Destiny 2 – Moments Of Triumph Explained

Every year, Destiny 2 provides players with a chance to celebrate some of their biggest achievements in the game with Moments of Triumph. Since last year, the event has become an even bigger deal, with players unlocking an exclusive seal for their efforts, and getting aspect to real-world merchandise they can purchase to reflect their in-game achievements.

This year’s Moments of Triumph is notable because it’s very much related to the upcoming Beyond Light expansion, which is going to reshape Destiny 2 in a lot of ways. Most notably, four current Destiny 2 locations will be removed from the game indefinitely, and a lot of the content in the current Season of Arrivals revolves around getting ready for those locations to disappear. A lot of their related activities are going to, as well as five current raids: Leviathan, Spire of Stars, Eater of Worlds, Crown of Sorrows, and Scourge of the past. A big part of Moments of Triumph this year is about revisiting those raids.

The good news is, if there’s anything you want from the expiring raids, now is the time to get it–all five are now “farmable,” meaning you can play them over and over again for their unique rewards, without their weekly limitations. And Moments of Triumph will intermix with more Destiny 2 content coming this season, including the Solstice of Heroes summer event that is also about celebrating your Destiny 2 accomplishments. Best of all, you’ll have plenty of time to play through the raids, and everything else, to get your Moments of Triumph rewards–the event runs until September 22 when the Beyond Light expansion unlocks.

Destiny 2 – Ruinous Effigy Exotic Trace Rifle Gameplay

The Ruinous Effigy exotic quest has gone live in Destiny 2. The energy trace rifle has some novel features attached to the weapon that strays from previous exotic abilities. In the gameplay video above we show the Ruinous Effigy in action across various activities both in the open-world PvE environments, as well as in the Crucible against other guardians.

The way the rifle works is fairly simple. You defeat enemies using the trace rifle beam, which will then convert the enemy into a purple orb that can be picked up by you or any member of your fireteam. Grabbing this orb will give you three different options in how to wield it: You can swing the weapon as a melee attack; use the orb to leap up in the air and slam the ground causing a massive area of effect ring of damage that will destroy most minor enemies and can one-shot enemy guardians; or create a massive void wall around you which will siphon enemy life and restore your health.

Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 usually have some neat mechanic that allows it to shine, but the Ruinous Effigy–alongside the seasonal exotic Witherhoard–showcase there’s a renewed effort from Bungie to create novel exotics. Although they might not be the new DPS meta, they’re certainly a lot of dang fun to use, which is always welcome.

Twitch Criticized For Black Lives Matter Video Featuring Mostly White Streamers

Twitch has received backlash on Twitter after sharing a Black Lives Matter video that featured very few Black streamers. The video, which Twitch has since deleted, featured mostly white streamers, primarily DrLupo, talking about Black Lives Matter. Twitter User @2leftjoycons reuploaded the video.

Twitch followed up with an apology stating that the video was supposed to be focused on allyship, a message Twitch said it “didn’t make clear.” People took issue with the video promoting the message of supporting Black Twitch streamers without showcasing and promoting more of them.

BlissKai and ZombaeKillz, two Black Twitch streamers featured in the video, expressed their feelings on Twitter.

If you’re looking for more gaming content from Black creators, check out this roundup, featuring articles, videos, podcasts, and streamers.

Twitch dealt with controversy earlier in the week when it tweeted out a video celebrating LGBTQIA+ content creators that said “When the G in LGBTQIA+ also stands for gamer.” Twitch has deleted the tweet and put out a version without that graphic, but did not address the change.

GameSpot has officially kicked off Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming. Join us as we bring you the summer’s hottest news, previews, interviews, features, and videos, as well as raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts and Black Lives Matter with the help of our friends from around the gaming world. Check out the Play For All schedule for more.

Hearthstone Balance Update Will Smack Demon Hunter With Nerfs, Again

Blizzard has announced another set of balance changes coming to Hearthstone, and like the last few updates it focuses mostly on the new class, Demon Hunter. Though the update also packs balance changes for some other powerful decks currently dominating the meta, one class is clearly the biggest target.

Of the eight cards getting balance changes in the 17.6 update next week, three of them are Demon Hunter class cards. Those include Metamorphosis, Kayn Sunfury, and Warglaives of Azzinoth–all reliably aggressive Demon Hunter tools that have helped the class remain strong.

