Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has issued a patch to address a wide variety of stability bugs and to fix a few crashing errors. In the announcement, Treyarch also addressed complaints about network performance, promising to continue working on it moving forward, now that it's past the initial launch day push.According to the patch notes, the October 21 update fixes a crash that was impacting Master Prestige players in Multiplayer and Zombies modes, and future updates should be coming to address some related UI issues. It also takes on a crash when crafting a Shield with the Frugal Fetish equipped in Zombies. Other issues include the Shield not displaying correctly in Blood of the Dead, items not appearing correctly in the Stash list of Blackout, fixing a bug that was causing the Collapse circle to appear invisible, and other assorted issues. It also promised a batch of updates aimed at network performance to take place over the next few weeks."We're constantly working to optimize the game, and particularly network performance, to ensure the highest quality online experience for our players," the notes read. "For a game launch with as massive a population as ours hitting so many global servers at once, we configure our infrastructure to ensure game stability as the highest priority over all other factors."Now that we're past the initial launch of the game, we are focusing on fine-tuning network performance around the globe, using the real-world data that we have collected. Over the course of the next two weeks, we will roll out several updates to our network setup that will continue to improve upon the experience of our players since launch. As we have always said, launch is just the beginning, and we're committed to making Black Ops 4 the best-supported game we’ve ever delivered."Black Ops 4 just kicked off its Black Market cosmetic shop, and is now offering special limited-time Halloween cosmetics as well. If you need some assistance being the best Specialist you can be, check out our tips and guide to the perks system.Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 October 21 Update General MiscellaneousAddressed a crash at the end of matches for Master Prestige players in Multiplayer and Zombies. We’re planning further improvements for related UI issues in a future update.General stability improvements across all modes. Zombies MiscellaneousAddressed a crash when crafting the Shield with Frugal Fetish equipped.Various stability fixes across all maps.Blood of the DeadAddressed an issue with the Shield not displaying the correct updated version for the player.ClassifiedAddressed a crash when turning on the power in a Custom Mutations match. Blackout Stash LootingAddressed an issue where players had to scroll right or left on the d-pad multiple times to navigate through Stash lists.Circle CollapseAddressed an issue where the Collapse circle would sometimes appear invisible to players. Multiplayer ScoreboardAddressed an issue that highlighted the wrong score on the scoreboard if the scoreboard was opened immediately after death.SpecialistsJumping while sprinting with Ruin now performs the same as with all other Specialists.Info from Gamespot.com

The Spyro Reignited Trilogy is quickly approaching, bringing the mascot character back to his roots before his trip to Skylands. The latest trailer shows the little dragon and his surrounding cast looking better than ever.The reignited trilogy features three Spyro games that hit the PlayStation from 1998-2000. That includes Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon. The character was notable at the time for its characterization and animation, and that shows well in this visual overhaul. Developer Toys for Bob had its work cut out for it creating an updated style that remains true to the original, which required some filling in the gaps."When you look at the original game and you squint your eyes at it, there's a lot of imagination that you had to do at the time to fill in the blanks." Toys For Bob co-studio head Paul Yan told us. "For us, it's taking the game, and asking: What do people remember about this? It was important to start with the memories as opposed to how do you interpret exactly what's on the screen."Pre-ordering can get you a Spyro keychain. There's only one version of the game, so you don't have to pick and choose between editions that are special or definitive. As a remaster of a classic trilogy, it comes in at a budget price of $40. It's due to release on November 13 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.Info from Gamespot.com

Overwatch is one of Blizzard's ongoing live games, but the company wants to manage expectations ahead of next month's BlizzCon event. In a developer update, game director Jeff Kaplan noted that fans shouldn't expect a new map to be announced at the fan celebration.He said that given that fans may be expecting this year's announcement to be similar to those of previous years, which would include a new map. For that reason, he wanted to be "explicitly clear" that no new map is coming this time around. He said that new maps announced at BlizzCon have gotten "a little lost in the shuffle" and "didn't have as big of an impact as we wanted."That said, he did note that the company is working on new map content in general. It sounds as if it simply wants to strategically time it so that it doesn't get overshadowed by a lot of the other happenings around the event. Plus he promised Overwatch announcements for the event without specifying what those might be. Finally, he announced buffs in the works for several characters, which we're currently seeing on the public test realm.One pre-BlizzCon announcement detailed in the developer update is a new feature called the World Cup Viewer. A beta version will go up before the event through the Battle.net client for PC players. It will let you watch matches live in the spectator point-of-view, with full control over camera movement or even watch in first-person through the eyes of a player.Blizzard similarly did some pre-event expectation-setting for Diablo. To see all that the event has in store this year, you can enter to win some free virtual tickets. BlizzCon kicks off on November 2.Info from Gamespot.com

