Appearing at PAX Aus today in Melbourne, Call of Duty audio designers from Sledgehammer Games shared some interesting insight into how they made the sounds for Call of Duty: WWII.David Swenson (Audio Director) and Michael Caisley (Lead Sound Designer) came from the San Francisco Bay Area to speak on the panel, and one of the most intriguing stories they shared was about how they captured the sounds for the the Normandy Beach landing scene in Call of Duty: WWII.Swenson and Caisley talked about how their original idea to capture the Normandy Beach sounds was to work with the United States Coast Guard. In fact, the audio team went out with the Coast Guard, climbing into their boats and going out on the water to create more realistic-sounding water noises.However, due to legal issues related to the rights, Sledgehammer was unable to use these sounds. In this tough position, Sledgehammer came up with a unique and inexpensive solution.To create splashing sounds and the sound of water hitting jackets, Caisley used his own garden hose--at his house--and sprayed the water in a stream onto an old leather jacket attached to a metal chair. It was a unique and inexpensive solution that ended up with a great result with excellent sound in the final mix.The developers also shared another story in a similar vein. To capture some of the sounds of fighter planes like the B-24 Liberator and the B-25 Mitchell, the team had a unique challenge because the planes are not widely in operation anymore. So what did they do? A local airshow near Sledgehammer's office featured classic WWII planes, giving the team an opportunity to capture the sounds. But getting close was another issue. So the audio team went to a nearby golf course and parked out on Hole 3. When the planes flew overheard, they broke out their recorders and captured the sounds in a way you probably didn't expect.In another example, Swenson said Sledgehammer was struggling to find a way to faithfully capture the sound of a soldier walking through a creek for Call of Duty: WWII. They tried capturing the sound of a person walking in a pool, but when they got back to the tool, that's what it sounded like: a person walking in a pool, with reverberations from the edges and other unnatural elements that just wouldn't do. California, where Sledgehammer is located, was going through a drought and the nearby creeks were dry.The team was in a tight spot, but it all worked out, as Swenson went on a camping trip further away from the office and lo and behold, there was a water-filled creek nearby he could use to capture the sound. Audio designers should always bring their recording equipment with them, wherever they go, Swenson said.One further story involved an earlier Sledgehammer title, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Swenson struggled for a while to find the right sound for Walker Tanks, but he had a stroke of good fortune one morning. Swenson, who sleeps with his recorder on his bedside table, woke up one morning to the sound of the the garbing truck driving by. He raced outside and followed his garbage truck for "like 100 houses" to capture the various heavy and mechanical sounds of what would become the Walker Tanks,Swenson and Caisley provided these examples, and others, to make the point that Sledgehammer's audio team is known for being crafty and smart with the resources they have. Swenson said when he first started working on Call of Duty, he thought he would have a never-ending budget and all the resources he needed. In reality, however, that wasn't always necessarily the case. So they changed mindsets to act and operate more like a startup. The team has in the past spent a lot of money on big shoots, but this comes with a lot of pressure, both Swenson and Caisley agreed.PAX Aus runs October 11-13 in Melbourne, and GameSpot is on hand at the show all weekend to bring you news and further coverage. For more, check out a rundown of all the panels in the GameSpot Theatre.The next Call of Duty game is Modern Warfare, from developer Infinity Ward. The game launches on October 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Info from Gamespot.com

With Joker currently smashing box office records with Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role, it's easy to forget that it's only three years since the last version of the Crown Prince of Crime was on screen. Jared Leto played the role in 2016's Suicide Squad, and despite initial rumors that he would return to role, this now seems unlikely. According to a new report, he wasn't happy about the decision to make another Joker movie without him.The Hollywood Reporter states that Leto was left feeling "alienated and upset" when Joker was greenlit by Warner. While Suicide Squad was not a critical hit, it was a box office success, and it was expected that Leto would reprise the role. In June 2018 it was reported that a standalone Joker movie starring Leto was in development, that would tie into a Suicide Squad sequel. However, there has been no further news about this, and Suicide Squad is now being rebooted by James Gunn.The new Joker movie was first announced in 2017, which led Leto himself to comment on the situation. He said he was "confused" by the fact there were seemingly more than one movie in the works. It was also reported by THR that Leo was "was caught off guard by the plans."Whether we'll see Phoenix reprise the role is unknown. While director Todd Phillips initially denied that there were plans for a sequel, Phoenix this week stated that he couldn't "stop thinking about" the character.One Suicide Squad character that is getting a spin-off movie is Harley Quinn. Margot Robbie is set to play Harley again in the upcoming Birds of Prey, which releases in February 2020. For more, check out GameSpot's guide to everything we know so far about Birds of Prey.Info from Gamespot.com

