Madden NFL 21 Ratings: Here Are The Highest-Rated QBs

As part of ESPN’s drip-feed reveal of Madden NFL 21‘s player ratings, the sports network announced that Patrick Mahomes is the game’s first 99-rated player. But that’s not all. ESPN also released the list of the top 10 highest-rated quarterbacks in the game, and Mahomes is on top of that list as well.

Madden NFL 21 cover star Lamar Jackson lands at No. 3 overall with a 94 rating. You can check out the full list of the highest-rated QBs in Madden NFL 21 below.

Top 10 Highest-Rated QBs in Madden NFL 21

  1. Patrick Mahomes — 99 OVR
  2. Russell Wilson — 97 OVR
  3. Lamar Jackson — 94 OVR
  4. Drew Brees — 93 OVR
  5. Tom Brady — 90 OVR
  6. Aaron Rodgers — 89 OVR
  7. Matt Ryan — 87 OVR
  8. Deshaun Watson — 86 OVR
  9. Dak Prescott — 84 OVR
  10. Carson Wentz — 84 OVR

While Mahomes might be the highest-rated QB overall, Lamar Jackson is No. 1 when it comes to speed (96). Jackson is known for his rushing and speed–for his rookie season in 2019, Jackson racked up 1,206 rushing yards to break Michael Vick’s record for the most by a QB in a single season in NFL history.

The highest-rated rookie running backs have also been announced, with JK Dobbins leading the way with a 75 OVR rating. You can see the full list below.

Madden NFL 21 is coming on August 28 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will also be coming to the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X, with free upgrades for current-gen owners through EA’s Dual Entitlement program. For more details check out our Madden NFL 21 pre-order guide.

Now Playing: EA Sports Montage | EA Play 2020

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Here’s What’s New In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare And Warzone This Week

It’s a new week, and that means Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the battle royale game Warzone are being updated with new stuff to keep things fresh and interesting. Activision announced all the new updates in a blog post, and we’re rounding them up here by game.

Modern Warfare Playlists

Modern Warfare is getting a playlist update this week that will add a new playlist called Party Mode. This includes the One in the Chamber, Gun Game Reloaded, and All or Nothing game modes. Additionally, a 2v2 Gunfight playlist is coming this week.

What’s more, Activision will add a new 24/7 playlist featuring 8v8 multiplayer on the new Cheshire Park map and Shoot House 24/7.

New Microtransaction Bundles

Activision is releasing a new bundle called Hydra Slayer. It includes two weapons, the Spirit of the Beast SMG and the Soul of the Beast assault rifle. Both are “legendary”-tier weapons.

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There is also the Syd Rogue Operative bundle that comes with a watch, a vehicle skin for the cargo struck, a calling card, and an emblem.

Additionally, Activision has added a new Call of Duty League Champs Pack to buy from the store. It comes with weapon blueprints to unlock the guns used by members of the Chicago Huntsmen professional team, along with their favorite calling cards and skins.

Warzone Playlists

Warzone is getting some attention this week, too, as Activision is bringing back the large-scale 50v50 team deathmatch mode, Warzone Rumble, this coming weekend. Additionally, Plunder Trios will be available, alongside the usual suspects: Solos, Duos, Trios, and Quads.

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Looking ahead, Warzone’s rumored Season 5 update is set to introduce some major changes to the map. The map refresh is said to be part of how Activision will unveil the new Call of Duty game for 2020, which is believed to be Black Ops: Cold War.

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Halo 3 Is Out Now On PC Alongside Big MCC Update On Xbox; See The July 13 Patch Notes Here

It’s a big day for Halo fans. 13 years after the release of Halo 3 for Xbox 360 on September 24, 2007, Microsoft has finally brought the game to PC. Additionally, the big Season 2 update for Halo: The Master Chief Collection has arrived for both PC and Xbox One.

You can get Halo 3 right now on Steam for $10 USD, or you can buy it through The Master Chief Collection for $40 USD. Halo’s community director, Brian Jarrard, said Microsoft released the game and the update a little bit early, so you might experience some issues before the “official” launch on July 14.

The big Season 2 update for MCC is 23.4 GB on Xbox One, and you can see the complete patch notes below, as posted by Microsoft. MCC owners on the Microsoft Store and Game Pass for PC will see a 20.84 GB update, while people who have MCC on Steam will have a 17.6 GB update.

MCC’s total file size, with the new update applied, becomes 127.76 GB on Xbox One, 124.5 GB on Steam, and 93.15 GB on the Microsoft Store.

