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Call of Duty Warzone Nerfs DMR Gun But Fans Aren’t Satisfied

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The latest update for Call of Duty Warzone was intended to balance a few of the new guns introduced to the game, but fans have started voicing complaints about what they observed to be relentless DMR 14 issues that haven’t gone away since the weapon was nerfed a few days ago. The integration of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War to Warzone has been met with mixed reviews thus far, with several of the most serious complaints focused on the new weapons added to the game.

It’s been a bizarre journey for Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and its unification with Warzone, as original players were anxious that the chunk of content arriving from the new Call of Duty game was actually overpowered.

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War’s integration was ridiculed for bringing with it weak weapons that paled in comparison to what was already available in Call of Duty Warzone, but more time with those weapons has unveiled that one of them was actually broken, with the DMR 14 hastily becoming a problem in the competitive meta.

The gun’s capability to eliminate enemies in a quick fashion made it an evident best option for most players and having that type of robust choice also hurts every other gun in the game’s playability at the same time. Developer Raven Software acknowledged the issue and launched a Warzone update to nerf the DMR 14 last January 5, 2021.

Sadly, it didn’t take long for players to notice that the DMR 14 is still a lot stronger than the rest of the guns in Call of Duty Warzone. Actor Jeff Leach, popular for his roles in games such as Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock and in Call of Duty as Ghost, was one such player telling their opinion that the DMR issue is far from resolved. Leach posted on his Twitter account to reveal why he feels the gun is still overpowered, a thought that has also been mirrored on the game’s subreddit across countless famous posts.

With this said, it’s sure that developer Raven Software has a lot of work to do on the DMR 14 – and other guns, too – and the development team has displayed a willingness to listen to their players and address the problems haunting Call of Duty Warzone, albeit significantly slower than many would like.

Balancing guns can be a tricky situation for any developer, as even the most harmless tweaks can be the difference between an enjoyable experience and an entirely broken one, whether the weapon is so powerful or totally unusable.

Get Star Wars Battlefront 2 For Free Next Week On The Epic Games Store

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The Epic Games Store gave away a free game for 15 days straight in December 2020 leading to 2021. Now that the first week of the new year is almost done, the digital storefront has reverted back to its previous routine, which is to give away one free game every week. The free game for this week is Alt Shift’s tactical roguelite Crying Suns, but we now have a glimpse of what next week’s free game will be.

This will probably be exciting news for many in the gaming community, because the upcoming free game for January 14-21 is going to be Star Wars Battlefront 2: Celebration Edition. This will be the first time that this particular title will be available on the Epic Games Store.

One other reason why this is such a great steal is because Star Wars Battlefront 2: Celebration Edition is a version that has a plethora of content, so fans who grab this awesome opportunity will have so much to explore and experience.

Of course, Star Wars Battlefront 2: Celebration Edition includes the base game, which already has all the multiplayer characters, the launch maps, and the single-player story campaign. Not only that, the action shooter title also consists of several cosmetic items like skins for playable heroes.

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Naturally, this includes familiar faces such as Kylo Ren, Finn, and Rey, with appearances based on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If that’s not enough to get you excited, Star Wars Battlefront 2: Celebration Edition also offers a plethora of customization items for the troopers.

It’s definitely interesting to see how far Star Wars Battlefront 2 has come. When it was initially released in 2017, the game was heavily criticized due to its microtransactions. As a matter of fact, the game’s microtransactions were considered incredibly exploitative to the point where politicians got involved and put a spotlight on loot boxes.

As a result, real-world legislation was implemented on video game loot boxes, and it was all because of Star Wars Battlefront 2. As you can imagine, the game had an unfavorable reputation after that controversy.

However, some good changes were introduced to Star Wars Battlefront 2. Developer DICE made some adjustments to the game’s economy, leaving behind loot boxes and the need for players to grind excessively.

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Not only that, the developer kept on supporting the title through content updates, which introduced new maps, characters, and so much more. Thanks to DICE’s efforts, the studio was able to take a poorly received game and turn it into the beloved title that it is now.

