$

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta Details Reportedly Leaked

2020-10-16T22:44:00.001+03:00

New Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Beta details have reportedly leaked, possibly providing PS4, Xbox One, and PC players insight into the beta arriving this week. More specifically, a new leak purports to reveal all of the multiplayer maps featured in the beta, which will reportedly have different maps than last month's Alpha, though will still be far from content complete in regards to the total number of maps.

Last month's Alpha notably came with six games modes than spanned across five maps: Armada, Crossroads, Miami, Moscow, and Satellite. For the Beta, it looks like Miami, Moscow, and Satellite will be back alongside Cartel, Black Sea, and Tundra, which appear to be three brand new maps. In other words, if you're hoping to see some classic Black Ops maps -- like Nuketown -- you will need to wait for the full release.

As for the leak itself, it comes way of Call of Duty dataminer "BKTOOR" who found references to the maps hidden in the game's files. Below, you can check out the findings for yourself:

PS5 Players May Be Getting GTA 5 for Free

2020-10-16T22:33:00.001+03:00

PS5 players may be getting GTA 5 for free when the latest Grand Theft Auto game comes to the next-gen PlayStation console next year. Earlier this year, Rockstar Games announced it was bringing an "expanded" and "enhanced" version of Grand Theft Auto V to not just PS5, but Xbox Series X sometime in 2021. At the time, Rockstar Games announced a slew of platform-exclusive bonuses for PS5, and it looks like it may add to this by making the game free on PS5 for everyone who owns it on PS4.

Word of the free upgrade comes way not of Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive, but French retailer Micromania, who included the game in a list of titles that have free PS4 to PS5 upgrades. Given that Rockstar Games has made no mention of a free upgrade or a lack thereof, this quickly began to make the rounds once noticed, prompting the retailer to remove the game from the list.

Now, it's possible this was nothing more than a mistake. After all, Rockstar Games hasn't mentioned a free upgrade for the game. It's possible it's holding this announcement, but there's no way of knowing this. However, retailers are sometimes privy to information that consumers are not. Is this the latest example of this? It's possible, but probably not. While retailers can be made privy to release and price information ahead of time, this specific detail doesn't seem like something Rockstar Games would disclose to a retailer.

As for a free upgrade on Xbox Series X, the retailer doesn't say one way or another. However, you'd assume a similar offer would be made for Xbox players, though maybe not given Rockstar Games and PlayStation's collaboration so far.

Unfortunately, Rockstar Games has not issued any type of comment or clarification on this possible leak, leaving fans with nothing but speculation. Of course, if it does provide a comment, we will be sure to update the story with whatever is provided.

For now, take all of this with a major grain of salt. While plenty of publishers and developers are going the free next-gen upgrade route, it's hard to imagine GTA 5 doing this simply for the reason that if it offered a free next-gen upgrade to everyone who bought the game on PS4 and Xbox One that would mean leaving untold millions on the table. After all, GTA 5 has sold nearly 140 million copies to date, many of which have been on PS4 and Xbox One.

Minecraft Dungeons cross-play coming in November

2020-10-16T22:20:00.001+03:00

Minecraft Dungeons players will be pleased to know cross-play is coming to the game in November. It will be supported on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.

Alongside the news comes word a new DLC will arrive in December called Howling Peaks. You can expect additional mobs, new gear, and the “power of the wind itself.”

More DLC is also in the works and slated for next year.

The latest DLC released for the game was Creeping Winter back in September. It is the second DLC for Minecraft Dungeons and followed Jungle Awakens which was released in July.

If you are just picking the game up, and need a head start, here’s a guide on the best weapons. It shows you how to get legendary Unique Weapons and Items, and here’s one on choosing the best enchantments to choose for your gear.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Minecraft DLC Release Date Announced

2020-10-16T22:09:00.001+03:00

Nintendo confirmed the release date for its Minecraft DLC in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate this week during a follow-up presentation to its big reveal from days ago. Steve and Alex from Minecraft along with the Enderman and Zombie variants included in the DLC will all be available on October 13th when the next Challenger Pack is released. Those who own the Fighters Pass Vol. 2 will get the content automatically upon release while those who don’t have the pass can purchase it separately.

The release date for the Minecraft content in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was announced towards the end of the lengthy showcase that showed off gameplay and much more related to the DLC. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game director Masahiro Sakurai confirmed after showing off gameplay and moveset breakdowns that the content would be available on October 13th.

For those who don’t have the Fighters Pass Vol. 2, you’ll be able to pick up the DLC for $5.99 just as the other DLCs have been handled in the past.

Cyberpunk 2077 Gets Second Keanu Reeves Commercial

2020-10-16T21:57:00.001+03:00

Keanu Reeves is keeping busy as we approach the Cyberpunk 2077 release date, as he has appeared in a second TV spot for the game. In this commercial, he teases--or warns--that your potential in the world is only limited by what you're willing to become.

