Monthly Archives: October 2019
UPDATE: Destiny 2 Back Online After ‘Emergency Maintenance’
UPDATE (10/1/19) - @BungieHelp on Twitter has confirmed that "Emergency maintenance on Destiny 1 and Destiny 2 is now complete. Players may encounter a sign-in queue as the population returns."
Good luck, Guardians!
Original story follows.
Following the launch of Destiny 2’s new Shadowkeep expansion and New Light – the new free-to-play entry point for Destiny players – Destiny 2 has now reached an all-time concurrent players record on Steam, which has seemingly caused Bungie to take the servers entirely offline due to an overload, according to their tweet as of 2:13pm PT.
Pokemon Sword and Shield: New Details About National Dex, Exp Share, and More
Today Game Informer unveiled their latest cover story, and it’s all about the upcoming Pokemon Sword and Shield. While there are still plenty of questions surrounding the next generation of Pokemon, we finally have some new details to tide us over until November.
Pokemon Sword and Shield is just a month and a half away from being released but Game Freak is still keeping a lot of details close to the vest. Today's Game Informer cover reveals new information that directly addresses some of the most pressing questions from fans.
Here are the biggest Sword and Shield details revealed so far:
New Images of Super Nintendo World Surface
New images have surfaced of the Super Nintendo World attraction at Universal Studios Japan.
Posted by Universal Studios Japan fan account USJ Intelligence Agency on Twitter, the photos show a large tower inspired by Mario levels that specifically seems to mirror the designs of Super Mario 3D World, complete with floating cloud platforms, a ? block, and cartoon trees peeking up from behind some scaffolding.
Why Taika Waititi is Playing IG-11 Instead of IG-88 in The Mandalorian
Star Wars fans have been scouring the Holonet for information on The Mandalorian ever since the live-action show was announced, looking for clues that might connect the new Disney+ series to the wider Star Wars galaxy.
So when creator Jon Favreau posted a photo of a familiar-looking droid during production on The Mandalorian, fans immediately assumed it was IG-88, the memorable assassin seen alongside Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back.
PlayStation Now Gets Big Price Cut, Adds God of War, GTA 5 to Lineup
Today Sony revealed that its PlayStation Now subscription service got a big price cut, as well as new games including God of War, Grand Theft Auto 5, and more.
Starting today, PS Now’s US price will be $9.99 a month, $24.99 for three months, or $59.99 per year - that’s down from $19.99, $49.99, and $99.99 respectively before. You can find the full list of prices for other regions in its official blog post announcing the change.
On top of that, the most recent God of War (IGN’s 2018 Game of the Year), Grand Theft Auto 5, Infamous Second Son, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End are now available through the service until January 2, 2020. Because you can play PlayStation Now games streaming on your PC, that means the three PlayStation exclusives in that list no longer require a PS4 at all to play.
Every Star Wars Reference in the MCU (So Far)
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is a noted fan of the galaxy far, far away, to the point where he may be taking the whole damn thing over before long. At the very least, word has it that Feige will be producing a Star Wars film of his own. Of course, the MCU has a history of call-outs to the Star Wars franchise...
From AT-AT takedowns to dismembered limbs and beyond, here’s every Star Wars reference in the MCU that we could find...
The Notebook (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)
Kevin Smith Announces Clerks 3, Original Cast Returning
Kevin Smith has put Clerks 3 back in motion with original cast members Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson confirmed to return. Smith made the announcement on Instagram, saying he began writing the script on Monday night.
The post from Tuesday morning show a photo of Smith, Mewes and Anderson together – taken over the weekend at a signing event, and was accompanied by a caption of Smith announcing the conclusion to his Clerks series.
"We talked about making a movie together. It’ll be a movie that concludes a saga. It’ll be a movie about how you’re never too old to completely change your life. It’ll be a movie about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future. It’ll be a movie that brings us back to the beginning - a return to the cradle of civilization in the great state of #newjersey. It’ll be a movie that stars Jeff and @briancohalloran, with me and Jay in supporting roles. And it’ll be a movie called CLERKS III! To be great is to go on. To go on is to go far. To go far is to return. And we’re all gonna return to the scene of the crime!" Smith wrote.
Satoru Iwata Wouldn’t Have Made Nintendo Mobile Games Cheaper – He Would Have Made Them Better
Satoru Iwata once spoke about his distaste for a very mobile-centric term, just as Nintendo got into the market. “I do not like to use the term ‘Free-to-play,'” he told Time. “I have come to realize that there is a degree of insincerity to consumers with this terminology, since so-called ‘Free-to-play’ should be referred to more accurately as ‘Free-to-start.'” It was an admirable stance, an attempt to be more transparent than most about what players were getting into.
Perhaps in deference to its late president, Nintendo still uses to ’free-to-start’ to describe its mobile games and, as we’ve mentioned elsewhere, those games haven’t really worked out. As those games have rolled out, each to less fanfare than the last, it’s become increasingly easy to connote anything Nintendo brands free-to-start as a lesser experience than the company’s usual creations. It’s also easy to attribute that to the business model. But I’m not sure that’s the root of the problem.
Call of Duty: Mobile Is Now Live on iOS and Android
Call of Duty: Mobile is officially out on iOS and Android devices. However, some players are experiencing issues connecting to Call of Duty: Mobile servers.
Activision has been beta testing Call of Duty: Mobile since July 2019, but today marks the game’s wide release. Call of Duty: Mobile was developed by TiMi Games.
Call of Duty: Mobile is like a greatest hits of Call of Duty games. There are maps and weapons from across the Call of Duty franchise, including Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 3, and Black Ops 2.
The Best Board Games of 2019
Analogue gaming is a trend that just keeps growing. Some have suggested it's a rejection of all the screen time that keeps us locked into digital worlds. Others that it's a retreat from confusing modernity into a more comfortable past. The truth, though, is that modern board game design keeps delivering better and better games.
Turns out that 2019 is a bumper year for such quality, and it isn't over yet. Some publishers save their top releases for October and the world's biggest board game event, Spiel, in Germany. A few big titles are jostling for this year's limelight. Civilization builder Tapestry, from Stonemaier Games, is currently heading the hype train.
That's the future, though, so who knows how those games will pan out? Here are ten 2019 titles of proven excellence that you can enjoy right now.