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Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY. Also, @netflix after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you 💔 Happy Women’s History Month I guess pic.twitter.com/2X0jEOXIWp

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) March 1, 2021

A modder has figured out how to significantly reduce the notoriously long load times in Grand Theft Auto V‘s online mode, GTA Online, for PC. Though he warns that it’s mostly a proof of concept, it does seem to lead to a sizable improvement.

PC Gamer reports that modder tostercx uploaded their fix to GitHub and explained why it works. Essentially, they say, the normal load sequence for GTA runs a new check every time it finds an entry in the 10 MB JSON file, leading to almost 2 billion checks. This mod optimizes those processes, which reduced the load times on their own computer by roughly 70%.

Tostercx doesn’t recommend this mod for casual use, but says it should be possible for Rockstar to implement similar fixes in the actual game. Like many mods, using it could result in a ban or other action from Rockstar. Load times in GTA Online have been a consistent community complaint for years.

GTA V and especially its online component, GTA Online, has ballooned in scope over the last several years, as Rockstar has built on the foundation with a steady stream of new vehicles, mission types, heists, and more. The original game was built for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, so when it hits Xbox Series X and PS5 later this year it will have crossed two entire generations. It’s also planned to get a standalone release, like Red Dead Online’s. And its momentum hasn’t slowed, still frequently appearing in the NPD monthly sales figures and recently having crossed 140 million copies in lifetime sales.

An old, blurry, short, shaky-cam trailer for the From Software game Elden Ring has been posted on social media. Despite its poor quality and the fact that it’s old, the trailer is generating a lot of buzz because From Software has stayed so quiet on the project since it was announced.

“I can only imagine what drives you to seek the Elden Ring,” says the narrating voice in the trailer. “I suppose you can’t be talked into turning back. Very well then!”

Reporter Jeff Grubb said on Twitter that the video dates back to 2020. Separately, VGC reported that development on Elden Ring has been “significantly hampered” by COVID-19. One source told VGC that Elden Ring is unlikely to release in 2021.

Reporter Jason Schreier said Elden Ring has already been delayed multiple times and that the game will be shown off “relatively soon.” Recently, Xbox marketing boss Aaron Greenberg confirmed that Elden Ring will not be shown during an upcoming Xbox event.

Elden Ring was officially announced in June 2019. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki said at the time that Elden Ring began its life as a “more classic fantasy title.” However, as development progressed, the title became a “dark fantasy action-RPG” featuring various elements that From Software was not able to achieve with the Dark Souls franchise–and you can clearly see the influence of Dark Souls.

Unlike From Software’s Sekiro, which was developed at the same time as Elden Ring, the new game is focused more on its RPG elements than action. That being said, Elden Ring will still have “responsive melee-based combat,” Miyazaki said.

The game director added that he expects Elden Ring to be a challenging title like From Software’s previous games. “The importance we place on the joy the player experiences through overcoming challenges will be the same as it is in our other titles. I believe it will prove to be a very satisfying experience,” Miyazaki said.

One of the biggest differences between Elden Ring and From Software’s previous games is its open-world nature, according to Miyazaki. “I would have to say the biggest difference is it being open world,” he said. “Due to this, the scale of the world and its narrative, as well as the depth and freedom of exploration have increased dramatically. It is without a doubt our biggest title yet in terms of sheer volume.”

Acclaimed fantasy author George R.R. Martin consulted on Elden Ring’s lore. Recently, Xbox boss Phil Spencer spoke about how he played “quite a bit” of the game, and remarked that he’s excited about what Miyazaki is trying to achieve with it.

“I can’t tell you much other than, as somebody who’s played all of Miyazaki’s games over at least the last decade, this is clearly the most ambitious game that he’s done,” Spencer told GameSpot. “I mean, I love his games, but seeing some of the gameplay mechanics stuff that he and the team are tackling this time, of the setting, working with another creator in terms of story. I love it. I love seeing him challenging himself, he’s a good friend of mine, expanding his horizons. I think it’s a good thing.”

Check out GameSpot’s roundup of everything you need to know about Elden Ring to learn more.

Halo 3 is getting its first wave of new DLC maps in more than a decade through The Master Chief Collection, and now we’ve seen them in action for the first time.

The new maps are coming to MCC in the Season 6 update, which recently entered public testing for players who have signed up to the free Halo Insider program. Now that the beta has gone public, people are sharing videos to give everyone a first look at the new content.

The maps–Waterfall and Edge–come from Halo Online, the canceled free-to-play game for Russia. Waterfall takes place in the frosty Zezar system on a UNSC facility. The Edge map, meanwhile, takes place on a Forerunner data archival site on Partition. You can see both of the maps in action in the video above from Uber Nick. You can search for “new Halo 3 maps” on YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, and other places to see even more coverage.

Also included in Season 6 is a variety of new weapon skins, armor, and more items to collect. These include animated visors–a first for the game–along with what looks like Halo’s take on Fortnite’s back bling. You can adorn your soldier with a variety of cosmetics for their back to give them special flair.