It’s honestly quite inspiring, especially when you think about how players even made petitions that asked the developer to keep updating and working on the game even when it no longer received supported.

At this point, DICE has left Star Wars Battlefront 2 in the past and has moved onto greener pastures. But who knows? Maybe the developer will want to revisit the game someday in the future. For now though, those who haven’t experienced Star Wars Battlefront 2 yet or who want to play through it again for nostalgia’s sake can grab the game for free next week.

Genshin Impact Reveals Ganyu’s Abilities And Backstory

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MiHoYo, Genshin Impact’s developer has now officially revealed the backstory of Ganyu, one of the game’s newest heroes, along with a new teaser trailer for the hero. Ganyu was originally revealed before the launch of the game’s recent 1.2 patch’s story. Genshin Impact’s 1.2 patch is its largest so far as it not only added new characters into the game but also introduced an entirely new region called Dragonspire for all players to explore.

The 1.2 update furthermore introduced an entirely new chapter to Genshin Impact’s story as well as new features, mechanics, events, and items into the game including the ability to get pets called Mini-Seelie that follow the main characters around the map and a new mechanic within the frosty Dragonspire area that forces players to ensure their characters stay warm.

In a new article found on the official website of Genshin Impact, developer miHoYo announced several detailed information on Ganyu’s abilities and backstory. As recently announced, Ganyu is a bow user that utilizes Cryo abilities. She is supposedly voiced by Reina Ueda, who also voiced Kanao from Demon Slayer, in the Japanese voiceover and Jennifer Losi in the English dub.

Ganyu is one of the many residents of Liyue, one of the regions in Genshin Impact, and works as one of the secretaries of Qixing, the state’s merchant leaders, particularly working under Ningguang, one of Genshin Impact’s more popular characters. According to the developers, Ganyu is apparently a faithful hard worker who loves food. The introductory description for the new hero reads:

“The calculations and data behind the Qixing’s every decision in Liyue, as well as every ordinance and regulation that is announced, are all the meticulous work of Ganyu. But beneath this model of hard work and efficiency lies a side of her that likes to eat…”

Ganyu’s abilities, which were featured in one of the trailer videos for the 1.2 update include a two-level charged attack with her weapon with the first dealing single-enemy damage while the second is able to hit multiple enemies.

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The Trail of Qilin, Ganyu’s activated ability, is similar to her bow attack that features two levels. Once triggered, the skill deals damage to nearby enemies while also leaving an area of frost and an Ice Lotus on the ground.

The Ice Lotus taunts nearby monsters and explodes dealing massive damage once its health or duration has run out. Finally, Ganyu’s ultimate skill, called Celestial Shower, features the hero throwing a Sacred Cryo Pearl in the air that continuously rains down shards of frost on monsters within its range.

Ganyu is a pretty exciting character with skills that emphasize more on continuous or delayed damage that damages multiple opponents, making her a possibly great support option. Genshin Impact players certainly have a lot of content to look forward to as the rest of the 1.2 update rolls out in the next few weeks.

LEAK: Apex Legends Season 8 May Celebrate Anniversary Event

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Respawn Entertainment is on a roll when it comes to providing content to its player base, and it doesn’t seem to have plans of stopping. Apex Legends’ The Fight Night Collection Event officially launched recently, and it introduced a new limited-time game mode called Airdrop Escalation, a couple of changes to the game’s META, new items, and more.

However, it appears that Apex Legends players are already looking to the future, specifically at the next season as well as the next collection event. Apex Legends Season 8 is expected to begin in a couple of weeks, and many are looking forward to it because it’s supposed to add several features that have been highly requested by fans.

Seeing as the upcoming season is so close you can almost grasp it, dataminers have been hard at work as well. Now, reliable dataminer Shrugtal on Twitter has been rifling through the game’s files trying to see what’s coming next, and it appears that he was able to find information indicating that Apex Legends will undergo several substantial changes.