Fallout 76's beta is beginning today on Xbox One, and Bethesda has released a whole new batch of screenshots to mark the occasion. These images put an emphasis on the lovely vistas of West Virginia, albeit a slightly more irradiated version than you may have seen in the state's tourism ads. [Update: The first beta test has wrapped up, and you can watch us trying it out in the video above.]To prepare for launch, the company also released a letter to its fans thanking them for their support and cautioning that this is a very different kind of Fallout game. It stressed that the studio cares about these worlds and wants to do right by them, and that as an online and live game the launch of Fallout 76 would be just the beginning. The studio is looking ahead to a long period of bug fixes and other support."Given what we're doing with 76, we know we're opening everyone up to all new spectacular issues none of us have encountered," Bethesda wrote. "Some we're aware of, such as areas where performance needs to improve with lots of players."The beta is coming first to Xbox One, with PC and PS4 to follow on October 30. Pre-ordering will grant you access to the beta but you may not get in right away. Instead, Bethesda will be giving out codes for the beta itself as it invites in more players to stress test. For that same reason, the tests themselves will take place in concentrated chunks of a few hours at a time to force players together.The beta is said to be the the full game and your progress will carry over to the full game. The full game launches on November 14.Info from Gamespot.com

We may long for the days of NBA Jam or NBA Street and their brands of over-the-top basketball, but the closest modern equivalent is NBA 2K Playgrounds 2. Coming off of last year's game, Playgrounds 2 continues the two-on-two ridiculousness in an arcade style that's incredibly easy to pick up and play. Anything goes on the court where there aren't fouls or rules against goaltending, and double-front-flip dunks with a 12-foot vertical leap are standard. It's certainly fun to go back-and-forth with opponents to light up the scoreboard, but even all that flash has its limitations; the game hits one note that gets old rather quickly.NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 keeps things simple by only giving you the essentials for balling up. Aside from shooting, passing, and crossover dribbles on offense, holding sprint turns normal shots into high-flying dunks. Alley-oops come in handy for throwing down on unsuspecting defenders thanks to easy execution. And if defenders are pressing hard, throwing your elbows provides an option for creating space. Although this style of basketball thrives off of offensive showmanship, defense still plays a big role in winning. Shoving and stealing can effectively create turnovers, and you need to be smart about when to use these as they take up your endurance meter and leave you vulnerable. You also have opportunities to disrupt dunks that seem like they'd be easy buckets just by getting in the paint and trying to block. It's a basic toolset that takes little time to get familiar with.To keep games interesting, teams build up a meter that unleashes court-altering power-ups called Lottery Picks. The Lottery Pick meter recharges when you do anything that fills the stat sheet, and once it's full, you get a random power-up. There are nine in total, which range from double points for dunks or three-pointers for a limited time to freezing the opposing basket that'll take a few shots to break. This system can seem unfair at times, but there's no denying it's fun to run wild with the infinite stamina power for a short period, for example. If anything, it adds a bit of variety to a very basic game.There's a decent foundation that Playgrounds 2 works with, but it doesn't quite come together as seamlessly as you'd hope. Uncontested dunks bounce out of the rim more often than they should because it's subject to the shot-percentage meter--you can be on a fastbreak and still miss. Shooting open threes with the likes of Steph Curry or Ray Allen still a large window of failure. As a result, the shot meter calculation often feels at odds with this style of basketball game. Playgrounds 2 suffers from a simple, yet damaging flaw--the shot-timing meter is displayed at the bottom of the screen. For a game that's built around fast and flashy action, relegating the most important element for scoring to a position away from what's happening on court is a big misstep. Instead of watching those sweet dunks unfold, you end up shifting attention to the meter to make sure the shot goes down. This also prevents you from seeing what develops on the court during key moments, like anticipating blocks and reacting to them.Playgrounds 2 is at its best when playing competitive games with either an AI-controlled teammate or a real player against others. Online matches can take a while to find, but games get going quickly once matchmaking is set. And thanks to the fast pace of games, action is always just a few moments away. The game keeps track of your overall record, and you'll earn in-game currency whether you win or lose. There's also an online version of the three-point contest and a two-player cooperative mode that pits your team against the AI, but neither inspires much competition.A few options exist for playing offline, like local multiplayer in exhibition mode and the new NBA season mode. The latter will have you play a condensed 14-game season with an NBA team, and you pick two players from the roster for each game. If you get seeded in conference standings, you'll move on to the playoffs. And if you win the championship, you'll unlock a historical player for the team you played as. Since there is a tangible reward for winning it all, playoff matches provide some challenge and tension. It's all a bit unceremonious; you play one season and it ends, and you just start another separate season. And with the starting roster you're given at the outset, it can be frustrating to grind away as players with lower stat ratings.You can bypass most of the grind by using Golden Bucks, an in-game currency that can be earned at a fairly slow rate or bought with real money (which undermines the point of the NBA season mode, too). If you don’t want to unlock the full roster through microtransactions, you’ll have to get card packs using Golden Bucks or another in-game currency called Baller Bucks. Packs get you random players on the roster or cosmetics