Author: Game Infliction

Rather than overhaul gear and crafting systems, Darktide should rip them out

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide have laid out their plans to improve the co-op shooter’s shopping and crafting systems. The gear system changes, due to arrive in the next patch, do sound like improvements to the current state of things. These plans do not sound better than entirely ending the tedious grinds of random rolls and making numbers bigger. Why improve when it would be better to remove?

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Destiny 2: Where Is Xur Today? Location and Exotic Items for February 10-14

The weapons wizard, Xûr, is now live in Destiny 2 for the weekend until next week’s reset. If you’re looking to get your some shiny new Exotic armor or weapons for your Guardian, look no further.

Each week, Xûr has a random assortment of Exotic armor, one for each Guardian class, as well as a random Exotic Weapon and an Exotic Engram available for purchase. In addition to his Exotic wares, he’s got a random collection of Legendary weapons and armor to deck out your Guardians.

We’ve rounded up all the info on Xûr for the week including where to find Xûr, which Exotic weapons and armor are available, as well as which Legendary weapons you should pick up, either for PvE or PvP.

Where Is Xûr Today?

Xûr’s location today can be found at Watcher’s Grave on Nessus on February 10 through February 14. To reach him, travel to the landing point at Watcher’s Grave. When you arrive, make for the red moss-covered tree straight ahead. Climb up the roots and you’ll find Xûr waiting at the top to sell you exotic items and legendary weapons.

What Is Xûr Selling This Weekend?

Exotic Engram

Suros Regime – Exotic Auto Rifle

Knucklehead Radar – Exotic Hunter Helmet

  • 13 Mobility
  • 3 Resilience
  • 17 Recovery
  • 21 Discipline
  • 2 Intellect
  • 6 Strength
  • Total: 62

Ursa Furiosa – Exotic Titan Gauntlets

  • 19 Mobility
  • 10 Resilience
  • 2 Recovery
  • 16 Discipline
  • 13 Intellect
  • 2 Strength
  • Total: 62

Starfire Protocol – Exotic Warlock Chest Armor

  • 19 Mobility
  • 11 Resilience
  • 4 Recovery
  • 16 Discipline
  • 7 Intellect
  • 9 Strength
  • Total: 65

Starfire Protocol is definitely the champion this week, although as exotic rolls go, it’s not particularly spikey or impressive. Pick it up if you need a good solar exotic for you Warlock though!

Exotic Weapons

Hawkmoon – Exotic Hand Cannon

  • Paracausal Shot
  • Polygonal Rifling
  • Alloy Magazine
  • Quickdraw
  • Smooth Grip

Dead Man’s Tale – Exotic Scout Rifle

  • Cranial Spike
  • Chambered Compensator
  • Steady Rounds
  • Outlaw
  • Composite Stock

Both of the rolls for these two awesome weapons this week are just alright. Probably a pass unless you need one for some reason!

Legendary Weapons

Hollow Words – Fusion Rifle

  • Hammer-Forged Rifling/Polygonal Rifling
  • Enhanced Battery/Particle Repeater
  • Under Pressure
  • Vorpal Weapon
  • Charge Time Masterwork

Ignition Code – Grenade Launcher

  • Countermass/Smart Drift Control
  • Blinding Grenades/Proximity Grenades
  • Field Prep
  • Demolitionlist
  • Reload Speed Masterwork

Dire Promise – Hand Cannon

  • Crossfire HCS/Sureshot HCS
  • Appended Mag/High Caliber Rounds
  • Triple Tap
  • Osmosis
  • Stability Masterwork

IKELOS_HC_V1.0.3 – Hand Cannon

  • Full Bore/Polygonal Rifling
  • Extended Mag/Flared Magwell
  • Rapid Hit
  • Golden Tricorn
  • Rasputin’s Arsenal
  • Stability Masterwork

Threaded Needle – Linear Fusion Rifle

  • Corkscrew Rifling/Extended Barrel
  • Enhanced Battery/Projection Fuse
  • Clown Cartridge
  • Frenzy
  • Reload Speed Masterwork

Lonesome – Sidearm

  • Hammer-Forged Rifling/Smallbore
  • Ricochet Rounds/Flared Magwell
  • Graverobber
  • Demolitionist
  • Range Masterwork

Brass Attacks – Sidearm

  • Corkscrew Rifling/Polygonal Rifling
  • Armor-Piercing Rounds/High-Caliber Rounds
  • Threat Detector
  • One For all
  • Reload Speed Masterwork

My top pick this week is the Ikelos hand cannon with a delightful set of perks that could be quite spicy in PvE and PvP. Some other contenders include the Ignition Code grenade launcher with Field Prep and Blinding Grenades, as well as Threaded Needle with Frenzy and Clown Cartridge. We got some pretty darn good rolls this week!

