Unionised workers at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 studio Raven Software have filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against parent companies Activision Blizzard and Microsoft, as reported by Game File (paywalled), and covered by Game Developer. The complaint, write Game Developer, is over “bad faith bargaining” and “concerted activities” – which covers “retaliation, discharge, [and] discipline.”
Tallying up the numbers from across the world.
Last week, Nintendo revealed (via the @SplatoonNA Twitter account) that Splatoon 3‘s upcoming Big Run event was going to be one for the books. Not only is the event set to take over the Grand Festival’s new ‘Grand Splatlands Bowl’ stage, but the Golden Egg quota will be one, huge target for all employees to contribute towards. Well, we now know what the quota will be…
As revealed by @SplatoonJP, the next Big Run target is a whopping 700 million Golden Eggs. Yes, million.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Step this way please, fans of pre-rendered backgrounds and pixellated blood spatters. There is something waiting for you in the window of the local internet video game store, GOG.com. Resident Evil 2, the original 1998 survival horror, is now buyable, downloadable, and yes, even playable on PC.
The First Descendant’s big 1.1.0 update is now live across PC via Steam, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. It kicks off Invasion, Season 1 of Nexon’s popular free-to-play looter shooter.
The headline addition is a new playable character, or Descendant, called Hailey Scott. Hailey is a ranged DPS specialist who fires beams and bullets from a sniper canon infused with chill.
Elsewhere, there’s a new Invasion episode that includes a new quest, called Mysterious Phenomena, and a new Invasion dungeon. As you’d expect, there’s a new Season 1 Invasion battle pass with lots of cosmetics to unlock.
There is also a long list of gameplay, balance, and user interface changes with 1.1.0, the biggest update yet for The First Descendant. In the patch notes, below, director Minseok Joo issued a statement to the game’s community in which he said Season 1 is the “first step” in a process that will improve the game.
Here’s the statement in full:
Thank you to all of our players for your love for The First Descendant. Since launching The First Descendant, our development team has been working hard every day to bring you a better experience. We’re constantly thinking about how we can better meet your expectations, and we’re committed to becoming better.
We’ve faced a lot of challenges and issues during the Pre-Season, and we’ve learned a lot from them. We’re continuing to improve the game based on our lessons learned and your feedback, and we’re excited to bring this Invasion Season to you as the first step in that process. Throughout this Invasion Season, we’ll do our best to continue to deliver a gaming experience you can be satisfied with.
We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our players, and we can’t wait to see you in Albion today.
The First Descendant has enjoyed enormous popularity with over 10 million players in just 10 days. But it has also been heavily criticized for its ultra aggressive monetization, which includes the cost of Ultimate versions of its playable characters. IGN has reported on one player who spent an eye-watering 200 hours to unlock every Ultimate Descendant available in the game at launch without spending money.
New Descendant: Hailey
– Added “Hailey Scott.”
Hailey Skills
– [Passive Skill] Safe Strategic Retreat: The “Weak Point Damage” decreases when attacking nearby enemies, and increases when attacking distant enemies.
– [Active Skill 1] Cryo Round: Fires multiple Cryo Rounds at enemies to deal damage and inflict “Cryo.”
ㄴ Enemies inflicted with “Cryo” receive additional damage from Hailey’s firearm attacks.
– [Active Skill 2] Storm Snare: “Knocks back” enemies with a “Chill Vortex” and fires a giant Freezing Beam. Hit enemies are inflicted with “Cryo.”
– [Active Skill 3] Cold Fury: Grants “Cold Fury” to herself every second.
ㄴ While in the “Cold Fury” state, her Movement Speed gradually decreases, but her Firearm Penetration and Critical Hit Rate for Firearms and Skills all increase significantly.
ㄴ Once “Cold Fury” reaches maximum stacks, she becomes immune to “Knockdown” and her Firearm and Skill Critical Hit Damage increases.
– [Active Skill 4] Zenith: Equips her “Unique Weapon.” When attacking with the “Unique Weapon,” greatly increases Penetration and Firearm ATK and deals additional Chill skill damage. Recovers MP upon attacking Weak Points. When the “Unique Weapon” skill ends, decreases the Cooldown of the skill depending on the number of bullets.
Added Hailey Research
– Researching “Enhanced Cells” requires 36 “Enhanced Cell DNA.”
– Researching “Stabilizer” requires 36 “Stabilizer Components.”
– Researching “Spiral Catalyst” requires 36 “Spiral Catalyst Links.”
– Researching Hailey requires “Enhanced Cells,” “Stabilizer,” “Spiral Catalyst,” and 36 “Data Chips.”
Farming Hailey’s Research Materials
– Hailey’s “Enhanced Cell DNA,” “Stabilizer Components,” “Spiral Catalyst Links,” and “Data Chips” can be acquired by completing “Invasion Dungeons.”