Instead of receiving a new Heirloom, Apex Legends will now just give you 150 Heirloom Shards, giving you the power to choose which Heirloom you want to have. Every new Apex Legends collection usually features a new Heirloom, such as Gibraltar’s Heirloom for the Fight Night Collection Event.

That being said, it’s not as simple to unlock this type of item. You must first buy all the items that are a part of the limited-time collection event, which would more or less cost around $160 USD.

If Shrugtal’s claim is correct and Season 8 would start giving 150 Heirloom Shards, then that’s more or less $160 USD as well. The good thing about it is that you can now choose whichever Heirloom you want, even the previous ones.

Based on Shrugtal’s findings, Apex Legends Season 8 will have an Anniversary Collection Event, which is the reason why Respawn decided to give out Shards instead of a new Heirloom. This change seems to make sense in this case, as it matches the two-year anniversary of when Apex Legends launched and surprised the gaming community.

The leaked information also shows that the Anniversary Collection Event will feature recolors of fan-favorite skins from the past. This will include items such as Lifeline’s From the Ashes skin and the Bone Saw Legendary Spitfire camo,

Among other things, Bangalore will be receiving a recolor too as the Outlands Warrior. If this leak is proven to be true, we’re definitely interested to see what the fans’ reactions will be regarding this alleged Anniversary Collection Event.

For one thing, there’s a chance that the return of a few skins from the past for a price won’t sit well with some fans. However, it also can’t be denied that we should give a second chance to some of the old skins.

Not only that, it can be very difficult to find Heirloom Shards if you’re just getting the standard Apex Pack, as there’s only a 1 in 500 chance. With that in mind, some fans may find that forking over real-world money is worth it in this case. On the other hand, there are several fans who have been complaining about how much each collection event costs.

Like many things in life, it’s all about weighing the pros and cons and figuring out what your priorities are.

Capcom Reveals New Monster Hunter Rise Enemies and Locale

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Capcom just had its Monster Hunter Rise digital event, which showcased new features and other content that will be present in the game. Among others, Capcom also revealed during the event that the upcoming title will have a brand-new locale where you can hunt monsters in, as well as a new monster and a couple of returning ones.

The new area is called the Frost Islands, and as the name implies, it will consist of a variety of arctic dwelling monsters. The developer also provided a bit of lore for the Frost Islands, which states that it used to be the home of numerous dragons, and while many hunters tried to slay them, they were unsuccessful.

Capcom was aiming for the Frost Islands to have a “creepy atmosphere.” The addition of the dark caves and the ruined ship are most probably attempts at trying to convey that vibe. A huge chunk of Monster Hunter Rise’s fanbase will most likely be more interested to learn more about the monsters in this area, though.

The digital livestream event was definitely a treat, as Capcom used it as an opportunity to reveal the new monsters heading to Monster Hunter Rise. Specifically, there are six new monsters from the Frost Islands and one other monster that resides in some other area. Among other things, the game’s flagship monster Magnamalo was also discussed about, with the developer providing even more information about it.

That being said, the following are the seven monsters featured, in no particular order:

  • Mizutsune
  • Lagombi
  • Tigrex
  • Khezu
  • Great Baggi
  • Goss Harag
  • Barioth

If you’ve been a part of the Monster Hunter community for quite some time now, you would probably find six of these monsters familiar. The only monster that’s completely brand-new in this list is the Goss Harag.

The Goss Harag is a fanged monster that has the ability to utilize its own ice breath to create a sword that it can then use to attack you. This ice breath is a very convenient ability to have for the monster, not so much for you though. Based on the gameplay footage, Goss Harag also looks like it has some kind of shockwave attack that blasts rocks and other debris towards the player character.

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If you’ve played Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, then you’ll probably be familiar with Barioth and Tigrex. Both of these monsters are built similarly, probably because they’re both flying wyvern types.

Somewhat similar to Goss Harag, Barioth can also send forth whirlwinds of ice towards you. On the other hand, Tigrex is a type of monster that focuses more on brute strength, so it has a tendency to physically charge at you instead.