Warlock Legendary Armor

For Warlocks, Xûr is selling the Anti-Extinction set which include:

Anti-Extinction Gloves

  • 20 Mobility
  • 2 Resilience
  • 7 Recovery
  • 10 Discipline
  • 12 Intellect
  • 12 Strength
  • Total: 63

Anti-Extinction Chest Armor

  • 2 Mobility
  • 16 Resilience
  • 12 Recovery
  • 9 Discipline
  • 14 Intellect
  • 8 Strength
  • Total: 61

Anti-Extinction Helmet

  • 2 Mobility
  • 22 Resilience
  • 8 Recovery
  • 2 Discipline
  • 6 Intellect
  • 22 Strength
  • Total: 62

Anti-Extinction Leg Armor

  • 15 Mobility
  • 2 Resilience
  • 14 Recovery
  • 2 Discipline
  • 14 Intellect
  • 14 Strength
  • Total: 61

Anti-Extinction Bond

The gloves for Warlocks aren’t bad, but nothing to write home about. Aside from that, it’s a fairly underwhelming week for our wizard friends.

Titan Legendary Armor

For Titans, Xûr is selling the Anti-Extinction set which include:

Anti-Extinction Gauntlets

  • 6 Mobility
  • 12 Resilience
  • 14 Recovery
  • 11 Discipline
  • 20 Intellect
  • 2 Strength
  • Total: 65

Anti-Extinction Chest Armor

  • 12 Mobility
  • 9 Resilience
  • 10 Recovery
  • 6 Discipline
  • 10 Intellect
  • 15 Strength
  • Total: 62

Anti-Extinction Helmet

  • 7 Mobility
  • 20 Resilience
  • 6 Recovery
  • 11 Discipline
  • 10 Intellect
  • 9 Strength
  • Total: 63

Anti-Extinction Leg Armor

  • 30 Mobility
  • 2 Resilience
  • 2 Recovery
  • 21 Discipline
  • 9 Intellect
  • 2 Strength
  • Total: 66

Anti-Extinction Mark

Holy smokes! Titans have an absolutely insane pair of boots for those who want to go *zoooom*. I know it doesn’t fit with the meta, but everyone should buy those. Also, the gauntlets are pretty darn good as well!

Hunter Legendary Armor

For Hunters, Xûr is selling the Anti-Extinction set which include:

Anti-Extinction Grips

  • 14 Mobility
  • 12 Resilience
  • 7 Recovery
  • 6 Discipline
  • 10 Intellect
  • 16 Strength
  • Total: 65

Anti-Extinction Chest Armor

  • 28 Mobility
  • 2 Resilience
  • 2 Recovery
  • 13 Discipline
  • 6 Intellect
  • 12 Strength
  • Total: 63

Anti-Extinction Helmet

  • 16 Mobility
  • 12 Resilience
  • 2 Recovery
  • 14 Discipline
  • 7 Intellect
  • 10 Strength
  • Total: 61

Anti-Extinction Leg Armor

  • 6 Mobility
  • 21 Resilience
  • 2 Recovery
  • 13 Discipline
  • 16 Intellect
  • 2 Strength
  • Total: 60

Anti-Extinction Cloak

Hunters also got one nice roll this week with the beautiful gloves they’ve got available! Not a bad week for Xur!

That’s a wrap on Xûr for this week, Guardians! We got a Strand trailer this week from Bungie. Which new super are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!

For more on Destiny, check out some of the new weapons and gear you can find in The Witch Queen and read about how Sony’s purchase of Bungie fits into its larger plans. You can also check out details on the upcoming Lightfall release date.

Travis Northup is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @TieGuyTravis and read his games coverage here.

Nintendo Will Determine $70 Price on ‘Case-by-Case Basis’

Nintendo said that it will evaluate the $70 price tag for its games on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, the company clarified that the $70 price for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will not set a precedent for every Nintendo title.

In a statement to Game Informer, Nintendo explained the reasoning behind the higher price for its most anticipated game of 2023 so far. “We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”

When asked whether the $70 price tag will be the trend for first-party games going forward, Nintendo reiterated, “No. We determine the suggested retail price for any Nintendo product on a case-by-case basis.”

During the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo showed off a brand new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. When preorders for the game appeared shortly after, the updated price tag of $70 was revealed. It also has the highest file size at of any first-party Nintendo game, sitting at 18.2 GB. Hopefully, this means that the amount of content in the game justifies the higher price.

Nintendo is the latest company to join others such as Sony, Ubisoft, and Electronic Arts to charge $70 for its newest games. However, it seems like Nintendo is staying true to its case-by-case philosophy for now, as the upcoming Pikmin 4 and Bayonetta Origins: Cereza And The Lost Demon games are still $60.