ㄴ Clear any Invasion Dungeon to acquire one of Hailey’s Research Materials with a 100% chance.
ㄴ Clear Invasion Dungeons faster to acquire up to 3 Hailey Research Materials at once.
ㄴ Invasion events occur daily in two dungeons. Invasion Dungeons can be cleared twice per day.
– Hailey’s Research Materials can also be acquired by defeating monsters in Hard Infiltration Operations. To farm Hailey’s research materials faster, participate in the following Hard Infiltration Operations.
ㄴ Hailey Enhanced Cell DNA: [Kingston] [Hard] – Magister Lab, Slumber Valley
ㄴ Hailey Stabilizer Component: [Vespers] [Hard] – The Shelter, [Echo Swamp] [Hard] – The Chapel
ㄴ Hailey Spiral Catalyst Link: [Agna Desert] [Hard] – The Asylum, [Agna Desert] [Hard] – Caligo Ossuary
ㄴ Hailey Data Chip: [Hagios] [Hard] – The Haven, [White-night Gulch] [Hard] – Mystery’s End
New Episode: Invasion
– After completing all existing main quests, the Invasion episode continues with the “Mysterious Phenomena” quest.
– Progress through the main quest “Altered Design” to unlock the new progression system “Inversion Reinforcement.”
– Progress through the main quest “How to Hide the Truth” to unlock the new content “Invasion Dungeon.”
Invasion Dungeon
– You can enter Invasion Dungeons from the Infiltration Operations Terminal.
– The Invasion event occurs daily in two of the “Hard Infiltration Operation” dungeons.
– You can choose to play either “Infiltration Operation” or “Invasion” in a dungeon where the Invasion event has occurred.
– Invasion Dungeons can only be played solo.
– While the number of entries isn’t limited, you will no longer be able to enter the Invasion Dungeon once you’ve acquired all of the “Ironheart Particles,” which are obtained by clearing the dungeon.
– Invasion Dungeons have unique mechanics for each Vulgus Legion, requiring different strategies.
ㄴ Legion of Immortality: The “Phase Separation Veil” blocks the entrance. As it nullifies all attacks, you need to overload it and shut it down. Defeat the enemies and feed their “Artificial Brains” into the Quantum Computing Unit. Unlock the entrance while the “Phase Separation Veil” is down.
ㄴ Order of Truth: You must survive the explosion from Inversion Energy and ancient Arche. Remove malignant tumors from the “Arche Pillar” and identify its symbol. You must find the “Ancestor Drone” that matches the symbol. After surviving the explosion, destroy the “Wall of Malignant Tumors” with the “Inversion Energy Emitter.”
ㄴ Legion of Darkness: You must disable the encryption system sealed with Inversion Energy. Climb the “Central Control Unit” and identify the trait of the “Arche Tile” with Guide’s help. Occupy “Arche Tiles” of the same color to decode the encryption. The Legion of Darkness Vulgus will try to take back the “Arche Tiles.”
– The faster you clear Invasion Dungeons, the more Hailey Research Materials you can acquire.
– Clear Invasion Dungeons to acquire Gold and “Ironheart Particles (Inversion Reinforcement EXP).”
Inversion Reinforcement
– You can check the Inversion Reinforcement from your Inventory.
– Acquire “Ironheart Particles (Inversion Reinforcement EXP)” to level up your “Inversion Reinforcer.”
– As the level of the “Inversion Reinforcer” increases, you will gain “Energy” which can be used to learn the Inversion Reinforcement Effects.
ㄴ There are 5 types of Inversion Reinforcement Effects: “Hunt,” “Attribute,” “Recovery,” “Survival,” and “Season.”
ㄴ When you learn all 4 effects in the same line, the line’s Collection Effect will be enabled at all times.
ㄴ You can enable and use 3 of the Inversion Reinforcement Effects you’ve learned.
ㄴ You cannot enable 2 effects in the same line simultaneously.
ㄴ The Inversion Reinforcement Effects are applied to all Descendants.
– Inversion Reinforcement will be reset at the end of the Invasion Season.
Hard Difficulty Field – Collect Ironheart Particles
– Added the “Collect Ironheart Particles” task for the Hard Difficulty fields.
– Complete the task to acquire “Ironheart Particles (Inversion Reinforcement EXP).”
– The progress status of the “Collect Ironheart Particles” task will be reset at the end of the Invasion Season.
New Module: Luna’s Modification Modules
– Singer’s Mercy: When using a skill, places a speaker and grants buffs to allies near the speaker.
– Aggressive Melody: Changes the effects of “Passionate Stage” and “Delightful Stage” to the increase of Firearm Damage and Weak Point Damage.
Battle Pass
End of Pre-Season Battle Pass
– The Pre-Season Battle Pass, Battle Supply Shop, and Bonus Shop will be closed.