to dress up players. While the system gives you something to work for, it still feels somewhat exploitative. At the very least, player progression incentivizes using different players since they individually earn XP--leveling them up to silver and gold rank boosts their overall stats.NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 tries to capture the more lighthearted side of basketball culture but doesn't bring with it a discernible sense of personality. NBA players are designed with big heads and exaggerated features to coincide with the ridiculous arcade approach. But it comes off as just absurd, and not in a charming sense--instead, most player models look like badly drawn caricatures by an amateur street artist. Courts don't inspire much of a basketball atmosphere either, with nonsensical locations and crowds that look like old Xbox 360 avatars. Seeing Playgrounds 2 in action is like watching expressionless bobbleheads floundering about in silly animations.It's fun to jump in for a few games and rack up points through extravagant slam dunks with your favorite players from the past and present. However, the novelty of arcade-style basketball wears thin quickly in NBA 2K Playgrounds 2. There isn't much to keep you coming back once you've had your fill, and the nagging gameplay flaws hold back the experience. The game lacks a distinct personality, and that's a missed opportunity for any basketball game, let alone one that tries so hard to have one.Info from Gamespot.com

Like Lucas Pope's previous game, Papers, Please, Return of the Obra Dinn is primarily concerned with processing information. In the latter, you play as an insurance clerk assessing claims on a mysteriously abandoned ship rather than a customs agent assessing documents at the border of a totalitarian country, but in both games, you are presented with fragments of data and asked to check their veracity through cross-reference and deductive logic. Both games are also grim in their own ways, but while Papers, Please forces you to consider your personal moral compass and where you're willing to see it compromised, Return of the Obra Dinn leaves you in a more detached role as the time-traveling observer of a naval journey gone horribly wrong.In 1802 the "good ship" Obra Dinn set sail from London to "the Orient" but never reached its destination. Five years later it is found drifting into the port of Falmouth in southwest England with no one left alive on board. As a clerk at the East India Company it's your job to explore the ship and find out what happened. You're given a nifty book--which includes a full crew and passenger manifest, annotated deck maps, a glossary of basic sailing terms, and a group sketch of the people on board drawn by one of the passengers--into which you are expected to record all the relevant details.Like most insurance clerks, one suspects, you are also equipped with a magical pocket watch that, when opened and activated in the presence of a corpse, allows you to travel back in time to the moment of the person's death. It's almost literally a single moment, too, as the screen fades to black and you hear but a few seconds of speech or other sounds leading up to the fatal incident before you find yourself inside a scene that's been frozen in time, and the investigation begins.In this space (which, like the entire game is explored in first-person) you can walk around a confined section of the ship but you cannot interact with anything. You can only zoom in for a closer look at any object, and beyond the immediate surroundings, the background just fades out into nothingness. The entire game is presented in a starkly beautiful monochromatic color scheme, a graphical style described by the developer as "1-bit". When still, it resembles something from an early '80s PC, albeit displaying at a much higher resolution. But in motion, when you're walking around the decks, it looks quite unlike anything seen before--a startling retro throwback that is as alien as it is familiar, and that inherent strangeness works only to enhance the sense of mystery.Once inside an investigation space--or memory, as the game refers to them--the first thing you're compelled to do is examine the now-deceased body in front of you, matching their face to the artist's sketch in your book to commence the process of identification. You still don't know their name, but perhaps there was something you heard just before they died that could be a clue? Maybe there's something about what they were doing or wearing or where they were on the ship or who they were with? You also need to determine their fate--were they shot or stabbed or poisoned or crushed or worse? And, if they were murdered, then by whom? Which likely means having to identify someone else through another series of clues. Or maybe you'll need to find the answers in another memory instead?At first, you won't have enough information to draw any firm conclusions about the fate of the ship. However, as you explore the ship and find more bodies, which in turn open up new areas of the ship and reveal yet more bodies, the gaps in your knowledge will start to close. Soon you'll have access to a series of memories that, by the time you're done identifying everyone and discovering their fates, come together to tell the story of the Obra Dinn and the sixty people on board. It's at this point, as you stand over an unknown corpse with your trusty notebook in hand, that Return of the Obra Dinn solidifies into an exceptionally compelling representation of detective work.Unlocking a person's identity requires you to pay attention to every last detail across multiple memories. To narrow your search you can bookmark a specific person and revisit only the memories in which they appear, letting you focus on their individual story in an attempt to clarify their actions and link them to a particular role on the ship. Further, the Obra Dinn had a fairly multicultural crew so you'll do well to note the different languages spoken and the varying accents of the English-speaking majority, as well as the details of each person's physical appearance.At any point, you can pull out your book to pencil in a detail. Perhaps you think this chap is the First Mate or this fellow with the beard got shot by the ship's surgeon. Correctly identify three people and their fates and the game will let you know by properly typesetting