Ready for some early holiday shopping? Throughout this weekend, Ebay is offering major discounts on consoles, games, accessories, gaming laptops, and more as part of its first-ever gaming weekend sale. The sale is live now and runs until Sunday, October 13.Friday DropThe sale overlaps with Ebay's first "Friday Drop," a series of spotlight deals the site plans to unveil every Friday at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. The first Friday Drop features the new model Nintendo Switch with better battery life. While originally discounted to $280 this morning, the Switch is now even cheaper, selling for $270.Nintendo Switch | $270 ($300)See at EbayMore great gaming dealsConsoles and accessoriesIf you're looking for a new console this holiday season, multiple Xbox One bundles and the PlayStation 4 Pro are on sale.Xbox One S bundle with Gears 5 and NBA 2K19 -- $200Xbox One S bundle with Red Dead Redemption 2 -- $225Xbox One S Fortnite Battle Royal special edition -- $235Xbox One X bundle with The Division 2 -- $374PlayStation Pro -- $355DualShock 4 controller (Magma Red, Gold) -- $39GamesIt's always smart to nab Nintendo's first-party games when you see them on sale. The weekend sale features a bunch of awesome Switch games at discounted prices, including the recently released (and wonderful) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Some solid PS4 and Xbox One game discounts are available as well.The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Switch) -- $48 ($60)Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch) -- $45 ($60)Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) -- $45 ($60)New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (Switch) -- $45 ($60)Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch) -- $45 ($60)Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 (Switch) -- $45 ($60)Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! (Switch) -- $45 ($60)Splatoon 2 (Switch) -- $45 ($60)Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Switch) -- $45 ($60)Mortal Kombat 11 (Switch) -- $38 ($60)NBA 2K20 (PS4 or Xbox One) -- $52.95 ($60)Days Gone (PS4) -- $30 ($60)Star Wars Battlefront II (Xbox One) -- $17.54 ($60)See more game deals at EbaySubscriptionPlayStation Plus 12-month membership -- $39 ($60)Xbox Live Gold 12-month membership -- $50 ($60)PC Hardware If you're in the market for a new gaming laptop, there are a few really stellar discounts, including a $700 discount on the Asus ROG Strix Hero II.Asus ROG Strix Hero II -- $1,000 ($1,699)Razer Blade 15 -- $2,700 ($3,000)HP Omen 15 -- $800 ($1,096)Acer Predator Helios 500 -- $1,400 ($2,000)Acer Predator Helios 300 -- $800 ($2,000)See more gaming laptop deals at EbayInfo from Gamespot.com

Blizzard's decision to harshly punish professional Hearthstone player Blitzchung has already received criticism from across the political spectrum and game community, and another high-profile personality has joined the chorus with his thoughts: the very first Hearthstone World Champion.James Kostesich aka "Firebat" won the Hearthstone World Championship in 2014, when the game was just getting started as a competitive esport. He's still a popular streamer and competes on Team Omnislash. In the streaming show Omnistone, fellow Hearthstone personality Brian Kibler reiterated his previous statement that while Blitzchung definitely did violate the rules, the punishment is too extreme. Kostesich agreed."I agree that he's not supposed to do that. That is definitely, clearly against the rules of Grandmasters," Kostesich said. "But it's definitely ridiculous how much he was punished for it. I agree that there's probably something else going on--they want to make an example of him or something, because it's just so unreasonable. I think they're totally in the wrong to punish him that much: absolutely murdering the guy's Hearthstone career, or attempting to anyway. It's very sad to see. I wish they would support their players more. Using a player as an example, it doesn't make me feel good."Kostesich's comments are the latest in a series of sharp critiques leveled at Blizzard, which has included sitting US Senators, competing companies, and even some of Blizzard's own employees. Kibler has quit his position as a Grandmasters caster in protest.The incident began when Ng Wai Chung aka "Blitzchung" expressed his support for Hong Kong protests during a post-match interview. Blizzard said this violated its rule against any act that "brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages Blizzard's image." As punishment, Chung was banned from competitive events for a year and forced to give up his $10,000 in winnings.Kibler and Kostesich say they agree that Chung did actually commit a rule infraction, but it's the year-long ban and $10,000 at stake that appear too harsh.Meanwhile, Blizzard fans are still rallying a boycott. Several users on the Hearthstone subreddit have announced they are quitting the game or deleting accounts. Some fans have also called for Hearthstone streamers to quit the game in protest. This prompted at least one popular former streamer, Disguised Toast, to respond that such an expectation isn't necessarily viable--but he issued a different kind of ultimatum of his own.Hearthstone streamers are being pressured to stop streaming Hearthstone due to the Blitzchung drama, but that's financially unrealistic for them.So I'll make this offer instead.BLIZZARD, I will START playing Hearthstone again if you reconsider your position about his ban. — Disguised Toast (@DisguisedToast) October 11, 2019 Info from Gamespot.com