– You will automatically receive Battle Pass rewards you unlocked by leveling up but have not claimed.
– If you have any remaining Supply Coins, you will automatically receive the remaining items in the Battle Supply Shop in sequence.
– Remaining Supply Coins after the purchase of all Battle Supply items will expire and cannot be recovered.
– Unused Bonus Coins will expire and cannot be recovered.
Start of Invasion Season Battle Pass
– The new Invasion Season Battle Pass arrives.
– Get the new Ultimate Weapon, EXCAVA, as the Battle Pass reward.
– Acquire the helmetless head skins of Bunny (Exhilarating Breakaway), Valby (For Freedom), and Sharen (Tactical Decision).
– Also check out the cute cat back attachment “With Cats”.
– Enjoy many more Battle Pass rewards, including free rewards.
Start of Invasion Season Battle Supply Shop
– The new Invasion Season Battle Supply Shop arrives.
– The Battle Supply Shop is all free. Level up your Battle Pass and obtain various skins.
– Acquire Bunny’s “Golden Afterimage” body skin and “Voltage Control Mask” head skin.
– Acquire Valby’s “Liquefaction Acceleration” body skin and “Hydraulic Adjustment Helmet” head skin.
Added New Products
– Added Hailey to the list of standard Descendants in the shop.
– Added “Hailey’s Sniper Squad Full-Dress Uniform” premium skin package.
– Added Hailey’s “Typical Army Beret” premium head skin.
– Added Hailey’s “Hair & Makeup 1” and “Hair & Makeup 2” packages which include her head skin.
– Added Hailey’s “Southern Front” and “Color from the Unknown” body skins.
– Added Hailey’s “Milk Tea” makeup.
– Added “Lepic’s Infectious Agent Survivor” premium skin package.
– Added “Yujin’s Nightmare on Med Street” premium skin package.
– Added Ajax’s “Mk. Dominator 02 Set” evolving skin.
– Added “Twisted Worship” female event skin.
– Added “Colossus: Dead Bride Skin Set” female event skin.
– Added “Colossus: Executioner Skin Set” male event skin.
– Added “Albion Fire Brigade Set” unisex event skin.
– Added “Gentlemanly” male event skin.
– Added 10 types of paint.
Clear Red-Orange, Glossy Cerise Pink, Matte Candlelight Yellow, Clear Fog Blue, Echo Swamp Brown, Sun-Kissed Beige,
Sand Dust Beige, Milk Tea Beige, Enamel Deep Black, Real Matte Black
■ Hotfix 1.1.0
Content Improvements
(1) Content
– Added visual hints (Ecive effects, chat messages) for locating Encrypted Vaults.
# Director’s Comment
Recently, we’ve received feedback that players who are hard of hearing find it difficult to locate Encrypted Vaults. Therefore, we’ve added visual cues to the Encrypted Vaults hint to help more players feel comfortable playing The First Descendant. We hope this small change helps players with hearing loss, and we will continue to work hard to improve accessibility so that everyone can have a better gaming experience.
– Replaced missions in Hard Infiltration Operations with more combat-oriented ones.
– Increased the EXP reward for completing Hard Infiltration Operations. Also increased EXP for defeating monsters by 1.5 times.
– You can now acquire rare basic materials as a reward for completing Hard Infiltration Operations.
– Increased EXP for defeating monsters in Normal Infiltration Operations by 1.5 times.
# Director’s Comment
The 1.1.0 update brings many changes to Hard Infiltration Operations. We’ve changed some of the pre-existing missions such as Occupation, Defense, and Escort to Extermination or Destruction to give players a run-and-gun styled fast-paced combat experience as they enjoy repeated farming. The reward system has also been adjusted to reflect this: we’ve significantly increased the amount of EXP gained from defeating monsters and completing missions in Hard Infiltration Operations, and while Special Operations are still the better option for farming EXP, Infiltration Operations can now provide a decent amount of EXP as players farm items. Additionally, we’ve increased the amount of rare basic materials you can receive from clearing Hard Infiltration Operations. We’ll continue to add more content that allows players to enjoy their favorite styles of combat.
– Added directions to appear when using Ecive during missions.
– Monsters will no longer target players who are participating in other missions.
– Story dialogues will no longer be repeated in Hard Difficulty missions. As a result, Hard Difficulty missions will not play additional voice lines or subtitles.
– Changed the Immunity mechanics of certain Named Monsters. Replaced the sphere destruction mechanic of Eterllick, Celdir, Dmigor, and Plaudia with shooting weak points.
– Increased the barrier hit range of Named Monster Eterllick.
– Players will no longer be teleported when joining Largescale Outpost missions.
– Increased the Gold reward for completing Hard Difficulty Largescale Outposts by approximately 3 times.