Other big changes are coming to strong cards used in popular Warrior, Mage, and Druid decks. And similar changes are coming to the neutral legendary Dragonqueen Alexstraza and the Rogue Galakrond. Rather than generating or drawing cards that cost 0 Mana, both of their effects will instead bring cards that cost 1 Mana. That retains the strong effect but keeps them from being played all at once or in conjunction with strong combo effects.

Blizzard had said it designed Demon Hunter cards to be a little stronger than most on average, in part because it had some catching up to do with other classes that have amassed a much larger card pool over the years. It seems the developer may have overdone it, because Demon Hunter has been nerfed repeatedly in the few months since its release–including the fastest balance adjustments ever, just one day after release.

That initial rebalancing nerfed four Demon Hunter cards. Since then it’s readjusted six more Demon Hunter cards, mostly nerfs, and this will include three more. Despite the number of rebalanced cards, the class has remained competitive in the meta.

Check below for the full list of upcoming balance changes.

Hearthstone 17.6 Balance Adjustments

Dragonqueen Alexstrasza

  • Old: Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, add 2 other random Dragons to your hand. They cost (0). → New: Battlecry: If your deck has no duplicates, add 2 other random Dragons to your hand. They cost (1).

Corsair Cache

  • Old: Draw a weapon. Give it +1/+1. → New: Draw a weapon. Give it +1 Durability.

Metamorphosis

  • Old: Swap your Hero Power to “Deal 5 damage.” After 2 uses, swap it back. → New: Swap your Hero Power to “Deal 4 damage.” After 2 uses, swap it back.

Kayn Sunfury

  • Old: 3 Attack, 5 Health → New: 3 Attack, 4 Health.

Warglaives of Azzinoth

  • Old: [Cost 5] → New: [Cost 6].

Dragoncaster

  • Old: [Cost 6] → New: [Cost 7].

Fungal Fortunes

  • Old: [Cost 2] → New: [Cost 3].

Galakrond, the Nightmare

  • Old: Battlecry: Draw 1 card. It costs (0). → New: Battlecry: Draw 1 card. It costs (1).

Galakrond, the Apocalypse (Rogue)

  • Old: Battlecry: Draw 2 cards. It costs (0). → New: Battlecry: Draw 2 cards. They cost (1).

Galakrond, Azeroth’s End (Rogue)

  • Old: Battlecry: Draw 4 cards. It costs (0). → New: Battlecry: Draw 4 cards. They cost (1).

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Game Of Thrones 4K Blu-Ray Box Set Is Coming, Available To Pre-Order Now

Game of Thrones is getting a massive 4K UHD Blu-ray collection later this year. Game of Thrones: The Complete Collection is available to pre-order now at Amazon for a cool $255. Best Buy has an exclusive steelbook edition up for pre-order for $240 as well. Best Buy’s edition is probably the way to go for serious collectors, but we wouldn’t be surprised if Amazon’s price goes down before the box set’s release, making its edition more enticing.

6479547 – Game of Thrones Complete Collection 4K UHD – Amazon and Best Buy pre-orders

Game Of Thrones Box Set

The Complete Collection comes with 4K, standard Blu-ray, and digital copies.

$255 at Amazon

Game of Thrones Steelbook Box Set

Best Buy has an exclusive steelbook edition available to pre-order.

$240 at Best Buy

Though each season of Game of Thrones is already available to purchase individually in 4K Blu-ray format, now you’ll be able to buy all eight seasons in one box set. The 33-disc set comes with both 4K UHD and standard Blu-ray discs as well as digital copies of all 73 episodes.

In addition to the full Game of Thrones arc, you’ll get 15 hours of special features, which are presumably the same as the special features from the standard Blu-ray collection that released late last year. If you want to own the entire Game of Thrones saga on Blu-ray but don’t have a need to watch in 4K, you can grab the gorgeous Blu-ray collection from Amazon and Best Buy for $195. Alternatively, you can (re)watch every episode of Game of Thrones on HBO Max, the recently launched streaming service that costs $15 per month.

In other Game of Thrones news, George R.R. Martin recently updated fans on the next novel in the book series, The Winds of Winter, saying that he’s made progress and could finish it sometime next year.

Disney World Union Pushes Back Against Parent Company

As Disney’s domestic theme parks get closer to opening, The Hollywood Reporter says the company is being accused of retaliating against a union of 750 Disney World performers demanding workers be tested for COVID-19 upon a rolling series of resort re-openings. Disney World is currently scheduled to partially re-open July 11, followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15.

