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[Update]: Fallout 76 devs have revealed their plans for major updates all throughout 2022.
Now that the dust has settled from the recent and rather chunky Wastelanders expansion, Bethesda is once again starting to look towards the future of Fallout 76. In order to keep everyone in the loop, as well as detail some of the upcoming features and the reasoning behind them, Bethesda has now released the 2020 roadmap.
The biggest new addition will be the Seasons system, Bethesda's take on the classic Season Pass. The inaugural Summer Season will be free for all players and will feature 100 ranks to climb though, all of which will unlock some sort of reward. These rewards can be anything from scrip and caps, to unique outfits or weapons skins, with the more exciting items being locked away behind higher ranks.
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[Update #2]: Update 2 has now improved Empowered Demons and added a new Battlemode map.
[Update]: The highly controversial Denuvo Anti-Cheat has now been removed from the PC version.
Even though it has arrived a bit too late for most of its playerbase, Doom Eternal's latest update has just brought in a rather nifty new feature - Empowered Demons. Whenever a player is killed in the singleplayer campaign, the demon that brought them low will be greatly strengthened and transported to another player's game in order to see if it can continue its killstreak.
Should you manage to take out the Empowered Demon yourself, you will not only be granted a ton of health and ammo, but also a good chunk of progress towards in-game events. However, if you prefer to have a completely even playingfield with no significant randomness, there is also a simple on/off option to toggle Empowered Demons.
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[Update]: Crusader Kings 3 has arrived with even more scheming and treachery than before!
After a decade of backstabbing, thievery, heresy and copious amounts of infidelity, it would appear that Crusader Kings 2's stay on the throne is soon coming to an end. According to the latest announcement from Paradox, the new and improved Crusader Kings 3 has now been pinned for a September 1, 2020 release date.
In terms of content, Crusader Kings 3 is looking to be a straight up sequel, with most of the mechanics and themes from Crusader Kings 2 making a return. So expect to see character-focused gameplay with each one having their own unique personality, plenty of noble houses to infiltrate over the five century timespan, various events inspired by history, and most importantly of all, the usual assortment of schemes and skulduggery.
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[Update]: Overwatch Anniversary 2020 update has arrived, and as expected, it's a pretty good one!
If you're a fan of fancy cosmetics, you might want to mark May 19th on your calendar as that's when Overwatch's Anniversary event will be making its glorious return. It'll bring with it not only an assortment of new skins and emotes, but also every single cosmetic from every single one of the previous events!
The full list of new cosmetics hasn't been revealed just yet, but Blizzard has recently done a little whoopsie and accidentally released a portion of the patch notes a few days too early. As such, I can tell you that Anniversary 2020 will bring with it Masquerade Reaper, Dragoon Mercy and Little Red Ashe legendary skins, as well as Carbon Fiber Sigma, Fleur de Lis Widowmaker and Masked Man McCree as free event rewards.
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[Update #2]: Epic is now giving away Borderlands: The Handsome Collection which contains Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and all of the DLC released for both games!
[Update]: The next giveaway has now arrived, and I'm very happy to say it's Civilization VI!
The Epic Games Store has given out some pretty darn good games over the past year, but this week's offer is almost certainly the best one so far. As the title would suggest, the free game in question is none other than the excellent Grand Theft Auto V!
If you would like to grab yourself a copy, simply head on over to the Epic Games Store, log into your account or create a new one, and you'll be good to go. Just bear in mind that the Epic Games Store is currently being absolutely hammered with traffic, so don't be too surprised if you end up having to spend 10 minutes just to open up the page itself.
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[Update #2]: Mafia: Definitive Edition devs have shared a lengthy gameplay preview of the upcoming remake. Also, the release date has been pushed back from August to September 25th.
[Update]: The Mafia: Trilogy collection has now arrived, though unfortunately without the Mafia 1 remake.
After a couple of cryptic teasers, 2K Games have now revealed the Mafia: Trilogy collection for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The collection, as you might imagine from the name alone, will feature the original Mafia from 2002, 2010's Mafia 2, and the most recent Mafia 3 which arrived in 2016.
While the announcement itself is almost entirely bereft of details, Microsoft has accidentally leaked that the original Mafia 1 will be getting a fully fledged remaster. Even here the details are few and far between, but you can expect to see a "faithfully recreated" classic, an expanded storyline with new gameplay options, as well as the original soundtrack to jam out to.
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[Update #2]: Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be launching a week earlier than expected, on November 10th!
[Update]: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla gameplay preview shows off the combat, exploration and insult-battles
After a couple of relatively generic games, it seems that Assassin’s Creed has now finally found its place among the more mythical elements of history. It all started with Origins, continued with the rather excellent Odyssey, and is now looking to culminate with the newly announced Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. And honestly? I'm a big fan of this new direction for the series!
While the details are still few and far between, Valhalla will take place in the 9th century and will follow a clan of Vikings that is fleeing from the famine in Norway in order to establish a new life on the shores of England. As you might remember from history, that doesn't exactly go over well with the English, so expect to see plenty of combat throughout Valhalla.
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[Update #2]: Open Queue has now been unleashed as an alternative competitive mode.
[Update]: Overwatch Anniversary 2020 event is set to arrive this May 19th with a ton of new and returning cosmetics, including the adorable Little Red Ashe.
While I still firmly believe that moving to Role Queue has brought about a massive improvement in match quality, even I must admit that playing the recent Open Queue arcade mode has been pretty fun. Not something I'd be willing to go back to long-term, good lord no, but it's quite enjoyable as a little diversion every now and then.
If you share my sentiment, I'm sure you'll also be happy to hear that Blizzard is looking to bring Open Queue back as an alternative mode to the current Role Queue. The exact details haven't been revealed just yet, especially when it comes to how placement matches and season rewards will be handled, but what Blizzard has confirmed is that they will still primarily balance the game around 2-2-2 compositions.
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[Update]: Halo 3 will be launching onto PC this July 14th!
While The Master Chief Collection started of a little bit barren, things are looking a whole lot better now. Not only was the classic Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary added as a part of an update back in March, but the equally excellent Halo 2: Anniversary has now also joined the party!
Halo 2: Anniversary brings with it the ability to play at 4K resolution and 60+ FPS, fully customizable keyboard and mouse support, as well as the option to mess around with a variety of settings including an FOV slider. And if you're in the mood for a real nostalgia trip, you'll be glad to hear you'll also be able to swap between the remastered graphics and the graphics from the original Halo 2!
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[Update]: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 update is adding new challenges, cosmetics and replay tours.
If you're in the mood for a little bit of nostalgia, you might be quite pleased to hear that the classic skating games Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 are getting remastered for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The remastered collection will be handled by Vicarious Visions, a name you might recognize from the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, and will release on all platforms this September 4th.
In terms of content, the remastered collection will feature all of the original levels and tricks, while also offering extra challenges, a significantly improved create-a-park mode, as well as revamped visuals. And if that wasn't good enough, the remastered versions will also have both online and local multiplayer!