– Improved the routes so that shards acquired from Void Fragments can be used on the Fusion Reactor in the same battlefield.
– More than doubled the amount of shards obtained from Void Fragments.
– Changed monster types and spawn locations in certain Void Fragment missions.
ㄴ “Hagios: Dune Base,” “Vespers: Moonlight Lake,” “Echo Swamp: Abandoned Zone,” and “Fortress: Frozen Valley”
– Removed the starting requirements (Void Shards) of Void Fusion Reactors and added requirements (Void Shards) to the Reconstructed Devices that appear in Fusion Reactors.
– Made an improvement so that only one type of shard is required when using the Reconstructed Device in a Void Fusion Reactor.
– Reduced the time to interact with Reconstructed Devices.
– Summoned Reconstructed Devices now expire 10 seconds after all participants have used them.
# Director’s Comment
With the 1.1.0 update, we’ve made adjustments so that a single playthrough of a Void Fragment will yield enough Void Shards to use the Reconstructed Devices in Fusion Reactors once. We’ve also improved accessibility by making Void Fragments and Fusion Reactors on the same battlefield drop and require the same type of shards. While you can still obtain two types of shards from Void Fragments, the Reconstructed Devices in Fusion Reactors now require only one type of shard, further improving accessibility.
We are constantly monitoring feedback to further improve Outposts and Void Fragments. For long-term improvements, the dev team is considering ideas to evolve Outposts into a non-stop combat experience, as well as improving the farming accessibility of Void Fragments and Fusion Reactors with the integration of content.
In this 1.1.0 update, we’ve also changed the spawn location of certain Void Fragment missions to provide an efficient way to farm shards for each attribute. In addition, we’ve added snipers in certain Void Fragment areas to prevent the use of macros.
We hope these changes will make your farming experience more enjoyable.
– Players can now view the “Past Mission Results” from the menu after completing Special Operations, allowing them to restart the mission.
– Improved display of the mission tooltip information on the Special Operation and Infiltration Operation World Map screen.
– More than doubled the amount of shards that can be picked up in Special Operations.
– Acquire additional Descendant EXP when completing waves in Special Operations.
# Director’s Comment
We’ve made adjustments to Special Operations so that there is improved efficiency when farming EXP. While we recognize many players enjoy leveling up through Sterile Land Mine Blocking, we still believe it’s not as rewarding as other EXP farms that require a simpler play, such as Void Fragments.
As a result, in this update, we’ve added EXP when clearing waves in Special Operations. The fastest, “Mine Blockade,” will now give you about 1.5 times more EXP than before, while “Resource Defense” and “Neutralize Experiment” will give you 2 times more EXP. We hope this will help players level up more efficiently across various Special Operations.
(2) UI/UX
– Fixed issue to allow multiple socket types to be assigned to a single module socket.
ㄴ The socket type applied to Loadout Setting 1 can also be used for Settings 2 and 3 as well.
– For slots with multiple socket types, the socket type can be changed from the selected menu
ㄴ Each socket type for Loadout Settings 1, 2, 3 can be changed so they all may differ.
– Fixed issue to allow the dismantling of equipment during combat.
– Added dead zone settings to the game controller options.
– Made improvements so that the Amorphous Materials linked to Fusion Reactors are displayed in the acquisition information, like Intercept Battles.
– Made improvements to allow the ability to designate the quantity of researches when researching enhancement materials.
– Reduced research time for [Standard/Precision] Ion Accelerator, Phase Exchanger, and Adjustment Control Axis.
# Director’s Comment
We have added the ability to select the quantity of researches when researching enhancement materials. One consequence of this change is that only two studies in the research list will result for each enhancement material. This means, previously, multiple Adjustment Control Axis could be simultaneously created; now, when it comes to Adjustment Control Axis, only two can be researched at the same time.
With the addition of the research quantity selection feature, players can now research up to 500 Adjustment Control Axis at a time. This allows them to conduct more research in one go, reducing the number of visits to Anais. However, the inability to simultaneously conduct multiple research will reduce the amount of enhancement materials that can be acquired in a short period of time.
While we want to give players new features, we also want to make sure that players in certain situations aren’t losing out. As a result, we’ve shortened the time it takes to research enhancement materials so that despite only doing one research at a time, you’ll still acquire a similar amount of enhancement materials as before. We hope this will help players research and utilize enhancement materials more efficiently.
– Made improvements to display only modules you have in duplicate when combining modules.
– Increased the number of symbols that can be displayed, when designating them as Attached Items, to 8.
– Made improvements to allow the ability to set an “Equipment Option” category in “Filter all as junk” for Reactors and External Components in equipment.
– Changed the display location and design of the random options to improve inventory slots. Removed displays for the Reactor’s attributes/Arche type and fixed the display for External Components set effects.
