Monthly Archives: February 2020
Destiny 2 Crimson Days is Live: How-to Earn Rewards, Bounties, and Hearts
How to Participate in Crimson Days
Although the event is free for all Destiny 2 players, anyone new to the game must complete two requirements before speaking to Lord Shaxx and starting the event.- Escaping the Cosmodrome to unlock the Tower
- Achieving 790 Power
Crimson Days Rewards and Bounties
Lord Shaxx is your point person for all things Crimson Days. Speak with him to pick up event bounties and rewards – he will first give you the Fire of the Crimson Days emblem, and then you can continue with the event. There are 2 weekly bounties and 4 daily bounties for players to get, which are rewarded with Double XP, Bright Dust, and Confectionary Hearts. Confectionary Hearts are how rewards come into play, which you earn through completing bounties and Crucible matches in the Crimson Days Double Playlist. Rewards include:- Tirastrella Ghost Shell – Legendary
- Undeterred Sparrow – Exotic
- The Vow Bow – Legendary
- Dieselpunk Ornament – Exotic
- SVC-12 Sparrow – Exotic
- IVC-10 Sparrow – Exotic
- Flaunting Dance Emote – Legendary
- Warmhearted Gift
Crimson Doubles in Crucible
Guardians are able to fight together in Crucible matches this week for rewards, that will have them either come out as partners in victory or both be conquered. Features for the Crimson Doubles Playlist are below:- Reunited: Increases the rate of a Guardian's abilities to be recharged within teammates who are physically near one another.
- Falling Apart: When teammates fall too far apart in the match, the enemies are able to see your location.
- Vengeance: When a player is taken down in combat, this feature helps their partner have increased regeneration for their abilities and gains some health back when attacked.
Triumphs: From Heartless to Loving
There are a total of 10 triumphs available only to complete until February 18 – and they all have a spark of love or sorrow to them. The titles are as follows and can be found in your Triumphs character menu > Seasonal node > Events > Crimson Days.- Labor of Love
- I'm with You
- Homewrecker
- Heartless
- Looking for Love
- Heart's Desire
- Love Conquers All
- Divide and Conquer
- Love Avenged
- Two to Tango
Stardew Valley Dev Shares First Details on Two New Games
Stardew Valley developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has revealed he is working on two new games, but says “don’t get too hyped” as they could be a long way from being released.
Originally tweeting that he is working on one non-farming game set in the world of Stardew Valley and another game that will also tie into that universe in some way, Barone shared more in-depth details about the projects with IGN over email.
“I'm purposely staying very vague about my new projects because I don't want to create a bunch of hype yet,” Barone first explained. “I like to work in peace without having pressure or external opinions about what I should do.”
Yes, I'm actually working on a couple of new projects. One takes place in the world of Stardew Valley, but is not a farming game. The other, I'm not 100% sure about the world yet, but it will tie into Stardew Valley in some way
— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) February 11, 2020
He also said that his plate is very full with all his different projects currently, including continued work on Stardew Valley itself. He noted in a follow-up tweet that he’s “not setting out to make the next indie smash hit.”
With those expectations in place, Barone revealed to us that both projects are single-player, top-down 2D games with pixel art styles – presentations he said would be “familiar for anyone who has played Stardew Valley.”
[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%22I've%20been%20approaching%20this%20game%20with%20the%20goal%20to%20surpass%20the%20quality%20of%20every%20aspect%20compared%20to%20Stardew%20Valley...%20I%20just%20have%20to%20put%20in%20the%201000's%20more%20hours%20of%20work%20necessary%20to%20finish%20it.%E2%80%9D"]
He described the first game listed in his tweet as “an ambitious project” that has been in slow development for several years while he simultaneously worked on Stardew Valley updates. “I have pretty much the entire, polished idea in my head, and just have to put it into the computer,” Barone said, explaining that it’s a daunting task to then bring that “finished-in-my-head” game into existence.
This game will also have 32x32 pixel tiles, which he described as “twice the ‘detail’ of Stardew Valley,” causing it to take much longer. “In general, I've been approaching this game with the goal to surpass the quality of every aspect compared to Stardew Valley... art, music, sound, narratives, etc... and I think I have been achieving that so far. I just have to put in the 1000's more hours of work necessary to finish it.”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/20/stardew-valley-is-coming-to-teslareally-ign-daily-fix"]
The second project mentioned in his initial tweet is something Barone says he started more recently, “just as a little thing to have fun with.” He said he’s developing this game in an organic way, similar to the creation of Stardew Valley where “I kind of just create one thing at a time and then let my intuition carry me to the next step.” Barone says it’s been fun to develop, and he hopes to one day make it a complete game, explaining it’s “hopefully smaller in scope so it won't take that long (but we'll see...).”