Apple has announced its first in-house series, to be executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. The series is called Masters of the Air, based on the Donald L. Miller book of the same name, and follows the story of World War 2 bomber pilots. It will air exclusively on Apple TV Plus.Variety reports that the limited drama series is being written by John Orloff (Band of Brothers), who is also co-executive producing. Band of Brothers was an awards success for HBO during its run starting in 2001, and this series appears to be looking to capture the same flavor of WW2 drama.Apple also announced that its internal studio will be called Masters. It will be headed up by Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht.This is the second series from Spielberg coming to Apple TV Plus. The first, announced alongside Apple's initial reveal of the streaming service, is a reboot of Amazing Stories. It's based on the sci-fi pulp magazines that helped inspire Spielberg's own career as a storyteller. Several other exclusive shows are on the way with talent including Steve Carrell, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Mamoa, JJ Abrams, and Oprah.Info from Gamespot.com

It's the second week of the Shadowkeep expansion to Destiny 2, and the Season of the Undying is in full effect. Not only are you now free to hunt loot on the moon with Eris Morn, but there are several other sources for new guns and armor, like the Vex Offensive event and the Garden of Salvation raid. But if you're still working on Deathbringer don't have the team or the time to complete the very complex quest to unlock the raid Exotic, Divinity, our man Xur has you covered. He's back for another weekend with a haul of Exotics, including all those you could get from random drops in Year Two.Here's where you can find the Agent of the Nine and what he has to offer.Where Is Xur?Drop by the Tower to find Xur hanging out in the Hangar. From the staircase where you enter the area, turn left and head up the stairs to find Xur standing on a catwalk near the edge of the Tower. Destiny 2 Recent News Destiny 2 Divinity Exotic Guide: How To Get New Shadowkeep Raid Trace Rifle Where Is Xur Today? Destiny 2 Exotics Location, Weapon, Armor (October 11-15) Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Raid Guide: How To Beat The Garden Of Salvation Destiny 2 Shadowkeep: How To Power Above 900 And Get Raid Ready What Is Xur Selling?Like last week, there's not much of note in Xur's haul today. Leading the list is The Jade Rabbit, an Exotic scout rifle that's been in the game for quite a while. It's very useful if you're trying to get the Crucible's new Ritual Weapon, however.More useful to most returning players is the fact that Xur's Fated Engram, which gives you one Exotic you don't already have per week, now includes more possibilities. Xur's inventory has been expanded to include all the random Year Two Exotic drops from the Annual Pass, which means Exotic armor from the Season of Opulence is now available from the expensive engram. If you're a PC or Xbox One player taking advantage of cross-save, you can now potentially get Wavesplitter from the Fated Engram as well.Xur also carries the Five of Swords challenge card that lets you add modifiers to standard Nightfall Strikes, and if you're looking to work through Annual Pass content from Year Two, you can also get an Invitation of the Nine bounty from him.Xur Item Lineup (October 11-15)The Jade Rabbit (Exotic Scout Rifle) -- 29 Legendary ShardsMechaneer's Tricksleeves (Exotic Hunter Gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary ShardsThe Stag (Exotic Warlock Helmet) -- 23 Legendary ShardsAshen Wake (Exotic Titan Gauntlets) -- 23 Legendary ShardsThe Jade RabbitIf you're hunting the new Crucible Ritual Weapon, Randy's Throwing Knife, and need scout rifle kills, you might want to pick up The Jade Rabbit. The scout rifle is great for racking up kills in PvP. It gives you increased damage on your headshots when you chain them together with body shots first, and returns ammo to the magazine when you successfully activate the perk.Mechaneer's TricksleevesIf you're a Hunter who likes sidearms in emergencies, Mechaneer's Tricksleeves are the gloves for you. They increase your handling and reload speed for sidearms generally, and give you increased sidearm damage when you're critically wounded--making them great for those panic moments when you absolutely need to kill whoever's about to kill you.Stats:Mobility: +4Resilience: +6Recovery: +16Discipline: +6Intellect: +6Strength: +10Total: 481 EnergyThe StagAnother handy death-related Exotic, The Stag lets Warlocks help out their teammates even when they fall in battle. The helmet gives you Rift energy when you're critically wounded, which means you can more quickly save yourself if you're using Healing Rift. If you should die, the helmet creates a Healing Rift on your corpse to make it easier for a teammate to revive you.Stats:Mobility: +6Resilience: +6Recovery: +14Discipline: +6Intellect: +10Strength: +6Total: 481 EnergyAshen WakeTitans get their Fusion grenades amped up a bit by Ashen Wake. Instead of lingering on the ground, Fusion grenades you throw while using the Exotic explode on impact. You also get increased throw speed, so you can fastball your grenades into enemies.Stats:Mobility: +6Resilience: +8Recovery: +10Discipline: +12Intellect: +6Strength: +6Total: 481 EnergyInfo from Gamespot.com

While many big movies have been turned into theme park rides over the years, the opposite is sometimes true as well. Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean ride became a hugely popular five-film franchise, and the studio will be hoping for the same for Jungle Cruise. The river boat attraction has been turned into a big budget movie starring Dwayne Johnson, and it hits theaters in July next year. The first trailer has now been released.The movie stars Johnson as Frank, a riverboat captain who specialises in cruises down a dangerous jungle river in the 1930s. The trailer sets up the basic plot, in which Emily Blunt plays an adventurer in search of a mystical tree with healing properties, and hires the reluctant Frank to take her on the dangerous mission downriver to find it. Not surprisingly, the movie looks extremely comedic, with plenty of of Indiana Jones-influenced action in there too. Check it out below.Jungle Cruise also stars Jack Whitehall (Good Omens), Édgar Ramírez (Bright), Jesse Plemons (Game Night), and Paul Giamatti (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). It's directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who previously helmed the shark thriller The Shallows and the Liam Neeson action thrillers Non-Stop and The Commuter. It releases on July 24, 2020.In a recent interview with Yahoo, Blunt spoke about what drew her to the project. "Just to be transported to this incredible world and that sense of travel and adventure and just a rich tapestry for audiences to escape to," she said. "And it's based on a ride, which just has oodles of nostalgia and so much to kind of mine for us creatively, so it was very cool."Info from Gamespot.com

On this episode of the GameSpot's After Dark podcast, the crew is joined by Brian Altano, who you may know from IGN and the Comedy Button. There's a variety of topics discussed, including a little video game console called [checks notes] PlayStation 5, and the latest entry in a little role-playing series called [check notes] Dragon Quest, among other things. One of the interesting discussions focuses on the language of video games, which many of us have learned intimately through playing games over the years. However, for newcomers, it's much harder to understand how to play games and many don't make it easy. In fact, they can make assumptions about what we know and are capable of. You can listen to the episode using the links below and read a transcript of some of that discussion there too.Where You Can ListenRSS FeedSpotifySoundcloudiTunesGoogle Play See But Don't TellLucy: One or more of us has been playing either Control or Fire Emblem. And I'm here to finally break my streak, at least, in that I played Erica at the weekend, the Flavorworks game. So I played it with my phone because I, annoyingly, trapped a nerve under my shoulder blade at the tail end of last week. And so I was like, "I'm doing nothing this weekend but just playing games." Annoyingly though, Erica, because you play it on your phone, I had to play it lefthanded. And so every time I was trying to do something I was like, "Aw, come on, man." But it's really cool.Kallie: This is the FMV game?Lucy: So it is... I don't know, I think FMV sort of does it a disservice because it's really well shot and acted, and kind of the complete polar opposite of... at least what I assume, what I think of when I think of FMV. It's an interactive movie. It's more so than Bandersnatch. So Bandersnatch is just you picking, you know, the left option or the right option. Whereas in this one you are kind of interacting with the environment. So you would do things like, one of the first things it shows you is a lighter and you... It doesn't tell you how to do anything either, you just kind of automatically open it and then flick it on the screen.Brian: So it's intuitive.Lucy: Yeah. So it was weird because literally the day before I'd been watching... There's a really good video essay about what gaming is like for people who aren't gamers. And it's all about how we intrinsically know the language of gaming. Like you know that you press this button to jump, or if you try this, this will happen. Because you have years and years of just gaming vernacular. I don't know, you just pick it up.Brian: Like input recognition and stuff, yeah.Kallie: Yeah, to make a zoomed-in version of that would be like understanding Zelda puzzles because there is a language to them. And so your first