– The Reactor icon has changed so that it now varies, depending on the Arche type.
– Changed some External Component icons to differentiate their appearance based on their DEF, Shield, and HP stats.
# Director’s Comment
Previously, in Update 1.0.7, we added information for random options, Arche type of Reactors, and External Component sets for item icons. The feedback we received was, that players were distracted, as there was too much information included. Based on this, we’ve made improvements so that the icon information is presented in a cleaner, more organized way. Dev Team will continue to listen to the valuable feedback given by community and players as we continue to make improvements to the game.
– Schematized the “Amount of Owned Equipment” tooltip in inventory.
– Significantly increased the quantity of Shape Stabilizer you own.
– Improved the map to show the location of records needed to be found when progressing Descendant related quests.
– Made improvements by adding a Tracking On tab when researching, making it easier to view the tracked target.
– Improved the Intercept Battle screen to display the number of Linked Amorphous Materials players have at each Intercept Battle.
– Improved the ability to view “Mission Details” through the mission tooltip on the map.
– Improved the display of the red dot when there are unacquired Battle Pass items.
– Improved the ability to purchase a one-time, large quantity of enhancement materials at the shop.
– Improved the ability to preview each component of a bundled product without moving the screen.
– Improved the ability to view each Evolution Stage of an evolving skin in the shop.
– [Console] Added attributes and Arche keywords, by type, to the Descendant and Weapon Module screens, making it easier to find modules on console platforms as well.
(3) Descendants
– Jayber
ㄴ Fixed an issue where some stats were not reflected in Jayber”s “Turret.”
Skill Power Modifier, Additional ATK for skills when attacking Colossus/Legion of Darkness/Order of Truth/Legion of Immortality, Incoming Damage Modifier
ㄴ Improved Jayber’s “Turret Sync” effect to apply to summoned turrets.
ㄴ When equipping skill module “Turret Engineering,” instead of improving summoned turrets to create a “Turret Zone,” increased cooldown of “Turret Engineering.”
– Blair
ㄴ Improved Blair’s “Pitmaster” Skill so it now increases the Critical Hit Rate by the number of “Flame Zones” he has, up to a maximum of 5.
ㄴ Increased Blair’s “Flame Zone” Skill DMG.
ㄴ Increased the DMG dealt by Blair’s “Burn” Skill effect.
ㄴ Made changes so that Blair’s “Extinguish” Skill no longer retrieves “Flame Zones.”
ㄴ Improved “Taste of Aggression” effect to stack for the “Extinguish” Skill.
ㄴ Improved the MP Heal per “Flame Zone” from the “Taste of Aggression” and “Power of Fire” effects to be proportional to Blair’s Max MP.
ㄴ Increased the maximum amount of “Flame Zones” that can be absorbed through the “Extinguish” Skill.
ㄴ Increased the duration of the “Blaze Up” Skill, reducing its MP cost.
ㄴ Improved the “Burn Taste” Skill so that the skill can be halted when pressing the button during use.
• Increased skill DMG of the “Burn Taste” skill and improved it to be affected by duration-related modules.
• Increased the Max Stack when equipping the “Incendiary Bomb” skill module, and reduced MP cost.
• Increased the number of “Small Fireballs” for the “Deadly Cuisine” skill when the “Classic Chef” skill module is equipped, and increased the effect of the “Pitmaster” skill based on the Flame Zone count.
– Ajax
• Improved Ajax’s “Orbit Barrier” and “Hyper Cube” barrier to be affected by attribute resistances, and increased the barriers’ HP and DEF ratios.
• Increased the ratios of barrier-related stats when the “Life Barrier” and “Void Barrier” skill modules are equipped.
• Fixed an issue with continuously recovering shield for “Void Walk” and “Matrix Recomputation” skills and increased the Max Shield Up ratio.
• Improved the “Void Walk” skill to have faster motion transitions when used while enhanced.
• Modified the “Body Enhancement” skill to increase HP, DEF, and Shield, and improved it to grant 100% Void Energy when used, but increased the Cooldown and Skill Cost.
• Changed the “Void Walk” skill so that it can be stacked when the “Void Charge” skill module is equipped, and increased the damage dealt proportional to DEF when using the “Void Walk” and “Expulsion” skills.
• Improved “Void Charge” to restore “Void Walk” stacks and reset the Cooldown of “Expulsion” when used while enhanced.
# Director’s Comment
In this update, we’ve made balance adjustments to Ajax, Blair, and Jayber. We’ve been closely analyzing feedback from the community and continue to monitor all Descendants and Ultimate Weapons. As we move forward with this Invasion Season, we’ll continue to balance more Descendants and Ultimate Weapons based on your feedback. We’ll do our best to make your experience more enjoyable and fair.
– Improved level balance for Descendant spawn sounds.