your penciled notes. Some will be obvious, most will not, and many will require keeping track of multiple scenes and threading together numerous what-at-first-seemed-inconsequential pieces of information. When a clutch of clues fall into place and you crack the case, as it were, it feels immensely satisfying.Plenty of games promise to make you feel like a detective only to have you checking boxes, but here it's different. Return of the Obra Dinn gives you all the tools you'll need to solve its puzzles--the book interface is a masterpiece of connected design--and then trusts that you'll be capable of arriving at the correct answers by yourself.But it's more than that. Your magical pocket watch and its time-traveling, corpse-identifying mechanic offers far more than just an exceptionally clever puzzle game--as if that wasn't already enough. It also delivers a wonderfully evocative method of storytelling as you gain glimpses into the lives of each person on board at vital moments along the Obra Dinn's journey and piece together who they were, what they had to deal, what motivated them, and how they responded when tragedy struck. You may only see them in scratchy monochrome stills and hear them in brief snatches of urgent conversation, if at all, but if you're paying attention then you should feel like you know (almost) every one of these sixty people intimately by the end of the game. Info from Gamespot.com

Only a couple years after Fallout 4's release, Bethesda surprised fans by officially announcing Fallout 76, the next entry in its beloved post-apocalyptic RPG franchise. The new game was revealed in a trailer after a series of teases, and Bethesda discussed it in more detail at E3 2018 and at QuakeCon 2018. We even got an opportunity to play the game at a recent hands-on preview event. While there's still so much we do not yet know about Bethesda's upcoming game, the company has offered some clarity on Fallout 76's most curious features and additions to the Fallout formula.To ensure you're kept up to date on everything there is to know about Fallout 76, we've compiled all the information we have on the game so far: our in-depth preview, the platforms it's on, its online functionality, its anti-griefing features, and where the game falls in the series' timeline. You'll be able to try the game for yourself as part of a beta, the first instance of which happens for some Xbox One owners on October 23. With these test periods being very limited in time, we've also put together a list of what you should do first.Table of Contents [hide]What is Fallout 76?Who's Developing It?Is It An Online Survival Game?How Big Is The World?What Can You Do?How Does Character Creation And Progression Work?How Does PvP Work?How It Plays: Our In-Depth PreviewAny Voice Chat?When's the Beta?Release DateWhat is Fallout 76?Fallout 76 is a prequel to all of the previous Fallout games. Set in 2102, you play an inhabitant of Vault 76 who emerges from the shelter 25 years after the bombs fell on America. Your task is simple: explore what remains of post-apocalyptic America and rebuild civilization.Longtime fans will likely recognize Vault 76; although it's not a place we've visited before, this isn't the series' first mention of it. Both Fallout 3 and 4 reference it and, according to the Fallout Wikia, this West Virginia-based vault was occupied by 500 of of America's best and brightest minds. Unlike the more grotesque experimental vaults in the Fallout universe, Vault 76 is a control vault intended to be opened 20 or so years after a nuclear war. But if the Vault was supposed to open 20 years after the bombs fell, why have 25 years gone by? The story likely has a few surprises in store.Fallout 76 uses the Creation Engine, the same engine used to make Fallout 4, but it will purportedly feature much more graphical detail than its predecessor. Game director Todd Howard has said that Fallout 76 has new rendering and lighting technology, which allows for "16 times" the detail.Who's Developing It?Bethesda Game Studios, the Maryland-based developer responsible for the Elder Scrolls series and both Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, is at work on the game. In addition, Bethesda Game Studios Austin--formerly BattleCry Studios--assisted in fine-tuning the Creation Engine to support multiplayer functionality.Is It An Online Survival Game?Fallout 76 is a much different sort of game from its predecessors. It's "entirely online," but don't worry, you'll be able to play it solo too. According to Bethesda, the idea to take this approach to open-world survival came four years ago, when it started to work on building a multiplayer Fallout experience. Howard described the game's approach to survival as "softcore," which means death doesn't equal loss of progression.You can form a party with up to three other players. You won't be able to manage your placement in servers when you login, as you'll automatically be inserted into a session with others upon booting up the game. Of course, you also have the option simply join alongside your friends and play together.Howard commented that Fallout 76 will have dedicated servers that will support the game "now and for years to come." At launch, there will only be public servers, but Bethesda plans to introduce private servers that will allow players to invite friends to play in order to prevent undesirable behavior.Some classic mechanics from past games will be changing to accommodate the shift to online play. For example, V.A.T.S has been reconfigured to work in real time, while still allowing players to target specific enemy body parts. But this time around, it has been updated to be more of a tool that allows you to spot out dangers in the environment.How Big Is The World?According to Howard, Fallout 76's world is four times the size of Fallout 4. There are six different regions to explore, and each has its own unique style, risks, and rewards. Confirmed areas include the West Virginia State Capitol, The Greenbrier, Woodburn Circle, New River Gorge Bridge, and Camden Park. Contained within each area is a variety of new creatures to encounter, some of which are based on West Virginian folklore. You can take at the full map in the image below.What Can You Do?Like previous games, players will spend the majority of their time exploring and completing quests. However, Fallout 76 will not