We see a quick glimpse of the sleek Night City in this trailer as augmented citizens brawl with their cybernetic enhancements and speed down the street in futuristic cars. Reeves' words likely have a second meaning, of course, not only talking about physical augmentations but also the limits of your own morality. As with other CD Projekt Red role-playing games, you can take your character in drastically different directions based on your choices.

PlayStation Is In a Good Position to Buy WB Games Says Analyst

2020-10-16T21:41:00.001+03:00

Last month, Microsoft announced the acquisition of Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media in a massive $7.5 billion cash deal. Since the news broke, many have been wondering: how will Sony respond? In other words, will Sony respond with its own acquisitions? If so, who will they snag? Konami? Sega? Square Enix? Capcom? EA? Ubisoft? Well, the answer to many of these is probably not. Some of these companies are simply out of Sony's price range. However, one company they could probably afford is WB Games.

Earlier this year there were reports that AT&T was looking to offload WB Games in order to chip away at its debt. However, as of September 1, the reports are WB Games is no longer for sale due to it being too valuable of an asset for AT&T.

That said, according to industry analyst Michael Pachter, Sony "is in a good position to buy Warner Bros. Interactive assets should they ever go on sale again."

Dirt 5 New Gameplay Footage Reveals Point-to-Point Races

2020-10-16T21:30:00.001+03:00

Point-to-Point tracks and races confirmed for Dirt 5 in new gameplay footage.

Codemasters revealed the first point-to-point track in Dirt 5, which is a dirty off-road track set in China with an incredibly gorgeous environment.

Point-to-point races usually are a bit tougher to beat than ordinary circuits as till the end of the road you will face new corners and new challenges so you don’t have any idea what the next part of the track would look like while racing in a circuit allows you to have a better understaning of the whole track once you beat in the first lap. That being said, point-to-point tracks are more fun to play as you don’t get to see repetitive roads or environment over and over.

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War trailer confirms the playable modes

2020-10-16T21:18:00.001+03:00

Activision has released a Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trailer confirming the modes which will be playable in the game’s upcoming beta.

The Black Ops Cold War beta will run October 8-9 (PS4 pre-order customers), October 10-12 (all PS4 players), October 15-16 (all PS4 players and Xbox One/PC pre-order customers), and October 17-19 (all players).

The playable modes set to be included this week are Team Deathmatch, Domination, VIP Escort, Kill Confirmed, and Combined Arms.

For those who didn’t play the earlier Black Ops Cold War alpha, VIP Escort is a new 6v6 objective core game mode in which one player is randomly selected as a VIP equipped with a pistol, a smoke grenade and a UAV. One team is charged with protecting the VIP until they can reach an extraction point, while the other is tasked with neutralising the VIP before they escape.

Combined Arms is a new 12v12 experience which mixes traditional gunfights with vehicular gameplay. Depending on the maps, players will be able to use tanks, snowmobiles, attack helicopters or wakerunners. Cold War will launch with multiple Combined Arms maps across several Combined Arms modes, including Domination, which is what featured in the alpha.

Cyberpunk 2077 Has Gone Gold, Night City Awaits

2020-10-16T21:06:00.001+03:00

Start your week with great news from CD Projekt RED: Cyberpunk 2077 development process officially finished.

CD Projekt RED officially confirmed that the Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold, which means the game is now ready to launch and the development process is eventually over.

Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably one of the most anticipated titles of this generation that we’ve waited so long for its launch, but the wait is going to be over as soon as we reach November 19th. As the developers had promised before, there would be no more delays in the game’s launch, and today, the developers officially confirmed that Cyberpunk 2077 has gone gold.

Black Ops Cold War’s beta will be ‘quite an upgrade’ over the alpha

2020-10-16T20:54:00.001+03:00

The lead designer of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s gameplay systems has claimed its upcoming beta will be a significant improvement over the recent PS4 alpha.

The Cold War alpha ran for 48 hours from September 18 and included various 6v6 and 12v12 multiplayer modes across five maps.

According to Activision, the pre-release version was its most downloaded Alpha or Beta ever. However, the Alpha was criticised in some areas, including its aggressive skill-based match making which a developer later suggested could be tuned.

On Friday, Treyarch’s Tony Flame claimed on Twitter that the upcoming beta test – which starts On October 8 – would represent an improvement over the Alpha.

The Daily Grind: What’s the goofiest not-an-MMO acronym you’ve seen an MMO try to adopt?