– Removed a voice that would play repetitively whenever hitting a note while Luna’s “Noise Surge” skill module was equipped.
(4) Equipment
– Changed the 4-piece set effect of the Ultimate External Component “Bravery” to increase “Skill Duration” without any conditions.
– Increased the “Incoming Damage Modifier” values for the “Pain Reliever”, “Sensory Dep (HP)”, “Sensory Dep (MP)”, and “Psychological Victory” modules.
Optimization Improvements
– Made some performance improvements when fighting many enemies.
– [PC, PS5, XSX] Made some performance improvements when using ray tracing.
– [PC] Optimized the Shader preparation stage.
Bug Fixes
(1) UI/UX
– Fixed an issue in the inventory where the DPS value within the weapon icon would change when designated as junk while in “View Module Stats” mode.
– Fixed an issue where the quantity tracker on the HUD would not update if you have Tracking On for an item you do not have on the Library screen.
– Fixed an issue where the “Start with the current squad” button would not display on the results screen after completing the final wave of Special Operations.
– Changed the squad recruitment countdown to no longer appear in the center of the screen when “Restart Mission” is selected in matchmaking.
– Fixed an issue where the icons for High-Value Mark for Arrest and Mark for Arrest’s icon looked unnatural when viewing their acquisition information.
– Changed “Firearm Critical Hit Resistance” to display to 3 decimal points in the inventory’s info screen as well.
– Fixed an issue with the Kingston Special Operation not being counted for the Resource Defense award.
– Fixed an issue where the “None” setting was showing as “Friends Only” in the Support Requests options.
– Fixed an issue where skipping the Descendant and Weapon research cutscenes would skip the acquisition result screen sound.
– Improved the display of names and weak points for enemy commanders and assassination targets so that they are now only displayed within the Ecive radius.
(2) Descendants
– Fixed an issue where, when using Bunny’s “Lightning Emission” and “High-Voltage” skills, the first hit’s connection effect would not appear.
– Fixed an issue where the status effect icon for Bunny’s “Electric Transition” skill would appear to be the same as her Speed of Light icon.
– Fixed an issue where the “Ice Sphere” for “Viessa” and “Ultimate Viessa” looked the same.
– Fixed an issue where notes would not display in certain situations while Luna’s “Noise Surge” skill module was equipped.
– Fixed an issue where some Descendants’ skill damage was not being applied correctly to Void Fragments.
(3) Equipment
– Fixed an issue with the Ultimate Weapon “Smithereens” where the Fire Rate reduction from the effect of the Unique Ability “Fearlessness” was slower than stated.
– Fixed an issue where each effect’s icon looked the same on the Unique Ability info screen of “The Final Masterpiece”.
– Fixed an issue where some Ultimate External Components would display the same icon when triggering their set effects. (Annihilation, Polar Night, Venom Essence, Frozen Heart, Active Volcano)
(4) Modules
– Fixed an issue where the Shotgun module “Targeted Vulnerability” module would appear to have the same name as the “Weak Point Sight” module.
– Fixed an issue where icons for effects triggered by some ultimate modules were displayed as icons for other modules (Decimator, Passionate Sponsor, Mental Focus, Real-Life Fighter)
(5) Miscellaneous
– Improved an issue where characters would get stuck in some areas of the world.
– Fixed an issue where characters could move through terrain that was not intended to be traversable.
– Fixed an issue that caused effects to remain in some areas.
– Fixed an issue where the named monster Sigvore’s Grenade skill generated 2 AOEs.
– Fixed an issue where the named monster Sigvore’s Explosive skill was generated mid-air.
– Fixed an issue where named monsters would intermittently fail to teleport in their immunity phase.
– Fixed an issue where pressing the number 0 key in Kingston would briefly pan the camera to a different area.
– Fixed an issue where the target items would be flung around excessively in Seizure missions.
– Fixed an issue with the Void Fragment sound overlapping when restarting after aborting a Void Fragment mission.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
Back in March, Bungie announced a leadership reshuffle on their Marathon reboot project, with former Valorant dev Joe Ziegler replacing veteran Bungie designer Christopher Barrett as director. It seems there was more to that story than concern about the progress of Marathon. According to a new Bloomberg report citing anonymous sources, Barrett was in fact fired this spring after he was accused by several female Bungie staff of inappropriate behaviour.
Jeff and Shadow go way back.
In case you missed it, the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 trailer has been officially released, confirming Keanu Reeves as the voice of Shadow.
While the third movie is already a massive milestone for everyone involved in the live-action series, this upcoming release also marks a very special moment for the director and Sonic fan Jeff Fowler.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
“We have run out of parts”.
Following an announcement Nintendo would stop 3DS repairs in Japan, the company’s support service has now revealed it’s run out of parts necessary to repair the New Nintendo 3DS in this location.