[poilib element="quoteBox" parameters="excerpt=%E2%80%9CI%20am%20thinking%20about%20what%20games%20I%20might%20release%20%E2%80%98this%20decade.%E2%80%99%E2%80%9D"]
Barone said he’s also been working on Stardew Valley alongside these projects, so he’s got his hands full.
“I spend almost every waking hour working on something,” he explained, but noted that he’ll be happy when these two games are released as he has ideas for even more after them. Barone said that being a solo-developer drastically stretches out the time scale of game development, saying “I am thinking about what games I might release ‘this decade.’”
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2018/08/07/stardew-valley-review-2018"]
That said, Barone has “faith that things will turn out well,” noting that his skills have improved a lot since Stardew Valley. And while we probably shouldn’t hold our breath for anything described above, he did tease that “there will be some interesting reveals coming this year though, for sure.”
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Tom Marks is IGN's Deputy Reviews Editor and resident pie maker. You can follow him on Twitter.Samsung Introduces the Galaxy Z Flip Foldable Phone
Samsung also engineered a new three-stop hinge that lets you use the phone in a closed, semi-open, and open mode. In this middle stage mode, the phone two halves sit at a 90- to 135-degree angle. The two halves of the screen can also display different things at the same time with a feature called Flex Mode.
With Flex Mode engaged you can watch a YouTube video on the top screen while you browse through comments or add your own on the bottom display. Alternatively, while looking at your image gallery you can have one image appear in full size on the top half of the screen and continue to browse your camera roll on the bottom half of the display.
Beyond this new Flex Mode, Samsung also stressed that its new hide away hinge can block out dust more effectively than its previous attempt at a foldable phone. In a video demo, Samsung showed a cutaway of all the gears inside the hinge are now fully enclosed. Plus there's also a Fiber Shield, which is basically a brush tucked under the flexible screen designed to catch any errant dust.
In terms of specs, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ (2,636 x 1,080) Dynamic AMOLED main display while the cover display only measures 1.1-inches and has a resolution of 300 x 112.
The whole device runs off a 64-bit Octa-Core Processor, which Samsung hasn't specifically named yet, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For cameras you have a 12MP wide-angle and ultrawide rear cameras paired with a 10MP selfie camera. Lastly it has a 3,300 mAh dual battery.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip will be available starting on February 14 and it will retail for $1,380—which basically undercuts the $1,500 Moto Razr.
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Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspamNew Marvel Movie Release Date Set by Sony
Sony controls the rights to make movies based on Spider-Man and his vast collection of related characters. Sony has partnered with Marvel Studios for the last two Spider-Man movies starring Tom Holland, Homecoming and Far From Home, both of which were set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony has also been working on its own Marvel movies featuring Spider-Man characters without Marvel Studios helping produce. The first was Venom starring Tom Hardy (which released October 5, 2018) and the next is Morbius starring Jared Leto (July 31, 2020) followed by Venom 2 (October 2, 2020).
This is the first we’ve heard of Sony’s plans after this year’s Morbius and Venom 2. Numerous properties in Sony’s pool of Spider-Man characters have reportedly been in development over the years, so this untitled Sony/Marvel movie may be one of them finally come to fruition. Those include Silver Sable, Black Cat, Kraven the Hunter, Nightwatch, Madame Web, Jackpot, and Sinister Six. Although, there are many other characters in the Spidey family that Sony could potentially make a film about that we haven’t heard of.
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The first trailer for Sony’s Morbius showed that the film takes place in the same world as Spider-Man and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as evidenced by the appearance of Michael Keaton’s Vulture. The meeting of these two Spider-Man antagonists is enough to make us wonder if Sony is setting up the Sinister Six, as there are several other villains who could also join, like Shocker, Scorpion, and Tinkerer, maybe even Venom or the teased Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson, and if Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio faked his own death (as many have theorized) then he could join the party, as well. Sony has established more than enough baddies to reach the magic number, and they have plenty more to choose from on top of those.
While there is no official villain set for Tom Holland’s third solo Spider-Man movie, director Jon Watts has said that he’d love for the film to feature Kraven the Hunter. That may take him out of the running to claim this new 2021 date, but on the other hand, perhaps he’ll get his own movie before crossing paths with the Wall-Crawler.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/28/ranking-the-spider-man-movies-2019-edition"]
At this point, all we can do is speculate. What movie do you want to see in that October 8, 2021 release slot? Let us know in the comments.
