PlayStation Plus Free Games For October 2020 Now Available

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October 6, 2020

For the past few days, Riot Games has been teasing fans with posts implying that something cold or related to ice was making its way to the popular first-person shooter Valorant.

Many fans took this as a sign that a new map was going to be added to the game and that it was going to be set somewhere that has a lot of ice. They were right, of course. Just today, Riot confirmed to the fans that a new map will be included in Valorant and it will be called “Icebox.” This new map is set to arrive with the forthcoming Episode 1, Act 3 update.

The end of Valorant’s Episode 1, Act 2 is almost upon us. In fact, the conclusion for the second Act will take place this upcoming October 13. Once Act 2 ends, the Act 3 update will immediately be launched, bringing with it numerous changes to the game’s ranked mode.

In addition to the newly-announced Icebox map, you’ll be seeing a new battle pass and possibly a new Agent as well.

Riot Games revealed the new map through a short teaser trailer. Given the arena’s name, Icebox will be set in a place that’s completely covered in ice. From what we can see, it appears that players will be able to battle it out from inside and outside of an iced-over dockyard.

As the trailer pans around the map to give us a good look at the area, we can see that there are enormous ship containers spread throughout the place. Wrecked ships are also present, as they are frozen solid into place.

Icebox is similar to Split in a way that it has a lot of ropes scattered around. That being said, fans were taken by surprise that Riot is releasing a map this early. When Valorant was released, executive producer Anna Donlon said that the studio only plans to release a new map every Episode and not every Act.

As such, it would make more sense if Riot released Icebox during Episode 2, which is supposed to take place after Episode 1, Act 3. On the other hand, Donlon did say that it’s possible that Riot would stray from the original plan, but we’re still surprised that they would deviate so early in the game’s life.

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In any case, this unexpected map reveal comes as a pleasant surprise. At this point, it’s highly unlikely that fans would complain about a new map when they’ve been requesting for new ones for quite some time now.

The arrival of Icebox means that Valorant would have five maps now. At least this time, the new map will add a breath of fresh air to the game, especially for those who have gotten tired of the same, repeating maps.

We don’t know yet if Icebox will be released on the same day as Act 3, but if we base on Riot’s previous actions, the Ascent map was released around the same time as Episode 1 Act 1. In other words, it’s definitely possible for them to do the same with Icebox.

Act 3 will go live by next week and Valorant fans are definitely looking forward to all the new content that Riot has planned.

GTA Online Players Disappointed As Developer Forgets Game’s 7th Anniversary

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October 6, 2020

Rockstar Games looks like it has totally forgotten Grand Theft Auto Online’s seventh anniversary and players are calling out the studio for it.

Players are devastated that Rockstar Games looks to have forgotten the seventh anniversary of its famous online game Grand Theft Auto Online. The game is the online counterpart of the developer studio’s endeared Grand Theft Auto V which took the gaming world by storm when it was released in 2013. Grand Theft Auto V still remains the second best-selling video game of all time up to this day.

GTA Online is not quite as popular as its single-player equivalent but the game still had massive success in its own right. It was an astonishingly dissenting experience at release as many players encountered troublesome technical issues.

Even when the game worked well, players found the content was insufficient, though others admired the open-world functionality of the game. Long-running post-launch support enhanced the game’s elements ever since it was released, and even after seven years of existence, it still has a massive fan following.

Unfortunately, it seems like fans might love the game more than the developers does. Grand Theft Auto Online celebrated its seventh anniversary last October 1. However, while players showed up to remember the occasion, Rockstar Games did nothing.

This led to a really angry Reddit thread with one meme made by user Captainvideoblaster blaming the studio for tending more about their profits rather than thinking about their online community. The hate is understandable because of the developer’s latest announcement that Grand Theft Auto V will be coming to next-gen consoles instead of the sequel everyone has been waiting for.

R* today from gtaonline

This decision has raised more than a few eyebrows and it is a legitimate explanation as to why the developers may have forgotten Grand Theft Auto Online’s anniversary. With Rockstar Games’ minds set on the next-gen games, it totally makes sense that the current-gen games might get neglected.

