Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War April 27 Patch Notes Include Much-Needed Fixes For Multiplayer And Zombies

Following the release of Call of Duty’s Season 3, Treyarch released a new update today April 27 in order to iron out some of the bugs and crashes that have popped up. There are also various “stability fixes” to improve the quality of life for Black Ops Cold War.

MULTIPLAYER

Cold War’s new party game mode Sticks and Stones has received a fix for an issue that caused tomahawk kills to incorrectly award 100 points, which is way too many for one kill. Tomahawk kills should now be awarding the proper 50 points per kill. The update also addresses the issue with Finishing Moves not counting as melee kills.

A fix was also issued for Beck’s Season 3 battle pass operator mission. Previously, it was not progressing correctly in the large-scale Fireteam modes. Players should be able to properly advance in his operator mission now.

ZOMBIES

For Zombies, the incoming fixes address issues with the mode’s frustrating scoreboard bugs. This corrects issues with the scoreboard losing functionality or no displaying the proper information.

The patch notes confirm a fix for crashes that occurred in Zombies Outbreak mode, specifically a crash that occurred when migrating hosts during an objective.

And lastly, the Crossroads map has been removed from the PlayStation-exclusive Onslaught mode for maintenance.

You can see the full patch notes below, as listed by Treyarch.

GLOBAL

Stability

  • Added various stability fixes.

MULTIPLAYER

Modes

Sticks and Stones

  • Addressed an issue where Tomahawk kills awarded 100 points instead of the 50 points shown on screen.
  • Addressed an issue where Finishing Moves weren’t being counted as a melee kill.

Snipers Only Moshpit

  • Restricted Ballistic Knife from use in Snipers Only Moshpit. (April 26)

Operator Missions

ZOMBIES

Scoreboard

  • Addressed an issue where the scoreboard could lose functionality.
  • Addressed an issue where players were unable to inspect other players in the scoreboard.
  • Addressed an issue where the column that would display the amount of “Downs” for players was not shown.

Progression

  • Addressed a rare display issue that could cause Match Bonus XP to appear as a negative value.

Outbreak

Stability

  • Fixed a crash that could occur when migrating hosts during an Objective.

Onslaught (PlayStation)

  • Removed Crossroads from Onslaught map rotation for maintenance.

The Call of Duty blog also detailed what player’s can expect from Black Ops Cold War this week. This includes playlist updates and new cosmetic bundles coming to the shop.

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Hori’s D-Pad Switch Joy-Con Gets Rare Discount

The Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons offer a lot of flexibility in how the system can be played, letting you use them while the switch is docked, in handheld mode, or even propped up on a flat surface. They can also function as a pair of controllers in local multiplayer. But since the Switch launched, there’s been one Joy-Con feature that has been a sore point for players, and no, we’re not talking about drift. The Switch’s Joy-Con controller lack a traditional D-pad and instead offer four directional buttons on the left-hand Joy-Con where the D-pad would be.

For those who prefer the feel of a traditional D-pad, which feels like a must for playing some of the classic SNES games on Switch like Super Mario World and Super Metroid, Hori offers a line of D-pad Switch controllers that simply replace the left Joy-Con on your system. Though they’re available in a variety of designs, there’s a rare deal on one particular version right now at Amazon–you can snag the Black & Gold Pikachu design that’s black with yellow lightning bolts for $20 right now, down from $25.

$20 (was $25)

The Black & Gold Pikachu design is the only one discounted, but it comes with free Prime shipping as early as tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the Zelda and Super Mario designs are still full price, and the Mario and alternate Pikachu designs are wildly overpriced and in low stock. It’s been a while since we’ve even seen the Hori D-pad controller in stock, however, so if you’ve been frustrated with the D-pad buttons on your Switch Joy-Cons, snagging the Black & Gold Pikachu option at this price is worth it. Keep in mind this is just one left controller–there’s no matching right one that comes with it.

The Hori D-Pad Switch controller ranks on our list of the best Switch controllers we’ve tried, and it’d also make a great Mother’s Day gift idea if the mom in your life has a Switch and plays often.

History Of Mass Effect (Updated For 2021)

Few video game franchises are as revered as BioWare’s Mass Effect. When the first game launched in 2007 for the Xbox 360, players were taken aback by this bold new sci-fi universe, which was filled to the brim with choice and consequence, intriguing characters, intergalactic politics, and of course, romance. Over the years, it’s certainly had its ups and downs, from the iconic Suicide Mission in Mass Effect 2 to the divisive ending of Mass Effect 3.