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Joshua is Senior Features Editor at IGN. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN.The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Puts a 100x Zoom Camera in your Pocket
Beyond that really big screen, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra features a 108MP main camera. However, at the end of the day, you’re really capturing 12MP photos with this high-resolution sensor because it uses pixel binning to merge nine pixels into one. This way, the imaging sensor absorbs more light in order to render photos with a wider dynamic range.
That extremely high-resolution sensor also allows the Galaxy S20 Ultra to shoot 8K videos at 24 frames per second – which users can then stream directly to a Samsung QLED 8K TV like the Samsung Q950TS.
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The telephoto camera has also seen a big upgrade – it’s now using a 48MP image sensor with a “folded lens.” This new optic and sensor combo allows the S20 Ultra to push in with a combination of optical and digital zoom. The results of this new zoom technology are a 10x “lossless zoom” and 100x space zoom.
Unfortunately, the ultrawide camera hasn’t received as much love and attention and will stick to a basic 12MP sensor with a 120-degree field of view optic.
On the chipset end, the Galaxy S20 Ultra comes with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 processor plus 128GB of storage and 12GB of RAM in the base configuration. Additionally, this flagship smartphone will come with 5G radios as a standard feature (last year Samsung made a special Galaxy S10 5G model) and a 5,000mAh battery.
All of this flagship experience comes at a high premium though as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra starts at $1,399. Preorders begin on February 21 and the phone will be available starting on March 6th.
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A whole new galaxy
Samsung didn’t leave its more traditional Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ models to pasture. These phones have seen very similar spec upgrades as the S20 Ultra. For starters, the Galaxy S20's 6.2-inch screen and the Galaxy S20+'s 6.7-inch screen utilize Samsung's new 120Hz displays complete with the 240Hz touchscreen polling rate. These phones are also able to shoot 8K video and will be able to connect to 5G networks like the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The only thing missing from these two lesser handsets is a massively high-resolution main camera. Sadly, you only get a 12MP wide-angle camera on the two regular Galaxy S20 phones – but at least the telephoto camera is nice and sharp with a 64MP sensor, and it’ll give you lossless 3x hybrid optic zoom and a 30x Space Zoom. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=samsung-galaxy-s20-plus-hands-on&captions=true"] In terms of internals, the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ both feature the same Snapdragon 865 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, plus 5G connectivity standard. Of course, being smaller handsets, the Galaxy S20 only has a 4,000mAh battery while the S20+ features a 4,500mAh battery. The Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20+ will be available for a starting price of $999 and $1,199, respectively. Preorders begin on February 21st and the phones release on March 6th.
Better with Buds
Last but not least, Samsung also announced an updated pair of truly wireless earbuds: the Galaxy Buds+. Easily the biggest improvement these headphones have seen is a dramatic boost in battery life that now nets you 11 hours of playtime on both the earbuds themselves and the case. Compared to last year’s Galaxy Buds, which only had six hours of battery life on the buds with an additional seven hours in the case, you’re looking at about double the amount of playtime. The Samsung Galaxy Buds+ also feature 2-way dynamic speakers and three microphones for improved sound and voice quality. Additionally, the Galaxy Buds+ are now iOS compatible so you can connect them to an iPhone 11 Pro, iPad, or any mobile Apple device. Available starting February 14th, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ will retail for $149. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspamXbox Will Match Your Donations to Military-Focused Charity
Red Dead Online: Get 40% Bonus Character and Role XP, Property Discounts, And More
Red Dead Online: Get 40% Bonus Character and Role XP, Property Discounts, And More
Nintendo Publicly Cuts Ties With Game Publication After Pokemon Sword and Shield Leaks
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced they will no longer work with a game publication after one of its reviewers leaked images of Pokemon Sword and Shield back in November 2019.
The reviewer worked for Portugese website FNintendo and received a copy of the Nintendo Switch game early. He then shared photos of the game online that revealed multiple Pokemon in Sword and Shield that were unannounced at the time.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/13/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-review"]
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company discovered the source of these leaks and took immediate action. But now the two companies have gone further and announced in a statement released to press today that they've cut ties with that reviewer and FNintendo completely.
"Both he and FNintendo failed to handle confidential material, resulting in a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between Nintendo and the media outlet. As a result, Nintendo will no longer work with FNintendo," reads the statement.
"Nintendo will always protect its intellectual property and brands. Leaks hurt not just Nintendo, but the thousands of employees who work hard to bring games to market, and the millions of fans around the world who look forward to news and surprises.
To surprise and delight players through new experiences is a shared passion for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. We will pursue all avenues to preserve surprises for players of future Pokémon titles."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=25-most-wanted-pokemon-not-in-sword-and-shield&captions=true"]
FNintendo has released its own statement on the matter, which admits to being the source of the leaks, and offers an apology. Here's FNintendo's statement:
"At the beginning of November, a series of off-screen photographs leaked multiple new and unannounced Pokémon from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. We want to take this opportunity to openly admit to our readers that FNintendo was responsible for leaking some of these photos.