This is not the first time online fans have felt unappreciated by Rockstar Games. A few months ago, Red Dead Online players felt so abandoned that they dressed up like clowns in a haunting virtual protest. The online protest might have worked since Rockstar updated the game with a new Naturalist player role before the month of protest ended. Along with these content scarcity and regular technical problems plaguing both games, it’s not difficult to see why players are angry with the developers.

Rockstar Games definitely deserves a legendary status in the gaming industry, giving us a few high-quality games. It’s almost impossible to believe that a developer this big can make these mistakes but unfortunately, nobody is perfect.

The carelessness of Grand Theft Auto Online is a huge disappointment for players who have been playing the game for the past seven years. Hopefully, Rockstar Games will make it up to them soon.

Resident Evil Movie Reboot Characters and Cast Announced

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October 6, 2020

More information about the Resident Evil movie reboot has been revealed including its origin story, characters, and cast, with many of the franchise’s regulars making an appearance.

Last year, a new Resident Evil movie was announced to be in development. However, rather than Paul W.S. Anderson directing, Johannes Roberts of 47 Meters Down is taking the wheel. The movie has been confirmed to be a reboot and origin story which seems like it will be closer to the resource material compared to Anderson’s films.

Fans are likely to be more welcoming to a more loyal adaptation but it doesn’t seem like this new Resident Evil movie reboot will be a straightforward adaptation to the first game and rather just tied to the franchise’s lore. With this in mind, the movie is set to feature several popular characters from across the franchise.

Kaya Scodelario (Maze Runner) = Claire

Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) = Jill

Robbie Amell (Upload) = Chris

Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy) = Wesker

Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap) = Leon

Neal McDonough (Yellowstone) = William Birkin pic.twitter.com/5REfawDLcE

— Nibel (@Nibellion) October 6, 2020

In fact, the movie’s cast has been revealed, not only confirming who fans wanted to see on the silver screen but also the actors/actresses playing the role. The list contains the franchise’s veterans Chris and Clair Redfield, Leon S. Kennedy, Jill Valentine as well as villains William Birkin and Albert Wesker.

Chris Redfield – Robbie Amell (Upload, The Flash)
Claire Redfield – Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales)
Jill Valentine – Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Game of Thrones)
Leon S. Kennedy – Avan Jogia (Zombieland: Double Tap, Now Apocalypse)
Albert Wesker – Tom Hopper (The Umbrella Academy, Black Sails)
William Birkin – Neal McDonough (Yellowstone, Altered Carbon)

While the above-mentioned protagonists have crossed paths in previous Resident Evil games such as Claire and Leon being playable characters in Resident Evil 2, this would be the first time all four protagonists appear together, considering this is what will happen in the movie.

New Resident Evil movie announced, "an official origin story adaptation with faithful ties to Capcom’s classic survival horror games"

Set in 1998 in Raccoon City, directed by Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down)https://t.co/QlieHWV5pr pic.twitter.com/hmAH14cQjB

— Nibel (@Nibellion) October 6, 2020

Unfortunately, story details are still unrevealed. All that is confirmed is that the story will take place in 1998 in Raccoon City. The year and location suggest that the film will be happening at the same time as the first three games but it is highly unlikely that the movie will try to adapt all three games in the time of one movie.

It is also difficult to compose a movie that could easily fit within the franchise’s canon and feature all of the heroes working together. Nonetheless, Capcom is indeed going all-in on bringing the franchise to both film and television.

Just a few months ago, Netflix revealed details of its Resident Evil TV series which won’t be related to the games and will rather have an original story focused on Wesker’s daughters. Just a month later, a standalone animated TV series called Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness was revealed featuring the return of franchise favorites Claire and Leon which is scheduled to release in 2021.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Bringing Back Two More Breath of the Wild Characters

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October 6, 2020

A new teaser trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity reveals two more Breath of the Wild characters making a comeback into the upcoming game.

The announcement of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s young Impa as another playable character in the upcoming Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has set the gaming world on fire. Now, Nintendo reveals two younger versions of fan-favorite characters from Breath of the Wild which will be returning into the upcoming game. Similar to Impa, these newly announced characters show what several of the supporting characters from the most recent Zelda game looked like a hundred years in the past.

