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If you're eager to dive into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 before its October 28th launch, or if you're simply curious if it's even your type of shooter, you'll be happy to hear that the Open Beta is now live on PC and consoles. Unfortunately, there is a little bit of a catch.
As of right now the Modern Warfare 2 beta is still in Early Access, which means that only those that have pre-ordered the game are able to get in. However, this will not be the case for very long as the beta will become accessible to absolutely everyone on September 24th.
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Instead of messing around with complex gameplay systems like vassalization and diplomacy, Stellaris' newest Toxoids DLC has gone for a more focused approach. As the name might suggest, the Toxoids Species Pack brings with it a bunch of new origins, civics and cosmetic options to mess around with, all centered around themes of rapid growth at the cost of both personal and environmental sacrifices.
Here's a brief trailer for one of the new origins, Knights of the Toxic God, as it showcases both the atmosphere behind the Toxoids DLC as well as some of the new toys you'll be able to play around with. Have a gander:
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[Update #2]: My Overwatch 2 review is now out, and to put it simply it's a terrible sequel, though thankfully a terrific game!
[Update]: New Overwatch 2 players will need to unlock all of the heroes and game modes over the course of ~100 games.
While it isn't planning to drastically change the core gameplay, Overwatch 2 still represents a significant departure from the original's design philosophy. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the simple fact that Overwatch 2's matches will be 5v5, with each team having access to only one super-powerful tank.
Combine this with some of the new and reworked heroes, as well as the addition of passive abilities for each of the three archetypes, and it becomes blindingly obvious that Overwatch's heroes can't be transplanted into Overwatch 2 without some major balance tweaks. Many of these potential issues have already been sorted out thanks to the two recent beta tests, but as it tradition, some have managed to slip through the cracks.
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[Update #2]: Overwatch 2's next tank hero will be Ramattra - the mysterious Omnic leader of Null Sector.
[Update]: My Overwatch 2 review is now out, and to put it simply it's a terrible sequel, though thankfully a terrific game!
As a part of the recent spree of announcements Blizzard has detailed Overwatch 2's Battle Pass, the hero unlock system, as well as their plans for future updates. The most exciting part of all of this was the new hero reveal which, as some of you may have guessed from ancient teasers, ended up being the fox-themed support Kiriko.
After leaving us for a full week to speculate on just what her abilities are all about, Blizzard has now finally decided to spill the beans. So if you're curious about what Kiriko and her fox companion are capable of, allow me to share with you the full rundown of her abilities:
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[Update #2]: My review for Darktide is now live and, long story short, it's as rough and fascinating as the world it takes place in!
[Update]: I have a few extra bits of good news to share! First of all, Fatshark has released a fancy new cinematic trailer for Darktide showing off the world and the fate of the fan-favorite Guardsmen squad. Furthermore, there's going to be a pre-launch beta starting on November 17th, and last but not least, Vermintide veterans will be getting a small cosmetic DLC as a gift.
If you're itching to get your hands on Warhammer 40,000: Darktide and you don't feel like waiting all the way until November 30th to do so, you'll be happy to hear the Closed Beta is coming soon! It will take place between October 14-16, and since the console version still needs a bit more work, the beta will be exclusively available on PC.
In order to join in on the fun all you need to do is head on over to the Darktide website and fill out the sign-up form with basic details like your platform, region and hardware specs. Given that this is a Closed Beta entry is not guaranteed, though I'd still recommend signing up since I highly doubt Fatshark will be skimping out on the number of invites.
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In an announcement that came seemingly out of nowhere, Marvel Games and Dead Space remake's Motive Studio have revealed they're working on an Iron Man game. The currently unnamed game will be a single-player, third-person action-adventure featuring "an original narrative that taps into the rich history of Iron Man, channeling the complexity, charisma, and creative genius of Tony Stark, and enabling players to feel what it’s like to truly play as Iron Man."
The Iron Man game is currently in the pre-production phase, and as such the gameplay details are basically nonexistent. Similarly, no release date has been announced just yet, though given how early Iron Man is in its development cycle I wouldn't expect to see it launch for at least a couple of years.
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It took us more than thirty years to get, but Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge has now received a brand new sequel. The freshly launched Return to Monkey Island is a collaboration between Ron Gilbert's Terrible Toybox and Lucasfilm Games, bringing with it a new art style and feel to the series, while still keeping the same sense of adventure and humor that made the original so popular.
Even though Return to Monkey Island is a direct sequel to the second game in the series, the events of Monkey Island 3 (The Curse of Monkey Island) have not been invalidated and are still considered canon. Not only that, but characters like good ol' Murray also make an appearance in Return to Monkey Island!
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[Update #2]: Diablo 4's surprisingly brief yet free Open Beta will be running from March 24-26.
[Update]: Diablo 4 will be launching on June 6th, 2023 with five classes: Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue and Sorceress.
After years of previews showcasing everything from monster design to the monetization plans, it looks like Diablo 4's development is now slowly nearing completion. While the release date is still shrouded in mystery, Blizzard has revealed that they're planning to launch Diablo 4 at some point in 2023.
More importantly, the Diablo 4 has also announced that there will be an endgame focused Closed Beta coming in the near future! Once again there is no release date, but considering the context I'm fully expecting it to arrive in mid-to-late October.
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Much like the Mega Man Legacy Collections that came before it, the upcoming Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection will bring with it an assortment of slightly spruced up Mega Man games. You can expect to see all six mainline Mega Man Battle Network games and their variations, an in-game art gallery filled with official illustrations, long-lost event art and even rough sketches, as well as a high resolution filter that you can turn on or off depending on your preference.
Most importantly of all, Capcom has now announced that they're working on adding online features for all ten games in the Battle Network Legacy Collection! The details are still few and far between, but you can expect to see things like online battles, chip trading and more.
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Instead of being an homage to classic Build Engine games, Ion Fury's successor Phantom Fury is going to be making a massive technological leap forward and basing its over-the-top action on early 2000s FPS games. Needless to say, you can expect to see a whole bunch of vehicles to pilot, environmental puzzles to solve in between bouts of extreme violence, as well as a whole bunch of fun new toys like controllable drones, electrified foam, and the always handy armor-piercing shotguns.
In terms of setting, Phantom Fury will take place many years after the original and will have you smash through hordes of cyborgs and mutants on a road trip across the USA. Each level will feature a great deal of interactivity, as well as the option to creatively circumvent many of the trickier sections, so in theory there should be a fair bit of replay value.