Nintendo offered us a copy of the game for review purposes, with clear embargo guidelines, to which we agreed. This copy was then sent to one of our reviewers, who leaked the information. Following the investigation, FNintendo severed its relationship with this reviewer.
Our relationship with Nintendo Portugal dates back 11 years, but our part in this leak is a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between us, and, as a result, a total breach of trust with Nintendo.
We recognise it is impermissible to break embargo guidelines and we failed to handle the review materials with sufficient care. We fully respect Nintendo's decision to cancel the confidentiality agreement between our companies as a result of this breach of trust, and accept that we will no longer receive products from Nintendo, nor will we be invited to attend their events.
We want to apologise to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, and to our readers for letting them down."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/09/pokemon-sword-and-shield-expansion-announced"]
It isn't just FNintendo that were hunted down by The Pokemon Company for leaking unannounced Pokemon. In late November 2019, the company announced it was after 4Chan and Discord users that leaked photos from the Sword and Shield strategy guide before it was released.
Then, in December 2019, The Pokemon Company said it had been given legal permission to pursue those leakers to the full extent of the law. This involved seeking financial reimbursement from the leakers and any legal punishment that is deemed appropriate by court.
It wasn't just Pokemon Sword and Shield that was subject to huge leaks last year either. We summed it all up in the biggest leaks of 2019, which includes some of the biggest game announcements in recent years alongside info on next-gen consoles.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.
Nintendo Publicly Cuts Ties With Game Publication After Pokemon Sword and Shield Leaks
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have announced they will no longer work with a game publication after one of its reviewers leaked images of Pokemon Sword and Shield back in November 2019.
The reviewer worked for Portugese website FNintendo and received a copy of the Nintendo Switch game early. He then shared photos of the game online that revealed multiple Pokemon in Sword and Shield that were unannounced at the time.
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/13/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-review"]
Nintendo and The Pokemon Company discovered the source of these leaks and took immediate action. But now the two companies have gone further and announced in a statement released to press today that they've cut ties with that reviewer and FNintendo completely.
"Both he and FNintendo failed to handle confidential material, resulting in a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between Nintendo and the media outlet. As a result, Nintendo will no longer work with FNintendo," reads the statement.
"Nintendo will always protect its intellectual property and brands. Leaks hurt not just Nintendo, but the thousands of employees who work hard to bring games to market, and the millions of fans around the world who look forward to news and surprises.
To surprise and delight players through new experiences is a shared passion for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. We will pursue all avenues to preserve surprises for players of future Pokémon titles."
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=25-most-wanted-pokemon-not-in-sword-and-shield&captions=true"]
FNintendo has released its own statement on the matter, which admits to being the source of the leaks, and offers an apology. Here's FNintendo's statement:
"At the beginning of November, a series of off-screen photographs leaked multiple new and unannounced Pokémon from Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. We want to take this opportunity to openly admit to our readers that FNintendo was responsible for leaking some of these photos.
Nintendo offered us a copy of the game for review purposes, with clear embargo guidelines, to which we agreed. This copy was then sent to one of our reviewers, who leaked the information. Following the investigation, FNintendo severed its relationship with this reviewer.
Our relationship with Nintendo Portugal dates back 11 years, but our part in this leak is a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement between us, and, as a result, a total breach of trust with Nintendo.
We recognise it is impermissible to break embargo guidelines and we failed to handle the review materials with sufficient care. We fully respect Nintendo's decision to cancel the confidentiality agreement between our companies as a result of this breach of trust, and accept that we will no longer receive products from Nintendo, nor will we be invited to attend their events.
We want to apologise to Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, and to our readers for letting them down."
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/09/pokemon-sword-and-shield-expansion-announced"]
It isn't just FNintendo that were hunted down by The Pokemon Company for leaking unannounced Pokemon. In late November 2019, the company announced it was after 4Chan and Discord users that leaked photos from the Sword and Shield strategy guide before it was released.
Then, in December 2019, The Pokemon Company said it had been given legal permission to pursue those leakers to the full extent of the law. This involved seeking financial reimbursement from the leakers and any legal punishment that is deemed appropriate by court.
It wasn't just Pokemon Sword and Shield that was subject to huge leaks last year either. We summed it all up in the biggest leaks of 2019, which includes some of the biggest game announcements in recent years alongside info on next-gen consoles.
[poilib element="accentDivider"]Chris Priestman is a freelancer who writes news for IGN. Follow him on Twitter.