Category: Games

The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has confirmed the iconic 1,000-foot telescope at Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory will be decommissioned following a succession of major structural failures, reports Gizmodo.

The dish itself is responsible for a number of fascinating discoveries throughout its 57-year operational history, including the first radar image of an asteroid and the first discovery of exoplanets, though it’s especially recognisable for its famous cameo in the final act of 1995’s GoldenEye. The dish brought about the demise of Sean Bean’s Alec Trevelyan, who inexplicably survived a 400-foot fall into the dish itself only to perish when the suspended receiver fell on him (and… exploded).

The Puerto Rican facility is just one of Bean’s many on-screen resting places, which also include Maryland, Middle-earth, and Ireland’s County Kerry, where he was pushed off a cliff… by some cows.

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The dish’s problems began in August when an auxiliary cable came loose and smashed into the dish below. At the time, a plan was hatched to replace the structure’s cables but, in November, a main cable snapped. This triggered a reassessment of the entire situation, and it was decided that the dish’s condition is too poor for workers to safely salvage and repair it.

The NSF has stressed that, while the dish will be demolished, the Arecibo Observatory is not closing down.

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Luke is Games Editor at IGN’s Sydney office. You can find him on Twitter sporadically @MrLukeReilly.

The biggest mystery of PS5 launch title Demon’s Souls, the secret locked door, has been solved. The door has been opened by Distortion2, a player who previously nearly glitched his way in, and there’s a cool reward on the other side.

The door’s key, as it turns out, is held by Sparkly the Crow, who can be found in the Shrine of Storms archstone. To get it, you need to offer Sparkly Ceramic Coins, an ultra-rare item. It seems that somewhere between 25 and 30 coins are needed. Distortion2 traded 30 coins, but it’s possible that fewer coins would work, too.

Coins are rare drops, Coins are rare drops that have been farmed from the Fat Official enemy, but they’re only available in limited quantities in specific scenarios. For example, utilizing World Tendencies is necessary to earn them.

As predicted, the items on the other side of the door are cool but not completely game-changing. Get through it and you’ll unlock the Penetrator Armor set. It’s a nice set, offering plenty of protection, and a little nod to the Demon’s Souls community.

Players have been wondering if there was an armor set to go with the Penetrator Sword for a while now, and it turns out that there absolutely is.

Distortion2 tweeted about his success, thanking Bluepoint for the game and the door, which has driven his Twitch viewership up.

Now that you know how, you can go and get the armor, too–although there’s a lot of work and luck involved.

In GameSpot’s Demon’s Souls review, the PS5 title received a 9/10. “Bluepoint has taken From Software’s original game and expressed it in a richer and fuller way, and in doing so given me something I thought was impossible: the opportunity to relive the experience of falling in love with Souls games for the first time,” wrote critic Tamoor Hussain.

Roblox Corp., the developer of one of the most popular games on the planet, Roblox, has filed paperwork to go public with an initial public offering (IPO).

The company will be trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the name RBLX. The filing of the IPO was rumored for a while now, and it comes this week amid a rally in stocks from US-based companies after the Presidential election.

In its filing, Roblox Corp. disclosed some new financial statistics, including revenue in the third quarter of $242.2 million, which is up 91 percent, according to CNBC.

The game boasts an incredibly impressive 36.2 million daily players globally, and the developer has big plans for the future, as it said it hopes to reach “billions” of users.

The company has a number of plans to grow in the future, including “significant investments” in updates to the game to make characters and worlds look more lifelike. “These investments should enable Roblox to support human co-experience in the entertainment, learning and business markets,” the developer said.

Roblox Corp. is also looking to grow internationally, and it is currently investigating the possibility of releasing Roblox in China through a partnership with Luobu. Additionally, the company said it has a lot of room to grow in terms of getting more money out of Roblox.