Nintendo also revealed that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is receiving a new Link amiibo as well as a $130 Collector’s Edition.

George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.

When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey

Re:Call is a clever timeloop game with an amazing first half

Re:Call was high on my list of surprise recent indie hits. It has a great premise, for starters – change history by meddling with your memories and playing out different versions of events to arrive at the ‘correct’ solution – and executes it brilliantly. Its GBA-style visuals and larger-than-life character portraits give it a real sense of charm and personality, and its mystery story of murder and corporate conspiracy had hooked me in real good.

Then it abandoned its cool premise halfway through and became a different game entirely for its remaining run-time. I was heartbroken.

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Feature: Zelda Companions, Ranked – Who Was Link’s Best Sidekick?

Hey! Listen!

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild brought with it myriad changes to Hyrule. Staggering levels of freedom. Plentiful shrines instead of themed dungeons. Link wearing blue instead of green. The Sheikah Slate. Breakable weapons of varying degrees of annoyance, and more. A change not often discussed was Link’s lack of a companion.

Since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link has generally travelled with a buddy that gives him advice — like how to target enemies — along with narrative exposition. In Breath of the Wild, Link adventured alone with only the odd suggestion from his Sheikah Slate, creating a breathtakingly lonely adventure. If what we’ve seen of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is anything to go by, we likely aren’t getting another buddy to travel with.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Share of the Week – Season: A letter to the future

Last week, we asked you to embark on a journey to record the past in Season: A letter to the future using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

shimo_ps shares Estelle riding her bike up an inclining road

MrNeverNeverman shares a portrait of Estelle with her headphones on

Sarokeye shares Estelle sitting in a field with a friend

oolongchafun shares Estelle riding through a lantern-lit grove

call_me_xavii shares Estelle walking her bike along a mountainside 

sparkling_Port9 shares Estelle approaching a cobblestone bridge. 

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Romance
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on February 15, 2023

Next week is all about romance. Share romantic characters or settings from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Nintendo Admits Switch Sales Unlikely to Continue Growing at the Same Pace

Nintendo has admitted that Switch sales are unlikely to grow at the same pace going forward as the console prepares to enter its seventh year on the market.

Following its financial results being released earlier in February, Nintendo shared the English version of its investors Q&A session which revealed that the Switch’s best selling year might be behind us.

“Nintendo Switch is coming up on its seventh year of sales in March, and we see this as uncharted territory in the history of our dedicated video game platforms,” said Nintendo director and president Shuntaro Furukawa. “Under these circumstances it is hard to imagine that hardware sales will continue to grow at the same pace they have to date.

“Nintendo is still hopeful that sales could increase, however, through the launch of new games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or from customers buying a second console.

“There are titles under development for Nintendo Switch, and new titles will continue to be proposed going forward,” Furukawa said.

“We are seeing both new demand and multiple system demand for the hardware, so we think there is still room for growth in sales. To that end, we want to maintain a high level of engagement with the hardware and create new demand not only by releasing new titles but also by working further to convey the appeal of existing titles.”

No console since the original NES, which launched in Japan in 1983 and wasn’t surpassed until the SNES launched in 1990, had been on the market for seven years. Nintendo hardware usually remains the company’s premiere option for five or six years.

The console is certainly performing well for Nintendo, however, as it’s now surpassed 122 million units sold and become the third best selling console of all time. As Nintendo noted, the upcoming launch of Tears of the Kingdom will also likely cause a spike in sales, even despite the $10 price increase.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Industries of Titan review: a curious hybrid builder that’s less than the sum of its parts

Industries Of Titan started out as an ambitious concept. A hybrid of a factory layout/logistics sim, integrated into a city builder, combined with an RTS, all wrapped up in a satirical dystopia encouraging you to be the most appalling villainous hypercapitalist possible.

All of those parts are present, and as a bonus it’s incredibly gorgeous, with strong voice acting and a distinctive soundtrack that will haunt my head for weeks. Most of its parts are made to a high standard, it’s tragic that its final design just doesn’t work at all.

Of all things, IOT reminds me of Fragile Allegiance. You’re a ‘founder’, sent to an already colonised and abandoned Titan to build a new city at the behest of the Council. You’re a ‘founder’, sent to an already colonised and abandoned Titan to build a new city at the behest of the Council. First, by salvaging its ruined buildings for minerals and isotopes, then mining for surface deposits, all of which goes back into your building resources. Curiously, you never combine two resources to produce a third, you can only upgrade minerals through a tier system. Higher tier resources are more potent, meaning, for exmaple, a building site will accept 100 raw minerals or four higher tier units. It’s a bit strange, but it mostly works.

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