feature any human non-player characters, as all surviving humans will be controlled by active players. Instead, the game will use combination of robot NPCs, collectible recordings, and environmental storytelling in order to give players what they need to piece together quests and the story at large.Given the game's premise of rebuilding the world, there will be base-building elements similar to Fallout 4. You will be able to set up a bases anywhere using an item called the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or CAMP. These can be placed down in the world and allow you to construct an impromptu camp. At E3, we got to see the player laying down walls and decorating the base with pool tables, toilets, and other household objects. As the "mobile platform" part of the name implies, your CAMP can also be picked up and relocated, allowing you to move your base anywhere in the world.While you can help build the world, you can also destroy it. If you have the necessary nuclear launch codes, it's actually possible to access a missile silo to fire a nuke at any point on the map. Doing so irradiates the chosen area, but it also allows for the opportunity to discover rare weapons, gear, and items. Be wary; nuking an area also causes more powerful enemies to show up, making it more difficult to survive. But don't be discouraged by this, the CAMP blueprint system makes it easy for players to quickly rebuild their homes, and if they're privy to an incoming threat, they can pack their things and move to a new location.As an online experience, player choice is said to be incredibly important, going as far as giving players the freedom to choose who are the heroes and who are the villains. Early footage showcased multiple players engaging in combat and participating in friendly activities, which seems to indicate that players have the freedom to choose their paths in the world of Fallout 76.How Does Character Creation And Progression Work?You'll have similar character creation tools as Fallout 4. However, you're free to change your appearance at any point. In addition, you can also utilize the game's new photo mode during the creation process to better see how your character looks, as well as snap some shots you can share on social media.The SPECIAL system returns and it's a bit different. Like previous games, SPECIAL encompasses the following stats: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. You're given one point to put into any of those stats every time you level up. The first thing you do when you emerge from the vault is pick a SPECIAL and then you pick a perk in that particular SPECIAL. Essentially, every SPECIAL is a pool of points for your perks.But unlike previous games, perks are now cards you can equip and unlock as you rank up in a given SPECIAL; though, you're free to swap cards out at any time if you want to alter your build. Each SPECIAL characteristic you develop has a perk card cap of 15. These perk cards can be enhanced further from one to five points to increase their power.You can obtain additional perk cards via Perk Card Packs (four random cards), which you earn every two levels initially (1-10), and then every 5 after that. You can also pick one perk card per level, usually from your SPECIAL choice. There are hundreds of Perks cards you can unlock, so naturally SPECIAL ranks cap out after a while (you gain a rank up in a SPECIAL each time you level up). At level 50, you'll stop increasing SPECIAL ranks, but you'll still get card packs.How Does PvP Work?When you shoot someone you do a little bit of damage, which can be equated to lightly slapping them in order to challenge them to a duel. In response to this, the other player can choose to ignore or engage. If they engage in a battle with you, they'll start to take full damage. The one who is killed in this consenting PvP match has the option to seek revenge. Doing so gives that person the opportunity to get double the rewards granted they're successful.If you'd rather choose to ignore a PvP match, there's no way to escape being killed--despite the small damage dealt to you during the initiation phases. However, if you are killed by a player under these circumstances, that player becomes a Wanted Murderer and will receive no rewards from having killed you.A Wanted Murderer is marked on the map as a red star and a bounty is placed on their head. Players looking to cash in on this bounty aren't visible on the Murderer's map. If the murderer is killed, the money from that bounty is taken out their stock.In order to give players time to properly acclimate to how Fallout 76 plays, PvP won't be available to players until level five. And if you perish from any PvP encounter, the only thing you'll lose is the junk you've been collecting, which can be reclaimed after death if not already picked up by other players. You can always store junk in stashes found around the world, so as to safeguard a portion of your stock. Armor and weapons are retained in your inventory after death.How It Plays: Our In-Depth PreviewWe recently got a hands-on with a build of Fallout 76. It plays similarly to Fallout 4, but it features some new additions that subtly shift the paradigm established by past entries in the series. We got to experience three hours of the game, exploring a decent chunk of the opening area while taking on quests and generally working cooperatively with the players around us. There's a lot to unpack about how the upcoming multiplayer open-world RPG, so be sure to watch the video above and read our full thoughts in our in-depth preview detailing what we got to play.Any Voice Chat?It's possible to chat with your teammates and even strangers you discover out in the world. It's area-based so your ability to hear other plays will vary. But if you want nothing to do with strangers, it's possible to mute their voices entirely.When's the Beta?Fallout 76's beta will be available exclusively to those who pre-order the game. Bethesda said that it will begin selecting participants from the pool of pre-orders on October 23 on Xbox One first. The plan is to start small and expand over time with PS4 and PC to follow on October 30. For more details, you can check out Bethesda's Fallout 76 FAQ for more details on how to redeem your code.Release DateFallout 76 is being developed for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is currently scheduled to be released on November 14. Unfortunately, there's no word about a Nintendo Switch release, which didn't seem out of the question after the Skyrim re-release made it to that platform.Info from Gamespot.com