However, Disney’s reported response to the call for testing has been to “rescind all of its recall notices for Equity members,” opting to reopen parks without those performers in the union.

A statement issued by the union reads: “Since our public request that Disney test performers in the park, there have been more than 114,000 new coronavirus cases in Florida. Rather than agree to testing of performers, Disney has decided to retaliate against workers fighting for a safe workplace.”

Disney, in a statement of its own, responded: “Seven unions signed agreements to have their employees return to work… the Actors’ Equity rejected our safety protocols and have not made themselves available to continue negotiations, which is unfortunate. We are exercising our right to open without Equity performers.”

Disneyland, originally scheduled to re-open on July 17, has canceled those plans pending approval from California.

If you’re gearing up to visit a theme park in the near future, our piece on what to expect is worth a read.

Back To The Future Part II on Netflix: 20 Easter Eggs You Never Noticed In The Time-Bending Sequel

Back To The Future Part II on Netflix: 20 Easter Eggs You Never Noticed In The Time-Bending Sequel – GameSpot

“/>

By on

]]>

Back to the Future 2 is streaming on Netflix. Here's what to look for when you watch it.

Back to the Future 2 is streaming on Netflix. Here’s what to look for when you watch it.

The first Back to the Future movie ends on a bit of a cliffhanger–Doc, Marty, and Jennifer travel to the future to save Marty and Jennifer’s children in a now-airborne Delorean. Back to the Future II follows through on this narrative, though after the first 30 minutes, it shifts gear into something zanier, when Biff steals the time machine and decides to make his own customizations to the past.

The movie does what all sequels must: it raises the narrative stakes even higher, and it reframes the first movie’s events in a new light. It also adheres to the first film’s internal logic. The entire narrative thrust–the creation of alternate timelines and branching realities–is a fanciful depiction of how many physicists actually conceive of space/time.

We revisited interviews and the Blu-Ray commentary of writer Bob Gale and producer Neil Canton to find the most interesting trivia we could. Here are 20 Easter Eggs you might have missed in Back to the Future Part II. Great Scott!

]]>

]]>

1. New Jennifer Parker

1. New Jennifer Parker

The filmmakers recast the role of Jennifer Parker and re-shot the scenes at the end of the first movie with a new actress, Elisabeth Shue. They then used those re-shot scenes as a recap at the beginning of the sequel.

The original Jennifer Parker, Claudia Wells, dropped out of the sequels to care for her family; her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

]]>

]]>

2. Old Doc Brown

2. Old Doc Brown

As he quickly explains, 1985 Doc looks younger in this movie, because he went to a rejuvenation clinic in the future to make himself 30 years younger–like his 1955 self. There was a practical reason behind doing this; Christopher Lloyd no longer had to spend hours in the makeup chair to get ready for his scenes.

]]>

]]>

3. Re-Elect Wilson, Jr.

3. Re-Elect Wilson, Jr.

Apparently, the Wilson family has a political dynasty in Hill Valley. In 1985, Goldie Wilson was the mayor of Hill Valley running for re-election. In 2015, his son, Goldie Wilson, Jr, is also mayor Like his father, he is also running for re-election.

]]>

]]>

4. Still Broken

4. Still Broken

Apparently, Hill Valley never got around to repairing the clock tower. In the first movie, Doc Brown broke the ledge directly under the clock. It remained broken when Marty traveled to the present in 1985. It remains broken in 2015, when Marty travels to the future.

]]>

]]>

5. Cubs Win!

5. Cubs Win!

The 2015 issue of USA Today says that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in a five-game sweep. They didn’t manage this in real life; instead the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, for the first time since 1908.

There are other interesting 2015 “predictions” on the front page. Princess Diana became Queen Diana; in reality, Princess Diana died in 1997. There was a Swiss terrorist threat, which is funny given Switzerland’s long standing neutrality. Lastly, we had a female U.S. president, which still has yet to happen in real life.

]]>

]]>

6. Young Elijah Wood

6. Young Elijah Wood

The kid with the orange shirt and yellow suspenders is played by Elijah Wood. Wood famously played Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

]]>

]]>

7. Skateboard Parallels

7. Skateboard Parallels

The sequence where Marty steals a girl’s hoverboard and escapes from Griff closely mirrors a similar sequence in the first movie, when Marty escapes from Biff on a makeshift skateboard. It shares a lot of the same beats, including when Marty hitches a ride on a passing car. History repeats itself.