Khezu is another flying wyvern, but it’s a very different type of monster than the last two. In Khezu’s case, it’s capable of dealing electric-based attacks. That said, this footage from the digital event marks the first time that this particular monster was officially showcased worldwide.

Great Baggi is a bird wyvern that’s similar to the Great Izuchi, but what makes them different from each other is the fact that the Great Baggi utilizes attacks that make you fall asleep. There’s also the fanged Lagombi, which throws snowballs at you and looks a lot like a rabbit.

Now, the Mizutsune is a monster that lives outside of the Frost Islands. Many fans were hoping that it would return to the series, especially since Monster Hunter Rise is heavily inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetic.

Start Time for Monster Hunter Rise Demo Now Revealed

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Capcom announced its upcoming title Monster Hunter Rise in late 2020, and this latest entry to the franchise will officially launch within a few months, specifically this March 26, 2021. Monster Hunter Rise is set in Kamura Village, where you will be given access to a new hunting ground that is home to both new and old monsters.

Given how Monster Hunter Rise is such an anticipated title, we understand that there are fans out there who just can’t wait until March to play the game. Fortunately, Capcom has previously confirmed that the upcoming action-RPG is going to have a demo for players to test out on the Nintendo Switch eShop.

Now, we finally have an idea when the demo will be released. According to the official Monster Hunter Twitter account, the demo will officially be available starting January 8, 2021. However, this will only be a limited-time event, and the demo will only be available until February 1.

As for what the demo will include, Capcom has a generous amount of content available for those who want to try it out, such as a couple of training exercises and two monster hunts. As for the former, you will go through training courses that will teach you the basics of Monster Hunter Rise, such as wyvern riding, which is a brand-new mechanic that will debut in this game.

As for the hunts available in the demo, you will be given the option to choose between a beginner or intermediate hunt. The easier option will have you tracking and fighting a Great Izuchi. On the other hand, the more difficult hunt will let you fight against a Mizutsune—a relatively more powerful opponent that was only revealed during the digital event.

That being said, both of these quests will allow you to check out the Shrine Ruins, which they say is a great place to test and experiment with Monster Hunter Rise’s new wirebug mechanic. The wirebug not only serves as something like a grapple hook that allows you to move around the map conveniently, but it’s also a great way to snare monsters.

It’s also worth noting that both beginner and intermediate hunts will be available to play in either single-player or local and online co-op.

With that in mind, it looks like the Monster Hunter Rise demo offers a decent and comprehensive overview of what the upcoming game can bring to the table. Avid fans of the Monster Hunter franchise should definitely download the demo as soon as they can, especially since it won’t be available on the Switch eShop forever.

Monster Hunter Rise is looking to be a worthy successor to the highly acclaimed Monster Hunter World, and a strong game to jumpstart Nintendo Switch’s lineup of games for this year.

In other news related to the franchise, Monster Hunter recently had a big-screen adaptation featuring Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich. The entire project was in the hands of Resident Evil and Event Horizon director Paul W.S Anderson, and while some had high hopes for the movie, it appears that it disappointed critics and currently has a Metascore of 45.

‘Dishonored’ Tattoo Spotted At US Capitol Riot Mistaken for ANTIFA Symbol

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On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. The riot took place when the Congress had a joint session with the purpose of certifying that the Electoral College vote was in President-elect Joe Biden’s favor.

The US Capitol was in absolute disarray—improvised explosives were used, there was rioting, and the congressional leaders had to be quickly evacuated. In the midst of all this mayhem, however, a tattoo of one of the participants caught the eye of many, especially those from the video game community.

From all the pictures posted online taken during the riot, one Trump supporter had a tattoo of Dishonored’s Outsider’s Mark on his left hand. For those unfamiliar with this video game series, the Mark is seared into individuals whom the Outsider thinks are interesting. Once branded, the Mark gives the character supernatural powers, and it can be seen sported by various playable characters in the entire franchise.

After all the chaos, numerous Twitter users branded the Outsider’s Mark as a symbol of Antifa in an attempt to shift the blame onto leftists, as some people believe that the left-wing movement orchestrated the entire event to try and ruin the image of Trump supporters.