In another surprise trailer reveal from Nintendo, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was announced during the first week of September, validating that the spin-off for the Legend of Zelda series would actually be a Breath of the Wild prequel.

A few weeks later during the Tokyo Game Show 2020, Nintendo presented a few of Hyrule Warriors’ playable characters including a clip of the four Champions from Breath of the Wild in action. Along the side of these four powerful warriors came the announcement of another playable character in the form of young Impa, which caused fans to explode in excitement for the upcoming spin-off. Now, even more critical characters from the Breath of the Wild story have been introduced to play essential roles in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity’s pivotal plot.

Once again, Nintendo shocked the entire gaming world with a surprise teaser trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity which revealed two more Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild characters, the bizarre researchers from Sheikah – Purah and Robbie – coming to the upcoming game.

Purah and Robbie were first introduced in Breath of the Wild but they look different than they did in today’s new trailer drop. It remains uncertain whether the two will be playable characters in Age of Calamity since the teaser was all cinematic. According to Nintendo, one playable character is yet to be announced. However, it would make a lot of sense that the two researchers would not be joining the battle even though a lot of fans have expressed interest in playing Purah’s character.

In Breath of the Wild, both Purah and Robbie have very small statures. Purah revealed that her appearance is the result of a faulty experiment while players assume that Robbie has always had a small body that continued over into his old age.

The trailer also showed what both characters looked like a hundred years before Link’s awakening from the Shrine of Resurrection. While Purah looked older than she did in Breath of the Wild, players now see her as a young adult instead of a child. On the other hand, Robbie is a younger and taller version of himself which is a blunt contradiction to his small and frail body in Breath of the Wild.

Once again, gamers can’t help but talk about Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity’s old and new characters. Both their visuals and amazing personalities are precisely what fans hoped for these characters and Nintendo has accomplished in delivering these expectations.

Xbox Series X Costs An Unbelievable $1200 in Turkey

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October 6, 2020

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The Xbox Series X is being retailed in Turkey for a whopping $1200 which is over twice its price in the United States. A few months ago, Microsoft revealed that the next-gen console will cost $500 in the United States following a leak that unexpectedly spilled the price of the Xbox Series X’s smaller counterpart, the Xbox Series S.

While the price is far from cheap, $500 isn’t that much of investment especially when it comes to a brand new console and Microsoft is working round the clock to ensure that the new device is worth its price tag.

Despite the obvious lack of exclusive games, no thanks to the Halo infinite delay, the power of the Xbox Series X’s hardware is not worth condemning for. The next-gen console’s capabilities have already been proven via test consoles which can run massive games such as Doom Eternal in just a few seconds.

The Xbox series X is officially announced in Turkey. It’s an eye watering $1200 (tax included). The worst part is even taking tax into account with the US base price ($500) it should be $940. Microsoft just decided to add $240 on top of that (%50 markup) because apparently why not. from XboxSeriesX

The recent acquisition of Bethesda and ZeniMax Media also guarantees that Microsoft’s next-gen console library will be filled with high-quality exclusive games not long after its release. However, while the company has done a great job in making the Xbox Series X worth of its $500 value, this isn’t the price every fan will have to pay.

A Reddit user by the name Azyrr revealed in a post that in Turkey, the cost of Microsoft’s new console is set at a ridiculous price of $1200. While the price was aggravated by taxes, Azyrr took the time to break down the cost, pointing out that after all taxes were applied, the Xbox Series X should only cost $940. The additional $260 could only be explained by the Reddit user as an unjustified and deliberate markup.

There’s still no confirmation from Microsoft that they marked up the price just because they felt like it, but the fact remains that gamers in Turkey shouldn’t spend this much for an already overpriced next-gen console.

Localization will always be a complicated issue especially in the video game industry which can lead to shocking decisions in the game’s content. For example, it was revealed recently that localizers desired to give breasts on Pikachu. However, localization should not implement ridiculous price hikes just like in the case of the Xbox Series X.

It is plain unfair to oblige fans to pay such horrendously increased prices just because of the location of where they live. No amount of tax regulations can justify this inhuman cause. Turkey’s currency is valued far lower than the US dollar which seems to be another explanation for this unforgivable price increase.