The update introduces Forge mode on Halo: Reach, Halo 2, and Halo 3, while Halo 3’s Forge mode specifically is getting a whole suite of new features.

This update also adds the new “3D model viewer” for Halo 3, while audio issues for Halo: Reach and Halo 3 have been addressed. What’s more, Halo 3 gets a new Skull called “Acrophobia” that makes you fly. Halo: Combat Evolved, meanwhile, gets vehicle skins for the first time in 19 years.

You can see the full patch notes below.

Halo: MCC July 13 Patch Notes

New Features

  • (PC) Forge is now available for Halo: Reach, Halo 2: Anniversary, and Halo 3.
  • Halo 3 Forge has been updated with new features, including Object Physics, rotation, coordinate snap and precision edit tools.
  • Halo 3 and Halo: Reach Forge pallets have been expanded with new objects and budget increases.
  • Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and Halo 2: Anniversary Forge tools have been updated with a new “Toggle Rotation Axes” feature adding toggleable rotation around World and Local axes. Note: This is planned to be added into Halo 4 at a later date.
  • Updated season unlock flow to feature non-linear unlocks per page and added Season 2 featuring 30 new nameplates, 46 new H1 Weapon and 18 H1 Vehicle skins.
  • Challenges are now available to complete across all available titles. Note: Campaign Challenges are currently not supported in Halo 4: Spartan Ops.
  • New spartan customization 3D model viewer for Halo 3.
  • Updated Skill Rank backend for Ranked Matchmaking. This resolved a long-standing rank reset issue and has required us reset all ranked playlists to 1.
  • “Highest Lifetime” rank is now displayed for rotational hoppers that are no longer available.
  • Halo: Reach & Halo 3 audio has been updated.
  • New Acrophobia skull for Halo 3.
  • “Dual Wield Inversion” has been added as a toggle for players who wish to disable the title from switching the “primary fire” weapon to your left-hand while dual wielding in Halo 2 or Halo 3.

Game Install Size and Version

Please see the information below to ensure you have proper disk space to install each title from your desired store platform as well as are on the latest update.

Latest Version

  • The latest version of the game is 1.1698.0.0, to find the version number (Full KBA).
  • To update your game if you are not on the latest version (Full KBA).

Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC (Beta)

  • MCC owners will receive a 20.84GB update with the full install being 93.15GB.

Steam

  • MCC Bundle Owners: A 17.6GB update with Halo: Reach, H:CEA, H2:A, and Halo 3 being about 124.5 installed.

Xbox

  • MCC will receive a 23.38GG update with the full install being 127.76

Resolved Community Issues

Improvements have been across the board from our last update and previous flights. Below are several new game-specific features and resolved issues that come with today’s update and the platform (Xbox Only, PC Only, or All Platforms):

Global (All Platforms)

  • Fixed issues where achievements for killing Engineers were displayed as ODST-specific despite being attainable in Halo: Reach as well.
  • Fixed an issue where nameplate unlock criteria was no longer displayed once unlocked.
  • Fixed various cases where the game client could crash during shutdown.

Global (PC)

  • Fixed an issue where the “He’s Running a Marathon”, “The Guardians are Coming” and “Why am I Here?” achievements would not unlock in Steam after unlocking them on Xbox Live.
  • Fixed an issue where the campaign preview widget would appear on the root Main Menu after a sign-in change.
  • Fixed a crash which could occur when entering the Seasonal Overview immediately after sign-in.
  • Improved how the Seasonal Overview is displayed in non-standard aspect ratios.

Global (Xbox)

  • Fixed a crash which could occur when looking up certain Gamertags with the Find Player feature in the Roster.

Halo: Reach (All Platforms)

  • Audio has been updated with Waves integration, aligning closer to Xbox 360 quality.
  • Fixed an issue where “Xbox 360” was referenced on the Boot Betrayer prompt in non-English languages.
  • Added localization for map location names in non-English languages.
  • Fixed an issue where the wrong key was displayed on the Boot Betrayer prompt.

Halo: Combat Evolved (All Platforms)

  • New Customization Support for Halo: Combat Evolved Multiplayer, including Visor, Vehicle, and Weapon Skins.
  • “New Skins” can be disabled under the “Gameplay” submenu in settings to locally return H1’s appearance to legacy.
  • Fixed an issue where spamming the plasma pistol’s trigger would cause the charge-up sound to stick.
  • Rocket Warthog can now be manually reloaded.
  • Fixed an issue where some starting weapons were not respected on Rat Race.
  • Gameplay audio should no longer be heard in the background while a terminal plays in Co-Op Campaign.