According to a rough translation, this means it’s no longer accepting repairs for this particular unit as of 28th August 2024. On the plus side, repairs for the 2DS and 3DS XL are still available until Nintendo’s stock runs dry. It’s also worth noting the repair services for 3DS systems in other regions already ended.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
COD: Next 2024 dropped in with new details about what to expect from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, zombies, multiplayer, Warzone, and much, much more.
The day-long celebration of Call of Duty’s future didn’t disappoint, as the four-hour showcase featured interviews with developers and gameplay reveals while attendees got to go hands-on with upcoming releases. This year’s Black Ops installment had already promised a slew of changes to Activision’s first-person shooter formula, but we’ve now gotten a better look at things like the Area 99 Warzone map, omnimovement, the Liberty Falls zombies maps, and other fresh gameplay tweaks.
While we wait for the Black Ops 6 multiplayer beta to kick off this weekend, we gathered all of the major reveals from COD: Next for you to check out here. You can see everything the Call of Duty team had to show below, but don’t forget to keep checking in with IGN for any updates ahead of launch this fall.
Run it back. Verdansk will return to Call of Duty #Warzone in 2025 #CODNext pic.twitter.com/Y70gnYl2If
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 28, 2024
That’s right – Verdansk, the first Warzone map and the location that gripped millions back in 2020, will make its triumphant return to Call of Duty players on PC and console in spring 2025. It’s been three years since iconic locations like Stadium and Superstore left Activision’s battle royale mode, but we won’t have to wait much longer to visit them once again. It had to happen eventually, right?
Black Ops 6 is bringing in eight new maps for players to enjoy during the upcoming beta: Derelict, Rewind, Scud, Skyline, Gala, Pit, Stakeout (weekend 2), and Babylon (weekend 2). Protocol will also be available during this time as a training map but will also be playable at launch in October. We also have confirmation for the remaining maps, which include Lowtown, Payback, Red Card, Subsonic, Vault, Vorkuta, and Sand House.
Upgrading Wonder Weapons to mow down endless waves of zombies is fun, but the developers at Treyarch are upping the ante with new Main Quests to keep players moving through each twisted map. Every map included in Black Ops 6 will feature a different multi-stage Main Quest to complete, and in a blog post, the team says they are “as involved and difficult as they are entertaining.”
“For veteran Zombies players, and those newer players dedicated enough to drop in and scour the maps to solve clues and secrets,” the post adds, “expect to be recompensed with unique and limited-time rewards. We can’t wait to witness the launch weekend hunts to completion!”
Every new Call of Duty game tends to introduce new modes to enjoy, and Black Ops 6 is no different. One of the multiplayer offerings set to arrive this fall is called Kill Order, a 6v6 battle where each team is tasked with keeping a high-value target (HVT) alive. With respawns enabled, every kill grants points, but taking out the HVT will get your team that much closer to victory. Activision also revealed a variation of the mode called Face Off Kill Order, which maintains the rules but turns off Scorestreaks and keeps the fight to closer-quarters Strike maps.
New zombies means new maps, and it all starts with a small West Virginia town called Liberty Falls. Activision describes its new location as a “once-idyllic, now horrific” medium-sized map that has become taken over by an undead threat.
An official blog post describes Liberty Falls further: “By the time you arrive – assumed to be part of the Project Janus forces under the watchful eye of Security Chief John Blanchard – the town is overrun, and the battle seems well and truly lost.”
Sprays and Emotes return to Call of Duty: Warzone in Season 1 of Black Ops 6.#CODNext | #BlackOps6 pic.twitter.com/J1Z5NTumrN
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 28, 2024
Black Ops 6 will see the return of in-game sprays and emotes that can be used to taunt other players mid-match or, if you’re creative, toy with your enemies. Details about how many sprays and emotes will be available is a mystery, but it looks like players can at least expect classic taunts like clapping, giving a thumbs down, and more to make appearances.
While Verdansk promises a blast from Call of Duty’s past, Area 99 will take Warzone into the future in Season 1. This Resurgence map has been called “the birthplace of Nuketown” and features a worn-down aesthetic polluted with mannequins and other retro-themed buildings. Each point of interest takes players to a new area that should feel familiar to those who have visited Nuketown for themselves, and you can expect to explore it for yourself sometime soon after Black Ops 6 launches in October.
TRADITIONAL PRESTIGE ARRIVES IN CALL OF DUTY: WARZONE
Players who reach level 55 in Warzone will be presented with a choice to enter Prestige to unlock new rewards. Account progression will be updated as part of Season 1. #CODNext | #BlackOps6
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) August 28, 2024
Old-school Call of Duty fans will remember the Prestige system, which allows players to continue earning rewards even after they reach each season’s level cap. There will be 10 levels of Prestige to reach, with each said to be inspired by past Call of Duty: Black Ops titles. Activision calls the new and improved mechanic “the most rewarding Prestige system ever” in Black Ops history, promising a lot of content to unlock in an official blog post. Expect Prestige to launch with multiplayer and zombies and with Warzone in Season 1.