The global economy is such a complex thing and it’s not simple to reach total stability in prices across countries all over the world. However, it’s just difficult to believe that there is any justified excuse for the Xbox Series X high pricing in Turkey.

Hopefully, Microsoft will change their minds and lower the prices soon.

Genshin Impact Reaches 17 Million Downloads On Mobile Devices Alone

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October 6, 2020

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Genshin Impact was officially released last week, but the open-world RPG has already seen quite a success. As a matter of fact, recent reports have shown that Genshin Impact is considered to be the biggest global launch of any Chinese-made game, as it accumulated over 21 million pre-registrations throughout different platforms.

It appears that more information about the game’s record-breaking statistics has been revealed with the announcement that the RPG has garnered over 17 million downloads — and that’s for mobile devices alone.

This information came from App Annie’s Twitter account. If you don’t know what App Annie is, it is a website that keeps tabs on the statistics and analysis of numerous mobile apps. Just recently, App Annie highlighted the fact that Genshin Impact already reached over 17 million mobile downloads during its first four days.

That being said, this may not be surprising news to many gamers. After all, mobile devices are definitely more accessible and widely available worldwide compared to other gaming platforms.

Not only that, but Genshin Impact is a “gacha” game. In other words, you get to recruit a bunch of unique characters to join your party, which is most likely a huge selling point for many fans. Besides, it’s a free-to-play open-world RPG with countless quests to finish, so what more can a gamer ask for?

https://twitter.com/appannie/status/1312884141688418304?s=20

Another reason why Genshin Impact is so popular has to do with the title’s ability to crossplay and cross-progress. In other words, this means that it doesn’t matter what platform you decide to use because you will still be able to experience the game and its full co-op experience. Although, you have to make sure that you’re on the same server.

On the other hand, cross-progression may be a bit more complex. This feature is supported by PC and mobile devices, but this is not the case for the PlayStation 4. This means that if you download the game on your mobile phone or tablet, PC players will also benefit from it.

However, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies with this game. Yes, Genshin Impact is free-to-play and you don’t need to fork over anything if you wish to try it out. Of course, developer miHoYo still needs to make money, and they do this through the title’s gacha system.

More than anything, you can compare a gacha to a loot box, wherein fans have to use either real-world or in-game money for a chance to receive strong weapons and characters. It’s quite worrying to think that this could lead to players overspending, especially if they desperately want to pull a certain item or character.

In any case, players of the game have been really loving Genshin Impact and all it has to offer. The art style is beautiful and so is the music, and the fact that it’s an open-world title is a definite plus. You’d really have to delve in deep if you want to look for a reason to dislike it.

At the moment, miHoYo is working to port Genshin Impact to the Nintendo Switch. As such, it’s safe to say that this will be a title we’ll be seeing around for a while.

Ghost of Tsushima’s Co-Op Mode Now Has a Release Date

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October 6, 2020

Ghost of Tsushima was officially launched earlier this year, and it received a lot of positive reviews. The title takes place during the invasion of Tsushima by the Mongols, and it’s evidently becoming one of the most highly-acclaimed games this year.

After its release, Sony revealed to the fans that Ghost of Tsushima will be having a spin-off co-op mode called Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. This mode will give players the ability to experience Sucker Punch’s world through the lens of a multiplayer mode.

Sucker Punch recently published an update on the PlayStation Blog, and now fans finally have an idea as to when they can experience the highly-anticipated co-op mode. More specifically, it has been revealed that Ghost of Tsushima’s 1.1 update will go live on October 16.

That being said, the upcoming update will contain more than just the Legends co-op mode. Sucker Punch has also announced that Ghost of Tsushima will be having a New Game Plus mode, along with many other new features.

https://twitter.com/SuckerPunchProd/status/1313117054178742272?s=20

According to Darren Bridges, Sucker Punch’s senior game designer, version 1.1 will be a major update containing numerous new enhancements to the singleplayer aspect of the game asides from the co-op debut.

Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is the highlight of the update, though, and the blog post doesn’t sacrifice any of the details regarding the new mode. If you want to test it out, you can launch the co-op mode by talking to Gyozen the Storyteller, an NPC in the world of Ghost of Tsushima.