Halo 2 (All Platforms)

  • Resolved a crash that could occur during long playthroughs.
  • Enemy Elites now dual wield.
  • Fixed an issue where the Energy Sword displayed incorrectly when viewed against flood tanks in “The Oracle.”
  • Rebuilt the lightmap for the initial classic cinematic on “Outskirts” to return lighting and shadows to OG Xbox visuals.
  • Adjusted a default gamma option to bring it closer to OG Xbox. This may result in lighting and brightness looking different then our past patch.
  • Fixed an issue that was causing players in matchmade games to grenade jump higher than expected, bringing the height back down to OG Xbox clients.
  • Fixed an issue where the “Malfunction” skull would display HUD elements incorrectly while dual wielding.
  • Infinite ammo and grenades now display with the “infinity” symbol in the HUD.
  • Fixed an issue where a controller would sometimes be stuck vibrating after coming out of gameplay.
  • Resolved a loading issue that would cause Campaign Co-Op Players to disconnect when starting a mission.
  • Horizontal mouse movement while on a stationary turret is now unbound and no longer restricted by the turning radius.
  • Fixed an issue where some dynamic music tracks in Campaign Classic Mode was looping incorrectly.

Halo 2: Anniversary (All Platforms)

  • Fixed an issue where the sentinel beam VFX would occasionally not display.
  • Added 0% option for fall damage in Custom Games.
  • Players can now move while the Scoreboard is open.

Halo 3 (All Platforms)

  • Audio has been updated with Waves integration, aligning closer to Xbox 360 quality.
  • Several matte paintings have been updated with higher fidelity versions in Campaign cinematics.
  • Customization has been updated to support individual armor pieces and tertiary colors.
  • Emblems now display on armor in gameplay.
  • Footsteps in the snow no longer appear with black textures.
  • Fixed some incorrectly lit particles when Scarabs or Phantoms were destroyed.
  • Hornet and Brute Chopper turning speed has been improved to better match Xbox 360.
  • Added the Fuel Rod Gun, Sentinel Beam, Carbine, Mauler, and Plasma Rifle as starting weapons to Custom Games.
  • Fixed an issue where the prowler was misrepresented as the mauler in tools of destruction on the Post Game Carnage Report.
  • Fixed issues where some strings extended outside of the gametype objective widget in non-English languages.

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Ninjala Has Been Downloaded 3 Million Times And Every Player Gets A Treat To Celebrate

Ninjala released as a Switch exclusive on June 24, and since then a lot of people have downloaded it. The game, which is free-to-play, has been downloaded over 3 million times, developer GungHo Online Entertainment has revealed.

To celebrate, every player is being given 100 Jala, the game’s currency. As part of the game’s launch celebration, every new player who logs in before August 26 will be able to claim these Jala, on top of the other launch benefits previously offered–so if you jump in for the first time today, you’ll automatically get 400 Jala.

To claim this Jala, you need to load up the game and progress beyond the character creation screen and tutorial. Once you reach the main menu, you can claim it from your in-game mail. 100 Jala can be exchanged for a single gumball, although if you wait and save up, it’s likely that more Jala will be handed out as the game continues to amass downloads.

Version 1.2 of the game is currently being worked on, which will introduce some balance adjustments to the online brawler.

GameSpot’s review of Ninjala gave it a 6/10. “There isn’t much to do in Ninjala, and what content is present almost requires a battle pass to be fully enjoyed,” wrote reviewer Steve Watts. “But what we have so far is a solid foundation. The battle fundamentals are well-designed and unique, and the visual flair is absolutely bursting with personality.”

Now Playing: Tips And Tricks For Crushing The Competition In Ninjala

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Nintendo Switch System Update 10.1.0 Is Available Now, But Don’t Expect Anything Major

The Nintendo Switch has received yet another system update, but it’s not a big one. This update, 10.1.0, has made a change to the first decimal instead of the second, but that doesn’t indicate anything major has changed.

As per Nintendo Support, Update 10.1.0’s change log contains a single sentence, and it’s one that Switch fans are well acquainted with. Here’s what it includes:

  • General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.

In June, the Switch received an update that actually identified and solved a specific issue–10.0.4 fixed a serious credit card issue. Update 10.0.0 was the most recent major patch, and it introduced control remapping, easier data transfers, and new user icons.