However, many gamers found the tattoo’s design to be familiar, and even Dishonored co-creator Harvey Smith confirmed that the tattoo was linked to the video game series.

In light of this, it’s absolutely ironic how a symbol from Dishonored was present in the storming of the US Capitol, especially since the video game series is all about overthrowing a corrupt government that seized power in unfair ways within a city infected with some kind of plague.

It seems very much like our real-world situation right now, given how we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, but it’s also worth noting that President-elect Joe Biden was elected through democratic voting. On the other hand, Dishonored’s Lord Regent was able to obtain power through a coup.

That being said, this wouldn’t be the first time that Donald Trump supporters utilized a video game symbol without even considering the meaning behind it or where it originated from. There was even an instance when Rage Against the Machine songs were involved.

Not only that though, there was a Trump supporter last year who was seen wearing the outfit of Homelander—the antagonist of popular TV show The Boys—much to the revulsion of both actor Antony Starr and show developer Eric Kripke.

Asides from the interesting crossover with the video game world, the storming of the US Capitol has impacted the gaming community in other ways. For one thing, Twitch announced the removal of the PogChamp emote after Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez, the face of the emote, made comments that essentially encouraged the disorder and violence that took place.

Since the terminology is a big part of Twitch’s community at this point, the platform says in a follow-up tweet that the company will be collaborating with the community to design a brand-new emote for viewers to make use of.

Monster Hunter Rise Will Have New Wyvern Riding Mechanic

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Capcom had its highly awaited digital event for Monster Hunter Rise today, where it was revealed that the game will be introducing a brand-new feature that many fans will surely utilize upon release. With the new Wyvern Riding mechanic, players will be able to mount and control all kinds of monsters—they can even perform different actions while riding.

This feature was initially showcased during the event where footage was shown of the player character mounting a Tigrex using the new wirebugs mechanic. Given how it’s named Wyvern Riding, we can’t blame you if you thought that this feature could only be used on wyvern-type monsters. You’re not alone, we thought so too.

However, it appears that this is not the case, as there’s also footage of Azruros and Great Izuchi being ridden on. Shortly after Capcom’s initial announcement, the developer was quick to release another video with more details about the new mechanic.

There are a couple of things that the video explains, the first of which is about how to mount monsters to begin with. The footage makes it seem fairly easy—you need to make sure that the monster of choice is in a certain down state that can be achieved via either of the following: silkbind moves, damage caused by other monsters, jumping attacks using the wirebug, and specific forms of endemic life.

Based on this information, it appears that standard aerial attacks similar to those done by insect glaive won’t provide the required damage needed in order to down a monster for mounting.

Once you manage to mount the monster though, you have a couple of options to choose from. The monster will simply move if you hold down the R button while moving the left analog stick. On the other hand, you can control the monster to evade by pressing B. One thing you have to take note of, however, is that evading in order to dodge an oncoming attack will use up a wirebug. If you manage to dodge the attack perfectly though, the on-screen gauge will slightly fill up.

When you’re utilizing the wyvern riding mechanic, there’s a gauge that you need to keep an eye on. This gauge fills up every time you attack other monsters while mounted, as well as perfectly timed evades as mentioned.

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If you get to fill the wyvern riding gauge, you can perform a move or ability called mounted punisher. This is a kind of special super move that completely depends on the kind of monster you’re riding, similar to the light or heavy standard attacks.

The silkbind attacks as well as the mounted punisher are basically substitutes for Monster Hunter Generations’ hunting arts. There’s one other button you can press while mounting a monster and that’s the Y button. This actions performed by pressing this button are reminiscent of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne mechanics.

For instance, pressing the Y button will send the monster forward just like the clutch claw flinch shot attack in Iceborne. Similarly, colliding with either a wall or monster will dismount you from the monster. If you somehow manage to evade collision, though, you will stay mounted on the monster.

Monster Hunter Rise is set to launch on March 26, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch, so you only have to wait a few more months before you can finally experience this new mechanic for yourself.