Zelda, you're kind of like, "I guess I just put a bomb here." But now you know like, "Oh that wall looks suspicious."Jake: Yeah, like I got this item in this dungeon, that means I'm probably going to do this thing and this one.Lucy: I mean, but this video... I mean, we should probably link it [Editor's note: It's linked below], but it was really good because it was like this guy had his wife play a wide variety of games. So there was Dark Souls, there was Uncharted 2, I think it was. Hollow Knight, Super Mario Brothers. And Portal was the other one. Portal was wild because she could understand putting portals down, but she didn't know to use the mouse to look around. So if you look at... Because automatically as a gamer- You would know to use the mouse to look around. And it's just, all the footage is of her just sort of staring at this one wall, getting frustrated because she can't do anything.Jake: That reminds me, when I first played Halo 1, I remember not understanding that the right stick is how you look. I was like, "I should just be able to move right with just one finger. Why do I need to use this other one?" And now it makes perfect sense. I can't imagine playing a shooter without that.Brian: I had a friend that was the best kid in our crew at GoldenEye, and we just looked at it in his hand once, and we're like, "You don't ever strafe left and right. You just point and shoot." And he was like, "You can do that?" And we're like, "What? You've been wrecking us for like a year."Lucy: Oh my God.Brian: And then we told him that and then he got even better, and we're like, "Damn it!"Lucy: Should have kept it to yourself.Jake: And you didn't invite him over anymore.Brian: Yeah, never. We just dropped him like a bad habit.Lucy: So I watched that video and I actually remembered, so I was at Paris Games Week when they revealed Erica and I remember talking to Jack from Flavorworks about it. And basically, when he was presenting the game he was like, "Yeah, it's kind of weird how we all understand games. But what if you presented that to someone who just has no understanding of it?" And that's the kind of stuff that you can see throughout Erica, in that the way that you interact with the game. It just makes more sense to me. It's less game logic and more just regular logic.Kallie: Yeah. Like in our review, our reviewer Funke, who's a newer reviewer for us, he was talking about like, there's one scene where Erica, who's acted by a real person, can ding a bell to get service or attention or something and you do that by putting your hand over your phone the way you would ding that bell. And he tried it two ways. He tried just dinging it once and then he tried dinging it so many times that in the scene the person she's with gets irritated.Brian: Oh, wow.Kallie: I'm sorry, did you finish it? It's kind of like, it's really short, right?Lucy: One and done. I did it in about an hour-and-a-half. But it's a branching storyline, different outcomes, and it does a cool thing where it doesn't give you all the trophies as you're playing, so it gives you the trophies as the credits roll. And I went through and looked and I was like, "Oh my God, I could've done things so different."But it's, I guess, more of a psychological thriller. Erica, her father is murdered when she's a young girl. So immediately I was like, "Well crime, hello. True crime, I have to play this." And yeah, it's a really cool, creepy narrative. And I really enjoyed it. And I kind of want to go back and see how my decisions would play out if I did it a different way."Info from Gamespot.com

Pokemon Go developer Niantic has launched a new tool that aims to make the process of adding new points of interest to its games easier. The tool is called Wayfarer, and it lets players not only suggest new wayspots for Niantic titles, but also allows them to review and edit suggestions by other players.As Niantic explains on its blog, "With Niantic Wayfarer, eligible players will be able to review nominations of local points-of-interest (museums, art installations, historical markers, etc.) so they can be added to Niantic products (e.g. Portals, PokeStops and Gyms)." The tool is currently only available for select Ingress players, but the studio says it will expand to Pokemon Go users as well "before the new year." You can learn more about the tool and sign up for it on Niantic's website.We’re happy to introduce Niantic Wayfarer: our new tool that enables eligible users to review interesting places to play our games across the globe. Learn more about what it takes to join, and how you can help enhance your local game experience at https://t.co/2SjjoC8OlH pic.twitter.com/DWkecc4lYH — Niantic, Inc. (@NianticLabs) October 10, 2019This certainly isn't the first time Niantic has given players the ability to suggest new wayspots. Last year, the developer rolled out a PokeStop nomination feature in Pokemon Go that allowed players to suggest potential new PokeStops, and Gyms. That, however, is limited to certain countries and is only available to players in those regions who've hit the game's level cap of 40.In other Pokemon Go news, the game's October Community Day event takes place tomorrow, October 12. The featured Pokemon this time is Trapinch, and if players can evolve it into its final form, Flygon, up to an hour after the event ends, it'll learn the event-exclusive move Earth Power.Pokemon Go players also still have a few more days to catch the game's current Legendary, Altered Forme Giratina. The Renegade Pokemon will appear in five-star Raid Battles until October 17, after which point it'll be replaced by a different Legendary--although Niantic has not yet announced which Pokemon will take its place. Pokemon Go News Pokemon Go Teasing New Team Rocket Characters Pokemon Go Finally Adds Mime Jr. As Part Of A New Event Pokemon Go Giratina Guide - Counters, Shiny Giratina, And How To Catch Tips Pokemon Go October 2019 Community Day Announced, Features Trapinch Pokemon Go: How To Get Unova Stones And Evolve Gen 5 Pokemon Info from Gamespot.com