]]>

]]>

8. Close Enough?

8. Close Enough?

Crispin Glover and the filmmakers couldn’t come to terms on a contract, so he did not return for the sequel. The movie did the best with what they had; they shot his character, George McFly, from behind whenever they could, and they added prosthetics and heavy makeup to the replacement actor for any frontal shots.

]]>

]]>

9. Split Screens

9. Split Screens

Michael J. Fox plays all three roles in this scene: Marty McFly Sr., Marty McFly Jr., and Marlene Mcfly. The filmmakers spliced three takes together to create the scene.

]]>

]]>

10. Flea Cameo

10. Flea Cameo

Douglas Needles is played by Flea, the acclaimed bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

]]>

]]>

11. Power of Love

11. Power of Love

After losing his job, Marty Sr. strums Huey Lewis’s “The Power of Love” on his electric guitar. The first movie featured the song prominently, and Marty played its opening during the Battle of the Bands.

]]>

]]>

12. Check The Dashboard

12. Check The Dashboard

If Marty and Doc had taken a second look at the dashboard, they would have seen that the Delorean last departed from November 12, 1955–proof that Biff had used the time machine without their knowledge.

]]>

]]>

13. President Biff?

13. President Biff?

Writer Bob Gale confirmed in an interview with The Daily Beast that Donald Trump was on everyone’s mind while they were making the movie. He cites a particular scene from alternate 1985, when Biff is holed up in his casino:

“You watch Part II again and there’s a scene where Marty confronts Biff in his office and there’s a huge portrait of Biff on the wall behind Biff, and there’s one moment where Biff kind of stands up and he takes exactly the same pose as the portrait? Yeah.”

At the time of the movie’s release in 1989, Trump had an ownership stake in three Atlantic City casinos, all of which bore his name: Trump Plaza, Trump Castle, and Trump Taj Mahal.

]]>

]]>

14. Third Wife

14. Third Wife

According the the Biff Tannen museum in alternate 1985, Biff was married three times: currently to Lorraine, and previously to sex symbol actresses Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. Monroe is most famous for her comedic performances in The Seven Year Itch and Some Like It Hot. Mansfield was a Playboy Playmate, and starred in The Girl Can’t Help It and The Wayward Bus.

]]>

]]>

15. Brother's Deleted Scene

15. Brother’s Deleted Scene

Several narrative decisions were based on casting availability rather than creative choice. The decision to kill alternate 1985 George McFly was because Crispin Glover decided not to reprise his role. As for Marty’s siblings, there was a scene that showed an alcoholic Dave McFly living homeless. But since the actress who played Marty’s sister, Wendie Jo Sperber, did not return for the sequel, the filmmakers decided to axe any sibling scenes so that the audience wouldn’t ask questions.

]]>

]]>

16. Carl Sagan Endorsement

16. Carl Sagan Endorsement

Astronomer and popular scientist Carl Sagan, who hosted the original run of the show Cosmos in the ’80s, praised Back to the Future Part II for its portrayal of time travel and the theoretical science behind diverging timelines

]]>

]]>

17. Real Football Scores

17. Real Football Scores

Old Biff uses a UCLA football game on the radio to prove to young Biff that the almanac is real. This was a real game (the Bruins won, 19-17), and it did happen on November 12, 1955.

]]>

]]>

18. A Quick Spin

18. A Quick Spin

When the Delorean travels back in time at the end of the movie, it leaves curved flame trails in the air. This was intended to show that the Delorean spun at 88 miles per hour, which triggered the time jump, instead of accelerating to the speed linearly.

]]>

]]>

19. What Inventions Did They Get Right?

19. What Inventions Did They Get Right?

We still don’t have flying cars or hoverboards. But Back to the Future: Part II did a good job of predicting the little things–the conveniences that make our lives easier. Tablet computers, picture-in-picture broadcast, flat screen televisions, fingerprint online payment, self-tying shoes, and drone technology are all inventions that came true.

]]>

]]>

20. Why We Don't Have Hoverboards

20. Why We Don’t Have Hoverboards

There’s a short movie on the Blu-Ray release of the Back to the Future trilogy called “Doc Brown Saves The World.” It’s 8 minutes long, and it was made in 2015. In it, Christopher Lloyd reprises his role as Doc Brown, and he explains that there was a nuclear holocaust in 2045 as the indirect result of four inventions: the food hydrator, th self-lacing shoes, the hoverboard, and the home energy reactor, which made human beings too lazy. He travels back in time to prevent all four from being invented.