Two more Xbox 360 games have joined the Xbox One backwards compatibility lineup. These new additions include a family-friendly Star Wars game and a satirical sim.Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy was one of the earliest Lego-branded takes on a popular franchise, after the first Lego Star Wars hit it big by immortalizing the prequel trilogy in plastic bricks. As the name implies, it's a take on the three classic films A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.Tropico 4 is one of five entries in the long-running simulation series that makes you dictator of a small island nation. As "El Presidente" you're tasked with keeping citizens happy or quelling rebellions to retain power and stave off the ever-present threat of being overthrown.Both Lego Star Wars 2 and Tropico 4 received positive GameSpot reviews. As always, if you own these games digitally you can download them from your library, or insert the disc if you own the physical copies. They're on sale in the Xbox Store for $15 (Lego Star Wars) and $10 (Tropico).Microsoft has been regularly adding new backwards compatibility features since introducing the initiative in November 2015. The full list of backwards compatible games is getting pretty sizable at this point. If you need some recommendations on which ones are worth your time, check out our gallery of the best Xbox One backwards compatible games.Info from Gamespot.com

Ubisoft has announced a new update for Rainbow Six Siege that changes a few of the game's Operators. The update comes halfway through Siege's Year 3, Season 3--referred to as Operation Grim Sky--and makes adjustments based on the influence of the two newest Operators, Clash and Maverick.The two Operators getting patched in the update are Maestro and Clash. Ubisoft outlined the changes the two would undergo in a blog post on Siege's main website. Both Operators are Defenders. Ubisoft wants to make Maestro less confusing to use, and change Clash so that she performs more in line with the developer's original plans for the Operator.The update changes Maestro's ALDA 5.56 so that its recoil matches that of other LMGs in the game. Currently, the ALDA 5.56 reduces recoil the longer it fires without aiming down the sights, but this has "led to confusion" where players try to aim as if recoil would increase with sustained fire.Clash is getting reduced weapon swapping speed between her shield and sidearm, and the delay before her shield's charge refills will be doubled. Also, Attackers that Clash shocks will regain full mobility after only 0.5 seconds, instead of the existing 1.5 seconds. "Ultimately, we believe that this will further drive the idea that Clash is reliant on teammates, as opposed to an Operator that can exist completely independently," Ubisoft wrote. "She is not intended to be able to hold half of the map by herself, and will now require the proper support from teammates to do so."These changes were calculated as a part of both Operators' Win Delta and Pick Rate. An Operator's Win Delta is the percentage of how often said Operator is a part of a winning team. The Pick Rate is the percentage for how often an Operator is picked, regardless if they're on a team that wins or loses. When graphed on a chart, Ubisoft is able to determine which Operators are over picked and too strong, over picked and too weak, under picked and too strong, or under picked and too weak.Although there are no scheduled changes for any other Operators in this update, Ubisoft wants to patch both Lion and Glaz in the near future. The developer has two possible solutions for Lion, which should fix how "problematic" he is at higher level play. "One adjustment would remove the intel gathering aspect of his gadget, or we may go with the other, which will trigger more of a Jackal style ping," Ubisoft wrote. For Glaz, Ubisoft wants to bring the Operator back to his original role as a sniper in the rear. Currently, Glaz is one of the best "site pushing" Operators who can lead the charge with a high-powered weapon.Ubisoft held a Reddit AMA to address further details about the new update. The full patch notes for the update can be read below.Rainbow Six Siege Y3S3.2 Update Patch NotesOperatorsClashReduced weapon swapping speed between CCE Shield and SidearmDelay before refilling charge after usage ends increased to 2 seconds, from 1 secondAttackers regain full mobility after 0.5 seconds, down from 1.5 seconds, after being shockedMaestroALDA 5.56 recoil aligned with other LMGsWeaponsSMG-11Reducing recoil to improve handlingVectorReducing recoil to improve handlingInfo from Gamespot.com

There's no shortage of ways to get your hands on a copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 when it launches on October 26 for PS4 and Xbox One (you can check out our Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-order guide for details). The only problem is, you'll have to wait until October 26 before you can play it. If you want to get it a little earlier, it turns out there's a way to do so. Both Best Buy and GameStop have announced they'll begin selling copies of the game at 9 PM local time on October 25--the day before it launches elsewhere.That gives you a three-hour head start on everyone who ordered it digitally. You'll still have to go home and install the game to your console's hard drive before you can play it, of course--and it's an enormous game. But because the data is installed on your hard drive from the disc instead of downloaded from the internet, it's quite possible you'll be up and running before midnight. (Then again, it's also possible there will be a download on top of the disc install).You can pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 from GameStop here or from Best Buy here. All pre-orders come with a download code for the Ardennes War Horse and Outlaw Survival Kit.Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in 1899, at the tale end of the era when outlaw gangs were running amuck in the Wild West. Rather than taking control of John Marston like in the previous game, you play as Arthur Morgan, another member of Dutch Van der Linde's gang. To refresh your memory about the story of the previous game, you can take a look at our Red Dead Redemption recap or watch the video above. Also be sure to check out our Red Dead Redemption 2 impressions for more information.Info from Gamespot.com

