Category: Games

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds developer PUBG Corp. has announced a new version of the PC game. Titled PUBG Lite, the new product is a standalone free-to-play edition of the hit battle royale game that’s now in beta in Thailand.

PUBG Corp. says PUBG Lite is designed for “players in areas where the core game’s required specifications are more difficult to achieve due to the hardware available.” This free-to-play version is therefore playable on lower-spec PCs.

The beta includes the first PUBG map, Erangel, though PUBG Corp. says the free-to-play title has “its own dedicated dev team that will create exclusive content and quality of life features while also adding maps and content familiar to PUBG players.”

Thailand is the only confirmed territory for PUBG Lite’s beta “for now.” The beta will help PUBG Corp. “determine if this is a viable product for other regions,” so it remains to be seen if the free-to-play edition makes its way to the west in the future.

PUBG’s PS4 and Xbox One versions, meanwhile, recently added the new Vikendi map, the game’s fourth map to date. Vikendi is a snow-covered mountainous region that includes a new vehicle, the snowmobile. Arriving alongside Vikendi is the Vikendi Survivor Pass. Much like Fortnite’s Battle Pass, it gives players a variety of challenges to complete over 10 weeks. Doing these challenges will level the pass up, which in turn will unlock cosmetics and other rewards.

The original Resident Evil 2 was notorious for bonus characters that were difficult to obtain. For the Resident Evil 2 remake, Capcom has eased off the difficulty of gaining those extra characters, making them much more obtainable for the average player.

The two hidden bonuses are the 4th Survivor scenario, in which you play as Hunk, and Tofu Mode, starring a squishy block of the soy-based meat substitute. Those characters used to require finishing both scenarios and finishing them in a very particular pattern, respectively. The remake, on the other hand, unlocks the 4th Survivor simply by finishing the game, and then completing the The 4th Survivor scenario unlocks Tofu.

That’s still a time commitment, of course, but the method is a lot less complex and would probably naturally show up for most people in the course of a regular play. This is probably a sign of changing times, as nowadays the Internet has rendered obscure hidden secrets largely obsolete.

If you feel a little rusty on your Resident Evil lore, you can catch up with all the story you need to know to prepare yourself for this remake. And while you’re at it, read up on our pre-order guide to see which bonuses you might want to take advantage of.

Earlier this month, Project Cars 2 developer Slightly Mad Studios announced its plans to create its own standalone game console called the Mad Box. While the system is still very much in the early phases of development, company CEO Ian Bell shared some of its possible designs, and now he’s given us a look at its potential controller.

On Twitter, Bell shared several mock-ups of one potential design for the Mad Box gamepad. This concept bears a cursory resemblance to an Xbox controller, albeit with more angular grips and a display in the center of the pad. In a follow-up tweet, Bell shared another image that showed off rear paddles. You can see the mock-ups below.

When the Mad Box was first announced, Bell claimed it would be “the most powerful console ever built” and feature specs that “will be equivalent to a very fast PC two years from now.” He also said the system will offer 4K visuals, support “most major VR headsets,” and allow up to 90 frames-per-second “per eye” for virtual reality play.

Beyond that, not much else has been revealed about the Mad Box. Bell says the company is in the process of making deals with component makers, and he estimates the system is still three years away from release, assuming the project makes it that far.

To drum up excitement for the Mad Box, Bell has asked fans to come up with a slogan for the console, offering money and free games to the person who comes up with the best one. He also said the company will provide a free game engine to studios who want to develop games for the system.

There are plenty of items you might miss during your first run through Resident Evil 2, but there’s one in particular you’ll want to take the time to find. That’s the Magnum, the series’ quintessential endgame firearm typically reserved for its toughest baddies. Resident Evil 2 Remake’s iteration of the weapon is known as the “Lightning Hawk.” It’s a sweet name, I know.

Sealed behind an electronic lock in the RPD’s S.T.A.R.S. Office, you can easily miss the Magnum if you’re not careful. The way to obtain it involves solving a rather simple puzzle using several key items you pick up along your adventure. The Magnum can only be acquired by Leon, but it’s important to note these are also the exact steps to follow in Claire’s run to acquire the sub-machine gun and all of its upgrade parts.

Below we detail exactly how to get this overpowered hand cannon, as well as pointing you to the locations of its various upgrades. For more Resident Evil 2 guides, be sure to check out our feature highlighting all sorts of useful beginner’s tips. Otherwise, be sure to read our Resident Evil 2 review.