In Season 3: Meltdown, Apex Legends introduces a bunch of changes, including a brand-new map, playable character, battle pass, and weapon--the Charge Rifle. The new weapon has proven to be a dominant force in the game so Respawn is planning on nerfing it."We want to be thoughtful in the way we make changes for it," Respawn community manager Jay Frechette said in the first episode of Apex Devstream, a video series aimed at exploring the behind the scenes of Apex Legends. "So with the Charge Rifle, this won't be a [straight-forward] damage nerf. We'll be increasing the amount of ammo that is used per shot, changing the mag size for it, and also bringing in a bit of the falloff damage." For anyone unfamiliar with the term, falloff damage refers to how much weaker something becomes the further the affected target is. In regards to how soon players can expect these changes, lead designer Brent McLeod said they will hopefully go live "next week." Respawn typically implements updates for Apex Legends on Tuesdays--like the upcoming Halloween-themed Fight or Fright event--so we can probably expect the changes to go live on October 15.Currently, the Charge Rifle is one of the strongest sniper rifles in the game. So on a large map like World's Edge, one that encourages long-range encounters, it's one of the best options you can have in your arsenal. The weapon initially fires a small laser that does moderate damage before shooting a much stronger beam that does considerable amounts of damage. It's probably one of the best weapons to use if you're playing as new character Crypto, because its lack of bullet drop and fairly fast fire rate allows you to quickly snipe at opponents you spy with your drone.Looking through Apex Legends Trello page, there are a few other notable changes scheduled for Respawn's battle royale as well. Respawn is planning to implement an option to keep the deathbox UI open while taking damage, for example, allowing you to go back to the way the UI used to work prior to Season 3 if that's what you prefer. Perhaps most intriguing is a patch to add the option to spend Legend Tokens to re-roll your daily challenges. Between all three in-game currencies, Legend Tokens are the one that most players have in excess, only spending them to buy new playable Legends. Having the option to use them to get new dailies would be a huge boon for those working through the battle pass who occasionally get challenges tied to characters they never play or don't own. Apex Legends News FIFA 20, Apex Legends Servers Down As EA Suffers Connectivity Issues Apex Legends Season 3 Is Nice To Newcomers, Presents A Good Opportunity To Jump In Apex Legends Crypto Guide: Tips For Season 3's New Character Apex Legends Will Temporarily Return To Kings Canyon For Halloween Info from Gamespot.com

Epic continues to hint that some big changes are in store for Fortnite in Season 11. The current season of the hit battle royale game is scheduled to end this Sunday, following an in-game event ominously known as "The End." It appears that event could lead to an entirely new start for the game, if a supposed leak turns out to be accurate.Numerous Fortnite players on Reddit and other forums have discovered an image for "Fortnite: Chapter 2" on the Italian App Store that suggests the game will be rebranded and revamped following the end of this season. While not confirmed, rumors have been swirling that the next season of Fortnite would bring an entirely new map, after dataminers discovered a list of new location names within the game's code.The name of this weekend's big event also seems to suggest that Fortnite as players know it will be changing significantly. Further, a recent tweet by the Fortnite Twitter account teases that "The End is near" and shows the Battle Bus leaving the familiar island, playing into the rumors that a new map is coming. You can see the teaser below.The End is near.48 hours... pic.twitter.com/yjt1zVXWt6 — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) October 11, 2019According to the in-game countdown timers, the End event is scheduled to take place at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET on Sunday, October 13. Just what the event will entail is anyone's guess, but it presumably has something to do with the Visitor. The mysterious character first appeared in Season 4 of the game and built a rocket, which caused a rift to form in the sky. The Visitor returned in Season 10 and is building another rocket at Dusty Depot, so the countdown timers may signal when it will launch.Ahead of the event, Epic has rolled out one final set of Season 10 challenges