NBA 2K21 is set to release for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 4. It will also be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X eventually. While details about what’s in the game are scant at the moment, we have full details about what comes in each edition (see below).
In terms of pricing, the next-gen standard editions will cost $69.99 ($10 more than current-gen). But if you buy the $99.99 Mamba Forever edition, you’ll get the game for both current- and the corresponding next-gen consoles.
Here’s where you can preorder NBA 2K21 now, and what comes in each edition.
The Mamba Forever edition gets you NBA 2K21 for both the current-gen and next-gen systems (in the same console family). It includes the game itself, as well as the following digital extras:
100,000 Virtual Currency
10,000 MyTEAM Points
10 MyTEAM Tokens
60 MyCAREER Skill Boosts
30 MyCAREER Gatorade Boosts
40 MyTEAM Promo Packs (10 at launch, then 3 per week)
Sapphire Damian Lillard and Zion Williamson MyTEAM cards
One thing that’s gotten a lot of attention is that the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions of the standard edition cost $10 more than their current-gen counterparts.
Preordering the next-gen standard edition of NBA 2K21 gets you the following digital items:
Microsoft has reportedly warned Xbox Series X developers against charging for DLC upgrades from the current generation to the next one. The move appears aimed at disincentivizing publishers from charging for a service that Microsoft is trying to make a major pillar of its platform with Smart Delivery.
VGC reports that the company is encouraging publishers to instead adopt a no-cost upgrade model, like either Smart Delivery or EA’s Dual Entitlement. The report doesn’t state definitively whether Microsoft has made a formal rule the practice of charging for upgrades on its platform.
Despite that, the company is said to be leaving the door open to other mechanisms of allowing upgrades. Aside from free digital upgrades like the ones above, it hasn’t ruled out schemes like selling a next-gen version at a discount, or selling “cross-gen bundles” that include two versions of the game. We’ve already seen that in action this week with the announcement of NBA 2K21‘s Kobe Bryant edition, which will sell both versions for $100. The regular edition on both platforms will cost $60 on current-gen and $70 on next-gen–which may become the new normal.
The move makes sense. Microsoft is making Smart Delivery a major part of its approach to the new generation, even promising not to publish any next-gen exclusives for the beginning of the new lifecycle. The company appears to be aiming to make this a smooth transition, with less hard-and-fast distinctions between its consoles. If publishers were able to charge for upgrades, many might choose to do just that, undercutting part of Microsoft’s messaging.
So far only about a dozen games have been announced for Smart Delivery, including all first-party games like Halo Infinite along with some notable third-party games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077.
With the conclusion of the Apex Legends Lost Treasures limited-time event, Respawn has released a new update for the battle royale game. Loba fans, rejoice! The update finally fixes the annoying problem with her tactical ability on World’s Edge.
For those who don’t main Loba, she’s had an issue with her tactical ability, Burglar’s Best Friend, on World’s Edge since the start of Lost Treasures. Loba’s tactical ability cancels out if you throw it out-of-bounds or off a ledge–which is helpful, as it prevents you from teleporting to your death. However, on World’s Edge, a bug was causing Loba’s tactical ability to detect normal areas as out-of-bounds, cancelling out Burglar’s Best Friend in places where it shouldn’t.
Game Update! We’ve pushed out two updates this morning: 🔨Fixes addressing Loba’s tactical usability on World’s Edge. There are still some known cases we’re continuing to work on but it should work much better now. 🔨Mobile Respawn Beacon has been added to all modes.
In a Twitter thread, Apex Legends design director Jason McCord explained how the bug came to be and assured players that a fix was already ready–it just needed to go through some testing first. That fix is now live, though Respawn adds that there “are still some known cases [the team is] continuing to work on.”
This update also adds a rather interesting wrinkle to Apex Legends, which will likely see new strategies form in the battle royale game. During Lost Treasures, Apex Legends saw the return of the limited-time mode Armed & Dangerous, though this time with mobile respawn beacons. These items allowed players to bring back fallen teammates from anywhere on the map as opposed to travelling to specific established respawn beacon locations. Though Lost Treasures is over, this new update permanently adds mobile respawn beacons to Trios, Duos, and Ranked playlists.
