traps, though, shifting where and how you focus your attention. The progression is steady enough–both within stages and across them–that you’ll be left, more often than not, feeling clever and encouraged.

This is all true for both the Wii U and Switch versions, but the Switch version adds in a few things, most notably local co-operative multiplayer. Ostensibly a distinctive addition (as there’s also a 3DS port that lacks it), it is poorly executed the majority of the time. Each player gets one of the Switch’s Joy-Cons, splitting the typical play into two roles. One handles Toad’s movement, while the other dispatches enemies and shifts the camera. It’s a bizarre twist that could feel a lot more developed than it is. As it works, neither role gives much for its player to do and having enemies largely handled by one person cuts down on the scope of the platforming and the puzzles, making each stage feel like a cut-down version instead of a solid addition in its own right.

That said, the sharper screen on the Switch and addition of about a dozen new areas and modes make this version a strictly better choice, and the short, relatively simple stages of Captain Toad lend themselves to a portable environment. Of course, it also carries with it the weaknesses of its forebear. Even with the bonus content, Treasure Tracker is a bit short. You’re left with the sense that there could be plenty more and that the idea of rotating through levels doesn’t get its full due.

Despite a smattering of minor complaints, Captain Toad stands as a pint-sized version of Nintendo’s stellar first party pedigree. It’s among the best Mario spin-offs around and a delightful iteration on old ideas.

Every year, San Diego Comic-Con brings memorable moments with the casts and creators of the biggest movies and TV shows on the planet. Whether it’s Marvel Studios trotting out its latest Avengers, Warner Bros. talking about the future of its DC universe, or the cast of Game of Thrones working hard to say absolutely nothing about what’s to come on the HBO series, there’s something for practically any type of fan to be found at SDCC.

Some moments transcend being “just another thing happening at Comic-Con,” though. Sometimes the networks and studios surprise even the most jaded of fans with once-in-a-lifetime experiences that would be hard to recreate ever again. Then again, sometimes, the strangest and most memorable moments come from fans themselves, for better or worse. After all, just about any longtime Comic-Con goer has a story about where they were the time one fan stabbed another with an ink pen in Hall H–including GameSpot’s own Mat Elfring, who happened to be in the next row?.

GameSpot has looked back on years of Comic-Con panels, activations, and appearances to determine which moments are the absolute craziest. How many of these surreal experiences were you actually there for and what’s your personal most insane SDCC moment? Sound off in the comments below after you take a look at our ranked list.

The upcoming Pokemon RPGs for Nintendo Switch, Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee, are set to launch this November, and The Pokemon Company has shared a few new details about the new games. Along with a new trailer, the company revealed that some monsters will only be available in each version.

As in previous Pokemon RPGs, Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee will each feature a handful of exclusive Pokemon that cannot normally be obtained in the other game. Oddish, Sandshrew, and Growlithe have been confirmed to only appear in Let’s Go, Pikachu, while Bellsprout, Vulpix, and Meowth will only be available in Let’s Go, Eevee.

It remains to be seen if there will be any other version-exclusive monsters in each game beyond the aforementioned Pokemon; the original Red and Blue versions, for instance, each had six exclusive species (excluding evolutions), so it seems likely that there will be a few other Pokemon that can only be captured in each game. However, even if you only pick up one version, you will still be able to obtain the missing Pokemon by trading with a player who has the opposite version–although you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in order to trade with others online.

The Pokemon Company also showcased some of the new customization options available in Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee. In addition to being able to dress Pikachu and Eevee up in accessories and outfits, players will be able give their partner different hairstyles, as well as feed and pet them. The new trailer also showed off more of the world and the characters you will encounter on your adventure, including the games’ new rival and the popular Gym leader Misty.

Let’s Go, Pikachu and Let’s Go, Eevee launch for Switch on November 16. The games are based on the classic Pokemon Yellow version and take place in the Kanto region. They also feature integration with Pokemon Go; players can catch wild Pokemon in the Switch games by simulating throwing a Poke Ball, as well as transfer monsters they’ve captured in the mobile game over to the Let’s Go titles. You can read more about the upcoming RPGs in our roundup of everything we know about Pokemon Let’s Go.