Apple Removes 39,000 Games From China’s Apple Store In One Day

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The Apple App Store in China has done its largest single-day removal of games yet, banishing 39,000 games during a 24-hour period. This has come with an increase in demanding to acquire games with licenses – all of the games that were removed had none or did not refurbish their license.

Mobile games have become one of the best methods last year to stay in contact with friends and family while in lockdown protocols. Titles such as Among Us, the hit imposter game, has taken the world by storm, thanks to its easy to understand mechanics, and the probability of being able to work together with loved ones from across the region or even the world. However, not all mobile games are made alike, as some haven’t obtained the license that is required to continue production.

Based on a report by Reuters, not only were 39,000 games removed from the China App Store but a total of 46,000 apps, in general, were removed. Among these games were famous titles such as NBA 2K20 and Assassin’s Creed Identity, with only 74 of the top 1,500 paid games actually being saved.

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This wasn’t without warning though, as Apple had initially given the game’s publishers a set date at the end of June 2020 to pass a license issued by the government to keep their games running, and that would let the game developers use in-game purchases.

Apple then protracted the deadline until December 31, but even with that due date, all of those games weren’t able to acquire a license or did not renew, so now they have been totally removed, with Apple trying to “fall in line” with the content regulations of China.

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It’s not shocking that Apple would do this, granting most of these titles are seemingly not that popular and it was more of a cleanup than singling out on a specific game or franchise. Chinese games, in general, have gotten very famous the past year, including the award-winning Genshin Impact, so they are certainly bringing in money for Apple.

This occurrence was more for the sake of keeping Apple’s hands clean. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still a shame to witness a lot of apps and games get taken down so hastily. Even so, there’s still a lot of mobile games for players to resort to such as the ever-famous Among Us, as stated above. Another choice for gamers who are fans of another franchise, Pokemon, could still download the hit Pokemon Go game.

Madden NFL 21 Hints At Bewildering Spongebob Crossover

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Madden NFL 21, a controversial football video game, has hinted at a confusing crossover with, of all things, Spongebob Squarepants. The most recent title in EA’s yearly sports franchise has been met with significant skepticism from fans and critics alike.

During its release, the game was a buggy disaster, and when it finally functioned properly, it was generally unaltered from its immediate predecessor, Madden 20. Fans reacted to this clear absence of effort on EA’s part by giving the title the worst Metacritic user review in history and asking that the NFL change EA as its licensed video game developer.

Instead, NFL strengthened its partnership with EA by revealing, unbelievably enough, that the infamous sports simulator would play host to the official NFL Pro Bowl this year. This serves as a quite unorthodox way to make up for the scarcity of physical sports, which have been stopped on a massive scale by the coronavirus pandemic.

EA, to its credit, has been doing improvements to Madden NFL 21 post-release, particularly by putting work into the next-gen edition of the game. This upgraded game utilizes real-life tracking data from real football players to more precisely simulate their behavior on the field, and it also comes with the visuals and loading time enhancements one would anticipate from a next-gen upgrade.

In addition to enhancing the game itself, though, EA appears to be expanding Madden 21 in unusual directions. Last January 5, the official Twitter account of Madden NFL 21 posted a message asking players if they are ready.

The message was followed by a yellow screen featuring the face of Spongebob Squarepants and a date – January 7, 2021. Players should consider themselves lucky that the date is inevitable because the tweet contains no more details and only a link to the official Spongebob Squarepants Twitter account. One can guess that this upcoming crossover is somehow associated with the forthcoming NFL Wild Card game which will feature a cameo from the cartoon character himself, but nothing is confirmed yet.

Spongebob Squarepants is no stranger to the video game industry. The beloved sea sponge got his own game in 2003, and the past year saw a full remake of the game in the form of Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated.

Sentimental fans love the game for catching the spirit of the show and its crazy horseplay, and a few are likely looking forward to the game’s upcoming mobile version. However, high-energy 3D platformers are very recognizable from realistic football simulations, and it’s much simpler to see Spongebob flourishing in one than the other.

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