Don’t fret, the addition of mobile respawn beacons won’t see the existing beacons go away. They’ll still be there, but now your squad will have the option of carrying around an item that can be used to bring back fallen allies from anywhere–even the final few circles, which rarely have respawn beacons inside them.
The highly acclaimed comic book adaptation Umbrella Academy returns to Netflix at the end of July, and fans will finally get a look some footage this week. The streaming giant has confirmed that the first trailer arrives tomorrow, July 8.
The news was announced via a teaser that Netflix tweeted. It shows the character of Klaus (Robert Sheehan), sitting cross-legged, with “trailer tomorrow” written on his hands. Check it out below:
Umbrella Academy is adapted from Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s cult comic book, and Season 2 hits Netflix on July 31. The show focuses on a dysfunctional superhero family, and also stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, David Castañeda, Robert Sheehan, Aiden Gallagher, and Justin H. Min.
Last month, the first images from the show were released. They reveal that the new season will start in the 1960s, with the Hargreeves siblings having been sent back in time at the end of Season 1.
Umbrella Academy Season 1 hit Netflix in February 2019. In her review of Season 1 for GameSpot, Meg Downey said “Umbrella Academy stumbles a few times in the pacing department,” but although it “throws a lot at the wall, most everything sticks.”
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The story of the Season of Arrivals in Destiny 2 is also one of departures. With the release of the Beyond Light expansion this fall, several of the game’s current destinations–Titan, Io, Mercury, and Mars–will be removed from the game, at least for the time being. So as you venture through this season’s activities, you’ll be learning about and visiting those spots. A new Exotic quest in the game this week, dubbed “Growth,” has you visiting those locations and uncovering their secrets.
The quest has you hunting for Ruinous Effigy, a new Exotic trace rifle. To get it, you’ll need to engage with the Darkness, complete seasonal events, and trek across the solar system hunting hidden objects. We’re building a complete guide to getting you Ruinous Effigy as quickly as possible. Here’s what you need to do and where you need to go.
Step 1: Compete “Interference”
To get started on the Growth quest, head to the Prismatic , which will dispense the quest. You’ll then need to convene with Eris Morn by completing the weekly Interference quest at the center of this season’s events. To do that, knock out the weekly Prismatic Recaster bounty, “Means to an End,” as normal.
When you’re finished with the “Interference” mission, you’ll see a new story beat between Eris and Zavala, and take a gift from the Darkness: the Pendulum. This one will send you scouring the rest of the solar system for more stuff.
Step 2: Pendulum
You now need to find 25 Calcified Light items and to kill 15 enemies called Savathun’s Marionettes on either Io or Titan.
The Marionettes are Champion enemies you’ll find running around the public areas of either Io or Titan. Look for them when Taken enemies appear in battles with other bad guys, usually following messages announcing the arrival of Taken Disruptors. Depending on which Disruptor appears, you might have to kill the enemy to summon the Marionette; other times, a Marionette will spawn with the Disruptor, and killing both might get you a second one, depending on which type of battle you’re facing.
You can farm Marionettes pretty easily on Io in The Rupture. Taken Disruptors are constantly spawning around the area, so you can race around, killing the high-value targets in order to summon the Champions you need for the step.
Savathun’s Marionette enemies are Champions, but if you’ve got the Falling Guillotine already, you can make short work of them.
The Calcified Light fragments are tougher: you’ll have to find and pick them up on all four planets. Your Ghost can lead you to them, but you’ll need to be close. We’re compiling all their locations now, so check back frequently as we fill them in.
Calcified Light Locations
Titan
1. Near Methane Flush: Spawn in at the Siren’s Watch transmat zone and drop down to the deck below. Look for a door around the back from the staircase to find a way inside and find the Calcified Light.
2. Near Sloane, outside: In Siren’s Watch, go to where Sloane is and follow the nav-point to the catwalk wrapping around her building on the outside.
3.On The Rig: Spawn in at the transmat zone on the rig and head south through the archway. You’ll find the Calcified Light on the ground just on the other side of the structure near the platform’s southern edge.