for players to complete. A number of these involve tracking down recordings left behind by the Visitor, further suggesting he'll play an important role in this weekend's event. You can find maps and guides for the Visitor recordings, as well as this season's other challenges, in our complete Fortnite Season 10 challenges roundup.Epic hasn't yet confirmed when Season 11 will officially begin, but new seasons typically kick off shortly after the previous one begins, so it will presumably start sometime next week. Similarly, the developer hasn't shared many concrete details on what players can expect from the new season, but we do know one change that'll happen. As part of its recent matchmaking tweaks, Epic will be adding bots to Fortnite. You can catch up on everything else we know about Fortnite Season 11 so far here. Fortnite News Fortnite: Chapter 2 Seemingly Leaks As Season 11 Teases Big Changes Fortnite Visitor Recordings In Starry Suburbs And Gotham City (Season 10 Out Of Time Challenge) Fortnite: Where To Collect Visitor Recordings In Moisty Palms And Greasy Grove (Season 10 Overtime) Fortnite Season 11: The End Event Date, New Map, And Everything We Know So Far Info from Gamespot.com

Since Apple Arcade launched, I've meant to try out many of its games, a number of which look terrific. And yet I can't for one primary reason: Grindstone. Aside from dabbling in What The Golf and Card of Darkness, Grindstone remains my go-to mobile game a month after launch, and I've developed what feels like an unusual strategy for a puzzle game: taking big risks and quitting when backed into a corner. And my greed is to blame.Your goal in Grindstone is to take out enough enemies--ideally in long chains of like-colored groups--to open the exit door and make your way out. Standard enemies don't pose any danger to you, but leave them on the board long enough and they'll attack adjacent tiles if you end a turn next to them. As you progress further into the game, special enemy types pop up that are a greater threat. That includes one who steals the precious grindstones created by long combos and which allow you to shift from attacking one color of enemy to another in a single turn.While there are ways to avoid damage, the consequences of losing health are fairly severe. You have only three health points, and any you lose have to be restored between levels by spending gems you earn by playing. This has the makings of a microtransaction-fueled nightmare, but thankfully Grindstone's place on Apple Arcade means it's free of any in-game purchases, and thus there's no worry that a tough level is meant to push you to spend real-world money.Still, I find myself avoiding a loss of health at all costs. At any time, you can quit out of the level you're on, sacrificing any materials you've collected but saving yourself from a dangerous situation. And to spare myself spending any gems on health--feeding into my hoarding tendencies when playing games--I often back out of levels rather than suffer any damage, even if I could take a hit and ultimately still finish the level. Damage is not inevitable: More often than not, I can complete all three objectives in a level and safely escape without ever taking a hit. Quitting lets me take care of the perfect run I always strive for. Sure, I could return to a level to take care of a missed objective, but why not get it all out of the way on my first completion?This strategy plays into the ultimate challenge that all players will run into in Grindstone: greed. Your primary objective in any level is to kill enough enemies to open the gate and escape, but it's only later in a level that you're presented with optional objectives (killing a particular enemy and, separately, obtaining a key and using it to open a chest). On top of the materials you can obtain by killing special enemies, you're heavily incentivized not to exit a level as soon as you're able. Instead, you're constantly reeled back in with the prospect of further rewards--but at the risk of losing health or even death. When you see an enemy on the opposite side of the map that you're sure you can take out (netting you further rewards), it's hard to pass up the opportunity.That same lure is there when you see a long chain to be executed that might land you far away from the exit--unsure of what enemies you'll be surrounded by on the next turn and thus whether you'll be able to make it out safely. The desire to dive back in rather than exiting is driven in large part by greed, but also the sheer satisfaction of long combos: The combination of sound effects and visuals make for an intensely delightful experience. Longer chains see your character progressively move faster as it's executed--save for particularly heavy hits where the action momentarily slow down, not unlike landing a big hit in Monster Hunter. This is a purely visual flourish, but it feels fantastic every single time.Other times, I can't help but stick around just for the thrill of it. It's not often a puzzle game with no time constraints makes me feel like I'm on the edge of my seat, and yet Grindstone is most fun when I say "screw it" to the smart choice and get the adrenaline pumping by taking big risks. That may result in the occasional retreat like a disastrous XCOM run, but the sheer exhilaration when things work out is well worth having to hit Quit once in a while. Info from Gamespot.com