Version-Exclusive Pokemon

Let’s Go, Pikachu

• Oddish
• Sandshrew
• Growlithe

Let’s Go, Eevee

• Bellsprout
• Vulpix
• Meowth

Epic Games has kicked off Season 5 of Fortnite, coinciding with the release of the big 5.0 update. This doesn’t include a new map–we still have just the one–but the island has changed pretty significantly across PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS. Here’s what to look forward to next time you boot up the game.

A number of the map tweaks are significant enough that they warrant prominent mentions in the 5.0 patch notes. Having diversified the map previously with new biomes, another of these–desert–has been introduced for Season 5. And it’s done so in a big way, as the southeastern corner of the map has been replaced. Moisty Mire, which was never a terribly interesting region to begin with, is gone.

In its place, we have a large desert, the centerpiece of which is a new named location, Paradise Palms. This looks like a fairly unnatural town in the middle of a desert, like a neighborhood on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Just to the north, the race track remains in place, though it’s now been paved. The desert makes for a much different-looking map as you make your way across in the Battle Bus, and it also dramatically changes the skyline for a good portion of the island.

Epic’s patch notes make note of a “few unnamed POIs [that] have also appeared across the island,” referring to points of interest. That may not sound like much, but some of these are quite exciting. There are simple moai statues to be found, for instance, but to the west, between Snobby Shores and Greasy Grove, a hilltop is now home to what looks like a viking village, complete with a docked ship that’s close to plunging off the side.

Dusty Divot, the most significant map tweak from Season 4, has also been changed up. Although its name remains the same, it’s no longer the same crater it once was, as trees and wildlife have overtaken the area. You’ll even find some pools of water.

Another Season 4 addition was Hop Rocks, consumable items you could find scattered around the map (particularly near Dusty Divot, where the comet landed) that allow you to temporarily jump much higher than usual. Season 5’s take on this seems to be Rifts. Tying in with the tears we saw toward the end of last season, you can now move into one of these to be instantly teleported high up in the air. It’s amusing, but it also offers a potential tactical use as it lets you quickly reposition.

Knowing how Fortnite has operated in the past, there are sure to be secrets that players will uncover in the days and weeks ahead. It’s possible that even more areas could be brought into the map–the cracks in the sky seen at the end of last season are still there. For now, players can look forward to a fresh zone to battle to the death on–and if Epic is short on ideas for what it could do next, we have some ideas for new maps.

Fortnite Season 5 Coverage:

One of the best perks of an EA Access subscription is that you can play games from an ever-growing catalog–“The Vault,” as EA calls it–of free games. This catalog expands further this week with the launch of The Sims 4, which is now in the library.

The Sims 4 is not a new game, as it was originally released on PC back in 2014. The console edition is newer, having been released in November 2017. The life-simulation game was garnered mixed reviews, with GameSpot’s scoring it a 6/10 for PC.

Whatever the case, it’s a big-name franchise that console players may be happy to see added to the Vault to play for free on Xbox One. The Sims 4 was already released in the Origin Access vault of freebies. Additionally, all of The Sims 4’s expansions are 10 percent off.

For more, check out GameSpot’s roundup of all the EA/Origin Access games here.

In addition to free games, EA/Origin Access members can play some games (but not all) ahead of launch; most of the time, subscribers get a five-day headstart. Another benefit is that subscribers save 10 percent on all EA digital content, which knocks down the price of a $60 game to $54. The service costs $5/month or $30/year.

[UPDATE 2] The Fortnite servers are now officially back online, though you might have to wait in a queue before getting to play.

[UPDATE] Epic has yet to make a formal announcement, but here at GameSpot we were able to find a match just now. As always, your mileage may vary. Keep checking back for more.

The original story is below.

Epic Games has brought down Fortnite‘s servers today, the same day that of the battle royale game’s much-anticipated Season 5 debut. Epic discovered issues that impacted players’ ability to log in to the game and get into matches. The issues were so bad, apparently, that Epic made the call to bring the servers down entirely.

Before this happened, players were put into queues in an attempt to minimise server load. GameSpot faced a queue time of more than 28 minutes, while reports on social media claim the queue time was even longer.

We will report back with more details on these server issues as more information becomes available.

While you wait, you can check out GameSpot’s rundown of all of Season 5’s new gear and items. Season 5 changed the Fortnite map in a big way with a new area, Paradise Palms, and rifts that allow players to teleport, basically. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s new.