4. The Eastern Edge: Keep heading east from your last location, past the catwalks where the Fallen like to hang out. This Calcified Light is near the eastern edge of the platform, also behind some structures.
5. Amid Hive Corruption: You should notice that your last marker is very close to the last one. You’ll need to get inside the structure east of you to find the next Calcified Light. Head around to the northeast toward the Solarium to find the door into the building. Turn back south and look for the Calcified Light near some computer terminals.
Io
The Rupture
1. Atop The Pyramidion: From the transmat zone in The Rupture, you’ll need to scale the Pyramidion, just behind where Asher Mir stands. To get there, scale the arm of the Pyramidion just south of Asher–the first one you come to. Climb up to the flat spot and follow the pathway inside the structure to find some platforms. Follow them and you’ll reach a portal that will take you to the top.
2. Beneath the Rupture: Head east into the area, near where the public event here takes place (and the Seraph Tower used to be). Look for a ridge to the east of the public event area where enemies spawn; if you head a little north, you’ll find a cave entrance that runs beneath it. Head down inside and bear left when you find an opening to discover a small room full of blue fluid, a few Taken enemies, and the Calcified Light.
3. Rupture Caves: The next Light is found in another cave not too far from your present position. Head toward the southern corner of the area, near the Aphix Conduit Lost Sector entrance. Look for another cave entrance west of the Lost Sector, and to the right of the roots of the big tree above. Follow the cave inside to find the Calcified Light on a platform above you.
Lost Oasis
4. The Cliffs Below: As soon as you spawn in at the Lost Oasis transmat zone, turn to your right. With your Ghost out, you’ll see the indicator showing the Calcified Light beneath you. Drop down to the cliffs below (a landing spot can be tough to see, so be careful) to find the Light waiting.
5. On The Big Tree: From low to high. Head for the big tree southeast of the transmat zone. Climb up one of the roots and get to a flat platform about halfway up, where you’ll find the Calcified Light.
6. The Tree Near The Terrabase: Go to the north end of the area, near the path toward Terrabase Charon, where you’ll see another tree sticking out of the cliffside. You want to get inside that tree, but you’ll need to go around behind it to enter. Take the path toward Terrabase Charon and watch the left wall to find a cave opening that will take you into the stump. Look for the Calcified Light in the back of the room.
Giant’s Scar
7. Inside The Base: From the Giant’s Scar transmat zone, turn left and head north to the small entrance into the Cabal fortification ahead. Turn right inside and keep moving to the large room full of enemies, with another exit out into the rest of the area to your left. Hop up onto the second floor catwalk and find the Calcified Light waiting there.
8. On The Crane: North of the building in the main area of Giant’s Scar, head to the northwest end of the area. Climb up on the small crane control building to grab the Calcified Light there.
9. Xur’s Cave: Head to the northwest corner of the area and look for a cave opening in the cliff wall. You usually find Xur here when he visits Io; instead, find the Calcified Light in the back-left corner.
10. On The Edge: The last Calcified Light on Io is easy to grab. Just head to the eastern wall of the area and hop up on the small platform growing out from the cliff wall.
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Pokemon Go‘s fourth anniversary event is underway until July 8. To commemorate the occasion, Niantic has released a new piece of anniversary art for the game, and as usual, it teases a few new Pokemon that will be making their debut soon.
Hidden among the various monsters in the picture are Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie–the three starters from Pokemon X and Y, the series’ first sixth-generation installments. This suggests that Gen 6 Pokemon are on the way to the game in the near future, although Niantic has not confirmed when they’ll begin appearing.
This certainly isn’t the first time Niantic has teased the arrival of new Pokemon this way. Each year, the studio releases a new piece of anniversary art that features upcoming Pokemon; last September, we got a glimpse of a few Gen 5 monsters before they officially debuted that fall.
Notably, the picture also prominently features the Mega Evolved forms of Lucario and Charizard, while Mega Mewtwo Y can be seen flying with Reshiram and Zekrom in the background. Mega Evolution is a game mechanic introduced in X and Y, and while we already know that Mega Evolved Pokemon are coming to Go, this is further proof that their debut could be imminent.