Five more games have been added to Apple Arcade, further boosting the size of the mobile game subscription service's library. Two of the five seem rather spooky, perfect for anyone looking for that type of game ahead of Halloween. In fact, both of the scary-looking games seem like the most promising of the new bunch.Inmost looks like it may be the best of the lot, an atmospheric, story-driven puzzle platformer that has you control three different characters in three different stories, all of which come together in one interconnected narrative. Gameplay looks tense, with demonic-like shadow creatures chasing you through haunted-looking woods and crumbling settlements and castles. And although one of the characters can fight, it seems like all three need to rely on using the environment to overcome the dark forces they encounter. Though launching on Apple Arcade, Inmost is scheduled to also release on Nintendo Switch and PC.The other spooky game, Stela, is more cinematic--presenting a puzzle platformer that relies on its unsettlingly creepy backgrounds, themes, and music to craft an experience similar to Limbo or Inside. Launching on Apple Arcade, Stela is coming to Xbox One on October 17 and PC sometime in 2019. The rest of the new games include the race car arena shooter ShockRods, action strategy game Decoherence, and music-focused action game Mind Symphony.So far, Apple Arcade has built a decent reputation for itself, securing limited-time exclusives for several excellent games. After playing through most of them, we have more than a few favorites. If you want more detailed recommendations, GameSpot has a Sayonara Wild Hearts review, What the Golf review, Overland review, and Grindstone impressions.Info from Gamespot.com

BlizzCon is home to championships, game reveals, fan events, and cosplay contests. This year it may host another spectacle: mass political demonstrations. In the wake of Blizzard's heavily criticized decision to ban a player for making a political statement in a post-match interview, a group of gamers are organizing a protest to take place at the event.The digital rights group Fight for the Future unveiled its Gamers For Freedom campaign. The campaign site already has tools in place like a scorecard for companies which have publicly pledged not to censor players, and suggestions for similar games for those who want to boycott Blizzard. The group is calling for an umbrella protest to take place at BlizzCon. You can RSVP for the protest through its Facebook page, and join its Discord channel."Blizzard, and other companies who are engaging in censorship on behalf of an authoritarian government, are not going to get away with it," said Fight for the Future deputy director Evan Greer, in a statement. "They have no idea what kind of Internet shitstorm they've unleashed. We're going to make an example out of them to make sure that all companies know that throwing human rights and free expression under the bus to make some extra money will not be tolerated."The controversy began when professional Hearthstone player Ng Wai Chung (aka Blitzchung) expressed support for the Hong Kong protests during a post-match interview. Blizzard banned Chung from competitive events for a year and rescinded his $10,000 in winnings. Since then the response has been fierce, with gamers calling for boycotts and some deleting their accounts. US Senators criticized the move as censorship, some Blizzard employees staged their own protest, and host personalities like Brian Kibler announced they would no longer shoutcast Hearthstone events. Most recently Hearthstone's first ever World Champion, James Kostesich aka "Firebat," called the penalty ridiculous and unreasonable.Dayton Young, product director at Fight for the Future, outlined a series of steps the campaign believes Blizzard must take. Those include reversing the ban of Chung, restoring his $10,000 in tournament winnings, and repairing its relationship with livestream personalities who have declined to work with Blizzard."No gamers should be punished for expressing their views on politics and human rights," Young said. "And no game company should ever ban or penalize players for advocating for their own political freedom. We call on all game developers and publishers to make a public commitment to support the rights of their customers, employees, and fans to freely express their beliefs in America, in Hong Kong, in China, and around the globe."Info from Gamespot.com

Steam is known for its frequent sales, but this weekend, you can grab a game completely for free. Princess Remedy 2: In A Heap of Trouble is free until 10 AM on October 15, and if you grab it in time, it's yours to keep forever.Princess Remedy 2: In A Heap of TroubleSee at SteamAll you need to do to claim your digital copy is go to its Steam page and click "Add to Account." You'll then be greeted by a successful redemption message on the next page. Princess Remedy 2 is an action-RPG shooter that sort of resembles Game Boy games--of course with a much greater colour palette.Princess Remedy 2 is the sequel to a free game, Princess Remedy: In A World of Hurt, that's available on Steam right now. Both games are from developer Ludosity, a team that's best known for its Zelda-like Ittle Dew series.Info from Gamespot.com