With the impending launch of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition—a remaster of the original trilogy—we thought it was time to revisit our look back at the franchise, made before the release of Andromeda, and modernize it too. We’ve updated the video to include the fallout from Andromeda, the existence of the Legendary Edition, and the announcement of a brand new Mass Effect, which BioWare is currently working on.

For more Mass Effect, including an in-depth look at the creation of the Suicide Mission from BioWare’s Mac Walters, make sure to like this video and subscribe to GameSpot at youtube.com/gamespot. Mass Effect Legendary Edition launches on May 14 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Let’s Build A Zoo Revealed, Will Let Players Splice Together Any Animal

Indie publisher No More Robots revealed its latest title today, Let’s Build A Zoo. The game, which is being developed by Springloaded, is a pixelated zoo tycoon-esque sim but with a pretty major twist. Players can genetically splice together their animals, resulting in adorable new creatures.

A trailer for the game, as well as a gameplay preview posted on YouTube, show that at first it looks like your average zoo tycoon game. Players can create themed areas representing different environments that animals inhabit, and decorate them to match. For instance, a woods-themed section with panda bears and boars shown in the gameplay trailer is populated with sprigs of bamboo and a lilypad-filled pond. According to Pip, the woman showing off Let’s Build A Zoo, there are “hundreds and hundreds of items to choose from that allow you to decorate your zoo any way that you like.”

As it moves to the Savannah portion of the zoo, the gameplay trailer also shows off the variations of animals players can encounter. Each animal has multiple different coats or pelt colors, so your pens won’t all be filled with the same exact animal.

If you’re not interested in running the perfect zoo, it seems that there are also some shadier ways to stay in business. Pip doesn’t detail these extra money-making methods, but the buildings she shows off paint a fairly clear picture. If players want, they can get into the business of making food — chicken and pork plants are shown specifically — or even fashion accessories out of more leathery or scaly creatures.

But if you want to really set your zoo apart from the rest, you’ll have to splice together animals and make your own. No other zoo has a monkey-tiger hybrid or a monkey-hippo hybrid, but yours can. According to the game’s Steam store page, players can make a total of 300,000 different types of animals using DNA splicing.

Let’s Build a Zoo is coming to PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox sometime this year. However, the game’s PC version has a more specific release window this summer.

Here’s What To Expect For Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War This Week

After all the excitement of nuking Warzone’s previous Verdansk map and getting new Season 3 content for Black Ops: Cold War, this week is shaping up to be a quieter week for Call of Duty. However there are some new cosmetic bundles coming and changes to the playlists for Black Ops: Cold War on Thursday.

In the weekly briefing yesterday, the Call of Duty blog highlighted changes coming to Cold War’s playlists. Season 3’s new Diesel map will switch from a 3v3 Face Off playlist to 6v6 variant this week. The 6v6 playlist will remain in a moshpit of respawn modes including TDM, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint. In addition, the 3v3 Face Off mode will return to the Featured Playlists, which will include the Diesel map in the rotation.

If you enjoy the competitive fights on a smaller scale, Black Ops: Cold War’s next Gunfight Tournament is set to begin on Thursday. This always offers cool rewards to earn for competing in and winning tournaments.

New bundles are hitting the shop for Cold War. These include an anime-inspired pack and an Operator bundle for Naga, and are detailed below.

The “Anime Pop Stars” bundle, will feature two anime-themed Legendary Weapon Blueprints, an emblem, sticker, and a new weapon charm.

The “Knight Operator” bundle will feature a hefty amount of cosmetics. The bundle includes two Legendary Weapon Blueprints, the “Brute” Operator Skin for Knight, an animated calling card, animated emblem, a weapon charm, and the “Bird of Prey” Finishing Move with Knight’s “Snow Hawk” pet companion.

The “In the Sticks” is a new bundle for the Operator Naga, which includes two Legendary Weapon Blueprints, Naga’s “Tree Python” Operator Skin, a new emblem, and the “Splitting Hairs” Finishing Move.

While this is mostly going to be a laidback week for Call of Duty, there is likely more to come next week, as we delve further into Season 3. As the road map details for Season 3, there are still more maps, weapons and operators yet to come.

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Army Of The Dead’s Dave Bautista Compares His Career To Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s

With Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead premiering on Netflix in less than a month, a new interview with star Dave Bautista has arrived. In it, he discusses his acting career and compares it to the world of another former WWE wrestler-turned-movie star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

When asked by JoBlo if his history in the ring and his massive, muscular frame have been an asset as he forged ahead in his acting career, the Guardians of the Galaxy star said no. “I wanted to go against that grain and make everything much smaller, very subtle,” he explained. “I make a living off of subtlety. I want that to be my strength. I want that to be what separates [Johnson and I]. I don’t want to be that guy who walks in that room, I never wanted to be that guy.”