Any game as big as Red Dead Redemption 2 is probably going to be a system-seller. And if you're in the market for an Xbox One S or Xbox One X, you can save $100 if you buy Red Dead Redemption 2 from GameStop between October 25 and November 3. That's a killer deal for anyone who's looking to buy both of those items anyway. Better yet, you can pick up your copy of the game at GameStop starting at 9 PM local time, three hours earlier than it goes live on digital stores.If you need help choosing between the two console models, you can check out our Xbox One S and Xbox One X reviews to get the full rundown on what features each one includes. We've also done an in-depth comparison of the models. It's worth noting that Red Dead Redemption 2 is an Xbox One X-enhanced game, meaning it runs in 4K and supports HDR when played on an Xbox One X connected to a TV with the corresponding features. (The S also supports HDR, but not native 4K--it's confusing).Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel to the 2010 original. It takes place in 1899 and finds the Van der Linde gang on a crime spree in the Old West. You play as a man named Arthur Morgan this time around, though the previous game's protagonist, John Marston, also makes an appearance. The game comes out October 26 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.You can check out our Red Dead Redemption story recap to get yourself up to speed from a narrative perspective. We've also gone hands-on with the game, so you can see our thoughts on 90 minutes of playtime. And if you're ready to place your pre-order, we have everything you need to know about the pre-order bonuses, as well as what comes in each edition and how much it costs in our Red Dead Redemption 2 pre-order guide. Info from Gamespot.com

If you've been thinking about upgrading to an Xbox One X, you might want to do it soon. Between now and October 28, GameStop is running a promotion that gets you a sizable bonus on the trade-in value of other current-gen consoles--provided that you put the credit toward the purchase of an Xbox One X.How much trade credit you get depends, of course, on which console you trade in. If you have a PS4 Pro lying around that you're ready to part with, you can get $300 toward an Xbox One X at GameStop. That's $50 more than you'd get for trading it in for regular GameStop credit.In perhaps a more likely scenario, you can get $250 toward an Xbox One X for trading in a Nintendo Switch, PS4 Slim, original PS4, or Xbox One S. An original PS4 normally nets you $150 in trade credit, so that's a nice $100 bonus. And if you're looking to upgrade to an X from an original Xbox One, you'll get $200 credit, which is also $100 more than you'd normally get. Seeing as an Xbox One X costs $500, this trade-in deal lets you get one by parting with just $200 to $300 in cash.The Xbox One X is Microsoft's mid-generation upgrade model that offers a boost in both power and features over the original Xbox One or Xbox One S. It plays all the same games, but it can render many of them natively in 4K, with HDR for more accurate colors, shorter load times, and improved framerates.In our Xbox One X review, Jimmy Thang wrote, "While the Xbox One X is an expensive box, from a hardware standpoint, you're getting a very powerful and capable machine. You'll be hard pressed to build a comparably powerful PC for $500. On top of that, you get a 4K HDR Blu-ray player, which can cost several hundred dollars on its own." For more information, you can check out our comparison of all Xbox One models. Info from Gamespot.com

A new week means you can find a new set of video game deals at Best Buy, available both in-store and online. This week's sale sees temporary price drops on a handful of PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch games, as well as discounts on accessories and $10 rewards for specific purchases and pre-orders. Let's take a look at what deals are available between now and October 27.For PS4 owners, select DualShock 4 controllers are $5 off this week, bringing them down to $60 each. They come in a variety of colors, which is great for anyone looking to expand beyond the traditional black. Pre-order Fallout 76 this week, and you'll get a special steelbook edition, plus access to the beta. The beta begins October 23 on Xbox One and October 30 on PS4 and PC.If you trade in select games between now and December 1, you'll get a $10 coupon toward the purchase of Battlefield V in addition to the game's trade value. That's on top of the $10 reward credit you can get for pre-ordering Battlefield V. Speaking of credit, if you pre-order Just Cause 4, which comes out December 4, you'll also get a $10 reward. And buying Dragon Ball FighterZ for Nintendo Switch gets you a free $10 Best Buy gift card.There aren't that many games on sale this week at Best Buy, but you can same some cash on a few fine titles. Sports fans can grab NHL 19 or NBA 2K19 for $40 each. The open-world shooter Far Cry 5 is on sale for $30, the cheapest we've seen it drop yet on console. And Xbox One owners can pick up Minecraft: Explorer's Pack for $20.You can find more video game discounts at Best Buy right here.Agony -- $30 -- PS4 | Xbox OneFar Cry 5 -- $30 -- PS4 | Xbox OneMinecraft: Explorer's Pack -- $20 -- Xbox OneNBA 2K19 -- $40 -- PS4 | Xbox One | SwitchNHL 19 -- $40 -- PS4 | Xbox OnePayday 2 -- $40 -- SwitchVampyr -- $40 -- PS4 | Xbox OneYoku's Island Express -- $15 -- PS4 | Xbox One | Switch ($20)Info from Gamespot.com