]]>

Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot’s parent company


Super Mario 64 Fan Is Remaking The Mushroom Kingdom In Fortnite

Fortnite’s creative mode, like Minecraft, is becoming a wonderful hub of imagination. One player has set out to create the entire world of Super Mario 64 within a single Fortnite map.

“I still have a long way to go, but I plan on re-creating as much of the game as possible,” Redditor King Yoshi told GameSpot. He has several levels complete, including Peach’s Castle, ‘Bowser in the Red Sea’, part of Whomp’s Fortress, among others.

No Caption Provided

Recreating other games within Fortnite has become a hobby for King Yoshi and other players. He’s completely remade the map from Resident Evil 2, puzzles and zombies included, in Fortnite.

He’s laid out Raccoon City, the police station, the orphanage, and other areas from the game as if you were playing as Leon or Claire. He even has potted plants set up where green herbs are located in the original game. Check out the video below to see a walkthrough:

Fortnite’s creative mode, which launched in 2018, gives players the tools to design their very own islands. Some fans have gone as far as using familiar in-game assets, like buildings and zombies from the Save the World mode, to design their own game modes, narratives, and takes on classic games.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

Get Death Stranding For Free With Purchase Of Select Nvidia Graphics Cards

Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding releases July 14 on PC, but if you’re in the market for a new graphics card, you can get it for free. From now until July 29, all purchases of Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics cards come with a free Steam code for Death Stranding. With games like Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 coming later this year, now might be a great time to upgrade your PC’s hardware. If you’ve already got a great graphics card and just want to snag an excellent deal on the game, then Green Man Gaming has Death Stranding for only $46.79.

Eligible graphics cards include the RTX 2080, RTX 2070, and RTX 2060 as well as all of their Super and Ti variants. You can see a list of participating retailers on Nvidia’s website, though it’s always wise to double-check that the retailer itself states you’ll receive a free PC copy of Death Stranding.

6479543 – RTX Graphics Cards – Death Stranding Promo

If you don’t know that your PC can run the latest game from Hideo Kojima, then you’re in luck. Death Stranding’s recommended specs have been revealed, and they’re actually not that demanding. Of course, the better graphics card and other components you have, the higher the resolution and the better the performance will be. GameSpot recently got a hands-on preview with Death Stranding’s PC version and was impressed by the port’s performance.

“Death Stranding looks great and runs well, and can even surpass that of the PS4 Pro, given you have the proper PC hardware,” editor Michael Higham wrote. “It often goes without saying, but this is good news–the broader takeaway here is that the quality of Death Stranding’s PC port can speak to how Sony’s first-party exclusives can get another lease on life on a new platform for a different audience.”

Death Stranding was awarded the honour of being one of GameSpot’s best games of 2019. Reviews editor Kallie Plagge scored it a 9/10 in our Death Stranding review, praising the ways in which it lets you connect with others, fight the ghost-like BTs, and rewards you for doing so.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

A Website Will Pay Someone To Play Animal Crossing: New Horizons

You may have been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons for months and perfected your idyllic island life, but now you can enter for a chance to do so while getting paid. A website is offering a “dream job” contest that will pay actual money to some lucky villager for playing 50 hours of the popular game.

The site, HighSpeedInternet.com, is an Internet provider comparison tool, and the contest ostensibly revolves around testing your Internet connection–but New Horizons isn’t exactly known for pushing your fiber connection to the limit. The grand prize is the “job” of playing 50 hours of Animal Crossing within about a month, at which point you’ll get paid $1000–or $20 per hour for something you were probably going to do anyway.

The full contest rules note that in this job you’ll be considered an independent contractor, so you’re not actually getting hired on by the site. You’ll need to be 18 or older and a legal US resident. Plus you need to provide your own Nintendo Switch and game, and obviously, the contest isn’t affiliated with Nintendo.

This is clearly a marketing stunt, so you’ll also need to give your email address and upload/download speeds to fill out the entry form. You can probably expect that information to be used somehow, at the very least in a mailing list, so make your peace with that if you plan to sign up.

If you want to dive into Animal Crossing–for free or otherwise–now is a good time to do it. The game just issued its big summer update, which introduced swimming and diving for precious new items. It’s the first of two planned summer updates, with the second to come in August.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.