Pokemon Go fourth anniversary artwork
Although Mega Evolved Pokemon have previously been confirmed, it’s not yet clear how they’ll work. In the mainline games, a Pokemon can only Mega Evolve during a battle if it is equipped with its corresponding Mega Stone, and the transformation isn’t permanent; it will revert back to its original form when the battle ends (or if it gets knocked out). However, The Pokemon Company has teased that players will see “a new take on Mega Evolution that takes advantage of Pokemon Go’s unique gameplay,” suggesting the mechanic will work a little differently.
Finally there’s a film that expresses the true horror of Zoom calls. Shudder–the thriller, horror, and suspense-themed streaming service–recently announced that a new film coming their catalog on July 30, Host, was made during the coronavirus lockdown, with the cast and crew strictly following social distancing guidelines.
Over the past few months, stay at home and quarantine orders in major cities across the globe ground the film-making industry to a halt, but Deadline reports that the all the actors in Host operated their own cameras and managed their own stunts, lighting, and practical effects while the director, Rob Savage (Dawn of the Deaf), guided them remotely. When Shudder’s general manager saw a short film that Savage directed during lockdown go viral, he reached out about potential feature-length works.
“I’m a certified Shudder obsessive,” Savage told Deadline. “When lockdown began, I spent weeks bingeing everything on Shudder, so to find myself premiering a new film on the platform only a few months later is incredible. Shudder understood the potential of this mad little film from day one and totally supported us making it in our own way.”
In celebrating five years since its launch, developer Psyonix is hosting an anniversary event inside Rocket League. The event brings some limited-time modes and unique items for you to participate in and earn on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The Fifth Anniversary Event started on June 30, which means one mode–Spike Rush–has already come and gone. However, the anniversary lasts for a full two weeks, meaning there are still two other LTMs you can play on all platforms. This includes the 2v2 Heatseeker mode, which runs until July 13, and the Redemption period (which allows you to earn any items you may have missed) that picks up immediately after and concludes on July 16.
In addition to the LTMs, you can head over to Rocket League’s Event Store to spend balloons that you accrue from online matches to purchase unique items such as antennas, toppers, wheels, and more. Golden Eggs, collectible items that contain unknown goodies, are back and now give you the chance to get items from the game’s Champions Series. You can check the images below to see the various earnable in-game items.
Further, whatever balloons you collect and don’t spend can be exchanged for XP packs to level up your Rocket Pass. The full list of Rocket League’s fifth anniversary LTM’s is outlined below.
Spike Rush: June 30 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET – July 6 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET
2v2 Heatseeker: July 6 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET – July 13 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET (Event Ends)
Redemption period: July 13 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET – July 16 at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET
GameSpot’s Play For All–a celebration of all things gaming–is ongoing. 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.
Ubisoft Forward is set for this coming Sunday, July 12, at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET. The publisher event promises a look at upcoming titles like Watch Dogs Legion and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla along with “a few other surprises,” but you’ll also have an opportunity to claim a free game, Watch Dogs 2, during the event.
To claim Watch Dogs 2 for free on July 12, you’ll need to log into your Uplay account, which is free to create if you don’t have one yet. Ahead of the event that day, Ubisoft team members will kick off their pre-show by streaming Trackmania at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET, and Watch Dogs 2 will be free to claim right after the Trackmania playthrough. You’ll have until the end of the main show, which begins at noon PT / 3 PM ET and should last around 45 minutes, to claim your free copy. That’s a window of less than two hours, so you’ll want to be ready to claim the game that day.
If you’re interested in Watch Dogs Legion but have never played any Watch Dogs games, Watch Dogs 2 offers a great introduction to the stealth action-adventure series. Playing the first game isn’t necessary as Watch Dogs 2 stands on its own, although there are references and connections to the original. Before heading to post-Brexit London in Legion, you’ll be able to explore the San Francisco Bay Area in Watch Dogs 2, a large open-world setting you can traverse on foot or by using vehicles like cars, buses, and motorcycles. You’ll play as a young hacker named Marcus Holloway who has joined hacking group DedSec and is working to expose corruption and crimes committed by a technology company. The game also features both a co-op mode and competitive multiplayer modes such as Hacking Invasion, Bounty Hunter, and more.
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PS4
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