“First, we are actively working with our developer and creator community to help them improve their monetization. Second, we recently introduced our subscription service, Roblox Premium, which we believe will increase our conversion of our free users to paying users and the retention of our paying users,” the studio said. “Finally, we expect to work with leading brands to build unique marketing opportunities on the Roblox Platform.”

Regarding the branded opportunities, Roblox recently hosted an in-game concert series where “Old Town Road” singer Lil Nas X debuted a new single. The concert event was massively popular, eclipsing a record set by Fortnite’s Travis Scott show.

The first full day of trading on the stock exchange will be Friday, November 20, and it will be very interesting to see how the shares perform on the open market.

The Big House, known for its Smash Bros. tournaments, was set to host an event on December 4-6 where Smash pro players would compete across GameCube classic Super Smash Bros. Melee and the Switch’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Due to social distancing, the event was due to happen online, with online Melee play happening through a mod called “Slippi”. However, Nintendo of America has put a stop to these plans with a cease and desist order.

In a statement on Twitter, The Big House said that the organization is “heartbroken” by the cancelation, which has been necessitated by Nintendo. “We were informed we do not have permission to host or broadcast the event, primarily due to the usage of Slippi,” the statement reads. “Sadly, all our competitions are affected.”

Participants and ticket holders will be contacted about refunds shortly.

Venn’s Patrick Shanley shared a statement from Nintendo, explaining why they called for an end to this tournament, despite having partnered with numerous similar events in the past. “Unfortunately, the upcoming Big House tournament announced plans to host an online tournament for Super Smash Bros. Melee that requires use of illegally copied versions of the game,” their statement reads. Nintendo says that they contacted the organizers requesting that they stop, but that they “refused”.

The cease and desist seemingly covers the whole event, which is why the Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament is also canceled.

Jas, the creator of the Slippi mod, shared his own statement following the news. “I am disappointed that Nintendo is restricting our ability to power through these hard times,” he writes, suggesting the hashtag “#FreeMelee” if fans want to express their own disappointment.

While Nintendo has been known to re-release older games, sometimes with updated features, Super Smash Bros. Melee has never made its way off of the GameCube, despite an enduring competitive scene.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate continues to grow, with four new fighters set to join the game before the end of 2021 as DLC.

Like many big games, Halo Infinite will have DLC that’s exclusive to certain retailers. GameStop shoppers are getting the “Red Shift” armor coating, which is effectively a skin, for Halo Infinite multiplayer, and you can now begin the process of claiming it.

Everyone who pre-buys Halo Infinite or related Xbox merchandise at the store before December 13 can claim the Red Shift DLC.

Microsoft had planned to roll out this DLC promotion at GameStop on November 9, but there were “a few more pieces that needed to fall in place” before it could happen.

As with Halo Infinite’s various other promotional campaigns, including those from Monster Energy and Butterfinger, you are advised to save your receipt and enter your specific redemption code at this website.

Following its delay, Halo Infinite is now releasing in 2021 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. The game will not appear at The Game Awards in December, but developer 343 Industries has pledged to be “more communicative” about Halo Infinite in the time ahead.

On November 19, customers who had preordered the Switch version of Doom Eternal at GameStop began to report on Twitter that their preorders had been cancelled. With the game having already released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC back in March–and no footage of the Switch version having been shown, and no date announced–many took this as a sign that the game was likely to be canceled. However, this is not the case.

After some ambiguously worded assertions that Bethesda had not “made any announcements” about Doom Eternal on Switch being cancelled, Bethesda has now confirmed to IGN that Doom Eternal will come to the Switch very soon–but it won’t get a physical release.

“While Doom Eternal is 100% on track for an imminent digital-only release on Nintendo Switch, the absence of a physical release at retail resulted in cancelled preorders,” a Bethesda spokesperson told IGN. They advised that customers who had preordered the game will “receive full refunds”.

Between the long wait and Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda, fans of Nintendo’s hybrid system had reason to worry that the game would not launch on the console. Not much is known about the Switch version, including whether the Ancient Gods DLC will be available, too. If it’s skipping a physical release, though, it’s likely that the file size will be large. Switch game cards max out at 32GB.