While excitement for things like omnimovement grows, the developers behind Call of Duty took the time at COD: Next to detail some of the other changes coming to the formula this fall. Time to kill (TTK) will be a bit faster than players remember from Black Ops Cold War, for example, and while enemy health bars are a thing of the past, you’ll be able to see your character’s health bar on your HUD if you’d like. Slide canceling and audio improvements were also promised, but you can also look forward to features like map voting and more.
Wonder Weapons are a zombies staple, so it should be no surprise to see that the Ray Gun is back and better looking than ever. The small, handy tools has been given a visual upgrade this time around, and it’ll still pack a punch on every map if you manage to acquire it. The Thrustodyne Model 23, meanwhile, is Black Ops 6’s new weapon. You’ll be able to find and use it to suck up zombies exclusively on Liberty Falls.
COD: Next brought the confirmation that, as Warzone evolves, it will continue to support weapons, blueprints, Operators, Skins, and “the vast majority of the cosmetics” from games like Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3. With this comes the promise of full integration with everything yet to come with Black Ops 6. In other words, Warzone is only getting bigger and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Like other recent entries in the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops 6 will be receiving a Ranked mode for those looking for their competitive fix. While Ranked has sometimes taken a while to launch in the past, Activision promises that the mode will release with Season 1, just weeks after launch this October.
Drop Nukes in #BlackOps6 ☢
Congrats @JustHazzardous! Who’s next? pic.twitter.com/HV4k42Hsvj
— Treyarch Studios (@Treyarch) August 28, 2024
Black Ops 6 doesn’t come out until October 25, and its closed beta won’t launch for another few days. That didn’t stop streamer JustHazzardous from securing and activating an in-game nuke at COD: Next. The requirements for a nuke in this year’s Call of Duty installment haven’t even been revealed yet, so while this doesn’t necessarily qualify as a COD: Next reveal, it’s still undeniably impressive and a good look at what’s to come.
Those who participate in the Black Ops 6 beta tests will have the opportunity to earn cosmetic rewards that they can carry into launch. Highlights include Squish and Squash Operator skin unlocks at level 20, as well as a Quick Draw emote that can be acquired at level 15. Getting to at least level 2 nets players an animated beta tester emblem.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
The Walmart Labor Day sale kicked off earlier this week and it has some of the best prices on gaming consoles and accessories anywhere right now. More specifically, if you’re in the market for a Labor Day deal on the Switch Lite, Walmart’s sale currently has the lowest prices we’ve found ahead of the long weekend.
Although none of the bundles are currently discounted, there are multiple versions of the Switch Lite that are marked down to pretty reasonable prices. The Turquoise and Gray consoles are the cheapest options available at just $165 each.
If you’re just entering the Nintendo Switch ecosystem for the first time, the Switch Lite is a good cheap option that has some limits compared to the dockable standard and OLED versions. We reviewed the Switch Lite back in 2019 and had nothing but good things to say about it.
All of the Switch Lite consoles we’ve featured above are new, but Walmart also has some refurbished options that are a little bit cheaper. Buying refurbished is a good way to save a little extra cash, but with the discounts available on the newer models happening right now, those savings aren’t that significant. The customer reviews on refurbished Switch Lite consoles at Walmart are mostly positive, but some users did report issues. The risk with buying refurbished tech from any online retailer is that you are more likely to encounter issues with a used item than you are with a brand-new one.
That being said, Walmart has free 90-day returns on refurbished Switch Lite consoles. So if there is a problem within the first three months, you can easily just send it back for a full refund. You can check out Walmart’s policy on restored items in the help section of their website.
There are a lot of Labor Day sales happening right now, but Labor Day weekend isn’t necessarily the best time to buy a new Nintendo console. We’ve already seen better prices on the Nintendo Switch Lite during Prime Day and the price will likely drop even further during Black Friday this year. That being said, Walmart currently has the best prices on new Nintendo Switch Lite consoles right now, so it’s still the best place to buy one today. If you don’t want to wait for Black Friday season to come around or for the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 to drop prices even further, now is generally a decent time to buy a Switch.
Looking for more deals? Check out our guide to the best Labor Day sales live right now.
Time to hide that smile?
Emio – The Smiling Man officially releases tomorrow, 29th August 2024. Developed by MAGES. and Nintendo, the surprise horror murder-mystery sequel was only announced weeks ago, and we’re already getting ready to step back into the Famicom Detective Club.
Die-hard fans of the original Famicom Detective Club games — either via the originals or the 2021 remakes — will be eager to dive in, and likely already have thanks to that three-part demo. But what did the critics think?
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