Of course, that’s not to take anything away from The Rock, who is one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. Instead, Bautista looks at how Johnson has excelled in his career and decided to try a different way.

“I don’t mean that as a dig on him, but you know how he is as a character,” the actor said. “He feels very professional wrestling to me. I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be an actor. I want to act, I want people to judge me for my acting, my subtlety. I want to take roles that require that. I don’t want to be a big action guy who just says cool s*** and kills a lot of people and gets the girl. I don’t want to be that guy. I want to [be the] guy that makes people cry, who makes people think, who inspires people. I want to be a dramatic actor. I just love it. I love acting.”

Clearly, both men have found a way to be incredibly successful, while having very different careers. While Bautista, of course, is best known for his role as Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s also amassed an impressive list of credits that include Blade Runner 2049, the James Bond film Spectre, and the upcoming Dune. Johnson, on the other hand, has roles in the Fast & Furious and Jumanji franchises and is currently working on Black Adam, which will see him enter the DCEU.

As for where you can see each man next, Bautista’s Army of the Dead arrives on Netflix on May 14. Disney’s Jungle Cruise, which stars Johnson, will be in theaters on July 30.

World Of Darkness Movie, TV Show In The Works With The Witcher Company And Arrival Writer

World of Darkness, the series that has spawned tabletop games, video games, and more, is growing its reach with a new movie and TV show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paradox Interactive is working with Arrival writer Eric Heisserer–who earned an Oscar nomination for that movie–to create a “shared universe” that will span a movie and TV show. Christine Boylan, who has worked on The Punisher, is also contributing the project, along with The Witcher production company Hivemind.

“The World of Darkness story universe is deliberately and unapologetically inclusive and diverse,” Boylan said. “It has always made a point of including equal gendered characters, protagonists and antagonists of every race, and representation of all creeds–bringing a female and diverse audience to gaming like nothing prior. Its games and fandom are a place where women, POC, and the LGBTQI community feel welcome and we are very proud to bring these stories to life.”

Heisserer added: “The legacy of these stories is way ahead of its time, inviting issues and perspectives other games ignored. This feels like the next step for genre.”

Hivemind’s Jason Brown said in his own statement that Heisserer and Boylan are “gamers” who have played the World of Darkness franchise since it started in the ’90s.

“It’s a rare opportunity when the connection between storyteller and story runs this deep, and that is the alchemy which has led to many of our favorite and most culturally resonant franchises,” Brown said.

The latest World of Darkness game is Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines 2, which was recently delayed beyond 2021 after its lead developer was removed from the project.

It sounds like it’s still very early days for the World of Darkness shared universe, so there is no word yet on casting details for the film and TV show.

Valorant 2.08 Patch Notes Detail Addition Of Newest Map Breeze, Custom Games Update

Riot Games has released the full patch notes for Valorant’s 2.08 update, with the biggest addition being a brand-new map that turns 5v5 into fun in the sun.

Breeze is the new map coming in the 2.08 update, billed as being “set on a remote island distinguished by its bright, playful, and colorful environment, with wide open spaces and opportunities for long range encounters.” Breeze will debut in an Unrated (Valorant’s version of unranked or casual play) queue where only the new map will be playable for two weeks.

Other changes coming to Valorant in the 2.08 update include Coach slots in Tournament matches–which allow a player to choose a team and observe it in a live match–as well as a new warning system for first-time offenders of the Valorant Code of Conduct.

The full patch notes as written by Riot Games are available below.

MAP UPDATES

BREEZE

  • Introducing the newest map, Breeze, to the Valorant map pool. Breeze is set on a remote island distinguished by its bright, playful, and colorful environment, with wide open spaces and opportunities for long range encounters.
    • Breeze will launch alongside a Breeze-only Unrated queue that will remain active for two weeks.
    • More details on this queue can be found in the Competitive Updates section below.

COMPETITIVE UPDATES

  • Added a Breeze-only Unrated queue for those who want to grind our new map
    • Breeze will also be available in the standard queues for Deathmatch, Spike Rush, and Escalation as well as Custom games.
    • This queue will only be active for two weeks. During this two week period, Breeze will not be available in the standard Unrated or Competitive queues. Following this period, the Breeze-only queue will be disabled and Breeze will then become available in the existing Unrated and Competitive queues.
  • Reminder! This is the last Act to work for your Episode 2 Rank Reward, awarded after the end of Act III.