No such additions have been made in 10.1.0 though, and the Switch must now, surely, be one of the most stable consoles ever made.

The next big exclusive Switch game is Paper Mario: The Origami King, which will release on July 17.

Now Playing: Paper Mario: The Origami King – Opening Cutscene

Will Ferrell Almost Wasn’t In Wedding Crashers

Actor Will Ferrell has a small role in Wedding Crashers, but it was a memorable one. He plays Chazz Reinhold, the mentor of Vince Vaughan’s character, Jeremy. When we meet Chazz in the movie, he’s living with his mother, eating meat loaf, and wearing a kimono. He’s moved on from crashing weddings and is now even more of a scumbag who crashes funerals to pick up women.

The scene comes in the final act of the movie, and director David Dobkin told EW that it provided a “rocket boost” to the movie’s conclusion. But it was not part of the original script, and Ferrell almost was not involved.

The idea for the scene came weeks into shooting, when star Owen Wilson thought it would be a funny idea to have his character crash a funeral. Wilson had created the Chazz character and referenced him in the script, but he wasn’t planned to ever be shown in the 2005 comedy.

“What if you wanted to go see this guy to get some advice and he was crashing funerals? And you think all of this sounds really dark and you’re really at your bottom, but when you go with him and you’re at the funeral, it feels all wrong and you realize you should be by your friend’s side. And so Owen kind went and wrote that scene,” Dobkin said.

As for casting the role of Chazz, Dobkin said Ferrell was a top choice, but they weren’t sure if they would be able to land him. It was midnight on the night before the shoot, and the deal still wasn’t finalized, Dobkin said. But the deal was eventually made, and Ferrell came in to shoot his scenes, which were completed in one day.

“He got in in the morning, he read it, and he came out with his kimono on and the nunchucks, which was Owen’s idea that he have those around his neck,” Dobkin said. “[Will] was like, ‘You want me to wear this?!’ He was very laid back in the first take and I remember looking at him and I just said, ‘I think he’ a little crazier.”

“He was like, ‘Oh, I know what you mean,’ and he did it again, and I was like, ‘Maybe more?’ I mean, I really believe that I directed him by just saying ‘more’ until he had that fifth take and that is the whole take that is in the movie. It was one of those things that you shoot and you’re like, ‘Is this really going to work?’ It’s a pretty weird sequence,” Dobkin explained.

Dobkin has been asked many times over the years to make Wedding Crashers 2, but he’s turned down every offer. He has a new idea for a sequel, but it remains to be seen if it will be made.

Dobkin’s latest film is Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which reunites Wedding Crashers actors Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. The movie is out now on Netflix.

Civilization 6’s Next DLC Pack Adds Ethiopia And A New Game Mode

Civilization VI will expand further on July 23 with the Ethiopia Pack, which is available as part of the New Frontier Pass or can be purchased separately for $5. This pack will introduce Ethiopia as a civilization, along with new buildings and a new district. It will also introduce a new mode, as long as you own the Rise and Fall or Gathering Storm expansions.

The new mode is called Secret Societies, and it–as you might expect–adds some secret societies to the game world. Discovering one of these societies will unlock a unique, extra-powerful Governor, whose bonuses do not need to be assigned to a specific city.

Once a society is uncovered, the player who found it becomes a member of that society for the rest of the game, and if you form an alliance with a player who is also a member your Alliance Points will accumulate faster, and you’ll have better diplomacy options. Conversely, players in other societies are going to be your enemies.

Along with Ethiopia, players who have the New Frontier Pass will also get Teddy Roosevelt and Catherine De Medici Persona Packs, which will change the model and background of these leaders, and add new gameplay bonuses and agendas for them. These personas are called Rough Rider Teddy and Magnificence Catherine, which should give you some idea of what to expect.

This DLC will come to all the game’s console releases, too.

This is the second of six content drops promised for the New Frontier Pass. The next one is due in September, and the first release also introduced a new mode, called Apocalypse. Sid Meier’s memoir, which has a great name, is also due in September.

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Death Stranding PC Launch Trailer Shows Off The Game’s Visual Upgrade

Death Stranding is coming to PC on July 14, and at the time of writing a Steam/Epic Games Store release is just 12 hours away. The PC version is being published by 505 Games, and they’ve released a launch trailer to go over the improvements coming in the PC version, and to introduce some elements of the game to new players.