How To Get The Magnum

It’s interesting to note that you get a small clue early on that leads you down the road towards getting the Magnum. This comes in the form of the Commemorative Photo, which you get after developing the Film Roll you can get from Locker 106 in the Safety Deposit Room. You’re by no means required to get this to get the Magnum, but it helps direct you towards what you need to do.

You encounter the stone statue pictured in the photo in the Art Room on the second floor of the RPD’s eastern side. However, it’s missing the Red Book seen in its left hand. Lucky for you, it’s actually nearby. Head to Library on the western side, just opposite of the waiting room entrance on the second floor. You should see the book on a desk beside the door marked with the Ace insignia.

Once you’ve got the Red Book, head back to the Art Room, grab the stone arm beside the statue and combine it with the book. Then take the completed arm and insert it back into the statue to unlock the scepter from its right hand. Examine the scepter to obtain the Red Jewel.

The Red Jewel is meant to be used on a special Bejeweled Box you can grab in the Interrogation Room on the eastern side of the first floor, which you can only access using the Spade Key. If you can’t get into this area yet, try progressing further in the story. Once you’ve gained entry, you should find the Bejeweled Box on a desk near the broken two way mirror.

Combine the Red Jewel with the Bejeweled Box two to reveal its contents: the S.T.A.R.S. Badge. This unassuming item may seem like worthless at a glance, but it has all the value in the world. It’s your key to obtaining the Magnum.

Head back to the S.T.A.R.S. Office with the badge in tow, but before you use it on the computer, first examine the back of the badge to reveal a hidden USB. This can then be inserted into the computer tower to open the armory containing the Magnum.

How To Get The Upgrade Parts: Long Barrel And Scope

You can nab the Long Barrel part in the Underground Stairs located in the Middle section of the Underground Facility. This area is opened after using the three Medallions to reveal the “escape route.” You can get there by going through the statue in the Main Hall and taking the elevator down. Use the S.T.A.R.S. Badge to unlock the white case holding the parts.

The Scope requires a bit more work. It can only be obtained by developing a Film Roll that points you to its location. You find the Film Roll found in the Work Room in the Upper section of the Sewers; you’ll see it in between a cardboard box and tool kit on a small table. Develop the roll in the Dark Room at the RPD to reveal a photograph showing you two locations.

The location on the first photograph is the one you care about. It points to Captain Wesker’s desk in the S.T.A.R.S. Office on the second floor. Open the drawer to get a wooden box containing the Magnum Scope.

Hi-Rez has announced that Paladins: Champions of the Realm will support cross-platform play. The update is now live in the game with the 2.02 patch.

Currently, the update does not add cross-platform play to PS4, and only implements support for cross-play on PC, Xbox One, and Switch. If you play on both PC and Xbox One, your progression will be saved across platforms as well, allowing you to jump back and forth between the two systems. There are currently no announced plans for also implementing cross-progression on Switch, but Hi-Rez did write in the update’s patch notes that support for other platforms is already ready to go if the opportunity were to suddenly arise.

If you don’t want to face off against people on other systems, there is an option to turn cross-play matchmaking off. However, Hi-Rez writes that “you will find higher quality matches more quickly with cross-play matchmaking enabled.” Patch 2.02 also takes advantage of Xbox One’s November 2018 update, and adds keyboard and mouse support for Paladins to the console.

Paladins: Champions of the Realm is a free-to-play online shooter that’s drawn comparisons to both Overwatch and Team Fortress 2 with its art style, team-focused game modes, and unique hero-based champions. Much like Fortnite, a battle royale mode–titled Battlegrounds–was added to Paladins after launch when the game type started becoming more prominent across the industry. Battlegrounds became as popular as, if not more than, the original four modes, so it was spun off into its own standalone game called Realm Royale, which is also free-to-play but still in early access.

Realm Royale follows the same basic concept as other battle royale games, with 100 players battling it out across a massive map. However, there are a number of key differences as well. Realm Royale introduces classes into the mix, allowing players to start with one of five different assortments of unique perks and abilities. For example, if you play as a Mage then you can cast spells and do damage from far away, while choosing to be an Engineer lets you create defensive barriers. In the spirit of the original Paladins, Realm Royale is also entirely team-focused, with matches always pitting four-person squads against one another without an option for free-for-all. Finally, scavenged items can be disenchanted into shards, which can be collected and brought to a forge on the map to craft legendary-level armor, weapons, and abilities.

Paladins: Champions of the Realm is available for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Switch. Realm Royale is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.