It seems Sony loves nothing more than springing a surprise sale on PS4 owners. Right now, in addition to the regular weekly PlayStation Store sale, you can save up to 50% on a mountain of mostly spooky games to play during the lead-up to Halloween and beyond. As usual, PS Plus members get an extra discount on top of these deals. It's the Sale of the Dead, and it runs between now and November 2. Let's take a look at what deals are available.If bang for your buck is what you're after, you can pick up BioShock: The Collection for $26. These creepy games tell some of the best and most out-there stories you'll find in any shooter on the market. And if you'd like to spend time trying to avoid death-by-xenoomorph, grab Alien: Isolation for $15.With Devil May Cry 5 scheduled for March 2019, now is a great time to catch up on the series. You can pick up the first three games in Devil May Cry HD Collection for $18 and finish it off with Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition for $10.Some early PS4 games are on sale for deep discounts right now, including The Order: 1886 for $5 and Until Dawn for $6. Both are cinematic horror stories. Speaking of, What Remains of Edith Finch ($20) is basically a playable collection of short stories that all revolve around death. One of them even takes place on Halloween.What connection, exactly, Street Fighter has to horror is unclear; nevertheless, you can pick up Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition on sale for $28. Hitman: Game of the Year Edition might not seem like it has a Halloween connection, but in fact it does: you can grab the Halloween Pack for free right now. The full game is also discounted to $30 right now.We have more selections below, or you can head to the PlayStation Store to see the full list of sale items.Alien: Isolation -- $15 ($9 with PS Plus)Amnesia Collection -- $12 ($9)BioShock: The Collection -- $26 ($20)Bloodborne: Complete Edition -- $16 ($12)Dead Island: Definitive Collection -- $16 ($12)Dead Rising 4: Frank's Big Package -- $24 ($20)Devil May Cry HD Collection -- $21 ($18)Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition -- $10 ($7.50)Goosebumps: The Game -- $7.50 ($6)Hitman: Game of the Year Edition -- $30 ($24)The Order: 1886 -- $5 ($4)Outlast 2 -- $12 ($9)Resident Evil 4 -- $10 ($8)Resident Evil 7 -- $22.50 ($19.50)Shantae and the Pirate's Curse -- $16 ($14)Soma -- $12 ($9)Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition -- $28 ($24)Until Dawn -- $6 ($5)The Walking Dead Collection -- $35 ($30)What Remains of Edith Finch -- $20 ($12)The Witcher 3: Complete Edition -- $25 ($20)Info from Gamespot.com

With Halloween nearly upon us, we're seeing spooky events showing up in lots of games this month. Among them is the online shooter Destiny 2, a game that's seen a significant uptick in fresh content since the launch of the Forsaken expansion. The latest update is the Festival of the Lost event, which runs between now and November 6 and introduces lots of new gear and cosmetics. The most sought-after reward in the whole event is a new auto rifle called Horror Story.Horror Story is a fully-Masterworked Legendary auto rifle that comes with Zen Moment and Rampage. It's also locked at 600 Light, which will give a nice Power boost to lower-level players. You can buy Horror Story from Amanda Holliday in the Tower, but to do so you'll need to save up 120 Fragmented Souls, a new currency that was introduced in the Festival of the Lost. And the only way to get Fragmented Souls is to participate in a new PvE event called the Haunted Forest. Here's everything you'll need to do.(If you've already unlocked the Haunted Forest, you can check out these 10 tips for surviving the Haunted Forest as well as a trick for escaping the scary pit at the end of each run.)Unlock the Haunted ForestThe first thing you'll need to do after downloading the latest Destiny 2 update is head to the hangar in the east end of the Tower and talk to Amanda Holliday. She'll give you a Master Rahool mask and assign you a mission to investigate Lost Sectors on Io. Drop in at The Rupture on Io and complete the mission. Once you do, head back to the Tower and talk to Amanda, who will ask you to investigate the Haunted Forest.As luck would have it, you can find the Haunted Forest right on the map of the Tower. Before you launch, equip your mask and apply one of the three mods available for it. Also make sure to equip a favorable loadout before launching, because for some reason your gear is locked for the duration of this quest step.The Haunted Forest is a darker, spookier version of the Infinite Forest, but your goal is simple. All you have to do here is clear out the enemies in each area until the text on the screen reads, "Branch clear 100%." At this point, you'll be teleported to a battle against a Nightmare version of a boss.Defeat it, and you'll be returned to the Tower, where you'll have to talk to Amanda one more time. She'll give you a nice reward for your trouble: the Fighting Lion grenade launcher, along with its catalyst. Now the Haunted Forest is open for business, which means you can begin collecting Fragmented Souls.Get BountiesRegular trips through the Haunted Forest will net you a handful of Fragmented Souls, but collecting the 120 you'll need to buy Horror Story requires a good deal of grinding, so you'll want to maximize your time by getting all the advantages you can.To get additional Souls, you can pick up all of the bounties Amanda Holliday has on offer. She sells five daily bounties that grant you one Soul each, plus one weekly bounty that gets you 40 Souls. To complete the weekly one you'll need to do 15 Festival bounties, which is worthwhile, considering the weekly bounty gets you a third of the Souls you'll need to buy the weapon.Grind the Haunted ForestOnce you have the bounties, it's time to head back to the Haunted Forest. You have two options for entering it: Haunted Forest and Firewalled Haunted Forest. The only difference is that Haunted Forest has matchmaking, while the Firewalled one does not. To maximize your Souls you'll need a team of three players, so make sure to launch into the standard Haunted Forest option unless you're already in a three-person Fireteam.Each Haunted Forest run is similar to the one you did to unlock the area, except you and your partners have 15 minutes to clear as many branches as possible. When the timer runs out, you'll be able to finish the branch you're currently on, unless your team wipes. When it's over, you'll be transported near a loot chest that contains the Fragmented Souls you've earned. Don't worry if you fail to collect the Souls for whatever reason--they'll be waiting at the Postmaster.As you collect Fragmented Souls, you might be tempted to spend them on masks and other items Holliday is selling, but you'll probably want to wait until you get your hands on Horror Show before buying up the rest of her inventory. In any case, just make sure you save up 120 Souls before the Festival of the Lost goes away on November 6.Info from Gamespot.com