There is no word yet on when MCC Season 6 will begin, but considering the content is now available for public testing, it might not be long until it’s available for everyone.

There has been a lot of Halo news lately; check out the stories linked below to catch up with the latest developments across the franchise.

Alongside the new character Astra and battle pass, Valorant is also adding one more thing on March 2. The game is getting Prime//2.0, a Prime skin set designed as an evolution of the original, complete with new skins and features for several weapons.

Available in a bundle for 7,100 VP (the separate components are 11,825 on their own), the new Prime set includes the Phantom, Frenzy, Bucky, and Odin weapons, along with a karambit-style melee weapon. If you’ve played Splinter Cell Blacklist or have seen The Raid 2, it’s the famous Indonesian Asian knife with a deadly curved blade. The version included with this set isn’t quite as drastic a curve as some we’ve seen, but its golden blade should strike fear into your enemies.

You’ll also get a gun buddy, card, and spray as part of the bundle, and there are seven levels that add things like gold, green, and red variants.

Riot Games’ goal with designing the new Prime set was to evoke the look and clean, futuristic design of a hypercar. These include the exhaust ports on the weapons themselves, which are based on car exhaust in very expensive vehicles, according to senior weapons artist Chris Stone.

The color scheme in Prime//2.0 is different than the first set, as well, with a focus on black, gold, and white. It’s designed to feel distinct enough from the original to feel like an evolution while still looking like it belongs under the Prime banner. This and the Glitchpop sets are the last ones Riot has planned for now, according to Stone, as the team wants to gather more feedback from players before it commits to anything else.

For more on Valorant, check out Astra and see what’s included in the new battle pass.

Souls-like action RPG Mortal Shell is being remastered for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and when it arrives on March 4 you can expect a significant graphical upgrade.

On PS5 and Xbox Series X, Mortal Shell: Enhanced Edition will be rendered in 4K resolution and 60fps gameplay, and will also feature upgraded textures. Whispering sounds and heartbeat vibrations will be transmitted through the PS5’s DualSense controller for added immersion.

The Xbox Series S version will render the game at 4K, although you’ll have to settle for a 30fps experience on the more moderately-specced console. Anyone who bought Mortal Shell on PS4 and Xbox One will receive the upgrade for free, and for new players the price will be $30.

If you’’re keen to pay a little bit extra, a special physical edition will be out at participating retailers and includes the game, a reversible cover, art postcards, and a 140-page artbook for $40.

Mortal Shell launched last year on the Epic Games Store, Xbox One, and PS4, and offers a great take on the Souls formula. In our Mortal Shell review, critic Phil Hornshaw wrote, “Mortal Shell makes for a strong introduction to Souls-likes, a demonstration for new players of what so many have found so interesting about From Software’s games and those like them.”

Monster Hunter Rise, which until now had only been announced for the Nintendo Switch, was said to be coming to other platforms in documents that were part of a massive Capcom data leak late last year. Now, thanks to reporting by Fanbyte, Rise is confirmed to be coming to the PC in 2022.

The new information was revealed in an interview with Monster Hunter producer Ryozo Tsujimoto and director Yasunori Ichinose. The developers said that Monster Hunter Rise was very much made for the Switch, saying that the team “were aware of [the console’s] shortcomings and abilities” while developing the game.

This may explain the long wait for the PC version of the game, due out next year, which the developers cautioned was “still very much in development.” It’ll be interesting to see how the PC port stacks up against the version made for Nintendo’s less powerful hybrid console, though it’s unlikely we’ll see footage of the port until the Switch version has released.

Monster Hunter Rise will release for the Switch on March 26, 2021, with a custom Monster Hunter-themed Switch releasing on the same day. Before then, we’ll get to see even more of the game with a series of livestream events scheduled through early March.

Despite Bugsnax‘s adorable art style, cute characters, and catchy theme song, the whole game has a mild undercurrent of body horror, as you transform characters’ body parts by feeding them Bugsnax. An early concept posted by developer Young Horses shows the studio almost leaned right into that horror element, requiring players to peel and prepare the adorable Bugsnax before feeding them to characters.

The video is more than a little alarming, showing the player pulling the wings off a pair of flying olives and yanking out the creature’s long tongue in order to plate it up. The video also shows the capture of a Pinkle, with preparation requiring the player to pluck off its pickle legs one by one.

It’s not surprising that the developers decided to can this mechanic, as reviewers would have been far less likely to recommend the game for kids with dismemberment as a core part of the gameplay.

The finished game struck the right balance between cuteness and wackiness, with GameSpot’s review of Bugsnax scoring the game 8/10. “Bugsnax’ best qualities are its cleverness and charm,” reviewer Mike Epstein explains. “The surprise and delight you feel when you see a Bugsnak wiggling around or watch someone eat one and change their arm into food never goes away. That alone would make Bugsnax worth your time, but creative puzzles and thoughtful story give it the body and depth to make a Snak feel more like a meal.”