GAME SYSTEM UPDATES

  • Coach slots have been added to Tournament Mode Custom Games
    • We’re very excited to introduce Coach slots to Tournament Mode games! This is only the beginning of our work on Coaches, and while functionality will be limited to start, we have plans to expand the capabilities available to coaches during a match. We look forward to evolving the role of coaches and working on this feature in partnership with coaches from the VCT ecosystem.
  • Coach slots Current Functionality:
    • Coaches can spectate Tournament Mode games and are locked to observing the team chosen in the custom game lobby.
    • Coaches cannot use Map Pings, Team Chat, or Voice Chat in-game.
    • Coaches can use All Chat and Party Chat to allow for cases where they may need to communicate with a Tournament Moderator.
    • Coaches can pause a match in cases where that functionality is allowed to players.

QUALITY OF LIFE

HRTF

  • We’ve heard your requests (and where they came from)! Weapon drop sounds have been added to HRTF.

SOCIAL UPDATES

  • Reporter Feedback has been added into the game
  • Those of you who make reports against disruptive players that get actioned on will now be notified.
  • Thanks for helping make Valorant a better place for everyone and keep those reports coming 🙂
  • Warnings are now enabled for first-offenders who need to be reminded of the in-game code of conduct. No excuses for bad behavior now!
  • Wild Rift players will now appear on the social panel

BUGS

AGENTS

  • Fixed Killjoy’s Turret and Alarmbot icons disappearing when disabled
  • Fixed Astra and Brimstone’s smokes from blocking flashes even when you are not fully inside them
  • Fixed Viper’s Toxic Screen going longer than intended when it passed through the teleporter on Bind
  • Fixed Viper’s Poison Cloud pickup distance being 200 instead of the intended 400
  • Improved performance of Astra’s Nebula VFX on low settings

MODES

  • Fixed a bug where, in Spike Rush, picking up the weapon upgrade orb with the Operator equipped would cause you to lose your Operator and receive nothing to replace it
  • Now, you will keep your Operator, and will be granted a random secondary slot weapon.

COMPETITIVE

  • Fixed a bug that was causing rank icons to disappear in Match History
  • Fixed a bug that was causing Act Rank badges to show up on map loading screens in non-competitive modes

Now Playing: Best Valorant Clips Of The Week: Ace Or No Ace?

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GTFO’s Next Big Update, Rundown #5 (aka ‘Rebirth’), Revealed and Detailed

GTFO developer 10 Chambers Collective has revealed the fifth major update (aka Rundown #5), titled “Rebirth,” for its popular four-player PvE survival horror first-person shooter. The developer calls Rebirth the biggest GTFO update yet, as it will add new levels, scenarios, and boosters.

“Rebirth sets players farther down into The Complex into an area called Floodways — a new environment that substitutes a dark and cold industrial aesthetic for one where nature has sought to reclaim the domain,” 10 Chambers said. “Further expanding the lore of GTFO, within Floodways are clues as to why players are trapped in The Complex and imprisoned by The Warden.” See more in the trailer above, and in the screenshot gallery below.

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Boosts are new to GTFO; they’re rewards earned in-game that will offer temporary buffs to skills, allowing for things like better weapon handling (which we take to mean less recoil when firing) and speedier terminal hacking.

GTFO is available on Steam Early Access now. Check out our GTFO Early Access review to learn more of what we thought about its initial release.

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Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s Executive Editor of Previews. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, catch him on Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

The Tomorrow War’s First Images Released, Trailer Arrives Tomorrow

The first images from Amazon’s new sci-fi action movie The Tomorrow War have been released. They arrive ahead of the first trailer, which will be revealed tomorrow, April 28.

The images largely focus on star Chris Pratt, who plays a schoolteacher who is recruited, along with other skilled soldiers and civilians, to help fight a war against aliens 30 years in the future. There’s also a striking image of a half-destroyed city on fire. Check them out below:

No Caption Provided

Gallery

The Tomorrow War also stars Betty Gilpin, JK Simmons, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. It’s directed by Adam McKay (The Lego Batman Movie), and it hits Amazon Prime Video on July 2.

The Tomorrow War will be one of the biggest movies that Amazon has released to date. The film was originally due to be released theatrically last summer, but it was pulled due to the pandemic. In January, it was confirmed that Amazon had secured the rights to release it, with the studio’s winning bid reportedly as much as $200 million.

It’s the latest movie that was originally intended for a theatrical release that Amazon has picked up for streaming in the last few months. In March, it released the comedy sequel Coming 2 America, while the Tom Clancy adaptation Without Remorse arrives on April 30.