The trailer mixes together cutscenes and cinematic gameplay footage to capture the game’s tone and some of its performances, and it shows off the game at 4K, presented in Ultrawide. It also shows off the game’s new Very Hard difficulty setting and Half-Life collaborative items. It’s also seems to be more-or-less spoiler free.

You can get the PC version of Death Stranding for free with certain Nvidia cards, which is a great deal if you want to upgrade your PC for RTX. If you’re not sure if your PC can handle the game, check out the minimum and recommended specs. The PC version will be able to achieve frame rates above 100fps.

GameSpot has gone hands-on with the PC version of Death Stranding ahead of release, and came away impressed. “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,” wrote critic Michael Higham.

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Deadly Premonition 2 Dev Apologizes For Transphobic Content, Promises A Rewrite

Deadly Premonition 2 is out now for Switch, but some players of the long-anticipated game have found themselves disappointed over one particular aspect of the game–its treatment of a transgender character. Criticisms leveled against the game have pointed out that the game’s characters, including the hero Francis, frequently misgender the character, or use their deadname (the name assigned at birth).

Because other dialog within the game positions Francis as an ally, and the game does not always explicitly frame these transphobic actions as wrong, many of the director’s fans have been disappointed–especially after trans issues were explored with sensitivity in his previous game, The Missing.

Now, Swery has taken to Twitter to apologize and to promise that he will edit “that scene,” although which scene he specifically means is unclear.

“I realized by pointed out from friends, I might have hurt transgender people in my scenario,” he writes. “It wasn’t intentional. I am really sorry for that.”

He promises that additional checks will be performed, and asks players not to hate his characters, as any offence caused is his own fault.

Deadly Premonition 2 will also hopefully receive a patch to address its appalling frame rate, which is one of the reasons why GameSpot’s 5/10 review was less-than-glowing. “Ultimately, Deadly Premonition 2 lacks the emotional resonance found in the first game,” reviewer Kurt Indovina wrote. “It’s a different brew of coffee from your favorite roaster, but one that’s more bitter than you probably hoped for.”

Now Playing: Just As Absurd As The Original | Deadly Premonition 2 Let’s Play Part 1

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Phil Spencer On Why Microsoft Is Pushing Beyond Consoles

Microsoft has bold plans for its future in gaming. In addition to releasing the Xbox Series X this year, Microsoft is launching its game-streaming service, xCloud, to help reach a much bigger audience than the console market alone. In a new interview with GI.biz, Spencer spoke about this strategy and why it’s essential to the company’s plans to grow its gaming business in the future.

Spencer pointed out that Xbox Live is already in a good place with nearly 100 million monthly players across all platforms–including Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. People who play Minecraft on Nintendo Switch must create an Xbox Live account to play the game on Nintendo’s console. PS4 Minecraft players don’t need an Xbox Live account, but they must have one to use cross-play. Microsoft is one of the biggest publishers on PS4 thanks to Minecraft.

Looking further out, Spencer said xCloud is critical to helping Microsoft reach a wider audience. Simply put, the console market has a ceiling–only so many people can or want to buy a console. With xCloud, Microsoft is bringing Xbox to the billions of mobile devices around the world.

“We need to be on all the places where people might want to go play,” he said. “And our xCloud strategy allows us to do that, where any place, any device that people might be able to play an Xbox game, we want to be able to deliver that.”

“Consoles are, what, a 200-million unit market? It has its geographies where it is, but there are a lot of geographies where consoles are never going to be a dominant form of people playing,” Spencer added. “And through technologies like cloud and xCloud, we’re going to be able to take these games and deliver them to new players.”

Spencer said Microsoft is having “really strong conversations” with the makers of various devices regarding support for xCloud, though he did not name any.

For game developers, this expansion into xCloud could prove to be a big deal because studios can build titles as they normally would, but now they can theoretically reach an audience that is factors of times larger than console/PC.

“For the creators, they just build the game that they were always just going to create on the platform that they’ve been building on for years, and yet find millions and millions of new customers,” he said. “That is really exciting for the studios.”

xCloud is currently in beta, but it’s due to release more widely later this year. Additionally, Game Pass will be available through xCloud, so people can stream games from their libraries to their phones. For more on Xbox Game Pass and xCloud, check out GameSpot’s feature, “Microsoft’s Secret Weapon For Next-Gen Is Xbox Game Pass.”

Now Playing: Microsoft’s Secret Weapon For Next-Gen Is Xbox Game Pass