He will then tell you about extraordinary stories relating to Japanese mythology. These stories are relevant, as they set up the different game modes you’ll find in Legends. The multiplayer mode has different options for players to choose from, namely: two-player story missions, three-player survival encounters, or four-player raids.

Each of these modes has different objectives for you to finish. Legends will also separate the players into different classes, as each member has the option to choose between an Assassin, Hunter, Samurai, or Ronin.

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That being said, it’s also worth noting that each class has its very own special ability such as a ghostly spirit dog or exploding arrows, which makes things all the more exciting. Plus, the different classes focus on a specific area of Jin’s combat style.

Going back to the New Game Plus mode, this will add exciting new things to the game itself once you’ve successfully completed it. Some of the new inclusions you’ll find after conquering the mode are the following:

an all-new horse;
mighty additions to the many charms you’ll find in the game; and
an extra upgrade to your bow, sword, and armor.

You’ll also have a chance to meet a new merchant as you steadily progress through the game. The new Ghost Flower vendor will offer you fresh dyes for your armor, but he can only be encountered in the New Game Plus mode.

However, you need to keep in mind that the merchant only accepts the brand-new Ghost Flower currency, so you really need to save up on that if you want to purchase new dyes.

Fortnite Season 4: All Week 6 Challenges and New Content

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October 6, 2020

Fortnite’s Season 4 Week 6 challenges are more critical than ever. With half of the season over, players still struggling to unlock all the gold, silver, and holographic foil color modifications from the Battle Pass skins should take advantage of this week’s seven new challenges which reward a total of 225,000 XP.

In addition, Wolverine’s skins can now be unlocked this week if players are able to locate and beat Wolverine inside the Weeping Woods. To unlock Wolverine’s classic skin variant, players must have finished the past ten Weekly Challenges from Week 5 to Week 6.

This week’s new challenges put the Marvel-themed season to the background for a bit as the developers showcase the game’s new in-game features such as the Vendetta Flopper Fish and the Legendary Midas.

The challenges are not difficult to complete but there are particular tasks that will take some time to accomplish. As usual, there is a Team Challenge which provides 50,000 XP to each member of the team upon completion.

This week’s challenges still ask players to search treasure chests, kill enemies, and deal a certain amount of damage. However, there will also be fishing and riding a zip line among others. Here is the full list of this week’s Fortnite Season 4 challenges:

Ride a Zipline from Retail Row to Steamy Stacks (1) (25,000 XP)
Consume Foraged Items at Holly Hedges (10) (25,000 XP)
Consume a Legendary Fish (1) (25,000 XP)
Collect Stone from Coral Castle (300) (25,000 XP)
Eliminations at Misty Meadows (3) (25,000 XP)
Search Chests at Weeping Woods (7) (25,000 XP)
Deal damage after knocking an opponent back with Black Panther’s Kinetic Shockwave (1000) (50,000 XP)

Probably the most difficult of the bunch is locating a Legendary fish since the two new fish additions – Vendetta Flopper and Midas Flopper – have a devastatingly low 1% drop rate. The Midas Flopper can only be located near the waters of The Authority and both fish can only be captured via a Pro Fishing Rod. The good thing is the challenge can be completed in any game mode including the Battle Lab which might make it easier.

Black Panther’s Kinetic Shockwave is a special power that can be grabbed in any of the Marvel-themed modes. Players must use it and knockback enemies then damage these opponents. This, similar to other Team Challenges, can be done alone or with a team. The inclusion of this special power and its challenge may be a sign that the developers are close to introducing the new Black Panther skin which was teased earlier in the season.

Other challenges this week include the last Wolverine challenge which unlocks the hero’s skin. Players who want to unlock Wolverine’s skin will have to find and defeat the Wolverine NPC boss at the Weeping Boss. Wolverine’s NPC has an expansive spawn and wandering radius which makes him difficult to find.

Players will have to defeat the Wolverine NPC to unlock the default skin and finish ten Weekly Challenges from Week 5 to Week 6 to receive the Classic Wolverine skin variant. It is speculated that Epic Games is working on a third Logan-inspired Wolverine skin which will be released in the coming weeks.

Twitch Announces New Accessibility Feature

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October 6, 2020