2020-10-16T20:44:00.001+03:00

There was a phase our genre went through about five or so years ago when every new MMO – even the ones that most people would’ve agreed were pretty standard MMORPGs – were trying to rebrand themselves with brand-new acronyms and genres. It wasn’t a new trend, of course; ArenaNet tried it with CORPG (competitive […]

The Stream Team: Filching is funnest with friends in Path of Exile

2020-10-16T20:32:00.001+03:00

Filching is funnest with friends! A life of crime is apparently much better with companions at your side (of either the undead or live variety)… at least in Path of Exile. Massively OP’s MJ is enjoying heists in the new league, but only with company. OK, it helps that friends act as a diversion! But […]

Massively Uplifting: Shattering mental health and disability stereotypes while increasing gaming inclusivity

2020-10-16T20:21:00.001+03:00

Back to school? That quintessential September mantra may not be a given for everyone this year. However, what is still a given is the goodness of so many in the gaming world! No Man’s Sky and Sea of Thieves supported charity initiatives, while gamer Steven Spohn has declared a goal of raising $1 million dollars […]

Fall Guys season two brings medieval fantasy-themed costumes and rounds on October 8

2020-10-16T18:49:00.001+03:00

The phenomenon battle royale title Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is about to get medieval on its players. While that certainly can be taken literally considering the hard-hitting slapstick nature of the title, that also means thematically when season two arrives on Thursday, October 8th. This upcoming new season will introduce a bundle of cosmetics styled […]

Wizard101 and Pirate101 get into the Halloween mood with Crown Shop items and quests

2020-10-16T18:39:00.001+03:00

Both Wizard101 and Pirate101 have begun to celebrate the Halloween season in their own individual way, though one game is offering more than the other; Pirate101 is mostly focused on the Crown Store as it brings back a number of thematic items including mounts and pets as well as a Haunted Galleon ship while also […]

Final Fantasy XI previews a lighter update for its October patch

2020-10-16T18:28:00.001+03:00

Here’s the bad news for Final Fantasy XI fans: The game’s October version update is going to be on the lighter side. The good news, on the other hand, is that the November update will be significantly larger, and the lighter update now is a direct result of loading the bases (so to speak) for next […]

Xsyon introduces mounts and a variety of additional social features in latest patches

2020-10-16T16:17:00.001+03:00

The early access sandbox of Xsyon just got a little bit friendlier thanks to the game’s most recent patch updates. In early September, an update introduced mounts to the game, letting players train some of their pet types up to become rideable friends. Certain pets can also come along with players and fight alongside them […]

Minecraft reveals Caves and Cliffs update, Minecraft Dungeons unveils cross-platform play

2020-10-16T16:06:00.001+03:00

We’re in the age where it seems like every video game released under the sun has its own personal reveal show, and Minecraft was certainly no exception (cheers, COVID-19). That grousing aside, though, the recent Minecraft Live event did make a number of interesting announcements including a new update for the base game and for […]

Dungeons and Dragons Online shares the leaderboards for its third season of Hardcore League

2020-10-16T15:55:00.001+03:00

The race to the top of the Dungeons and Dragons Online Hardcore League that kicked off in June has ended, and now it’s time to congratulate the winners. Leaderboards have been posted that introduce players to the top earners of Favor and Reaper XP during the permadeath mode’s third season. With the current season complete […]

Prep for WoW: Shadowlands with this story catch-up video

2020-10-16T15:44:00.001+03:00

It’s certainly no secret that World of Warcraft’s storyline has been a hot, confusing mess of azerite, burning elf trees, and slumbering old gods over the past few years. So whether you’re coming back to the game for Shadowlands after a long absence or simply got lost in the lore weeds somewhere in Battle for […]

Fallout 76 roleplay group had its Facebook account terminated for being mistakenly flagged as a hate group

2020-10-16T15:31:00.001+03:00

Politically, things in the US are… charged, to say the least, and the impact of misinformation efforts across social media platforms is more in the spotlight than it ever has been before. However, one prominent roleplay group in Fallout 76 ran afoul of the efforts by Facebook to stop these digital groups with a brief […]

ZeniMax Online Studios appears to be ramping up development of its long-speculated new MMO

2020-10-16T15:21:00.001+03:00

If you’ve been wondering what’s going on with that new IP that’s almost certainly in development at ZeniMax Online Studios… well, we don’t know yet. But we do know that development seems to be ramping up, with more job listings and hiring offers looking for a larger number of people to round out the development […]

Wisdom of Nym: Final Fantasy XIV leaves the Deep Dungeon for now

2020-10-16T14:57:00.001+03:00

We don’t quite have patch 5.35 here yet, but we do know that the patch will add the Bozjan Southern Front to Final Fantasy XIV in lieu of prior expansions offering the Deep Dungeon at this point. This is kind of significant. For a long time, this was a feature that I just assumed we would be […]

Elite: Dangerous provides some deep detail about Odyssey’s on-foot features in a developer livestream

2020-10-16T14:45:00.001+03:00

Last week, Elite: Dangerous began to spill information about the upcoming Odyssey expansion with a video about missions and their move to on-ground locations like stations and NPCs. That subject was mostly the focal point for the latest Discovery Scanner devstream, which opened up further about the mechanics of finding things to do on foot. […]

Fight or Kite: Small changes (and one big one) to improve Spellbreak’s balance

2020-10-16T14:35:00.001+03:00

An inordinate amount of my time has been spent playing Spellbreak recently. I’m honestly not a gigantic fan of battle royale as a primary game mode, but I can barely put this one down. With all this time spent in game, I’ve begun to develop a few thoughts on how I would tweak and tune […]