In the meantime, you can stream Doom Eternal to your smart fridge, if you want.

2016’s Doom came to Switch, and earned a 7/10 in GameSpot’s review. Developer Panic Button is handling the Eternal port, too.

Treyarch is about to release the major update for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and it arrives about one week after the game’s arrival on November 13.

Having already nerfed the overpowered MP5, this new patch is expected to further address weapon tuning and balance, and we’d also expect bug fixes and more.

Since launch, players have reported a variety of issues and oddities with Black Ops Cold War, including a problem where new PS5s are downloading the PS4 version. Additionally, split-screen multiplayer is difficult to find or not available for some users.

GameSpot’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War review is currently in-progress, but it’s currently sitting on an 8/10 thanks to a strong campaign.

Keep checking back with GameSpot for more, as we’ll post the full patch notes here when they are released.

Earlier today, customers began to report that GameStop was canceling pre-orders for Doom Eternal on Switch. IGN has learned that this is not because Bethesda has canceled Doom Eternal Switch, but rather is making it a digital-only release.

In a statement to IGN, a Bethesda spokesperson says,

“While Doom Eternal is 100% on track for an imminent digital-only release on Nintendo Switch, the absence of a physical release at retail resulted in cancelled pre-orders.”

They added, “Affected customers will receive full refunds and should contact their preferred retailer for more information.”

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Doom Eternal was released on PS4, Xbox One, and PC back in March, but a previously announced Switch version would arrive sometime later. While the publisher still hasn’t announced a proper release date, pre-orders for Doom Eternal on Switch were available for interested customers.

Bethesda says customers should stay tune for more information “coming later this month.” Check out IGN’s Doom Eternal review here for more on the Doomslayer.

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Matt T.M. Kim is a reporter for IGN.

Grand Theft Auto V Online players who want to earn some extra RP and GTA$ this week should prepare their fastest vehicles and start practicing their drifts. This week’s GTA Online update is offering triple rewards on land races, meaning that any race that leaves you on the ground will pay out triple this week. This bonus, and all other bonuses mentioned below, run until November 25.

The bonuses have also been tripled on the A Superyacht Life mission set, which lets you take to the sea and cause some huge damage. There are six missions in total, and all PR and GTA$ earned on them will be three times the usual. The Gerald’s Last Play mission set, meanwhile, is paying out double for the next week, as is the Diamond Adversary series and the Running Back remix playlist.

It’s a big week for rewards, with players also having completed the Heist Challenge. The goal was to raise $100 billion, but players managed a full $1 trillion. Every player who took part will receive a special vehicle in December, as well as a “badge of honor”. The December update is going to be a big one, adding a new location and heist.

Meanwhile, a free Blue Dot Tech Mask will be handed out to everyone who plays this week. Step into the Diamond Casino & Resort and you can win an Overflod Autarch this week, too–make sure you give that lucky wheel a spin.

There are also some big discounts this week, as always. Here’s what you should spend your tripled income on this week:

• Yachts (30% off)
• Truffade Thrax (30% off)
• Progen T20 (40% off)
• Dinka Sugoi (40% off)
• Yacht upgrades and modifications (30% off)
• Boats (30% off)
• Widowmaker laser (40% off)
• Up-n-Atomizer laser (40% off)
• Unholy Hellbringer laser (40% off)

In addition, Prime Gaming members who have linked their accounts with receive an additional GTA$200,000, plus the Vespucci Canals Nightclub will be added to their portfolio. They’ll also get an 80% discount on the Imponte Nightshade and a 60% discount on the Declasse DR1.

If you haven’t played GTA Online yet during October 2020 on PS4, make sure you do so–everyone can claim a bonus GTA$1 million each month. This is all leading up to the release of the PS5/Xbox Series X version of the game in 2021.